[AjinkyaP]

I was in the same boat as you couple of Months back. DCT is what i was looking for , when i inquired for Sonet, SA told me the waiting period of 4-5 months for HTX iMT. After asking specifically for HTX DCT, his reaction was as if i have asked for his kidney. He wouldn't let me know the exact waiting period for DCT, Kept pushing for iMT.

Went ahead and picked Venue SX Plus DCT last week since it was one of the top contender too.

I find Venue's interior layout better than Sonet's.
But Venue SX Plus DCT lacks some essential features as compared to Sonet HTX DCT despite Venue being priced higher, like rear sunshades, drive modes, wireless phone projection, dual tone horn etc.

[Lobogris]

Increase your budget to 21 lakhs and get an MG ZS EV Excite model. There is no reason not to buy an EV at this point. The extra 6 lakhs would be more than made up in fuel savings.

[84.monsoon]

I would recommend that you seriously consider the VW Taigun Highline AT variant. It may be a bit more expensive than the budget you have set, however, the feel-good factor and exclusiveness you get will be a different order. I found the car to be very well put together. There have been no major flaws reported and the engine-gearbox of 1.0 TSI + TC AT combination is flawless. The Taigun is a great looker, especially in that yellow shade, I would go so far as to say it is the best looking SUV in the compact as well as.midsize segments. The looks and design will age well in my opinion.

I find the Sonet to be very disproportionate. It is not long enough relative to its ride height, it is made to look artificially broad and tall from the front using cladding and roof rails etc. It looks little comical from the side, as though someone had artificially jacked it up. It is a sub-4m car, so all the GST benefits should translate to a much cheaper price than the Taigun, but the difference is not really all that much. The Taigun is clearly one car class above the Sonet. The TC auto will most likely not have the types of issues you might see in DCT autos through their lifetime. The wait times should be shorter than the Sonet's.

[jasjotbains]

Originally Posted by anirudhbb

Whats Carens?
What you are saying concurs with what my SA told me, he said no dispatches of Sonet this whole month which I was really surprised considering its popularity.

Honestly, I don't see any other decent alternative in the CSUV and my budget. So, sticking with the booking as long as I can.

This is Carens

Sonet numbers have considerably gone down as compared to Nexon as well as its own dispatches over the past few months. Maybe Kia is focusing on Seltos since the margins might be higher in that segment. Production capacity constraint might also be a reason. But my SA has clearly told that Sonet production will pick up in Jan and I can expect mine around Feb or March.

Mine is top of the line variant and even I was surprised that it was not available at a shorter interval. But 5 minutes drive in TD vehicle and I was sold. I had plans for Nexon but wife threatened divorce and parents threatened disowning. No TD vehicle was available at 3 dealerships which was a real bummer. Being a banker, I cannot really rely on niche car brands like Renault, VW or Skoda even though their vehicles are good.

[kmadhok]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

This ageing car will be replaced by an all new model in a few months, along with Baleno.

I was thinking these are expected mid 2023, given SC shortage.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by jasjotbains

Being a banker, I cannot really rely on niche car brands like Renault, VW or Skoda even though their vehicles are good.

Curious to know why your profession would limit you to certain brands?

[tirumalavoleti]

While its uneasy to wait that long, but if you have decided on the vehicle and plan to use at-least next 5 years, please accommodate the waiting period and get the sonet. Once the car reaches your home, you would forget all the delays. I hope you had many memories with wagonR along with your son, cherish till you get the new one.

Its hard missing a birthday plan, but worth waiting if you already have WagonR

[jasjotbains]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

Curious to know why your profession would limit you to certain brands?

Postings.

It's easier to, say, get a Tata or a Maruti serviced or repaired or get parts accordingly at even lesser known places/rural areas than niche brands. I have faced this during one of my postings at Harur, Dist Dharmapuri, TN. It had Hyundai, Tata and Maruti agencies while others were in Salem, 70kms away.

For someone who is going to stay at the same place for another 5-6 years, experimentation can be done. For us bankers, where next location is unknown, it's better to stick to tried and tested brands. Then again, it's a personal opinion and exceptions will definitely be there.

[mytbhp_turbo]

Originally Posted by tirumalavoleti

While its uneasy to wait that long, but if you have decided on the vehicle and plan to use at-least next 5 years, please accommodate the waiting period and get the sonet. Once the car reaches your home, you would forget all the delays. I hope you had many memories with wagonR along with your son, cherish till you get the new one.

