[jughead]

Hello.

I am currently a proud owner of Honda City IVTECH 2013 model. The car has generally worked very well for me for the past 11+ years, now looking for an upgrade. Typical run is 8000-10000 kms per year. It will be driven by me and I have a family of 5 people. Mostly in the Delhi-NCR area with occasional highway tours.

My first love have been sedan cars, but alas, there are no sedan cars available in the 25-40 lacs budget.

I considered the sub-20 lacs segment but found City to be the best amongst them keeping comfort, mileage, reliability in mind. Ignored that segment altogether as I don't want to keep driving City for another 10 years plus wanted to have a feel good factor of an upgrade.

I went above to 40+ lacs category; considered

• Camry: Very reliable and comfortable but the features look quite outdated for the price. Also, it is strictly 4-seater due to big central tunnel

• Merc A200: Quite cramped. Just did not feel like getting into luxury category with a impractical and over priced product.

• BMW 2-series: Same as Merc A200

Next I considered the SUVs, did not want to go with Diesel options and reliability, mileage, regular maintenance being a concern ruled out most of the options. I really liked Hycross but there is a waiting for 1.5 years (they are not even taking ZX, ZX(O) bookings at the moment) and I do not intend to wait for that long. Also, I did not like the attitude of the local dealer, they were just discouraging me to consider Hycross and were pushing for either Hyryder or Camry. It was a big put-off. I am open to consider XUV 700 petrol though but unaware of the waiting period there plus I am yet to take a test drive.

A friend advised me too check out EVs too. Though my annual run is not very high but I have a soft corner for them. Also, I plan to retain my City through its remaining lifetime of 3+ years. Considered

• BYD Atto 3: Liked the design but found suspension hard to my comfort levels. Unsure of quality of interior material and Chinese make is another concern

• BYD Seal: Looks stunning but low ground clearance. Dont want to keep that hassle. Chinese make is another concern.

• Ioniq 5: Absolutely loved it. Good space and features. Currently top of mind but little expensive for my budget.

I know I am looking into all sort of options right now but purchasing a ~40 lacs vehicle which I intend to keep for 10+ years is a big decision and I want to avoid buyer's remorse later.

I look forward to getting some thoughts and suggestions from the community.

Thanks in advance.

[DRPSREDDY]

Simple reasoning as per my personal experience and choice:

Love pushing the car along the corners and love driving with a sporty experience, then it's the sedan.

Love touring along the country side and loading the car with heavy stuff. Also have to take many people along and have to drive out skirts then it is the SUV.

But also need to show-off your calibure, then you need to pick a luxury SUV.

If your travel is too less, that is less than 25 km per day, pick a petrol. If your travel is more than 55-60 km per day that can got upto 100 kms, then pick a diesel or Hybrid. If your useage is in the middle, then electric is optimal.

[Rajeevraj]

Looks like the main reason you want to go for an SUV is the lack of sedan options. How about trying the Pre-owned route. 30-40lakhs will be a sweet budget to get a proper premium German sedan. Being in NCR you should have a lot of options also. Just need to be cautious about finding a good example.

[for_cars1]

Looks like your typical horizon of retaining a vehicle is around 10 years, so I'm assuming that you should be fine with Diesels too although you're based in NCR (more petrol friendly regulations).
I'm not a fan of petrol cars(ok for hatches/sedans but no-no for SUVs especially due to the FE factor)

Since you mentioned 5 occupants, I can relate to the space constraints of 3 folks in the rear seat of a City especially on longer drives, so a wider car would make sense in your case.

If not a proper BOF SUV, buying a cross-over in the 30L to 40L range should be a good prospect to consider.

Two competent crossover vehicles come to mind that can be a worthy upgrade from the City. You could consider the XUV700 Diesel or the Tuscon Diesel.

Both offer 400+ Nm of Torque so should be good from the driveability and fun factor front. AWD would be a good variant to choose in both these models.
Also their handling and comfort levels is quite good along with the better comforts for 3 folks in the rear as well as good boot space (for 5 occupants).

Hycross hybrid didn't impress me with its lower torque figures (on paper) for an expensive vehicle and found the Ottoman second row uncomfortable and no place to slide the feet under the front seats (due to the battery placement).

