[DeepakS]

Originally Posted by Tamarind

Hey Bhpians,

I am 6.2" in height and been owning a Santro since 2009 (almost 80k Kms). Recently there is a new requirement where i had to travel 110 Km per day for 24 days a month.
So when i put a projection on Petrol and cost of vehicle upkeep its coming up to ~15k per month.considering 18Kmpl and average cost of petrol as INR 70

Attachment 1655704

This brought the thought of looking out for a new cost efficient alternative where i am reaching out to your help and expertise.,

Parameters for consideration numbered as per priority:

1. I am 6.2" and now ended up with a lope sided butt due to my seating position in Santro (i think). And its really pain in the back on long drives. So want a decent amount of leg room and under thigh support for a 6+.
2. Fuel Economy: 110 Km per liter would be my dream to have :P
3. Maintenance Costs: Looking at a 5 year time period, anything below ~2k in average per service would be awesome
4. After Sales Service: Yes, Please
5. Safety: Out of the 110 Km per day, 90+ km will be in the bypass, So would be nice to have some safety features yes
6. Budget: 5 to 6 L (can go up a bit)

Please Pour in your thoughts guys.,

If you do not care much about the "esteem" of buying a used car, and prioritize your comfort and safety along with driving pleasure and go-almost-anywhere capability, then i'd strongly suggest you to buy a used 85PS Duster or Terrano diesel.
I am a 6 footer and i weigh 120+ KGS. Like yourself, i drive approx 100 kms daily. I have a 85PS Terrano and it fits all your boxes too.

Comfort, check. Fuel efficiency, 18-20kmpl with Aircon. Safety, check. And to top it all, it's an actual highway vehicle! Ford Figo and Amaze and all other cars from that segment are hatchbacks and arent ideally suited to daily highway runs. We can use them the way we want, but if you are buying a car from scratch for this very purpose then i think it makes a lot more sense to buy one which actually fits the requirement-set.

[ayazhajimalang]

Since your aim is to reduce costs, I would also suggest you to get a Local Resident Pass for the tolls, if possible. It's different from a monthly pass and costs much lesser. For example, I pay Rs. 235 per month since I reside within 20 kms from the toll plaza. If I pay the normal roundtrip rates daily, it would cost me Rs. 1200 for 24 days (assuming I make only 1 roundtrip daily).

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by DeepakS

i'd strongly suggest you to buy a used 85PS Duster or Terrano diesel..... and it fits all your boxes too.....Safety, check.

How does the Duster/Terrano fit the safety requirement, pray might I ask? The European version of the car itself is deemed to have poor structural integrity in the most basic of Euro NCAP crash tests. Whether Renault or Nissan sells it here, doesn't change the fact that it is built by a 3rd rate manufacturer, Dacia for a 3rd world country, Romania.

Believe me, my father and I had eagerly looked into buying the car at one point in time. Both of us absolutely loved the compact dimensions, honest down to earth yet butch styling, and excellent ride quality. I had done extensive research and only when I saw that a European model was deemed structurally unstable, we begrudgingly let go of the idea of buying a Duster.

[VinsWagen]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

How does the Duster/Terrano fit the safety requirement, pray might I ask? The European version of the car itself is deemed to have poor structural integrity in the most basic of Euro NCAP crash tests. Whether Renault or Nissan sells it here, doesn't change the fact that it is built by a 3rd rate manufacturer, Dacia for a 3rd world country, Romania.

Believe me, my father and I had eagerly looked into buying the car at one point in time. Both of us absolutely loved the compact dimensions, honest down to earth yet butch styling, and excellent ride quality. I had done extensive research and only when I saw that a European model was deemed structurally unstable, we begrudgingly let go of the idea of buying a Duster.

Isn't the NCAP rating for Duster (with airbag) same as Ford Figo / Aspire? I believe it is not that great in safety but not that bad either. Also, Dacia is not a 3rd rate manufacturer and Romania being a 3rd world country is highly debatable. If we are looking at International standards, then a Tata or Mahindra and even Maruti can also be tagged under the same description.

[Debashis_1]

Originally Posted by Tamarind

Hey Bhpians,

I am 6.2" in height and been owning a Santro since 2009 (almost 80k Kms).

Dear Tamarind, I own a Baleno petrol zeta. If your driving involves mostly highway travel and you like to seat back instead of straight, then you can consider hatchbacks like Baleno/Gi10/i20 (Other members have given sufficient information about petrol and diesel cars). Else, I wouldn't recommend low height hatchbacks for you. Though very value for money in all aspects, I find the Baleno's IRVM creating blind spot behind it, very annoying. I am 6'.1" tall and would recommend SUV's ergonomically to be best fit for you.

