[bpapache]

Hello BHPians,

This is my first post on Team-BHP. I can't express enough of how amused I am to be part of this amazing community.

I need advice to finalize my car purchase. I am right now in a dilemma and confusion. I apologize in advance for my lengthy post.

For those who want to get to the point:
On Oct 28th, we booked the Venue SX 1.0L Turbo IMT (OTR 12.10 Lakhs). In a week's time our beloved Ritz ZXI was sold. We got a decent value of INR 2.9 Lakhs for an almost 10 year old car that had run 62K KMs.
Now skip "The past" section and please jump to "The present"

The past:
We had Suzuki Ritz ZXI from May 2011. This car was owned by my father.
In Feb 2020 the upgrade itch started when we came to know that we are going to get nice discounts on BS4 vehicles.
We test drove Venue and Duster. My father was smitten by Venue because he loved the driving position and the confidence it gave him to drive around in the city. We test drove Duster as well and he was okay with it but he always had his heart on Venue.
My parents liked the Duster and for me the Duster AWD was a dream car.
We had almost bought Renault Duster AWD because they were offering good discounts while for Venue we were offered nothing.

My father is a retiree from past 4 years. Hence the new car would be purchased by me and yes, this was going to be my first car!. Since I was the one who had to pay the EMI, we worked on the financials and I could afford it. However if I did go ahead with the purchase I would be only left with 10-15K of free cash per month which I wasn't okay with.
Given that my wife and I were blessed with a baby boy in Nov 2019 I wanted to ensure that I had enough free cash for emergencies. My father did convince me that I would anyway get a decent hike so he suggested that I go ahead. But I always calculate the worst case scenario and I told my father that if in case I don't get any hike at all then I would be in soup and hence I cancelled the plan to buy a car before my hike.

And was I happy about my decision? Absolutely! Because we were hit with Pandemic in the very next month and what happened next was something that I had never prepared myself for. My worst case scenario suddenly turned to a best case scenario because we saw a salary cut of 25% for the next quarter. I thank myself for the decision I took. Any big expenses were paused until I could see some hope economically/financially.

The Ritz on the other hand had no issues at all (for us to find an excuse to sell it). Just 1.5 years ago I had changed the tires to Yokohama earth and just before my son was born I had the interior of the car cleaned at 3M and installed 3M nomad mats for INR 13K. I had plans to keep the car till 2025. But sometimes the itch can not be stopped, can it?

Luckily my company started paying 100% salary from the next quarter onwards. But I still stuck to the decision of not taking any big expenditure for some more time.

The life during the pandemic was boring to death. So lets hit the fast forward button.

It was Sep 2020 and one day I casually showed the KIA Sonet on the road to my parents and I started explaining about what it offers and blah blah. I showed them the pictures of all new Compact SUVs at that point of time, again casually. I think this re-ignited the itch in my parents (not me). My mom all of a sudden said "Son, if you buy a new car it has to be KIA. Buy something that is latest". I was surprised by her words. Her point of buying the latest car makes sense to us because we keep our cars for 9-10 years. But obviously she was smitten by the KIA looks. So i wanted my mom to experience KIA and took her and my dad to KIA showroom for a casual test drive. I didn't take my wife and son, thanks to the Covid. It was just the three of us. Mom saw KIA Sonet from outside and she was sold. We went for a long test drive. What came next was something that I didn't expect. She didn't like the interiors one bit. She felt claustrophobic (GTX variant comes with all black interiors) and she said the rear seats aren't comfortable and the view of the road for rear passengers is blocked due to the dashboard and the display. I sat in the rear seat and I too felt the same. With respect to driving it both my dad and I had zero complaints. But my mom on the other hand ended up being a disappointed rear seat passenger. She said the car looks great from the outside but not great on the inside.

After a disappointing drive, we were on our way back to our home and on our way there was a Hyundai showroom and my dad said come lets just check out the Venue. I know, he was always smitten by Venue. We went to the showroom but didn't get a test drive since it was late in the evening. But we got to sit inside the car and explore. The Venue had pleasant interiors, good rear seat comfort (read under thigh support) and road visibility. My mom said she likes the interiors of the Venue. We casually took the quotation and headed back home.

