[landcruiser123]

I think the situation is 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

Backward steps:
1. Toyota: No sweet Etios and Liva 1.5 P
2. Maruti Suzuki: No Baleno RS & S-Cross 1.6 D; Also, no car with the 1.4 boosterjet
3. Fiat has dropped it's entire range
4. Chevrolet: No Cruze
5. Honda: Messed up the powertrain offerings in the Civic & CR-V; No Jazz 1.5 & Brio either
6. Tata + JTP alliance is no more
7. Ford: Removed the old Fiestas, Endeavour 3.2
8. Maybe nitpicking, but some friends have complained that the new 1.5 D from Hyundai doesn't have the magic of the 1.6 D

[shikhar10882]

Originally Posted by gulerianeeraj

Amazing thread as usual. I think Fiat Grande Punto deserves a speacial mention

Continuing from ^^ post.. I also feel sad that Fiat was not accepted in its second innings in India.. otherwise I have always found their cars to be driver oriented enthusiasts' cars - starting from Palio (1.6), Punto (1.3 Multijet - 90 Bhp), Linea T-Jet and finally the Abarth.
Personally, even today I feel more 'connected' while driving my 8 year old Linea over the City / Verna.

[shal255]

I absolutely agree that Kicks deserves a look too. I drove the MT 1.3T and it is a beast! My only problem was the cramped foot well which will make it excruciating to drive in stop and go traffic ( i do Noida to Gurgaon 3 to 4 times a week). Have had to delay my purchase to next year and i am hoping they will bring in the premium (O) variant for the CVT.
The Seltos and Creta DCT turbos are way too expensive taking the entire package- i just somehow cannot justify spending that much money on them no matter what goodies are put inside. I'd rather save up a bit more and go far a harrier.
For me, i have finally got down to the following:
Below Budget - Ecosport
Budget - City vs Kicks
Break the bank and sell my kidney - Harrier XZ+ or XZA+

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Sebzgeo89

I think the whole idea of an enthusiast car is gonna get diluted here. Every other bhp-ian have at least one or the other reason to call something fun to drive.

Thats why the Page-1 article is so relevant! They're suggested by GTO and the core team who drives almost every car available in the market.

Heard a similar question from a couple of friends - Why a new thread for 2020? Why not update the 2018 thread? What has changed? Fact is - there has been drastic change from 2018 to 2020 - thanks to product lifecycles and especially BS6. Even though some of the products remain the same in the list, the reason for their existence in the list is so drastically different.

Sample this. From 2018 to 2020 -

• Tiago JTP, Baleno RS and Abarth are all dead now.
• Hyundai cars in the list would have been blasphemy in 2018. They have three entries in 2020!
• Crossovers have become fun with the entry of direct injection petrols - Duster is in the list with a 154hp petrol, Seltos and Creta has 138hp!
• GT TSi DSG and GT TDi are dead. Thankfully, back in a better 1.0 TSi MT avatar.
• Thar was a pure offroader in 2018. Is a crowd favourite now in 2020. 150hp, refinement, automatic and Thar comes in same sentence.

Originally Posted by Puneet0051

What bout the Tiago JTP, its not available anymore but wasn't it the cheapest of the lot and alot of fun to drive at the same time

Originally Posted by gulerianeeraj

Amazing thread as usual. I think Fiat Grande Punto deserves a special mention

Both JTP and Abarth brands have stopped sales in the Indian market. Time to move on, and look for used deals instead.

[Metallicar]

No mention on Jetta 2.0 TDI ?

[karanddd]

Honestly it's a very sad line up. There's almost no affordable car in India that can do 0-100 in 8 seconds even, which is considered dog slow in most countries with a genuine enthusiast scene. And I cannot understand people mentioning cars like the Ecosport and Harrier here. They're people carriers and offer very little to nothing to an enthusiast. For most middle class Indians a proper fast car is near unattainable. But thank god for motorcycles.

[adrena]

I traded in my Linea TJet+ for an MG ZS ev and I must say that is this a fantastic enthusiast car. Not have to shift gears is absolutely amazing. 0 to 100 in 8.5secs is brilliant. With a sports mode making it all the more fun. 350+ nm of torque being thrown to the wheels instantly is addictive.
It's not the perfect car but a damn good one to drive around in.

[Abhi5868]

Originally Posted by karanddd

Honestly it's a very sad line up. There's almost no affordable car in India that can do 0-100 in 8 seconds even, which is considered dog slow in most countries with a genuine enthusiast scene.

Well that's why T-BHP is called a forum about Indian automotive scene and not the world automotive scene. There's no denying the fact that our market is not yet matured when compared to the developed countries, but there's much more to a car than the quarter mile timing isn't it? I don't know why someone mentioned Harrier but Ecosports is still the best handling car in it's segment. Had straight line acceleration been the only measure of performance, Dodge Hellcat would've costed as much as the Aventador.

[bodhisatva]

Ok, so I might be biased because I own it, but the Tiago JTP is pretty much at the top of the list in my opinion.

