[Small Bot]

My opinions are as given below. Adding them to this thread, because I've received a lot of flak for it from friends, family, colleagues, etc.

1. Brands like Maruti and Honda are not really that much more reliable than the Tatas and Mahindras. They are probably just as issue-prone, only that local mechanics are able to easily sort them out as they mostly run on outdated, non-complicated technology (the NA petrol cars).

2. The fuss-free ownership tag shouldn't really apply to all the cars in the Hyundai's stable. None of our Hyundais were ever fuss-free.

3. All cars' service centres inflate the prices, add non-essential products for exorbitant prices, and generally try to cheat their customers without fail. Nobody is exempt from it. If there is somebody who is ignorant or inattentive enough to fall for it, they get gleefully fleeced.

4. I don't believe that Honda and Toyota and Suzuki should call themselves Japanese car manufacturers in India, when they are run like proper Indian companies in every manner, good or bad. We don't really get all the latest Japanese technology or Japanese culture or Japanese models/variants. We just get what the Japanese deem us worthy of getting. And let's not even bring Nissan into the conversation.

5. Car manufacturers will happily give us absolutely useless features like heads-up display and conveniently ignore essential features like dash-cameras. I believe the few companies which do sell dashcams as part of the car are overcharging heavily. You can get much better ones in the market at half the price. Most car manufacturers assume that the average Indian consumer is either ignorant or dumb, and they're probably right.

6. (corollary to 5) Yes, sunroofs, wireless charging pads, heads-up display, automatic headlights, automatic wipers and electronic parking brakes are all absolutely useless. There, I said it.

7. The hate against Chinese car manufacturers is heavily manipulated, probably by vested interests to push other local manufacturers up. Every MG car I've seen has better quality than most other cars in their segment, including supposedly Japanese cars. The MG Astor alone has better quality interiors than every single Maruti or Honda car sold in India currently. If you're ok using a Chinese phone (basically 2/3rds of all phones sold), it beats me why you can't drive a Chinese car.

[iSubham]

My takes-

- Maruti does not deserve the 40% market share it currently holds. The company is resting on its past laurels and clinging to Toyota for support on hybrids and EVs. They gave up on diesels too quickly and made up for it by selling CNG cars to fleet operators. Their cars are too conservative mechanically( the lightweight cars make up for it, however the anaemic K15C has no business in a heavy Grand Vitara). In a market selling turbo-petrols left & right they have not bothered to get their excellent 1.4 Boosterjet from the global Suzuki Vitara into the XL6, Ciaz and Grand Vitara. Even the 1.0 Boosterjet is not offered in the Swift, Brezza or Baleno. I respect them for starting the auto revolution in India 40 years ago and hate them for not leading the market forward after that.

-The modern Hyundai cars have already started aging poorly design-wise. They look absolutely hideous from the outside except maybe the side profile of the new Verna. And this is coming from an owner of the 2nd gen i20 and 1st gen Creta.

- Toyota & Honda in India are no better than GM & Ford being outside India. The former have not launched a decent car between them in the last 5 years except the Innova Hycross. The Honda Elevate is a half foot-in-the-door effort by Honda to stop the door from closing. They should have launched the Honda HR-V instead.

- Kia is the only success story in the Indian auto market in the last decade. The only black spot in their perfect marksheet is their dual-standard for safety for India and I completely agree with members when they bring up the topic on every Kia success story thread. It should not stop until Kia improves.

- the connected DRL trend is dead before its arrival. I absolutely detest it on new cars and it will continue to spread like an affliction until even earthmoving machinery have it and then it will slowly die. It is impossible to distinguish cars during the day or night and they all look the same from a distance.

[DCEite]

1. A Naturally Aspirated engined car is more Fun to drive in city limits than the one with Turbo as the absense of Turbo Lag in NA engined car makes quick bursts of speeds and overtakes easier specially considering in city limits.

2. I prefer fabric upholstery in cars over leather(itte) specially in North Indian cities as these are temperature neutral.

3. AMTs are not as bad to live with as the general perception is. I have one for the last 6.5 years and for me the AMT gearbox itself hasn't been the most problemetic area of the car.

4. Low slung sedans are not practical for Indian road conditions. With natural calamaties like Flooding becoming regular phenomenon, and our potholed ridden roads, I expect even a sedan today to have atleast > 175 mm of ground clearance to survive Indian conditions.