[HillMan]

Go for XUV700 AX7L AWD. It is well within your budget and an ultra modern car. It is a driver's car and good as chauffeur driven too. All the niggles have been sorted in the last two years of its existence. The waiting period was 30-45 days when I last checked. But it depends on the colour of your choice. If a batch is coming out of factory and you are in luck, the car could be yours in a week as well.
Not sure why you want a petrol, modern Diesels are good too. They are low reviving and fun to drive.

On highways the adaptive cruise control and follow features will reduce the stress.

[manson]

From the options you've already checked out I'd recommend vetting the Camry (for its presence, above average performance & really good fuel efficiency) and BYD Seal (for the smashing design, new tech experience and mind numbing numbers) again.

Originally Posted by jughead

I know I am looking into all sort of options right now but purchasing a ~40 lacs vehicle which I intend to keep for 10+ years is a big decision and I want to avoid buyer's remorse later.

I'd recommend you also checkout the following cars before pulling the trigger:
A4 - Feels premium inside out and considering its due for a new generation almost all the niggles feel ironed out. The A4 will certainly ease out the cons you have against the 2 series and A class.

Q3 - Not as premium as the A4 on the inside, but gets better GS and above everything else it gets Quattro across the trim levels.

Kodiaq - Again due for a replacement shortly, most niggles would have been fixed by now. Most car for your money frankly if you can live with the dated design.

Fortuner 4x2 AT: If you don't mind a ladder on frame construction this still remains the top selling product in this price band.

[jughead]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Looks like the main reason you want to go for an SUV is the lack of sedan options. How about trying the Pre-owned route. 30-40lakhs will be a sweet budget to get a proper premium German sedan. Being in NCR you should have a lot of options also. Just need to be cautious about finding a good example.

I have heard maintenance aspects of premium German sedans tend to scale up exponentially beyond first 5-6 years esp. post company package / zero-dep period. If I go for used car route, it will be even lesser time to hit that mark. It will be a bummer for me.

Originally Posted by for_cars1

Two competent crossover vehicles come to mind that can be a worthy upgrade from the City. You could consider the XUV700 Diesel or the Tuscon Diesel.

Both offer 400+ Nm of Torque so should be good from the driveability and fun factor front. AWD would be a good variant to choose in both these models.
Also their handling and comfort levels is quite good along with the better comforts for 3 folks in the rear as well as good boot space (for 5 occupants).

Hycross hybrid didn't impress me with its lower torque figures (on paper) for an expensive vehicle and found the Ottoman second row uncomfortable and no place to slide the feet under the front seats (due to the battery placement).

I will not have much use for AWD, so can avoid paying additional money for that option. Also, as I am based in NCR, though my average ownership plan is roughly 10 years, I still want to keep option for going longer. Thanks for suggesting XUV 700, will check that out now. The only challenge might be FE. Will read some specific threads on that.

[Sensible_Speed]

A4 is definitely better than the A200 for sure. It shares a platform with a Skoda Superb too, so if you think Audi service is unreasonable, you can still service it from a reliable garage for cheap. But, the cabin is very dated compared to the BMW or the Merc.

Ioniq 5 is a solid choice, if you're considering cars like the Merc and Bimmer. The platform is reliable and has been lauded globally. It also gives you flexibility of charging and packs in some V2L functionality if I'm not mistaken. Range shouldn't be a problem either. My friend and I drove it on a single charge from Bangalore to Ooty and it ran without a fuss and made it with 12% battery left. We did drive a bit slower than usual as a sort of challenge to accomplish this. But, we maintained a reasonable 80 kph speed on the BLR-MYS highway.

BYD shouldn't be an issue as their products seem pretty sorted out, if quirky. The Atto 3 is pretty great for the price. Seal is even better. Don't rule them out because of prejudice. Try the cars out in a comprehensive test drive and leave nothing out.

[jughead]

Originally Posted by HillMan

Go for XUV700 AX7L AWD. It is well within your budget and an ultra modern car. It is a driver's car and good as chauffeur driven too. All the niggles have been sorted in the last two years of its existence. The waiting period was 30-45 days when I last checked. But it depends on the colour of your choice. If a batch is coming out of factory and you are in luck, the car could be yours in a week as well.
Not sure why you want a petrol, modern Diesels are good too. They are low reviving and fun to drive.

