Join Me in My Quest For a New Car

[Akula]

Hi !I am new to this forum and proud to be part of this automotive community. I would like to thanks mods for approval of my membership.

I seek your valuable suggestions and advice for my quest of a new car.

Important points to note:

Car for my father

Passenger: mostly 2 and sometimes 5.

Duration of ownership:long term

Fuel : petrol

Budget :anything below 7 lakhs

Priority:Safety,reliability,handling,economy,comfort.


Main priority is a safe ,comfortable commuter with good handling with reasonable economy.

Main contenders:Baleno,vw polo 1.2,Ignis,KITE 5.

I am no expert on cars nor have any experience regarding them ,little bit of knowledge is through information online.Please help me with your valuable advice to reach a definitive end in my quest of a new car.

Contenders:

Baleno
+space
+engine
+handling
+maruti service

-Build quality
-indian version safety is questionable .
- suspension,ride quality

My biggest concern over baleno :Safety ,It seems to get dented very easily ;many owners have complained about how it is prone to denting under even a minor force.Suspension is not upto the mark for a premium hatchback.

Polo 1.2
+ Brand value
+ handling
+built quality
+ride quality
+Safety-safest hatchback in india under 8 lakh.

-space
-horror stories about service experience,higher maintenance cost.
-engine,nvh

My biggest concern is maintenance cost and service experience, Reasonable higher maintenance cost is not a concern because quality comes at a price but would not want to pay double the cost compared to other cars.Can someone clear the doubts over polo maintenance cost compared to a swift ,baleno or zest.Even though engine is not great but has got decent power and good driveability which would be more than enough for our requirement. Biggest attraction of polo is SAFETY and I think it would age well in comparison to other cars ,as we plan to keep the car for at least seven years it is a big plus.

IGNIS

+ Tall boy design.
- being a maruti concerned over build quality and safety.
- I have mixed feeling over its rear,seeing in flesh would clear my concern.

Kite 5
+ expect everything to be from decent to good.

- Engine,Tiago engine is described as underpowered,
same engine on much heavier car is a concern.
- should have been slightly wider like figo or swift.

Ford Figo:My sister does not like .End of story.

Grand i10: Questionable structural stability =Unsafe.
Rest everything is from decent to good.

Swift
Every thing is good to decent but big concern over safety.


etios liva
Unappealing interior as well as exterior when compared to contemporary and upcoming cars.

Jazz:Not interested.

Elite i20:
Biggest drawback is its poor handling plus petrol engine is not good.

Tata zest:
I prefer zest over Bolt,everything is decent but looks are a bit of concern specially when yo know that the facelift will be coming soon from which you can expect great things considering tiago and kite5.I like bolt also but resemblance to vista is a turn off(no offence to vista ,I like its look but buying a car in 2016 you would look for a new design) .

Brio:not interested.

other compact sedans:not interested.

Fiat punto:Not sensible to invest in a fiat right now.

I would have loved to wait for next gen swift and next gen polo ,as I feel both the cars would be among the best in their segments .Meanwhile we could have let do with a used car ,but my family is against used car.So,I can only stall car purchase till ignis and tata kite 5 launch.Now many of you would be wondering when ignis and kite 5 are yet to be launched then why am i asking about your opinion right now?It is because I want to ask if baleno is good enough to book it now ,so that if we do not like the ignis ,we could go ahead with baleno ,or should we go ahead with purchase of vw POLO 1.2 .

 

[drniladrisaha]

Re: Join me in my quest for a new car.

If you can increase your budget a little bit , go for Skoda Rapid .
It will fulfil all your requirements .
Its fantastic to drive and its a solid car.

 

[stormed]

Re: Join me in my quest for a new car.

Considering the word safety, maruti's are out.
Recently one acquiantance of mine bought VW polo HL for 7.2L, maybe you can consider that but considering the fact that polo hasn't received an update since a long time, it would be better to wait for kite5 which would be the most beautiful looking CS ever produced,and also considering long equipment list including reverse camera, rear armrest, HK touchscreen etc. It would make for a VFM proposition. Lets just hope tiago drivetrains are updated before being put into kite5.
My pick would be kite5 considering your requirements.

 

[allhyundaicars]

Re: Join me in my quest for a new car.

You can book the baleno for now. When your turns come hopefully the kite or other cars will get launched.

Why didnt you mention tiago ?

 

[Akula]

If you can increase your budget a little bit , go for Skoda Rapid .
It will fulfil all your requirements .
Its fantastic to drive and its a solid car.

Thanks for your suggestion,but rapid base model start from 8lakh ex showroom while mid variant from 9 which would be close to 10 on road .I do not want to go for base model of any car, mid variant would be way too above my budget.

