[Rocketscience]

Originally Posted by baarish84

For the use case scenario you have highlighted, Brezza AT is perfect choice for you . Think again on turbos. Your wife is going to drive the car , and she is learning to drive. lower preference should be given to driving thrills of the turbo engines/ DCT gearboxes, compared to fuss free city driving offered by NA + AT combo.

Plus, you get peace of mind of Maruti.

That's what I went, got my booking changed to Brezza AT. Waiting for it now.

[bijims]

Greetings Team-BHPians!
I have been looking for a compact SUV/Crossover that suits my needs for quite a long time now and finally took the plunge and booked a Kia Sonet Diesel AT on June 1 2022, but even after more than 3 months, which was the waiting period quoted to me, there is still no sign of delivery. When I enquired about the same to the executive at the dealership, they are telling me that I would have to wait 3 months more, so I am now again on the lookout for alternatives in the same price range.
It's been a very annoying waiting so long for your booked car to arrive and I would like to know your opinion on the best alternatives I can consider:

My requirements are:

• SUV/Crossover
• Automatic Transmission (no AMTs)
• Budget of around 15 lakhs on road in Kerala, may extend a lakh or two more for a very good alternative.
• Reverse Camera, Alloy Wheels, Hill Hold Control and Rear AC Vents are a must.
• Fit and finish and good interior quality
• Well contained NVH levels

The Kia Sonet filled almost all these boxes perfectly and under 15 lakhs too, but having waited this long, I am not in favour of cancelling the booking but looking at other options that I could consider. The response from the dealership has not been great and I have prepared myself to accept alternatives so that I can get myself a car before the year ends. I would be considering and booking the alternatives and go with the ones I get the quickest as I am in dire need of a car by December.

All suggestions are welcome.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by bijims

I would be considering and booking the alternatives and go with the ones I get the quickest as I am in dire need of a car by December.

All suggestions are welcome.

There is no direct replacement for any car esp in sub 4m SUV market. There will be few loss/gain in your selection criteria. My suggestion: Petrol - Urban Cruiser AT, S Cross AT, XL6 for versatility (esp captain seats). If diesel look at XUV300 W8 Optional with AMT (have longer test drive in traffic, highway scenarios to see if AMT suits your driving nature)

[bijims]

Originally Posted by KPR

There is no direct replacement for any car esp in sub 4m SUV market. There will be few loss/gain in your selection criteria. My suggestion: Petrol - Urban Cruiser AT, S Cross AT, XL6 for versatility (esp captain seats). If diesel look at XUV300 W8 Optional with AMT (have longer test drive in traffic, highway scenarios to see if AMT suits your driving nature)

Thank you so much for the suggestions, I was really considering the S-Cross AT, and I tried hard to find any variant of the S-Cross AT but could not find any in dealerships nearby. If anyone in Kerala knows of any dealership having stock of an S-Cross in Automatic transmission, I would happily purchase it.
The Urban Cruiser AT would also be a good consideration, but I felt the S-Cross to be more Value for Money here.

[KPR]

Originally Posted by bijims

The Urban Cruiser AT would also be a good consideration, but I felt the S-Cross to be more Value for Money here.

Altogether ignore these and try TD of XL6. You will enjoy the comfort of captain seats.

[pandey.jai]

Hello folks - posting on behalf of someone I know who is looking to buy a car in Bangalore.
The car will primarily be driven by someone who is over 65 years old. The elderly couple will be the primary occupants in the car, with perhaps some family on some rare occasions. They are looking for an upgrade from their current car (Swift VXI). The car is expected to be used sparingly in the city, with weeks (months?) of sitting in the parking lot and an occasional drive on the highway. Budget is strictly under 20L on road (lower the better, obviously).

The car should be an automatic. Changing gears frequently in Bangalore traffic, is just not worth the pain. Waiting time for cars like Sonet, Nexon which are anywhere between 3-6 months is a bit of a deal breaker.

