Need advice: Fun-to-drive replacement for my Ford Ecosport under 30L

I value driving pleasure over everything else. I know the Ecosport is a difficult car to upgrade from, more so if it is remapped.

BHPian Vibhav-Van recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have a fabulously running Ecosport Diesel which has just completed 65,000 km. I'm actually pretty happy with my Ford, but the fact that it is an out-of-state registered car and Ford's exit are making me think of a change. Moving to an automatic is also a catalyst.

My office is offering me an upgrade under their lease plan, and naturally, choosing the right car that tugs the heart isn't easy.

Requirements:

• Automatic
• Not more than 4400-4500 mm in length and 1800 mm in width (Parking issues)
• Should be properly fun to justify the 2X price increase over my remapped ecosport.

Cars being considered:

Compass, the usual suspect: Drove both diesel and petrol automatic back to back yesterday. Extremely cramped, lacklusture engine and gearbox. I just couldn't understand why this car has such a fan following. I drove the BS-4 diesel manual long ago and that was fun. But these BS-6 automatics? Far from fun. I wasn't fully convinced with the product.

Tiguan: Explosive engine and gearbox combo. I had a grin plastered to my face when I floored it. I also liked the planted and matured ride quality. The test-drive car had done a tad over 6500 km and had a check engine light - Is that a warning sign from god I thought? It is very expensive though.

Slavia 1.5 DSG: In one word - Fun! Thoroughly enjoyed it. DSG reliability concerns and how these Skoda 2.0 products will age were the main questions. But a very likeable car. Praying it fits in my garage.

Octavia: Production is done and no stock is available is what the dealer told me, so that was that. Need to enquire from another dealer today. But low GC might be an issue. My office is around the outskirts, with not so well paved roads and the occasional ditch once in a while. But I would absolutely love to own that surreal 2 litre TSI and DSG combo.

Taigun 1.5 DSG: Too similar in size to my current car. Very enjoyable engine and gearbox combo though. If the Slavia doesn't fit in my garage, I will need to settle for this one.

Anything I missed?

I value driving pleasure over everything else. I know the Ecosport is a difficult car to upgrade from, more so if it is remapped. Hoping some folks here could help me make the decision.

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

I am in the same boat as my priorities are performance coupled with handling and a small car for not that I have a parking constraint but doesn’t want to have a big car for a family of four. Big cars also suffer from ground clearance issues and driving in city. I have also narrowed down to Taigun and Tiguan. The negatives for me are that the Taigun comes with an average interior quality and doesn’t have a electric/memory seat function and Tiguan does not have a ventilated seats.

I am also in search of other performance oriented cars options coupled with reliability like from Honda or Toyota, unfortunately even the City Hybrid with much hyped EV only mode doesn’t live upto my expectations.

Here's what BHPian 07CR had to say on the matter:

I was in a similar quandry and posted the same on TBhp.

How old is your ecosport? If it is less than 5 years, I will suggest you to keep it.

From your options, Slavia, Octavia and Tiguan should be out as these are longer than 4500 mm and won't fit in your parking.

True upgrade is only the XUV700 for now. Hyryder seems another option, but not sure for you, since your stead is remapped. I don't see any other option that fits your criteria.

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

Considering your options, in the SUV segment, the Compass measures 4,405 mm L x 1,818 mm W x 1,640 mm H, whereas the Tiguan measures 4,509 mm L x 1,839 mm W x 1,665 mm H

Whereas in the sedan segment, the Octavia measures 4,689 mm L x 1,829 mm W x 1,469 mm H and the Slavia measures 4,541 mm L x 1752 mm W x 1,507 mm H.

The only option that would fit within 4500 mm Length and 1800 mm width is the Taigun which measures 4,221 mm L x 1,760 mm*W*x*1,612*mm*H.

Unless you can make other arrangements, your options are quite limited in this segment.

However, from a performance standpoint, the VW-Skoda cars would be the way to go.

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

Have you considered the XUV-400 ?

The EV is ridiculously fast and fun to drive. With zero lag and all the torque right from word Go, you would be grinning all day after driving this beauty.

Ofcourse there are other considerations like availability of charging infrastructure and ecosystem in your area, but if everything is set, I suggest you do take a closer look at it.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.