The story so far..........
I drive almost 40 kms a day, and the increasing cost of petrol forced me to think about a diesel option. Over past 6 months, I checking multiple options which will fit my need of a diesel commute. My mind always wanted an SUV, but family was forcing me for a sedan. The budget was initially set to 12L, which was later extended to 14L due to market conditions. We started checking both segments, mainly top variants and here is the outcome. Excluded mid sized sedans, as we wanted a full size C segment sedan or a compact SUV only.
Liked Verna diesel due to its styling, but dropped due to high cost of maintenance and lack of key features mainly rear AC vent and touchcreen
Liked City diesel for its features, but parked in waiting list due to its ugly grill and engine noise
Ciaz was a surprise for us, which meets almost all our needs. But wife was totally against its looks.
Didnt check Vento/Rapid, as many forums warned high maintenance cost and pathetic ASS
Didnt check Tata as well for above reason, though zest was tempting
Didnt check Sunny, as neither me nor my wife liked those looks. Further, it was lacking features compared to competition. Checked Duster and was impressed. Price was also within reach, but was worried about the common hard clutch issue which my friend was also facing. Parked in waiting list. Loved the XUV500, fell in love as well. Only W6 came in the budget which was missing the highlight - the entertainment system. Also worried about long term ownership reports. Parked in waiting list
Loved the style of terrano, but due to insane price and lack of features, we didnt even test drove it
Test drove ecosport and it was great. Only issue was that it was considered as an 'Alto' in SUV segment :)
Finally zeroed in on two - city (wife's choice) and XUV W6 (my choice), and from there on it was hard to reach a conclusion. Since both of us drove, we wanted to have a car which both of us love and own for a long term. And as all stories end, city got finalized due to several pros and the reliability which XUV may lack in long run, though my wife was bit sympathetic towards my SUV love. Called the dealership and almost finalized the diesel top end and then it happened. The spy shots of ix25 started pouring in and wife got clean bowled on its looks. The city decision was put on hold, and started going through all available forums for reference.
Fully understanding that it is a Hyundai and will bear more maintenance cost compared to suzuki or honda, our love towards the new don increased day by day as more and more spy shots came in. I have never waited like this for anything in my life, and it proved worthy when we saw the creta in flesh in the dealer's yard. Pre booked the AT model, and was eagerly waiting for the d-day Jul 21st
And the story now....
Several leaked prices floating in, one limiting the OTR to 13+ L for AT, another at 14+ L, and another at 17+ L. If it is less than 14 I will be able to afford it, or else the cycle will have to start again. If yes, my 6 month wait will go in drain and I will also have to accommodate for the price hike which happened to both city and XUV. Totally tensed and waiting for the d-day. keeping my fingers crossed, almost 40 hrs left to see the outcome.