We had a quick talk at home and I stood by my decision of not buying a new car anytime soon. A week passed by where we didn't talk about any car. One fine day my parents told me "Son, if we buy a car now, we can enjoy it for a few years. And that my father can drive the new car around for a few more years before he gets too old". And on top of this, my father told me he would also contribute financially. This emotional situation introduced chaos in my mind.

The next week was spent convincing my wife about going ahead with car purchase, researching for all the cars in the market, calculating my finances, finding the right variant that meets our strict budget of 11-12 Lakhs OTR in Bangalore and then of course reading the team-bhp official reviews again and again of all the cars shortlisted.
Shortlisted cars:
1. Venue (Dad's favourite)
2. XUV 300
3. Nexon
All other compact SUVs were ruled out because of my mom's condition that we need to buy the latest car.

Now that I am armed with all the data I need, we started the test drives.


We test drove all three cars and we eventually shortlisted Venue because this was the only car where all family members said Yay!

Initially I wasn't looking for Automatic because my dad, my wife and myself love to drive Manual. My wife struggles to drive Manual car in peak traffic though. But if I buy an automatic, then my wife too can drive easily in city and my father also does not need to work too much to drive the car if he takes the car out in the city. It made sense to me that buying an automatic would be good for the family (But sad for the enthusiast in me). But we never test drove any automatic. Because no automatic would fit my budget and also meet all my requirements.

Now enters Venue's IMT into the picture. It was always there but I never paid attention to it. But our Team-bhp review made me consider this car for test drive. One test drive was all I needed. My wife felt very happy driving it even in Bangalore's famed traffic. My father too was comfortable. Well for me, it was the best of both worlds. Convenience of automatic and performance and efficiency of manual (80%). I was ready to sacrifice that roughly 80% performance for the family. Moreover it comes in my budget.

So it was Oct 28th. We booked the Venue SX 1.0L Turbo IMT (OTR 12.10 Lakhs). In a week's time our beloved Ritz was sold. We got a decent value of INR 2.9 Lakhs for an almost 10 year old car that had run 62K KMs.

Now let's fast forward to this week. i.e. 9th Nov onwards.

The present:

At the back of my mind I was always worried that I am not getting 6 airbags and I have a kid with me and we will use the car mainly for highways. This thought kept giving me sleepless nights. On Monday 9th Nov 2020 I discussed this in detail with my family and raised my concern about the same. They too shared the same concern. Now I decided to stretch the budget and we changed our booking from Venue SX IMT to Venue SX(o) IMT which costs INR 13.98 Lakhs OTR Bangalore.

This week has been a roller coaster for me. First it was the change of variant because of safety concerns. Next, I got my Team bhp registration approved. And now comes the GNCAP ratings. My mind is going bonkers.

Till yesterday, I had only two questions that I wanted to ask the team bhp members for advice. But today, I have three.

1. I've gone through the thread about Lower Segment Top End Variant vs Higher Segment Lower Variant and this has put me in a spot(https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...r-segment.html (Top variant of lower segment vs lower variant of higher segment)). The reason is I've booked Venue SX(o) IMT and the new i20 was launched recently. It is priced similar to Venue. Surprisingly the i20 (from lower segment) is slightly wider than Venue and also has slightly longer wheelbase. Looking at the promo videos from Hyundai I get a feeling that i20 might be better built than Venue. So now, between i20 top end (DCT) and Venue top end IMT, which is better?
2. I've seen a couple of videos on YouTube and also read some threads on this forum about problems with Direct Injection engines. The 1.0 T-GDI of the Hyundai also is Direct Injection and it is also prone to carbon deposits on the intake valve which is going to affect the engine performance and might cause maintenance issues. Since I keep cars for 10 years I don't want to run into trouble after the warranty is over. I also understand that most cars coming nowadays will be with a turbo direct injection setup due to the stringent emission norms. So the concern I have is whether it is going to be reliable in the long run? Should I be worried?
3. This is the new and most obvious concern. Should I cancel my booking? Because the GNCAP of Seltos and i10 Nios turned out to be very bad. My mind is again in chaos mode thanks to these results. I discussed this in detail with my wife and parents. I am again in a dilemma. The questions raised by my parents are:

• What would we have done if we had got the car already by now?
• Even if it had 4 or 5 star ratings how sure are you that you are safe on the highway?
• We are safe drivers and we have used Ritz for all these years. So it must be okay. That too we have now upgraded to a car with 6 airbags and ESP.