5. An Indian manufacturer or "Make in India" tag does not necessarily translate to ethics in the way the company and its dealerships functions (example, Mahindra with its unscrupulous dealers making hay while the sun shines with huge waiting periods for its top selling vehicles extracting under the table money in name of accessories and quick deliveries from customers).

[condor]

Some of my views:

1. Larger Tyres (lower side-profile) on cars, especially is only fashion. We have to spend more on replacements, and also the ride comfort is not as good as smaller radius tyres.

2. The Cool-white head lamps are useless. Blind the opposite driver, and no use in rain/fog

3. DRLs are a real waste of money.

4. Too many electronics based features. These are a waste.

5. Too many variants in most models.

6. Touch-screen based controls.

7. Digital displays are a fad. Cost-cutting by companies.

[AMG Power]

There is not a single new car being sold that is worth the money.

From Altos to Lamborghinis and everything in between.

Stick to pre owned. An exception may be the Jimny after the 2 lakh discount.

[mpod11]

Some of my opinions are as below:
1. MG cars are much better than the flak they receive. Superb interiors, great quality of parts, ( mechanical and Non mechanical), excellent after sales and service and beautiful music systems… they really are the true value luxury options in the current market. I mean how many people are driving above 40-50 kmph in our cities and carving roads?

2. It is better to buy 20L cars and change them every 5 years to satisfy the new car itch, then buy 60L>> impractical vehicles. The resale value of the 20L vehicle will pay for the down payment of the new vehicle and your rough outgo every month will be 15-18k a month which is cost of a 5 star dinner for a family outing.

3. Bumpy roads are worse than potholes. I live in kolkata - there is not even 1km of smooth paved roads in the city with patch work repairs going on for years.

4. Ride comfort is the most important factor - much more than handling and steering feel.

5. Auto hold function is a bare necessity with our city traffic. Wonder why this isn’t being offered across the spectrum atleast in C and D segment vehicles.

6. High quality roofliners and upholstery are more important than goodies like adas, headsup display and panoramic sunroof.

7. The MPV market is a segment waiting to explode. Ertiga, Carens and Innova are having a field day. I am waiting for the day when an 7/8 seater EV with a real range of 300 kms enters the market in 20L price bracket. It will demolish all 3 above.

8. I am a sedan lover but everytime I sit in one, I self affirm that SUVs are wayyyyy more comfortable. The knees up position is simply uncomfortable.

[SaiSW]

1. New cars are really not worth the money they command compared to what was the scene a couple of years ago.

2. Toyota stopping down to badge engineer Suzuki vehicles is utterly shameful.

3. For our road conditions and speeds, diesels make better sense than petrol (atleast in my state with its narrow jammed roads).

4. Hyundais do not deserve the fuss free ownership tag.

5. There should be a penalty on companies that make structurally unsafe tincans.

6. Suzuki reliability is highly overrated. People placing them on the level of Toyota is very strange.

7. Crossovers/hatchback on stilts should be called that, not branded as SUVs. Companies calling cars like the Nexon, Brezza, Ignis, Spresso, Creta, Harrier, Seltos as "SUVs" sickens me to the core.

8. Polo is a very overrated car. There were many cars that offered a better enthusiast package than it for about the same money or even less.

9. ADAS will never be useful in India. Or atleast not in the next 100 or so years when AI is finally "intelligent" enough or Indians improve their civic sense enough (never happening). There are just too many variables at play. Brainde*d autorickshaws taking a U-turn/changing lanes on the whim, motorcycles popping in front of you from the multiverse, abysmal driving and civic sense for most drivers and pedestrians here, average road infrastructure.

10. Law enforcement should be more active in catching miscreants who drive like monkeys on the roads, rather than scam money off people for having tinted windows. Park on the road and block traffic flow? Heavy fine. Sudden U-turn/lane change? Heavy fine. Hogging the right lane? Heavy fine. Jump in front of you from an intersection/side road? Heavy fine. Always using high beams and try to blind drivers ahead of you? Heavy fine. For all this, a proper network of highway enforcement force and cameras needs to be organized. So far when I go on trips, only "highway enforcement" I see are half asleep stationary cops hiding behind trees trying to squeeze money out of helmet-less riders and cars with tinted windows. Maybe the government could try incentivizing dash cameras and create a state wise portal to accept video feedback from citizens reporting monkey behaviour on roads.

