[PetrolHead2272]

A very happy new year to the guys and gals reading this thread. Hope you had a joyous Christmas and that the holidays are giving you the time to relax and go on vacations with your families.

Now down to business

Posting this on behalf of a cousin:
He is in his mid 20's and is looking for his first proper fun to drive car after lugging around the asthmatic mpfi engine of his polo for a few years. He has put on many kilometres till now so he's confident enough to handle cars well above 150+ BHP too.
Requirements:
- It has to be a manual, no automatics at all.
- petrol
- average running of around 10-15k annually.
- no conditions as such except for the fact that the car should be insanely fun to drive.
- C2 segment only
- Maximum price should be around 20L
- It should be an all rounder in fun to drive terms. ie excellent handling and outright acceleration

Options:
1. Verna 1.5 turbo
2. Slavia 1.5
3. Virtus 1.5
4. City 1.5 vtec
5. Kushaq 1.5
6. Taigun 1.5
7. Creta turbo
8. Seltos 1.5
9. Elevate vtec
10. Hyryder mild hybrid

[Small Bot]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

Options:
1. Verna 1.5 turbo
2. Slavia 1.5
3. Virtus 1.5
4. City 1.5 vtec
5. Kushaq 1.5
6. Taigun 1.5
7. Creta turbo
8. Seltos 1.5
9. Elevate vtec
10. Hyryder mild hybrid

First off, I'd rule out the Hyryder mild hybrid. I have two cars with the same engine, in my Brezza and my Grand Vitara. They're not the definition of fun-to-drive, more like utilitarian and reliable.

If sedan vs crossover is not a great deal breaker, I'd suggest a sedan. And turbos over NA petrols, in general.

Following would be my suggestion for sedans, in order of priority:
1. Slavia/Virtus 1.5 Turbo (might go over 20 lakhs)
2. Verna 1.5 Turbo (might go over 20 lakhs)
3. City 1.5 (bang within budget, with some minor misses)

If crossovers are his thing then:
1. Elevate 1.5 (in many ways, a better car than the City. The best Honda on sale right now)
2. Kushaq/Taigun 1.5 (excellent cars, but will go above 20 lakhs)
3. Creta/Seltos 1.5 (might hit your budget cap)

Normally, I wouldn't suggest VW/Skoda to any prospective buyer as I have quite a dim view of their service centres. That said, the Polo ownership experience might have introduced him to VW dealers. So if you have recalibrated your expectations accordingly, please go for their offerings.

If still in doubt, just close your eyes and get the Elevate.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

Requirements:
- It has to be a manual, no automatics at all.
- petrol
- average running of around 10-15k annually.
- no conditions as such except for the fact that the car should be insanely fun to drive.
- C2 segment only
- Maximum price should be around 20L
- It should be an all rounder in fun to drive terms. ie excellent handling and outright acceleration

Options:
1. Verna 1.5 turbo
2. Slavia 1.5
3. Virtus 1.5
4. City 1.5 vtec
5. Kushaq 1.5
6. Taigun 1.5
7. Creta turbo
8. Seltos 1.5
9. Elevate vtec
10. Hyryder mild hybrid

First of all, I would exclude the Hyryder Mild Hybrid (it is mild in every sense when it comes to power and performance in comparison to the other cars in this segment), For a real fun-to-drive experience, I would recommend Sedans over SUVs and VW/Skoda over Hyundai/Kia or Honda.

Considering the same, my recommendation would be to go for the Virtus 1.5 MT or Slavia 1.5 MT, followed by the Verna 1.5 MT. if you want to go for SUVs, then Taigun 1.5 MT followed by Kushaq 1.5 MT would be my pick of the lot. All the others may leave you wanting.

