[raider9990]

The 15-25 lacs market is dominated by crossovers . Crossovers are great in accordance to our road conditions but they are not true blue SUVs nor they are as fun as sedans or hot hatchbacks . What I feel is one car will never be able to satisfy all the needs of an enthusiast . I have a 2018 Verna 1.6L diesel , the engine is peppy and refined and the car has a long list of features but handling is not all that great . Our other two cars , Safari storme and V cross excel in few fields but lack in many . So I would suggest to get a used car as a daily driver and one weekend getaway vehicle.

[quattroa4]

The choice would be Tata Harrier diesel AT , it's a baby Land Rover at half the price . Solid built and awesome looks .Do have a look at the Dark edition .

[terra85]

What you need is a car the size of the creta, ride of the duster, reliability of a Toyota, looks of the Harrier and features of the Kia. Car makers

[Blackjack]

Originally Posted by New.Novice

4. MG Hector

Wasn't very gung-ho on this to begin with , but after a disappointing visit to a Hyundai showroom thought why not check out the Hector. Wife and both kids in the company ,we walked into MG flagship showroom in Gurgaon. Most well behaved and friendly staff welcomed us. The first thing they did was to give us a walk through of every model on display before bombarding us with questions like "which car are you looking for" , "what is your budget" , "when do you want to buy the car" etc. which we thought was the norm at other brands.

I think in 15 minutes of us entering the showroom , the kids were decided that it is the Hector that we want. The only question remained was if it is going to be Hector Plus in 6-seater captain seat avtaar or the Hector 5 seater.

The sales person spent enough time with us talking both cars in details. We did a test drive of Hector 2021 DCT Sharp. True to the reviews here , it doesn't excite you but is not a laggard too. It's the car which looks like a SUV but doesn't drive like one. It would be fair to say, it does not behave differently than how my typical city driving style is so wasn't a real downer really.

Wife loved the space , both in the middle seat and also at the boot. Kids were blown over by all the bells and whistles it has to offer. That Tesla style central unit (they have seen a lot of pics of mine enjoying that for a short time I drove Tesla in US) , the super cool sunroof , the ventilated seats , the voice commands. The list just goes on. The car feels super sturdy and strongly build too.

We left the showroom with a promise that we would decide between Hector Plus 6 seater (it looks amazing in that Sepia Brown interiors plus the charm of captain seats for kids) or Hector 5 seater which was a more practical choice for us. Both cars in Sharp variant would exceed 2 million mark on road by 50 grand and 150 grand respectively.

What followed was my extensive search on-line and off-line what could be wrong with Hector. I am not going to get into Chinese pedigree , the risk of them leaving the country etc. But what was one of the biggest put off was the reported FE of 6 to 7 for Hector AT. I , or for that matter anyone can , stretch their budget one time to buy the car they like. But once that joy of new car is over , the pain of emptying your pockets every time you get a tank full (which you would do a lot more given the FE) will make you disappointed or angry or felt cheated or all of them in the longer run.

That being a major consideration , there goes the Hector too. Or so I think.

Yes, it's a tough one. Same issue for me when I was out in 2019. The good thing was the Harrier AT did not exist and a petrol was non existent in the future too. Was predisposed to get a petrol, not too fond of diesel being in NCR as well due to the changing rules on it.

Got a Hector and haven't been disappointed. Don't want to call out dynamics since I rarely drive above 100-120 even when I have driven a beamer. Car handles well for my liking and comfort is top class - even better than the new harrier AT.

Fuel efficiency - I have an all round average of 9.6 kmpl with just one trip to the hills outside NCR. Wasn't even expecting more as the i20 auto gave me around 12. My 2 cents - the car seems to be prized taking that into consideration. My calculations told me that if I drive 100k, I would spend 3 lakhs extra on gas with Hector, if I had bought another vehicle like a Seltos or compass.

All the best!!

[DevOnWheels]

If you love the Compass and is open to used options, then get a sub 50k km run 2-3 years old within warranty Jeep Compass. There are plenty of options available on various online portals.

