[ObsessedByFIAT]

Round about last year, I was in the same boat as you. I too had a Nano XTA who's AMT unit gave up on me and I had to part ways with it.

My research at time zeroed in two cars in a similar budget as yours. Maruti X-Presso and Kwid Easy-R.

Ended up buying the Kwid as no one at home like the Maruti including me.

Even though Kwid does not have a manual mode, I haven't faced any issues so far. Have driven it non-stop Pune to Delhi already. Performed flawlessly on to and fro journey.
I especially lik the boot area, it's suspension and that feeling of driving a big car because a little portion of bonnet is visible from the driver seat.

The only thing that could have been better though is the steering feel. I find it almost dead with very little feedback.

[rayvonnee]

Originally Posted by MADisMynAMe

Quick Update:
Our choices have been altered by quite a bit.
These are the new options:
1. Maruti WagonR
2. Maruti Celerio
3. Renault Kwid
Cars that are now out of consideration:
1. Maruti Alto K10: The car upon inspection didn't quite string our hearts. It felt like a mix of the A-Star and the Santro which we didn't like.
2. Maruti Ignis: We didn't like the looks, and the concern of discontinuation did not leave us.
3. Hyundai Grand I-10 Nios: The car was due for an update as per sources, so waiting for it would make no sense.
4. Renault Kiger: The car looked like a Maxi-Kwid (no offense) and the coupe-like stance was not liked that much in person. The price was also quite high.
5. Maruti Baleno: The car was simply too pricey for what it offered.
6. Maruti Brezza: The base Automatic didn't quite have the features we needed.
We are inclined on the WagonR 1.2L base automatic. The Celerio is next, and the Kwid is last.
For now, the options provided by you all others than this are being checked. Updates will be provided soon. Thank You.

I too was confused between the Ignis and Wagon R. A final test drive with my family made things clear and we ruled out the Ignis. The rear seat of the Wagon R seems to have more space and larger window area makes the cabin feel airy too. Also, the DualJet engine is extremely refined. Booked the Wagon R Magma Grey Zxi Plus AGS. Waiting period is 10-12 weeks in Mumbai. As far as the Celerio and Kwid are concerned, I feel the Wagon R is a much more practical family car. Still, do take multiple Test Drives and then make a decision. Hope this helps.

[MADisMynAMe]

Update 2.0:
We recently went to MS Arena to check out their hatchbacks. We started with the Alto K10:
Alto K10:

Pros:
New design.
Tall boy like stance.
Nice colour choice.
Cons:
Cost-Cutting ( a lot of it).
Space ( Cramped after coming from the Nano).

S-Presso:

Pros:
SUVish stance.
Good GC.
Reasonable price.
Good interior space.
Quite VFM.
Quite a large boot.
Cons:
Colour palette.
Design.

Celerio:

Pros:
Tall boy like stance.
A mix of the Swift and Baleno.
Nice colour choice.
Cons:
Not so spacious.
Drab interior colour.
Price.

WagonR:
Pros:
Tall boy design.
Spacious interiors.
Interior colours were a nice mix of black and beige.
Space.
Cons:
Pricey.
Misses out on some features(which the S-Presso offers).

I didn't click a picture of the WagonR.


Out of Budget.


No Automatic.

Long story short:
The Alto K10 and Celerio were rejected for space concerns and the WagonR left was disappointing after seeing out the S-Presso. The S-Presso left a mark on us in terms of a good ride height and spacious interiors. If not the S-Presso, then we will have to choose between these four cars only.

OT:

We checked out the Grand Vitara also. At first sight, it was quite butch and imposing, but upon closer inspection, it did not look that sporty or premium.

[saurabh041086]

I am in the same dilemma. We are looking for a small automatic car like Nios, Ignis. Or may be extend it to Jazz. So far from drive and feedback here all seem to be nice cars for city runs.

Any suggestions which of these cars will have lowest resale value after 3-4 years? I plan to acquire this under company lease, with an intent to retain it after lease. Hence the question around resale value.

[MADisMynAMe]

Update 3.0:
We have increased the budget to 8 Lakh OTR (Max 10):
We had chosen a few more options. 4 from MSIL, 1 from Hyundai and Toyota, and 3 from Tata.
The cars were:
1. Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
2. Maruti Suzuki Ignis
3. Maruti Suzuki Swift
4. Maruti Suzuki Baleno
5. Hyundai Grand i-10 Nios
6. Tata Tiago
7. Tata Tiago NRG
8. Tata Punch
9. Toyota Glanza

Cars which were rejected:

1. S-Presso: Did not feel that much of a step-up from the Nano (essentially it is in the same segment albeit with a more powerful engine.) That 1-star rating it recently got further cemented this decision. Dropped.

2. Ignis and Swift: Dropped due to poor GNCAP rating of 1-star. Ignis would have been the final choice only if the safety was of 3-stars or more.

3. Baleno and Glanza: Too pricey for the features they offer. Also no news whether it is safe or not. Dropped.

4. Hyundai Grand i-10 Nios: The facelift meant more price, worse looks and almost no feature additions. It simply didn't feel VFM. 2-star rating didn't help mater's in its favour either.

5. Tata Punch: More expensive than the Tiago brothers and also with that price, compromise in features. Only pro is 5-star rating.

Final two choices were the Tiago and the NRG.
The NRG was dropped due to strange feature deletions from the Tiago and also because of the lack of colour options. It all went down to the Tiago.
We might bring a Tiago XZA+ in Arizona Blue (not the DT since we didn't like the contrast roof that much). Another blue addition to our garage probably.
Now you must be wondering... What about the long rant I had written of never going to buy Tata cars ever again?
The problem is, there are no cars which are as safe and strong as a Tata. We are also placing trust on a non faulty AMT transmission this time.

PS: It's been a long while since I have written on this forum and this thread.