[SanjayW]

Follow your heart and go-ahead with slavia,
It's very FTD, build quality ,space, ground clearance, it is a complete package, there is a 4 years standard warranty, which can be extended till 6 years. No need to worry for 6 years.
Also do check the virtus as well.

[Kuldeep31]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

Hello BHPians!

I'm looking for a car at ~15L (max 16L) OTR for my first car ownership. While I'm new to car ownership, I've been driving cars for 10+ years now and have driven a variety of cars during this period.

My brethren, kindly help me!

Hi Krishna, if I were in your position I would pick the GTX+ for that TC GB + engine combo alone. Barring the safety prospect, the GTX+ has every corner covered. As others have mentioned, you can also check out the Creta Knight edition (reasonably kitted) or an equivalent Seltos.
I may add that since you plan to take a dog you may check out Carens. You will be getting a larger real estate in that budget with some useful, nifty features in a competent diesel package. Whatever you choose, do let us know. Wishing you happy hunting.
Cheers

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by Kuldeep31

Whatever you choose, do let us know. Wishing you happy hunting.
Cheers

Thanks Kuldeep for sharing your thoughts! Although, I must say you’re about 7 months too late because I already brought home the XUV300

Quoting my own post on this thread:

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

As promised, the final update to this thread.

We have finalized the Mahindra XUV3OO W8 (O) Diesel MT as our companion on road. It was a wild card entry that was only considered due to BHPians pouring in their valuable feedback! Thanks to each and every one of you for sharing your thoughts and help us get some more clarity.

In fact, I’m almost at 8000km now and my latest update is here on this ownership thread

[FlankerH]

Originally Posted by manas1224

Thank you for your response. Yes, if we talk about gearbox engine combo it it by far the best. And as you rightly pointed out that paying 16lakhs on a sub compact suv doesn’t make sense & hence I’m thinking of getting HTX version which would also cost me 14.04 lakhs on road.
The biggest confusion for me is to wheather to shell out 75k more & get a bigger car from different segment. In short, head says Sonet but heart wants astor(typical middle class conundrum…lolz). The votes from fellow BHPians who’ve commented till now is also in favour of Sonet. I guess I’ll think over a day or two more & then would finalise on one.

Well to me it doesn't make sense spending 16 big once on a 4 meter car TBH.
I have taken delivery of nexon XZA+ HS Petrol just a week ago in the most unexpected manner i would say ( a story for another day), my priorities were straightforward:
1. Safety
2. Convenience ( read Automatic)
3. Comfort
4. Petrol

Since korean twins come with DCT in petrol and poor safety rating they were outright rejected and didn't even considered taking TD. I would suggest to go with Nexon blind folded as you can buy another/next car whenever things are aligned but it would be rather impossible to get back sound body.

Cheers!

[bosespeaks]

As a Diesel Nexon owner which has clocked about 59k kms and will soon cross 5 years, I don't know where the matter of "gravelly noise in engines after 2-3 years" is coming from. I have changed 3 ASC's in the past 4+ years and cars like Nexon and Safari/Harrier are taken care of, specially.
I often go on long drives, thanks due the location of my in-laws, it's a 650km trip roundabout, and even after that, i remain fresh enough for small jaunts post return. The highest i have got it ~27 kmpl from Kolkata Airport to Panagarh toll booth (just before Durgapur). Even at 59k, i am getting 19kmpl in the city with the engine and clutch as smooth as it was 4 years ago, but yes, i have never missed, never delayed a single scheduled service.
I have gone on a 800km long drive with a full grown labrador and my friend/wife swapping places along with him, on the rear seat for the entire journey and it wasn't uncomfortable for either of them. I know cause i sat alongside the lab as well, for about a 50kms stretch.
If you fancy gizmos, electronics coming from a manufacturer whose cars split into 2 post collision, the Kia is a no-brainer. However, if you want a safe, reliable and spacious car with almost all the creature comforts you can think/require of (nexon does come with Ventilated seats now), do test drive a well maintained Nexon before you make a call.

[amiya.c]

It is a no brainer for me. It has to be Sonet and that to I would recommend you to go for Diesel automatic and you would not regret it. IMHO it is a complete all rounder in this Diesel Automatic Avatar. It has the punchy refined engine which is frugal too, the feature list is long, boot is comparable to higher segment Cars like Kushaq, Seltos, etc. and comes with sunroof too The only issue for me is the side profile look and Kia should redesign it soon to look more proportionate like the Brezza and Nexon. The rear seat comfort is not that bad but it is better to compromise there than to visit service center every now and then and disturb your peace of mind.

