[handsofsteel]

Hello all!
I am in the market for a new car more than a month now having sold my Civic VMT 08 last month and am no nearer to finalising my next ride. Without much ado, i will list down my requirements first: -
Mandatory Attribute-
Automatic - Wife wants it! Period!
SPACE!! - We are a TAAALL family.
Desirable Attributes-
Ground Clearance
Sunroof
Cruise Control
SUVish looks
Now to follow the recommended forum template-

• Cars short listed - City, BRV, XUV 5OO and Creta
• Price range - anything upto XUV W10
• Maintenance & After Sales Service (A.S.S.) expectations-Niggle free
• Average distance traveled per month - 500-1000km/month
• Where car will be mostly used (city / highway / rough roads etc) - Metros with occasional highway trips
• Chauffer driven / self driven - Self
• Whether the vehicle will be shared by other members of family- by my wife
• Any specific requirements from car (ex. Better luggage space, responsive engine, rear seat comfort) -rear seat comfort and should not me claustrophobic
• How long you intend on keeping this car (and how important resale is to you) - 5-10 years

The city zx seems a no-brainer but for the body shape. ( Ive already booked i considering the waiting time but am open to cancelling it)

The Creta,for what it offers in terms of features, is slightly expensive.
The BRV - Why couldnt it have had better seats, a HU and Reversing Camera
The S Cross would've definitely been my go-to car if only it had an automatic.
So fellow members, Please help!!

Oh! and did I mention, I need the car fast, Maximum within a month!

[AYP]

If you want an SUV, I would suggest the Creta AT. If you are fine with a sedan, then the City AT is a very good choice. Between the two, I would personally suggest the Creta AT as it satisfies your need for an SUVish looking car. However, it does miss out on a few goodies which are present in the City ZX, however it also gains some features which are absent in the City ZX(like carplay and android auto).

Since your budget is around 20-21 lakhs(on-road price of the XUV W10 2wd AT), I would suggest that you take a look at the Elantra SX AT and the Corolla G AT. You can also consider the Creta diesel AT. Not only does it fall in your budget, but the 1.6 diesel engine is a much better performer than the 1.6 petrol. It has received much better reviews(comparatively) when compared to the 1.6 petrol. Better fuel economy being a bonus.

[Durango Dude]

If you're a family of big made people, then count the BR-V out. It can seat only two in the middle row and I found a slight skittishness under braking (owners can chip in) most probably because of the narrow width, tall stance & length. City CVT is good, I think you must have tried out that and sat in it too. Creta I can't comment as I didn't try it out as I wanted a sedan found it bulky for my needs and I was more petrol oriented. I have observed a car with a width of 1700mm and less is slightly easier to pilot in the urban conditions, I may be biased.

[SmartCat]

The answer is hidden inside the question!

Let me selectively quote you -

Mandatory Attribute -> Automatic & SPACE!
Desirable Attributes -> Ground Clearance, Sunroof, Cruise Control, SUVish look
Specific requirements from car -> rear seat comfort and should not be claustrophobic

Cars short listed -> XUV 5OO
Price range -> anything upto XUV W10

I hope you get the hint. The only fly in the ointment is niggle free after sales experience over 5 to 10 years.

The Creta,for what it offers in terms of features, is slightly expensive.

When compared to City/BRV/XUV500, Creta has excellent NVH characteristics which you might not have noticed on a short test drive. Creta has very little road, tyre & engine noise. What you get for your money is a more refined and sophisticated car.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

I found a slight skittishness under braking (owners can chip in) most probably because of the narrow width, tall stance & length.

Hmm? Strange. I find its braking to be absolutely fault free.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G6oY942tkw

But I didn't recommend BRV to him because his budget is quite high and there are lots of feature rich cars available to suit his budget.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by AYP

However, it does miss out on a few goodies which are present in the City ZX, however it also gains some features which are absent in the City ZX(like carplay and android auto).
You can also consider the Creta diesel AT. Not only does it fall in your budget, but the 1.6 diesel engine is a much better performer than the 1.6 petrol. It has received much better reviews(comparatively) when compared to the 1.6 petrol. Better fuel economy being a bonus.

