[danlalan]

Wow this is my first thread in a very very long time(10yrs i guess). Iam so confused as to what i should buy that ive gone totally blank.
Looking for some recommendations on buying a new car or a used low kilometer car.

So a little about me,
Stay:
I Live on rent and i will continue to do this is the place that i currently am for atleast the next 5yrs approx.
My Parking:
This place has tight parking spots and spots changes every time because its first come first serve but nonetheless all the spots are tight in terms on getting into and out of as they are stack parkings. To get into the stack you have to take a 90 degree turn tight turn which would require at least 2 to 3 iteration before getting into them.

My travel:-
My travel everyday is a 10kms round trip to and fro office. But i do travel across the city every other day.This usually ends up commuting in peak hour traffic in the evenings.
I do a once every 15/20 day mumbai-Pune(350km round trip) run.
My monthly running would turn out to be about 1.5k to 2k kms a month.

My cars & its life sentence:
This usually hovers around 9 to 10yrs i guess this would be the case for most people.
My last daily drive was a 2012 i10 automatic(sold).

Preference & Budget:
New or used preferably 2020 or later models.
Iam looking for a daily drive that is fuel efficient.
Petrol or diesel fuel.
Non electric.
Automatic gear box for sure, Shouldnt be a iMT. AMT not so sure as ive heard they arent the best shifters.
Would prefer the compact suv types as high ingress degress.
Brand preference would first be a hyundai(Having owned one) then kia(used) then others.
The Budget is the constraint. This was a 10L. Would want to spend a max of 13L no higher, Not a single rupee more.
Had a option of a used Sonet Htk+ DCT diesel 11k kms. Vitara ZDI. Dont know if these are a good choice over probably a new Venue S(O) DCT or anything else new.

Let the suggestions begin.

[shankar.balan]

Consider the following suggestions given your situation, bearing in mind your running and your parking scenario.
1. Used Maruti Brezza Petrol or Diesel
2. Toyota Urban Cruiser Petrol or Diesel
3. Used Tata Nexon EV Prime if you can get one, else the Petrol or Diesel variant.
4. Used Maruti Swift
5. Used Maruti WagonR
6. Used Maruti Ignis
The reasons for the above suggestions are the following; the frugality of the engines in the above vehicles, easy serviceability, general reliability, practicality and peace of mind, compactness of size and proportions, good ground clearance for our typical road conditions and general ease of parking.

[baarish84]

I will suggest Brezza 2022 Vxi AT, with on road price of 13 lacs in Mumbai.

Sonet DCT in stop go traffic doesn't seem to be a good idea.

[ajayc123]

I would say new Brezza or Toyota Urban Cruiser, if you can get hold of one.
Reasons:
compact - better bet for your parking situation
frugal
reliable
Proper automatic
Safe
Powerful enough for highway

[Srivatsav Balan]

I come from a similar situation like yours on tight parking spots and congested roads especially during office commute hours.

I opted for Ignis MT considering the compactness and higher turning radius and well within my budget and it has been amazing choice for packed city!

However, the AT gearbox of Ignis did not inspire me to drive more of it and I ended up getting MT as the stick is not much of trouble for me and was not keen on AT to start with.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by danlalan

My travel everyday is a 10kms round trip to and fro office. But i do travel across the city every other day.This usually ends up commuting in peak hour traffic in the evenings.
I do a once every 15/20 day mumbai-Pune(350km round trip) run.
My monthly running would turn out to be about 1.5k to 2k kms a month.

New or used preferably 2020 or later models.
Automatic gear box for sure, Shouldnt be a iMT.

Let the suggestions begin.

Yours and mine travel criteria is kind of similar, wherein I travel 22 kms to and fro to my office. There is also a 400-500 km highway only trip every month.
I purchased a pre owned Sonet HTX iMT, this year in Feb (7 month old car). It's served my requirements quite well, and I purchased this at 11 L.

Any reason to avoid iMT? Even I was apprehensive of it first, but the gearshift is pinky finger light, and the ease of auto clutch enhances the comfort. The 120 PS motor also is more than ample for any of my city or highway needs( it offers better performance than my Ecosport S 1.5 TDCI). That said the daily mileage hovers between 10-14 kmpl, depending on the traffic. On highways, at cruise of 85-90 it delivers 17-18 kmpl (all mileage with AC).

