[Devansh88]

Hi,

Sorry about the laughable title - but it does describe my current contenders. If you are short on time, skip the garage para and jump to dilemma.

Garage:
We are a couple in mid-thirties and we currently (and proudly) own a 2005 Baleno Lxi, which extremely well maintained and is only 55k done. Most of our office commute is on two wheelers, mostly for convenience of avoiding Bengaluru traffic. Car runs are limited to couple of times a month, and half a dozen airport runs a year, when parents or friends visit, maybe totaling 1000-1200kms a year. However we do acknowledge that like our car, we are also aging and will need a reliable vehicle for our day-to-day needs - and eventually for office commutes. I am currently considering retaining the Baleno for sentimental reasons, but deep in my heart I know we won't get much use out of even one car, let alone two.


Dilemma:
Given our current limited use of cars as low as 1,000 - 1,200 kms a year, of which 50-60% is in the city we thought going for a hatchback with auto-transmission for ease of use. Such limited use doesn't justify spending big bucks, which can be used better elsewhere.

Priorities:
1. High on safety - 4 star or higher, but 5 preferable
2. Auto Transmission - to make city use more bearable
3. High on reliability - I certainly don't want to be visiting the service centers except for scheduled maintenance. Longer service intervals preferable, but not a dealbreaker
4. Decent power - Not expecting 1.6L type outputs, but shouldn't be a complete laggard either.

Good to have:
1. Parking assist - front + back sensors or 360 degree cameras
2. Cruise Control - while not relevant for the city, a big help on the highways, for whatever road trips we might take

Thus we started our research with Tiago AMT. A 2km test drive was enough to give a sense that the suspension setup was not adequate, but more importantly, the gearbox was not something we could live with. Nor was the interior any better than what cars had 20 years ago. This was quickly rejected.

We checked out the Altroz in the showroom, and it did feel spacious enough, so the DCA can be kept in consideration. However the interiors still feel dated, and even the top end version has a basic ICE, which puts the value under question.

We did sit inside a 2023 facelift Nexon Creative, and while we are yet to test drive it, it did feel more premium and liveable compared to the Tiago. But in terms of absolute space, the difference between the Altroz and Nexon was minimal, apart from the boot.

Next we test drove the XUV300 W6 AMT - the ride quality was fair and the AMT was a bit better but for the price, the interiors still feel dated. Maybe this is because we sat in the Nexon Facelift before this. W6 is priced competitively at 13.13 but lacked even a colour screen ICE. The W8 AMT was already more than the Nexon, hence out of consideration.

Lastly we sat in the Elevate in a nearby Honda showroom. The V CVT version is barely 70k more than the Nexon Creative+ DCA, and apart from the lack of cruise control, it feels like it offers much better VFM in terms of a reliable 1.5L engine, time-tested CVT, longer wheelbase and more boot storage. Only problem is we're already in the 17L bracket and big car segment.

Original budget was about 12L, but ready to stretch for a car that we can use for many years.

Pending test drive of Nexon DCA, I have the following questions
1. The Tiago felt impractically underpowered, and given the same state-of-tune of the engine in heavier Altroz DCA, is it a viable option for the city? Haven't driven the DCA yet, but I doubt that will make much of a difference.

2. I'm having a hard time justifying the incremental cost of Nexon Creative+ being >4L over the Altroz top end, given space is nearly the same, and just 10% lower boot capacity? Except for the Turbocharger, and 4 additional airbags, price premium seems high for the bells and whistles, but maybe I fail to see the complete picture. Thoughts?

2. Somehow paying ~16.3 for Nexon Creative+ DCA with a relatively unproven gearbox feels unreasonable when the Elevate is available for 17L OTR. Only reason I'm favouring Nexon is that it has some useful features like 360 degree camera, cruise control, while Elevate will be too big for the city (and the parking spot of my rented apartment, but that can change soon).

Happy to hear your thoughts!

[GTO]

Couple of thoughts:

- Avoid all the AMTs.

