[SavoyWalrus]

In a similar situation to the OP. Require a fun-to-drive sedan or hatchback under 10L. Now that the Rapid has stopped and Polo almost gone, there don't seem to be many options.

I'm not too keen on the Maruti hatchbacks, while the i20 N Line is out of my budget. The Altroz iTurbo seems to be the only one that kind of fits my criteria. Perhaps some reliable remaps may be developed for it in the future, which could rectify the fun factor.

Any other options?

[rd18]

Originally Posted by SavoyWalrus

In a similar situation to the OP. Require a fun-to-drive sedan or hatchback under 10L.

I'm not too keen on the Maruti hatchbacks, while the i20 N Line is out of my budget. The Altroz iTurbo seems to be the only one that kind of fits my criteria.

Any other options?

If you want Petrol only, then TD the dark edition of iTurbo. Else ALtroz diesel is much more fun to drive with good FE. You can browse the official diesel review and see some ownership comments on performance and satisfaction.

[John316_WRC]

Hi everyone,
I have an update. I've picked up a pre-owned car. Because of held up payments & covid my budget took a hit. Another factor was my wife who has started driving and prefers an automatic. My friend's boss (govt. officer) wanted to sell his car immediately (panic sell because he got into some trouble with his department over his assets etc.) My friend had already driven the car a few times before and was there when his boss had picked it up new.
Some details about the car:
-MS Dzire ZXI AGS (dualjet)
-Manufacturing & Registration date - June 2021

Now some positives about the deal:

• Literally brand new, just run 7444 kms
• Additional 2 years extended warranty
• Came installed with MGA reversing cam, MGA seat covers & floor mats.
• Deal was closed at 6.7 L (30% less than On road cost)
• No bank hassles or interest to be paid. (paid 3 L and took possession on 22nd Dec, the rest I will return on my agreed terms with the owner)
• Very comfortable and easy to drive.
• No Head nod at higher gears.
• Surprisingly spacious and airy interiors.
• Car doesn't feel as flimsy or light unlike a few other MS cars. Even the doors felt heavier than some of its stablemates.

Now for some negatives:

• This is no corner carver.
• Shift from 1st to 2nd has a head nod. Hope it gets smoother after 1st service.
• Safety and build (so far no rattles, fingers crossed)
• Looks - personally I'm not a huge fan but livable.

I really couldn't find any downsides to the deal. This whole buying process & decision has been more from the mind. Drove (at night) 360 kms one way to my hometown for Christmas and I've come away fairly impressed.

Will keep you all posted. Happy holidays & stay safe everyone. @moderators you can close the thread and shift this post to relevant thread if needed.

[heydj]

Originally Posted by GTO

Trust me, that 1.0 TSI from VAG is absolutely delicious in the way it revs, how the throttle response is, how happy it is at the redline, the sheer eagerness to deliver. I have driven the 1.0 TSI on the same road as some cars with 3X / 4X / 5X the horsepower and it still made me really wide. That engine is the definition of fun-to-drive. In a Polo / Vento / Rapid, it also has the chassis to match.

Out of curiosity same engine is in Taigun. Would Taigun also be as fun to drive as Polo?

Also Taigun has 1.5tsi engine however as per Taigun review 1.0TSi is more fun to drive. How is that possible considering 1.5 tsi has better specs?

[John316_WRC]

Originally Posted by John316_WRC

Drove (at night) 360 kms one way to my hometown for Christmas and I've come away fairly impressed.

I'm chewing my words here, I think it was the novelty factor that made me say that. This is not a very impressive car - its a decent city car, is what it is. The AC performance is good for our summers. Nothing really wows me but the missus is happy with the car and thats about it.

Kms run: 11,000.
MID mileage: 12.7 kmpl
Faults: none

I can now go back to dreaming about a blue Slavia or a red Virtus...

[peepo]

My friend just learned to drive a few weeks ago and he'll be getting a car soon. Only 2 requirements and 1 want. Fun to drive and petrol engine are the requirements. The want is a good music system which is a want because it can be retrofitted.