If you are in for a Sonet iMT, I know of a reliable Pune dealer, who is selling a one year old HTX+ iMT, at little more than 11.5L. Will dm you the details if interested. Happy shopping!

Originally Posted by danlalan

Had a option of a used Sonet Htk+ DCT diesel 11k kms.

Correction, there is no DCT in diesel for Sonet. It should be a Torque converter gearbox. If it fits your budget, it should be a great alternative too.

[d-g-p]

Originally Posted by danlalan

Preference & Budget:
New or used preferably 2020 or later models.
Iam looking for a daily drive that is fuel efficient.
Petrol or diesel fuel.
Non electric.
Automatic gear box for sure, Shouldnt be a iMT. AMT not so sure as ive heard they arent the best shifters.
Would prefer the compact suv types as high ingress degress.

Take a call on DCT after going through pro and cons you can find from a large number of threads in this forum. In general it is better if DCT can be avoided in bumper to bumper and start stop traffic.

Amongst Torque converter and CVT gearbox for new car with above criteria you can go with :
1) New Brezza VXI AT
2) Nissan magnite turbo CVT if you are confident with Service centers in your city. You can choose XV or XV premium according to budget.
3) Renault Kiger turbo CVT ( Some safety like features like ESC missing)

For used car with AT Brezza, Urban cruiser, Ecosport with a good deal (with consideration that Ford has exited Indian market) or a Diesel TC AT Sonet if you can find one. These are all sub 4 metre cars that would fit with your space constraints and SUV stance.

[danlalan]

Ive zero'd down on a New Venue S(O) DCT petrol or i20 sports AT vs a Used 2020 dec Sonet Htk+ diesel AT run 10k kms.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by danlalan

Ive zero'd down on a New Venue S(O) DCT petrol or i20 sports AT vs a Used 2020 dec Sonet Htk+ diesel AT run 10k kms.

If you are looking for a frugal car, the Sonet HTK+ Diesel AT will do the job, its adequately specced and would be much better in stop and go traffic than a DCT. If you are getting a good deal on it, I suggest you go for it.

If you are looking at a new car purchase, between the Venue S(O) DCT and i20 Sportz DCT, The following should be taken into account:

• Whether you need the Ground clearance of the Venue (195mm) or not or would the ground clearance of the i20 (170mm) suffice.
• The i20 is definitely the more spacious of the two, with better wheelbase and width, although the Venue is taller and offers more headroom.
• The Venue has 350 litres of boot space whereas the i20 offers only 311 litres.
• The Venue being recently updated offers Brake Assist, Hill Hold Control, ESP and Traction Control which the i20 lacks.
• The headlights of the Venue are LED Projectors whereas the i20 has halogens.
• The Venue offers leather wrapped steering and gear knob
• The Venue offers Rear Wiper and washer which the i20 lacks.
• The Venue offers drive modes and paddle shifters over the i20
• The i20 offers tilt and telescopic steering adjustment whereas the Venue offers only tilt function.
• The i20 offers auto folding ORVMs which the Venue lacks.
• The i20 offers cooled glovebox over the Venue.
• The i20 offers halogen projector fog lamps which the Venue lacks.

To conclude, for the price premium, the Venue offers the SUV stance and more safety features over the i20.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by danlalan

Ive zero'd down on a New Venue S(O) DCT petrol or i20 sports AT vs a Used 2020 dec Sonet Htk+ diesel AT run 10k kms.

I would go with the 2020 Sonet Diesel AT. Reasons:

- Good old torque converter will have superior reliability to the dual-clutch AT

- Way better in traffic due to its smoother jerk-free & lag-free power delivery (turbo-petrol with dual-clutch AT has its low speed nuances)

- Your running can touch 2000 km / month. Diesel AT fuel economy will be far superior to that of Petrol AT

- The Sonet will still have its factory warranty intact. Follow our used car checklist (including service history, checking past insurance claims etc.) & get an extended warranty for 100% peace-of-the-mind.

- I personally prefer the Sonet's sweet styling & superb suspension tune to the Venue which is more hatchback-like.

