[Viv3k]

I have been pushing back upgrading our main car for quite a while now. The two main reasons being finance and too much into motorcycles

However, with the addition of a new member to our family of two, I think it is time I plan the automobile future of the family.

Our current steed is the Chevrolet Optra Royale which has been doing its duty diligently for the last nine years. I simply love the cabin space and it has served as my second home on many occasions. The 1.6L engine is no head turner but push it on the highway and I have a stable car cruising at 140kmph.

However, not everything is rosy since the car is severely lacking in safety department. There is no ABS, airbags or any other safety equipment (yes, I do have seat belts and all should wear it if the car has to start :P)

Now, I do not want to spend too much on the car (especially with the purchase of a new motorcycle looming). My requirements are listed below:

1. Preferably be a sedan (used to sedans and love sedans)
2. Need to have the same cabin space like an optra has.
3. Need to be a decent petrol engine (One of the main reasons Ciaz was rejected)
4. Good build and safety (One of the main reasons all Maruti's were rejected)

Now, the all important question go budget. I think the maximum I can stretch is 20L (OTR) price.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

[noelnelly]

Your budget is quite large for a humble car that you're looking at, speaking of petrols and decent cabin space, the first car that come to my mind is the Honda City which retails close to 14 if I'm not wrong.

But then there is no decent car in the 15-20 lakh range, the Octavia might go slightly over budget but that also depends on the trim, you can check that out.

If you're interested in MUV's or Compact SUV's there is the EcoSport and the Honda BRV.

[manojraja]

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[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by Viv3k

1. Preferably be a sedan (used to sedans and love sedans)
2. Need to have the same cabin space like an optra has.
3. Need to be a decent petrol engine (One of the main reasons Ciaz was rejected)
4. Good build and safety (One of the main reasons all Maruthi's were rejected)

Now, the all important question go budget. I think the maximum I can stretch is 20L (OTR) price.

I think the Honda city will be fine choice. I can't tell you whether City is as spacious as your optra, but it's big enough to satisfy many out there. Pick a variant (SV and above) that suits your pocket.

If you want something more premium, go for a Corolla or the new Elantra.

[vinit.merchant]

With that budget, a lot of cars will fulfill all your criterias.

In addition to those already mentioned above, I would suggest the Toyota Corolla Altis.
Meets all your needs and then some more, and hopefully falls in your budgets (considering higher taxes in Bangalore). You might even fit in an AT within 20L, which can prove to be a boon in Bangalore.
Do give it a shot.

[BeantownThinker]

You can also look at the Jetta of which the Trendline OTR (Bangalore) should be about 18.71L and the Comfortline should be about OTR 20.67L. Logically this should be the next car from an Optra.

If you are willing to cross shop across segments, then I suggest you evaluate the Creta and the XUV500 as well.

Happy shopping!

[theexperthand]

I would suggest you check out the Fiat Linea 125s.

Gem of an engine, ABS, EBD, all 4 disc breaks, superb build quality and awesome ride quality and control - all this at almost half of your budget (well, slightly higher than half).

Or, If you want acres of space and can live with an SUV, Tata Safari Storm.

--Anoop

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by Viv3k

I think the maximum I can stretch is 20L (OTR) price.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Jetta is the ideal upgrade given that you are open to stretching it to 20 Lacs

* Good petrol engine
* Safety kit
* Cabin space
* European build quality
* Interior fit and finesse
* Timeless design
* Within your budget

Go for the Jetta, you won't regret. You can also push for good discounts

[Shreyans_Jain]

Make no mistake, the City is a proper downgrade from the Optra with regards to overall quality, fit and finish and finesse. In fact, just about every C segment sedan is. If you want soething as good or better, you really have to go to the Jetta/Octavia, Altis and Elantra segment. With the Altis being rather pricey for what it offers and the Jetta/Octavia being, well, VW/Skoda, the Elantra seems to be a good option. The petrol Elantra a fairly competent car to drive and comes fully loaded, yet within your budget. Jetta is a very good car in its own right but support can be an issue and VW has not confirmed launching the next gen Jetta here in India.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Viv3k

Our current steed is the Chevrolet Optra Royale which has been doing its duty diligently for the last nine years. I simply love the cabin space and it has served as my second home on many occasions. My requirements are listed below:

1. Preferably be a sedan (used to sedans and love sedans)
2. Need to have the same cabin space like an optra has.
3. Need to be a decent petrol engine (One of the main reasons Ciaz was rejected)
4. Good build and safety (One of the main reasons all Maruthi's were rejected)

Now, the all important question go budget. I think the maximum I can stretch is 20L (OTR) price.

I'm an ex-Optra owner. When it comes to size and cabin space, City/Ciaz is from a segment lower. Optra used to compete with Octavia, Elantra and Corolla when launched.

With that kind of budget, you should look at - guess what - Octavia/Jetta, just-launched Elantra and yet-to-be-launched facelifted Corolla!

[Viv3k]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Make no mistake, the City is a proper downgrade from the Optra with regards to overall quality, fit and finish and finesse. In fact, just about every C segment sedan is. If you want soething as good or better, you really have to go to the Jetta/Octavia, Altis and Elantra segment. With the Altis being rather pricey for what it offers and the Jetta/Octavia being, well, VW/Skoda, the Elantra seems to be a good option. The petrol Elantra a fairly competent car to drive and comes fully loaded, yet within your budget. Jetta is a very good car in its own right but support can be an issue and VW has not confirmed launching the next gen Jetta here in India.