Its hard missing a birthday plan, but worth waiting if you already have WagonR

I will second this, you already spent time hunting down car which you like, if you rule out used car, you will always have some waiting period. Best option will be just to wait, get 2022 manufactured sonet DCT.

[MadHawk]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Well think of it as a blessing in disguise since the Sonet and Venue both perform miserably in crash tests.

Sir What basis do you say the Venue has failed in the Crash tests ? What I can gather it has not been tested in its Indian Avtaar but has a decent rating in ANCAP tests ?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xg8eiVwWpSU

You may have Personal prejudice to the brand/car but this forum stands for genuine authentic advice and not hear say ! There are enough wannabe You Tuber channels for that.

[Voodooblaster]

What about Jazz ZX CVT ? Has sunroof, loads of space and a reliabl AT+Engine.

Probably the only OEM to offer 5year unlimited kms warranty. There is no big front overhang and the sub 4 metre dimensions help in urban parking

EX showroom price 9.98 lacs. Heard that road tax is higher on crossing 10 lacs ex showroom in Karnataka. So you save on that aspect too

Only drawback is the puny 1.2 litre engine, but the CVT in S mode helps to mask it

[anirudhbb]

Originally Posted by Voodooblaster

What about Jazz ZX CVT ? Has sunroof, loads of space and a reliabl AT+Engine.

WRV and Jazz, both were recommended to me when I was hunting. Reasons for discounting -

1. Both are very old models and pale in comparison to newer cars. While for the driver (me) driving pleasure matters, for the family they want a car which they feel good in travelling and feels plush. Eye-candy and bells n whistles I believe enhance the ownership experience.

2. All the dealers I spoke to sometime in Oct had no interest in both the cars and my request for TD fell on deaf ears. Even 2 days back when I went to the showroom for City TD, they didn't have either car on display and neither available for TD. When asking the SA he said, no one is showing any interest in these cars and hence we don't keep them on display anymore.

Honda cars for most reasons used to be an aspirational factor (and also very reliable) not too long ago and if Honda gets serious about these 2 cars and wants to compete with Korean twins, these two cars can seriously give them a run for their money. I think its a strategic decision to not compete, so far.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by MadHawk

Sir What basis do you say the Venue has failed in the Crash tests ? What I can gather it has not been tested in its Indian Avtaar but has a decent rating in ANCAP tests ?

You may have Personal prejudice to the brand/car but this forum stands for genuine authentic advice and not hear say ! There are enough wannabe You Tuber channels for that.

No personal prejudice simply reasonable deduction; Kia Seltos received 3 stars in the GlobalNCAP tests, ergo the Sonet/Venue that we get in our market would not fair much better. If they did that would be a first in terms of a cheaper car performing better than a more expensive one in our "no need for airbags in the city" market. We have seen several cars, our beloved Swift included, perform much better internationally than in India. Until GNCAP tests the Venue/Sonet and they perform better than the Seltos, I will reserve the right to be skeptical. You might not agree with me but I hope you can see the reasoning I have used to come to my conclusions. Perhaps an ANCAP test is more representative of the truth to you, but to me a more expensive model from the same brand performing poorly in GNCAP is a greater indicator of how the Venue/Sonet that we get here in India, would perform.

[xway]

Most are suggesting changing you preference of vehicle with which you be living and driving for years to come.

Please do not compromise on what you liked just for the delivery timelines.

Rather the best approach would be to scan different trims, color options of the same car around different dealers.

There are many cancellations or swaps or model changes happening and you should network with all dealers and keep in touch, you can even sweeten them by offering to buy some accessories or paying upfront if the car is allotted.

I am positive that you may get something very close or even exactly what you want though its not guaranteed but its surely worth trying rather than switching from Sonet to City or anything which are as different as chalk and cheese.

[krishnakumar]

Originally Posted by anirudhbb

.
But now it will be 6 months and even that seems uncertain.

XUV 300 and Nexon, both are AT, though not as refined as DCT in Sonet are seemingly good options other than Sonet.

0. Safety
1. Automatic/AT/CVT/DCT

Maybe look for a variant+color combo which has a shorter delivery time. My friend recently bought the petrol+iMT in Bangalore and got it in ~2-3 months.

Also, just a correction that Nexon and XUV300 both come with AMT and not AT. AT generally refers to Torque Converter units.

And since you're putting Safety as the most important parameter, do you want to get with a car that's not crash tested? If you're fixated on automatic gearbox then I do agree that the only better option of the lot is Sonet.

Also do check out S-Cross, Honda WR-V, Nissan Magnite and MG Astor if you haven't already. In Petrol, there are quite a few options in the market so I think you still have some research pending to do.