[topaz2011]

Guys, need some help with car selection. I'm upgrading from a very basic entry level Maruti hatchback (Alto K10, using it since 10 yrs). I would want a similar fun-to-drive peppy & reliable car with the added must-haves / good-to-haves:

1) Safety (rating 4 or 5)
2) 5 seater (adequate space for 3 at the back)
3) Good boot space (for road trips)
4) Reliable and fun-to-drive
5) Petrol (since my yearly running doesn’t make sense to go for diesel)

My usage would be primarily city driving with one road trip every quarter (involves highway driving, ghats, hair pin bends - hill driving).

I used my old K10 only for all those ghats drives, hill station trips so any upgrade from that bare bones one will feel superior to me But want to add, the old K10 never gave up while pushing forward fully loaded over multiple inclines. Just want to have a similar experience / bonding with my next upgrade

I have shortlisted few and would want some pointers on what would be a sensible choice. Just to add, I am not that fan of gizmos but more inclined towards a comfortable drive with sufficient space, proper handling & reliability, performance.

Tata Nexon
Honda WRV
Renault Kiger
Nissan Magnite
Mahindra Xuv 300
Suzuki SCross
Skoda Kushaq

Please pour in your thoughts. Feel free to suggest one which is not in the list.

[yedukrishnan199]

Originally Posted by topaz2011

Guys, need some help with car selection. I'm upgrading from a very basic entry level Maruti hatchback (Alto K10, using it since 10 yrs). I would want a similar fun-to-drive peppy & reliable car with the added must-haves / good-to-haves:

With respect to the options listed I would like to point out the following:
1. Tata Nexon
1. 5-star safety rating
2. Adequate Boot Space (350 litres)
3. Spacious cabin for 3 at the back
4. Turbo petrol motor is powerful enough (118bhp of power and 170nm of torque) although not the most refined.

2. Honda WR-V
1. 4-star safety.
2. Spacious Cabin
3. Petrol feels underpowered just (89bhp and 110 nm of torque)
4. 363 litres of boot space.

3. Renault Kiger.
1. 4-star safety.
2. Tight for three in second row
3. Cost cutting is evident.
4. Feature packed cabin
5. Largest boot in Sub 4-metre SUVs (405 litres)
6. Affordable
7. Turbo petrol offers good performance

4. Nissan Magnite
1. All the pros and cons as respect to Kiger except Boot space (336 litres)
2. Nissan after sales and dealer network is lagging behind the competition.

5. Mahindra XUV300
1. 5 Star safety rated car
2. Boot space is just 257 litres.
3. Comfortable ride quality
4. Potent powertrain

6. Maruti Suzuki S-Cross
1. Effortless drivability
2. Spacious cabin
3. Flat ride quality
4. Not the punchiest and fun to drive.
5. Due for either a generation change or to be replaced by an all new Compact SUV
6. Boot space at 353 litres only

7. Skoda Kushaq (Out of budget price >12 lakhs on road)
1. Good ride quality
2. Refined powertrain
3. Not the roomiest cabin at the back.
4. Boot space at 385 litres only.


Overall, with respect to safety, space, power and space at the back, the Tata Nexon would be the better fit in Sub 4 metre compact SUVs.

Considering a budget of Rs. 12 lakhs onroad I don't think SUVs larger than 4 metres other than the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross and Nissan Kicks would fit in your budget, However, if you are looking for an SUV larger than 4 metres and are not restricted by budget there are other options you may consider like the Kia Seltos, MG Astor, Hyundai Creta and Volkswagen Taigun.

[KPR]

None from the list that you've mentioned. My suggestion would be to choose a 4th gen Honda City V variant. These sub 4m SUVs are compromise on one front or the other.

[Shreyans_Jain]

A city car should be automatic. Always.

In your budget, a car which is as peppy as your old Maruti and is also safe, well, look no further than Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger. Go for the turbo CVT of either of the two, it is the ideal upgrade for you.

In case you are OK with an outgoing model, the S Cross makes a lot of sense. Especially at current throwaway prices. But again, go for the automatic.

