Upgrading from a VW Polo GT AT: Honda City or Skoda Superb

While the 3rd option could have been buying a Honda City and keeping my Polo GT until I find a replacement, this is off the table as I have already sold my Polo.

BHPian manish84 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi fellow BHPians, I am in a dilemma on which car to buy next and looking for different perspectives to decide.

Current car:

I have been driving Polo GT DSG since 2015 and I am in absolute love with this car. Even after 6 years, the car still puts a wide grin on my face when I floor the accelerator. It has been a niggle free happy ownership for 6 years (covered in warranty throughout, used it only for ABS sensors). However, due to space constraints, I am now looking to upgrade to a bigger car. I have been able to sell my Polo for a good price and now need a replacement before Dec end.

Requirements from new car:

• Has to be an automatic – my wife is absolutely clear about it being an AT and I cannot disagree on this given the traffic situation in Mumbai.
• Loads of space in rear bench and boot – this is the top requirement for my upgrade.
• Fun to drive – given I am upgrading from a GT, the next car has to be FTD. I have 2 options in my mind as detailed below to tackle this requirement.
• Should be driver friendly as we intend to keep one in next 2 years – same requirement as loads of space.
• New car – my wife is not comfortable with a pre-owned car, but I am (leading to 2 options detailed below).
• Sunroof – Not sure how much useful it is in India, but I want my next car to have this feature as I believe that it adds to the feeling of space inside the car..
• It should be car that I can own for 8-10 years – though I love my Polo, part of reason for selling it is fear of DQ200 failures
• Usage - 90% city usage
• Budget – under 40 lakhs

Factors that do not matter:

• Fuel type – could be petrol or diesel.
• Body type – sedan or SUV (but I could not find any SUV and hence posting in the sedan thread).

Brand/car considered and rejected:

• Maurti: S-cross is the only car worth considering in the Maruti stable. I bought one for my father in Dec last year and quite like the car on the occasional drive. However, it does not have any excitement factor and do not want 2 same cars in the family.
• Volkswagen: Taigun has pathetic interior plastic quality and T-Roc is too cramped in rear bench. Vento is just an extended Polo. So, no car from this brand. I do not want to wait for Tiguan as I have read it has stiff suspension.
• Skoda: Kushaq has poor quality and Octavia lacks sunroof.
• Tata & Mahindra: Both options are rejected owing to brand. Maybe XUV700 but we need the car now and cannot wait for months.
• Hyundai & Kia: Both options are rejected owing to safety concerns and lack of exclusivity. Tucson was tested but the interiors are outdated and new one is already available globally.
• MG: Test drove the Hector CVT and the engine response was too poor. Also, long term reliability is unknown for this brand.
• Toyota: Only over-priced Fortuner fits the bill as rest are now rebadged Maruti. I do not see value in buying a Fortuner and hence I have rejected it.
• Jeep: I like the Compass diesel AT 4x4 but again do not see value in paying 32 lakhs for it. Jeep felt like a car which I need to use a lot on highway or off road to justify my purchase. Though the car was nice, I am unable to get my head around paying so much money for this car.
• Audi: Took 2 TD of A4 and blown away with the driving dynamics. The 2 issues with it are lack of space in rear bench (it is mostly a 4-seater due to center hump and AC vent) and pricing. I missed the crazy Sept-Oct deals and now paying 25% more money seems foolish.

Cars in contention:

• Skoda Superb: I like driving dynamics and space. It seems VFM for the price.
• Honda City: My wife and I both like Honda City as it has everything that we require except for FTD factor.

Final options:

• Buy a Honda City ZX CVT today and I buy a pre-worshipped BMW/Audi/Merc in next 2 years. We will keep both the cars as my wife would primarily use Honda City (this is the car driver gets in future) and I will have a FTD car for myself. Honda City would cost about 17-18 lakhs and a pre-owned luxury car would cost 40 lakhs.
• Buy Skoda Superb for 40 lakhs today and this is the only car for family. On days when we need second car, we will take an Uber or figure out what to do in future (maybe buy a used small car as a beater).

While the 3rd option could have been buying a Honda City and keeping my Polo GT until I find a replacement, this is off the table as I have already sold my Polo. I do not want to decide solely for financial reasons as I am comfortable in spending 40-50 lakhs today, if I get the value for the money spent. Please provide your suggestions on how I should tackle this dilemma. Is there any other worthy contender that I am missing out? Am I not clear in my head on my requirements?

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

As I understand, you sell the Polo and get two cars to replace it (right away, or in stages) and have about 40-50L to spare, and want value for money and fun to drive.

If you can live without a sunroof in sunny-India, an option could be an Octavia and another smaller car (possibly with a sunroof) - a hot hatch, or a more comfort based one as per need.

Another wave of Corona might just be one new virus variant away, making uber/ola an avoidable option.

Do you see the Honda City as fun to drive after being used to the Polo?

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

Suggest you wait for the upcoming Skoda Slavia. It's going to be a paradigm shift from the Vento Rapid brigade. Launch isn't far of if you can hold out a little longer: my two cents. That said I can say Honda City is a safe buy as I've one for the more than 4 years in the CVT guise is an absolute nirvana in dense traffic conditions.

Here's what BHPian VW2010 had to say on the matter:

You like your cars and you like to drive them and drive them with enthusiasm. The rear space cars are always a compromise on the enthusiastic drive factor as they are assumed to be chauffeur driven and emphasis is given on comfort. So you will have to make some sacrifice on either of the sides. Test drive cars suggested in this thread by different people and make a decision as our opinions are just opinions.

My opinion list has Honda City 1.5L, Toyota Camry, Volvo XC40, Volvo S60, Ford Endeavor(if u can find one).

Skoda Superb is awesome but in the end, it is still a Skoda. If Skoda is ok, I am tempted towards the VRS and not the Superb.

Good luck with your decision and with that budget I personally cannot think of a Honda or Toyota, to be honest.

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

Keep the Polo. You are not going to get another car like Polo DSG now or in the future. DSG repair, if required, will cost a lakh or two (cushioned further by a potential good will discount from VW). It is a car absolutely worth keeping, especially in a well-to-do household that is looking forward to buy 40L+ cars. You can argue that the resale value of Polo will plummet and it is not worth getting the DSG fixed by paying so much money. My point is it is a truly one of a kind car that will not be made again in our market. Of course, if you wish to sell it for other reasons like the car not being in good nick and showing age, etc then it is understandable but I would not sell it just because of DSG fears.

Anybody who is considering a new Honda City should consider a pre-owned Camry Hybrid. You might get a 5-6 year old Camry for the price of new Honda City. You don't have to break your head to buy a used Camry - just call up the pre-owned division of Toyota dealers and in a city like Mumbai, they will be able to get you a car in great condition. You may have to pay some premium compared to private dealers but you will get a car with 100% known history. There is no other pre-owned luxury car that can be purchased by regular folks who don't like taking chances with used cars.

New Superb is also a good choice but I would rather do a Polo + pre-owned Camry for now and get a BMW in future.

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