[sunbaj]

Hello Bhpians.

Looking for some recommendations and suggestions on buying a new car. I am sure many are in the same dilemma as I currently am because of the numerous launches in the market along with new technology like mild hybrid, strong hybrid and EVs and God knows what more will follow in the near future.

As for my current ride, I own a Swift Dzire ZDi 2012 and will be completing 10 years by December. I am currently based out of Delhi NCR and with the absurd ruling of NGT will have to part ways with my perfectly running and extremely well maintained car. The car was so well maintained that I have till date only used Mobil Delvac 5W40 engine oil, would clean up the intercooler every 20K irrespective of if it was required or not. The car has been driven 85K and I on an average have extracted 23KM/Liter from the car. Overall extremely satisfied with the performance of the car but as fate has it will have to part with the car.

To give some personal background about me, I am in my mid 40's and regularly drive between Delhi NCR and Chandigarh which was not the case earlier as things have changed on the personal front. Most likely would be having one to two trips a month between Delhi NCR and Chandigarh which is like 270 Km one way and my daily office run would be approx. 40 Km to & fro.

With the above said am on the lookout for a new car. Since I would be driving on highway would like to opt in for a safe car with at least 4* rating. Also would be preferring a car which should be niggle free and overall give me a good mileage. Would not prefer a big car and most likely be inclined to a sub 4mt SUV and even open to buying a hatchback as status symbol or going in for a upgrade from what I currently drive is of least important to me as I am more of a practical person and take decision not by heart but by practical usability.

Without brainer I should have gone with a Brezza or a Nexon but what confuses me is with the new innovations and development happening in the car industry I believe that in 5 to 6 years the petrol and diesel guzzlers would be out of market and there would hardly be any takers for the same. So I am double minded as to whether I should invest 9 to 11 lakhs in Sub SUV or buy a hatchback costing around 6 to 8 lakhs and then go for an EV. I believe that in 4 to 5 years the EV market would mature and we would have lot many options than what we currently have.

Do let me know of your thoughts and recommendations.

PS: I till now have not done any test drive of any vehicle. Even when I bought Swift Dzire I had not even gone for a test drive. I was hell bent on buying a Maruti as I had owned Zen and it was a niggle free ownership experience then and so has been the case with Swift Dzire.

[shashi792]

IMHO, I would suggest a Hybrid (Strong vs. Mild is based on the usage pattern). With the NGT ban, diesel might not make sense for you. Petrol (petrol price vs. mileage perspective) alone also does not makes sense with the market these days being filled up with lots of options

1. My pick would be Toyota Hyryder or Vitara.
2. My second option would be Tata Nexon EV Max if the commute is majorly in the city.

Both these vehicles have their own advantages. Nexon EV is a tried and tested vehicle. On the other hand, Toyota/Maruti have their reliability and service center access as advantages.

[sunbaj]

Would have opted for the Vitara Strong Hybrid. The only downside for me would be the size. Am more inclined towards a compact car. Could have gone for a pure EV also had I not required to travel close to 300 KM once or twice a month. Is anyone owning Breza 2022. Any feedback on the same ?

[ajayc123]

If you have charging infrastructure possibility at home, and patience to charge in the middle of your long trips, you may want to research on Tigor EV.

[GreasyCarb55]

Originally Posted by sunbaj

To give some personal background about me, I am in my mid 40's and regularly drive between Delhi NCR and Chandigarh which was not the case earlier as things have changed on the personal front. Most likely would be having one to two trips a month between Delhi NCR and Chandigarh which is like 270 Km one way and my daily office run would be approx. 40 Km to & fro.

If it wasn't for the bi-monthly 500km+ Delhi->Chandigarh run the Nexon EV or Nexon EV Max would've been the perfect choice but since that's out of the picture let's look at the other options.

If you want a smaller car and later upgrade to an EV in 4-5 years I would look at one of these 3 cars:

1. Citroen C3 Turbo - Mechanically it's the best car here, there's no doubt about that, it does lack a few features like a tachometer, climate control, adjustable headrests etc but if you want a fun to drive petrol car before going electric then I'd go for the baby Citroen with the 1.2L 110hp firecracker Inline 3 under the hood. Mileage is about 19-20kmpl, this car is manual only (6 Speed).

2. Tata Punch - The Tata Punch is a proven car in terms of comfort, features and practicality but the bad part is the lethargic 84hp 1.2L NA petrol engine and the equally incompetent AMT gearbox. Mileage is about 16.5kmpl (AMT) and 17kmpl (Manual).

3. Tata Altroz Diesel or Turbo Petrol - As I've said the Tata 1.2L NA Petrol engine is lethargic and if you like driving I'd avoid it but unlike the Punch you have engine options with the Altroz. A 110hp 1.2L Turbo petrol and a 90hp 1.5L Turbo Diesel. Both of them are good engines but the Diesel is a little more fuel efficient. Mileage is about 18kmpl (Turbo Petrol) and 20-21kmpl (Turbo Diesel), both of these engines are manual only (5 Speed). There is a Tata dual clutch automatic available but that is only available with the 1.2L NA Petrol.