Plus, my father does not like big cars,baleno is already too big for his liking .So have to choose among hatchback .Wish they would have launched next gen fabia.

Considering the word safety, maruti's are out.
Recently one acquiantance of mine bought VW polo HL for 7.2L, maybe you can consider that but considering the fact that polo hasn't received an update since a long time, it would be better to wait for kite5 which would be the most beautiful looking CS ever produced,and also considering long equipment list including reverse camera, rear armrest, HK touchscreen etc. It would make for a VFM proposition. Lets just hope tiago drivetrains are updated before being put into kite5.
My pick would be kite5 considering your requirements.

Thanks,this is the main concern over baleno ,I am hoping against hope that somehow suzuki IGNIS would have better build quality.I do not want outright performance ,just decent drivability and that it should not struggle when fully loaded. Hope kite 5 does not disappoint on this front.

You can book the baleno for now. When your turns come hopefully the kite or other cars will get launched.

Why didnt you mention tiago

?

Thanks for reply,do you think Baleno would be safe (by safe means structure stability) in a crash at 50 to 80 speed.I know the car safety depends on many thing in a crash ,but still would it offer reasonable structure integrity in a crash.I hate the double standards of the car manufacturers ,when it comes to car made for India vs made for others.

I have not mentioned Tiago because I prefer kite 5 ,plus I would like a medium size car not too big nor too small.Anyways ,Tiago may be considered if kite 5 does not meet the expectations and I have no other safe cars to choose from.

I would also like to point out that like every one has mentioned, I have experienced the same, when I mentioned Tata to family and friends.Everyone says the same thing "who buys TATA" .If we buy TATA and any major problem occur then I will be a subject of ridicule for everybody, but I don't care as long as I am confident of the product being offered from them.

 

[DJ bro]

Re: Join me in my quest for a new car.

Well, the Tiago has never been described as underpowered, both petrol and diesel. Both variants of the car can do more than 150kmph top speeds.
The Kite 5 is expected to have better state of tune than the Tiago. Afterall, they are benchmarking the Xcent against it.
If you can wait for the Kite5, then there is no other option great enough to hold a candle against it.
No news about Zest facelift yet unfortunately.

 

[vm2011]

Re: Join me in my quest for a new car.

I would have loved to wait for next gen swift and next gen polo ,as I feel both the cars would be among the best in their segments .

Next Gen Polo will arrive only in mid 2018 and the 2017 Swift in late 2017.( for India)

Suggest you look at Ignis - it is a small , feature rich car with safety with the new elements of Suzuki - Steering wheel, Infotainment system, switches, etc. speculated alos to come in an AWD variant .

Current Polo in TSI is variant is a very competent car, but then rear seat space and the hit or miss VW service could deter the ownership experience of this car. But it is one of the Known ( NCAP tested) Safest car today on Indian roads.

 

[Nanofreak]

Re: Join me in my quest for a new car.

For now Kite5 it should be, considering the super response to tiago, and it should come at a mouth watering price.
That is if you can tolerate Tata's staggered launches.
All the best

 

[Pradeepkumarmr]

Re: Join me in my quest for a new car.

Thanks,this is the main concern over baleno ,I am hoping against hope that somehow suzuki IGNIS would have better build quality.I do not want outright performance ,just decent drivability and that it should not struggle when fully loaded. Hope kite 5 does not disappoint on this front.

Thanks for reply,do you think Baleno would be safe (by safe means structure stability) in a crash at 50 to 80 speed.I know the car safety depends on many thing in a crash ,but still would it offer reasonable structure integrity in a crash.I hate the double standards of the car manufacturers ,when it comes to car made for India vs made for others.

I would also like to point out that like every one has mentioned, I have experienced the same, when I mentioned Tata to family and friends.Everyone says the same thing "who buys TATA" .If we buy TATA and any major problem occur then I will be a subject of ridicule for everybody, but I don't care as long as I am confident of the product being offered from them.

Hi Alok - First of all Welcome to this wonderful Forum

I suggest you need to first get these things clarified before any further discussions.

1) When do you want to buy the car
2) Do you want a hatchback or Sedan

If Safety is priority do not even consider Maruthi. If you are not happy with Baleno, less said about the new budget car Ignis. Do not keep any hope that Ignis will have better build quality, when none of Maruti are having it

For your budget , safety and less maintenance requirements, I can suggest you to check on either Tiago or Kite 5 Sedan. Please do not go with people mind set of do not buy Tata

 

[amitpshelke]

If you could add little to your budget then I suggest you to go for FIAT Punto EVO 90Hp top variant with all goodies and quality car for long term use.

Test drive Punto EVO to reveal the experience.