[ananbanka]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

He is in his mid 20's and is looking for his first proper fun to drive car after lugging around the asthmatic mpfi engine of his polo for a few years. He has put on many kilometres till now so he's confident enough to handle cars well above 150+ BHP too.
Requirements:
- It has to be a manual, no automatics at all.
- petrol
- average running of around 10-15k annually.
- no conditions as such except for the fact that the car should be insanely fun to drive.
- C2 segment only
- Maximum price should be around 20L
- It should be an all rounder in fun to drive terms. ie excellent handling and outright acceleration

Considering it should be insanely fun to drive, and the fact that he has driven a hatchback in the past, he should definitely pick a sedan over an SUV. Within the sedans, I think the VAG cars have created more than a reputation in terms of driving dynamics.

Between the Virtus and the Slavia, it really comes down to personal preference. If he's been happy with the Polo and knows the dealership and SA well, the Virtus 1.5 MT seems like the right step up! The car is MOD friendly too!

[07CR]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

He is in his mid 20's and is looking for his first proper fun to drive car after lugging around the asthmatic mpfi engine of his polo for a few years. He has put on many kilometres till now so he's confident enough to handle cars well above 150+ BHP too.
Requirements:
- It has to be a manual, no automatics at all.
- petrol
- average running of around 10-15k annually.
- no conditions as such except for the fact that the car should be insanely fun to drive.
- C2 segment only
- Maximum price should be around 20L
- It should be an all rounder in fun to drive terms. ie excellent handling and outright acceleration

Considering only the above criteria, and no other factors, there is no doubt but go with either the VW Virtus/Skoda Slavia. The 1.5 litre engine is potent, and ride and handling balance is segment best without a doubt.

Coming to my personal preference, I voted for Hyundai Verna 1.5 Turbo and my second vote would go to Kia Seltos Turbo. I prefer my cars to be all rounders and both these excel in different parameters like acceleration, handling, mature ride, interior space for 5, boot space, safety, equipment, overall interior ambience and quality, excellent AC, reliability, After Sales Service, niggle free nature etc.

That said, from your list I would rule out Elevate and Hyryder/GV mild hybrids from consideration set, as they are not really fun to drive cars. Creta Turbo too isn't on sale yet.

[AKSarkar1]

It is evident that the competition is mainly between the Virtus 1.5 and the Verna 1.5

Even though I am a diehard VAG India supporter with my garage having almost every iteration of the their earlier cars from the Polo to Passat, the current generation of the VWs and Skodas are just not at par with the OGs. Not to say that they are not good cars but I definitely won’t pay the premium that they are demanding anymore. Simply put, there is a stark difference in between the true breed European versions that were localized as per India’s needs as compared to the ones that are made here with cost cutting in mind. Not my cup of tea…

This was mainly the reason why I chose the Verna over the Virtus and trust me I couldn’t be happier. The car is big, comfy, loaded to the gills with features and looks like something that Audi/BMW would design. The value proposition of having a German logo on their hood and having to pay a premium for it only holds up until a certain point!

My advice would be to go in for the Verna if you are looking for the Sedan or the Elevate if you are looking for a crossover. All the best!

[jackofsome]

I have driven both the virtus 1.5 and the Verna 1.5. I would pick the Verna everyday. Why?
1. Handling is not too far off from the Virtus.
2. The pull of that 10hp across the rev range is definitely more
3. Better after sales
4. Better interiors, features
5. Surely would be more reliable in the long run in the Indian driving conditions

The rest of the cars don’t stand a chance in front of the above two in fun to drive categories.

PS- special mention is the City with that cream of a petrol motors which you can rev to the moon. But thats about it.

[vignesh207]

I would say its defintely between the Virtus 1.5 TSI or the Verna 1.5 Turbo in the list. But the Verna is better in 3 things
1. Cheaper than the Virtus
2. Better ASS and peace-of-mind of owning a Hyundai
3. Verna still has a DCT, which is always questionable on reliability. But defintely better than the DSG which is bound to fail at some point.

These 3 factors made me choose the Verna and I would hands down recommend it as a fun-to-drive car anyday!

