[deky]

I am doing this excerise on behalf of my uncle who is looking for a car within a budget of 16 lakh. I have no idea about C+ segment cars, hence I thought of getting some opinion from you guys.

The car has to be an A/T and will be driver driven most of the times. Basically 80% of the time he will be a passenger and the rest 20% time either he will drive or when his son is home on vacations from US will drive.

Following are his requirements in descending order, i.e the what he is looking in a car most will be first and not so important factors later

1. A/T- must, no compromise on that
2. back seat comfort- very important as most of the time he will be a passenger
3. Looks- I know this is subjective
4. long lasting- as he intends to keep the car for atleast 7-8 years
5. safety features
6. mileage
7. A.S.S.
8. Gadgetry: not very important

The cars that he has considered are:-

1. CIVIC : love the looks, but finds them very common on Delhi roads

2. ALTIS : agrees its a VFM vehicle but somehow doesnt want to buy it, untill and unless he can be convinced ( I will be passing on the link to him so that he can read expert/ real opinions.

3. LAURA AMBIENTE (A/T) : loves the looks, best rear seat comfort, also quite convinced that the A.S.S of Skoda in Delhi isnt that bad. Is that true, Delhi Skoda owners kindly confirm?

4. JETTA : I dont think he has considered Jetta, is it worth while to be considering Jetta A/T ( if available i.e)

I would love to get some inputs from you regarding the same. I shall reiterate that BACK SEAT COMFORT is a must.

Thanks & regards

[.anshuman]

If your Uncle does not mind buying a petrol car Toyota Altis meets all the requirements.

[deky]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

If your Uncle does not mind buying a petrol car Toyota Altis meets all the requirements.

Thank You, But he doesnt seem to be convinced on the Altis ( for reasons best known to him) But Tell me, is Altis A/T as good as the Altis M/T?

And also will not be Laura back seat comfort better than Altis back seat comfort?

Thanks

[iTNerd]

The Laura and Jetta automatics both comes with DSG gearbox, which technologically are world-class, but reliability is a question mark as there are quite few incidents where DSG just failed.. Also, both cars will cost more than 16 lacs on delhi.. but if you extend your budget and want a diesel, then I would go for VW Jetta DSG, just because, VW seems to have a better customer oriented service.. for me Laura will be strict NO NO..

If petrol, then no brainer - Altis AT or Civic AT.. from the driving fun factor to WOW factor, I would blindly choose the Civic AT... BUT as it is to be chaffeur driven most of the time, I would say, go for Altis, as the back seat is very comfy, ride-quality is good..

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by deky

Thank You, But he doesnt seem to be convinced on the Altis ( for reasons best known to him) But Tell me, is Altis A/T as good as the Altis M/T?

And also will not be Laura back seat comfort better than Altis back seat comfort?

Thanks

Altis A/T is a very good car, yes its as good as M/T only point of concern is widely spaced the 4 speed automatic compared to 5 speed auto in Civic and Awesome 6 speed DSG in Laura and Jetta.

Altis is a very good car to keep for long term, Its comes with trademark Toyota reliability and relatively cheaper spares.

Civic is equally good but has Low Ground Clearance and lower seating.

The Europeans(Jetta and Laura) are best of the lost but are much more expensive to maintain in the longterm. Laura TSi comes with a next gen engine which is not only most refined but also is best of this lot in Performance and FE, though it doesnt come in A/T version. Laura and Jetta share a lot of parts so maintaining them wont be cheap. Skoda ownership horror stories is the reason i dont recommend these cars.

[Akshay1234]

it has to be the altis. the civic is a drivers car and the skodas backseat is small. the altis will be very reliable and fits the bill perfectly.

[deky]

Thank you again for the valuable inputs.

Does any one have the cost comparisons of spares of the mentioned vehicles or is there a thread running for costs ( I found one for 2003 but guess wont be applicable now)

Thanks

[ashthedivx]

Dheeraj,

The Japs are relatively comparable by margins when compared in same segment. However, do not even think twice before cutting down Skoda, VW from your list due to poor A.S.S.

Cheers

[vkochar]

There are only a handful of options in that budget and segment.

I would choose the Altis A/T any day over the others.

The Laura A/T is perfect BUT the Skoda Sales and Support issues make me tilt my advise to the Corolla. The Laura is a perfect car and there is no other fault really.

Civic AT is too common and spending almost 14 lacs on a car and then hardly any exclusivity.

The Honda Accord AT will be quite expensive - although at nearly 16 lacs, If I'd be him I'd slightly extend my budget and get this.

Else it is the Altis

[iTNerd]

Originally Posted by vkochar

Civic AT is too common and spending almost 14 lacs on a car and then hardly any exclusivity.

This is really funny! One buy a car just to get exclusivity/acclaimation from others? or do one buy because one likes it and love to drive? Civic AT is something that you buy because your heart ticks for it...

[ashthedivx]

Originally Posted by vkochar

The Honda Accord AT will be quite expensive - although at nearly 16 lacs, If I'd be him I'd slightly extend my budget and get this.

Else it is the Altis

Varun correct me if I am wrong, Accord AT is somewhere near to 20 lacs with last price revision.

Originally Posted by iTNerd

This is really funny! One buy a car just to get exclusivity/acclaimation from others? or do one buy because one likes it and love to drive? Civic AT is something that you buy because your heart ticks for it...

Well nothing funny about it, for everyone preference is different. Some want exclusivity and some want what they want.

[vkochar]

Originally Posted by deky

1. CIVIC : love the looks, but finds them very common on Delhi roads

Originally Posted by vkochar

Civic AT is too common and spending almost 14 lacs on a car and then hardly any exclusivity.

Originally Posted by iTNerd

This is really funny! One buy a car just to get exclusivity/acclaimation from others? or do one buy because one likes it and love to drive? Civic AT is something that you buy because your heart
ticks for it...

Hey Buddy The Civic is an absolute top car and I perosnally love it and all my friends & relatives have it. I think too many now !

BUT if you look at the comment above by Dheeraj ( Deky ) that the Civic is too common for consideration on Delhi Roads. - I only backed up that fact that it is indeed true !

He is absolutely right. The Civic has become too common - and for a good reason - it is a good car and that is why everyone seems to be buying it.

I am of the personal opinion that when you are shelling out 3 - 5 lacs everyone get's a i10, santro, Ritz, Wagon R, Swift etc. BUT when you shell out more than a million bucks you'd want something special.

I think the problem in the Indian market is - that everyone follows the best seller - Suddenly Honda will sell more JUST because it's a HONDA. No one cares for a VW because they are not selling. Both brands being good international best sellers.

I know it's a bit of a debatable topic and I'd rather not get into it here as it is entrirely OT to the main thread.

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

Varun correct me if I am wrong, Accord AT is somewhere near to 20 lacs with last price revision.

Well nothing funny about it, for everyone preference is different. Some want exclusivity and some want what they want.

Accord AT is around 20 Lacs ! I thought 18 or so. That is expensive.

Yes, everyone's got a different opinion on the car.

I'd say my choice would be -

Altis AT
Laura AT
Civic AT

[.anshuman]

Please also consider the fact that Ownership cost of the Europeon discussed here is much more than the Japanese recommendations.

[karanraheja]

Altis would be the best buy , had ur uncle been driving it mostly i would have recommended the Civic AT for the awesome paddle shift. Altis has better mileage atleast in MT version , way better rear seat, and would be super reliable thanks to Toyota badge and not to forget a VFM!

[//M]

Altis AT is a fantastic car. Moreover its a Toyota so its highly reliable and has that peace-of-mind factor. It makes the perfect sense.