The questions raised by me are:

• Should we give the i20 benefit of doubt? Because it is a new platform?
• Even if I cancel the booking, what other options do I have? I do not have any good automatic compact SUV in this price range. We are not considering other compact SUVs apart from Venue, XUV300 and Nexon. Sadly neither Mahindra or Tata has an automatic. I am not ready for their jerky AMTs.
• I did ponder about Skoda Rapid AT and Honda City AT. Skoda Rapid is my current favorite car. Honda city is good too. Both of them are in the price range of INR14-15 Lakhs OTR Bangalore. I may need to stretch again. But my dad and my wife won't be able to enjoy it because they need the visibility of the CSUVs. So this is more like a dead end.
• Or should I stick to my booking?

Looking forward to your valuable advice and feedback.
Thank you.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by bpapache

I did ponder about Skoda Rapid AT and Honda City AT. Skoda Rapid is my current favorite car. Honda city is good too. Both of them are in the price range of INR14-15 Lakhs OTR Bangalore. I may need to stretch again. But my dad and my wife won't be able to enjoy it because they need the visibility of the CSUVs.

Quick question, have you test driven the Jazz, City & Yaris?

If not, do so. The Jazz V CVT & Yaris J Opt CVT should easily fall within your original budget of 12L and you’ll be surprised by the ease of drivability and comfort.

All 3 of the above will easily last you 10-15yrs with minimal maintenance and are backed by extremely reliable Japanese engineering.

Stay away from turbo GDI engines because you have already read about the carbon build up problems and the long term reliability of the new engines are unknown (and unproven).

To address the elephant in the room, yes, I know none of them have been crash tested, yet. However, unless the bean counters at Toyota & Honda have infiltrated the structural engineering departments, I expect both these manufacturers to score above Suzuki & Hyundai/Kia. To put it this way, even if they do score the same as the Koreans (which would shatter my confidence in their Indian arms), they have none of the niggles or reliability concerns that you find lurking in the Koreans.

[2000rpm]

I think you are buying with the right mindset. Its best to avoid a car which will not make you feel secure while driving.

Why are you not giving the Nexon a shot?

[saisree]

If Koreans are giving you nightmares due to the latest GNCAP saga, try Nexon and WRV. Both are really good cars. Nexon is at 5 Stars and WRV being a Jazz again has 4 stars (Check the official review page).

Tata's have come a long way and my recent test drive of the AMT was really awesome. Look into the new XM+ variant.

Honda may look cheap in the touch and feel department, less featured against the Koreans but they generally last long, better engineered and are dependable drives.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by bpapache

At the back of my mind I was always worried that I am not getting 6 airbags and I have a kid with me and we will use the car mainly for highways.

Why not reconsider the XUV 3OO?

It tickets almost all the boxes the Sonet does, with assured 5 star safety and 7 airbags?

Originally Posted by saisree

WRV being a Jazz again has 4 stars

Not for the Indian market. The only Honda tested here is the discontinued Mobilio which got 3 stars.

[Cessna182]

No comments about your choices, but I'd just say that if you're spending that much money that too with a loan, get something that is safe and well built and has a low maintenance. Neighbors might envy your ride for a while but paying a premium just for that is not worth it. Ask those who bought an iPhone worth a lakh last year. Today it is obsolete.

Also, the price you got for a well maintained Ritz is quite low. The same car sells for at least 3.5 in Bangalore. Even a 2005 or 2007 Esteem sells for 1.5 there if maintained well.

You could explore almost new preowned options for cars like the XUV, Hexa etc. There's a thread here about the same.

If 4 people travel, I don't get how a Venue or Sonet could be remotely comfortable. As for latest, it makes no sense in the current market where models change every 3 to 5 years. Social perceptions won't be parallel to practicality and safety. Maybe I am wrong but that's just an opinion. Best wishes.

[bpapache]

We have driven Jazz. The 1.2 litre is on par or a little less when compared with my old Ritz ZXI in terms of performance. The performance must be better if I am upgrading. Hence WR-V is out.
I have driven the City but not Yaris. I love the City but my father and wife do not want to drive a Sedan. As they need the driving position of a CSUV or SUV which inspires confidence for them..
If I was the only driver, I would have gone blindly to either a Skoda Rapid or Honda City manual. Since that is not the case, I am stuck in this dilemma. I know that my situation is a little weird.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Why not reconsider the XUV 3OO?