 

[balenoed]

I think Polo would be best pick if your concern in safety.Its the best except the after sales service.But in big cities this problem does not exist much.

I own a Baleno and I can say that it may not be as safe as polo but at least better than others in the segment.Lighter body panel does not mean a car is unsafe.A lighter body panel can absorb more impact energy than a brittle panel.Its the best Maruti after S Cross that Maruti has produced and I don't see any safety issue.But again considering your requirement and budget I think polo or punto would be best choice

 

[vikyjoshi]

If Safety is your concern, all maruti cars are out of contention.

Polo , Kite5 Sedan (with great features and design), Punto Would be my pick.

 

[Akula]

Next Gen Polo will arrive only in mid 2018 and the 2017 Swift in late 2017.( for India)

Suggest you look at Ignis - it is a small , feature rich car with safety with the new elements of Suzuki - Steering wheel, Infotainment system, switches, etc. speculated alos to come in an AWD variant .

Current Polo in TSI is variant is a very competent car, but then rear seat space and the hit or miss VW service could deter the ownership experience of this car. But it is one of the Known ( NCAP tested) Safest car today on Indian roads.

Thanks,I am dropping polo since no one has assured me till now of good ass .Safety is important but peace of mind too.Plus as @stormed has said that current polo is at the end of its life cyle ,so it would not make much sense.

For now Kite5 it should be, considering the super response to tiago, and it should come at a mouth watering price.
That is if you can tolerate Tata's staggered launches.
All the best

Thanks ,kite 5 seem to be favourate in this forum .

Hi Alok - First of all Welcome to this wonderful Forum

I suggest you need to first get these things clarified before any further discussions.

1) When do you want to buy the car
2) Do you want a hatchback or Sedan

If Safety is priority do not even consider Maruthi. If you are not happy with Baleno, less said about the new budget car Ignis. Do not keep any hope that Ignis will have better build quality, when none of Maruti are having it

For your budget , safety and less maintenance requirements, I can suggest you to check on either Tiago or Kite 5 Sedan. Please do not go with people mind set of do not buy Tata

Thanks for the welcome.

Let me clear it for you:

1 when do I want to buy the car:

If I can get the car today then today itself.It has been more than a year since I have been on hunt for a car. I do not like to rush into decision when purchasing .First of all, I would prefer to have a car at its begning rather than at the end of its life cycle.My eyes were set on new figo,when it was launched my family did visit the showroom .I was okay with the figo but there was nothing that appealed to my heart,then my sister did not like the interior quality of figo so it was crossed from our list.Now it was time for baleno launch ,I liked its overall design intially but now when I have seen it many times in flesh ,I think that rear could have been better.I had planned to buy baleno from delhi and then get it registered in dehradun.Unfortunately at that time my family member had a medical condition and had to be operated in delhi , we were busy in all this for few months ,so car purchase was postponed.Now, I had my eyes set on tiago(zica) too.When it was launched I liked its looks but it was too small for my liking,then there was news of its underpowered petrol engine ,vibrations,and nvh which raised my concern.See ,I do not want outright performance but then I also do not want car to struggle when fully loaded,in a highway or going up in the hills.In most of the review they recommend to go with grand i10 instead of it.


Coming to grand i10 this is one car my father seemed to be in love with.If ,it was not for me then it would have been standing in our home right now.This car has scored big zero in NCAP ,so its unsafe and this is my biggest grouse with it.By this time baleno again returned to the scene ,now we had two nexa in our city.I made a call to one of them and a saleperson visited our house along with the car.Even though my parents liked the car but they were little bit intimated by it size and worried over its manuvarebility in city traffic.We zeroed down to three cars swift,grand i10 and baleno, I feel that baleno is better than both of them.But ,by this time there were multiple ownership experience online of baleno.One thing common between them was how easily it get dented,when europe version baleno got 4 star in ncap I was happy as atleast it would be safe , then it came out that export version is heavier than the indian version,so we don't know whether we are sitting in a death trap or safe car.

Meanwhile my family visited volkswagon showroom ,my father liked the polo ,but again ASS was a big question hence I was on the edge regarding it .As per your advice I think i will have to let go the polo.


So I think baleno is better compared to swift or grand i10,I am on the edge on this one too ,it depends on your advice whether I will go for it or not.Recently I read a baleno owner complaing that whenever his Baleno go above 120 there are lot of vibration in the car floor and steering,now I do not want my father to ever cross 100 but still such things are not expected specially from a so called premium car.


