[07CR]

My dad plans to replace his Sonet iMT Turbo Petrol. Rationally (There are some irrational reasons that is driving the need for replacing Sonet, unfortunately can't share those here)speaking there is only one issue with this car, i.e. the low mileage he gets (10 KMPL in Pune traffic, I get 12-14 in same region). Somehow he is not able to extract more mileage from it.

He has shortlisted the Fronx Delta + MT (NA motor) and Baleno Zeta MT. He expects to get 16-18 kmpl from both these cars.

Any other car I should checkout? Budget is under 10L and can't be stretched. It has to be a manual transmission. No to AMTs. CVT/AT can be considered.
Fuss free, cheap ASS and great mileage are prime requirements. Everything else comes later.

Would be very helpful to hear your comments. Thanks!

[xenon0025]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Any other car I should checkout? Budget is under 10L and can't be stretched. It has to be a manual transmission. No to AMTs. CVT/AT can be considered.
Fuss free, cheap ASS and great mileage are prime requirements. Everything else comes later.

Would be very helpful to hear your comments. Thanks!

I would suggest to check out the CNG versions of Tata Tiago and Hyundai Nios.

I recently drove my cousin's 8 month old Tata Tigor on a highway for ~40kms and was fairly surprised with the performance. It completed 10000kms on our drive. My earlier reference for a CNG vehicle was when I drove a friend's i10 which had an aftermarket CNG kit. It felt way underpowered and I did not like the drive. But my recent drive of the Tigor changed my perception for factory fitted CNG vehicle.

While you shortlist the vehicle, get a test drive of both the CNG vehicles as well and it will help you take a decision.

[shancz]

Between the two the choice is between the design preference and ease of ingress/egress for your father.
Voted others, to bring these cars into consideration but I assume you've already thought about it:
- Ignis : covers most of your use cases but is old and the design is a matter of personal preference. But still a good contender if attractive discounts are on offer.
- Swift : good feedbacks but pricing is too close to the larger Baleno which I guess you've already considered
- i10 Nios : slightly lower FE than the Marutis but I am a bit sceptical about recommending another from the Hyundai family.
- Tiago : a good overall car but the others do better in the city.

[self_driven]

New Swift will be a good choice. Its claimed FE is 10% more than Baleno/Fronx and at par with Maruti's smaller cars with 1.0-litre engines. While these ARAI figures cannot be taken at face value, they serve as a good reference point to draw comparisons. So in real-world conditions, the Swift's FE will certainly be closer to a WagonR 1.0 than a Baleno.

The car in itself is feature-loaded, has light controls and feels nice and modern. I don't think the lack of low end grunt (as compared to 4-cylinder engine) will matter to your dad. He can also look at AMTs, fuel efficiency of manual and AMT is almost similar.

[Vishal.R]

Nothing can beat diesel in mileage, Can consider Altroz XM Plus diesel. Also agree about CNG offerings from TATA and Hyundai as other options.

[sharmanova]

Since your Sonet is feature loaded (assuming you've the upper variant), your dad will feel the Fronx to be bland especially the bezel surrounding the infotainment system. Meanwhile the Baleno Zeta has most of the features of your Sonet and is priced similar to the Fronx, I would recommend you to go ahead with Baleno over the Fronx.

Also if you're open to the pre-owned route, you can get a 2-3 year old low run Baleno Alpha at the price of Baleno Zeta

[It's Magic]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Fuss free, cheap ASS and great mileage are prime requirements. Everything else comes later.

This line suggests you are looking for something from Maruti

Anyways, from the given choices, I would suggest going with the Fronx as it looks more modern.

I noticed you have not mentioned anything about CNG models. If good fuel efficiency is one of the prime factors, I suggest going with a CNG variant. Maruti has CNG variants available in multiple models, so you can explore these options.

If your father is not looking for a feature loaded car, you can try the Wagon R, which will give you good mileage. However, if features are important, you can look at the Swift; the new Swift offers better mileage.

Outside of Maruti, you can consider the Tata Tiago CNG or Hyundai i10 Nios CNG.

Best wishes!

[07CR]

Thank you all for your responses. I believe CNG is the ideal way to go. But me and dad have some apprehensions about CNG. Let me know on the following-

1) How is the maintenance cost of a CNG vehicle? How high would the service cost go because of added maintenance of a CNG tank?
2) Are there any safety issues that he should be aware off? He has read a few articles about CNG cars catching fires and hence is afraid of the same.
3) Does adding CNG (even factory fitted) reduce the engine life?

Originally Posted by xenon0025

I would suggest to check out the CNG versions of Tata Tiago and Hyundai Nios.

A strict no to Tata. He might checkout Nios. He is apprehensive about high maintenance cost associated with Hyundai vehicles.

Originally Posted by shancz

Voted others, to bring these cars into consideration but I assume you've already thought about it:

Thanks rejected Ignis/swift because of the cons you already mentioned. I10 nios was not being considered because of perceived high maintainence costs of Hyundai. Kia on the other hand was very affordable after sales service costs way.

Originally Posted by self_driven

New Swift will be a good choice. Its claimed FE is 10% more than Baleno/Fronx and at par with Maruti's smaller cars with 1.0-litre engines. While these ARAI figures cannot be taken at face value, they serve as a good reference point to draw comparisons. So in real-world conditions, the Swift's FE will certainly be closer to a WagonR 1.0 than a Baleno.

Swift lacks much of Baleno's equipment. Its also a smaller car. Hence not being considered.

Originally Posted by Vishal.R

Nothing can beat diesel in mileage, Can consider Altroz XM Plus diesel. Also agree about CNG offerings from TATA and Hyundai as other options.