Try getting a new Sonet Diesel AT (since you are open to new Venue DCT).

[inwester]

Originally Posted by danlalan

My monthly running would turn out to be about 1.5k to 2k kms a month.

I am looking for a daily drive that is fuel efficient. Petrol or diesel fuel.

Automatic gear box for sure.

Would prefer the compact suv types as high ingress degress.

Brand preference would first be a hyundai(Having owned one) then kia(used) then others.

Only 1 choice, IMHO.

Kia Sonet Diesel HTX 1.5 AT @ 14.61L.

Since your usage is on the higher side this extra money you put will be good ROI. Cost savings could be easily Rs.50-75k/year in fuel bills alone.

Or as GTO said you can get a used one, but with today's used car market you might be better off getting a new one.

[FrAgile]

My opinion will be a lot different. I am not a big fan of compact SUVs.

I would suggest you 2 hatchbacks and 1 4mtr+ SUV instead

1. New Hyundai i20 N-Line DCT
2. New VW Polo 1.0 TSI AT
3. Pre Owned Kushaq Ambition / Taigun Comfortline AT
4. New Honda Jazz CVT (iff performance is not a priority at all)

Sharing some opinions regarding when it will make sense to go for the above listed cars and what is my thought process on choosing these over others:

• If you can make peace with the lower seating of a Hatchback and high seating does not serve much actual purpose, hatchbacks can be considered.
• You are planning to hold on to your car for long where IMO diesel won't make sense(because of stricter norms and dwindling uncertainty of the future of ICE cars especially diesel). But if diesel it is then my opinion would be the same as that of other forum members to go ahead with a Sonet diesel.
• If you like to drive and are looking for a driver focused car, hatchbacks are better.
• Hatchbacks are smaller, nimbler, tighter and easier to handle in traffic or city conditions. Would also be a better choice as you mentioned about a tight parking spot.
• If you want to try some new brand other than the Koreans, you might opt for VW / Skoda / Ford(if you don't mind owning a brand that's no more in India as the cars are otherwise really good, be it Ecosport or Freestyle).
• Venue and Sonet have a relatively tighter legroom at the rear in it's segment. If space is what you need, I would suggest avoiding these and the Hatchbacks as well.
• If you are fine with 10+kmpl in the city and 15+kmpl on the highways, which the hatchbacks would easily deliver. Venue (as you have shortlisted) delivers almost similar FE figures. It's the Kushaq/Taigun 1.0L engines that might give a mileage lower than 10kmpl in city conditions or very short runs. Diesels would give you 14+kmpl in city and 18+kmpl on the highways.
• Jazz CVT is a wild card sorta thing here. It is a very reliable NA engine with not much punch for the car it has been put in. The car is overall very comfortable and spacious with not so funky sober and mature interiors. If that's what you like and if you are open to Hatchbacks, this could be put in the consideration too.

[Voodooblaster]

Used cars that are only a couple of years old are priced astronomically

Try Test Drives of the following:

1) Brezza TC
2) Urban Cruiser TC
3) Honda Jazz CVT

[thanixravindran]

My suggestion will be to for a new car. Please look at Sonet both Petrol and Diesel. Alternatively please check the XUV 300 Diesel if you are okay with AMT. Mid to low variants will be little bit devoid of creature comforts but will fit the budget. Since you talked about tight parking, get the cars and test the parking fitment before proceeding.

[crazydevil]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Any reason to avoid iMT? Even I was apprehensive of it first, but the gearshift is pinky finger light, and the ease of auto clutch enhances the comfort. The 120 PS motor also is more than ample for any of my city or highway needs( it offers better performance than my Ecosport S 1.5 TDCI). That said the daily mileage hovers between 10-14 kmpl, depending on the traffic. On highways, at cruise of 85-90 it delivers 17-18 kmpl

I second this opinion. At least test drive an iMT before ruling it out completely. Works pretty well in stop and go traffic, clutch implementation is barely perceptible vs AMT. Manual shifts will be handy for those highway drives. The HTX iMT for Sonet is well-loaded and on road is just north of 12 big ones. If you are okay without features like LED lamps, DRL, alloys, dual tone interiors etc. then the HTK+ also makes a good case for itself at 11 lakhs.