During all this auto expo happened and two cars that caught my eyes were Ignis and kite 5.You will have to agree that both of these car have their unique character and they standout in design from all the other cars.Few more points regarding them:

Ignis:
+awd option
+tall boy: a big plus for my liking.
+possible hybrid
+exterior:love it in photos
+interior:love it in photos
+same engine as baleno:fun to drive + economical

kite 5
+exterior:love it in photos
+interior :love it in photos
+Built quality: expected to be great.
+safety: expected to be safer than most of the cars under 8lakhs.
+projector headlamp that suit the car and look good.
+expect the top model to be feature packed.

Because of the following reason these two car are worth the wait .Atleast for me,especially when I expect them to be launched in next few months.I want to explore all the available options before making the final decision.

Now here is the reason for my confusion,according to nexa rm baleno has a waiting period of 6 months right now.So,if after checking out ignis and Kite 5 I still want to go for Baleno then it will not be immediately available ,I have to join the long que for it.Now I can book the baleno now and hope that these two car launch befor my allotment of car. Thing is I am confused! is Baleno the right choice?I want your help in this.Is baleno good or tiago, grand i10 or swift will be better than it.

The reason I am not bothering with Tiago right now is because its of no use right now ,once kite 5 will get launched then I will look into it before making the final decision.One option could be that I checkout the tiago and if I like it then drop the baleno and wait till all other cars get launched.problem is that if we go to checkout tiago and my father likes it then it would be hard for me to stop him further from purchasing the car.sO i need your help tiago/baleno or if it has to be unsafe than my father love grand i10.If it has to be baleno then I will book it this month or next and wait for ignis and kite5 ,as tiago and grand i10 does not have such long waiting period.



2 Regarding what I want,I want whatever appeals to my heart and is reasonable enough for my mind.I cannot be definate on a type as I like grand i10 but not the xcent ,similarly swift not the dezire ,zest not bolt and amaze not brio.cannot confide it to one type.

P.S sorry for such a long post but thought it was neccary to clear my situation to all of you.

If you could add little to your budget then I suggest you to go for FIAT Punto EVO 90Hp top variant with all goodies and quality car for long term use.

Test drive Punto EVO to reveal the experience.

Thanks,I know the strength and quality fiat offers but as I have said earlier: at this point of time they are not worth investing your money.Fiat is either clueless or not intereseted in India .Not a single car of their is selling in decent numbers right now.Few days back there was add for fiat punto in our local newspaper ,I could not locate a single dealership in my city in it, few are present in other neighbouring cities .I have my doubts over Fiat future in india ,when I mentioned fiat to my father answer was a big No.However ,there is no doubt that its a great car but then ASS also matter.

I think Polo would be best pick if your concern in safety.Its the best except the after sales service.But in big cities this problem does not exist much.


I own a Baleno and I can say that it may not be as safe as polo but at least better than others in the segment.Lighter body panel does not mean a car is unsafe.A lighter body panel can absorb more impact energy than a brittle panel.Its the best Maruti after S Cross that Maruti has produced and I don't see any safety issue.But again considering your requirement and budget I think polo or punto would be best choice

Thanks polo and punto both are great cars but their ASS can ruin the peace of mind .It's assuring to hear that baleno is better than others ,are there any other niggles you are facing and would you recommend it over grand i10 and tiago.

If Safety is your concern, all maruti cars are out of contention.

Polo , Kite5 Sedan (with great features and design), Punto Would be my pick.

Thanks ,Kite 5 is under my radar .I have a feeling that it would be the perfect all rounder.Polo and Punto excellent cars but scary ASS,which can ruin the ownership experience.

 

[amitpshelke]

Built quality and engine refinement is Punto as well as Polo is superb. That is the reason you may have to less visit service station.

Also the material finish is unmatched to many car in that range.

I am not against TATA or any other manufacturers, but everyone should learn the quality aspects.

 

[balenoed]

There has been lot of concerns floating around regarding the vibration and driving dynamics at high speed of Baleno.
I took my Baleno to Mumbai in two occasions from Hyderabad and couple of times to vijayawada.Hyderabad to Sholapur is the worst road where I took her but I found no issues .While going to Vijayawada I revved upto 140 kmph and it was perfect.Even I was surprised to see how Baleno can be so stable considering its weight.Baleno has light weight body panel and the same applies to i20 elite or Jazz also or any Japanese or Korean cars.Next time just go and press on all those car body panel and you will see all getting dented equally.

One of the main reason of vibration in baleno could be due to high tyre pressure or faulty wheel alignment .The car comes with 40 psi in all tyres.Reduce it to recommended 29 psi and the ride will be smooth and stable.The only problem I faced that the NVH level is high once you cross 2000 rpm mark

At any day Baleno is far better than grand i10.With lifeless steering and pathetic ride quality (No offence to i10 grand owners) I don't see any reason to consider grand.