[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by amit_hhh

Thanks @bijims for responding! The problem with Brezza is long waiting period and in Sonet iMT, I am not sure how reliable this technology is as only Hyundai and Kia offer iMT.
What is your take on mid segment SUV like elevate or seltos? Will it be difficult to learn and manoeuvre big car for a newbie driver?

Both these cars are excellent in the long run. The Seltos has all the gizmos while Elevate is a car for fuss free ownership. There is nothing like "big car", it is just in our mindsets. I learnt driving in an Innova and safe to say I have no problem adjusting myself to other cars when I occasionaly drive any. You will take time to get adjusted to the car but gradually you will get confident driving it anywhere.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by amit_hhh

Thanks @bijims for responding! The problem with Brezza is long waiting period and in Sonet iMT, I am not sure how reliable this technology is as only Hyundai and Kia offer iMT.
What is your take on mid segment SUV like elevate or seltos? Will it be difficult to learn and manoeuvre big car for a newbie driver?

The only reason I didn't suggest compact SUVs (above 4 meters) and mid-size SUVs was due to your budget, your budget of around 13 lakhs on-road opens up only the option of the base variants of these SUVs, be it Seltos or Elevate. Considering this is your first car, I felt a bare-bones option wouldn't be the perfect fit. Moreover, if you want to enjoy your car to the fullest, it is always advisable to go for the top-end variants (not necessarily the top-most trim, but at least mid-level trims are suggested).

Now moving to the question of maneuverability of these (> 4 meter SUVs), the first thing I have to say is, that the length is the major factor that gets increased, the length would rise by about 30 to 40 cm, which is just over the size of a ruler, so it isn't much to worry about, the width and height see only minute size increases. So you don't need to worry about it at all.

I had a Kwid ( around 3700mm) then a Sonet (sub 4 meter) and now own a Seltos (4365mm) as well, but I don't find any difficulty in maneuvering any of them. The only issues I faced were with the Innova Hycross (it's huge), so parking, making U-turns, and navigating small roads is a bit of a task, but still manageable, moreover aids like 360-degree camera, parking sensors, etc, greatly assist in these situations, which is another reason why i suggest going for mid-spec to high-end trims.

Now considering your query, about whether to consider the Seltos or Elevate, I would definitely recommend you consider these provided you are flexible with your budget and can go for at least the HTK Petrol MT variant of the Seltos or the V MT variant of the Elevate, both of which are priced at around 14.10 lakhs OTR Gwalior.

Else, if you are keen on the base variants, I would recommend you get a reverse camera installed for better assistance in parking. The base variants of these cars are definitely value for money, but in this case, I would recommend the Elevate over the Seltos as the 1.5 N.A. i-VTEC is the better and slightly more powerful engine than the Smartstream G1.5 in the Seltos.

Do check out these variants in person, because the test drives are always in the top-end variants, the base variants miss out on a whole lot of features, and you should be well-informed on what you are missing out on before you take the plunge.

Feel free to contact me for any more help!

[amit_hhh]

I am not thinking about stretching my budget beyond 13 as car being a depreciating asset and there is cost of ownership which I have to consider over period of time. What do you think about base model of Taigun and Kushaq as the sales of these cars is not as high as mainstream SUVs? Does anyone else own Venue S(O) DCT? How has been the experience with Venue?

[bijims]

Originally Posted by amit_hhh

I am not thinking about stretching my budget beyond 13 as car being a depreciating asset and there is cost of ownership which I have to consider over period of time. What do you think about base model of Taigun and Kushaq as the sales of these cars is not as high as mainstream SUVs? Does anyone else own Venue S(O) DCT? How has been the experience with Venue?

The Venue S(O) DCT is a quite feature-loaded car with most of the features you would require, my cousin has one and I have driven it for a few trips, it is compact, offers a smooth DCT with a 1.0L 3-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 118bhp of power and 172nm of torque. The engine is peppy and offers a good balance of ride and handling, the service network is vast and is definitely worth the money.

As regards the Skoda Kushaq and VW Taigun, both have huge offers going for them to the tune of up to 1.5 lakhs for select variants, they are one of the safest cars available, and the 1.0 L 3-cylinder TSI engine is more than capable on the road, do check it out personally with a test drive.

[amit_hhh]

So do you feel any stability issues while driving Venue on highway like vibration or car feeling unsafe at high speeds. I have been suggested by people such issues in Venue. And how about build quality of it? Does it feel satisfactory?