Help Buying Car: Maruti Baleno / Ciaz / Brezza

[adonis]

Hello TAI Members,
This is my first post and hope with your valuable guidance would be able to make decision for my new car purchase.

> Budget: 9 Lakh
> New or Used: New Car
> Location: Delhi
> Top Five Priorities: Ground Clearance, Mileage, Safety, Comfort, Luggage Space
> Monthly Running: 1200 Kms approx
> Type of Fuel: Petrol/Diesel
> For What Purpose: Mostly Regular Use, few weekend trips
> Seating Capacity: Maximum 5 Adults
> Type of Segment: Hatch/Sedan/SUV

As I love traveling and have been to most places in Himachal on my trusted 20 year old RE Bullet 350C . My first preference was SUV (esp sub 4 meter SUV) Was waiting for Brezza but did not find vehicle to be impressive esp lower trims, ZDI+ looks good with features but engine lacks power and is expensive. Creta looks good overall but is expensive as well and then I think for offroading purpose Duster AWD and Thar CRDe are charms but looses on family preference(Thar) and cost (Duster AWD)

So finally made up my mind for Baleno Alpha 1.2(Top end petrol) and booked in May'16 (checked yesterday with RM, will take another 2-3 months for delivery)

Since this was taking time, I started looking at alternatives and realized with 1 lakh more, I can upgrade to Sedan Ciaz VXI+ (with most of basic features but good boot and cabin space) and also with 50K extra SHVS diesel with impressive mileage of 28 kmpl (ARAI).

Now my confusion is I was Ok with Petrol for Baleno considering FE of 16kmpl but with sedan CIAZ FE will be less may 13-14 kmpl so better option is for SHVS (hybrid) with FE of 22-23kmpl (makes sense) and would be able to recover in 4yrs even if i drive 1200kmpls(monthly) However with NGT ban on 10 years this seems not viable option as this would have definite impact on resale and would also have to compromise on NVH levels and I am not sure if it is worth spending 10 lacs)

So would appreciate if you guide me to take decision among following.
1.Brezza (Vdi(O), ZDI with booking period 3-4 months)
2.Baleno Alpha 1.2
3.Ciaz petrol VXI+
4.Ciaz diesel SHVS VXI+ (would prefer z variant for safety reasons)
Any other alternate you think would be best suited.

Thanks in advance.

 

[MoRa]

Help : Buying car - Baleno/Ciaz/Brezza

To add more to confusion, I would suggest Fiat Aventura. It would be fun to drive.

 

[seeker]

Re: Help : Buying car - Baleno/Ciaz/Brezza

Any specific reason to go for only Maruti? With 9 Lac OTR you can look at other options as well, from the top of my mind Jazz, Elilte i20 and the Figo. You can look at the Zest too for that matter. One thing though am not sure how far any of these will be able to seat 5 adults comfortably, except maybe the Elite and Jazz.

cya,
seeker

 

[balenoed]

Three cars that you shortlisted are from different segments. So comparison would be of no sense.But I think the Baleno Alpha 1.2 is a VFM and if you need more boot space look for ciaz.Breeza interiors is bit dull and also the overall looks can not beat ecosport.

 

[der92]

So would appreciate if you guide me to take decision among following.
1.Brezza (Vdi(O), ZDI with booking period 3-4 months)
2.Baleno Alpha 1.2
3.Ciaz petrol VXI+
4.Ciaz diesel SHVS VXI+ (would prefer z variant for safety reasons)
Any other alternate you think would be best suited.

Thanks in advance.

I think from your list Baleno Alpha 1.2 is the best choice. Ciaz is a good car but only if you require a sedan and a sedan size boot space (which I think you don't require as your other two choices are sub 4m vehicles). I found Baleno interior to be better than Brezza interior. Then again it differs for all, what I like may not be of your taste.
I think if you can wait for a few months more, for about 9lacs you'll get Baleno RS

 

[rider44]

Ciaz SHVS is mild hybrid. So I'm not sure if that comes in the 10 years bracket. You can check and if it does not, then you can go for ciaz.

 

[adonis]

Hello TAI member,

Thanks for your responses, Appreciate your help and time.

@MoRa, No doubt Aventura is fun to drive but rear cabin space and difficulty in access to boot has taken the other good vehicle out of context.

@seeker, No specific reason even I am open to all but seems they figured in list because of my personal preference, I know Maruti car can be said as under powered in comparison to other vehicles in same segment. Figo has great engine but somehow in comparison to Baleno looses in overall package. Did not like the shape of Jazz (at 1st look it was no from family). Elite i20 is good vehicle and pretty much liked it but baleno gives you more boot & FE. With Zest interiors and utility space is nil.

@balenoed Yes these all are from different segment but pricing is so overlapping that it makes decision difficult, I plan to keep vehicle for at least 5-7 years and do not want to repent on my decision say after 2 years. (Long term prospects). No doubt Baleno is VFM but its waiting period and overlapping cost with Ciaz and to that matter others is keeping my mind in two.