I was thinking of suggesting Maruti Brezza - primarily because being a Maruti, the maintenance will be easier. However, I don't know what the wait times are like, plus I'm a little disappointed by the interiors - for the price paid, a lot of hard plastics being used in the car.

Is there any other car which experts here suggest?

[confusedbuyer80]

Please please please don't ignore my query. Mods just won't let me post my own in a thread.

I am looking for a car with final cost between 10 to 12 L. I am open to sedan, hatchback and CSUV with a preference for the later most. Drove my last car for 64.7K in 9 years (including 1.5 years lull for Covid). So, am not a driver who takes out the last bit of car.

Let me detail the options I've explored (Petrol only cause I can't get break-even in Diesel).
a) Maruti Baleno 2022 - Alpha Model (MT): Decent looking car. Found performance to be good on TD. Feedback says it's fuel efficient with mileage around 20.

b) Hyundai Venue - SX (O): Might go for iTurbo. Found it comfortable. I didn't find much issues with pick-up as I started in the shop premises. However, my wife found initial pick-up to be late. I like its looks, specially it's IC. No other car even compares to that. Good reviews here on Hyundari after sales service.

c) Hyundai Aura - SX (O) or SX CNG: Haven't really taken TD but found it good look wise. Decent enough for me to own it (even without pride )

d) Tata Altroz - XZ+ - Became a fan of it post reading threads here. Have sat in it and explored interiors and exteriors. Didn't get any TD. Bad reviews on Tata after sales service.

e) Kia Sonet - Saw a couple in parking. Looks decent. Reviews on this forum are okay. Not sure about Kia after sales service.

I like Tata Altroz over Baleno and even Aura for that matter. But every review here says it's not fuel efficient. Most of my driving is going to be in City with a quarterly trip on Highway.

Baleno, everyone says, is not safe but just good with mileage and performance. Aura is probably the same case but with less performance (you may correct me here). But if I am ready for Altroz, then why not stretch it to CSUV?

I am enamored with Venue and Sonet (Former one more). My last car never gave more than 11 KMPL (combined). I doubt if Venue or Sonet will give me more than 13 KMPL (combined).

End to the long post. Should I really worry about mileage cause petrol keeps getting costlier and maybe Car is just a luxury not worth spending a lot on? ( I know this is a blasphemy here). Or whether there is no significant advantage even of owning those so called FE cars and ultimately everything ends up costing the same.

Request your feedback. Don't worry even if it's harsh I want to learn from you experts.

[bivision]

Originally Posted by confusedbuyer80

...
I am enamored with Venue and Sonet (Former one more). ...

Between Venue and Sonet, I would choose Venue because of much better safety features - traction control and 6 airbags for SX(O) vs 4 airbags in HTX line - and Sonet got poor NCAP rating.
Quoted mileage of the cars are comparable.

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by bivision

Between Venue and Sonet, I would choose Venue because of much better safety features - traction control and 6 airbags for SX(O) vs 4 airbags in HTX line - and Sonet got poor NCAP rating.
Quoted mileage of the cars are comparable.

I thought Sonet didn't get NCAP? And anyway I really don't think Venue is going to fare any better (although GNCAP is not really that reliable in my view)

Plus feature wise Sonet is much better IMO. Not to mention Diesel Sonet AT is a gem and is the only TC Diesel automatic in the segment.

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by confusedbuyer80

Please please please don't ignore my query. Mods just won't let me post my own in a thread.

I am looking for a car with final cost between 10 to 12 L. I am open to sedan, hatchback and CSUV with a preference for the later most. Drove my last car for 64.7K in 9 years (including 1.5 years lull for Covid). So, am not a driver who takes out the last bit of car.

