[PetrolHead2272]

Hello BHPians,

Background:
We had a 2011 Toyota Innova GX that had clocked over 2.3 Lakh kilometres. Due to the absurd 10 year diesel ban in Delhi-NCR, we sold it a few days ago. Along with that, we plan on selling the other car we own as soon as we get a new one.

What type of car do we need?
We had decided on an Innova Crysta GX, but due to covid, we decided not to go for an expensive car just yet. What we are looking for is a car that gets the job done. We plan on using this car for a year or so, until covid dies down. (X3 is on the cards for after-covid era), but for now we just need a less expensive car. We plan on retaining this car even if we buy another one in some time.

Options considered
After considering over 10 cars under a price range of around 15 lakhs, we have narrowed the options down to -
1. Honda City 5th generation VX petrol Manual
and
2. Skoda Kushaq Ambition Petrol Manual.

Fuel - Petrol, would only be my dads daily driver for a year until we get a new car. After that, the usage would drop a lot. Hence, no diesel considered.
Transmission - Manual. No more coments.

Advantages of Kushaq over City -
+ Since we have been used to the Innova's height, an SUV would be a lot easier to travel in.
+ Better feature equipped by a hairs breadth
+ During bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Kushaq, being comparatively smaller in length, would be easier to drive and manoeuvre.

Advantages of City over Kushaq -
+ Rear seat has much more space. Due to the light beige interiors, the cabin feels roomier despite it being a low lying sedan.
+ Boot space is almost double than that of the Kushaq (not a deal breaker, as the car would be driven locally)
+ Although both engines are equally great, I prefer the 1.5 NA engine in the City slightly more than the Kushaq's engine.

Kindly tell me which car would be better for my current usage between the City and Kushaq.
Thanks a lot in advance.

[Researcher]

In these times of COVID, I will prefer a reliable and proven car if keeping only one car over a year for daily use, especially without the risk of downtime or exposing your father to the probability of more service center visits due to a new German product, despite the fact that the 1.5 TSI MT in its top variant is very tempting and Kushaq is a very well-rounded car. Also, since you are already planning a German after COVID, I will distribute my risks and have a garage with different types of cars. Hence I voted for the City.

However, if possible to explore, I will suggest you to look into a more reliable crossover which will help in the taller seating and smaller dimensions. Something in the lines of the top variants of an S-Cross, Brezza or WR-V, will be something that you may check. The S-Cross would be my first pick as it is similar in size to the Kushaq and has more space than the Brezza or WR-V. In case of minimal usage after a year, there is a higher chance that you will have lesser headache with a Japanese than a German if you start using a car after a period of hibernation. Good luck with your purchase.

[carthick1000]

First of all, it looks like you keep your cars for quite long in your family. And given the Kushaq is just launched and like many other new models coming to the market, the first series of vehicles will always come with a lot of niggles and they get ironed out over time. Also the whole VW-Skoda-Audi group seems to be getting a lot of brickbats of late. Esp. we come across VAG service issues on team-bhp quite a lot compared to Hondas.

I think Honda City would be a much sensible option in terms of reliability and long term service experience. I would even suggest to pickup VX CVT if the car is going to be used more for urban commutes. Also takes a lot of stress out of driving. If the users of the car (I presume you and your father) do like to drive manual, the city's gearshifts are very nice too. So you can't go wrong with either type of transmissions.

Most of all the sweet 1.5L i-VTEC NA engine is a hoot to drive. Personally, I am not a fan of downsized turbo petrols. Btw, 5th gen Honda city is not that of a low slung sedan. It is rather comfortable for ingress & egress. But, I guess such subjective opinions can only be lied to rest when you take a test drive in both the vehicles.

Good luck! Let us all know what you eventually zeroed-in on.

Cheers,
Karthik

[PetrolHead2272]

Originally Posted by Researcher

However, if possible to explore, I will suggest you to look into a more reliable crossover which will help in the taller seating and smaller dimensions. Something in the lines of the top variants of an S-Cross, Brezza or WR-V, will be something that you may check.

Thank you so much Researcher.
During these covid times, we are avoiding to visit as many showrooms as possible. All my research has been online and through friends who own these cars.

