Suggestion Required for New SUV: Budget Rs.14.5 Lakh (Bought XUV 5OO W8)

singh890 · Jul 22, 2012

Honestly i can't say that this is true (About Skoda A.S.S), since i haven't been to India for last 4 years. But i always see people bragging about bad A.S.S of Skoda. But my friends are happy with their Octy's and the A.S.S.

Another thing is that we don't have a Skoda dealer in our city [frustration]

. I just checked it.

Alright so here is the list of cars that fall under our budget. I have covered almost all the cars. Since my uncle is looking for a sedan as well, i covered almost all cars.

1. Maruti Swift Dzire (Zdi)
2. Maruti Sx4 (Zdi)
3. Tata Manza (Quadrajet Elan)
4. Skoda Rapid (1.6 Tdi CR)
5. Nissan Sunny (XV Diesel)
6. Hyundai Verna (1.6 Crdi SX)
7. Volkswagen Vento (Highline Diesel)
8. Ford Fiesta Classic (1.4 Tdci Titanium)
9. Ford Fiesta (Titanium Diesel)

TSIVipul · Jul 22, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

singh890 said:

You are talking about Moradabad or Noida?About Moradabad I don't know but Noida has it.
Secondly there is a Skoda dealership in Agra,I think its Triveni motors,in NCR there are a lot of them.Giriraj,Nawab,Fahrenheit etc etc.C&T here in Meerut.

A.S.S. is still not in league with Maruti or Hyundai or Toyota or even Mahindra but is still acceptable(in fact the C&T is good,same is with Fahrenheit motors) and spare parts availability is also quite quick now.

singh890 said:

I recommend one or two cars after thunkign a lot and hence I am still stuck on the same Rapid and Vento,none else.
Let me highlight some advantages of Rapid(Applicable to Vento too):-

Great built,fit and finish.
Great ride and handling.
A very responsive engine,in fact this engine is more responsive than that of even Cruze.
Great gearbox.
Comfortable seating.
Rear A/C vents.
Suspension is well suited for highway driving(Vento is on softer side).
Performance,in fact the power delivery is best in class.Any gear and any rpm,you just need to touch the gas pedal and it accelerates like a pro.
Dynamics.
VFM..its priced very well for what's on offer.

singh890 · Jul 22, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

TSIVipul said:

I am talking about Moradabad buddy. I checked online but it didn't show anything. Nearest one is Barielly and the other one in Noida.

TSIVipul said:

I haven't seen the car in flesh but it looks nice, i have seen it online and i like it too. I like the exterior looks of the car, finishing looks good as well.

Actually my family is in Faridabad and they will be going back today evening. So i have told my dad to TD few cars from the list and especially the Vento and Rapid.

Will update more once i talk to my dad tonight.

TSIVipul · Jul 22, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

singh890 said:

That must not be a big issue I guess.The service interval is 10k kms and going 80-90 kms for servicing must not be a big issue at all every 10k kms.
Rest VW Vento is the another car to go for and yes,I rate both equal.Vento is priced 1 lac higher but offers some features for it and slight premium looks too.

Good thing about Rapid and Vento is that both of them doesn't look like a boot tucked on a hatch like say DZire or Manza.Nor they have any odd looking angle like Fiesta's tail(new one) etc.They look like complete,proper well built sedans in a simplistic but tough design.And the simplistic designs only have the long lasting appeal other(extra spicy) designs fade with time.

In Rapid your father will miss steering mounted audio controls and he may feel the dash colour quite un-appealing as compared to the steering mounted and crispy to operate audio controls of Vento also the dash of Vento looks better due to the color combination(color combination is a subjective thing and hence depends on person to person,some like brown+beige of Rapid while some like Black+Beige of Vento).
But yes,ergonomically both the cars are superb,everything is placed where it needs to be.

Raja · Jul 22, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

My choice
1) new fiesta ( best in class ride and handling , great gizmos and only if 4 people will travel)
2) Nissan sunny ( excellent comfort , proven engine ,no turbo lag, 5 people can travel easily )* my pick.
3) Hyundai verna - if style and gizmos matter. ( expensive a.s.s)
4) skoda rapid.( only if 4 people will travel ,whatever vipul said and owners reporting not so great ac)
5) fiesta classic excellent vfm .( only if 4 people will travel and contrary to the popular myth the a.s.s is cheaper then dezire)
4) tata manza-( vfm, great space and sofa like comfort )
5) Toyota etios - no nonsense car .
6) duster - suv shape in a sedan.

TSIVipul · Jul 22, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

Raja said:

OMG,how I forgot Sunny? [surprise]

Its really havign a very comfy cabin,but problem is that once you get inside it after looking at Verna or Vento or Rapid and you feel it downmarket in front of them.

It has a reason,the blast from the blowers is not that strong and hence people say the A/C is not great.Buddy this car has got rear A/C vents too and hence the cabin gets cooled in a really lesser time as compared to anothers.

Dynamics??

singh890 · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

TSIVipul said:

According to me that's not a problem since my dad travels almost twice a month to Noida/Faridabad.
But i don't know whether my dad will be okay with this or not?

TSIVipul said:

+1 to that. This is something i like about Vento/Rapid/Verna and even SX4. But SX4 lacks features and the interiors are not at all appealing. But i like the GC and boot space this car provides, probably the best in this class.

TSIVipul said:

My dad did take some TD's today. I will be calling him in a while and post the TD report.

Raja said:

That's quite a good list. My preference list goes this way:

1. Volkswagen Vento
2. Hyundai Verna
3. Skoda Rapid
4. Nissan Sunny
5. New Fietsa

And about Duster it falls into the so called SUV list and for me if any SUV comes home in that price range has to be SAFARI. And actually we were looking to buy a SUV first and it would have been "Strome" since i like Safari. But since we all know the game TATA is playing wih Strome.
So we postponed the idea of SUV for sometime and decided to go for a sedan as of now.