On highways the adaptive cruise control and follow features will reduce the stress.

Will check the AX7L. That was in my list originally, but will book my TD now.

Originally Posted by Sensible_Speed

A4 is definitely better than the A200 for sure. It shares a platform with a Skoda Superb too, so if you think Audi service is unreasonable, you can still service it from a reliable garage for cheap. But, the cabin is very dated compared to the BMW or the Merc.

Yes, A4 looks dated but looks more practical than A200.

Originally Posted by Sensible_Speed

Ioniq 5 is a solid choice, if you're considering cars like the Merc and Bimmer. The platform is reliable and has been lauded globally. It also gives you flexibility of charging and packs in some V2L functionality if I'm not mistaken. Range shouldn't be a problem either. My friend and I drove it on a single charge from Bangalore to Ooty and it ran without a fuss and made it with 12% battery left. We did drive a bit slower than usual as a sort of challenge to accomplish this. But, we maintained a reasonable 80 kph speed on the BLR-MYS highway.

BYD shouldn't be an issue as their products seem pretty sorted out, if quirky. The Atto 3 is pretty great for the price. Seal is even better. Don't rule them out because of prejudice. Try the cars out in a comprehensive test drive and leave nothing out.

I drove Atto 3, found suspension as very hard. I felt every speed breaker inside the cabin even the ones that were in the showroom's parking slots. My wife seating in the 2nd row, hated it. That made me not even try Seal given lower ground clearance too. Maybe I can check it out more closely.

I heard two major expenses for Ioniq 5 and every EV in general. Tyres are made specially with foam inside and thus, are pretty expensive as compared to regular tyres. Also, because of heavier weight of EVs, they tend to wear out much sooner. Is it true?

Also, what happens to the battery after 8 years warranty. Does it go down in performance drastically after that, but can still go on for 10-12 years if taken care of well?

Specifically for Seal and Ioniq, do they have expensive spare parts once zero dep is over? Heard they can be repaired in special dealer workshops only.

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[manson]

Originally Posted by Sensible_Speed

A4 is definitely better than the A200 for sure. It shares a platform with a Skoda Superb too

Slight correction, the A4 is built on the MLB EVO platform used for the absolute TOP VAG range such as A6, Q7, all the way up to Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus. The Superb is built on the mid spec mainstream MQB platform used for Q2, Q3, Octavia, etc. amongst others.

Originally Posted by Sensible_Speed

so if you think Audi service is unreasonable, you can still service it from a reliable garage for cheap.

The service costs aren't too expensive, I've paid approx. 25K for each of my last 2 annual services of my A4. You should just have the patience to uncheck all the recommended extras. Expensive or not, servicing outside the dealership within the warranty period is a recipe for disaster.

[IshaanIan]

If you liked the Hycross so much but didn’t like the waiting period, have you checked out the Invicto? It’s basically the same car no? Also all things considered, the Camry is probably your best bet. What exactly felt dated to you about the Camry?

[Sensible_Speed]

Originally Posted by jughead

I drove Atto 3, found suspension as very hard. I felt every speed breaker inside the cabin even the ones that were in the showroom's parking slots. My wife seating in the 2nd row, hated it. That made me not even try Seal given lower ground clearance too. Maybe I can check it out more closely.

I heard two major expenses for Ioniq 5 and every EV in general. Tyres are made specially with foam inside and thus, are pretty expensive as compared to regular tyres. Also, because of heavier weight of EVs, they tend to wear out much sooner. Is it true?

Also, what happens to the battery after 8 years warranty. Does it go down in performance drastically after that, but can still go on for 10-12 years if taken care of well?

Specifically for Seal and Ioniq, do they have expensive spare parts once zero dep is over? Heard they can be repaired in special dealer workshops only.

EVs generally tend to have stiffer suspension than ICE cars to handle the extra weight of batteries. There doesn't seem to be a workaround for it in the segment you are shopping in. The more expensive models come with air suspension, which mitigates this to a great extent. If you buy an EV, I guess this is a problem you have to live with.

