[xway]

I was in the same boat six months back for my sister, she wanted an automatic, easy to drive, spacious from inside, easy to park and maneuver, auto ac, paddle shifters, cruise control, even a sun roof.

I think is this regard there is no other option than Hyundai Exter SX or Knight version

Advantages over others in this segment -

- 1.2 Kappa 4 cylinder reliable tested engine
- Smooth AMT with paddle shifters
- Auto AC
- Rear Camera
- Cruise control
- Good fuel economy of 12 - 14 in city and 18 on highways
- Very Roomy inside
- 6 Airbags, ABS, EBD, ESC, Hill Assist all safety features one can ask
- 8 inch touchscreen with wired android auto or apple carplay
- Even a Sunroof

The only thing missing is alloy wheels for which you can go for SX O.

Below 10 lacs having all this with a 4 cylinder engine, there does not seem to be any other option.

[DLC5005]

Thanks a lot team, for the inputs and valuable suggestions. It was much helpful and has cleared most of our doubts.

Not able to reply individually to each post. So will pen down a consolidated reply based on your suggestions, some personal research and reading.

Note:
As per the suggestion have included 3X0 and Amaze to the list, to keep as additional options.

The final list, in no particular order:
1. Suzuki Baleno :
Alpha AMT after discounts, gives great features. Mileage and maintenance won't be a concern, given it's a Maruti. And negatives being light built quality and interior colour theme.

2. Suzuki Fronx :
A muscled up Baleno. Looks fresh and different from regular Maruti cars. Interior colour theme and ground clearance, mileage is good. But again built quality is a question and less features compared to Baleno for the equivalent price.
Turbo AT is out of budget.

3. Hyundai i20 sportz CVT:
No second thoughts about hyundai sales, service, interiors, fit and finish and CVT gearbox. (We had owned an i20 MT earlier) Only concern is mileage and less features compared to Baleno.

4. Hyundai Exter :
Although it's a raised grand i10, it looks good and with more features. Hyundai AMT s are decent too.(My wife drives a Santro AMT and it's decently smooth). Although it looks good from front and inside, the sides and rear are completely odd looking(at least for us)

5. Honda Amaze :
Hadn't considered this for 2 reasons.
* Already own a WRV petrol
* Not sure of Honda's future in India
But after many of you suggested this, I have included this too in the list now.

6. Mahindra 3X0:
Thanks for suggesting this, but it's out of budget.
Even the base variant MX2 is priced around 12.5L in Bangalore.
Have shortlisted this too as of now, will decide based on test drive and finances.

Eliminated from the list :
1. Hyundai Grand i10 nios:
Erstwhile grand i10 looked more premium and came with AT. But with nios both looks and gearbox is mellowed down. And not considering it, since a better i20 is already shortlisted.

2. Kiger/Magnite:
I myself was a proud owner of Renault Duster till 15 days back. Renault service is not great and fit and finish is not great either. And with the Kwid sales declining, Renault is sustaining only with the sales of Kiger and Triber.
Similar to Honda , we are worried on Renault future.So not shortlisted yet. Will keep as a backup plan.

Offtopic:
A time was there when 10-13L segment would have given us options like Ertiga, Ciaz, City, Creta E, Brezza etc. Now a humble Alto K10 itself is costing ~7L in Bangalore. So it's becoming a difficult task to chose a correct vehicle with the right balance between goodness and worth for money/budget.

Planning to do the test drives in the weekend and hoping to get a clear picture .

Thanks again, for all the valuable suggestions.

[venukrithish]

I hope you have test driven all the cars. Here's my take on it. You have a 11L budget. CVTs are a double edged sword. They are smooth in city but not as fuel efficient as a manual or an amt. The best CVT-engine combo in your budget is the Nissan magnite. It has usable performance and Nissan isn't going anywhere despite their one car wonder show. Instead of Amaze or i20, magnite is a well rounded car.
The real practical choice is going for exter sx amt or fronx 1.2 delta plus amt. Both these amts are actually very good. Amts have come a long way. The exter is better equipped and has the better shifts. The paddles help as well. The fronx is an absolute looker. But take your pick. Any one of these will be a safe and sane choice. These are fill and shut it kinda cars.

[venukrithish]

Originally Posted by nova.19_exe

I'd say go for the Fronx. You get all your requirements checked off the box, and you don't have to worry about AMT jerks and CVT belts going off.

It's a Torque Converter, the same one which you get in the VW Virtus, Mahindra XUV3XO, etc.

What're you on about? OP wants a car under 11L and your suggesting him a car that is >15L on road.

[nova.19_exe]

Originally Posted by venukrithish

What're you on about? OP wants a car under 11L and your suggesting him a car that is >15L on road.

