A 15 Lakhs Car To Replace Jetta and Punto


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Hello all!
I'm currently driving 2 cars, A 2015 Jetta DSG and 2015 Punto Evo, they both serve highway and city use respectively. Jetta does about 15,000kms/year and Punto about 10000kms/year. I had to let go off Punto due to growing family and lack of rear seat space. Jetta has been good so far, but it has been idle a lot and goes out once or twice a month for a round trip of 800-1000kms per outing. I initially planned to replace them in 2020, but owing to financial burden of owning and maintaining two cars, upcoming speed alert warning(I'm OK with 120kph but not with 80kph) and BS6, I plan to buy a mid-size sedan or a compact SUV to replace them both.

> Your Budget: 10-15 lakhs

> New or Used: New Car

> Your Location: Coimbatore, TN

> Top Five Priorities: Safety, Space, Comfort, Low Maintenance, Resale Value

> Monthly Running: 2000-2500kms

> Type of Fuel: Diesel or Petrol

> For What Purpose: Daily School run of 42kms, commute of 10 kms and highway journeys

> Seating Capacity: 3-4 adults with 2 kids.

> Type of Segment: Sedan, Compact SUV

> Features Needed: Android Auto/Carplay, Auto dimming IRVM, Rear Parking sensors and Camera, Speed sensing door lock, Excellent headlamps(LED, HID or Halogen projectors)

> Cars considered: Honda City(D only), Hyundai Verna(P/D), Toyota Yaris(P only). Please suggest suitable cars if I missed, as I haven't been very active in our Automotive scene as I have used to before.

The people who travel frequently are my wife, my 4 year old daughter and 1 year old son with me at the driver seat, even for long journeys. Occasionally my parents travel with us or we may bring along a driver. We also have a Innova Crysta, in case we are traveling with parents. I'm a sedate driver and a big torque addict but hate turbo lag. The only reason I'm considering petrol is, Yaris is available only as petrol but excels in safety and Toyota will be cheaper to maintain and Verna's SX diesel carries a huge premium over petrol which when combined with petrol's below 10 lakhs pricing and it's associated road tax benefits results in on-road difference of 2.6 lakhs.

Cars tested till now:
Yaris: The car felt refined and easy to drive. I liked the ride, space was decent and higher variants get rear disc brakes too. But pricing of all variants except J looks overpriced and I'm contemplating about going for J variant, as it too gets 7 airbags and I can spend on accessories I need.

Verna: Verna's Petrol engine is very good to drive and it's diesel is excellent, probably segment best. But, space at the back can be termed adequate, at best. Also, I wasn't satisfied with the braking, especially after driving Punto and Jetta, I'll have to drive the car again at highway speeds to test brakes and decide. Also, I'm hearing Verna doesn't have decent Resale Value and it's diesel engine won't last long, but their 5 years/1 lakh kms warranty is slighting reassuring. I have no idea about Hyundai's service cost, especially considering the Japanese rivals.

City: I haven't driven the city yet, but we own a mobilio(1.05 lakhs kms driven) and have a fair idea about its engine. I checked the car in person and loved the space, probably best of the three. I couldn't TD, as it was too late and traffic was hectic on the road. Going by mobilio, City would be very low on maintenance. But it doesn't get Android Auto/Car play and only gets phone mirroring.

Hyundai has offered a very reasonable quote for both Punto and Jetta. I'll hear from Honda today for Jetta, their offer for Punto was close to Hyundai. Toyota Utrust offered the worst quote and they have been increasing it daily in small increments. Exchange rates are not very important, as my Dad might be going for Creta 1.4 and we can exchange the two cars for that. And I've also got a reasonable quote for both the cars at a local car dealer, who will make immediate payment.

Let me know I should consider anymore cars. No 1.3mjd equipped cars under consideration, owing to the turbo lag which inadvertently makes me an aggressive driver just to stay in the turbo zone.I have left out Ciaz Petrol because, it gets speed warning beeps and beige overdosed interiors which would pain to maintain. I need to make a decision at the earliest, to utilize the year-end benefits.
 

Akash1886

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In Compact SUV

For Diesel: Tata Nexon 1.5L: 5 star safety rating, good pulling power and spacious as well. A well rounded and value for money option.

For Petrol: Ford Ecosport Petrol 1.5 Dragon. But honestly, as of your running I would say Diesel will be a better option.