Raja · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

singh890 said:

If you like Vento go for it it's already proven solid car but as vipul mentioned rapid is better then Vento they have improved it a lot and will cost less too the ambition model with abs and airbags is vfm.
Since you won't be driving the car then you can take the new fiesta out of the list .
Nissan sunny I said because if your mom and dad like to seat in the rear seat and go for long drive they will bless you for suggesting the sunny it is seriously that comfertable .
Looking at your list pick anything from verna, rapid and Vento you will be happy .

Oh and btw I forget that you too like me are I. The strome fan club so no suv will be suggested to you from my side .

@vipul - duster has very very good dynamics of course I won't compare it to new fiesta , linea and Vento but it's seriously very good you drive it and iam sure you will be pleased .

singh890 · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

Raja said:

The thing is that my first choice is Vento but the buying decision will be made keeping in mind everyone's choice or the majority between (me, dad, mom and brother). so let's see..!!

Raja said:

Sunny went out of the list, after my parents took the TD of the car today.

Raja said:

No problem buddy. But yes if its a SUV has to be Safari [:)]

. Nothing beats Safari in that price range (personal choice).

singh890 · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

Also i came up with this excel sheet when my dad asked me to make a list of cars in our budget. Thought of sharing it, so that it might help the future buyers.
Do let me know if i have some incorrect info in the sheet. I know it does not cover all the things but i guess i covered the main specs.

TSIVipul · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

Have I read Safari?

Not to mention,its comfort will eclipse any sedan in the said budget.The seats are VERY BIG,supportive and the high speed ride adds more to the comfort.

singh890 · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

TSIVipul said:

yes you read it right buddy but i was just replying to Raja's post. Initially we were looking to buy a SUV and it had to be Safari, since everyone in my family likes Safari. But with Strome coming, we decided to wait and get a sedan as of now. So we have postponed the SUV thing for time being. The good part is that we will have ample time to see how the Strome performs in the market and about the niggles and problems.!!

TSIVipul · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

^^Eh,disappointment!!
Well,so what TDs were done?

Why don't you get your father or brother here on TAI?We will then IGNORE you and talk to them. [;)]

AND YES,IN THE EXCEL SHEET YOU MENTIONED NA IN THE CENTRAL LOCKING PART OF RAPID-ERROR.

singh890 · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

TSIVipul said:

Oh ya trust me, it was a big one for me [frustration]

. Thanks to TML for delaying the launch of Strome.

TSIVipul said:

Actually i didn't get a chance to talk to my dad. will talk to him in the morning and provide an update on the TD's taken.

And yes my dad is not much into computers and secondly he will open the account but you won't hear much from him since he hardly gets anytime. And my brother is bit lazy as of now and enjoying his free time with his friends and xbox 360, since he just completed his B.tech. [:)]

singh890 · Jul 23, 2012

re: Suggestions Needed for a New Car: Budget Rs.8 -14.5 Lakhs

Okay guys so i got a chance to talk to my father regarding the TD's and looks like we will be pretty soon deciding on the car.

1. Volkswagen Vento: The first car TDed was the Vento Highline Diesel and everyone (Dad, mom, brother and uncle) liked the exterior looks of the car. It does give a sedan look and the interiors were pretty good as well. Interiors were neat and clean hence giving a classy look. Engine gives you a solid feel and the car was stable at 100 and definitely gave the confidence to go above 110 -120 km/h. Dad liked the handling of the car, pretty good amount of torque as well.
Dad felt the engine was bit loud but does not add any negative points in the buying decision. The boot space is pretty much good as per our requirement. But the Volkswagen thin service network is a drawback as we don’t have a Volkswagen dealer in our city. So far it has cleared the TD and is on top of our list.

2. Skoda Rapid: Next TD was the Skoda Rapid. The car handles well at 100-110 Kmh. It does produce a good amount of torque and the car rides well. But my dad and brother didn’t like the interiors of the car comparing to the Vento, especially no steering mounted controls. Also the tall rear floor hump was a big negative point. And then the A.S.S thing is another concern.
Overall nice car with many features at a lower price. So it has managed to be on the list as of now.

3. Nissan Sunny: Third car TDed was the Nissan Sunny XV diesel. But after taking the TD of Vento and Rapid it felt low on torque and power, which is quite understandable. But what everyone liked was the spacious interiors and ample of boot space. Also the interior quality was okay but fit/finish is good . But the rear under thigh support was a not that good. And the limited Nissan network and availability of parts made it vanish from our list.

4. Ford Fiesta: What they liked in the car was the Handling. Very nice besides that it lacks power and the interior’s look like cheap plastic. Didn’t find it comfortable as well. So nobody really liked the car so it has been stuck of the list.

5. Maruti SX4: My dad had driven one of his friends 2012 SX4. He liked the car but then the SX4 does not provide good no. of features and also it looks bit dated. But what he liked about the car was the space, boot space, ground clearance and yes the Maruti reliability. But since the car falls short in power and features it has been stuck of from the list.

6. Tata Manza: Since we had a Indigo, nobody wants another car which looks like Indigo and after taking a TD of Vento/Rapid a big NO NO.

So as of now it's the Vento and Rapid left in the list. Dad and brother will be going to take a TD of Verna tomorrow and once they are done with the TD. We will go ahead, make a decision and book the car within this week.

Suggestion Required for New SUV: Budget Rs.14.5 Lakh (Bought XUV 5OO W8)

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