[Tachyonites]

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

Dont need the car for daily commute, as I have relocated to a place less than 500m from my place of work. Resale value is not a criteria. I plan to keep the car for a minimum of 5 years, and probably longer as it's my first individual purchase

Go for the Toyota Urban Cruiser without giving it a second thought. It is a Toyota, which means its highly reliable and offers good resale value. Though it is not involving to drive if compared to a polo 1.0 tsi or even in fact the rapid.
But there is that sense of security and peace of mind while investing your money on toyota's. If not the toyota Urban Cruiser then my vote goes to the tata Nexon. High GC and a robust design would make it reliable too.
Nexon does offer that driving pleasure which wont be there in the urban cruiser.
Hope this helps,
Warm regards.

[Carpainter]

I'd suggest you to go for either Polo or Brezza/UC. With Polo you'll get driving pleasure and with Brezza you'll get peaceful ownership. But if I were you I would've tried the Sonet/Venue as well. I think their quality control is not that bad to totally keep them out of your shortlist. In that sense Polo shouldn't feature in your list either. Test drive all these and decide which one suits you better. Best of luck

[chiefpk]

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

I am in the market for a new petrol car.

Budget is 8.20 lacs ex showroom kerala (can't be stretched , as company is providing vehicle cost with very liberal repayment tenure and ex showroom capped at 8.20)

1. VW Polo 1.0 litre TSI
2. Tata Nexon
3. Brezza/urban cruiser
4. Ertiga
5. Ecosport

No brainer for me. The Nexon. You will get the XM variant and if you slightly ( read very slightly) increase your budget to Rs. 8.36 lacs ex-showroom, you get the XM(S) variant with very useful added features over the XM. Since you are from Trivandrum, you should get in contact with the BHPians from there who owns a Tata get yourself a reffered to a dealer who is familiar with positive response for sales and service. You will get a good deal as well. Try taking your wife for a TD and know her views after getting her to drive the car and experience it.

Since, you are a BHPIAN, you are we informed about your car and I think you will be able to set things with your after sales team. In that way you will not be disappointed. Of the other cars on the list, I don't see any of them making an impact on me. Rest depends on you.

My 2 cents!

Cheers and Good Luck.

[Voodooblaster]

Originally Posted by GTO

All manufacturers have issues, including Maruti & Toyota. While the problems are serious, the frequency isn't alarmingly high among Hyundai / Kia owners.

I know it's not the rational part of me that decided to exclude Hyundai/Kia.

A colleague had purchased an i20 in Nov 2019. The purchase was mainly for the bundle of joy they were about to receive soon.

Sometime around september 2020, when they were returning after a routine health checkup from a nearby hospital, the car simply stopped in middle of the road and turned off. Since there was not much traffic , they weren't rear ended. The vehicle couldn't be easily pushed. With effort of a few men in the road side, it was rolled away from the road, and a nearby garage was contacted.

They inspected and came to the conclusion the clutch assembly had gone kaput. They advised to call Hyundai ASS. The vehicle was towed away and the defect replaced under warranty. This happened in a 10 month car with less than 5000kms on the odo.

The dealership didn't divulge the exact problem, and simply said that clutch issues are seen in some new I20's.

My colleague is not a vehicle enthusiast, and simply uses car to commute. He also religiously sticks to the manufacturers service schedule. So, it mustn't be due to lack of maintenance. In any case, the car is almost brand new.

He didn't follow up the issue with Hyundai further as the vehicle was to be used regularly.

So this kind of put me off Hyundai/Kia

Statistically there is very less probability of getting a problematic Hyundai, but somehow the heart doesn't heed the mind

[Voodooblaster]

Quick update:

Test drove both Brezza and POLO TDI today(18 oct 20).

EVM Volkswagen and Sarathy Maruti of trivandrum graciously arranged TD Vehicles despite it being a Sunday.

Both the executives were very professional. I had informed them about my shortlisted cars. The best part was that , both of them never dissed the other models i had shortlisted. Kudos to both of them. Since it was a Sunday, and I was the sole customer, i had their undivided attention.

Went with my wife and brother

Had a lot of fun driving POLO.

Was able to test triple digit speeds and braking at high speeds. Polo performed brilliantly.

However the rear bench was a bit cramped. Also it's strictly a 4 seater

Max rear legroom was 10 inches and minimum was a measly 5 inches. Seating 3 in a stationery car was a chore by itself. The mid passenger in the back bench gets the rawest deal, due to the big hump and the rear ac vent blowing directly into them. Switches and plastic quality was top notch. However absence of isofix and rear view camera is not expected in a premium hatch that costs almost 10 lacs on the road. Unfortunately Reverse sensors arent synced with the display to show in which side the obstacle is present.

Brezza was as usual jack of all trades. Tall driving position was appreciated by wife. Brakes weren't inspiring as much confidence as POLO. Also acceleration was lower than POLO. Brezza cannot and shouldn't be pushed hard. Take it sedately and that's where it truly shines. Plastic and button quality is strictly average. Longevity of the buttons is an issue. On the +ve side, it has a bigger boot size, easy ingress and exit and can seat 3 comfortably. Minimum leg space for rear passenger is 9 inches and max is 13.5 inches.