[ashvek3141]

Firstly, as fellow BHPians have commented - City 1.5 vtec , Elevate vtec , Hyryder mild hybrid aren't quite 'fun-to-drive' cars. And since your cousin is upgrading from an NA Polo (I presume) , these cars wouldn't add any significant 'wow' factor.

Coming straight to the cars he can look forward to are as under in order of priority,

1. Virtus 1.5
2. Slavia 1.5
3. Verna 1.5 turbo

4. Taigun 1.5
5. Kushaq 1.5

7. Seltos 1.5

Since, the Creta FL is just around the corner, he might as well wait for a month or two before taking the final call.

Aside, crossover's / SUV's are the flavour of the season and the Creta FL should come with some 'segment 1st' features. It has impressed many given it's sales so far; you never know your cousin might end up picking one too!

Do a thorough TD of all the cars and pic that suits him the best.

All the best !

[WhiteWolf]

We have had the taigun with the 1.5 tsi-dsg combo and even after 2 years of ownership the car puts a big fat smile on our faces every time we drive it and our ownership has also been niggle free, have also driven the virtus gt with the dsg and it felt almost the same as the taigun if roads are not an issue go ahead with the virtus as you get the advantage of having a bigger boot, but both will surely cost you upwards of 20 lakhs for the top trims. Hyundai Verna is also a top contender considering the amount of features and also providing a 5 star safety and will surely cost you less than the VAG group cars.

[voldemort]

Right now Slavia has 7 votes (including mine) and Virtus has 23 votes.

Is the Virtus that much better than the Slavia?

[ByKaizen]

Reading rumours on Verna N Line being launched in 2024, will it be worth the wait for him? Verna N Line will be a proper competitor for Virtus/Slavia and will come with the hassle-free/low maintenance ownership (comparatively)

[NajSaf]

Slavia is my second preference. The first would be a Thar - but unfortunately, it's not an option.

[ByKaizen]

Originally Posted by voldemort

Right now Slavia has 7 votes (including mine) and Virtus has 23 votes.

Is the Virtus that much better than the Slavia?

As a product it may not be, but lot of users feel that VW service is better than Skoda. In most of the Cities Skoda service centers are monopoly and we all know how they will behave when there is no competition. But VW has 2 or 3 service centers in most of the Cities.

Once I owned a Renault and Nissan at the same time and Renault service was way better than that of Nissan. Skoda getting better votes are in the hand of their service centers not on BHPians

[sapien]

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

Posting this on behalf of a cousin:
He is in his mid 20's and is looking for his first proper fun to drive car after lugging around the asthmatic mpfi engine of his polo for a few years. He has put on many kilometres till now so he's confident enough to handle cars well above 150+ BHP too.

Wish you a Merry Christmas, joyous holidays & a prosperous new year. Coming to cars,

Since he's used to Polo's handling, VW 2.0 cars are a natural succession. Basing on experience of driving automatics only, both 1.0 and 1.5 are extremely fun to drive, but somehow I found 1.5 ones are bit restricted initially and then there's a sudden jump in power output where it gets quite boomy and reduces the fun quotient, whereas 1.0 is super fun from the get go! There's initial turbo lag, but its masked well. Considering he's used to the mpfi with lesser power output, 1.5 may be too big of a jump, it made me uncomfortable in a way[I drive a petrol Tiago]. Given the 10-15k annual running, assuming most use will be in the city, one hardly gets a chance to rev up the 1.5 where good power can be extracted. Hence if it has to be a VW/Skoda then would recommend 1.0, he can also go with a AT and use paddle shifters to have manual like fun. His legs will thank him

Although for > 70% city use, my personal preference would be a Honda City manual/CVT. The sound that engine makes is addictive and being a NA engine, its usable in city speeds very well. Regarding the Elevate, although ride & handling is sorted, somehow it feels gruff when you rev it up, will need additional sound damping to improve the drive experience. Note, compared to the Honda City, ride & handling are better in VW2.0 cars.

In short:
Highway use - go for VW 1.0 cars.
City use - Honda City!

Make sure you test drive anything for 10+ kms before making a final call. All the best