[adityaNview]

Hello,

Kindly consider Kia Sonet Diesel Automatic for the following:
A) it should be readily available
B) it is a modern car with all the bells and whistles needed on a daily basis with a Bose Sound system
C) it is compact to be driven in market places and yet luxury (read comfortable)
D) you won’t mind giving it to the driver
E) lastly, it is reliable, safe (the top variant) , and easy on the pocket.

[Aviator_guy]

I would not advise DCT/DSG or BS6 diesel for primary city usage and the additional headache it comes with wrt gearbox heating or DPF regen/clogging due to city driving conditions. OP has a preference for petrol AT/CVT which I think is the most sensible choice for the use case.

[singhals10]

I would suggest go green, go for EV, especially when it is your second car, so that there is no range anxiety as you can use your other car for the longer trips.

[ambarkhan]

• Nexon Ev
• Hycross/Grand Vitara strong hybrid

[codename47]

Originally Posted by manish84

Greetings BHPians!

I moved recently from Mumbai to Bangalore in the beginning of 2023. I am in the market to buy a second car as soon as possible and would really appreciate some advice.

Your enthusiasm for the Polo GT 1.2 TSI is evident in your post, and I sense a lingering longing for it. Have you considered exploring the possibility of acquiring one, especially a well-maintained 2019 model? Please note that post-2019, the DSG unit was replaced with a torque converter

[EeshanChatterje]

Welcome Manish, to the amazing place that Marathalli is! If you couldn't see the sarcasm there, suffice to say that I've sacrificed opportunities just so I don't have to drive there everyday!

A lot of wonderful suggestions here reg your next car! However, if a budget stretch allows it, I'd recommend looking into the MG ZS EV. We have 2 now in my close friends circle (of which there are just 4!) - We also expect to keep these cars for long - they come with 8 year powertrain warranties!

We are quite impressed by how fun it is to drive, service in the whitefield area has been good, it handles bad roads wonderfully and charging hasn't been an issue at all.

We've also done multiple 700 km+ 1 day trips all around and never had a problem (except hampi, which is a charging dark zone, but we knew it and did it for the challenge).

If the budget is a hard limit, I happen to know a few TATA EV owners, and they're pretty happy with the service, primarily because there isn't much to service. Ofc, cleaning, balancing / alignment etc are better done outside. The new Nexon EV is pretty well finished!

However, The Mahindra XUV400 EV is the real hoot to drive! I'd say, it just costs time to test drive it, give it a shot!

I really don't see the point of an ice car - you'll be often in jams for very long, and there is no car that handles it better than an EV. Except maybe this advice.

Originally Posted by jkrishnakj

For the routes that you commute, you'll know that the roads get horrible due go metro work and the rainy season makes it very tough. I did see your view on the Jimny, but I'll reconsider and rethink that thought process. A Thar or a Jimny will work. Granted that those might not be most appropriate for a chauffeur.

When it floods in Marathalli (It will, one day. Trust me, Trust the rain.) a Thar or a Jimny will make you smile

[manish84]

Quite a few suggestions on EV. My view is the following:

The benefits of an EV over ICE are:

1. Low cost of running: 1-2 per km in EV vs 10-12 per km for Petrol
2. Fun to drive due to inherent higher torque

Now first one is a purely financial decision and thus individual dependent. FTD is not a consideration for me as I am looking for a easy to commute car in city which can double up as a chauffeur driven car in near future. I have an FTD car already in my garage.

So in total, I am not seeing any benefit of considering an EV over an ICE. In fact, I believe that current set of EV battery technology is likely to go obsolete in next 8 years. On the other hand, ICE is not vanishing anytime soon. So is there anything big and major I am missing by excluding EV from my consideration set?

[EeshanChatterje]

Originally Posted by manish84

I have an FTD car already in my garage.

I wonder, if your city car isn't FTD (and comfy) as well, would you end up going back to the 330Li every now and then?

Apologies for playing the devil's advocate, but it's happened to me. I have a tigor which is so much more practical in the city than the XUV, but I almost never drive it - It's become exclusively my wife's car.

The original logic was we drive around the city in the tigor, and munch highway miles in the XUV - that changed in a couple of months! Yikes!