[Durango Dude]

Go for the Honda City 4th Gen Manual it's a lot of car for that money retails for around Rs 11.76L on Road in my place. You can't go wrong with it.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by KPR

None from the list that you've mentioned. My suggestion would be to choose a 4th gen Honda City V variant. These sub 4m SUVs are compromise on one front or the other.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

Go for the Honda City 4th Gen Manual it's a lot of car for that money retails for around Rs 11.76L on Road in my place. You can't go wrong with it.

Too cost cut to be recommended. My own car suffers from rusting and water leakage issues, in arid Delhi climate. Will not suggest for anyone living down south.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by topaz2011

My usage would be primarily city driving with one road trip every quarter (involves highway driving, ghats, hair pin bends - hill driving).

Based on your requirements and usage some pointers:
- Members have reported the NA engines to be better in handling hilly roads as compared to a small turbo petrol primarily due to turbo lag.
- Your drive and ownership experience with the K10 is a big factor working against the cars which aren't renowned for their "fuss-free ownership" like the Skoda/VW family and TMLs hit/miss service from your shortlist.
But that being said nothing can replace the feeling you get after a TD and preferably over the kind of roads or something which can give a feel of the car over inclines. Like going up and down a steep slope in a mall/apartment parking to get a feel of how the car behaves with the expected load of passengers.

Coming to your shortlist and assuming you opt for a MT :

• Nexon : except the engine refinement (not a big deal but noticeable) and TML service the vehicle is sorted in other areas.
• WRV : Old vehicle and high probability of discontinuation
• Kiger/Magnite : VFM but overall refinement and the turbo petrol's driveability needs to be checked for your usage.
• XUV300 : excellent vehicle but do check the boot space and also the driveability but should better than the 1.0 turbos
• S-Cross: excellent car but discontinued. If you can get one or if you want to get one is your call. Will fulfill your other needs though.
• Kushaq/Taigun : FTD vehicles as reported but not trouble free, issues being reported and Skoda/VWs won't match the fuss free ownership you're looking for.

You can also try the new Brezza VXi to see how it scores on the kit and FTD factor and then compare them all.

Honestly if I had to simplify further I would slog it out between:
- XUV300
- Nexon
- Brezza

If the S-Cross was available this would have been a no brainer so I would also suggest to wait for the HyRyder's cousin called the Vitara and hope that a variant fits your needs and budget. It should be launched by the end of this month as reported.

[topaz2011]

Originally Posted by shancz

Based on your requirements and usage some pointers:
- Members have reported the NA engines to be better in handling hilly roads as compared to a small turbo petrol primarily due to turbo lag.
- Your drive and ownership experience with the K10 is a big factor working against the cars which aren't renowned for their "fuss-free ownership" like the Skoda/VW family and TMLs hit/miss service from your shortlist.
But that being said nothing can replace the feeling you get after a TD and preferably over the kind of roads or something which can give a feel of the car over inclines. Like going up and down a steep slope in a mall/apartment parking to get a feel of how the car behaves with the expected load of passengers.

Thanks for your response, I think you are spot on with the concerns am having.

K10 am using for last 10 /11 years and I didn't faced any mechanical issues. It still is a headache free car. Apart from safety & space concerns, I am happy with the car. However, there has been a change in car demography in the last 5 years or so. Be it in highways or in my office parking, all I can see are those beast CSUVs and hardly any hatchbacks (that too basic ones). This further raises safety concerns and not exactly peer pressure.

These days, I find cars to be like smartphones - full of gizmos and features, which may or may not complement your driving experience. But with added gizmos, comes high probability of niggles and issues cropping up and I am sure this is not something I can totally avoid or get rid off. But with so many choices in a packed CSUV segment, I wanted to understand which one would be more inclined towards providing some peace of mind (fuss free to some extent).

People these days get surprised when they hear I drive a 11 yr old basic maruti through hair pin bends in hills. On the way I see people struggling with the inclines in their shiny gizmo filled beasty SUVs. I am not sure whether its the lack of their driving ability or the cars are lacking power in steep inclines. If its the later, I just dont want to be in one of those cars which looks great from outside but mediocre in scenarios where performance would be the key. I wont be able to test out the hill performance in a city (inclines in a mall parking would not be the correct benchmark), hence reaching out to fellow bhpians for the right pointers.