Try test driving Vitara Brezza/Eco sports or similar vehicles before making your final purchase.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Tamarind

I am 6.2" in height...
...i had to travel 110 Km per day for 24 days a month.
So when i put a projection on Petrol and cost of vehicle upkeep its coming up to ~15k per month.considering 18Kmpl and average cost of petrol as INR 70

... want a decent amount of leg room and under thigh support for a 6+.
2. Fuel Economy: 110 Km per liter would be my dream to have :P
3. Maintenance Costs: Looking at a 5 year time period, anything below ~2k in average per service would be awesome
4. After Sales Service: Yes, Please
5. Safety: Out of the 110 Km per day, 90+ km will be in the bypass, So would be nice to have some safety features yes
6. Budget: 5 to 6 L (can go up a bit)

Interesting conundrum!

As someone who's driven 150+km 4-5 days a week for almost 20 years while commuting to work, I guess I am qualified enough to answer your query.

1. Choose a car your back and knees are very comfortable with - it can be a sedan, hatch or SUV. Don't worry about the cost - good, low-mileage used cars are plentiful in the market, and there's no issue if you buy a more comfortable used car than a less comfortable new one.

2. Look for cars which have the least service downtime and the most easily available spare parts supply. In this respect, brands like Maruti, Toyota, Honda, Mahindra etc. are streets ahead of the Europeans and Americans. With high mileage comes need for frequent maintenance, and you cannot afford to be without the car for more than a day or two.

3. Fuel economy is not the biggest factor, reliability is. A Toyota is not as fuel efficient as the others, but their reputation about keeping on running for ever, is unmatched.

4. Safety features, whatever be available in India, are just not enough. Look for the basics - ABS and 2 airbags. And a car with a strong bodyshell. Bigger cars are always safer. Choose bigger, not more fuel-efficient. A used Innova is safer than a new Alto.

5. Makes sense to buy a used diesel, and change your car every 3-4 years.

[anjan_73]

You should try the Mahindra Verito D6 diesel. It is sturdy, has 2 airbags, abs, is a km cruncher and most important it has space. It does not have the snob value but worth every rupees. I own one for the last 6 yrs and can vouch for it.

Give it a test drive atleast

Congratulations on your new car whatever you choose.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by VinsWagen

Isn't the NCAP rating for Duster (with airbag) same as Ford Figo / Aspire? I believe it is not that great in safety but not that bad either. Also, Dacia is not a 3rd rate manufacturer and Romania being a 3rd world country is highly debatable. If we are looking at International standards, then a Tata or Mahindra and even Maruti can also be tagged under the same description.

2011 NCAP ratings are less stringent than modern ones. They are updated every year. So effectively the Duster would fair even worse in a modern test. You can see the roof and A-pillar cave in in a moderate frontal overlap crash test. The roof also bends horribly in a side impact crash test. Yes that is why when buying a Tata, Mahindra or Maruti one does still proceed with caution. That said, the Hexa, XUV500 and S-Cross, all comparable cars to the duster, fair much much better in crash tests. The Ford Figo is also not a car I'd call very safe since it is based on the Ka this time and not on the Fiesta platform. That said, the A-pillar and roof do not cave in at all compared to the Duster in the crash tests since 2017 tests are more stringent it ends up with the same star rating, but can still be considered much safer than the Duster.

There is a lot more to NCAP or IIHS crash tests than the star rating. Please read the details and watch the videos especially when comparing two cars that were released years apart from eachother.

In the end it all depends on what you feel is safe. If something that scored 3 stars more than 5 years ago (when 3 stars was considered a very marginal rating), with the A-pillar and roof caving in, is safe enough for someone then cool, I am just pointing out that it simply isn't as safe as one might think it is. I myself drive a WagonR on most days and that car is far from safe which is why I'd never proclaim that it is safe at all.

[VinsWagen]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

2011 NCAP ratings are less stringent than modern ones. They are updated every year. So effectively the Duster would fair even worse in a modern test. You can see the roof and A-pillar cave in in a moderate frontal overlap crash test. The roof also bends horribly in a side impact crash test. Yes that is why when buying a Tata, Mahindra or Maruti one does still proceed with caution. That said, the Hexa, XUV500 and S-Cross, all comparable cars to the duster, fair much much better in crash tests. The Ford Figo is also not a car I'd call very safe since it is based on the Ka this time and not on the Fiesta platform. That said, the A-pillar and roof do not cave in at all compared to the Duster in the crash tests since 2017 tests are more stringent it ends up with the same star rating, but can still be considered much safer than the Duster.

There is a lot more to NCAP or IIHS crash tests than the star rating. Please read the details and watch the videos especially when comparing two cars that were released years apart from eachother.

In the end it all depends on what you feel is safe. If something that scored 3 stars more than 5 years ago (when 3 stars was considered a very marginal rating), with the A-pillar and roof caving in, is safe enough for someone then cool, I am just pointing out that it simply isn't as safe as one might think it is. I myself drive a WagonR on most days and that car is far from safe which is why I'd never proclaim that it is safe at all.