Yeah, that was a mistake on my end. Sorry!

[emmenhr]

Originally Posted by DLC5005

Hi Team,
I need some help in deciding a car for my uncle.

My uncle is planning to buy an automatic car, to be used by his wife and daughter. Since he is not much into automobiles, he has asked my help.


Thanks in advance.

I am also in a similar situation - currently looking for a petrol car in bangalore for my daughter. Her driving would be around 700 to 800 kms in a month.
Her requirements were very clear - wanted a car with 4 or 6 airbags (NO compromise on that), automatic (no AMT or IMT), had to have reverse parking camera and height adjustment drivers seat. Budget was/is 15 lakhs.
After checking & driving quite a few cars in the last two weeks, we shortlisted :
1. Hyundai Venue S (O) - on road price 14.10 lakhs after discount. Though the KIA Sonet had the same features, did not consider as it was priced almost a lakh more than the Venue.
2. Fronx AMT Delta + (O) - 11.57 lakhs
3. Baleno Alpha - 12 lakhs approx
4. Mahindra 3XO - AX5 - 14.99 lakhs
5. Tata Nexon Creative + - 15.45 lakhs.

The Amaze CVT was an amazing package at 12 lakhs on road ( I loved it so much that I tried convincing my daughter), but had to drop it as it has only 2 airbags, which my daughter was not ready to compromise on.
Ruled out the Maruti cars due to the AMT, but they seemed a good bet for anyone who would not mind an AMT.

The Hyundai Venue seemed to be the smoothest to drive with the Nexon & the 3XO very good at handling & pickups. Very less separating the Nexon & the 3XO, but after the current discounts, leaning more towards the Nexon, what with 6 months of waiting for the 3XO as mentioned by the sales person.

A visit to the Tata showroom is making us rethink after seeing the currv. The Pure + version is aroung 15.9 lakhs and seems quite worth the wait.

Friends, just a query. Is the Currv worth the wait since the test rides will commence only after October 3rd.
Thanks in advance.
Krish

[vsathyap]

Hi all,

Posting on behalf of a friend who is in a conundrum. This is what he has to say:

I have a 6 Y/o Tata Nexon that has run 35k odd km till date. Ive grown tired of the issues and niggles on the car, specially things related to the AC and the key. Although I use the car for city commutes most of the times, I do Bangalore<=>Mangalore frequently and everyone knows what condition that highway is in. In my last trip to Mangalore, the AC sensor broke, and I had to travel without AC in sweltering heat and a constant drizzle which made it cumbersome. Got the controller fixed from a local dealer, after which it was fine for a couple of days and on the return leg, it broke again which meant I had to travel without AC, back to Bangalore. Ive had multiple ASC visits in the last 2-3 years to sort this out but still no luck. Looks like they aren't too bothered to fix issues and I always get the car back with "take it back we have done something, lets see if it works". Another issue has been the key which simply refuses to work because of which I need to operate the locks manually. Same attitude from ASC for this issue as well.

I have now had enough with Tata and want to look elsewhere - preferably in the 12-13L segment. This gives me a limited choice with The Fronx and the Taisor being strong contenders. I am also considering the 3XO but it is slightly out of my budget. Strictly no to Brezza as literally everyone in the extended family has one. Im also curious about the Basalt and the MG Astor but a little doubtful on their after sales service record, specially after my brush with Tata. I want something clean, simple, reliable and fuss free that can do the city runabouts and the odd trip to Mangalore and back (good suspension is a must have). Im not too bent upon features like ADAS and the fluffy stuff, but its always good to have ABS, ESC, 360 camera (if possible), and the usual Android Auto and Apple Car Play. Most important are good ASS and good driver visibility and ride quality.

Can the BHPians help him out?

[Sanidhya mukund]

A trouble free, reliable, easy to use, reasonably well loaded car for 12-13 lakhs OTR Bangalore?

My suggestions in the order of preference would be:

1. Kia Sonet 1.2 HTK Plus
2. Hyundai i20 (all variants including automatic)
3. Maruti Fronx (all variants)
4. Mahindra XUV 3XO MX3 pro or AX5

The MG Astor is also a good choice, since it is from the next segment and priced quite well. However, as you said, the long term reliability is a bit of a gamble. Citroen Basalt is too new to comment upon reliability. Citroen isn’t known for its dealer network either.

[manojrajakrishn]

Originally Posted by DLC5005

Hi Team,
I need some help in deciding a car for my uncle.

My uncle is planning to buy an automatic car, to be used by his wife and daughter. Since he is not much into automobiles, he has asked my help.

