It appears that the longer we are in the market, the more confusing it gets. What is unnerving is my company's fixed timelines and the COVID impact on the automakers' delivery timelines. Below are a few more which we considered and rejected (might be useful to others reading this thread). I am to take delivery of the car by end of August.
After driving the Urban Cruiser, we decided to huddle again and look at comparables - essentially all sub-4m CSUVs.
1.
Nexon AMT - the ride comfort is nice, there are adequate features on offer and the AMT, though far from perfect was adequate for my driving style. However my wife felt it to be a distinct step down from fully automatics. It is one thing to consider stretching an MT budget for an AMT, but a completely different thing to throw AMT in the mix when you're considering ATs. Plus the delivery timeline of 12+ weeks means I will miss out the lease window.
2.
XUV300 - We were hoping that this AMT performs better than the Nexon AMT, but the local dealer couldn't get a TD car or promise a shortened delivery timeline. So we decided to move on.
Circling back to the Jazz that ticks most boxes for us we decided that only cars with 6 airbags and a proper AT to be upgrades from Jazz.
3.
Ford Ecosport petrol AT - the transmission was utterly smooth, the suspension marginally better than our current diesel Ecosport. Two cons - my daughter who used to feel queasy in the Ecosport didn't feel the ride comfort to be an improvement over the one that we already have. The honest SA said that real world fuel economy to be in single digits in city driving conditions. That was a huge red flag. Must have known the moment the car felt like a typical American AT with mpg rating as an afterthought. A neat design quirk(?) - the sunroof was placed a bit towards the middle of the cabin allowing rear seat passengers to enjoy it. A big plus when kids are the ones likely to enjoy it. The ICE misses out on Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and necessitates turning the hotspot on the phone for the maps to read traffic data. A minor issue during the TD, but would definitely be an irritant over the years. Estimated delivery was in 4 months!
4.
Kia Sonet/Venue - the Venue doesn't have an AT with 6 airbags. So it was ruled out immediately. The Sonet had everything + some more, though I felt the many gadgets and contours and materials in the dash to be distracting. The ride comfort was better than the Ecosport. The engine was more than adequate for our driving style and the additional warranty for 20K alleviates some of the DCT anxiety. The ventilated seats were a boon on the humid day we TD'd the car, but it cooled only my back. The SA helpfully blamed it on my jeans. 18-20 weeks of delivery time is simply atrocious.
My employer has requested the leasing company to update us on the availability of Ford and Kias. Pending an update, the contenders are Jazz, City, Sonet and Ecosport. From the way things are panning out, the Sonet and Ecosport may rule themselves out due to timely availability. That would leave me with the Jazz and City.
What the Jazz has going for it - a relatively cheap car that the dealer has in stock. Delivery wouldn't be a problem. My gut feel is that every family will have a room for a hatchback, no matter how the fortunes change. If things improve, I can consider a proper mid size SUV - throwing hitherto omitted parameters like manual transmission, used/new etc. into the mix.
What the City has going against it - I will be stuck with a premium sedan when sedans are out of favor in the market. Sort of like what happened with my 2006 Baleno - instead of the model going out of production, sedans as a whole may go niche. When we have room for a second car, it has to be a cheap hatchback and thereby ruling many juicier options out. The dealer doesn't have one in stock, but estimates one can be delivered in 3-4 weeks once decision is made.
I suspect this thread may be a misfit in team-bhp with some maddening omissions, rejections and curve ball parameters thrown in. Balancing the taxman, leasing company, COVID impact, kids and wife with divergent requirements... that's how I had to roll