[na_agrawal]

Hello BHPians,

Just as soon this lockdown ceases or more so, eases out, my family will be in an immediate need of yet another new car. As one of our family members is about to get retired from her govt. position she'll very soon lose the 'free' workhorse, Mahindra Scorpio. We are looking for a new petrol hatchback in a budget of 7-8 lakhs that will fill up for the Scorpio and will be entirely used for running errands, doing pickups and drops and be a part of an occasional once-or-twice-in-a-year small road trip (that hatchback won't be the only car in that trip, we all cannot simply fit in one.)

My requirements -

1. BS6 Petrol. Manual Transmission.
2. Good if its a fun to drive car.
3. High on safety.
4. Spacious Cabin.

Some restrictions that we as a family have decided -

1. Please, please no i20s. We have 2 of them- i20 Sportz and Active SX.

2. No compact sedans. VW Ameo is another workhorse in the garage which no one loves.

3. The budget is largely fixed at 7-8L. Won't be able to extend.

4. No pre worshipped cars.

5. No Toyota. The nearest dealership is at least 100 km.

- I'm open to all options and brands. Maintenance/fuel economy/accessories or parts prices do not matter much.
- Will be driven by our family members and all of them love driving, so a good driver's car will be appreciated.

- Due to this lockdown, most likely we won't be visiting the showroom and just will get the car delivered to our residence. So TD is really not an option.
- Is Toyota Glanza worth considering and then dealing with the hassles of driving it 100kms for servicing and maintenance?

All your inputs are highly regarded.
Thanks, NA

[Tapish]

Our requirements were fairly similar when my dad retired some time ago. We were also looking for a safe car for him that can do the occasional short trip (<300kms) considering it will be the only car in my hometown.

After looking at a bunch of cars, we finalised the Ignis Delta. It cost us about 6.2 on road in Uttarakhand and comes with steering controls, Bluetooth and other features. It is fun to drive with its 1.2 engine and the build quality is <way> better than Baleno.

Ignis comes with ABS and two airbags as standard.

The design may not be to everyone's taste but it has grown very well on all of us. I too was initially sceptical of the design, but in retrospect, it looks way different in a sea of Santros, i10s and i20s in my hometown.

All the best

[gautamkhadse]

If you're looking for space and confirm in the rear seat you should look at the Tata Cars . Altroz and Tigor would be perfect. Theres a lot of bad sentiment around the brand but I've had zero issues with their service or the product in the last 2 years of owning a Nexon .

Look at the Altroz , solid build and looks awesome .
Look at Nexon if you're ok with the look . It has a ton of space plus it has the SUVish stance and ground clearance .
S Cross Petrol would be a newer choice once its launched .

I know this is not a hatch suggestion but you should also try the Ertiga , its surprisingly nimble in the city , easy to manouvere like a small car and fuel efficiency of a hatch back .

Hyundai Stable - Grand i10

Tata will soon be launching the Altroz DCT which would be interesting and also the Tata Honbill .

Renault Triber is another one like the Ertiga . NImble agile and occassional people mover .

[Sahilrai166]

Originally Posted by na_agrawal

Hello BHPians,
My requirements -

1. BS6 Petrol. Manual Transmission.
2. Good if its a fun to drive car.
3. High on safety.
4. Spacious Cabin.

Going by your requirements I suggest you to consider the Ford Freestyle Titanium Plus. The engine is peppy,feature loaded (+6 airbag),good ground clearance (190mm)comes in handy while tackling big speed bumps,decent rear seat space and the maintenance cost is also on the lower side.

Originally Posted by na_agrawal

Is Toyota Glanza worth considering and then dealing with the hassles of driving it 100kms for servicing and maintenance?

I personally also own a Baleno Alpha diesel and have driven the BS6 petrol many times. Glanza/Baleno is best suited for urban commutes thanks to the light steering, butter smooth clutch and gearbox combination with excellent fuel efficiency. But by no means it's fun to drive and the build quality is also average.

