[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



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.,

[pixantz]

Keeping your height in mind, along with requirements of high mileage efficiency and safety, I would suggest diesel variants(keeping daily mileage figures in mind) of three cars namely, Ford Figo, Ford Aspire and Honda Amaze.

They have good reliability, safety of at least two airbags each, lower maintenance, great fuel economy ranging from 20-26 kmpl(diesel models only, petrols would do below 20 mostly), great ergonomics and are good for longer drives as related to comfort.

These boys cost around 5-6 lacs ex-showroom so they should fit in your budget too and would be an upgrade from the Santro. So you should be sorted.

Tip: if you're not that brand concious, get to know which of these two (Ford and Honda) has a better more reliable service facility which is closer to your home/office to help you make a better decision.

These are two brands which I trust given your requirements and which I would have gone for if I was in your shoes. Best of luck.

[APV]

May I suggest Diesel Liva/Etios. It would tick the following

2. Fuel economy(I was getting around 20KMPL in my Etios when it was around 50K)
3. Maintenance cost: was paying around 6K for every 10K Kms
4. After sales service: its a Toyota
5. Safety (2 air bags)
6. Budget Liva GD would be closer to your budget I believe

For point #1, a detailed test drive would provide the answer.

Good luck

[IshaanIan]

When you mentioned your height I was wondering how you managed with a Santro for so many years. Now when you say you need to drive 110km per day for 24 days a month, I would say take a cab. Book a cab. Might cost you a little more than running a petrol car up and down but think of it this way; it will be the same cost as hiring a driver for a month minus maintenance and fuel charges.

If you are dead set on buying a car, well you probably know which new cars can be bought with your budget and I bet you will test drive all of them to see if they suit you. If you don't find any new cars in your budget worthy of the task, might I suggest looking at used cars like the Ford Fusion 1.4 TDCi or the Getz Prime 1.5 CRDi? Both well built cars with loads of space and practicality. Fusion shared a lot of parts with the old Fiesta and the Getz was fairly popular so parts won't be an issue. You could pick up excellent post 2009 models of either car for about 2-3 lakhs. Set aside 1 lakh to bring the car up to perfect shape, and there you have it, a brand new-old big car, for 3-4 lakhs. Now that is a solid 30-50% savings on your allocated budget.

[landcruiser123]

I would recommend the Baleno Delta. It's spacious, effortless to drive, efficient and should be easy to maintain. The MJD engine is very very reliable, so you should not have any problem. The Jazz will be a bit nicer, but it's more expensive compared to the Baleno and noisier too.

The Aspire and Figo are nice choices too.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by Tamarind

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.,

Considering 5 year ownership you have mentioned, at the rate of 2500 km per month the car would be travelling 1.5 lakh kilometers. I am 6'4" and understand your plight very well. Lack of under thigh support is our biggest bane, just ahead of the passenger kneeing us from back seat because our seats are pushed so far back!

My first consideration would be Toyota Etios Liva Diesel. Yes it does not look every fancy, but no car meets your requirement to the tee like Etios. It is very reliable and maintenance is both affordable and consistent espescially in the long run. Safety features are standard. If you can stretch till Etios sedan, its more preferable.

Next on my list would be base variant of Baleno. Again, if you can go for Delta variant, it would be preferable. Oodles of space and one of the most reliable engines of the country make it a good all round car.

Lastly I would consider Ignis Delta Diesel. Same reliable 1.3 diesel mill as Baleno, in funky package which you may love or hate. Higher seating should further help and you get most of the features you would expect in in a diesel car of this price.

[avdhesh15]

Originally Posted by Tamarind

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

I would look at the Dzire or Ignis (AGS if budget permits) I think it would tick all your boxes.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Book a cab.

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.

[GTO]

Would suggest the Ford Figo diesel. It's well-priced and has a lovely engine (max bang for the buck). Also check out the Baleno (1.3L engine feels ordinary now though) and the Elite i20 (a premium all-rounder - my top choice). You'll have to extend your budget for the latter, but it'll be well worth it. Test-drive these three, read the official reviews & ownership reports, then make your choice.

Since you don't want to spend too much, it's better to get a feature-loaded hatchback over a sparsely equipped sedan for the same money.

Also not recommending any pre-owned options as your running is high and you'll easily do 1.5L km in 5 years.

[the_skyliner]

With that kind of running, Toyota makes a lot of sense IMO. Purely due to its reliability record service network.

Etios is quite spacious and pretty good to drive too. Fuel economy is around 17-18 for diesel which isn't that bad.

It will be slightly above the budget but then it will fetch decent resale as well.

[vb-saan]

100 kms per day - it has to be reasonably good to drive, and reasonably well-kitted on safety.

I would suggest the following:
Brand new: Figo diesel
Sparingly used: Polo 1.5 TDI / Ecosport TDCi

[narayans80]

Since you've been exposed to a Hyundai. I'd suggest the Elite i20. While it might not the be cheapest option by upfront cost or high mileage. It certainly rewards in terms of refinement and NVH. Coming straight from a petrol car, this might be something that might want to consider. You also get a decent sized boot for long drives with family.

The Figo 1.5 Tdci has proven itself as a worthy workhorse. Auto_enthusiast's Aspire and espraveen's Figo prove that. If you are short on budget then this is THE option. The Figo Titanium Tdci would provide most bang for the buck.

[scwagh]

I would suggest that you try the Ford Figo TDCi, since you will be driving 100+ kms daily it has a brilliant engine coupled with very good fuel economy which will give you best of both the worlds. Another good though a dated option is Swift diesel. Since the new model is on the brink of being launched you might get some good deal as well. Being an owner of new Figo, I would strongly recommend it.

Would also suggest that you go through Espraveen's detailed and helpful ownership log as he also used to travel a similar distance in his Figo.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...000-km-up.html

[govigov]

@Tamarind, I would be going against the tide here and I would be saying to keep the Santro for as long as possible purely from a financial perspective. This is under the assumption that you are taking a loan. The Santro has had its life and a 8 year old car and a 10 year old car would not have much difference in pricing. If you start adding up numbers, look at how much the santro would sell for currently. Assuming you are selling the Santro plus your downpayment, subtract that from your total car cost and you would have your eventual EMI. This should be added to the monthly fuel+service+insurance for the new car. The cost on the new car / month would definitely be higher than a car that is fully paid for. Instead, I would ask you to wait, use the current car + cab combo for atleast another 18-24 months, then use the savings over this time to invest in a car after that.

The second part of this is, you are driving 90 kms on the highway, so it would be good to have safety features. So, you can change to a car that can give you these safety features. Additionally, you would have a car now, instead of approximately 2 years down the lane. So for this reason, you can go ahead and look at cars with safety features. I would recommend the ignis if the seating position suits you. Alternatively, a swift vdi+abs or Zdi, again subject to seating position. The Zdi should have seat height adjuster, which can be used for you a better posture along with the steering adjustments. There is also a fun factor with the swift.

55kms one way for a daily travel, is a bit too far for my liking. a4anurag should also be doing similar numbers and on similar stretches. He should be able to chime in with his experiences on what you should look out for in a new car, and the practical difficulties associated with this type of pattern.

[AYP]

The only diesel car which will sit comfortably in your budget is the Tata Tiago. If you can stretch a bit, then I'd suggest you to take a look at the Ford Figo Trend and the Ignis Delta.

[a4anurag]

I'll suggest you to get a Figo diesel for that running and requirements.

No other car can come close to that engine and ease of drive-ability in traffic.