Regards

Akash
 
Thread Starter #3
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I liked Nexon a lot, especially the music system which is sinply brilliant. But unfortunately, I just hate the looks of it. If only Tata could make another body for the same platform. Also, 6 months/7500kms interval is very frequent, we are located 18kms away from service center.
Ecosport, I liked it. But its 6 airbag version doesn’t get grab handles for some reason, which didn’t go well with all those who were in the car during TD and ride was a bit stiff.
In Compact SUV

For Diesel: Tata Nexon 1.5L: 5 star safety rating, good pulling power and spacious as well. A well rounded and value for money option.

For Petrol: Ford Ecosport Petrol 1.5 Dragon. But honestly, as of your running I would say Diesel will be a better option.

Regards

Akash
 
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If you are okay with a Mahindra, then please consider the Marazzo. It fits your requirements to the T. Except for auto dimming IRVM, it has all what you have listed above. It also rides impeccably.
 

Nairrk

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I liked Nexon a lot, especially the music system which is sinply brilliant. But unfortunately, I just hate the looks of it. If only Tata could make another body for the same platform. Also, 6 months/7500kms interval is very frequent, we are located 18kms away from service center.
iMO, 18kms is not much of distance if you like the car. (I liked Tata Tigor and bought it even though Tata Service center in my place is 45kms away). Anyway its up to you to take a final decision [:)]
 
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Ford Ecosport would be perfect.

The TDCi engine is perfect for your mixed driving use.
If you want automatic , as Ford doesn't have Diesel auto , you have to manage with the Petrol Dragon engine mated to automatic torque converter box.

I said ecosport , as your previous rides had been enthusiastic ones (Jetta and Punto) , and in compact SUV segment , the enthusiastic one is Ecosport.

Ford petrol cost v/s Ford diesel cost just differs by 60-70k , so anytime the diesel makes the better sense.
 
Thread Starter #7
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If you are okay with a Mahindra, then please consider the Marazzo. It fits your requirements to the T. Except for auto dimming IRVM, it has all what you have listed above. It also rides impeccably.
I was going to add it today. I Test drove Marazzo for about 20kms on narrow, bumpy roads as well as highway. Its a huge improvement over XUV500 and almost as good as Crysta and even more spacious. But I’m keen on M2 variant as it gets all the features I need and I can add a good ICE and alloy wheels later. But M2 variant is in huge demand, and getting one is uncertain. M4 is available but for an extra 1.5 lakhs, I get very few features.

iMO, 18kms is not much of distance if you like the car. (I liked Tata Tigor and bought it even though Tata Service center in my place is 45kms away). Anyway its up to you to take a final decision [:)]
I didn’t like the looks of Nexon, its too funky.

Ford Ecosport would be perfect.

The TDCi engine is perfect for your mixed driving use.
If you want automatic , as Ford doesn't have Diesel auto , you have to manage with the Petrol Dragon engine mated to automatic torque converter box.

I said ecosport , as your previous rides had been enthusiastic ones (Jetta and Punto) , and in compact SUV segment , the enthusiastic one is Ecosport.

Ford petrol cost v/s Ford diesel cost just differs by 60-70k , so anytime the diesel makes the better sense.
I will take a long TD of Ecosport as well, to see how it rides and then decide.
 
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Considering space, comfort and overall reliability, the City Petrol AT may fit the bill too. I purchased the City ZX a couple of months ago and it has been a smooth, refined and satisfying experience. The only gripe I have with it is lack of AA/ACP-BUT, nothing that prevents me from stopping the car for a bit and checking out Google Maps on the phone, or someone else do it. Its safer that way, since you can focus on the driving.But that's only about the traffic aspect. The actual navigation system of the car is pretty accurate (rather too accurate at times, even warning me to stay in lane while passing through minor lane separations). But the main screen is a bit cumbersome and sometimes slow to navigate. I had it factory reset at the dealer once, so its doing ok for now.
But that shouldn't detract from the main features you need, ie. excellent LED headlamps, reverse parking camera (you can get sensors installed for 3000Rs or even free, depending on negotiations) , 6 airbags for the ZX version, which in my opinion is very important.It also has speed sensitive auto lock and auto dimming IRVM. The sunroof too is there, as a bonus, in case you need it.
 
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... I Test drove Marazzo for about 20kms on narrow, bumpy roads as well as highway. Its a huge improvement over XUV500 ...
Hope you drove the 123 bhp / 300 N-m diesel variant of Marazzo. Why not wait for the XUV 300 ?