@der92 I have booked alpha 1.2 in May and spoke to RM recently and he said my number in queue is 11 and will take at least another 2-3 months where as Caiz is available (specific colors might take 10-15days) and also and upgrade to sedan. Baleno RS looks to be winner with performance but really not sure when it will be launched and then may be waiting period + FE. But in case I make up mind for Baleno (Which will take 2-3months) then better to wait and go for RS.

@rider44 I tried checking this with Dealership and are not sure, also sent email to Maruti which they responded without any clarification and asked to check with dealer. So I am not sure who can confirm which definitely will make decision bit easier

 

[vijay_968]

Welcome Adonis to TAI.

I would recommend you to identify which of the 3 cars is "safe to be in". THAT is more valuable than mere FE. Of the 3, I feel Ciaz is safest. But, there are safer cars within your budget.

Too bad, most Indians do not give a darn to safety of their families while choosing a car. My little finger (or thumb) is worth more than the money saved due to better FE.

Am I not correct ?

 

[generalmax]

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz SHVS VDI+ at Rs 8,81,500 Ex Showroom, New Delhi, fits the whole scenario. Since it is a hybrid,there is no issue of registration and resale.
However, there are other models available by different manufacturers, like Hyundai elite i 20 and Toyota Liva, which are good in this range.

 

[seeker]

Hello TAI member,


@seeker, No specific reason even I am open to all but seems they figured in list because of my personal preference, I know Maruti car can be said as under powered in comparison to other vehicles in same segment. Figo has great engine but somehow in comparison to Baleno looses in overall package. Did not like the shape of Jazz (at 1st look it was no from family). Elite i20 is good vehicle and pretty much liked it but baleno gives you more boot & FE. With Zest interiors and utility space is nil.

In that case I think the Ciaz would be the right fit. Although you may have to stretch the budget a bit.

Welcome Adonis to TAI.

I would recommend you to identify which of the 3 cars is "safe to be in". THAT is more valuable than mere FE. Of the 3, I feel Ciaz is safest. But, there are safer cars within your budget.

Too bad, most Indians do not give a darn to safety of their families while choosing a car. My little finger (or thumb) is worth more than the money saved due to better FE.

Am I not correct ?

Right you are vijay_968! Some people disregard the safety features altogether in the buying process. A friend who already has a couple of cars, was helping me in my buying process and he was telling me not to think too much about missing features like ABS / Airbags when you can get the car at a lower price, his opinion being we don't need such features that strictly on Indian roads. I told him you might feel like that but if I am driving on a highway with my family, I would want as much safety features that my car can have, if not all atleast the basic ones!

cya,
seeker

 

[souvikjana83]

Ford Figo Aspire TDCI. Great looks, Amazing drive, has all the required safety features. It is a wonderful car for city as well as highways. The top end model may touch 10 lacs but its worth every penny.
Also if you can wait, then wait for Kite5 Sedan. It is the most beautiful compact sedan that I have seen in a long time.

 

[MoRa]

Hello TAI member,

Thanks for your responses, Appreciate your help and time.

@MoRa, No doubt Aventura is fun to drive but rear cabin space and difficulty in access to boot has taken the other good vehicle out of context.

Well, May I suggest you to look at TUV or Nuvosports, its cabin space and access to boot is awesome. Ownership reports on net says that it can pull fully loaded in 3rd gear in inclines.

 

[balenoed]

If you are not looking to buy a car only from Maruti then why don't you consider Polo..Its the best in its segment as a overall package and safer too...I had two Maruti cars in the past and the build quality is below average. but still I buy Maruti because I hardly keep car more than 2-3 years...So resale value matters...

 

[amitpshelke]

I would say NO to CIAZ anytime, a big under power vehicle at a hefty price.

You could choose Baleno or Breeza, depending upon your taste to have a sleek modern hatchback, a boxy stylish compact SUV.
Both are almost same in performance. The Baleno gets advantage of its aerodynamic design while cruising on highway and Breeza has sturdy stance for little off-roading.

The other option could be Mahindra NuvoSport M8 could be better choice to have. It has 2 jump seats, so that it could be used as optional 7 seater.

 

[rider44]

Personally I would stay away from Fiat, Nissan, Renault(except Duster and Kwid), Skoda & VW. Because of the less number of service centers and also availability of spares if the cars aren't so popular. Even if the ASS is good, spares availability will play havoc.

My first preference would be Maruti, Hyundai, Honda, Toyota. And popular vehicles from Tata and Mahindra. I do not know much about Ford.

Baleno is a choice you can't go wrong. Good features at good price. But if you use your car in bad roads/village roads often, Brezza will be a good choice. If you need the luxury of a sedan, Ciaz it is. But ciaz is underpowered (it wouldn't bother me much). If your use of car is mostly in city and highways with occasional bad roads, Baleno is my choice.

I20, Jazz, Ecosport and City are other choices available but they come with their own limitations. i20, Jazz and ecosport do not have safety features at low end and City is priced high.