[abhatt]

Budget: 8 - 8.5l on road in Mumbai

Current Car: 2010 i10

Shortlisted Cars

1. Altroz XM+/XT (Petrol NA)
2. Amaze S (Petrol)
3. i20 Magna -- Petrol (Sport would be a stretch)

Usage: Primarily City. Max 4k km a year for a 65 year old

Requirements
1. Good looking and Good interiors. Should feel like an upgrade.
2. Smooth engine (typical Hyundai owner requirement)
3. Not expensive to maintain

Test drove Altroz today. My FIL is not a smooth driver and was scared to drive a new car which made the experience very poor.

That being said, the SA was terrible. No knowledge of variants and cars in general. Also, Tata never fails to surprise me. They got a 15k driven car which had multiple orange lights on the dashboard (service required being one). Start/Stop button was white-washed as ALWAYS. Tata never gives a good impression for someone looking to create one. We were so sure of this car just based on the way it looked. Will be going to other showroom soon hoping for a better experience.

Thanks to above, we have now added 2 more cars to the mix.

Turbo engine is not needed. Would request not to suggest as it would extend the budget which is not possible.

Looking for some inputs, specially from existing Altroz owners if possible. My biggest concern is, will the Tata car age well?

[M5_fan]

Originally Posted by abhatt

Budget: 8 - 8.5l on road in Mumbai

Current Car: 2010 i10

You should consider an entry level sedan IMO. Have you checked out the Honda Amaze S? I guess it should fit in the 8.5 lacs budget. It is extremely smooth, easy to drive and has a proper 4 cylinder non turbo engine. Good after sales and not expensive to maintain. Got a facelift as well recently
Good space as well. The styling is not to everyone's taste though.

Altroz is also a popular choice (you have already driven it but not sure about after sales service experience and smoothness of the 3 cylinder engine. When i drove it, i felt that it was a bit unrefined. Build is fantastic though.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by abhatt

1. My biggest concern is, will the Tata car age well?

2. Usage: Primarily City. Max 4k km a year for a 65 year old

1. I don't think that should be a concern, we already have quite a few Nexons and Tiagos on the roads since 5 years at least. Check out ownership threads of those cars to get a good idea.

2. I am assuming that by upgrade you also mean an upgrade in size, hence the i20 and Altroz make the most sense.
For your requirements, I agree that a NA will be good enough just be sure that your FIL is comfortable with the size of the car.

Your shortlist is good but I would suggest to wait for the Tata Punch as well, have heard that its based on the Altroz's platform and with the higher set driving position will not just be easy to get in and out of for seniors but also inspire more confidence in driving the car. The i20 sits low and so will the Altroz.

Wait for its launch on 4th October and check out the thread (The Tata Punch (aka Hornbill) Compact SUV).

[Tapish]

Just one input - Get an AT. It will make the experience painless for your FIL. For his usage, even AMT will suffice.

[sam264_2000]

Mod Note : Please do NOT post messages that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the quality of this forum.

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further. Request to post ONLY when you have something substantial to add to a discussion.

[saisree]

Was in the same boat last October and we bought Jazz ZX CVT.
Our choices and selection is here (Honda Jazz BS6, now launched at Rs. 7.5 lakhs)

[abhishek46]

The Maruti Ignis AMT is one of the best choices for elderly folks.
We picked up one (MT though) for my father, and he is so happy.

The Key benefits we found in the Ignis were:
1. Slightly Higher seating position, which results in good front & back visibility.
2. Easier Ingress & Egress compared to the competition (due to the High set seats).
3. A sense of space inside, due to the tall boy design.
4. Compact Foot-Print, which is a breeze in the city.

[AJ56]

Given your need for comfortable, hassle free city driving only look at proper automatics, your father in law will thank you later on trust me. In the budget the only cars that come with a CVT are i20 and Amaze, can’t really go wrong with either. Make sure you have him test drive both extensively and see which is preferred, Amaze has slightly less cabin insulation but steers better than the i20. Cheers.

