[anilbajpai]

Hi,

We, my wife and I, are in our mid-fifties. Have a Skoda Superb, 6 year old that is doing great and will continue. Our need is to drive within city (Bangalore) for ~20 km a day.
We have a Toyota Corolla bought way back in 2004 that is still doing great.
However, need to replace it with an automatic small/medium size car that can navigate in Bangalore traffic. Budget is not a constraint. Ease of drive, parking in the city, and reasonably good looks are.
Getting completely confused in VW models to Volvo to Merc A/CLA.
Mostly we use a driver but need to drive by ourselves as well.

Any advice please. We are slow in changing cars and have very little/nil expertise in selecting one.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by anilbajpai

Getting completely confused in VW models to Volvo to Merc A/CLA.
Mostly we use a driver but need to drive by ourselves as well.

Any advice please. We are slow in changing cars and have very little/nil expertise in selecting one.

Bangalore is a city of bad roads, unmarked speed breakers and congested parking spaces and hence, a small automatic SUV/crossover is the best bet when you want to be able to drive one comfortably around town.

Coming to the options, there are many. Right from the Creta which is as common as the flu but a resounding sales success to the VW Tiguan which is a very sophisticated, well made small SUV.

The new kid on the block is the Jeep Compass which is worthy of a look.

In case you intend to move higher up the ladder, the Q3 is a good buy for the two of you with a driver at times.

I'd suggest you begin by taking test drives of the automatic versions of the Creta, Compass, Tiguan and the Q3 and decide the levels of comfort, space and luxury that impress you.

That should set a good benchmark to start with.

PS: How many km has your Corolla done?

[anilbajpai]

Thanks, Devdath.

Will do. Corolla has done 1,10,000 kms approx.

[Pedaltothefloor]

What is your budget and are you fixated on a car (read Sedan) or the plethora of Hatchbacks on stilts (suv, muv, luv, tug etc.) are an option?

Jeep Compass is rather compact but yet to prove it's worth.

[Vid6639]

If you're looking for something compact then why bother with Volvo, Merc and all. Even their hatchbacks are huge in size and not compact for city crawling. The rear seats when chauffeur driven are the worse.

My choice would be the new Verna which is launching in coming few weeks. It is nearly the same size as a corolla, has an automatic and Hyundai's are very nice to drive in town. It's also fully loaded in features.

The Superb can be for highways and the Verna for urban commuting.

[anilbajpai]

Originally Posted by Pedaltothefloor

What is your budget and are you fixated on a car (read Sedan) or the plethora of Hatchbacks on stilts (suv, muv, luv, tug etc.) are an option?

Jeep Compass is rather compact but yet to prove it's worth.

I buy a car only once in 7-8 years so budget can be anything from 10-45 lakhs. I intend to keep the car for 10 years. A good, comfortable, city driving Sedan or SUV, both can be an option . Don't have a need for off-roading.

[V.Narayan]

Originally Posted by anilbajpai

Hi,
We, my wife and I, are in our mid-fifties. Have a Skoda Superb -- automatic small/medium size car that can navigate in Bangalore traffic--Budget is not a constraint. Ease of drive, parking in the city, and reasonably good looks are. -- Mostly we use a driver but need to drive by ourselves as well.

Anil, we are both in the same boat. Some good advice already given by other members. Look at the Toyota Corolla or as Vidyut says the new Hyundai Verna -- both long on rear seat comfort and top class after sales service. Looks wise the Verna gets my vote.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Bangalore is a city of bad roads, unmarked speed breakers and congested parking spaces and hence, a small automatic SUV/crossover is the best bet when you want to be able to drive one comfortably around town.

+1 on that.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

If you're looking for something compact then why bother with Volvo, Merc and all. Even their hatchbacks are huge in size and not compact for city crawling. The rear seats when chauffeur driven are the worse.

My choice would be the new Verna which is launching in coming few weeks. It is nearly the same size as a corolla, has an automatic and Hyundai's are very nice to drive in town. It's also fully loaded in features.

+1. the Volvo XC60 is good and dependable but if the rear seat is where you will be most of the time then you should test its ride.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by anilbajpai

Ease of drive, parking in the city, and reasonably good looks are.

Any advice please. We are slow in changing cars and have very little/nil expertise in selecting one.

It would make your decision making very simple if you decide to use the new car mostly for self driving and always use superb when traveling with driver. Rear seat comfort is very expensive in the market and doesn't make sense to pay for it when you already have superb, so if you opt for a hatchback and plan not to use it with driver, then there are excellent choices at different price points. Mercedes A or GLA would brighten up the day for sure. They are criticised for lack of power but in your case that should not be a problem. If you don't want to throw good money on cars, Polo TSI would be a great choice. If you want to avoid the German brands, then Hyundai is probably the next best thing in terms of premium feel. Honda and Toyota are on a mission to cheapen their cars and it shows. I feel sad for Honda because it was meant to provide the perfect car for your needs.