The on-road Delhi prices for the top models of all cars here are as follows:

1. Tata Punch - 9.5-10.5 Lakh (depending on if you opt for the IRA pack, Kaziranga edition, AMT etc)

2. Citroen C3 Turbo - 9.1 Lakh (C3 Feel 1.2 Turbo Vibe pack)

3. Tata Altroz - 10.4 Lakh (I-Turbo XZ Plus) or 11.3 Lakh (Turbo Diesel XZ Plus) add 30k-40k if you want to go for the Dark edition cars.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Diesel has no future in Delhi NCR, especially with the advent of strong hybrids. Your usage pattern makes a very good case for them. Unfortunately, the City hybrid is 20L+, and the upcoming Toyota Hyryder hybrid is also expected to be 20+.

Unless you are willing to spend that kind of money, just go for a turbo petrol. Tata Altroz iturbo is a very good car. The base Honda City is priced only a little more, and is an excellent car for its price. Should be your top choice.

[sunbaj]

Most of the recommendations that I have received above are mostly in the 10 Lakhs range other than probably Tata Altroz.

In the 10 Lakhs range would probably stick to either Nexon or Breza. Tata Altroz is probably another option that I would be keeping in mind when going in for test drive.

Any other recommendation anyone !!!

[apachelongbow]

For highway drives dynamics matter and nothing in the 10 lakh bracket is more sorted than the Altroz. The only fly in the engine is the NA petrol. The turbo petrol is quite good as is the diesel. But in their infinite wisdom Tata has provided the dct auto only to the NA petrol.

[shancz]

First, all the recommendations are going to fall short of the FE you have been enjoying so you'll have to reconcile with that.

Going with a safe car means keeping your list within the GNCAP 4+ rated cars. Catch being that the new Brezza and the Nexon Facelift haven't been proven yet but an educated guess would place them at better scores if tested.

EVs will expand but petrols are here for 10+ years at the very least. Stuff like ethanol blending and hybrids will only enhance their life further, IMO.

Some suggestions to consider for a TD, petrol and MT :
- Brezza
- Nexon
- Altroz iTurbo
- XUV300

Haven't listed some other 4+ star rated cars as they might not feel like an upgrade.

[harry10]

Originally Posted by sunbaj

Most of the recommendations that I have received above are mostly in the 10 Lakhs range other than probably Tata Altroz.

In the 10 Lakhs range would probably stick to either Nexon or Breza. Tata Altroz is probably another option that I would be keeping in mind when going in for test drive.

Any other recommendation anyone !!!

I would also recommend the Korean twins. Venue and Sonet. Yes they won't be above 3 star safety rating for sure. However exterior and interior wise they would be better than Nexon and Brezza and in few models the engine might be better too. No harm in taking a TD and see how you feel about them. If you would like to change to an EV in 5 years or so then you can even go for a diesel variant as resale upto 7 years in NCR is good enough.

Altroz is an excellent choice if you wish to save money and your needs is fulfilled by it. If you do go with Nexon or Altroz just be prepared for the A.S.S which isn't as great as rest of the options.

[Rocketscience]

I'll whole heartedly recommend, Hyryder/Vitara Hybrid as number 1 choice provided you get mid variant around 16 on road, best compromise between Diesel/Turbo petrol like punchyness and Diesel like (or even better) mileage.

Second choice will be Brezza, great mileage for a petrol car but you'll have to forget about punchy mid range, it has great low end though and a decent upgrade from someone used to say Honda IDtec with great low end and average but adequate performance above it, you get outstanding refinement with this too.

There are many other great options I have ignored (Venue, Sonet, Creta Turbo Petrol) purely because of their low fuel economy and them not being Diesel.
(I can understand, I'am from NCR too and we just can't realistically buy the great allrounder Diesel engines and sadly Turbo petrols are dramatically less fuel efficient so it rules out most other choices)

[jetsetgo08]

How about the newly launched Tigor XM CNG(Rs.8L ex-showroom), and save the rest of the money for an EV later.

[satish.gawai]

I would recommend the below options considering 8-11 lac budget

1. Nexon
2. Altroz (turbo only) - a very good highway mucher
3. Brezza
4. I20
5. Tata punch

All petrol as diesel is limited to no future in Delhi area.

If you are willing to spend more and can deal with range anxiety I would suggest going for Tata Nexon EV / Tigor EV eyes closed (future proof).

my 2 cents

[ajayc123]

Originally Posted by sunbaj

Most of the recommendations that I have received above are mostly in the 10 Lakhs range other than probably Tata Altroz.

In the 10 Lakhs range would probably stick to either Nexon or Breza. Tata Altroz is probably another option that I would be keeping in mind when going in for test drive.

Any other recommendation anyone !!!

Based on the data provided by you, it appears you will run around 15K per year. Even thought the Tigor EV base version is around 13L on road, your running costs savings in the first 2-3 years will recover that extra 3 L over your budget. So you may want to think a bit more about it.

[Piyush Kanthak]

Check out Tigor CNG too, no hassle of an EV and will give you a good mileage, a 4 star safety and good dynamics.