[TorqueMonster]

I'm sure that if your FIL wants a compact city car and if he is ok with the manual, I'm sure the Wagon R with the 1.2l engine or the Ignis would be a great choice and would be cheaper on the pocket too.
In the case of an automatic, a proper auto on your budget is only on the Magnate, Kiger and Jazz. Out of these, your FIL would certainly like the Jazz more, it is a really good car.

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by abhatt

Test drove Altroz today. My FIL is not a smooth driver and was scared to drive a new car which made the experience very poor.

Have you probed this fear such? How many miles per year are we talking about?
My father was hesitant to let me buy a new car at a similar age. He insisted he was happy with our old car, a WagonR (MT). I still went ahead and bought him a i10 AT, hoping to make the driving smooth, and quell some of that fear of stalling uphill, etc.

3 or 4 years later it had ~5k miles. Most of which was me driving it around while on vacation. The fear kept him from driving the new car. After a routine service, my father hit the compound wall of the service station while backing up. The service manager, suggested that my father would be better off using an auto/ola considering the fact that the car has so few miles. Father happily got a quote and sold it to the same dealer in a week. To my father the math was clear. The insurance, the maintenance, and the fear of damage to people and property was simply not worth it. My friends and cousins were cursing me for letting go of a gem of a car, an almost new car for 60% of the value of the car.

Sorry, if all of this is not relevant to your FIL.

[abhatt]

Originally Posted by Tapish

Just one input - Get an AT. It will make the experience painless for your FIL. For his usage, even AMT will suffice.

AMT would definitely be within budget. Want to avoid Maruti if possible.

NIOS vs Tiago AMT? Which one should I ask him to try?

Amaze CVT is the only non AMT that comes close to my budget.

[M5_fan]

Originally Posted by abhatt

AMT would definitely be within budget. Want to avoid Maruti if possible.

NIOS vs Tiago AMT? Which one should I ask him to try?

Amaze CVT is the only non AMT that comes close to my budget.

Please avoid AMTs. Drove a friend's Nexon AMT. It was the worst gearbox according to me that I have ever driven. When the gear changes, it takes its own sweet time to do an upshift, hence you feel a forward jerk during this lag and then a backwards jerk once the gearshift is complete.

CVTs and torque converters anyday over AMT. Please do test drive extensively any car that you consider.

[Axe77]

First: choose an A/T. Your running is low enough that FE won’t matter.
Second: Let the A/T be a non AMT. Either TC / CVT.
Third: A tall boy format may be more comfortable.
Fourth: Choose something that’s reliable, easy to maintain and has some degree of longevity.

I think the Grand i10 Automatic should fit the bill well. It should broadly meet all of the above criteria.

The only downside is I’m not sure how much this will tick the plush upgrade feeling coming from existing an i10. Given his existing one is a 2010 model, i think the current gen will definitely feel fresher.

If that is the ONLY reason to look beyond, please see if an automatic Jazz / Amaze / i20 fits the bill, although it might involve “slightly” stretching the budget. All these cars will be great to drive, will last the time and will be predicable to maintain as they age.

[GTO]

For a senior citizen, the following points are key:

- Easy ingress & egress
- Good visibility
- Light controls
- Automatic

Consider the Magnite or Kiger CVT (might need to extend budget), Kiger has an AMT (if budget cannot be extended), Ignis AMT, WagonR AMT and Santro / i10 AMT. Agreed with BHPians that Ignis AMT should be the topmost choice here.

[TheHelix0202]

Personal experience - get the Ignis. It’s the perfect city hatch that can handle the weekend highway run too. The super light controls make it almost feel like a toy car to drive. And I’m talking about the MT. The automatic should only make it more of a breeze.

In fact, yesterday, I saw a senior gentleman driving one in back to back Bangalore traffic with no hassle. Not sure if about the transmission though!

Here are a couple threads from BHPians themselves -

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...omes-home.html (Uptown Red Racer - The Maruti Ignis Delta 1.2L Automatic comes home)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...-1-2l-vvt.html (BayMax - Silky Silver Maruti Ignis Alpha 1.2L VVT)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...-amt-here.html (Red Maruti Ignis Zeta AMT is here)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...al-review.html (Maruti Ignis : Official Review)

I would request the gentleman in question to go through these threads and other online forums, get his hands on a test drive car and visiting the showroom to make a good decision himself.