Originally Posted by carthick1000

I think Honda City would be a much sensible option in terms of reliability and long term service experience. I would even suggest to pickup VX CVT if the car is going to be used more for urban commutes. Also takes a lot of stress out of driving. If the users of the car (I presume you and your father) do like to drive manual, the city's gearshifts are very nice too. So you can't go wrong with either type of transmissions.

Thank you so much sir.
I am just 14 years old, so I don't drive. My dad(45) is comfortable driving the manual too. Like you mentioned, the manual has very nice gearshifts too.


I forgot to mention in my opening post that the second car I had alongside the Innova IS the 3rd Generation Honda City. Although we love the new one, my dad and I are inclined on a change.
My dad had a nice talk with a guy from Skoda, and they are willing to offer us great servicing benefits at dealer level. Hence, the niggles quotient would pretty much be taken care of.

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

Hello BHPians,

Background:
We had a 2011 Toyota Innova GX that had clocked over 2.3 Lakh kilometres.

Hi PetrolHead2272, always nice to see other teens around! We've quite a few here now.

Coming to your query, I'd say go for the Kushaq only because you're dad will be driving (& from what I could ascertain from your post, he likes driving too. Even though I haven't driven cars yet, the Kushaq surely has better driving dynamics than the City, which is slightly more comfort-oriented.

As you've mentioned in your post, the Kushaq will also be great due to it's height in peak traffic and the 1.0L engine is doing great in terms of reliability till now.

Do keep in mind, since it's a Skoda, anything that the dealer says could either be very true or would just be ways to milk money out of your pocket.

[Latheesh]

I had the same issue in deciding which one to choose. I had booked both (Kushaq Active and City V) and finally cancelled Kushaq booking. Getting delivery of my City V manual next week.

Edit: My initial budget was 12L and already stretched it for City V manual. If it is City - go for VX CVT variant otherwise go for V CVT (if budget is an issue).

[PetrolHead2272]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

Hi PetrolHead2272, always nice to see other teens around! We've quite a few here now.

As you've mentioned in your post, the Kushaq will also be great due to it's height in peak traffic and the 1.0L engine is doing great in terms of reliability till now.

Do keep in mind, since it's a Skoda, anything that the dealer says could either be very true or would just be ways to milk money out of your pocket.

Hello Sir, thanks a lot for the valuable feedback.

I think that the 1.0 TSI engine is almost the same as the one we have seen in the Rapid/Vento/Polo. Hence, engine reliability would not be an issue.

I agree with you that Skoda dealers are famous for deceiving people. But my dad's friend owns a Rapid, and he is in fact very happy with the servicing and the response from the dealership in Gurgaon. Although we are thinking about buying and registering the car from our home town, Chandigarh. And we have done a thorough background check on the Skoda dealers over there, and the path seems pretty clean

Originally Posted by Latheesh

I had the same issue in deciding which one to choose. I had booked both (Kushaq Active and City V) and finally cancelled Kushaq booking. Getting delivery of my City V manual next week.

Congratulations sir.
Was there any reason why you went ahead with the City and not the Kushaq. Your feedback will help me with my buying experience.
Thanks.

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

Hello Sir, thanks a lot for the valuable feedback.

Namit, please don't call me sir I'm 16 myself!

Agreed, the VW 1.0L is the one present in the Rapid/Vento/Polo and hence, engine reliability shouldn't be an issue. To be fair to VAG-Skoda, we own a Vento (there is a review on T-BHP). & a close relative owns a Rapid. Never have I ever had to face problems with my own car in Pune nor has my relative ever had to face any issue in Bangalore. The dealership here in Pune (B.U Bhandari) is pretty competent and I am very satisfied with their work.

[speedfreak77]

If a big German car like the X3 is being considered then you should stick with the City for now. Kushaq has just been launched and even though the 1.5 TSI is tempting, I'd rather wait for the long-term reviews and then go ahead and buy one. I always state that I'm a VAG person and I am considering the Kushaq too but I'll wait for some time and see how it performs in the long term. The city is a great choice and very reliable in the long run. You cannot go wrong with a City and its 1.5 is tried and tested and is a great engine. City for now and buy a big German car later.
Cheers.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

Was there any reason why you went ahead with the City and not the Kushaq. Your feedback will help me with my buying experience.
Thanks.