Appreciate you intent and I think I get your point - it is not safe as it may seem to be. But then I thought you were making a very similar mistake by going to the other end - declaring them to be totally unsafe and the supporting statements like the ones for Dacia and Romania were a bit too prejudicial. I do not want to argue further on this as I think the perspectives are clear but I just want to point out that I was talking about the ratings for the recent (2017) Global NCAP results for India specific cars and not 5-year old Euro NCAP ones. A few cars mentioned here may be marginally safer than Duster but not warranting such a strong refutal, according to me. Purely my opinion.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by avdhesh15

.....
Interesting suggestion. Actually I am evaluating that very option. I have to drive to my factory around 2-3 times a week which entails around 250km per trip. Driver was not working out due to timings etc so am now going to start taking cabs. My car costs approx Rs 1500 per trip. Cabs are around Rs 2500-2800. As you correctly said, along with driver salary, additional maintenance, depreciation, loss of resale, etc, the cab could just be a better option.

For such long drives, I would advise you to consider hiring a cab on monthly basis. They normally give 80km/day within the rate and rest is extra that can be negotiated.

The advantages of such cabs is many. When I used to work on projects, we used to have such arrangement with cabs, and they turn out to be much less of a hassle and cost than maintaining a car and a driver. Any problem with car or driver and a prompt replacement is provided.

[KSTejaswi]

Hi, we own a Toyota Etios Liva GD SP (Dec 2012 model). Apart from the various dings it collected in Chennai traffic (mainly near the Parrys Corner-High Court area), we've faced no other issue.

Till date, my mother (who suffers from various joint pains and acute back pain) swears by its front seat comfort. Dad has had his biggest problem sorted - no need to bother about the car. Toyota (Lanson, Neelankarai) calls, they take it, service it, return it and he only has to pay the bill and keep driving. We've clocked over 70k happy kms till date.

It can actually be fun sometimes, if one needs to, it can comfortably maintain 140kmph all day long. Having said that, it is more suited to a laid-back driving style with one enjoying the radio/music. We get 16~17kmpl in traffic, and 22~23kmpl on a leisurely highway drive.

Lots of space, super efficient AC, high level of comfort, light clutch, strong low end torque make up for the plain (maybe even sad) looks, the horrible speedometer and poor plastics.

The reliability that comes with Toyota, is a MAJOR bonus. Although I've not faced any issues with my Alto K10, probably the knowledge that "Toyota = Reliability" gives that peace of mind!

And yet, if you have to spend 7L(or more) for a new one, perhaps there are better options today.

Which is why I'd suggest that you strongly consider a 2-3 year old (20-30k), well maintained Etios Liva GD, and that should be within your budget.

[gkveda]

In my view, it will not be possible to conclude and decide with the recommendations/suggestions from this thread. However, you can consider the opinions, positive and negative points related to each car from the brain, analyze and then finally, you need to listen to your heart for right decision.

I do not mean any offense to any one here. But, many of us will be able to pour in only the good or bad experiences of our car/company only without having other car experiences. So, in all likely hood, there is a chance that most of us recommend the car or the company that we own.

[silverado]

Tata Tiago Diesel top end will cost around 6 lacs on road and fits all your requirements.
Its extremely well kitted at this price and build quality is better than Maruti's

[AkMar]

Originally Posted by silverado

Tata Tiago Diesel top end will cost around 6 lacs on road and fits all your requirements.
Its extremely well kitted at this price and build quality is better than Maruti's

I had been a silent reader of this thread for all these days. Somehow I don't feel Tiago is a good buy for the OP. For this kind of running, I feel a good engine is very important. That is why I would say Figo is a much better choice. Though Tiago has very good equipment levels, engines are a weak link in the package. Figo is a VFM option even though it will be slightly above budget.

[novicefreak]

Originally Posted by revvenant

I am 5'11 and have been using the Figo Titanium TDCi 1.5 for about 2 years now with a daily run of 55 kms.

I would suggest you go with a Figo, except that if your route entails significant bumper to bumper traffic, the heavy clutch will cause stress on your left knee.
Otherwise it's a superb package at that price point. Even the A.S.S. has improved significantly over the years and most of the spare parts are available over the counter from the Service Center. The maintenance, as of now, has been quite cheap though I can't give a comparo with other cars at this price point.

Toyota Etios Liva would be another good option, though I personally found that, for the diesel, at Cruising speeds the ride is a little wallowy and doesn't inspire much confidence to push the needle further. Haven't driven the petrol and can't comment on it.

Good choice to make from available lot.

Ford Twins make better choice for "now" VFM and routine / regular maintenance is economical and FORD is taking extra care in this direction and you check online the km wise or year wise service costs etc.

Would also like to caution about the HEAVY CLUTCH though as posted by other owners.

enjoy your drive and make a good choice.

enjoy TDCI-ing