[sunikkat]

Hello All

Now this is going to be a strange comparison.

To give a bit of background, we currently have an Octavia TDI (2016 model) and an Alto 800. In current environment of working from home Alto is only used for daily errands like grocery shopping and few other purpose. The weekend drives, highways and other fun drives are taken care by Octavia. Both myself and my wife are working in the same organization which is just a km from our home, so which means once we start going back to office our daily car usage will still be less.

Now we are looking to replace Alto 800 with a new hatchback. This will be a beater car which again will be only used within city, office runs, weekend runs to malls. This will also be the drive for my wife for her errands (though she hardly drives). Also will be used to ferry family within city.

Considering the limited use we had set the original budget of 7.5 Lakhs OTR Bangalore. However as we started searching the cars our budgets is increased to 10.5 L. Now considering for every 50k increase in budget you get a better car, we want to put cap on our maximum budget which is 11 L OTR Bangalore.

The requirements are

• Automatic and Petrol only
• Budget maximum of 11 Lakhs OTR Bangalore
• Fun to drive, obviously with in the limited capacity
• Reliable and fuss free ownership
• Something that we can keep for 10 years minimum (though the KMs driven will be less)

Based on these criteria's we have shortlisted and test driven Tata Tiago XZA+ Dual Tone AMT, Grand i10 Nios AMT Asta, Swift ZXI+ AMT Dual Tone and i20 1 Turbo iMT Sportz

Tata Tiago:
Version: Top end - XZA+ AMT Dual Tone (~ 8.5 L OTR)

Pros:

• 4 star safety rating
• Solidly build

Cons:

• AMT in Tiago was pretty bad in the test drive, lot of head knock feel
• The engine did not feel peppy and that 3 cylinder roughness
• Less space in the back to fit 3 adults
• Very ordinary experience at the dealership. They made us walk with the 4 year old kid in that busy service road for almost half a km to and fro to the test drive car. Not a happy feeling
• Long term reliability and service support from Tata is a big question

Grand i10 Nios:
Version: Top end AMT Asta (~ 9.8 L OTR)

Pros:

• Loaded to grills
• Good quality interiors
• AMT is the best of the cars I tested

Cons:

• Kappa engine is not peppy as Suzuki K Series
• Not very fun to drive, and doesn't handle like Swift
• Both interior and exterior not to my taste (though interior quality is good).
• Flimsy build overall and bad crash test rating
• The front seats were not comfortable for my build, there is hardly any side bolsters

Suzuki Swift:
Version: Top end ZXI+ AMT (~ 10.7 L OTR)

Pros:

• The top end is fully loaded with projector LEDs, DRLs, Apple car play, hill hold assist etc. No need to spend much on aftermarket fitments
• Though not fun as previous generation Swifts, this car is still fun to drive and the 2021 engine update has made it more fun. The engine I felt is much better than i10 Nios
• Though the AMT is not as good as i10, I was happy with the overall response. Much better than Tiago and can easily live with it (provided its reliable too)
• The quality of interiors is lesser than i10, but I liked the layout, styling, black colour etc. This is more sporty and seats are supportive too. Flat bottom steering wheel and those aluminum touches makes it more sporty
• Totally happy with the dealership experience, no one can beat this. Surely easy to live with, infact there is a Maruti dealership / service center next to our apartment

Cons:

• Flimsy build and poor crash test rating
• Is it worth considering top end 10.7 lakhs is in the range of premium hatchbacks

Did not consider Baleno as I found the AMT in Swift to be better than CVT. Also Baleno CVT is not updated with Dualjet engine (down by 7 bhp against Swift) and a newer version is coming

Hyundai i20:
Version: 1 L Turbo iMT Sportz (~ 11 L OTR)
Did not do a test drive of iMT yet, but have driven my friends 1 L Turbo DCT i20 extensively. Considering i20 only for turbo engine

Pros:

• Car from a segment above - premium hatchback
• Fun to drive turbo engine (if not compared to Polo)
• More exclusivity, as lesser new gen i20s on road than Swift
• More premium feel than other options here

Cons:

• Low end version - would need to get many things from aftermarket like alloys, leather wrap steering, apple car play, LED lights etc
• iMT is still a manual and we need to engage gears - will it be as convenient like AMT / CVT?
• Will the turbo engine be convenient like NA engine in the city traffic?
• Okay build and questionable safety rating

Honda Jazz:
Now this is a wild card entry. Have never driven Jazz, but have extensively driven all generations of City and I am not a big fan of it. Though Jazz has more premium feel and space, worried about the future of Honda and Jazz. Are they going to continue this model with ~ 700 units per month. Is it worth considering Jazz? How good is the real world performance? The mid variant comes in my budget.


