Team-BHP - What beater hatchback (petrol / CNG / electric) to buy for city commutes?

As others have commented, adding a car will incur quite a lot of overhead expenses. Say the new car costs Rs.6L :

. Insurance ~ 18K/y
. EMI (3 y) ~ 19K/m

So total overheads is 2.4L appr/y or 20K/m. Add to that cost of petrol = 24x25x10 (days, km, perL) ~ 6K/m

Total 26K/m for at least the duration of Loan.

Now your fortuner will cost only diesel so it will be at the most 5K. You are incurfing a cost of 20K+ for second car.

Here is what smart people have started doing - contract a cab agency, that can take the kids and their mom to school and back. It will be less than the 26K cost for the second car. The advantages are many
. No hassle of maintaining a car
. No problem if their cab is bad, a new one will be supplied
. No cost of fuel

and many more.

I'll say used Ignis petrol-AMT.

- Compact
- Low maintenance
- Efficient
- Affordable but not cheap --- in feel and appearance
- Easy ingress-egress
- Good cabin space
- Healthy ground clearance
- Reasonably feature-rich
- Decent road presence

Being an underrated car, even the used ones are available with a healthy depreciation. But a new one is also not too expensive.

I think the hesitance to use the fortuner for daily school pick ups and drop arises not just from the fuel cost but given the condition of roads and rash driving, it could be more prone to small fender benders and scratches. While it can happen anytime you drive, the more you drive in rush hour traffic, the more chances there are for it to happen to you.

Per your budget, nothing beats the Tiago/Tigor EV with regards to VFM and convenience. Both vehicles have excellent safety record. For low running costs, you can lean towards Maruti or Hyundai, but I would advise against it owing to their poor safety standards.

Charging infrastructure especially in the metro cities are improving owning an EV is becoming less of a hassle by the day.

Let us know what you decide:coldsweat

Moving away from things already mentioned by other members it seems you want a 2nd car in the house readily available at your wife's disposal and also for you to run small errands where fortuner isn't the best option.
In my opinion a used car with a proven track record on Indian roads would be the best

Honda Jazz CVT
That IVTEC engine is probably the most reliable engine you can get in this segment(The ownership experience of Senior BHPian Chetan B G should help you a lot)

Suzuki Baleno/Swift
No nonsense hatchbacks with excellent ASS. It's a maruti so what can go wrong? Safety might be a point of concern

VW Polo
The best hatchback ever made for India in my opinion, you may think it's a discontinued model but there are more polos on the road than all VW models combined so ASS/Spares wouldn't be much of an issue. Considering you're coming from a fortuner this will still be sporty for you to drive because of the excellent TSI engine. Only issue would be the maintenance cost maybe.(My cousin sister's 1st car was a Polo and she didn't even know how to drive but the Odo has probably crossed 25k in 2-2.5 years. Yes that's how excellent this car is to drive)

I'm not a big fan of Tata cars, their ASS and QC is going to cause you too many headaches and the whole "Fill it, forget it" experience you've had with fortuner will never be replicated in these.
I'd say get a used Japanese car and let your wife fully abuse it and perfect her driving over the years and then upgrade it with something brand new. Those inevitable minor dents/scratches on a new car will hurt you too much. The resale value of these cars excellent as well.
Happy Car hunting :)

If you're just looking for city drive, Baleno is a good option which will tick all your requirements and is easy to drive and maintain. The new Baleno comes with AMT but it's very well tuned for city drives. Other option is Ignis, more compact and a very well packaged product and very underrated as well.

Hyundai i20 can be a good pick too, but it's bit expensive than above two, but is a good option . i10 Nios is also a good option which comes with CNG option as well or Hyundai Aura if you need little boot space with CNG.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hajaar (Post 5429755)

Hello All

I have a fortuner currently and I have no intention to sell it. But driving 24k daily will ensure that my finances will take a hit and cause unnecessary pollution in addition. Public transportation is a no-no since it is hit or miss.

The finance getting a hit thing is baffling me. Let’s assume EXTREME cases the fortuner gives only 8 kpl. And that new hatch gives 24 kpl.
Fortuner needs 3 liter fuel.
Hatch needs 1 liter fuel
You save 2 liter fuel per day. Best case. So you save 200 rs per day. 4000 rs a month. 48,000 a year. 4.8 lacs in 10 years. A decent second hand AT hatch will cost atleast 6-7 lacs. You will never break even. And I am not even considering opportunity cost. Maintenance of second hand car etc. And my calculation is optimistic. In reality the difference will be even more minute. Might as well use the fortuner instead of being a garage queen.

I wholeheartedly recommend the Tiago. In your budget, both the EV and the AMT are applicable.
However, as a Tiago AMT owner myself, its far too jerky and frustrating. Some days I wished I had the MT. Having been seasoned with the lovely boxes in my other cars like the CVT in the City, and the more premium German limos, the AMT really does not take the stress out of driving.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hajaar (Post 5429755)

I thought that I could instead look at a cheap (maybe beater) hatchback to drop my kids at school and use my fortuner for longer runs on highways. I am looking for an AT (so that my wife can drive) hatchback which is either electric or CNG or a petrol sipper at worst. Maintenance should be cheap. I am also ok with a second hand vehicle.

Suggestions welcome.

(PS: I dont know much about current hatchbacks since there are so many)

I had the exact same problem. I own a Fortuner 4x4 AT, and it was a bit overkill for the city traffic. Hence, I purchased a Maruti S-Presso AMT. Works like charm for the city traffic. Mileage is also as expected, really fantastic 16kmpl in busy city traffic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hajaar (Post 5431363)

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions especially those that suggested a car and shared your experiences.

If you read my original post (for those asking why I am not using the fortuner), I mentioned 3 things - the extra cost, the extra pollution from running a diesel and a car for my wife (or a driver).

To answer a few more questions
- It is 12km in 25 min (24k both ways, for a single drop).
- I will have to move to the new locality to find out if there is a private van service for this school
- the known auto driver who will be picking up my kids after school cannot pick them up in the morning since he comes from a long distance away.

That said, depending on circumstances, I might still end up using my fortuner, especially when it rains like how it has been since yesterday. :-)

Your first 2 things - extra cost and pollution are 100% still not justified to buy a new/used car for whatever.
Please clarify the following
1. How adding a new/used car will reduce the pollution of not using your Fortuner for just 24kms additionally/day?
2. How it is more expensive to drive a Fortuner for an additional 24kms/day compared to buying a new/used car?
The only valid reason that I see here is the 3rd point - A car for your wife/driver.

Correct me if I am wrong - 12km in 25 mins in Chennai means you are not inside the "CITY" limits and you live in the fringe areas. So in this case, you won't have to worry about bumper-to-bumper traffic and narrow roads for the entire 12km. So the worry of dents and scratches is minimized.

And finally, your circumstantial reason is the nail in the coffin to drop the idea of adding a new/used car to your garage.