- You keep your cars for long (2005 Baleno).

- 1200 km means the car will spend a lot of time standing still.

- You need something simple, robust & reliable.

- Go for the Elevate CVT or the Nexon DCA, whichever pulls the strings to your heart more. Elevate = Perfect size for the city. Space for 4. Butter-smooth CVT, bulletproof 1.5L NA engine, compliant ride quality. Nexon = superior to the Elevate in many ways, but won't be as fuss-free to own as the Honda (but the Tata has a lot more tech too). If I were buying something for family members to use and some rough usage, I'd get the Elevate. On the other hand, if it was purely my own car, I would get the Nexon DCA.

Take a long TD of both and go with your heart. End of the day, the car & driving experience have to keep you happy. Maybe, just maybe, a great car will make you road-trip more

[PaddleShifter]

For keeping a car till 15 years or more, prefer a Honda, Maruti or a Toyota. Avoid a TATA.

As you need a 4-star safe car, eliminate Maruti (only Brezza and Grand Vitara are capable of being equivalent of 4 stars) but given your limited running, lets explore others as well.

Toyota does not have a suitable model in this range. Glanza safety would be same as Baleno while HyRyder iis also same as Grand Vitara.

Honda Elevate seems to be the most suitable option.

You have mentioned that you are finding it hard to justify Nexon over Altroz. Have you checked out the Amaze by the way?

[Kosfactor]

When you are keeping your vehicle for a long time, take the larger vehicle from the higher segment. Families expand, needs may change and a larger vehicle always helps.

Ageing in your 30s?!

Think about it, the last thing you want is a boring car.

[Devansh88]

Originally Posted by GTO

Take a long TD of both and go with your heart. End of the day, the car & driving experience have to keep you happy.

Thanks GTO Sir,

This is 100% true. I think a big reason I haven't made up my mind is that I haven't been able to TD either of the cars. Like you said, once I drive, I'll know!

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

Have you checked out the Amaze by the way?

Thanks for taking out time to reply. The reason we didn't consider Amaze is we're shopping in the hatchback to compact-SUV segment. I absolutely love Honda cars, great for long term ownership - My dad has a 8 year old Honda City 4th Gen.

We checked out the Elevate, but ignored the Amaze. Upon some research I see its well within the budget, but has two major pain-points - Dated interiors and a surprising omission of Cruise Control from CVT models, including the VX!

I'd like to hear why you say TATA is not worth considering for long ownership. Bit scary to hear that!

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

When you are keeping your vehicle for a long time, take the larger vehicle from the higher segment. Families expand, needs may change and a larger vehicle always helps.

True, which is why I have stretched from 12L to over 16L. Frankly , I'd have happily settled for a performance hatch, but the category is dead. And very valid point on a car being future proof - i believe a 4 seater should be more than enough for our future needs.

I guess it's going to miss out on the fun part, and truth be told I'd love to get me an Octavia, but both budget and hunt for a good used vehicle are challenges I'm not willing to take up now. Nothing else that's new and in my extended 16L budget excites me.

Thanks!

[vattyboy]

Go for HONDA, my mate.

Since you maintain cars for a long and drive less, HONDA is for you.

Check yourself on the streets, you will see multiple 12-year-old Honda cars still sprinting perfectly on the streets and owners have big smiles on their faces.

Honda gives a warranty of up to 10 years on their automobiles, this shows their faith in their products.

And that 1.5 NA plus CVT combo is a hoot to drive too

[IshaanIan]

I think you would be best suited to buying a Japanese product. Go for the Elevate considering it has a more balanced 4cylinder petrol motor that is smoother than any Tata petrol also considering it comes with a CVT (Honda is known to make bulletproof CVTs) which is any day more reliable than a twin clutch autobox, the Elevate is clearly a mechanically more finessed product. Forget the 360degree parking camera and the cruise control as you will not need 360degree camera in a simple hatchback design and cruise control while sometimes useful, I find is a feature that I use rarely even more so nowadays as the number of idiots on the highways have definitely doubled in the past decade.