Regarding tires, EVs come with special tires that have lower rolling resistance to aid efficiency. But longevity should be similar to a regular tire as they use harder compounds in EV specific tires to account for the extra weight. Ideally, you should expect to change the Ioniq 5's tires somewhere after 40,000 km, which is where a lot of cars, especially SUVs require a fresh set of tires anyways. While EV tires may be slightly more expensive, your choices are only increasing everyday as most mainstream manufacturers offer tires specifically for EV models.

The battery life being equated with warranty is a huge misnomer amongst Indian car buyers today. The battery will easily outlast its warranty. There are plenty of EVs running on high mileage batteries around the world. But you can expect the range to drop by 15-20% after 10 years of usage. I would expect a well cared for EV battery to last for 16 years easily.

Regarding spares and repairs, I am bit in the dark about this too. The cars you're looking at are not too common on roads today. But, on the flip side, EVs have fewer moving parts that can go wrong, so routine services should only be to replace consumables like brake pads and rotors and fluids like coolants. The density of service centres for these cars is definitely low, but if you live in a city, it shouldn't be a problem.

Originally Posted by manson

Slight correction, the A4 is built on the MLB EVO platform used for the absolute TOP VAG range such as A6, Q7, all the way up to Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus. The Superb is built on the mid spec mainstream MQB platform used for Q2, Q3, Octavia, etc. amongst others.

The service costs aren't too expensive, I've paid approx. 25K for each of my last 2 annual services of my A4. You should just have the patience to uncheck all the recommended extras. Expensive or not, servicing outside the dealership within the warranty period is a recipe for disaster.

Yep. Sorry, my bad for listing the Superb and A4 in the same platform. The Superb shares its platform with the A3. I mixed the two up.

But, the Superb and A4 use the same powertrain, that's why I said spares might be easily available. But, 25k for a service from an Audi ASS is very good value indeed. If that is the case, there's no need to go elsewhere to fix it. I meant taking it out to a reputed garage after the warranty period. I agree, taking the car to a third-party garage within the warranty period is stupid. I should've clarified.

[RootedCosmo]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

the Camry is probably your best bet. What exactly felt dated to you about the Camry?

I’m in the same boat as the OP and have taken test drives of Camry, Tiguan and Tucson Diesel. I agree with OP’s sentiments here. Camry is comfortable having business class comfort in back seat but the HVAC, touchscreen, instrument cluster, buttons and sunroof operations felt like from 2 segments lower. The touchscreen in my TD vehicle was laggy. My family loved the luxury feeling of the back seat and comfortable ride quality but something didn’t click with me with the overall package which it offers.

[HammerHead]

Originally Posted by jughead

My first love have been sedan cars, but alas, there are no sedan cars available in the 25-40 lacs budget.

I went above to 40+ lacs category; considered

I know I am looking into all sort of options right now but purchasing a ~40 lacs vehicle which I intend to keep for 10+ years is a big decision and I want to avoid buyer's remorse later.

At the given budget of ~40 lakh, following are out of scope.
Toyota Camry - Rs. 52.28 Lakh
Mercedes-Benz A-Class 200 - Rs. 53.17 Lakh
BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe 220i M Sport - Rs. 50.07 Lakh
BYD Seal Dynamic - Rs. 47.37 Lakh
Hyundai Ioniq 5 - Rs. 53.38 Lakh


So you are eft with BYD Atto!
BYD Atto 3 Special Edition - Rs. 39.91 Lakh

From what is available right now, I would suggest Hyundai Tucson Signature 2.0 AT Petrol Dual Tone - Rs. 36.93 Lakh.

However if you think EV's are the safest bet for someone within Delhi-NCR, I would suggest you to wait for couple of years to see what TATA/Mahindra has to offer in EV space.

[Bhatt]

Your requirements scream the Tuscon. I just checked with a dealer in Gurgaon, the 4x2 AT Deisel Signature is a hoot to drive and has all the features one could think of and more!
OTR price is 38.5 lacs INR which fits well within your budget. Being a Hyundai, one can expect to be quite reliable as well