[drsingh]

Wagon R. A practical hatch for errands.

[VKumar]

Originally Posted by na_agrawal

1. BS6 Petrol. Manual Transmission.
2. Good if its a fun to drive car.
3. High on safety.
4. Spacious Cabin.

Get a Triber, throw away the third row and enjoy the spacious and highly flexible hatchback for your daily errands. Better than all hatchbacks ride quality and still enough fun to drive for the city runabouts. The 1.0 is a small block, but has enough grunt to pull you around in the city.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by na_agrawal

My requirements -

1. BS6 Petrol. Manual Transmission.
2. Good if its a fun to drive car.
3. High on safety.
4. Spacious Cabin.
- Will be driven by our family members and all of them love driving, so a good driver's car will be appreciated.

Taking into account your requirements of safety and fun to drive among others, you should not look beyond Ford and VW Polo. Polo is the safest car this side of 10 lakhs. The downside is it's quite a low slung hatch and hence the older members of your family may find the ingress and egress cumbersome. Hence a car with bit of a tall boy design should fit your bill. If I were you, I would blindly pick up Ford Free Style Titanium plus variant.

- high on safety with ABS, EBD, ESC, Airbags. (ESC a big plus)
- should fit your budget of 8 lakhs. (assuming some discounts)
- being a Ford, it's a driver oriented car.Fun guaranteed.
- Strong build.
- Reliable and easy-on-pocket service and maintenance cost.
- Expected to get a 4 star in Latin NCAP considering Figo and Aspire was awarded a 4 star ( guess Free Style yet to be tested for GNCAP).

Happy Hunting !

Cheers,
bibendum.

[a4anurag]

A primary car for city use, I can't think of anything other than the Maruti WagonR 1.2L ZXi+. But this car fails on two points i.e. Safety and Driver-oriented car.

If these two points can be ignored, it would serve as a great one for city (errands) purpose. If not look at Ford Figo or Hyundai i10 Nios.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by Sahilrai166

Going by your requirements I suggest you to consider the Ford Freestyle Titanium Plus. The engine is peppy,feature loaded (+6 airbag),good ground clearance (190mm)comes in handy while tackling big speed bumps,decent rear seat space and the maintenance cost is also on the lower side.

Because you included FTD in your requirements, Freestyle is literally the only car that fits the bill in the current lot of hatchbacks at your budget.

[AYP]

The most fun to drive premium hatch is the Baleno with its K12 engine, but it comes with questionable safety standards. The only other option left is the Altroz and the Polo but both have very average petrol engine. Polo in its Comfortline spec is poorly equipped as well. So it is a toss between questionable safety and fun to drive factor vs good safety and average performance. I find myself gravitating more towards better performance.

Won't suggest the Glanza as going 100Km for service doesn't make sense for a badge engineered car, otherwise I would have suggested the Glanza. If you are willing to go a segment lower, then the Freestyle Titanium is a good option. It has a decent safety rating and comes with a peppy petrol engine. The Titanium+ comes with 6 airbags but will breach your budget.

Other option is the Grand i10 Nios 1.0 Turbo Sportz which offers segment leading performance but even that will cost close to 9L on road.

[akash_v12]

Based on your requirements of a fun-to-drive hatchback, I'd recommend the Ford Figo 1.2 Titanium Blu (would advise to not go for the Titanium as it misses out on quite a few features - safety included).

Another option is the Tata Tiago, but as always T.A.S.S is a letdown.

[Waspune]

Maruti and safety don't go hand in hand. Their K12 engine is a gem though.

As far as Figo/Aspire are concerned they also have 'questionable' safety as the car shell was deemed unstable by the NCAP.

I would suggest increase your budget by 1 lakh and get the Polo TSI edition. It has enough power (110 bhp, 175 NM), mated to a slick MT gearbox. It's based out of high line plus trim so you would get almost all the features.

This can give you the best combo of Safety and fun to drive factor.

Or else look at Altroz, however it's petrol engine isn't great.