If I were you, I would use Superb with driver and drive a nice hatchback that appeals to me heart. I won't buy a utilitarian car fearing Bangalore traffic, scratches during parking etc. Or even worse, to save money for kids

[ToyotaFan]

Originally Posted by anilbajpai

I buy a car only once in 7-8 years so budget can be anything from 10-45 lakhs. I intend to keep the car for 10 years. A good, comfortable, city driving Sedan or SUV, both can be an option . Don't have a need for off-roading.

For a city like Bangalore and using the car for a long time I feel you should look at cars that are successful in the market and might provide for hassle free sales and service experience. Don't know how has been your experience with the superb and can you deal with the less than ideal service that skids is famous for.

For the first scenario I can't look beyond the creta for your needs. It has a Petrol and a diesel AT fairly competent and looks to suit your requirements to the T. As much as I hate the car for being overpriced and being so common I feel it's the best for you. There's a dearth of quality compact cars in the market since people usually want a big car feel in the 10L+ segment though the Hyundai is quite compact and should be an issue.

The compass is great and if you are not in a hurry should be available in the Petrol AT form in 3-4 months. If u are reasonably happy with the Skoda experience this car might be worth a worth. It's better than the creta on all counts and I felt it provides almost I would say 90% of the experience the BKW X1 or the Q3 provide.

A compact sedan like the CLA or a full size one like corolla is not worth it since you have the superb. The A class is one hatchback that might pull your heart strings and the Petrol AT has decent grunt too. The back seat is a joke and it's a car not meant to be chauffeur driven ever. If you want a Mercedes the B Class looks to be the best bet. It has decent space and is compact at the same time. I know my suggestions are confusing but unless you test drive a few of the above mentioned cars it's difficult to zero in on one with your set of considerations.

[Arjun Reddy]

Really as you say if budget is not a concern, though slightly expensive for what it offers, I would suggest the Tucson GLS AT.

It's a kind of best of both worlds kind of vehicle. Good to drive around in the city ie compact, good powerful 180 horses, 400 nm torque, decent auto box, comes with 3 years warranty and maintainance.

If you want to be chauffeured, you get decent room at the rear, reclining rear seats, roomy cabin, sorted ride for both city and the highways and most importantly good ground clearance for Bangalore's notorious roads and speed breakers. Also the biggest advantage will be that you can take this Tucson on those trips where you probably need the ground clearance the Superb can't offer.

Buy it in sleek silver, and you can park it just about anywhere, without worrying on the small nicks it will pick up.

Edit: just saw your profile. You seem to be the oldest(4 posts in 7 years) newbie.lol.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by anilbajpai

However, need to replace it with an automatic small/medium size car that can navigate in Bangalore traffic. Budget is not a constraint. Ease of drive, parking in the city, and reasonably good looks are.
Mostly we use a driver but need to drive by ourselves as well.

Hi Anil,

I would suggest you try out the Honda Jazz CVT. It should fit your requirements of comfort and ease of driving/parking without spending too much on a second car.

The Jazz will also serve you well with a driver from time to time as the rear seats are a comfortable place to be in too.

Cheers

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by anilbajpai

I buy a car only once in 7-8 years so budget can be anything from 10-45 lakhs. I intend to keep the car for 10 years. A good, comfortable, city driving Sedan or SUV, both can be an option . Don't have a need for off-roading.

If you are looking for similar back seat comfort as the Corolla, you should look at Honda City and potentially the upcoming Verna. Hyundai has not had the best petrol automatics especially when compared to Honda but have turned a corner with Creta and hopefully Verna would be even better.

While a Polo GT TSI seems to be a good choice, do keep in mind, its replacement is going to be coming quite soon and has already been announced in Europe. Add to it, the replacement is a stunner and covers some major flaws in the car like poor rear space and boot space.

If you want a car that stands out from the crowd and ready to put some cash in, you can have a look at the Mini Cooper 5 door. Its looks will turn people's heads no matter where you go. In addition the car is extremely fun to drive! I would at least give it a test drive, a chance for it to steal the heart!

[Y@SH]

I realise you are looking for something compact, which can be self as well as chauffeur driven. The hatchbacks A/GLA class don't have good rear seat comfort.

Why dont you have a look at the S60 cross country. Given the bad roads and big speed breakers in bangalore I think this would be a good size car. Not as big as the current superb you plan to keep and not space constraint like the hatchbacks.

It has a higher ground clearance and looks good too. You could also get good discounts on the outgoing XC60 or wait for the new XC60.

I am not suggesting the BMW X1 due to the ride quality and space at the back.


If you don't want anything from the European stable. A compact SUV like the creta/ ecosport or the new verna/ rapid/ city would serve your purpose.

[hserus]

Ease of drive and parking in the city argues for a premium hatchback, and a small one ideally. Something on the lines of the VW Polo, Grand i20, Baleno and similar. Figo or Jazz might fit the bill too.

Also - if you are looking to sell that corolla I am sure there will be a long queue of BHPians so please be braced for PMs from a bunch of people.

[Pedaltothefloor]

Vento TSI skipped my mind earlier. It's compact compared to your superb but still a three. Of car unlike a polo.