I agree with Creta AT diesel being better than the petrol. But my running does not justify a diesel. Also, the City zx Cvt petrol feels vfm when compared to the Creta petrol AT for the features, not the least of which is 6 airbags. And therein lies the rub.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

If you're a family of big made people, then count the BR-V out. It can seat only two in the middle row and I found a slight skittishness under braking (owners can chip in) most probably because of the narrow width, tall stance & length. City CVT is good, I think you must have tried out that and sat in it too. Creta I can't comment as I didn't try it out as I wanted a sedan found it bulky for my needs and I was more petrol oriented. I have observed a car with a width of 1700mm and less is slightly easier to pilot in the urban conditions, I may be biased.

I really don't need a 5 seater. It's mainly 1+1 or 1+2 in the vehicle.

Originally Posted by smartcat

I hope you get the hint. The only fly in the ointment is niggle free after sales experience over 5 to 10 years.

When compared to City/BRV/XUV500, Creta has excellent NVH characteristics which you might not have noticed on a short test drive. Creta has very little road, tyre & engine noise. What you get for your money is a more refined and sophisticated car.

But I didn't recommend BRV to him because his budget is quite high and there are lots of feature rich cars available to suit his budget.

The primary reason for selling my civic and buying an automatic is to enable my wife to drive.I don't see her driving an Xuv in the city traffic. Bit too big for her to be confident. Hence finally settled on these 3 cars.

Are you saying Creta at petrol is a more refined and sophisticated car than the ivtec? Sorry, I should've specified, I am biased towards the petrol because of the low annual running of the vehicle. In light of the above, could you kindly reconfirm whether you meant the petrol or the diesel? Besides, I thought the petrol AT was a guzzler.

The primary reasons for refusing the brv were the seats( too thin compared to the civic), lack of touchscreen/ modern HU and the lack of reversing cam. But with glitches being reported on both Creta and city HU, am beginning to reconsider this point.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

The primary reason for selling my civic and buying an automatic is to enable my wife to drive.I don't see her driving an Xuv in the city traffic. Bit too big for her to be confident. Hence finally settled on these 3 cars. I am biased towards the petrol because of the low annual running of the vehicle

Then the City CVT it is! Don't even think just book the City ZX CVT and mark my words your wife will love you even better and you can save a lot on fuel bills too visavis the Creta AT. City CVT delivers around 9-10 kmpl in the City dependent on traffic. For me it has brought back pleasure to driving in dense and chaotic city traffic.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Are you saying Creta at petrol is a more refined and sophisticated car than the ivtec? Sorry, I should've specified, I am biased towards the petrol because of the low annual running of the vehicle. In light of the above, could you kindly reconfirm whether you meant the petrol or the diesel? Besides, I thought the petrol AT was a guzzler.

Advantage Honda City ZX CVT:

- Powerful engine, very quick car (0 to 100 kmph in 11 secs) for an automatic
- CVT means much better fuel economy (up to 25% higher than Creta petrol AT)
- Safety specs (6 airbags)
- Slightly better long term service experience
- Better steering

Advantage Hyundai Creta Petrol AT:

- More compact than Honda City. Suited for city driving/parking
- Low wind noise and tyre noise, for fatigue free highway driving
- SUV looks/higher ground clearance
- More practical (Eg: foldable rear seats)
- Better interior quality

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Then the City CVT it is! Don't even think just book the City ZX CVT and mark my words your wife will love you even better and you can save a lot on fuel bills too visavis the Creta AT. City CVT delivers around 9-10 kmpl in the City dependent on traffic. For me it has brought back pleasure to driving in dense and chaotic city traffic.

that's my perception too, the city has its nose ahead at this point.that's why I have booked it.
just that am now re-considering/ re-evaluating

