IT professional & his car buying dilemma: Wants something fun to drive

He is an IT professional, who has been working for around a year, and has a decent income.

BHPian mgastor2022grey recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hey BHPians, hope you all had a good week.

My friend's son, who is around 24 years, has now decided to buy himself a car. He is an IT professional, who has been working for around a year, and has a decent income.

He too is an enthusiast, and even though he is not a member, he follows the forum regularly. This post was requested on behalf of him. He is a person who loves driving MT cars. A bit of backstory: His dad (my friend) owns a Seltos IVT, and he drives it, just like when he is present (for the lack of a better word, like how a son drives his dad's car). He now desires a car for himself that he can enjoy. He is planning to pay all by himself (or at least 90-95%) and not rely on parents / relatives.

He has 3-4 cars on his mind, some are as below:

• Virtus / Slavia 1.0 MT: He absolutely loves both these, and is planning to go for the Highline / Ambition variant for the analog dials. But, his conundrum resonates with car number 2, as below.
• VW Taigun GT 1.5 MT: He is confused whether he should take the 1.5 MT. He is worried if it is too powerful for a first car, but he absolutely loves the engine. The only concern is, first car + 150 BHP = mess?
• Maruti Suzuki Swift: He is enthralled by the low seating position and sporty dynamics, but is slightly concerned by the engine. He has not taken a test drive yet, but he feels that turbo engines work better with him.
• Tata Altroz 1.5 Diesel: He likes the power and torque of the diesel mill, and it is a user friendly car too. But, he is worried about missing out on the turbo-petrols of the VAG.
• Maruti Suzuki Fronx 1.0L Turbo: This is also a car he liked, and is willing to give it a chance too.

So, what are your views? What car do you think he needs to pick? Please do provide your insights on this matter, all help is greatly appreciated.

 Here's what BHPian GTO replied:

Please also have your friend screen our curated list of fun-to-drive cars - thread link.

Drop the Swift & Altroz from your list. He can clearly afford / buy better cars.

- The Virtus or Slavia 1.5L Petrol. Absolute joy to drive. Top choice here.

- Fronx 1.0 Turbo: Fast, fun, chuckable, compact...if he wants to save some cash over the Virtus.

- i20 N-Line or a fast EV like the Currv EV (test-drive it, you'll fall in love)

Have fun TD'ing all these cars and come back to us with post-drive feedback. Happy shopping to your friend, it's a great time to be in the market.

Here's what BHPian Samba replied:

As he has no particular choice on the body type and he is looking from hatchbacks to sedans to crossovers, my suggestion will be the Kylaq 1.0MT.

This car has proved itself in track timings too.
The Kylaq will be easy on the pocket, as it will be approximately 40% cheaper than the Taigun 1.5MT, but it will match more than 90% of the Taigun 1.5’s performance.

Plus the kylaq offers very good handling and comfort.

The shorter dimension will ensure that it will be easy to drive and park in congested cities.

On top of these, the 5* safety ratings can’t be ignored either!

Among the cars shortlisted by him, the Kylaq will be the most fun to drive car, barring the Taigun 1.5 MT.

Here's what BHPian self_driven replied:

Surprised to see no mention of the i20 N Line here. This nice little warm hatch will leave him grinning from ear to ear in MT guise. It is a great car to start with, and comes backed by Hyundai's strong after-sales too.

Mahindra turbo-petrols can also be considered if he's willing to look beyond hatchbacks and sedans. The 3-door Thar petrol is immense fun, and so is the XUV3xo. That said, AT is the way to go in case of Mahindra cars as their manuals can be really disappointing. If MT is non-negotiable, give Mahindra a pass and pick from i20 N Line or Fronx.

Here's what BHPian sharmanova replied:

The Maruti Fronx Turbo is a great first car, from both driving and financial (read: lighter wallet) POV .

If looking for a used car, Fronx would still be the top choice, and if he is looking specifically for a VAG car, Polo 1.0 TSi is also worth considering.

Here's what BHPian suhaas307 replied:

Having driven the Kylaq 1.0 TSI MT extensively during the press drive in Goa, I can confirm that it’s a fabulous car to drive and fairly light on the pocket to buy / maintain. The compact dimensions and added ground clearance is a big bonus, in terms of practicality.

Alternatively, he could consider the i20 N-Line MT, if he likes a little bit of drama (burbly exhaust note and firm+sporty ride.

If he is open to used cars, he should consider a Polo 1.0 TSI MT if he can find a lightly used example.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.