Driving a proper Sedan in B'lore Roads, I am forced to be on the look out for 'idiots on wheels'. A "4m long compact SUV with Mahindra badge and sort of XUV-500 looks" might make trouble makers to drive little away. An autobox could make life better [angel]
 
Thread Starter #12
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So, I've finally made a decision, after a lot of going back and forth. It'll be Mahindra Marazzo. The variant I'm going for is the M2, just for the sheer value it offers without compromising on safety. Made payment yesterday to invoice the car at the last moment, to confirm the price. Now, all that is left is to arrange for the difference and hunt for accessories, as the car doesn't get even a music player. Marazzo has space, comfort, engine is decent at City(can move in 2nd gear), very good at highway speeds, despite the size, it is very easy to drive in B2B traffic and the turning radius of 5.25 is easy to live with, considering it's narrower than Ecosport(5.3). Rear seat captain seats is also something I like a lot, after experiencing it on our Crysta and it ensures equal comfort for up to 4 adults.

Thank you everyone for your help.

Considering space, comfort and overall reliability, the City Petrol AT may fit the bill too. I purchased the City ZX a couple of months ago and it has been a smooth, refined and satisfying experience. The only gripe I have with it is lack of AA/ACP-BUT, nothing that prevents me from stopping the car for a bit and checking out Google Maps on the phone, or someone else do it. Its safer that way, since you can focus on the driving.But that's only about the traffic aspect. The actual navigation system of the car is pretty accurate (rather too accurate at times, even warning me to stay in lane while passing through minor lane separations). But the main screen is a bit cumbersome and sometimes slow to navigate. I had it factory reset at the dealer once, so its doing ok for now.
But that shouldn't detract from the main features you need, ie. excellent LED headlamps, reverse parking camera (you can get sensors installed for 3000Rs or even free, depending on negotiations) , 6 airbags for the ZX version, which in my opinion is very important.It also has speed sensitive auto lock and auto dimming IRVM. The sunroof too is there, as a bonus, in case you need it.
I considered City diesel but my friend who has been driving it for the last 3 years advised against it, if I'll be taking it on highways. He says highway ride comfort is not good, when compared to Linea/Vento, which he also owns. I have owned Vento before and it was not very comfortable on long journey causing back ache when driving 12 hours on a single day, which was absent in XUV 500 and Mobilio.[clown]

If you can stretch your wait a bit, the Harrier can be the perfect car you would want.
I sold both for cars and at the moment taking the car that's available, or I'm taking the bike. Can't really wait anymore, besides I saw a camouflaged car only two days ago, testing in L&T byepass, Coimbatore.
Hope you drove the 123 bhp / 300 N-m diesel variant of Marazzo. Why not wait for the XUV 300 ?

Driving a proper Sedan in B'lore Roads, I am forced to be on the look out for 'idiots on wheels'. A "4m long compact SUV with Mahindra badge and sort of XUV-500 looks" might make trouble makers to drive little away. An autobox could make life better[angel]
There's also XUV300 , which is slated to debut in 2019 .
The same reason as Harrier, no time to wait as I have sold both my cars.
 
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So, I've finally made a decision, after a lot of going back and forth. It'll be Mahindra Marazzo. The variant I'm going for is the M2, just for the sheer value it offers without compromising on safety. Made payment yesterday to invoice the car at the last moment, to confirm the price. Now, all that is left is to arrange for the difference and hunt for accessories, as the car doesn't get even a music player. Marazzo has space, comfort, engine is decent at City(can move in 2nd gear), very good at highway speeds, despite the size, it is very easy to drive in B2B traffic and the turning radius of 5.25 is easy to live with, considering it's narrower than Ecosport(5.3). Rear seat captain seats is also something I like a lot, after experiencing it on our Crysta and it ensures equal comfort for up to 4 adults.

Thank you everyone for your help.


I considered City diesel but my friend who has been driving it for the last 3 years advised against it, if I'll be taking it on highways. He says highway ride comfort is not good, when compared to Linea/Vento, which he also owns. I have owned Vento before and it was not very comfortable on long journey causing back ache when driving 12 hours on a single day, which was absent in XUV 500 and Mobilio.[clown]


I sold both for cars and at the moment taking the car that's available, or I'm taking the bike. Can't really wait anymore, besides I saw a camouflaged car only two days ago, testing in L&T byepass, Coimbatore.


The same reason as Harrier, no time to wait as I have sold both my cars.
@Crazy cat Congratulations for your Marazzo[cheers]
Looking forward to your ownership review
 

bhvm

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Congrats on the Marazzo!
You have made a no-nonsense decision on a No-nonsense car!. Its really VFM. I am sure you'll enjoy its comfort & FE on long runs.
 

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