[TorqueSteer]

Hey all !
Currently I own a 2020 Ignis Zeta. Car is run around 8k kms due to COVID and all but been my daily driver since last 6 months as my back to office started in my office. Ignis is a pretty good city car. Nimble, fuel efficient and relatively peppy. But bumpy ride quality is becoming an issue for me. Especially on city roads. An I got bit by the upgrade bug recently. Honestly, I got bored of Ignis especially since there is a Honda and Skoda showroom right next to my home and I've been in love with Slavia and City ever since. So I'm planning on an upgrade. My usage is daily 30 KMS home-office-home and once a quarter highway trips for about 300kms. Rules below.

1. I love absolutely sedans. That low seating makes me feel like I’m in a supercar
2. Decently fuel efficient. Anything between 8 KMPL to 12 KMPL is fine with me. The more the better. (FYI, Ignis is giving me 14 KMPL in Pune traffic with 100% AC ON)
3. Has to be under 15 lakhs
4. Since my primary usage is in city, has to be comfortable on bumpy roads
5. Good quality and good-looking exteriors and interiors


Cars I’ve shortlisted:

Heart : Skoda Slavia Ambition MT

Why ?
1. Been in love with it since launch. Especially the Red color.
2. Loved the quality of interiors.
3. Looks very premium for the price. I’m eyeing for the Ambition variant and that it is pretty well equipped.
4. Service centre is a couple of kms away from my home.

Why not ?
1. Stories of A.S.S. I’m looking for a painless ownership experience.
2. Worried a little about fuel efficiency. Getting mixed reviews.
3. Cost of spares.
4. Wife wants a SUV.

Brain : Honda City V 5th Gen facelift MT

Why ?
1. City is my childhood dream car.
2. Extremely reliable
3. Fuel efficient
4. Easy to maintain and cheaper ownership compared to Skoda (I’m guessing)
5. Service centre is a couple of kms away from my home.

Why not ?
1. Honda’s approach towards Indian market pointing towards exit
2. Tyres look puny and spoils the entire car’s character. Will need an upgrade immediately.
3. Dashboard looks good but the infotainment looks like an after thought.
4. Ground clearance issues as there are a lot of speed breakers in my locality.
5. Wife wants a SUV.

Practical : Maruti Ciaz Alpha MT /AT

Why ?
1. Most value for money. A top end mid size sedan under 14 lakhs that too an AT.
2. Maruti’s reliability
3. Fuel efficient
4. Service centre is right beside my home

Why not ?
1. Dated interiors. Looks pretty basic.
2. Same Maruti again. Doesn’t feel different than my Ignis. Hate the steering wheel. Chances are high of getting bored.
3. Wife wants a SUV.


Wife’s options :

Maruti Grand Vitara :

Maruti’s reliability and peace of mind but my budget allows me to get a Delta which I think isn’t VFM at all. I loved the Zeta but it’s is a little stretch. Power figures are bad. I feel it’s too big for regular city use.

Skoda Kushaq:

Ambition MT is on the 15 lakh mark. But I’ve heard that the fuel efficiency is less that Slavia. A little concerned about potential ownership experience and along with spares & service costs.

All your inputs are highly appreciated.

[Abhisheknott]

Dream car it is.
Slavia may be a better option looks wise and interior wise as i feel the interior quality of Honda now is better only than Maruti but City with its engine and being your dream car is better.
Dont think Honda is going anywhere soon with the launch of the new Crossover.
Stay away from Ciaz if you like driving and if SUV, Kushaq.

[RavSam]

Wow! I too am an owner of 2020 Ignis Zeta and my dream car since childhood is a Honda City

There are a lot many options today and I can afford more expensive ones including some SUVs but then if I were able to buy a Honda City, and I always dreamt of buying it, I would go ahead and buy it. Especially since it's a car with not many flaws.

There are many dreams and if one is able to fulfil one of it then why not?

P.S. Also, I would just not sell away the Ignis too soon. At 8k odd kilometers it has barely run in. My Ignis now, after 10k plus kms drives like a charms and buttery smooth and keeps up with speed with even mightier cars. Would at least drive it till 25k.