It's fast, peppy, and ridiculously stable and fun to drive. For reference, recently my wife insisted that we take the XUV 500 from Bangalore to chikamagalur. I drive both cars at good speeds. But going back to the XUV after driving the JTP for a period of 6 months felt like switching to a bull elephant in mating season (XUV), from a sleek panther (JTP).

The JTP driver needs to keep reminding him/herself that one is driving in a city because the easy power on tap makes you give it a gentle tap for fun at times. Even in City Mode.

So @GTO please please include the Tiago JTP on this list.

PS its also now a limited edition car that needs to be sourced from enthusiasts who bought it.

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[OctYFAN]

You guys missed a really good pre worshipped car. The humble Octavia 1.9 TDi (1st Gen). Though low on horsepower (90) it has loads of torque (210 Nm). Also if you own one with proper maintenance and repairs, it'll last you for millennia. And don't get me started on the fun factor. It can smoke even today's cars in highway speeds and cornering fun. I own one and I can vouch for these facts. Really sad that you guys missed it.

Mod Note : Team-BHP strongly discourages unsafe driving practices that put yourself and other road users at risk. Please do NOT post about illegally high speeds on public roads.

We advise you to read the Forum Rules before proceeding any further.

[karanddd]

Originally Posted by Abhi5868

Well that's why T-BHP is called a forum about Indian automotive scene and not the world automotive scene. There's no denying the fact that our market is not yet matured when compared to the developed countries, but there's much more to a car than the quarter mile timing isn't it? I don't know why someone mentioned Harrier but Ecosports is still the best handling car in it's segment. Had straight line acceleration been the only measure of performance, Dodge Hellcat would've costed as much as the Aventador.

I am by no means suggesting that straight line speed is all that matters. Good acceleration is a necessary but not sufficient condition for what I consider an enthusiast's car. But I think we in India get shafted on both ends. What's the point of a balanced, capable chassis and good steering if they are coupled with an anaemic motor? What is worse that there are affordable sports cars (with genuinely brilliant handling, not "good for crossover" handling) in other parts of the world that cost about the same as D segment sedans.

Our best bet is Hyundai or Kia bringing the performance versions of their regular cars and pricing them 5-6 lakhs above the regular versions. But that requires a corresponding development in the taste of the Indian buyer. SE Asian markets, despite faring similarly to India in terms of costs and sales, offer far more to the enthusiast.

But I'm also pessimistic because of the overall trend towards crossovers. It's no doubt a trend everywhere in the world, but in other countries by and large it's a vanity thing, it's not strictly necessary to own a high GC car. In Indian road and traffic conditions high GC cars are more of a necessity, and now that people have gotten a taste of them, why should they opt for anything else? I feel that in the future every car that sells in India, small or large, will be an "SUV", as in it'll be on stilts, with more than 190mm ground clearance. Who will buy a 20 lakh low slung 150 hp car when any old fella in his Alto/Santro/Figo on stilts can "look down" on you from his car?

[tharian]

Originally Posted by adrena

I traded in my Linea TJet+ for an MG ZS ev and I must say that is this a fantastic enthusiast car. Not have to shift gears is absolutely amazing. 0 to 100 in 8.5secs is brilliant. With a sports mode making it all the more fun. 350+ nm of torque being thrown to the wheels instantly is addictive.
It's not the perfect car but a damn good one to drive around in.

Agreed on the power output part and it is currently the most powerful electric in that segment and below, but that's about it when it comes to enthusiasm.
It has a limited top speed, which makes sense anyway as it is an electric. The handling and ride are average and I felt the brakes are not powerful enough for some hard braking from high speeds.

For some reason, how much ever I drive it, I just couldn't connect with it to enjoy it fully.

[niruvrs9669]

@GTO,

Nice post once again !

If it was not about 'current' Indian car scene, I would certainly add the vRS Oct 2005-06 with manual shifter to this line up. I see that vRS 245 is added, but I believe it's not as much fun vs the decade old version. My BIL owned a VRS 230 (225?), he sold the 2 year old one after stage-2 but I still have my stock version .

[vj123]

I am big fan of Octavia vRS since it was released in India and it became a part of all my emails ids. Having owned a couple of Golf GTIs, i can totally understand why people are crazy about this platform.

[GT Racer]

My practical choice from the bunch would be Figo Diesel with eibach lowering kit & bilstein b4 or b6, a good remap + Decat exhaust, that all black interior I like. My friend has figo Diesel but I find it is a little bit unforgiving while on the edge a bit tweaking in the bushing & with wider tyres it can be close to perfect.
For the upper hand I love the C300d or the BMW 320d, somehow I am petrol head but in love with the diesels mainly because out of New Delhi it is seriously a headache to get premium or higher octane fuel in the North for those 1 week in the year when I do outstation trips I don't hamper the reliability of my car where Diesel are best of both worlds & I love to ride that wave of torque of smooth diesels while cruising. There is something regal about a three pointed else beemers are the best in styling (read old ones) & steering feel & overall chasis tune plus electronics have made modern cars a gem.