[ABeeBytes]

HI Team,

I am looking to buy my first car in India. IN the beginning I inherited my Father's 2000 Indica & then Ritz, both were basic/mid models without many bells & whistles as my father was an austere man. Then I moved to the US and continued the tradition of staying middle of the road when It came to car buying, the entry variant is too bare-bones & top-line usually does not offer any significant functional upgrade over the Mid variants. In my time in US, I owned a fully loaded pre-loved Nissan altima & a Camry. After my return, I took over my FIL's 10 year old City as I was due to return anytime and this India break was supposed to be more of a temporary situation for a few months. Well, months turned into years with COVID and now I do not plan to return, I also moved out of the city and left the rusty 2007 City behind. Now I am with no car for a few months and want to get into something real quick.

All that Said, I am stuck in the SUV vs Sedan Dilemma. This began when I went to my nearby Hyundai showroom to check out the Venue, I had started with a budget of 15L OTR. As soon as we stepped in, we saw the new 2023 Verna in it's white gleaming glory put on a pedestal as to seduce any new buyer right at the entrance.

Having come from a long line of sedan ownership, we were immediately gravitated towards the verna, the SA was a sharp man and got us a TD vehicle for both Venue and Verna, first the Venue turbo DC, the car was GOOD, comfy and family had no complains, neither did I feel it lacking in any manner, but just felt a little small.
Then we got into the manual Verna NA and that's where the bug bit me. this thing, even in it's NA avatar was super peppy, it went like a rocket almost hitting 80 on the second gear, turned on a dime & left me grinning ear to ear after my TD circuit. I have a completely broken road next to my apartment used by tractors and trucks for a pre-cast brick manufacturing & she ate up all the bumps effortlessly; Needless to say, we were in love.

Then came "Wo chaar Log" whoever I told about my love and plan to get into the verna, everyone gwaked at me with the same question/proposition, why not CRETA, and though I resisted initially, It did finally manage to confuse me.

So after the long thread, I am still stuck with this dilemma: I'll fill the questionnaire below:

Budget: As close to 22L as manageable ( this extension is only for Verna Turbo DCT SXO)

Usage: Mostly outstation weekend trips from Bangalore with a family of 3 adults & a kid, occasionally, My sister may join making it 4 adults & 3 young kids.

Running: expected to be sub 10K/year. I work 100% remote so no city traffic struggle.

Considerations : 23 Verna turbo DCT SXO is where my hear lies. this time I want to make the top-line exception because ADAS, in my opinion is worth it.
Creta SX IVT/ Seltos HTK+: Because that's the first model with Auto and the cost does not justify the switch to SX(o) to my mind.

just as a third contender & the middle class in me, I'm also seriously considering the Verna 1.5 NA IVT SX variant, for this is the closest to my initial budget of 15 L OTR.

Creta/Seltos do offer a higher GC and I thoroughly enjoyed the higher stance, but another Con with them is the Impending facelift which would now get the Engine and features that Verna offers me TODAY.

What does the forum think, Please help out.

[androdev]

Case for sedan:

1. Decent amount of out station trips mostly using good roads.
2. You enjoy driving and appreciate lack of body roll and high speed dynamics of a sedan.
3. You don't mind suffering a bit of bad roads to have a good looking sedan.

Case for SUV:

1. You mostly drive within the city - slow traffic and terrible roads.
2. You value practicality over beauty, aesthetics and other emotional nonsense.

If it's 50-50, go with what suits your personality - some like practicality, some prefer aesthetics. Thanks to the craze for SUVs, I find sedans to be more value for money in the present market.

[bijims]

If its a sedan you are looking for, you won't regret getting the Hyundai Verna SX(O) DCT, as sedan launches in this segment are few and far between with only VW Virtus/Skoda Slavia (recently launched), Honda City (a mid-generation update just launched) and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz (no signs of an update) being the only ones left in the market under 30 lakhs.

So, for a sedan, the Verna should be your go-to choice. If it's an SUV you are looking for, then the best alternative now would be the recently unveiled Kia Seltos Facelift, followed by the Hyundai Creta, but in that case with the facelift around the corner, the Creta facelift is worth the wait (it will have all the updates which the Seltos received, with a few differentiators here and there, and a better variant spread as well).

Considering your heart is with the sedan, then go for it, you won't be disappointed.

[ABeeBytes]

The sedans are certainly more VFM than SUVs. with the same engine & Drivetrain, the new Verna is cheaper than Creta by a whooping 2.3 L

THe problem is I'm not hard set on whether I want an SUV or a sedan, I just want a good fun family car that would serve me for 10 yrs or longer.

I checked almost every car in the price band, even though I loved driving them, I'm staying away from VAG group due to their absolute trash reliability and super expensive and unavailable spares.
the Grand Vitara is a looker and quite comfortable a ride, but the engine is just so dead, it moves as the car wishes as opposed to moving as I wish.
CIAZ, maybe I got a bad car, but it was stiff like it had no suspension at all.

[karthikkv]

I think the new Verna is a great proposition, only con is the safety rating (not tested). You have already owned a City and the City V variant is great VFM and comes at your initial budget of around 15 lakhs. The current creta is due for a facelift and if you're really considering it, you may look at the faclifted seltos instead.