It was difficult to choose. I was not looking for any fancy features in my next car. I liked both City and Kushaq when I test drove it. My initial plan was to stretch the budget and go for Kushaq Ambition manual if it was priced ~ 50K above City V manual. Skoda priced it way above my expected price and I had to choose between City V and Kushaq Active. For about 40K above OTR City V offers almost everything and I do not feel like missing any.

Final decision was based on below pints:
1) Skoda do not have proper showroom in my city (they have a sales outlet) and overall pre-booking experience was below average
2) Even with limited dealership network Skoda took ~ 15 days to bring test drive/display car to the local dealer
3) Kushaq felt like 95% complete
4) Service center is still under progress
5) There are some key features missing in Kushaq Active - which affects daily driving (rear defogger, fog lamp, cheap looking touch screen, bad plastic on few components etc)
6) There are some key extra features in city V (extra airbags, hill hold, fog lamps, cruise control, DRL, keyless entry, better rear seat, and extra boot space to name a few)

If it was second car at home I would have gone for Kushaq. This is the only car at home and I took feedback from my family before taking final decision.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

If you are planning for X3 in future, then go for a car whose reliability is already proven and which will give you peace of mind.

If you have shortlisted only City and Kushaq, my vote goes to City.

[PetrolHead2272]

Originally Posted by akash_v12

Namit, please don't call me sir I'm 16 myself!

Ohh, hahaha. My bad

Originally Posted by speedfreak77

Kushaq has just been launched and even though the 1.5 TSI is tempting, I'd rather wait for the long-term reviews and then go ahead and buy one.

If the engine in the Kushaq is more or less similar to the one in the Rapid, reliability issues would be there, but not too serious as the guys at Skoda servicing would know their way around this engine.

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Final decision was based on below pints:
1) Skoda do not have proper showroom in my city (they have a sales outlet) and overall pre-booking experience was below average
2) Even with limited dealership network Skoda took ~ 15 days to bring test drive/display car to the local dealer
3) Kushaq felt like 95% complete
4) Service center is still under progress
5) There are some key features missing in Kushaq Active - which affects daily driving (rear defogger, fog lamp, cheap looking touch screen, bad plastic on few components etc)
6) There are some key extra features in city V (extra airbags, hill hold, fog lamps, cruise control, DRL, keyless entry, rear seat, and boot space to name a few)

Thank you sir,
The City V variant is better equipped than the Active variant of the Kushaq. I need to be extra cautious as the Kushaq is a newer product and servicing people are still not a hundred percent adapted to this car yet.

Originally Posted by Rahul Bhalgat

If you are planning for X3 in future, then go for a car whose reliability is already proven and which will give you peace of mind.

If you have shortlisted only City and Kushaq, my vote goes to City.

Thanks a lot sir,
Honda City has been on sale in India for over 2 decades now, hence its more reliable than the two. And no doubt the Honda City will give a peace of mind.

[Tapish]

My vote goes to the city as well, primarily for long-term peace of mind and an almost fill it, shut it forget it operation. I was leaning towards Kushaq myself, but read a few reports about engine trouble on the 1.0 TSI as well as the car seems smaller than the direct competitors. Even if the car is meant to be used in the city, airport runs should not be a concern for the City.

If possible, do drive the CVT, for a city runabout, the CVT will make a lot of sense, especially over a longer term.

T

[PetrolHead2272]

Originally Posted by Tapish

If possible, do drive the CVT, for a city runabout, the CVT will make a lot of sense, especially over a longer term.

T

Thank you sir,
I am not really a fan of automatics. Plus, Honda City manuals are far more exhilarating to drive. But since many BHPians in this thread have been suggesting the CVT variant, I would surely TD it soon.

[saikishor]

Kushaq is a freshly baked product and its parent company is an antonym for reliable. Since this is your second car of sorts in the garage, go for something reliable. City will be my pick between the two. If you are open to options, I would suggest a Maruti Scross. It is almost on its way out, but the build and the global priduct appeal it has is worth noting. Also, it has sold in decent numbers, so spare part availability shouldnt be an issue in the long run.

Happy shopping!