He's open to used and the car would not be used by anyone else 99% of the time. The car doesn't need to be small/easy to park or even safe as it will be a city runabout, big sedans are perfectly ok. Polos are difficult to come by these days. He found many Polo 1.0 Tsi(s) which had run sub 20k km for prices above 10 Lacs and said it wasn't a reasonable price. And another 2019 polo heavily run (40,000 km) 1L model for 8.5 Lacs. I said that the DQ200 will fail and be prepared for that but he said that's ok, knowing his dad I am sure that isn't ok. . Frankly, I do not know what else to suggest other than a Polo.

[KryptonMonkey]

Is your friend open to manual transmissions (MT) or only wants to consider automatic transmissions (AT)?

If MT, then you can consider the following:

• Maruti Swift MT
• A pre-owned Honda City 4th Gen MT
• Maruti Suzuki Ignis MT (This is quite nippy in the city)

In terms of ATs, your choices are probably limited to the Hyundai i20 or Polo/Vento of recent vintage. You may need to be flexible about the age of the pre-owned car if you want to broaden this pool.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by peepo

My friend just learned to drive a few weeks ago and he'll be getting a car soon. Only 2 requirements and 1 want. Fun to drive and petrol engine are the requirements. The want is a good music system which is a want because it can be retrofitted.

He's open to used and the car would not be used by anyone else 99% of the time. The car doesn't need to be small/easy to park or even safe as it will be a city runabout, big sedans are perfectly ok. Polos are difficult to come by these days. He found many Polo 1.0 Tsi(s) which had run sub 20k km for prices above 10 Lacs and said it wasn't a reasonable price. And another 2019 polo heavily run (40,000 km) 1L model for 8.5 Lacs. I said that the DQ200 will fail and be prepared for that but he said that's ok, knowing his dad I am sure that isn't ok. . Frankly, I do not know what else to suggest other than a Polo.

Only one option I can possibly think of in the budget - Accord 3.5 V6. 278 hp and 0-100 in 6.6 secs. Beautiful VTEC engine note. You’ll get 2012-13 models at around 5-6L, keep the rest for a good audio upgrade and stiffen up the suspension, and you’ll be set. Very reliable car, easy to drive.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by peepo

My friend just learned to drive a few weeks ago and he'll be getting a car soon. Only 2 requirements and 1 want. Fun to drive and petrol engine are the requirements. The want is a good music system which is a want because it can be retrofitted.

He's open to used and the car would not be used by anyone else 99% of the time. The car doesn't need to be small/easy to park or even safe as it will be a city runabout, big sedans are perfectly ok. Polos are difficult to come by these days. He found many Polo 1.0 Tsi(s) which had run sub 20k km for prices above 10 Lacs and said it wasn't a reasonable price. And another 2019 polo heavily run (40,000 km) 1L model for 8.5 Lacs. I said that the DQ200 will fail and be prepared for that but he said that's ok, knowing his dad I am sure that isn't ok. . Frankly, I do not know what else to suggest other than a Polo.

Why Figo did not come to your mind? Especially Figo TDCI or even the Aspire. Ford's exit from India has not affected the service even a bit and probably wont have much impact for the next 5 years. At 8L you may also get an ES TDCI. These cars (BS4) are very reliable and the service costs are lesser than a Maruti.
You may read on TDCI, which remains one of the most revered engines in our forum. It is reliable, fuel efficient and great fun to drive. Your friend can slowly look to remap it and have extra fun. Best of luck

[IshaanIan]

The Rapid seems like your only choice at the moment although it might be worthwhile to hunt down a 1.4TSI Jetta/Octavia because otherwise you might be underwhelmed by all the new options available in 10 lakhs nothing ground breaking that will eclipse your ownership experience with the BR-V

I just noticed that the OP has already bought a car my post was in response to his initial query on this thread.