[mgastor2022grey]

I would suggest you to go for the Verna, reasons:

1) Drives like a jewel
2) Rev happy motor
3)Driving feel
4)Premium quality
5)Better Build
6)ADAS
7)Beautiful design

You can go for a Creta if you want rear seat comfort and highway touring capability

[lina]

If you have the money, please avoid these cars. They are not structurally sound. Hyundai/Kia intentionally cheap out on the quality of steel used in the cars made here. You can search through team-bhp forums on creta/seltos/sonet/venue and you see the lack of ultra and high strength steel in these cars.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...dai-creta.html (Kia Seltos body structure facts & comparison with the Hyundai Creta)
These structural differences clearly translate into terrible crash ratings too. While the seltos international versions get a 5 star ANCAP, the indian versions barely manage 3 stars in the GNCAP

If you want to buy an ice car, the taigun/kushaq will be better. They are smaller and have lesser bling. There is also some cheapness in the gadgets but the car is safe at least according to crash tests. Another good option is the XUV700 that will fall in this budget.

Though my recommendation in this price bracket would be the ZS EV Excite (<25L OTR). Yes, its Chinese but its an international product. The same car(albeit assembled here) is sold in UK, EU and AU . You can get very good range and the running/maintenance cost is next to nothing. I have driven 30,000 wonderful kms with this car and have zero regrets. I too am based out of Bengaluru and do regular weekend trips around and out of Bengaluru all over TN, KA and KL

[GoBabyGo]

Hello, few things you may consider while finalizing:

1. Try Slavia / Virtus 1.0 TC which will give you 5 Star safety rating, higher ground clearance, fast & stable and slight high seating (compared to Verna). Rear seat space wise all three are equal.

2. Verna, in itself, is a brilliant product, but in my view Slavia / Virtus offers better value for family due to 5 star safety rating.

3. Slavia / Virtus are now sorted with initial problems it faced and as of now they are as sorted as Verna.

4. If your budget permits, check out 1.5 Turbo variant of Slavia / Virtus.

Two of my colleagues recently bought Seltos iVT & Slavia MT 1.0 and both are very much satisfied. Slavia / Virtus have good discount offers (in NCR & should be there in Bengaluru too).

I am a sedan guy so suggesting you to get a sedan. Do take a test drive of Slavia / Virtus even if you close with Verna.

[07CR]

Why not the Seltos facelift? Price reveal likely by the end of this month, and it has practically everything that one needs. It's also much more loaded than Verna. Relevant thread

Creta is at the end of it's lifecycle, and will get a comprehensive update next year, hence avoid it.

Given a choice I would get the Seltos over the Verna (mainly because of Kia's stiffer suspension, and the pano sunroof, a must for my next purchase). However, if you feel the 500+ litre boot (433 in Seltos) and the Sedan like style is more important to you, you can go for the Verna.

Good luck.

[ABeeBytes]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Why not the Seltos facelift?

Too long a wait for my appetite as I do not have a car right now and making do with an activa.

Originally Posted by GoBabyGo

Hello, few things you may consider while finalizing:

1. Try Slavia / Virtus 1.0 TC which will give you 5 Star safety rating, higher ground clearance, fast & stable and slight high seating (compared to Verna). Rear seat space wise all three are equal.

I did drive the Virtus, Taigun & Kushaq & Absolutely loved the way they drove, the problem with them is their lineage. I have no stomach for reoccurring big ticket issues & absolutely don't want to dread taking the car out that can break any moment. My FIL currently owns a manual Diesel Jetta and she demanded 2-3 L in aftermarket spares less than 10 yrs old, I don't want that. While some might be okay to put up with the trouble for the pleasure, They might be differently positioned in terms of having other cars waiting in the garage or 2-3 L expense being taken in a stride. And knowing the brands reputations, my FIL's car is not one odd lemon, it's more like a trouble free VAG car could be deemed the random orange in a bag of lemons .

Originally Posted by lina

Though my recommendation in this price bracket would be the ZS EV Excite (<25L OTR). Yes, its Chinese but its an international product

XUV700 is too much of a stretch on my budget, the cheapest auto AX3 would still cost about 24L OTR with insurance and basic accessories.
I have not considered EVs because they make little sense for my driving <10K/yr. BTW What is the range that the ZS offers on a single charge in real life?

[07CR]

Originally Posted by ABeeBytes

Too long a wait for my appetite as I do not have a car right now and making do with an activa.

It's ok. Use Ola/Uber till you get the car. I guess if you book rightaway, you could get delivery in a month or two at most.

Compromising for one two months is fine, rather than compromising for years of ownership.

[lina]

Originally Posted by ABeeBytes

I have not considered EVs because they make little sense for my driving <10K/yr. BTW What is the range that the ZS offers on a single charge in real life?

ZS EV Excite costs about 24L OTR. Little or more driving, its almost same cost as a Creta/Seltos/Taigun.
The driving experience and smoothness simply cannot be compared to any ice car in this segment. I strongly recommend a test drive.

You will get 300km comfortably. The charger situation in most parts of south india is quite decent and you will at the max take 30 min more than an ice car if you drive 500km+.
Just make sure you can get home charging without any hassles and you are set.

[AGupta]

You might have a look at "Harrier". It looks stunning and has the best ride quality compared to Creta/Seltos/Verna.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by ABeeBytes

Usage: Mostly outstation weekend trips from Bangalore with a family of 3 adults & a kid, occasionally, My sister may join making it 4 adults & 3 young kids.

None of the shortlists will fit the bill for this highlighted reason itself, especially the Verna. If 4+3 is a regular affair, you are better off considering something like the Carens.

[CherryBomb]

Even i was in the similar dillemma 2 months back when Verna launched. But as per your need and Budget Virtus GT is the right pick. You can take extended warranty of 7 years if you are not sure of reliability. It gives SUV like seating position and GC. Best suited for long drives

I simply bought one last Month. Its a hoot to drive and no other car can match driving pleasure it offers

Problems in the earlier VW Cars are mostly on Jetta's and there TDI's matted to dsg's. VW Claims that newer cars are much more reliable and trouble free as seen in POLO TSI'S