Regards,
DevOnWheels

[dkaile]

Wait for some discounts, down a few months... And then slightly stretch your budget and get the new Skoda Superb...

The complete car!!

Cheers...

[Blow Horn Ok]

In place of expecting too many properties from a single car, wouldn't be better to to buy two cheaper cars within your designated budget? For example a spacious xl6 petrol manual or automatic and a freestyle diesel or a rapid tsi?

[vellatechie]

They're good cars Bront

All cars are perfect, maybe not for you, but they are perfect for someone.

If you're rejecting Petrol Hector AT SUV for low FE, Harrier for being in diesel, or Creta for the long waiting list, then it seems you're just wasting your time trying out cars that were never the right fit to being with.

My suggestion is you create an excel sheet, given relative points to each car and see which one does best. Also, look at used cars that will add that VFM bit to some of these cars. And if you're happy with Ford checkout the EcoSport. It is still a very very sorted car.

[AyushB]

I recently bought the Elantra SX (o)petrol Automatic and couldn’t be happier. IMHO It’s an extremely underrated car where the only drawback is slight issue of entry and exit for elders. Do check it out.

[kaushikduttajsr]

Originally Posted by New.Novice

Prologue
Therefore, while I am still undecided which one it is going to be

Reminds me of this book
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice

That said, I think you should categorize your attribute / feature asks as "must have", "good to have" and "must not have". Start eliminating available choices and select the car that remains.

The decision to postpone a buy for the want of more attributes / features is a comical paradox my friend. As cars evolve to offer new features, so will your requirements / expectations.

[raaj.bhalla]

On a lighter note, try the reverse psychology.

So far you have been finding reasons to reject a car, may be you should select a car which messss with your heart strings, plays a symphony with them ; and then find reasons to buy that car.
Trust me, that will be the perfect car, whatever be your budget.

[gopalnt]

Originally Posted by AyushB

I recently bought the Elantra SX (o)petrol Automatic and couldn’t be happier. IMHO It’s an extremely underrated car where the only drawback is slight issue of entry and exit for elders. Do check it out.

I agree. Today I got a chance to sit in the latest Elantra and City. I felt that the seats were better in Elantra than City, especially the Front Seats. Both were top-end models.

[Lowflyer23]

Originally Posted by dkaile

Wait for some discounts, down a few months... And then slightly stretch your budget and get the new Skoda Superb...

The complete car!!

Cheers...

Do hit me up if you come across discounts worth 10-12 Lacs on a Skoda Superb. The person has a budget of 20 Lacs and the superb base (sportline) costs around 35-36 Lacs on-road. Maybe your definition of slightly stretching is different.
On other note, I would advise BHPian New.Novice to wait for upcoming launches like the new Scorpio, XUV500, Kushaq, Taigun, etc. so that he might have more options to choose from depending on his needs. Also it's important to put the barrier on amount you are comfortable to spend otherwise you'll end up spending more than you are financially prepared.

[Deep Blue]

The "problem" of driving a Fiesta for 10 long years is that it spoils you with its driving dynamics. I had the same issue after driving the Figo for 9 years. As much as I would want practicality, subconsciously, I would veer towards trying to find my Figo's dynamics in every car/crossover/SUV that I test drove. It is quite difficult to get adjusted to the Koreans and Japs(more with the Koreans) after a European sedan/hatchback. I too started out with a 20lakh budget two years back and ended up stretching it close to 30 lakh to get an Octavia.
Ford did a great disservice to all of us Ford hatchback/sedan owners by not having anything to upgrade onto.
From my experience, I feel the Skoda Rapid or Vento seems to be your best bet within 20lakhs. They may appeal both to your heart and brain. Otherwise you have to wait out for Kushaq or Taigun

[dsr001]

I'd been to Arya Skoda today for some work (Moti Nagar, Delhi). Saw a "normal" Octavia on display inside the showroom (Not the Vrs, that I've seen there some times). Maybe it is on sale, and if so, might be a genuine upgrade for you within budget. You can connect with them