BHPian Goldenboy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I would like to provide a little background on my requirement for a vehicle.
Before the pandemic hit, I used to work in Chennai and rarely used a car outside of the city. The car I have in Chennai is a Celerio AMT purchased in 2015. I wasn't as aware of car safety and other such aspects back then and I purchased a car without any safety features, a choice I have regretted quite a bit since.
My experience with the Celerio in the city has been okay. It's a good vehicle for going from point to point and the small size and the AMT make it very useful in traffic. The gearshifts are definitely jerky though and the car isn't too stable at high speeds, although I drive with a light right foot and rarely push it above 80km/h so those haven't been major issues.
Anyway, I have a family home in Coimbatore, and before the pandemic my family always travelled between Chennai and Coimbatore by train or flight, so the Celerio has never made a long highway trip. On the rare occasions where I needed a car for a highway journey, I used Zoomcar.
Now, my organization has told us we will have a blended model of WFH and working at the office permanently going forward. As I want to spend more time in Coimbatore, I will need to travel frequently between Chennai and Coimbatore. I now want a car that is appropriate for these highway trips (maybe as many as 8-10 round trips a year).
In summary, these are my requirements:
I am leaning towards a petrol AT because I want to keep this car for 7-10 years and I have heard (maybe this is wrong?) that petrols age better and have lower long-run maintenance costs.
I had thought about going for Creta or Seltos but I was put off by the 3 star crash test rating and I have read that Hyundai isn't focusing on the strength of their sheet metal.
I am now debating between the 2020 City base CVT variant (which has 4 airbags, TPMS, ESP etc.) or the Veto Highline Plus AT. I would like to know if there are any other cars I could consider, and also which is better between the Vento and the City. I am planning to make the purchase in September or October and will be test diving both vehicles and any other options soon.
Right now, this is how I see both cars (haven't driven them yet):
City
Pros: Space, good engine, good safety, lower service and spare costs than Vento (I think)
Cons: Not as good as the Vento at high speed (I think)
Vento
Pros: Excellent build and ride, good safety
Cons: Dealer quality, service and spare costs, very old model
I would really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions on which car, which dealer in Chennai and anything else. Thanks!
Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say on the matter:
Chennai - Coimbatore, roads are really good. No real need for a crossover \ SUV. City \ Ciaz \ Verna are a good place to start. Ciaz has an added advantage of being able to trade in your car with True value and get excellent deal in return.
Here's what BHPian Bibendum90949 had to say on the matter:
The City ticks most of your requirements. It would suit your sedate driving style too and can cruise effortlessly at 100 kmph all day. You don't have many sedan options in that price bracket when safety is a priority.
If you don't mind cross-overs, two other cars which you can have a look is Ford Eco Sport AT in Titanium plus variant and Tata Nexon, both of which are loaded with safety features and the latter having 5 star crash rating. Skoda Kushaq is another one worth considering.
Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:
I don’t see how the City fits the bill for anyone who wants to hit the highways on a regular basis. The City’s rear suspension is bouncy and the car gets unsettled very easily. The back seat passengers have to suffer through continuous up-down motion. High speed stability is average at best. Sound insulation is also poor. Long story short, City has the worst highway manners in its class, about par with the far cheaper Ciaz. Verna, Rapid and Vento are decidedly more sure footed.
Build quality is again meh. It is definitely superior to the Celerio you are upgrading from, but again it is pretty much the tinniest car out there for 15L, along with the cheaper Ciaz. Everything else is better built and feels more substantial, be it the aforementioned 3 sedans or the likes of Creta, Seltos, Sonet or even Nexon. Truth be told, all these crossovers have better highway manners too.
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