Let me detail the options I've explored (Petrol only cause I can't get break-even in Diesel).
a) Maruti Baleno 2022 - Alpha Model (MT): Decent looking car. Found performance to be good on TD. Feedback says it's fuel efficient with mileage around 20.

b) Hyundai Venue - SX (O): Might go for iTurbo. Found it comfortable. I didn't find much issues with pick-up as I started in the shop premises. However, my wife found initial pick-up to be late. I like its looks, specially it's IC. No other car even compares to that. Good reviews here on Hyundari after sales service.

c) Hyundai Aura - SX (O) or SX CNG: Haven't really taken TD but found it good look wise. Decent enough for me to own it (even without pride )

d) Tata Altroz - XZ+ - Became a fan of it post reading threads here. Have sat in it and explored interiors and exteriors. Didn't get any TD. Bad reviews on Tata after sales service.

e) Kia Sonet - Saw a couple in parking. Looks decent. Reviews on this forum are okay. Not sure about Kia after sales service.

I like Tata Altroz over Baleno and even Aura for that matter. But every review here says it's not fuel efficient. Most of my driving is going to be in City with a quarterly trip on Highway.

Baleno, everyone says, is not safe but just good with mileage and performance. Aura is probably the same case but with less performance (you may correct me here). But if I am ready for Altroz, then why not stretch it to CSUV?

I am enamored with Venue and Sonet (Former one more). My last car never gave more than 11 KMPL (combined). I doubt if Venue or Sonet will give me more than 13 KMPL (combined).

End to the long post. Should I really worry about mileage cause petrol keeps getting costlier and maybe Car is just a luxury not worth spending a lot on? ( I know this is a blasphemy here). Or whether there is no significant advantage even of owning those so called FE cars and ultimately everything ends up costing the same.

Request your feedback. Don't worry even if it's harsh I want to learn from you experts.

Mileage is a very real concern. I'd say with Venue and Sonet dct petrols, the longevity is a big question mark for the gearbox. And mileage is going to be low. I would say if possible stretch your budget and get Diesel AT. If you can't, Baleno has really good Fuel efficiency plus it's Maruti, so good peace of mind. I would get an automatic, personally.

[confusedbuyer80]

Thanks bvision and epiccross for replies. Given that I am not in Diesel market, what should be my differentiator for Petrol cars in your opinion? Airbags for sure. Feature wise both seem same, barring one or two here or there.

And question in general, what is the normal FE for a sedate drive? Is 13-14 worth having?

[bivision]

Originally Posted by epiccross

I thought Sonet didn't get NCAP?

You are right. I had wrong info based on carwale news. I checked GNCAP page now, there is no test result for Sonet. However Carens and Seltos got 3 rating, so there is apprehension in general that Sonet rating may be bad too.

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by confusedbuyer80

Thanks bvision and epiccross for replies. Given that I am not in Diesel market, what should be my differentiator for Petrol cars in your opinion? Airbags for sure. Feature wise both seem same, barring one or two here or there.

And question in general, what is the normal FE for a sedate drive? Is 13-14 worth having?

Honestly - I would pick Baleno from your list then - as transmission is TC and is reliable, plus Maruti so it's hassle free ownership. If you like a sportier drive with the Venue/Sonet and the likes is upto you, but you're trading of FE and potential transmission issue down the line which might cost you a bit.

Oh Altroz returns poor FE numbers. I just drove my brother's Altroz, didn't like it personally and the FE is not great. Would pick Sonet/Venue over that.

[epiccross]

Originally Posted by bivision

You are right. I had wrong info based on carwale news. I checked GNCAP page now, there is no test result for Sonet. However Carens and Seltos got 3 rating, so there is apprehension in general that Sonet rating may be bad too.

I really don't like this obsession with GNCAP numbers. Sure, in this case Kia cars may be less safe compared to the more well built cars but GNCAP ratings are to be taken with a pinch of salt in my view. It's definitely not nearly as reliable as ANCAP or EURONCAP to get hung up on numbers like this.

Anyway that's my 2 cents.

[confusedbuyer80]

Appreciate your feedback. Looking at views here, I feel I will rather than go for Venue cause a) I love SUVs even if compact ones b) seems a good trade c) FE is a mirage not to be chased if I insist on having features.

Thank you so much!