The Fronx ought to also make a good candidate (pending a crash test report).

[bijims]

Considering your requirements, I find that all the cars under the 10 lakh price segment (on-road, Bangalore) come with many compromises, one is safety, the next is performance and the third is all of them have AMTs. So you have to consider the cars above 10 lakhs and below 12 lakhs to satisfy the initial budget consideration, which leaves us with only the Tata Altroz DCA, Honda Amaze CVT, Hyundai i20 CVT and the Nissan Magnite CVT.

Of the three, Tata is the safest but lacks engine power, performance, and features. However, it comes with a smooth DCA. Moreover considering you are looking to keep your car for a long, Tata's in general have not been known for their long-term reliability, unlike the Japanese cars which will last you long without any issues. So, the Altroz ain't the best choice in that regard.

You have yourself rejected the Amaze CVT on the grounds of not wanting a sedan. which is in line with the trend these days.

The recently updated (albeit slightly), i20 CVT is another option, but it isn't safe and the 1.2 litre 4-cylinder although adequate offers similar outputs to the Altroz, however, the i20 is a 4-cylinder CVT against the Altroz 3-Cylinder DCA, with safety an important consideration, the i20 is best left out.

That leaves us with the Nissan Magnite CVT, which scores on almost all fronts, It has a 4-star safety rating and comes with a 1 Litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a smooth CVT that produces 100 bhp of power and 152 nm of torque in the CVT guise, which is more than enough power for your requirements. However it is built to a cost and it may start to show further down your ownership cycle, moreover Nissan is hanging on in India with this one product, and hence that doesn't inspire confidence either. However, I would recommend you get a test drive of the car, and its sibling the Kiger just to see how it meets your requirements, the car does come with cruise control and offers a 360-degree camera in the top-end variants too. the CVT variants start at 12 lakh on-road and up to 13.50 lakhs on-road for the top-spec variant. Its sibling the Kiger CVT is also a consideration but it costs around 13.70 lakhs on-road.

Now, if we are considering an increased budget of up to 17 lakhs, then the options start to widen up further, with the Maruti Brezza, Tata Nexon, and Honda Elevate all meeting your requirements, the other options like the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue and Maruti Fronx although meeting most of your requirements haven't been crash tested (or known for their safety) Moreover the Sonet and Venue come with a DCT in the petrol guise which isn't the most reliable gearbox out there.

When it comes to reliability, and fuss-free long-term ownership, turbo-petrol, 3-cylinder engines, and DCT gearboxes aren't the best options, so the only remaining options come down to the Brezza and the Elevate, both of them come with 1.5 Naturally aspirated time tested 4-cylinder engines mated to a Torque Converter AT in the Brezza and a CVT in the Elevate. The Brezza's price ranges from around 14 lakhs to 17.5 lakhs on-road for the AT while the starts at around 17 lakhs. The Brezza offers you more features for the price albeit in a sub-4-metre car, whereas the Elevate offers you the bigger car.

Honda's have been rock solid in terms of reliability, whereas Maruti's haven't been too far behind either. Do check out both of these and finalize your decision if you are looking to extend your budget.

[TheFonz]

I would suggest to try out the Kushaq/Taigun. The lower trims are extremely VFM. They are the benchmark for safety. Being a bit smaller than the competition you will find them agile thus easy to drive and park. They have been in the market for two years so all the chinks have been ironed out.

Elevate on the other hand hasn’t been crash tested and is a new product and though unlikely being a Honda may still have teething issues. Elevate is a comparatively bigger car which comes with its own set of challenges while parking or navigating narrow roads.

[PaddleShifter]

Originally Posted by Devansh88

I'd like to hear why you say TATA is not worth considering for long ownership. Bit scary to hear that!