All the best!

[bijims]

Considering the fact that you love sedans and hoping that you would be able to convince your wife, the best options in the sedan segment around 15 lakhs on-road would be Honda City V MT or VX MT, Skoda Slavia Ambition MT or Hyundai Verna SX 1.5 VTVT. Of the three, the City and Verna come with 1.5 L N.A. Petrol engines which produce 119 bhp and 113 bhp of power and 145 nm and 144 nm of torque respectively, the Slavia comes with a 1.0 L turbo petrol (TSI)producing 114 bhp of power and 178 nm of torque.

The City is a dependable car with an all-round qualities which has made it a best seller in the sedan, the Slavia is the more fun of the lot, but maintenance costs of Skoda have historically been higher compared to its Japanese and Korean counterparts. The all-new Verna is a good car in its own right with modern styling and amenities.

As regards features and price, all are well equipped and priced closely and you wouldn't go wrong with any of these cars, but In my opinion, if your heart yearns for a Skoda, you should definitely go for it!

[GTO]

You want a fast Skoda.

Wife wants an SUV / Crossover.

Just get the Kushaq. It is so much fun to drive! And has practical aspects too. You'll enjoy it. Also consider the VW Taigun.

[On4Wheels]

Originally Posted by TorqueSteer

Hey all !
Currently I own a 2020 Ignis Zeta. Car is run around 8k kms due to COVID and all but been my daily driver since last 6 months as my back to office started in my office. Ignis is a pretty good city car. Nimble, fuel efficient and relatively peppy. But bumpy ride quality is becoming an issue for me. Especially on city roads.

I am also at a crossroad like you to find a replacement for my 2022 Ignis zeta AMT. I bought this car as a city car and I should admit that I bought it in a hurry. The car is very smooth and no niggle till date. However, due to the bumpy ride quality, I am thinking for an upgrade to a comfortable car. From the reviews, I learned that Citroen C3 has got lots of praises for its ride quality and turbo engine. So I am waiting for the launch of Citreon C3 automatic (I am yet to test drive the Citroen C3). Further, I am curious to understand the ride quality of C3 compared to sedans. I have driven Honda City 5th generation and, I find, it is miles ahead of 4th generation Honda City. Similarly, ride quality of Ciaz is also good. I planning to test drive other sedans also to zero in based on ride quality and engine. The suggestions by fellow members would help me also to make the decision right. Thanks in advance.

[ellip5i5]

I have a 2017 Ignis and a 2022 City and test drove all the listed choices last year.

Slavia , Kushaq - exciting to drive, but they really skimp on features for the ambition variant.

City - V variant ticks all the features list (Auto Climate Control, Cruise Control etc) with a great engine for driving in the manual avtar

My heart had said Skoda/ VW but head and bank balance said City for a budget similar to yours. Also given the service packages and warranty on offer I was personally ok to move to Skoda/VW

[vinbie2019]

I have a 2017 Ignis petrol manual and strictly used only for city runs in Bangalore. Current ODO reading is 32k kms. I brought this used through Spinny in 2021. I have a ScorpioN as well for highway trips.
I have same itch and irritation with the harsh ride quality in non perfect roads, NVH levels and non centring steering wheel.
I put off my decision to upgrade as Ignis is superior in following areas
1. Enough low end grunt to keep you smiling in city traffic. When road opens up a little, small footprint, handling and stiff suspension really comes in handy to zig zag through the city roads. Much better than 15 lakhs turbo petrols as size does matter here. All this with no big loss in fuel efficiency.
2. Fuel efficiency is 16 kmpl. I'm not going to get that in if i upgrade.
3. Alpha gets - Android Auto, Airplay, Touch screen display, LED head lights, nice wipers, dash quality decent for the price, etc etc.
4. Maruti cost of ownership and spare parts.

Instead planning to upgrade tires at 40k kms with Continental UC 6 at 185/55 r16. That i hope should address (20% better) harsh ride and NVH. I'm hoping little bit of steering feel as well. If this works, planning to keep it till 2027 or at 80,000 kms.