It ticks almost all the boxes the Sonet does, with assured 5 star safety and 7 airbags?

I have not test driven the XUV300 AMT. Is it good? Doesn't it have the jerkiness of all other AMTs? The major compromise I would be making is boot space.

Also, the cost of XUV300 W8(o) AMT in Bangalore is INR 15.30 Lakhs. Which is quite high.

Originally Posted by Cessna182

No comments about your choices, but I'd just say that if you're spending that much money that too with a loan, get something that is safe and well built and has a low maintenance. Neighbors might envy your ride for a while but paying a premium just for that is not worth it. Ask those who bought an iPhone worth a lakh last year. Today it is obsolete.

Also, the price you got for a well maintained Ritz is quite low. The same car sells for at least 3.5 in Bangalore. Even a 2005 or 2007 Esteem sells for 1.5 there if maintained well.

You could explore almost new preowned options for cars like the XUV, Hexa etc. There's a thread here about the same.

I absolutely agree about buying a safe, well built and maintenance free vehicle. With that perception we opted for Hyundai Venue SX (O) IMT. We had owned a Santro for 10 years and we were happy about its maintenance. Now, with the T-GDI engine and its carbon deposit issues I am a little skeptical. The Hyundai felt well built until the GNCAP results came out.

Regarding Ritz selling for INR 3.5 Lakhs in Bangalore, I am surprised. Maybe I didn't do my homework.

My family is absolutely against a used car even though if its almost new. Things would have been different if I were to buy a car for myself.

Originally Posted by 2000rpm

I think you are buying with the right mindset. Its best to avoid a car which will not make you feel secure while driving.

Why are you not giving the Nexon a shot?

Hi 2000rpm, Nexon was considered, however my father didn't like it after taking it out for a long test drive.

[Tachyonites]

Maruti Suzuki S-Cross would be a fantastic buy as per me.
Its highly stable on highways and the ride has a mature pliancy to it. Maruti on the other hand has excellent service and spare availability too. A downer is that the S-Cross doesn't get 6 airbags.
For 6 airbags, the decision of staying with a Venue SX(O) is fantastic. I recently saw an i20 on the road, it looks fantastic and the dimensions have grown significantly.
My pick would be the S-Cross or the Venue.

Hope this helps,
Happy hunting

[gusfring]

Safety first, anytime. The Sonet may actually turn out to be worse than Seltos, who knows?

1. You have brought up a point I've been pondering myself... What if I don't have a rated car for safety? What if the car I get is not classified? Right, I think this is all subjective, we don't have control whatsoever. But the best that can be done is to get a car that has a reputation for... safety.

2. You could check out the Altroz, maybe if possible wait for the much more peppier turbo, expected to release super soon. Altroz has a five star GNCAP. The question of Tata pops up, but wow, they've come a long way overall. But yeah, they do not have an automatic option yet. I thought the new i20 would be really safe. But after looking at the GNCAP of the Nios, I'm not sure.

3. Venue, Sonet are both options to be wary of, both share the same underpinnings and the senior Seltos just got thrashed in the GNCAP. Plus, I don't know, the Venue felt even more cramped than the Grand i10 Nios at the rear, both for legroom and seating... Sonet should be largely similar

4. Nexon is a great vehicle. Great ground clearance, better backroom, niggles ironed out too... The XUV is another 5 star rated car, but expensive too!!!

5. Had same doubts when I was considering Nexon at some point, as to whether turbo is a good choice. Coincidentally, there was a poll here, asking if one would prefer NA or a turbocharged engine. Guess what, NA got more votes. Yet, when I read posts it seemed as if turbo engines are becoming very commonplace and should be niggle-free.

6. As far as I've seen, all C-SUVs are challenged for rear seat space. The Venue was, plainly, too congested when I trialled, with 3 in the back. The Nexon seems slightly better, most others are just the same or worse than Venue.

[warrioraks]

Originally Posted by bpapache

Hello BHPians,

This is my first post on Team-BHP.

Welcome to the forum.
Let me break my response down into two parts:
1. Venue vs i20
If Venue clicks with your entire family, then no point even considering i20.
Also, my general recommendation is to avoid anything which is fresh out of the oven. Venue has been in the market for an year now (or more?) and that makes it a better option than the freshly launched i20.