As of now, the mind says Brezza, while the heart is thumping for POLO.

Have to TD Nexon and UC in the coning weeks.

[Carpainter]

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

Statistically there is very less probability of getting a problematic Hyundai, but somehow the heart doesn't heed the mind

I know it's difficult when you see these things happening with near kin/relatives/friends etc. but believe me technically any car can give you trouble big or small at some point. Some brands like VW, Mahindra, Tata etc. are to some extent renowned for those niggles or unreliability factor but still people are buying them. When I purchased my Polo back in 2011 the front power window switch stopped working briefly in the very first day. Our XUV ownership was plagued with all sorts of troubles.

Please remember I'm in no way promoting Hyundai or Kia here. Infact the only Hyundai we ever owned was a Santro back in 2000. Personally I find Hyundai steering lifeless and devoid of any feel. All I'm saying is go to showroom and take a test drive and then decide. Sometimes it's a matter of luck whether you get a 10 years of trouble free ownership or 2 years of ownership filled with niggles. Best of luck sir.

[HKap]

I would recommend the Polo or Nexon (from the listed options). We've had a Vento TSI for 6 years now and it's been amazing. The last three years have been low mileage but the first 3 years were great. It didn't let me down even once, not even in the terrible flooding in BKC/Kalanagar on August 29, 2017. It waded through knee/thigh deep water without any issues.

I second GTO's suggestion of checking out the new i20 before you pull the trigger. It might be the one you end up with.

[buntee90]

Brezza/UC in the above list and XUV 3OO in my opinion also warrants a close look, it’s spacious, rides well and has a punchy turbo petrol. With the discounts kicking in it could be great deal!
As GTO mentioned earlier; if can look past Hyundai/Kia brake issues which are few and far between, you could also check out the Nios Turbo also, it’s fast and fun too!

[Puneet0051]

My recommendation goes towards the car which you buy from heart. If its polo you tilted towards as you mentioned while you test other cards buy it. Do not exclude Kia/Hyundai for the sole reason that it had 1 off issue in friend's car. My 14 months old Tiago less than 14k kms on stalled and it was crazy. And my Rapid which I drove for 1.2 lacs kms and sold I was super happy with the ownership. Hands down I can recommend Skoda being very happy owner but will evrything be perfect maybe no. Even Toyota cars breakdown but probability iwill be much lesser han others but don't exclude Kia/Hyundai solely coz of this. They are extremely good cars

Test drive Sonet, and Ecosport. And take your pic.

[shri_kul10]

Consider Ford Freestyle

Pros
Higher GC
Good Driving Dynamics
Fun to drive (Diesel variant is just a notch below the Polo TSI in terms of linear performance)

I feel Ford will not leave as abruptly as GM did. Even if it happens, with the JV between Ford and Mahindra, the exit strategy may see Ford customers diverted to Mahindra dealerships.

[satya180]

My vote goes to the VW Polo 1.0TSI
Service depends on the dealer, I have got and continue to get fantastic service support at our local VW dealer.
You will truly enjoy driving the car, will keep you happy and smiling, and will actually make you into a VW enthusiast. The are unlimited good mod options for the Polo, and you can get parts/systems from other bigger VAG cars as well.
The VW ecosystem is great for enthusiasts, which you seem to be, based on your Pros/Cons list.

[procrastinator]

You can test drive Ecosport Ambiente. The trim has essential features, SUV styling and car like drive.

[jigar1791@gmail]

My pick would be Ciaz Delta Petrol.

A proper sedan with decent FE (I get about 12-13 KMPL in Mumbai traffic) good looks and peace of mind owning a Maruti.

You’ll get a car from a segment above, plus a badi-gaadi feeling

Dealer discounts can be grabbed after some good negotiations OR wait until January ‘21 to get good enough discounts on 2020 manufactured cars.

Good luck with your hunt

Regards,
Jigar Shah

[PrasunBannerjee]

Go for

Brezza/UC if you want total peace of mind above everything else.

If not, and you want something real solid and safe, as well as involving to drive, do some homework on how the TASS is in your city. If the 'real' reviews are satisfactory, Nexon makes an excellent case for itself. While Tata is working hard on improving everything, its pace is real slow and not every city's experience has transformed the way it should specially when it comes to showroom and ASS experience. So if not nexon, go for the Ecosport.

As for Ford's situation, it still has a JV with Mahindra. I own a 2012 Chevy Beat, Have a trustworthy FNG and spares are still officially available in even my Tier 3 city, sure the prices are a little high now, but its not a disastrous situation for parts and service with GM out of India for so long.

You'll need to pick your primary priorities to settle with a choice

[AnAvgJoe]

Looking at the cars you have shortlisted, i would take the vw polo and the ecosport out of contention as they are both long in the tooth. They are certainly due for a replacement.

The Brezza, I'm not too fond of, cosmetically speaking.

The ones i would consider are the Nexon and the Ertiga.

The Nexon

It scored 5 stars on the NCAP rating for safety.
The engine produces the most amount of power (definitely compared to the Jazz, which I also own, also reliability has not been an issue for a family member who owns the facelifted version).
The ground clearance would give most full fledged SUV’s a run for their money.

The Ertiga

More car per car, what else need be said.
Add to that, Maruti reliability and exemplary after sales service.