If the car was only for me I would have closed my eyes and bought a Polo TSI GT (even if slightly more expensive). But since this will be mainly used to ferry family within city I need more space. Also wifey needs more features, so Polo is out.

Nissan / Renault are not considered due to limited dealership support and I need a fuss free ownership, not confident of them yet.

Venue / Sonet are not considered as they only have iMT or DCT which is not my preference. Also wanted to restrict my budget to 11 Lakhs, otherwise we will keep increasing our budget and finally buy Kushaq 1.5 TSI . I would as well save that money and use it for upgrading my Octavia whenever I am ready for it. For this reason Nexon is out too.

With all the good work Tata has done on safety, I really wanted to buy Tiago. But the car was underwhelming and dealership experience was pretty bad. Only safety is going for Tiago. Altroz doesn't have automatic.

There are so many cars in the market, yet finding one is difficult. Now after prioritizing all our requirements and considering this car will hardly ever see highways we are planning to finalize on Swift. It is fast, fun, sporty, looks good and unbeatable Maruti experience.
So this is the dilemma I have. Appreciate any feedback and suggestions.

[saisree]

Your requirements points to Jazz. It may not be that pouncing tiger, but, for sure is a ideal family workhorse. With all those space, non claustrophobic, reliable iVTec its worth the penny put on it. And, I feel Honda is not going out.

[RavSam]

With your shortlisting I would say Swift. Safety rating being the only concern.

Maruti Suzuki AMTs are refined with every iteration. So would not worry much about that.

P.S. And since you don't want to stretch your budget, I would not recommend Ertiga VXi AT

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by saisree

Your requirements points to Jazz.

Thanks for the suggestion, test drive planned this weekend

Originally Posted by RavSam

And since you don't want to stretch your budget, I would not recommend Ertiga VXi AT

Thank you, considering my usage and my wife would not be comfortable with size of Ertiga don’t think it will fit the requirements.

[DevSunit]

Voted for others, what about a Punch Creative AMT. Easy Ingress and Drivability. It's 1.2 NA is now tweaked for better low end performance. It will be well within your budget also. The 3 pot's voice is well concealed below 3k rpm. Also here in Kerala, the TASS are growing their reputation. Or Else is the Polo GT TSI out of competition?

[kedar_GT]

Considering your shortlist and your requirement for a beater, my vote goes to the Swift or the i10 Nios. The latter has the better AMT (no two ways about it) - but the Swift one is not bad either. Just a matter of learning & mastering the shift points - ie. when to lift off to allow the shift. The Swift will likely start showing up rattles much earlier in comparison to the Nios but will have a better FTD quotient.

The i20 sounds like an overkill for the proposed usage and the iMT is not a true auto (considering the fact that your wife will also drive this)

If you do wish to consider a Honda, do checkout the new Amaze as well

[Lalitha Venkat]

I voted for Others. Since your use is going to be with in limited range and your wife will be using this for errands shopping, I suggest you should evaluate Celario/ Wagon R. You already have an Alto and are used with MUL, you can save on your budget. Also since you have the Octavia for highway and other runs, dont think any other hatch is going to add value to. you The incremental value you are going to get is not significant from any other hatch. If you did not have the Octavia, its a different story. Also seating position of Wagon R is good and many senior citizens are comfortable with it. Celario has been around and is getting a face lift.

[greenhorn]

Have you driven the nios 1.0 gdi turbo? It should be the most fun, but i think it's not available on asta

[busydrive]

Voted Others. I am in similar state. Booking Punch.

[Simhi]

Originally Posted by sunikkat

Though Jazz has more premium feel and space, worried about the future of Honda and Jazz.

Originally Posted by saisree

Your requirements points to Jazz. It may not be that pouncing tiger, but, for sure is a ideal family workhorse. With all those space, non claustrophobic, reliable iVTec its worth the penny put on it. And, I feel Honda is not going out.

Totally agree with saisree here. I would prefer TC or CVT unit anytime over AMT. Also, Jazz is very spacious and give a roomy feeling. It has sold a lot of units over the years and it is yet to be discontinued. You should get spares and service for Jazz for the next 10 years unless Honda plans to windup which as of now seems unlikely.