Originally Posted by smartcat

Advantage Honda City ZX CVT:

- Powerful engine, very quick car (0 to 100 kmph in 11 secs) for an automatic
- CVT means much better fuel economy (up to 25% higher than Creta petrol AT)
- Safety specs (6 airbags)
- Slightly better long term service experience
- Better steering

Advantage Hyundai Creta Petrol AT:

- More compact than Honda City. Suited for city driving/parking
- Low wind noise and tyre noise, for fatigue free highway driving
- SUV looks/higher ground clearance
- More practical (Eg: foldable rear seats)
- Better interior quality

again I agree, and thats why the brv came back into consideration as it offers a combination of high gc and the 'better' ivtec. Have gone through your posts on the brv in detail.Being a brv owner yourself, what's your take on :-
A. Driving within the city
B. Parking woes
C. Seating comfort and interior quality.
(Am not able to get over the omission of the touch screen/ reversing aids).
Finally, If you had my list of requirements, considering your extensive experience on the brv, would you go for it again?

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

thats why the brv came back into consideration as it offers a combination of high gc and the 'better' ivtec. Have gone through your posts on the brv in detail.Being a brv owner yourself, what's your take on :-
A. Driving within the city
B. Parking woes
C. Seating comfort and interior quality.
(Am not able to get over the omission of the touch screen/ reversing aids).
Finally, If you had my list of requirements, considering your extensive experience on the brv, would you go for it again?

1) I personally have no issues driving in the city or parking (because both my previous cars were 4.5 metre long - Optra & Civic). However, my wife has issues parking the BRV, especially at shopping malls.

2) Touchscreen/parking aids is not an issue. Although I paid extra for them as dealer accessories, you can get them for free. From what I hear, there is cash + insurance + accessories discount worth Rs. 1 Lakh on BR-V CVT.

3) Seats might seem slim, but is quite comfortable over long drives. The interiors are visually appealing & well-screwed, but there are no soft touch plastics or leather.

I think BR-V makes sense only if there are (4 adults + 1 kid) or (2 adults + 2 kids) minimum -> so that kids can have their "own space". In your case, if you pick up the BR-V, you are paying money for those flexible seats but not using them at all. Plus from engineering point of view, BRV (based on Brio) is a segment lower than City (based on Jazz).

However, I agree that high GC is a very useful feature, especially on highways! Your ideal car is Honda WR-V with 1.5 litre engine & CVT gearbox - but launch dates are not yet known.

[autorahul]

The City CVT defines your requirements perfectly. City no longer has the bumper scraping problem as long as you are reasonable.

The other cars which I think you should consider are Elantra and Corolla. Both offer better refinement than the City, and supremely comfortable drive and ride. They are similarly priced to the XUV500, but are definitely a class above the others mentioned in engineering.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by smartcat

1) I personally have no issues driving in the city or parking (because both my previous cars were 4.5 metre long - Optra & Civic). However, my wife has issues parking the BRV, especially at shopping malls.

2) Touchscreen/parking aids is not an issue. Although I paid extra for them as dealer accessories, you can get them for free. From what I hear, there is cash + insurance + accessories discount worth Rs. 1 Lakh on BR-V CVT.

3) Seats might seem slim, but is quite comfortable over long drives. The interiors are visually appealing & well-screwed, but there are no soft touch plastics or leather.

I think BR-V makes sense only if there are (4 adults + 1 kid) or (2 adults + 2 kids) minimum -> so that kids can have their "own space". In your case, if you pick up the BR-V, you are paying money for those flexible seats but not using them at all. Plus from engineering point of view, BRV (based on Brio) is a segment lower than City (based on Jazz).

However, I agree that high GC is a very useful feature, especially on highways! Your ideal car is Honda WR-V with 1.5 litre engine & CVT gearbox - but launch dates are not yet known.

