A hatchback for my 70-year old dad

But dad always prefers driving his hatchback - a Chevrolet U-VA, which needs to be replaced urgently.

BHPian SN88 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My dad needs to replace his daily driver. We have a sedan - a Honda City and an SUV, which is a VW Tiguan. But dad always prefers driving his hatchback - a Chevrolet U-VA, which needs to be replaced urgently.

His requirements are precisely as below:

• Petrol engine and Manual gearbox.
• Hatchback.
• Fuss-free and has to be smooth to drive.
• We are looking for basic models on offer with only power windows as a must have. The others things are not important. Alloy wheels, ICE, MID, etc. are not important.
• Budget - 8 lacs OTR Mumbai (max).

Please do take out some time and help me decide. I have considered the Jazz, Baleno, Polo, Sonet and the i10 Nios.

Here's what BHPian lamborghini had to say on the matter:

Unfortunately, at this price, you will have to choose between safety & ease of maintenance.

Safer options but average ownership:

• Polo
• Figo / Freestyle
• Altroz / Tiago

These aren't exactly the easiest cars to drive, but offer solid build with good ride which would be appreciated in current road conditions.

Easy to maintain & live with options:

• Tall boy WagonR: arguably amongst the easiest cars to drive in Mumbai
• Kia Sonet (think of it as a tall boy because it definitely is no SUV)

Arguably easier to drive with superior visibility. Sonet has decent quality as well.

Here's what BHPian VKumar had to say on the matter:

Get him the i10 Nios 1.2, or get the 1.0 T-GDi if you also intend to get behind the wheel at times for some fun.

That said, feather light controls, small body, no bulges on wheel arches (the car is just as wide as you feel it is from inside), and good all round visibility make the Nios a perfect city car.

Additionally, one may say anything for Hyundai 1.2, but the engine comes with a really aggressive anti stall, and the low weight of the Nios combined with tall stroke motor makes for a reasonable low end, adding a lot to the drive comfort in the city.

Having an aggressive anti stall makes your life very easy in the stop go traffic, the light clutch of Hyundai adds more to that feeling of ease. Couple that with a light gearshift and decent low end, that's all you need in the city. The engine is good enough that if the front wheels are moving even at 5 km/h, the car picks up without a single jerk from even the second gear, and from 15 km/h in third - absolutely flawless - exactly what the doctor ordered; for a perfect city drive.

If you can live with the design of it, an even better option is the WagonR 1.2. I don't even need to talk about its pros, especially when it comes to city drives.

PS: I always favor bigger displacement motors, they always give that ease of driving at low speeds.

Here's what BHPian parrys had to say on the matter:

I would suggest the Jazz. It's a no nonsense, comfortable and reliable hatchback. I am using once since end of 2017, without a single hiccup.

It is also very easy to get in & out of it, so should be a comfortable commuter for your dad. It will be a decent upgrade over the Chevrolet as well. When I got the Jazz, comfort of my parents was also a major deciding factor, hence got it home.

Should 4 adults need to go out on a trip, the Jazz would be happy host.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

In my opinion, you must tweak the requirements:

• Instead of a hatchback, your Dad should pick a raised hatchback (aka Compact SUV). The easier ingress / egress and taller driving position will help the old man as he ages.
• Instead of an MT, you must consider an AT, especially since there are so many good options today. Will help your dad's left leg. After all, Mumbai traffic is Mumbai traffic.
• You have a Tiguan too, so I am guessing that stretching the budget by a handful of lakhs should be a non-issue. Get the most special man of your life a truly special AT Crossover.

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