[KennethSamuel]

I can understand where you're coming from. I too was in your position just a couple of years ago. It's a good thing that you put a cap on your budget.

In my opinion, keeping your requirements in mind, I think you should give a thought to Tata Punch. I understand that Tata Experience and reception at the showroom might be a little cold/unenthusiastic but please do check it out before ruling it out.

I would definitely recommend that you take Jazz for a test ride.

Although Swift is a popular choice, I don't know if safety is something that one ought to compromise. So I would've kept it as a last resort back up.

Good luck with your car hunt. My best wishes are with you.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by DevSunit

Voted for others, what about a Punch Creative AMT. Or Else is the Polo GT TSI out of competition?

Thank you. Punch seems to have higher waiting period. Also my experience with Tata showroom was bad. But I don't want to rule out a good car only for that. Will try another Tata dealer over next weekend and see.
Polo was the natural selection for me and I love that car to bits. Still I find Polo to be the best looking hatch. But it is cramped and I am looking for something that I can keep with less maintenance for next 10 years. And even top end comes with halogen lamps, no DRLs etc. If this was my only car, I would have definitely gone for Polo (prioritizing my requirement) for the fun to drive factor but this time I will be more accommodative to the family

Originally Posted by kedar_GT

The i20 sounds like an overkill for the proposed usage and the iMT is not a true auto (considering the fact that your wife will also drive this)
If you do wish to consider a Honda, do checkout the new Amaze as well

Thank you. Had been to Hyundai today. It seems regular i20 turbo Sportz IMT are longer available and as per the sales guy they are using this model for N Line (though not sure to what extent I can believe that). Infact i20 N Line IMT N6 is available on road for 12 Lakhs without any waiting period. Was tempted by the offering as it is fairly loaded variant and also has sunroof. Also interiors were good for the money. The test drive car was not available. As you mentioned iMT is not true automatic and it is indeed an overkill at this stage. Though the fact that it is priced only 1.5 lakhs more for Swift AMT top end is making me think about it.
Amaze along with Octavia will be a difficult fit in my parking and also not looking for a sedan.

Originally Posted by Lalitha Venkat

I voted for Others. Since your use is going to be with in limited range and your wife will be using this for errands shopping, I suggest you should evaluate Celario/ Wagon R.

Thank you. One of the reason for changing Alto (other than needing an auto) is the space to fit 3 people in the back seat. My usage of Octavia within city will reduce and need a car which can ferry my family for normal city runs. Also in Celerio, Wagon R fixing booster seat and accommodating 2 adults at back is a challenge

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Have you driven the nios 1.0 gdi turbo? It should be the most fun, but i think it's not available on asta

Thank you. Nios 1.0 Turbo is available only in manual, but I am looking for an auto.

Originally Posted by busydrive

Voted Others. I am in similar state. Booking Punch.

Punch is indeed a good choice and that car has strong character. I am planning to consider this again too.

Originally Posted by Simhi

Totally agree with saisree here. I would prefer TC or CVT unit anytime over AMT. Also, Jazz is very spacious and give a roomy feeling. It has sold a lot of units over the years and it is yet to be discontinued.

Thank you.
No offence to any owners, but I am still not able to like the way Jazz looks. But considering the practicality this is still a strong contender.

So currently it is Swift (leading) vs. Jazz majorly. Will try Punch again on the waiting period and will also see whether I get more confidence from another Tata showroom. Somewhere in the back of mind also have i20 N Line N6 for the value it offers.
Any long term users of IMT here? - How do you find this against other auto gear boxes from a convenience point of view?

Thanks again for all your suggestions. I will mostly close with one of these 4 by end Nov

[BMW_Fan]

Consider Baleno CVT, its far more superior than the AMT rivals. Yes, the build quality is poor but considering that you have Swift in your list, Baleno is no different.

Also you can wait for the 2022 Baleno, maybe it will come with new engine options.

[Herschey]

Since you've upped your budget to 11 lacs, do not forget to try out the Nissan-Renault twins - the Nissan Magnite and Renault Kiger as well. Both of them come sufficiently loaded with features and have a peppy turbocharged engine + CVT combination. All of this along with a 4 star safety rating makes them both pretty compelling options.

[landcruiser123]

I'd suggest prioritizing utility over FTD factor(you have an Octavia for that). Baleno or Jazz should be your top pick. I feel Baleno CVT is slightly more responsive, but Jazz is the overall better built car with more comfort.

If you are open to used cars, the Brio is a lot more FTD with it's 5 speed torque converter. It is short of rear legroom though.