We are 2 adults+2 kids hence thought brv would be relevant with kids getting their space. Even if I buy it, envisage folding the last row (if not removing it altogether and using it as a big flat boot).
Agree with the suitability of the wrv 1.5 but my immediate requirement trumps any prospective launches hence can't wait for the impending s cross AT either. Another issue is the lack of headroom in the wrv, something which the brv has in acres.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by autorahul

The City CVT defines your requirements perfectly. City no longer has the bumper scraping problem as long as you are reasonable.

The other cars which I think you should consider are Elantra and Corolla. Both offer better refinement than the City, and supremely comfortable drive and ride. They are similarly priced to the XUV500, but are definitely a class above the others mentioned in engineering.

I drive mainly in Mumbai so not too much of a GC issue. However, there are exactly 2 places on my daily drive which I believe, will cause me to scrape the front bumper.
Elantra and Corolla are similar to my erstwhile civic (perceivably, significantly bigger) and therefore insofar as my better half is considered, unwieldy in city traffic.

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Advantage Honda City ZX CVT:

- Powerful engine, very quick car (0 to 100 kmph in 11 secs) for an automatic
- CVT means much better fuel economy (up to 25% higher than Creta petrol AT)
- Safety specs (6 airbags)
- Slightly better long term service experience
- Better steering

Advantage Hyundai Creta Petrol AT:

- More compact than Honda City. Suited for city driving/parking
- Low wind noise and tyre noise, for fatigue free highway driving
- SUV looks/higher ground clearance
- More practical (Eg: foldable rear seats)
- Better interior quality

It came as surprise to me that the Creta is actually 170mm shorter in length than the Honda City. I was thinking the other way round. But all other dimensions it's bigger than the City. City hides it's length well and shrinks around you as you drive. City 'looks' so compact.

[VKumar]

Dear @handsofsteel, since yours is a tall family which is looking for a petrol automatic. Well, you will have to make some compromises in terms of sunroof and touch screen ICE, my suggestion will be the BR-V CVT(That makes me odd man out).

There are issues with BR-V too, let me mark the two I felt:
1) No front center armrest
2) No illumination of power window and mirror controls on driver's door.

Rest everything else is okay and acceptable. Since you have a couple of doubts regarding the seats of BR-V, I personally will any day and every day choose to drive a BR-V against a Creta or even a City (no offense to City owners, I need better GC). The seats may look thin, but they are well cushioned and well designed. Middle row is better pushed all the way back on rails and reclined to the confort angle (City or Creta can never do this) with roof mounted AC vents directed as per your comfort. Non only this, the extra large rear doors with those XL sized windows add more to the feeling of roominess. All I would say is, drive it to believe it. BR-V is dynamically a much sorted vehicle and actually may prove to be the people mover you are looking for. Since you are 2 adults with 2 kids, this is where the middle row of BR-V is actually going to shine instead of disappointing.

[riteshritesh]

I own the City ZX CVT and the BRV CVT and am in Mumbai. You are free to get your family and try out both the cars.

My wife was the sole user of BRV ( till the new City came in) and she isn't happy shifting to the City, main reason being the seating of BRV was higher and she felt more confident. Other things like the HU and a reverse cam can be retrofitted, but as pointed out above, the lack of backlit switches and gear panel makes it a bit discomforting during night drives. But again, you can get aftermarket interior ambient lighting to solve this issue. Thin seats, not really as I have Art leather seats installed from ORCHIS and that bulks them up.

If you are looking for a functional car, go for the BRV. If you want a good and pleasant ( interiors) looking car, then City it is. However, if you are 6 feet 2 as a TBHP'ian OSH is, then your head is going to hit the roof. As for me, I am 5.6 and even at the tallest setting, I find the driver's seat a tad bit low slung. This being the main reason, my wife still prefers using the BRV over the City.

Petrol + AT + Hyundai = Uneconomical ownership. The Ivtec + CVT combo returns 15~17 kmpl on highways and we get 10~12 within Mumbai.