The reason I dont consider TATA as a suitable product for 15+ years ownership is because I see TATA peoducts suffer from same niggling problems that I had experienced in my FIAT Punto from 2010 (TATA-FIAT JV meant that many FIAT cars suffered from same problems that TATA owners faced). e.g. My FIAT Punto makes a loud creaking noise while entering or getting off the car. Neighbours notice it easily and heads turn. I see that below Altroz also suffers from same issue more than 10 years later.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ix-issues.html (Multiple problems with my Tata Altroz XZ Diesel | Service Centre unable to fix issues)

There are many who are still running TATA cars from the past decade but I am not sure if they are having a completely trouble free experience or whether they are ok with small-irritating niggles.

[Devansh88]

Originally Posted by vattyboy

Go for HONDA, my mate. Since you maintain cars for a long and drive less, HONDA is for you.

Agreed Sir, my dad already has a Honda City 4th Gen that I love, but somehow the Amaze doesn't inspire the same feeling in me! Elevate is still a contender, but will have to mentally prepare myself for the size. Let me TD it, should give a lot more sense.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Forget the 360degree parking camera and the cruise control as you will not need 360degree camera in a simple hatchback design and cruise control while sometimes useful, I find is a feature that I use rarely even more so nowadays as the number of idiots on the highways have definitely doubled in the past decade.

Bang on about the usability of Cruise Control - I don't think I've used it longer than a few minutes at a stretch near major cities, but it does alleviate the pain once in a while. The 360 degree camera is a must for my wife who is not confident of her parking abilities for such a big vehicle.

Originally Posted by bijims

When it comes to reliability, and fuss-free long-term ownership, turbo-petrol, 3-cylinder engines, and DCT gearboxes aren't the best options, so the only remaining options come down to the Brezza and the Elevate, both of them come with 1.5 Naturally aspirated time tested 4-cylinder engines mated to a Torque Converter AT in the Brezza and a CVT in the Elevate.

Thank you for a detailed analysis... we rejected i20, Magnite for the same reasons you mentioned. In fact I was myself eyeing the Brezza last evening - 4 cylinder with a better 6AT is something my head agrees with, but the heart doesn't - the interiors are too Maruti and most of my life I've lived with those. Maybe Elevate is the one! Will TD and if the dealership doesn't try to force sell accessories we don't need, it should be within budget.

Originally Posted by TheFonz

I would suggest to try out the Kushaq/Taigun. The lower trims are extremely VFM. They are the benchmark for safety.

I did consider them, but given that the AT versions are nearly 19L on road, they are way out of my extended budget

Originally Posted by PaddleShifter

There are many who are still running TATA cars from the past decade but I am not sure if they are having a completely trouble free experience or whether they are ok with small-irritating niggles.

Fair. I don't want to settle for niggles after paying 15L+ for a car. Let me see how the TD goes for both the cars.

[TheFonz]

Originally Posted by Devansh88

I did consider them, but given that the AT versions are nearly 19L on road, they are way out of my extended budget

The highline 1L TSI variant is priced at 15L ex-showroom and I’m sure you can get a good deal in the festive season. I would suggest to take a TD before ruling it out.

[UD17]

Go for Honda Elevate CVT.

Tata would not age very well, considering the long ownership time that you keep your car to.

A longish test drive on Elevate Vs Nexon DCA would tell you more about both cars and may make your decision more easy or may be more difficult.

[Devansh88]

Originally Posted by TheFonz

The highline 1L TSI variant is priced at 15L ex-showroom and I’m sure you can get a good deal in the festive season. I would suggest to take a TD before ruling it out.

OTR price is a whopping 3.6L above the showroom price, thanks to the high road tax in Karnataka. Road tax alone is 1.25L lower in Kolkata

[ohaak]

Originally Posted by Devansh88

Bang on about the usability of Cruise Control - I don't think I've used it longer than a few minutes at a stretch near major cities, but it does alleviate the pain once in a while.

Expressways with speed limits and cameras. Cruise control is a boon and a curse there. Trans-Haryana highway comes to mind. Almost 3 hours of mind numbing 100KMPH on a 6 lane highway with minimal traffic and speed traps every couple of kilometres...