Yes, I have test driven the city and it just doesn't feel roomy. Though the engine and the manual transmission was a different experience

Originally Posted by smartcat

I'm an ex-Optra owner. When it comes to size and cabin space, City/Ciaz is from a segment lower. Optra used to compete with Octavia, Elantra and Corolla when launched.

With that kind of budget, you should look at - guess what - Octavia/Jetta, just-launched Elantra and yet-to-be-launched facelifted Corolla!

Okay, so my TD cars in order of priority:
Jetta
Octavia (mostly out of my budget)
Corolla
Elantra

[Aakarsh]

I would recommend you to wait for few weeks and test drive the upcoming Tata Hexa once. It is spacious, powerful, looks stunning and will be within your budget. Yes ofcourse it isn't a sedan but you should atleast give it a shot, who knows you find it nice!

If I had to buy a new car this year, I definitely would have waited for the Hexa to be launched as IMHO the wait would be worth it. You can go through the concerned thread once and you will realize why I am insisting you for it. Here is the link for the same.

Apart from Hexa, you can have a look at Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Jetta.

Best Regards
Aakarsh

[Turbanator]

so my TD cars in order of priority:
Jetta
Octavia (mostly out of my budget)
Corolla
Elantra

Our current steed is the Chevrolet Optra Royale which has been doing its duty diligently for the last nine years.

Since you keep your vehicles for long, Corolla should suit you best. It might be expensive than others or missing some features, this will be the most trouble free and will hold value better than others. There are many horror stories of VW/Skoda and Hyundai maintenance can be expensive.

[khoj]

The City is just a cash cow being milked thoroughly by Honda and it is not safe at all when rear ended.

Corolla is an even bigger cash cow but structurally eons ahead of the City and a half size bigger. However it loses on safety features compared to the the two Germans and the Korean. It also loses in terms of child seat as in it does not have the ISOFIX mounts which the other three have.

Of the remaining three only the Elantra with all the bells and whistles will fit in to the mentioned budget and what a car it is. A huge improvement over the outgoing model especially in terms of ride quality and handling, it definitely gets my vote.

Originally Posted by Viv3k

Yes, I have test driven the city and it just doesn't feel roomy. Though the engine and the manual transmission was a different experience



Okay, so my TD cars in order of priority:
Jetta
Octavia (mostly out of my budget)
Corolla
Elantra

[mijnoirhammer67]

Originally Posted by Viv3k

Now, I do not want to spend too much on the car (especially with the purchase of a new motorcycle looming). My requirements are listed below:

1. Preferably be a sedan (used to sedans and love sedans)
2. Need to have the same cabin space like an optra has.
3. Need to be a decent petrol engine (One of the main reasons Ciaz was rejected)
4. Good build and safety (One of the main reasons all Maruthi's were rejected)

Now, the all important question go budget. I think the maximum I can stretch is 20L (OTR) price.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Since you said sedans only, some options get ruled out. Options like Creta, XUV, upcoming Hexa, CR-V and lot get rejected. But i would highly suggest the Innova Crysta. Go for the top model, its the best. It is a little overpriced, but with the reliability and everything it will save money over the years. It should outlast your driving license and your current optra. Ive seen people drive the old innova well into 200,000kms and even more. So reliability over the years is very good. Plus, its HUUUGGGEEEE. As compared to the sedans. Buy Innova now, buy another sedan in a few years.

If its strictly sedans, the Jetta is pretty good. Everyone reviewed it out here on Team-BHP and only says good things. In fact great things. So you could look into that. I personally feel all these Jetta and Elantra are underpowered. The octavia petrol 1.8 has a great bite but reliability concerns make it a miss. Besides these, there aren't really more petrol sedans in this range. Not good ones atleast, the Altis is highly underpowered, even the petrol. Then besides Jetta, octavia and altis, there is cruze which you've neglected with good reason. So to sum it up, petrol sedans in the 15-20 lakhs bracket are only Jetta, Octavia and Elantra.
Im not too sure on elantra's reliability, Hyundai car don't look like they are built to last. Though I've never owned one for long, so i could be wrong. Same goes for Octavia, since you said you have a third now, you don't want it to spend more time in the garage and have to take your kid on a bike. Congrats btw on the kid and hope you have a good time with the child. Back to the cars, only consider top models since the second top and lower models almost always skimp on safety features. I know Octavia top is well into the 20's and same goes for Elantra but safety features are an absolute must and i personally wouldn't compromise it for a little more money.

Since you seem to keep cars for longer periods, Octavia could be ruled out. The City, Verna, Ciaz and lot won't be an upgrade so thats your decision. You could buy 2 City's for one top model Elantra. So pay heed to this, its not necessarily a bad option to downgrade. Financial sensibility only comes second to safety.
If you go over the 20 lakhs budget then Superb, Camry, A3, CLA all this comes into play. You can look at low mileage premium brands where you could get some good options for that money. Also, if you do use the baby seat, look for the ISOFIX option(s) on any car you do end up buying.

My personal choice would be as follows with respect to preference at the top:
1. INNOVA all the way and then sedan down the years
2. Innova once more, wife plus the kid in baby seat with perhaps a second kid one day and then a sedan later on
3. Second hand low mileage Audi, BMW and Mercedes
4. Jetta
5. Elantra/Octavia

Happy hunting