[Yash98]

Hello BHPians,

This thread is for my parents who live in Mumbai. They are both corporate employees who drive themselves to work, with my mother traveling 60 kms per day and father traveling about 12 kms per day to and from office.

We are currently in the process of buying a new car and are faced with a dilemma. My father was initially keen on buying a new CSUV for about 15 lakhs for my mom and continuing to use his 2013 Ertiga for his daily commute, however upon discussing further we also began considering buying two new Hatchbacks for both mom and dad. So we are now in a dilemma and need your guidance to help us make the correct choice. I have outlined some key points below:

Criteria:
-Comfortable front seats (the car will mostly have 1 or 2 occupants 90% of the time)
-Good fit and finish of interiors (our 2013 Ertiga has aged in typical Maruti fashion)
-Preferably a peppy yet frugal petrol engine (Thanks to 110+ rupee fuel prices in Mumbai)
-Android Auto, Reverse Camera, 2 or more airbags, ABS+EBD as mandatory features
-Minimal Niggles (since my parents do not have the time to keep visiting the showroom during the week)
-Mom's car will preferably be an automatic

Pro Hatchback:

-Congestion in Mumbai has made driving a nightmare and hatchbacks are much easier to maneuver and maintain
-We believe that hatchbacks offer 80+% features of a CSUV at half the price, so why pay extra
-City drivability of most hatchbacks is good due to the engine being tuned for city driving
-If we do need to switch to EVs in the future, we can easily sell one car and upgrade, thus reducing the initial investment today.

Pro CSUV:

-It will be a true upgrade and we can also become part of the recent hype around this segment
-They offer better road presence and dad feels can command more respect on the road
-Taller driving position and ability to better maneuver potholed roads in Mumbai monsoons
-The neighbors will like this option more

Top Contenders:

Hatchbacks: Hyundai Grand I10 Nios, Suzuki Ignis, Suzuki Swift, Tata Tiago (though worried about Niggles)
CSUV: Kia Sonet, Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon (Possible Niggles)

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!

[EvilZombie]

You can get 2 hatchbacks for around 15L and i10 Nios, Tiago and Ignis are good options. If you look at the pre worshipped route, you can get a premium hatch and a CSUV for around that much. A pre worshipped i20, Baleno/Glanza or Jazz with below 40k ODO can be a good option

[Ferruccio]

I'd do a pair of i10 Nios Sportz AMT for both your parents or maybe stretch the budget to include one Glanza or i20 for variety.

[condor]

My suggestion - one hatchback, one slightly bigger for when the need comes up. One of these can be a used one. You should be able to do it in the 15L range this way.

You have not mentioned if the re-sale value of the two cars is being included in the 15L. The Ertiga is a bit old now, apart from the ageing. Time to let it go.

[PrideRed]

For pure city use , you can pickup a hatchback provided the roads you frequent are decent. Glanza/Baleno is a good option, however offers only AMT. i20 is pricey and automatic will guzzle fuel. At lower budget would suggest to check Nios and Swift, both have their pros and cons.

[sunilch]

Originally Posted by Yash98

Top Contenders:

Hatchbacks: Hyundai Grand I10 Nios, Suzuki Ignis, Suzuki Swift, Tata Tiago (though worried about Niggles)
CSUV: Kia Sonet, Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon (Possible Niggles)

Looking forward to hearing from you guys!

What niggles are you referring to from both Tata products? These both are selling since long and in good numbers. I don't expect niggles but ASS can be a gamble I guess.

I don't see S-Cross there. It is a good car and AT available in Petrol. It isn't an SUV but a good hatchback with good space and fit-finish as you desire.

Do consider a pre-owned one - S-Cross AT might be rare in pre-owned market so MT can be considered. A new Tiago can be combined with it.


-Sunil

[naru80]

Going against the grain here, I would suggest a cSUV.

Your mom travels 60km a day. A higher segment vehicle is safer and much more comfortable.

This is likely to be her last ICE car. Let her enjoy.

[GTO]

Car prices today are insane. 15-lakhs isn't a lot of money to buy two good cars. A garage with an Ertiga + Compact SUV is superior to one with two 7.5-lakh rupee hatchbacks.

