Kia Carens or a used sedan/SUV: Better first car purchase option

Used cars in consideration include Hyundai Creta, Maruti S-Cross, Honda City/Civic, Skoda Rapid, Toyota Corolla Altis.

BHPian NivasBaskaran recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Initially, I was considering getting a good pre-worshipped car for a budget of 8 lakh. For this budget, I would get a decent sedan/SUV. My usage will be mainly on highways.

After seeing Carens price, thought like, if I can stretch my budget, I will get a new spacious car. So, I went ahead and booked one. I know the fact, that the waiting period is really high and I will get enough time to think and decide. Booking is just to hold the slot just in case.

I need your suggestions here.

Requirement:

• 80% highway drives.
• 95% less than 3 adults and 1 kid occupancy
• Safe, Spacious and Comfortable car

My concerns, with Carens 1.5 NA Prestige [considering it as a 5 seater with really big boot space]:

• Will this engine be adequate for this big car or will it be underpowered?
• Will Carens be overkill for my usage? [Overkill in the sense, unnecessarily compromising the milage even I don't have that level of usage]
• How safe is the Carens? [Not in safety feature-wise. Structurally]

I need your suggestions on this matter. For my usage, should I opt for Carens, as it will have all good features or should I get some good premium hatch/sedan/compact SUV for a slightly lesser budget or stick with pre-worshipped cars under 8 lakh budget.

Other new cars in consideration:

Tata Altroz, Tata Nexon, S-Cross, Honda City 4th Gen

Used cars in consideration:

Creta, S-Cross, Honda City/Civic, Skoda Rapid, Toyota Corolla Altis, etc.,

Please key in your valuable suggestions. What will be your purchase?

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

My pick will be the Tata Nexon.

Reasons:

• 95% of the time it's less than 3 adults for you. So you do not need those extra seats. Nexon's space should suffice your needs.
• Nexon's ride quality on the bad roads is acceptable, I have no idea how the Carens' ride quality is. You can compare it from a back to back test drive.
• Sub 4-metres. Much easier and handy to drive and park in congested areas.
• 5* safety ratings. 80% of your drive will be on the highways, so more peace of mind.
• The Nexon's turbocharged petrol motor will be more fun to drive than the Carens, considering you booked the 1.5L NA engine. The 1.4L turbo petrol in Carens will be more fun though.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.