[46TheDoctor]

You should consider XUV 300 TurboSport which can deliver:

Sporty seating and handling closer to a sedan
SUV looks
Feature packed and Safe
Around 15L OTR for top variant
Will be cheaper to buy and maintain than the germans.

[Vasanth]

Financially the City makes more sense. It will definitely be cheaper to maintain on the long run.
The present gen Honda city is no less than Slavia when it comes to the premium feel on the inside. High speed stability is a different matter.
But the 1.5L i-vtec engine is to die for!
You could expect unexpected parts failures, electronic related problems in the Slavia post 5 year mark.
Go for your childhood dream car Honda city
It will never disappoint you.

[AGupta]

Kushaq will be the best choice among all options.
It has everything in your wish list except body style. It looks smart, compact and will have reasonable fuel efficiency as well.

[AnkitHJain7]

It’s just me, but if you get an SUV you’ll be in the same boat 2 years down the road. You’ll get bored as you see the new Slavia’s and City’s parked near those dealerships. The yearning for them won’t go away and every time you see one of those sedans you’ll feel like you missed out on a dream.

My take is that you should get the Slavia or City. Yes the Skoda ASS is not the best, but if you aren’t planning on holding the car for a very long period of time and you have low running in general, I don’t foresee you having to interact with the ASS part of the business that much.

Similarly with the City even if Honda decides to pull out of the market it won’t be anytime in the near future. That could be a possibility a few years down the road. As of now they’re still pushing the City as hard as they can and bringing on an SUV as well.

You might not tick the wife approval fully with the Slavia or City as she’s leaning towards SUV, but you can always get one later down the road. I feel like the way our markets are shifting sedans in their current form are slowly being phased out and SUV’s are going to slowly replace them. So enjoy it while you’ve still got the chance and the market still has interesting and relevant options.

Intrigued to know what you end up with in the end! Do keep us posted!

[GoBabyGo]

Hi TorqueSteer, check Kia Seltos HTK which is available for 15.75 lacs onroad Pune. There is a discount of 40K is running as of now in post April 2023 (RDE2 compliant) make Seltos.

You can also check with them if they have stock of RDE1 (manufactured between Jan to March 2023) for which there seems to be a discount of around 85K to 1.25L.

HTK is decently kitted (6 airbags standard but poor safety rating) and it will satisfy you both (remember wife is always right). You can add Alloys later and I am told that rear wiper & washer is easy to fit from a reliable accessories shop outside.

I own Honda City MT 2018 make and I am married too hence I would suggest buy whatever your wife like.

If you still want to go for sedan, its Honda City eye closed, that way you can save about 75K over Seltos.

[Siddy_1998]

Of all these, I'd personally recommend the Slavia. Or even the Virtus, if you have it in consideration.

Not that the other cars are bad options, but the reason why I'd have the Slavia is because it offers something unique that won't ever get outdated: Fun-to-drive quotient.

Let's face it, the features that are modern in a car now in 2023 will feel outdated after some years, because its technology and something better always arrives. You can always bolt-on accessories to your car to keep the car fresh, but driving dynamics, fun-to-drive factor, safety, these are some things that you will appreciate for a long time. These are qualities of a car that do not get outdated.

Yes, the parts are definitely pricier than the other brands, but the price gap between VAG parts and other manufacturers is no longer as wide as it used to be some years back. We had a Maruti Suzuki Alto and the ridiculous labor charge that they slap on for even the cheapest parts is just astonishing. At least with VAG, the parts are high quality (in most cases). And anyway, the service experience for the same brand can vary greatly between one service center to the other.

The only reason why people prefer SUVs is because of the increased ground clearance, but unless you are a serious off-roader, I don't think that the ground clearance offered by the Slavia/Virtus will ever feel inadequate.

The other cars are good options as well, but if this was me, I'd be thinking along these lines. I'd suggest taking a lot of test drives in all of them, before zeroing in to the final choice.

Cheers!

[shubham322000]

Go for New City and you won't regret it. Yup the tyres have to be updated immediately to 195/55/r16, but once done rest I don't think any other major items.

Ground clearance will not be an issue until you keep in mind you're driving a sedan.