Below are the requirements:
1.Easy maintenance and decently built and good looking.
2. Has to be automatic, CVT preferred, if not AMT is also fine. (No iMT)
3. Budget 10L( +/- 1L onroad Bangalore)
4. Hyundai and Maruti is preferred.
5. Usage pattern : For small city/hometown(traffic is negligible), rural and paved village roads, highway trips(500 kms to and fro) once in 2 months.
6. Must haves : ABS, airbags, touchscreen, reverse camera, steering mounted controls, good mileage and hill hold assist.
7. Good to have: auto AC, sunroof, push button start etc.
8. Planning to keep the car for atleast next 10 years.

Currently shortlisted : Hyundai i20, exter and Maruti Fronx, Baleno.

Excluded:
1. Tata vehicles were the first choice, but as they were not satisfied with tata service quality earlier, planning to skip it.
2. Honda is skipped too, since they already have a WRV.
3. Grand i10,Ignis, swift are excluded, purely based on personal interest in looks.

So kindly share some inputs and which car will be worth the money and if any other worthy options.
This will help us in deciding the best possible option.

Thanks in advance.

I20 CVT Sportz would be the right fit!

-A complete car that will fit your listed requisites.
-Hyundai's service network.
-Fit and finish better in the segment with the current options you have in the market
-Good Resale value
-Looks good aesthetically
-A car that will fit and be liked by both the young and old generation.

[bathtubgerald]

You can try out Nissan Magnite Geza edition. It will be within your price range and it would come with a nice combination of Turbo + CVT.

[null]

Why aren't you guys considering an EV going by your usage pattern described above?

[jinojohnt]

Test drive a kiger/magnite/C3 automatic as well. Never select a car based only on online reviews.

[Phantom 510]

Fronx AGS - Best in segment 1.2L NA petrol motor (at the moment), vfm, frugal, reliable, AGS is pretty smooth too when driven accordingly, 3 proper headrest for the rear occupants, stylish (subjective), high ground clearance, largest service network in the country and lastly stellar resale value.

[OpenRoads]

Originally Posted by DLC5005

Hyundai Exter :
Although it's a raised grand i10, it looks good and with more features. Hyundai AMT s are decent too.(My wife drives a Santro AMT and it's decently smooth). Although it looks good from front and inside, the sides and rear are completely odd looking(at least for us)

I hear you my friend and also agree on the weird side profile. Usually Hyundai is pretty good at design however while working the side profile for this car the designers were surely in a hurry.

But if that alone can be ignored it makes a pretty strong case for your requirement.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5842104 (Hyundai Exter Review)

[faust]

Hello everybody,

I have a similar requirement

However, I have gone through the posts and some other threads and videos on youtube and I feel that I am looking for something slightly different from what is being discussed.

About me:
My family car is a 2008 i10.
We have gone our separate ways because of which I am forced to get a car myself.
I don’t have much driving experience myself as a family member did most of the driving, so you could consider me a novice.
I intend to keep the new car for a long time and don’t want to swap it in a few years.
I am not an enthusiast and not looking for a fun to drive car.

I am looking to get a value for money car that will give me the least trouble. I do not wish to run around the service centre.
Maintenance and spare parts must be cheap.
I think the above may give you a good idea about what I am looking for.

Driving assists like hill hold, rear camera and 360 deg camera are useful.
The car will mostly be driven in the city with perhaps an occassional drive on the highways to nearby locations.

Budget: Originally 10L on-road, but I am willing to stretch it out to 12L max as there seem to be some good options worth considering at 12L.

Location: Hyderabad

Date of purchase: Towards the end of the year. I am told there will be good discounts as well then.

Transmission: Must be some sort of an automatic.
Many on BHP are quite vocal against AMTs but from what I have been told the Maruti and Hyundai AMTs are quite good and I will consider them. Else there would hardly be any options at this budget

The cars I am considering are

Baleno / Glanza - Seems to meet all my requirements. Does the Glanza have better build / paint quality?
Fronx / Taisor - I am close to ruling this option out in the favour of Baleno / Glanza as I have been told that the Baleno comes with more features at the same price.
Exter - I am attracted by the digital instrument panel compared to the other non-Hyundai cars in the list, but should I? The automatic variants of the Exter also seem to be priced lower than the Baleno and Fronx. I have seen on YT that this car looks unusual when 3 are seated in the back seat.
Amaze - Everybody is singing praises about this car. From it’s CVT to it’s after sales service, low maintenance etc. The interiors look dated though. There are rumours of a facelift being launched before the end of the year but there will probably be no discounts on it.
I20 - I would like to know how the lowest variant Sportz CVT does against the similarly priced Glanza G / V AMT
I10 - No nonsense car which is tried and tested. Can save some money by buying this.

Can the BHP members provide any advice regarding adding / eliminating cars to the above list?

Are the CVTs in the i20 / Amaze worth having more than the features in the AMTs?