[saikishor]

I must say this is turning out to be one heck of a thread! I went through each and every reply and intrigues me as to how diverse an enthusiast's mind can be.

I am actually waiting for someone to talk about Citroen here. I would like to see Citroen from their(an admirer) point of view.

Edit: would love to see a thread on motorcycles as well.

[jinojohnt]

Here is my bit of controversy.
A car that doesn't pull at 20kmph in 3rd gear is not a car, but a bullock cart.
A lot of people have high regard for the first gen i10 with the kappa engine (which is a gem of an engine). When I test drove one, I found that the car simply cannot pull 20kmph in third, and was a bummer for city driving.

[Mr.U]

My controversial opinion based on owning Maruti Suzuki cars -

They are not cheap to maintain as people make them to be. I would say they are at par with their competition, maybe even a bit more expensive at times.

[ballkey]

Most new cars released these days (across price ranges) are hideous to look at. I understand the irony of a first-gen s-cross owner saying this, but it has to be said.
The sheer expanse of bloated "crossovers" and "SUVs" on the highways are such an eyesore.

[Way2Jimny]

1) EVs are fun and effortless to drive. People who hate EVs and have range anxiety are the ones who have never driven EVs.

2) Fiat has not shut down. They still exist in the form of Jeep. I can happily take Linea to a Jeep service center and get my service done. Never I have heard the word "Spare not available" for the last 12 years I have owned FIAT cars. Again people who hate FIAT are the owns who have never owned them.

3) More Thar owners comment about Jimny on social media than anyone else and try to justify why Thar is better.

4) Toyotas are over rated on reliability factor.

[One]

- I like Maruti cars. They made buying cars possible for people who could not have bought cars otherwise. They provide immense value for the prices that they are sold at.

- The cars which majority people want are getting made and sold. The market truly speaks well and not the refined opinions of few.

- Car manufacturers have it really tough. Highly taxed, highly regulated industry and the market is just not big enough for multiple players. They deserve all the sales they can achieve (though I would love the after sales to be significantly better).

- In continuation with above, manufacturers have done an amazing job in keeping costs controlled which is lower than inflation and our salary growth.

- Crossovers are not SUVs - it is not about nomenclature, it is about a capability difference.

[PrasadS]

More than 70% people who buy SUV's don't actually need them and can live with a sedan

Reasons given to buy SUV:
Extra seats when needed: And they travel just once or twice a year mostly with a full car. That's like always carrying a fire extinguisher on your back incase there's a fire.

Road presence: I can see all cars. I don't need you to be a supermodel and catch my eye when i am navigating our treacherous terrain. It's more like you're trying to be super obese just so people can see you coming their way.

Ground clearance: In the old days, when roads were non existent, my dad used to top-up our 800, and later the zen, with 7 to 8 people once or twice a year(opposite to point 1 of extra seats) we survived. Most of the city roads are amazing. You don't need "Ground clearance" when you run 90% of time on such roads. The remaining 10%, the sedan gives you an off roading experience without needing to buy a 4x4 and you still survive.

Never understood what Expensive and luxury car owners meant by 'Catching the wrong attention'
Do beggars swarn your car more? Vendors offering you limbu-mirchi charms? People see you more like money squeezing targets?
I feel it's actually more of a good attention, especially to the cars. And general populace looks up to such people with awe and fear(fear of their reach in social circles hence they wouldn't wanna mess with you)
One day, I'm goona buy the above said vehicle and experience it for myself.

[sunikkat]

Well few controversial statements from me -

Skoda ASS is the best I have experienced: Of all the cars I have owned (Maruti, Ford, Skoda, VW and Hyundai), Skoda is the best in after sales. They pro-actively owned up things and fixed it.

Hyundai’s are trouble free: Among all the cars, Hyundai was the one to show most tantrums. My 2 year i20 already has many rattles which the service center is yet to fix.

Reliability is over rated: I feel the reliability is over-rated as in general most of the new age cars do not breakdown. In all these years none of my cars have left me stranded.

Indian roads are good for sedans: Don’t think Indian roads are not suitable for sedans. Even after driving in infamous Bangalore roads for many years I can confidently say the ground clearance of sedans are more than enough.