[swoosh]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

Whatever I buy will be kept for 10 years at least.

There is no doubt Rapid is the most fun to drive car below 10 lakhs. But keep in mind that Rapid and Vento will be discontinued by end of this year. This might make it difficult to keep the car for 10 years. The Polo turbo edition is a safe bet in this regard.

You can also consider used EcoSport's EcoBoost 1.0-litre turbo petrol – This model was discontinued last year but since Ecosport is still in the market, spare parts and overall support for the Ecoboost model shouldn’t be an issue.

[pganapathy]

The Polo is the more fun to drive car, but I voted for the Rapid, due to the all round requirements. If this was a second car only for fun, then the Polo makes sense. The Rapid is a much more practical car though. Looking beyond the options you suggested, the only other cars you can consider are the Fiat Punto/Linea or the Ford Figo/Aspire.

[jithin23]

Since petrol prices are on a rise(diesel is not really behind) why not consider Ford freestyle Titanium+ TDCi(9.5-10L on road) and if you stretch by another lakh, you'll get EcoSport Titanium with 2 airbags, hill hold,ESP and TCS and a sunroof. Both the cars are solid and pretty light on the pocket too.

[museycal]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

Now for my requirements:
-Fun to drive with good high speed stability
-No compromise on safety & build
-Manual transmission, Petrol, 5 seater.
- I'm not a features person, I'd rather buy the lower version of a higher segment car. I'll gladly chose precise steering over a sunroof, 365 days of the year!

My budget is around 9 lacs on road, willing to stretch to 10 lacs OTR but not beyond that.
Contenders in no particular order:
1. Polo Turbo edition 6.99 L
2. Skoda Rapid Rider 7.79 L
3. Altroz iTurbo XT 7.74 L
4. XUV 300 Petrol W4 7.95 L

I have very recently test driven (last week) 3 cars from your shortlist - The Rapid, Altroz iTurbo and the XUV 3OO (P). I am no expert, so what I am sharing is highly subjective and contextual, nevertheless, I do share your sentiment of driving pleasure and safety as topmost priority in my drive.

Altroz iTurbo:
- The design is so beautiful that this is one car where you'd happy to park it under the setting sun at a beach or a ghat road with its wheels turned and then, just spend some time looking at the light reflections play on its beautiful surfaces!
- I did my test drives near my home on a 10.5 kms loop consisting of bad potholes ridden road patch, heavy bumper to bumper traffic and legal high speed jaunts with speed breakers. The car felt comfortable on the whole. However, of these 3 cars, it had the most ho-hum driving experience. What I mean to say is as far as the sensation of driving is concerned, the Altroz iTurbo was at best 'some car'. The turn-ins for sharp u-turns, the braking, the acceleration from near 10 kmph zig zag traffic and speed breakers, compared to Rapid and XUV, they were OK.
- The interiors fit n finish are an eyesore when compared to Rapid and XUV (surprisingly well put). The panel gaps on both sides of the glove box was uneven. The trim pieces on the driver side door and dashboard were sharply cut and uneven at places (I do mind these small things)

XUV 3OO (P):
- The biggest pull for me towards the XUV was its safety ratings - both for adult as well child protection. However, once I sat in the car for test drive, I immediately appreciated it for cabin execution. Its a nice place to be in with probably the best dials of the three.
- This was the best 5 seater among the three cars. 3 people in the back seat can sit comfortably.
- The petrol engine was another surprise. The refinement was better than Altroz and so was the throttle response! On my test drive loop, the XUV did everything well with higher vantage point. I could see the bonnet edges and the rear haunch in the ORVMs, which felt good.
- The boot space is sad though. As the only car in the family, I have my doubts on its capaciousness for 7 days long trip.

Rapid:
- If there's a car that has aged like fine wine or whisky, this is it. The car is a looker, subtle and timeless. No unnecessary cuts and creases, it looks like chiseled out of one single block of metal! Liked it instantly.
- During the test drive on the potholed road sections, I dodged few potholes and came right onto a badly designed double breaker. The car just wafted, for lack of better word. While Altroz and XUV made me aware of the same breakers, the Rapid was like - 'Lets move on, shall we?'. Loved the suspension.
- The interior didn't look rad, but felt strong and built-to-last!
- Engine note was guttural at the bottom and throaty towards the top. Best sounding of these 3 cars.
- The manual gearbox of Rapid vindicated my love for the manual boxes. The gears shifted like a knife slicing butter - short precise throws, no recalcitrance at all!
- The Rapid driver sits low, and it has telescopic steering adjustment. It offered me the best driving position of the three.