Retain the Ertiga, it's only 9 years old anyway, and spend the entire 15-lakhs on a great compact SUV. That way, you have two nice cars in the garage. My top choice would be the Kia Sonet. Avoid the AMTs.

[mkumar79]

Ertiga, even if aged, is immensely practical and can surely hold up the overall fight against any of the new CSUV kids. Your Dad seems happy with it as well.

In my view it would be better to be dealing with the one known good service center and even better if it's a Maruti Suzuki. So the new Brezza with the 6AT and subdued front stance fits best for your Mom.

[lamborghini]

If the ertiga is in good condition, it makes sense to retain it and get a new auto CSUV, but at the same time it's 9 years old and maybe lacking some safety kit (depending on trim) and creature comforts : if not today, you may have to replace it in the near future.

Personally I would look for 2 good pre-owned automatics: low run, within warranty, with clean service and accident / flood / damage history.
Main reason: better value, you get to avoid the bane of the AMTs.

My pick would be a low run 2020 Honda Amaze diesel CVT (the width will be easy for your mother to drive + diesel for her higher running) for around 9L, paired with a manual brezza / ertiga lower trim but newer model with safety kit for around 7L.

[KPR]

For a 60Km/day drive why not go for a diesel car with very good mileage? My choice will be new Honda WRV diesel MT or Amaze diesel CVT and also retain Ertiga. With recent 4 star safety rating for Jazz, buying a WRV is a good choice now. Trouble free and reliable Honda.

[Nilesh5417]

15lakhs will be insufficient for two automatic hatchbacks with good set of features. I agree that Mumbai is a driver's nightmare but you don't seem to need both the new cars same day. So maybe you can split the purchase. Buy a new automatic hatchback, keep the Ertiga for an year and then get the second one, a hatch or a CSUV if you save enough. Or flip it other way round. CSUV first and a hatch next.

CSUVs would give a better ride than hatchbacks and your mom truly travels a lot while your dad seems to be doing pretty less. He can hopefully go on with Ertiga for a year if the car gives no trouble.

Btw - we have a 12yr old petrol Dzire in the family that's used a few times a week and it has done 1.4lakh kms with just a clutch replacement. And we have no plans of letting go cause it's a great runabout car with tons of boot space!

[sunikkat]

Though the new hatchbacks will have more features than Ertiga, selling Ertiga and buying 2 hatchbacks (budget of 15 lakhs can give only non premium hatchbacks) will not make you feel special. Rather you might feel more of a compromise with less space, road presence etc. So better option would be buying a new CSUV which will feel like an upgrade to Ertiga too, whilst giving more premium features, performance, road presence etc than your shortlisted hatchbacks.

[PrasannaDhana]

A decent hatchback with AT touches 12+ lakhs today.

I would suggest to retain the ertiga and buy a new XL6 Zeta AT. It has very comfortable front seats. You also mentioned presence, which the XL6 provides much more than any C-SUV on sale.

Honestly, all C-SUVs are cramped and you might end up thinking why you didn't buy a premium hatchback instead. From my experience, i don't think C-SUVs command more respect than any 4m hatchback or C-sedan on the road, in the sense of others giving way kinds.

If presence is your requirement, why not wait for base Scorpio-N or just get an used Scorpio 2.2 AT?

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by Yash98

themselves to work, with my mother traveling 60 kms per day and father traveling about 12 kms per day to and from office.

Criteria:
-Comfortable front seats (the car will mostly have 1 or 2 occupants 90% of the time)
-Mom's car will preferably be an automatic

15 lakh is a very limited budget if you want to buy 2 hatchbacks. You’ll just about get 2 WagonRs. Not a smart choice, IMO.

That’s a lot of running your mother does. She must be spending 600 rupees on petrol every working day! My suggestion to you will be to get your mom a Tigor EV. It is super nice to drive in traffic, light and agile with all the convenience and smoothness of automatic. Then there is the negligible running cost. Your monthly savings will pretty much cover the EMI. EV drivetrains are inherently reliable as well.

Your father can continue with the Ertiga for a few more years. You can think about a nice replacement then, as per your needs and financial situation.