2. Safety
As soon as you bring safety into the mix, things do become tricky. I don’t see a mention of Brezza anywhere in your post. But if safety is your number 1 priority, then you have Altroz, Nexon, XUV300 and Brezza to choose from.
Compared to Venue, you might end up making compromises on features/family-consensus if you pick any of these. So all boils down to what rocks your boat.

If I were you, I would have seriously considered Brezza. It gives you a reliable NA engine, decent safety levels and a high seating position. These seem to be your must-haves from the first post.

Let us know what was your final choice once you close this.

[landcruiser123]

Originally Posted by bpapache

Or should I stick to my booking?

Just a bit of advice buddy - you can't have a car that satisfies everybody's deman. There is no such a thing as a perfect car.

Considering the crash ratings i10 and Seltos got recently, I think Hyundai + Kia shouldn't get your money if safety is your top priority. If you must have a car that has been crash tested, look at the Nexon, XUV 300, and Brezza. Brezza AT should be decent, although nowhere near the segment topper.

[sou_3749]

Originally Posted by bpapache

Now, with the T-GDI engine and its carbon deposit issues I am a little skeptical.

Direct injection engines are not new. Almost all diesel turbo engines are DI and in last 10-15 years in this CRDI era, we hardly hear such issues in a new age engine. So this should also follow the same maintenance regime.

Now coming to your choice, let me give you my perspective.
I recently moved from S-Cross diesel to Venue SX IMT.

Safety - Unknown territory. S-Cross was also not crash tested, but felt solid. The venue is similar in build if not better. It's not a lighter car by any means (Vahan shows 1140 kg). But, weight isn't a yardstick for crash worthiness we know that. The known devil is better than a unknown saint. Choose wisely.

Engine - Gem of an engine. Only other engine that comes to my mind with similar specs is VW 1.0. But, this engine is now proven. Unlike other Hyundai small petrol engines, this actually is a big step up and provides good FE and power combo.

Transmission - Having been driven only manual cars for more than 10 years, IMT is an evolution. It gives you best of both worlds. I bet you will like it. This is surely better than AMT, absolutely no jerkiness. You can hold on to the revs, drive aggressively at the same time can squeeze every drop of FE.

Where it trumps - overall feel be it fit and finish, quality, nhv. It's better than most of it's competition.

Where it lags - Space is slightly less that Nexon at the back. Good under thigh support. Coming from Ritz, this is better.

As someone said, no car is perfect. Gauge every aspect and take an informed call.

Well coming to i20, for the same money Venue is a better package unless you like low GC car.

[rohan_iitr]

Why don't you consider Vitara Brezza or Urban Cruiser ?

I feel it perfectly suits your requirement.

It is a complete family package - reliable, safe, spacious and comfortable.

You would get a powerful, refined and efficient engine, along with the option of a proper torque converter AT.

Rohan

[tirumalavoleti]

Please dont compromise on safety. I would suggest 6 air bags as must irrespective of the features.

Nexon is very safe but does not have 6 air bags. Venue has 6 air bags but you are doubtful of the safety. XUV 300 is safe and has 7 airbags but comes with AMT.

Please check ecosport petrol automatic with 6 airbags. This tick all your requirements. Though not a turbo petrol, its NA is having good torque.

Wishing you get a good car and smile

[bpapache]

Hi everyone,

I apologize for being totally absent on this thread.
I sincerely thank everyone for your opinions and suggestions.

After hearing from each one of you, we test drove Honda City CVT and Mahindra XUV300 AMT in Dec 2020.
We wanted a car with 6 airbags, ESP and TC without fail. Due to this Nexon wasn't considered.

XUV300 was the jerkiest AMT I've driven. Honda City was an amazing car. Everyone loved it. But it scraped its underbelly on several occasions near my house. This was a concern to us. And hence we dropped both the cars from our list.

Finally we stuck to our initial decision and got home Hyundai Venue SX(o) IMT on January 2021.
This is a 2021 model and I paid INR 13,80,000/- OTR Bangalore.

Its christened "Phoenix"

So far I have covered 3000 KMs and I'm enjoying the car.

@Moderators, I request you to please close this thread.

Regards,
bpapache