For me, the Altroz iTurbo came across like a girlfriend whose birthday I'd have slipped because of the work pressure and too much on my mind. The Rapid, on the other hand, is the one for whom I'd take a leave and keep aside all my assignments to make her day special! The XUV is somewhere in between. I am yet to decide though. On a fundamental level, I am itching to cross the 4 meter barrier for my car purchase now.

Please excuse for the long post, I felt my short experience of the 3 cars may be relatable for you.

Aside:
- Between the Rapid and Vento, I'd still recommend you the Rapid. The Skoda service costs are 30% - 50% cheaper than the VW. Skoda offers their SMP for Rs. 30,000/-. VW offers it for Rs. 50,000/- for the exact same SLAs. Basically VW brand Tax.
- The Skoda twins offer best standard warranty - 4 years/1,00,000 kilometers, further extendable upto 6 years/1,50,000 kilometers. This warranty coverage is one of the highest among three contenders and also the cheapest.
- XUV and Altroz are better rated safety wise as compared to Skoda

[car_guy1998]

I would suggest you to get the Polo TSI MT for your brother and later on, you can get the mods done like,

-Remap
-Better tyres
-Better suspension
-Exhaust

And, after those mods, the car will become a beast in terms of performance.

Even I had a plan to purchase a Polo TSI MT but since I'm planning to move abroad this year for higher studies, I had to drop the plan of buying a Polo with a heavy heart.

But, someday, I wish to own her and get the above mods done and this is the car, which I wish to keep it forever until I die.

And, I've driven both Polo TSI MT and AT along with Vento TSI MT and in one word, I prefer the MT over AT due to its performance and I even touched 80 Kmph in 2nd gear and has better pull than AT as well though I feel AT is also not bad in terms of drivability IMO.

Polo is the car which I still wish to buy even now and love despite the design is more than a decade old and even feels better than the new i20 and Altroz.

Also, I wouldn't personally recommend you buying Tata Altroz Petrol iTurbo as the performance is not as impressive and not FTD as the 1.0 TSI engine.

I would also recommend you to have a Rapid/ Vento as well.

[46TheDoctor]

I would like to suggest you to go for Ford Freestyle diesel top end variant for the following reasons:

1. Great ride and handling so its fun to drive as well as comfortable.

2. Great punchy engine which is also fuel efficient.

3. Comes with 6 airbags and all the required safety features.

4. Maintenance cost is also cheap and ford's service is good.

5. Its capable of doing mild off roading as well.

Overall best all rounder car for someone who is looking for a car below 10 L rupees and doesnt need an AT.

[autohead666]

Not sure why people haven't mentioned this , however I got a chance to drive Hyundai Aura petrol TSI . Its a 1 litre engine with 3 cylinders , but trust me , the performance did bring a smile on my face.I feel its a bit under-rated too. Test drive it,you might like it.

[jessie007]

When Turbo petrols are fun, they are not fuel efficient. I personally can't have fun when I know that the average will drop to around 10 kmpl.

My choice would be EcoSport diesel - nice driving dynamics, well built, sure footed handling and safe. Plus spare parts are not expensive now. It fulfills your criteria of fun to drive allrounder.

Only grouse is the rear seat space, as a family vehicle. In fact, this can be the deal breaker.

The new SE variant without spare wheel looks nice.

[JithinR]

Originally Posted by autohead666

Not sure why people haven't mentioned this , however I got a chance to drive Hyundai Aura petrol TSI . Its a 1 litre engine with 3 cylinders , but trust me , the performance did bring a smile on my face.I feel its a bit under-rated too. Test drive it,you might like it.

Well since the OP has mentioned these two points

-No compromise on safety & build
- I'm not a features person...

Also, his family seem to have sold an Omni because of their concern over its safety.

[John316_WRC]

Small update.

1. Not happy with the local VW/Skoda dealers. VW guys weren't interested to sell the Turbo Edition & kept pushing me towards the Highline variant. As a matter of fact they said the Turbo edition is no longer available as it was a March only Limited edition. This was 7 days ago. They said no more dealer dispatches were happening for the Turbo edition. Whats the point of launching an "edition" and then not making the cars VW?
2. In the same lines Skoda guys told me only the Rider plus is available and a waiting time of minimum 2 months was given. They too kept trying to sell me the Ambition variant.
3. Ford Figo & Freestyle both have a minimum waiting time of 2 month's. One observation is that the Figo has more space at the back than the Polo and can easily sit 3 average sized adults.
4. Tata have quoted 3 months waiting period for the Altroz iTurbo. Only few variants of the Tiago & Nexon were readily available, that too selected colors only.