[Kosfactor]

There is a more practical, spacious and cheaper Swift on sale. Take it for a drive, on the engine department it would outdo cars many times its price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl39YRnv3Hg

[na_agrawal]

First things first, thanks everyone for all your suggestions.

Originally Posted by Tapish

The design may not be to everyone's taste but it has grown very well on all of us. I too was initially sceptical of the design, but in retrospect, it looks way different in a sea of Santros, i10s and i20s in my hometown.

Not a fan of Ignis, but I think I can give it a go since its small, light and has a 1.2 heart in it. Will surely check. Thanks

Originally Posted by gautamkhadse

If you're looking for space and confirm in the rear seat you should look at the Tata Cars . Altroz and Tigor would be perfect. Theres a lot of bad sentiment around the brand but I've had zero issues with their service or the product in the last 2 years of owning a Nexon

Oh! Thanks a ton for this. I completely forgot about the team Tata. I once saw a golden Altroz, it appeared big, is loaded with features and I somehow love that front.

No, not going for Ertiga or Nexon or Triber.

Originally Posted by Sahilrai166

Going by your requirements I suggest you to consider the Ford Freestyle Titanium Plus. The engine is peppy,feature loaded (+6 airbag),good ground clearance (190mm)comes in handy while tackling big speed bumps,decent rear seat space and the maintenance cost is also on the lower side.

I personally also own a Baleno Alpha diesel and have driven the BS6 petrol many times. Glanza/Baleno is best suited for urban commutes thanks to the light steering, butter smooth clutch and gearbox combination with excellent fuel efficiency. But by no means it's fun to drive and the build quality is also average.

Actually you're pretty much on point here. I liked the Freestyle a lot. I once sat in it from Mumbai to Pune in a carpool. It was doing triple digits with ease and comfort.

BUT, since we already have a i20 Active at home, which is a superior crossover hatchback than this (except engine), I'm not sure about going for it. But again, this car holds up high in terms of engine and safety package and Active was 10L OTR.

Strong contender Freestyle is!

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Taking into account your requirements of safety and fun to drive among others, you should not look beyond Ford and VW Polo. Polo is the safest car this side of 10 lakhs. The downside is it's quite a low slung hatch and hence the older members of your family may find the ingress and egress cumbersome. Hence a car with bit of a tall boy design should fit your bill. If I were you, I would blindly pick up Ford Free Style Titanium plus variant.

I ruled out the Polo as it would have been too monotonous for us, since we have a Ameo at home. But again, that 110 horses would be a hoot to drive. Will try to get a TD of this engine equipped Polo. Thanks!

Titianium plus is 8.06L OTR without discounts in my city as per carwale. Why this car is ticking all the boxes for me!?

Originally Posted by hserus

Because you included FTD in your requirements, Freestyle is literally the only car that fits the bill in the current lot of hatchbacks at your budget.

Yes Sir! FTD, OTR price and the fact that 3 of you till now have suggested me to book this one, says volumes about this car.

I think the battle has narrowed down to Polo vs Freestyle vs Altroz.

Furthermore, since we haven't ever owned one Ford or Tata, can anyone of you owners comment about the reliability and build quality (primarily interiors), the use of plastics, the overall NVH levels?

Although I don't care about the kitna deti hai statement, still anyone of you might have the real life kmpl figures for Altroz and Freestyle. Everyone out there seems to just quote the company's claimed figures which have been never true for me. EVER! Be it any car!

Cheers, NA

[GTO]

Originally Posted by na_agrawal

I think the battle has narrowed down to Polo vs Freestyle vs Altroz.

Good shortlist. The Freestyle is lots of fun to drive. VW Polo is evergreen, but haven't driven the new engine yet. Tata Altroz's n/a petrol is noisy & lame. If you like the car, wait for the turbo-petrol.

In the meantime, also consider the Grand i10 Nios 1.0 Turbo. The car flies, its turbo-petrol is simply superb and the car overall boasts best-in-class quality. Also consider the Nexon. You will have to extend the budget a bit, it'll be worth it.