[Equus]

You requirement screams an EV - Nexon.EV or an MG ZS EV.
You will need to charge it only once a week and either of them will do 300kms easily.

We got a Tiago.EV as the 2nd car for Bangalore city commutes. My wife does 20kms one way and goes to office 3-4 times a week. We love it - could not have got a better car for the need.

[manish84]

Originally Posted by EeshanChatterje

I wonder, if your city car isn't FTD (and comfy) as well, would you end up going back to the 330Li every now and then?

Interestingly my wife has been advocating this logic to me. She is pretty sure that I will default to the better car, damn the traffic. Thanks for the perspective

Originally Posted by Equus

We got a Tiago.EV as the 2nd car for Bangalore city commutes. My wife does 20kms one way and goes to office 3-4 times a week. We love it - could not have got a better car for the need.

I read a few threads on issue with Tiago on tbhp. Tigor we have never considered. I really liked Nexon, but at 21 lakhs for top end, we circle back to buying a Creta instead. EVs are still 20-30% more expensive than ICE equivalent with prices falling. Not sure if its the best choice yet.

[manish84]

Latest update on the car consideration

Checked out the Grand Vitara strong hybrid on the weekend and we loved it. The car is quick to pick up from 0 in EV mode and then builds up the speed gradually. Pedal down is not so pleasant with lot of engine noise but that I am sure it is a matter of building habit on how to handle this engine+gearbox. The seating height is fantastic both in driver and passenger seats. We are okay to live with low boot capacity, the out of place cover for sunroof and the fact that the interior is not as premium as Creta.

So now the top 2 choices are following:

1. Spend 11 lakhs on i20, reconsider car needs after 2-3 years and if required upgrade to the latest and greatest 5/7 seater SUV. The best part is i20 will never create confusion on which car to take for highway (will always be 330i) and we can look forward to a neat upgrade in future. This is the logical decision.
   
2. Spend 22-23 lakhs on Zeta+ GV strong hybrid (Blore OTR) and then do not consider buying a car for next 6-8 years. Good part is this is SUV which is the body type we wanted, it is a car which we can give to driver, hopefully Maruti will equate to hassle free ownership and most importantly we will realise 18-20 kmpl mileage in city traffic.

Both cars are readily available in stock and getting a nominal discount (mostly insurance plus some dealer/brand discount). I have to close the purchase this week as my commute has already started and the 01 Jan price hike is around the corner. Look forwad to more inputs from fellow bhpians. Thanks.

[TheWheelDeal]

Between your two options, I’d suggest going for the i20.

The GV is a good car, but the EV/Hybrid space is moving pretty quickly with plenty of promising options on the horizon. There’s a pretty good chance you might end up wishing for a change well within that planned 6-8 year span.

The i20’s compact dimensions will give you a lot of peace of mind in Bangalore’s traffic, especially while parking. It seems like a great complement to your BMW!

If I might make a suggestion, the Venue would be a more comfortable option since the added height will make it easier to wrangle a child seat and get your child in and out of the vehicle.

[marutifan]

Hello Manish,
Was about to suggest the eCVT GV before realising you've already seen one. The reasons for suggesting this are it's excellent drivability in city traffic, excellent low end pickup, comfortable interiors and unbeatable fuel economy.

All the best on whatever you choose

[souvikjana83]

You should consider an EV as 2nd car as it will only be used for office commuting. I would recommend MG Comet which will have a small footprint in Bangalore traffic and very easy to drive. The only issue I see with Comet is that it doesn't have fast charging but since you will only be using to commute to office, regular overnight charging at home would be enough.

[AMG1]

Originally Posted by manish84

Look forward to inputs and guidance from my fellow members.
Thanks in advance.

I say just get a Thar D-AT and be done with it. It’s a perfect city car as well as weekend fun monster. Key points going for it as a city car

1) Short length
2) Park anywhere, climb over anything and wade any waterlogging (so common in our cities )
3) Rare chances of dent/scratches - plastic tough lower body
4) City friendly - Great visibility, great size and people/vehicles give way
5) Good engine box combo
6) Decent in city economy- I get 11-11.3 kmpl in city in Hyderabad
7) Explore off-roading as a sport on weekends
8) Stress buster and if you choose softop like me - infinite fun

Happy car/Thar hunting