Meanwhile, the unveil of the Kushaq has also gotten my attention and to be very honest I really like the car.

My situation is such that, any car I book now will not be delivered before 2 months for sure. So do you guys think it's a better idea to wait for a little bit longer and see how the Kushaq story plays out?

Yes, I know that I'll have to stretch my finances for the Kushaq & the wait is going to be longer. Also my budget will only permit the base Active variant.
But I have a feeling it might be worth it, in the end.

[S15]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

Small update.

1. Not happy with the local VW/Skoda dealers. ..........................
   They said no more dealer dispatches were happening for the Turbo edition. Whats the point of launching an "edition" and then not making the cars VW?
2. In the same lines Skoda guys told me only the Rider plus is available and a waiting time of minimum 2 months was given. They too kept trying to sell me the Ambition variant.
3. Ford Figo & Freestyle both have a minimum waiting time of 2 month's. One observation is that the Figo has more space at the back than the Polo and can easily sit 3 average sized adults.
4. Tata have quoted 3 months waiting period for the Altroz iTurbo. Only few variants of the Tiago & Nexon were readily available, that too selected colors only.

I thought the word "edition" in itself means a small time, limited availability.
I think you're confusing with the term "variant", which is supposed to be in constant supply, and availability.

Again, as for Skoda, whats there to be unhappy? The SA told you that the waiting time is two months, and that you can have one sooner/right now by picking another variant. I call that being upfront.

I'm surprised about the Figo/Freestyle scenario. I thought nobody would buy them, and dealers would have ready stock.

And no comments about Tata.

[John316_WRC]

Originally Posted by S15

I thought the word "edition" in itself means a small time, limited availability.
I think you're confusing with the term "variant", which is supposed to be in constant supply, and availability.

Again, as for Skoda, whats there to be unhappy? The SA told you that the waiting time is two months, and that you can have one sooner/right now by picking another variant. I call that being upfront.

No Sir, I fully understand the difference between a variant & a limited edition. What's the point of launching a limited edition for just 30 days? Turbo edition was launched on Feb 18th, and by the end of third week of March the dealer doesn't seem too interested to take bookings. 30-35days time should be termed as "Very exclusive edition" in this case!

Upselling the Ambition variant, when I've made it very clear I only wanted the Rider/Rider+ and I am willing to wait, is not being upfront. It's called being too smart.

Anyways with the Kushaq now into the picture, I don't mind waiting for a little bit longer.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

Small update.
[list=1][*]Not happy with the local VW/Skoda dealers. VW guys weren't interested to sell the Turbo Edition & kept pushing me towards the Highline variant. As a matter of fact they said the Turbo edition is no longer available as it was a March only Limited edition. This was 7 days ago. They said no more dealer dispatches were happening for the Turbo edition. Whats the point of launching an "edition" and then not making the cars VW?

March only? I booked Polo Turbo edition in February and they say they cannot assure delivery date/limited edition availability/advertised price. Better wait for Kushaq.

[spkrnh]

If you are OK with the idea of a used car you can try the
1. Ford Ecosport ecoboost or
2. Better, a used Octavia 1.4tsi mt with low running

I bought a preowned 5 year old low mileage jetta 2.0tdi dsg for 9.5 ran nearly 60000kms over the next 4 years and still sold it for 6.75. Granted, I had to spend more for service and had a flywheel problem which cost 60k to fix, but I doubt any 10l car would have given me the comfort and experience the jetta did.

If it’s new, Rapid and polo gt are the best options.
If you are OK with the idea of tuning a new car, Altroz diesel and try to find a tuner to take it to 105-110bhp. According to Autocar timings the diesel is quicker to 140kmph than I-turbo.
The ride and handling is amazing for this price.

[S15]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

No Sir, I fully understand the difference between a variant & a limited edition. What's the point of launching a limited edition for just 30 days? Turbo edition was launched on Feb 18th, and by the end of third week of March the dealer doesn't seem too interested to take bookings. 30-35days time should be termed as "Very exclusive edition" in this case!

Originally Posted by Latheesh

March only? I booked Polo Turbo edition in February and they say they cannot assure delivery date/limited edition availability/advertised price.

Looks like the dealer was indeed right.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...olo-vento.html (Volkswagen discontinues Turbo edition of Polo, Vento)

@Lateesh any update from your end? Will the booking be honoured? Or will you take a refund, or pay more for the Highline?