He won't touch any Tata vehicle. Just too many horror stories all around even in his circle.

Hyundai he is slightly apprehensive because of perceived high maintainence costs.

Originally Posted by sharmanova

Since your Sonet is feature loaded (assuming you've the upper variant), your dad will feel the Fronx to be bland especially the bezel surrounding the infotainment system. Meanwhile the Baleno Zeta has most of the features of your Sonet and is priced similar to the Fronx, I would recommend you to go ahead with Baleno over the Fronx.

Also if you're open to the pre-owned route, you can get a 2-3 year old low run Baleno Alpha at the price of Baleno Zeta

Yes, my sonet is a HTX variant is quite well loaded. He is tilting towards the Baleno indeed. Checked out the pre owned route, no alpha in good condition is available.

Originally Posted by It's Magic

I noticed you have not mentioned anything about CNG models. If good fuel efficiency is one of the prime factors, I suggest going with a CNG variant. Maruti has CNG variants available in multiple models, so you can explore these options.

There are some apprehensions about CNG mentioned above in this comment.

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by 07CR

1) How is the maintenance cost of a CNG vehicle? How high would the service cost go because of added maintenance of a CNG tank?

The cost is quite low and if your mileage is less then even better. Had posted about part costs here. CNG filters need to be replaced every 20,000 km and you are good to go. Additionally, spark plugs should be replaced every 50,000 km. Do note that the parts maybe bit cheaper in MS than Toyota.


Would suggest you read some more from the owner’s manual. Here’s the CNG PMS for Baleno:

Source

2) Are there any safety issues that he should be aware off?

One should make sure to perform the cylinder leak test every 3 years, and I guess that should be enough.

3) Does adding CNG (even factory fitted) reduce the engine life?

Not sure about this. Just crossed the 45,000 km mark on my Hyryder today, which came up in 421 days. Yes, I am counting, lol. Looking forward to hit 1L on the odo in a couple of years.

Also, I would suggest to DM @blackwasp, as he runs a taxi fleet business and he would have better knowledge and idea about the same.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by 07CR

My dad plans to replace his Sonet iMT Turbo Petrol. Rationally (There are some irrational reasons that is driving the need for replacing Sonet, unfortunately can't share those here)speaking there is only one issue with this car, i.e. the low mileage he gets (10 KMPL in Pune traffic, I get 12-14 in same region). Somehow he is not able to extract more mileage from it.

Low mileage doesn't necessarily mean bad car, it can also be due to bad driving habits, bad fuel quality etc. I suggest to check if the driving time or route can be changed. I hope the OEM has been communicated regarding the issue as well if there is a scope for maintenance related improvements.

Since you need a fuel efficient car, you need to look at the Japanese or Korean cars specifically as they are more tuned towards fuel efficiency/mileage. Plus it will be good to look at diesel cars if mileage is a top priority. The erstwhile national engine the 1.3 MJD was the mileage favorite, check if you can get your hands on a less used car with that engine.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

The cost is quite low and if your mileage is less then even better.

Also, I would suggest to DM @blackwasp, as he runs a taxi fleet business and he would have better knowledge and idea about the same.

This helps, thanks. Have also DM @blackswap.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Low mileage doesn't necessarily mean bad car, it can also be due to bad driving habits, bad fuel quality etc. I suggest to check if the driving time or route can be changed. I hope the OEM has been communicated regarding the issue as well if there is a scope for maintenance related improvements.

Since you need a fuel efficient car, you need to look at the Japanese or Korean cars specifically as they are more tuned towards fuel efficiency/mileage. Plus it will be good to look at diesel cars if mileage is a top priority. The erstwhile national engine the 1.3 MJD was the mileage favorite, check if you can get your hands on a less used car with that engine.

Sonet is an absolutely fantastic vehicle. No issues whatsoever. Like I mentioned in my opening post low mileage is the only rational reason for it to be replaced. There are many other irrational reasons which are not car specific that are driving this decision.

With regards to mileage, I easily manage to get 12-14 in same region, where my dad manages 10. At 64, he is not able to extract better mileage, despite trying it. He is mentioned a NO to used vehicles and that drives diesel away.

[null]

At 64, I would also factor the ease of driving as a significant parameter in my decision. I would go for an automatic (even AMT is fine) over a manual if driving in any city. Mentioning this because you are considering MT versions.

Also, why not an EV? Lower running expense (FE parameter), Ease of driving, maintenance free (relatively). Again, it depends on the budget. But an EV is a fuss free automatic equivalent of a ICE automatic car IMO.

[fhdowntheline]

I have the 2024 Swift AGS. And I am happy to report that even in its very early days, it is giving great mileage in mixed mode driving. Recently I had reported a highway trip mileage of 26.4 on a 118km trip on the expressway.
Even with Pune's horrible traffic, the general mileage is not below 14 kmpl. This is far cry from my erstwhile Tiago manual which had decent highway mileage of 18 kmpl, but the crawl traffic mileage dropped very quickly to near single digits.

Swift is a more manageable car (dimension wise) than its siblings like the Fronx and Baleno. It is better equipped than the Ignis in all aspects. It is also ergonomically sound. You will get good discounts too, given the market conditions. I would say, give it a shot for a test drive. The manual is also very easy with the light clutch and smooth gearbox.

[kadanaJ]

More than changing the car, I would suggest adapting his driving style.

My dad gets 10-11 out of our Baleno, without over-revving or speeding. I get 13+ in the same car, by doing things like coasting and shifting often to keep the revs low (note: I can bring the average down to as low as 9 if I'm in the mood ). I don't know how folks get 16+ out of their Balenos in city traffic.

Beyond that, the new Swift is probably one of the most fuel efficient cars one can get today.