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-   -   Which Diesel Manual car under 12 lakhs? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-car/236887-diesel-manual-car-under-12-lakhs.html)

Hello everyone,

This is on behalf of my cousin who is looking for a car under 12L ex-showroom. This is going to be his first car purchase and he is not a 'car person' per se.

Non negotiable requirements- Diesel, manual.

Other notable requirements-

1. He is leaning more towards an SUV.

2. Sunroof is good to have but not a compulsion.


Here are the contenders with the tentative ex-showroom cost-

1. The Mahindra XUV W8(O) (12.40L)

2. The Kia Sonet GTX+ (12.45L)

3. The Hyundai Venue SX(O) (11.58L)

4. The Verna SX (12.2L)

5. The City V (12.62L)

6. Creta EX (11.9L)

7. Seltos HTK (11.79L)

The Ecosport and the Nexon are not being considered by him. Request you all to chip in with your comments and vote.

My opinion-

1. I wouldn't go for the Creta or the Seltos under 12L as the variants on offer are quite basic though you do get a bigger SUV.

2. Among the sedans, I'd choose the Verna due to its better engine, more features(sunroof, wireless android auto etc.) and cheaper price.

3. Among the compact SUVs, I'd prefer the Sonet over the Venue due to the styling and features on offer. Between the homegrown manufacturers, I have always preferred the XUV 300 over the Nexon and even my cousin has taken a strong liking to the XUV and it is currently at the top of his mind. The Ecosport is a bit dated and the diesel engines of the XUV and the Sonet are better than the 1.5 TDCi of the Ford.

So that leaves me with the Sonet, XUV 300 and the Verna.

The XUV 300 is definitely the enthusiasts choice in terms of engine performance. Yes, the 0-100 timings are about the same as the Sonet, it is the mid range where it shines. Coupled with decent features, good cabin space and good quality cabin, it is a good car. Mahindra badge seems not to affect him much. We can't forget the fact that this is India's safest tested car.

The Verna definitely offers the most bang for buck IMO if you are willing to compromise on LED headlamps and the ventilated seats. It offers wireless android auto and a digital instrument cluster which the others lack.

The Sonet is definitely the most feature rich car here. Against the XUV, it excels in almost everything except the mid range punch and of course, the safety rating.

Overall, my pick would be Verna>Sonet>XUV 300.

Your cousin is leaning more towards the SUV’s like many other potential car buyers in our country which includes me as well.
Xuv 300 W8(O) looks like a complete all rounder but the only concern with this car is the boot space.
Picking this car car over the others makes sense if your cousin does not require a car with big boot.
That said if he needs a larger boot space then Sonet GTX plus wins hands down it is the latest car in the lot has a good Diesel engine and the feature list is never ending and is fuel efficient too.

A friend of mine was looking for a similar option (albeit he was stretched at all directions) with no particular requirement as such. Only ask was that he does not wish to go back to Maruti as he had owned only them for all his life till now. After one year of reading, researching, TDs and what not, we finally got a XUV 3OO W8 (O) D MT. He owns a factory in GJ hence we started to compare prices between MH01 & GJ registered vehicles. Today, he is more than happy with XUV 3OO and literally thanks me everytime he drives it. Unlike your cousin, my friend was on a cusp of being an enthusiast. Now with XUV he surely would cross over to our side sooner than later.
For reference

XUV 3OO W 8 (O) D MT
OTR (GJ) 12.85L (yes, even I envied him)

^ I'm with the BHPians above. If I had 12-lakhs in my pocket for a diesel MT, I would also go with either the XUV300 or Sonet. Both look good, have nice cabins, excellent diesel engines and good suspension setups. Have your cousin drive both of them, go through our Official Reviews and then buy whichever makes him smile more.

I'd personally get a Verna.
The Diesel Manual SX variant gets all that one needs, and then some more (like a sunroof).

And you can park a verna and a sonet side-by-side, and people will always think of the Verna as the more expensive car.

Voted Sonet

Since he is leaning towards a SUV and is his first car purchase, Sonet is the newest and most balanced product in the market right now.

Would have recommended the base model of the Creta/Seltos had this not been his first car purchase. Would make sense to get a loaded car from the showroom and enjoy it right away than haggling with accessory dealers.

I voted for nothing but I would suggest your cousin get the Sonet as it is new and has better engine as well and, hey, it's a feature-rich car BTW!

Or, I would suggest him the Verna SX as well for its looks and has much better features barring LED headlights, ventilated seats, and 6 airbags but the SX version is equipped with sunroof and has wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay as well!

I would suggest him not to get the Honda City in Diesel guise if performance is the main criteria as the Honda's Diesel iDTEC engine is not as powerful and refined as the Hyundai-Kia Diesel engine and XUV300's Diesel engine! This is my personal view as we own the same car albeit 4th gen and even though it's decent to drive in the city limits and gives good FE, it cannot hold the candle in front of Hyundai-Kia Diesel engines in terms of performance!

XUV 300 would be my pick among the options if boot space isn't an issue.

Although it is clearly mentioned that ecosport is not being considered, it's diesel titanium variant is an absolute VFM, ASS is better than mahindra and you get it on road for the price constraint you have for ex-showroom.

Is he from Mumbai too?

Looking at the list, I feel the Mahindra XUV 3OO will be my pick from the list thanks to that explosive diesel engine. It is one of the safest cars in the lot.

Has good GC and will tread along most of the bad roads that we have in the country. Service costs won't be high/alarming.

Yup, he is from Mumbai too. Will that change or further reinforce the answer? :)

Wanted to know the location if he could get away with a sedan but since it is Mumbai, SUV is best IMHO. :D

I still feel XUV 3OO is the best from the list.

It is the OP’s personal choice to leave out the Nexon and Ecosport. These are two of the most competent diesel manuals in the market. The poll results would have been very different had these two also been included.

Between the options considered, the XUV300 does appear to be the most complete and proficient choice. It’s not the most popular car in our little part of the world, but is a very capable car.

Out of the List I would suggest to go for the XUV 3OO.

Sonet is too much of a compromise on back seat space in which regards the Venue fares better.

But I voted for Others because I want you to reconsider the Ecosport and the Nexon.

For a 1 car garage, Both these offer a better all-rounded package because of the better boot space on offer.

Since the Ecosport is not being considered for personal preferences, I would vote for the XUV300. Certainly not the Sonet. I did test drive the Sonet I did not find the actual build quality and driving experience to live up to the hype that has been created in the marketing jargon. I am also personally not enamoured by the fancy features that Sonet offers, so those do not really influence my buying decision. The driving experience was OK but nothing to write home about. The XUV overall offers a better build quality and has a nice engine as well.