Queries:

a) You mentioned NA engines perform better in hilly areas compared to Turbo. Does that mean I would be better off going for NA petrol engines rather that turbo ones. I have absolutely nil experience in driving a turbo. All I know is the moment i press the accelerator of my 11 yr old k10 - it just flies I am sure I wont feel good if there is a lag before the turbo kicks in.

b) Does it help with minimizing the taxes etc, if I go for the lower variant option (ex showroom price) and later on put in accessories from the manufacturer only (not from 3rd parties). Although I understand few features are exclusive to top variants and cannot be added in a base version.
The reason I am asking this - the moment the ex showroom price of a variant crosses 10 L here in Bangalore, the taxes etc. imposed becomes humongous and finally the on road price turns out to be really expensive. Can some one help me with the right approach or my thinking is wrong / totally off track?
c) CVT / AT gearbox : Do they get stalled ?(again I have nil experience in driving an AT) Like If I stop in a incline, the engine has got high probability to get stalled if I dont play around with clutch, break, accelerator in the correct order, also on top of that mitigate roll backs (since mango people like me didn't even heard of hill hold or whatever it is in 2011)
Just wanted to understand whether in automatics, the engine would get stalled or not once you come to a stand still in a steep incline & want to move again. (hope people understand what I am trying to convey here)

Apologies if I am more into hill driving related scenarios since city driving - its all about potholes and bumper to bumper traffic which any modern day car would be easily able to manage comfortably.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by topaz2011

- This further raises safety concerns and not exactly peer pressure.
- I wanted to understand which one would be more inclined towards providing some peace of mind (fuss free to some extent).
- People these days get surprised when they hear I drive a 11 yr old basic maruti through hair pin bends in hills.
- I wont be able to test out the hill performance in a city (inclines in a mall parking would not be the correct benchmark)

- Understand your situation and will go with your decision to get a CSUV with a safety focus.
- XUV300 is the simplest in terms of gizmos Brezza is the latest and Nexon is in between.
- They should go to our remote areas in the North and North-East and check why the Alto 800 and K10s rule those areas. Power to weight ratio, frugality, simple and sound mechanicals, handling abuse with low maintenance and easy but cheap serviceability are the deciding factors.
- Agree but since a TD in the hills doesn't seem feasible, that is just for you to sample the much talked about turbo lag induced initial hesitation and see if its of any concern to you.

Originally Posted by topaz2011

a) Does that mean I would be better off going for NA petrol engines rather that turbo ones. All I know is the moment i press the accelerator of my 11 yr old k10 - it just flies

First I haven't driven any turbo petrols with MT, they were all ATs and I didn't feel any lag but those were on clear roads and high revs. The lag should be more apparent on MT in city traffic.
The instantaneous response of your K10 that you mentioned might be missing.
Let me try to explain it as I have understood from others, in layman speak since I don't know the specifics myself.
Let's say a 1.0 turbo makes 105 bhp and 170Nm which is similar/better than a 1.5 NA.
This turbo, since it spools by the passing exhaust gases, has to spool up to a certain speed to be able to force feed the engine to boost the power to mentioned levels. Let's say this happens by 2000rpm. This means that till 2000rpm your car will behave like a 1.0 engine which is much lower than the boosted numbers and this is the "lag" being talked about. Although this varies across engines depending upon how the configuration is.
In a nutshell NAs have the following advantages for your use case : better low end response, better FE when driving at high rpms in the hills, simpler and more reliable.

For better info do watch this video in full :
(Credits to Providers) : Autocar India

New Turbo Petrol Engines

Originally Posted by topaz2011

b) Does it help with minimizing the taxes etc, if I go for the lower variant option (ex showroom price) and later on put in accessories from the manufacturer only (not from 3rd parties).

I don't think its a prudent approach, factory fit and quality cannot be replicated outside of it, whether its the dealer or aftermarket.
Instead of this I would suggest to create a list of must have/good to have/don't care features and then check which model fits your needs and varies for each car.

Originally Posted by topaz2011

c) CVT / AT gearbox : Do they get stalled ?

No, I don't think an AT can ever stall an engine.
Hill hold applies the brakes for the slight delay between the press of the accelerator and the car moving forward without which it would roll back slightly before moving forward.

Originally Posted by topaz2011

Apologies if I am more into hill driving related scenarios since city driving

Why apologize, your driving situation are envious to many who spend 3-4 hrs. in traffic everyday
Although the potholes/mini craters in the city have forced us to look towards higher GC vehicles.