Car & Bike Planning to buy Automatic hatchback with safety features

raksrules

raksrules

Elite
I am planning to buy a new car. It would have to be most probably a hatchback. This will be my first car and I have never owned a car before. I have driven an automatic in USA for a period of 1 Year (just to give an idea of my experience or say lack of, with cars).
Now the main requirements for me are

1. Automatic Transmission
2. Safety features
3. Decent FE

I have been researching a lot since last few months reading various ownership reviews on team bhp, automotive India and other forums. I do not have a budget set but since it will be a hatchback (with AT), I don't want to spend a lot. But since I want safety as well, I know price will be high.

So my research on various cars says this...

1. Maruti Suzuki A-Star AT -> Not available new anymore and I am not really wanting to go for used/pre-owned car. Also it has ABS only and no airbags

2. Celerio AMT - Very high waiting times and no safety features like ABS or airbags. Don't think Maruti will also introduce them in AMT version.

3. Hyundai Grand i10 AT -> Great interiors. Hyundai is considered usually second to Maruti in terms of presence in the market. But its top end AT also doesn't have ABS/Airbags. This is a let down. No idea what Hyundai was thinking.

4. Ritz AT - Doesn't have safety features.

5. Honda Brio AT - This is the top contender for me at the moment. It has airbags and ABS and Honda badge might be good I feel in terms of reliability. This car I believe doesn't sell much but seems to be having lot of good reviews from the people who own it.

6. Nissan Micra CVT - Seems to have lot of bells and whistles and also safety features and most expensive from the last few I have listed. But concerned about the A.S.S of Nissan.

7. Hyundai i20 AT - Goes over budget at 9 Lakh+ OTR and we only get 1 airbag.


I want to mention that I am not an enthusiast. I want car for commuting in city of Mumbai. I may never take the car out of city I think since I personally prefer to do highway journeys and such in volvo and such buses.
 
Just sit once in the back seat of Nissan micra/Renault pulse and you will strike it off your list,if no one is going to sit at the back then its a great car in terms of fit and finish.Being a CVT it should have lower maintenance compared to Brio or Hyundai i10/20 with a regular auto.
A.S.S i haven't heard much or anything bad about theirs apart from the lack of service centers compared to maruti or hyundai.

If you want safety you can safely scratch the Maruti A-star/Celerio of your list.

Honda will also launch the Jazz around the end of this year or early next year,it should also come in AT and will have more space then most cars under 10lakh and all other hatchbacks.It will imo be priced just above the Honda Amaze but below the Honda mobilio.
 
Would suggest you to also check Teambhp forums
Lots of reviews and good opinions there.
I bought mines after doing a research from there,btw mines Alto K10 Small budget Car happy so far with it..
 
VW Polo GT TSI, worth it for every penny! will bring smile to your face every time you drive.
Will come with 2 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction Control and even ESP. Not to forget its super smooth DSG transmission.
 
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AMG said:
hello raks007
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Guess you saw my post on automotive india forums :)

destiny said:
Would suggest you to also check Teambhp forums
Lots of reviews and good opinions there.
I bought mines after doing a research from there,btw mines Alto K10 Small budget Car happy so far with it..
Click to expand...
I am a member of teambhp and I keep checking that website everyday multiple times.

AMG said:
Why dont you get the normal non-grand i10 automatic?
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I won't get new anymore right ?

max_demon said:
VW Polo GT TSI, worth it for every penny! will bring smile to your face every time you drive.
Will come with 2 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction Control and even ESP. Not to forget its super smooth DSG transmission.
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Cannot afford and availability is an issue. I know enthusiast like this car but i am skeptical about ownership cost of VW. Also I think it easily gets more than 10L OTR. That is expensive.

adder said:
Just sit once in the back seat of Nissan micra/Renault pulse and you will strike it off your list,if no one is going to sit at the back then its a great car in terms of fit and finish.Being a CVT it should have lower maintenance compared to Brio or Hyundai i10/20 with a regular auto.
A.S.S i haven't heard much or anything bad about theirs apart from the lack of service centers compared to maruti or hyundai.

If you want safety you can safely scratch the Maruti A-star/Celerio of your list.

Honda will also launch the Jazz around the end of this year or early next year,it should also come in AT and will have more space then most cars under 10lakh and all other hatchbacks.It will imo be priced just above the Honda Amaze but below the Honda mobilio.
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From carwale I see Nissan has just one showroom in entire Mumbai. This is a downer. Also I have never sat in any of the above listed cars so I don't know how good/bad is the space inside.
Jazz looks good but since it is on city platform, it will easily cross 10L for automatic I am sure. Also no one knows when it will be launched (except it is in 2015). I know it has been launched in Thailand (or Malaysia I don't know) but these companies are notorious to change specs when launched in India to contain costs.

In smaller sedans I checked one ownership review of the Hyundai Xcent SX(O) and liked it but then it costs more than 8.5 Lakh OTR. Has bells and whistles, safety features also.
 
raksrules said:
From carwale I see Nissan has just one showroom in entire Mumbai. This is a downer. Also I have never sat in any of the above listed cars so I don't know how good/bad is the space inside.
Jazz looks good but since it is on city platform, it will easily cross 10L for automatic I am sure. Also no one knows when it will be launched (except it is in 2015). I know it has been launched in Thailand (or Malaysia I don't know) but these companies are notorious to change specs when launched in India to contain costs.

In smaller sedans I checked one ownership review of the Hyundai Xcent SX(O) and liked it but then it costs more than 8.5 Lakh OTR. Has bells and whistles, safety features also.
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When buying a car look at safety ,A.S.S,reliability history,Space .
Other stuff like small bells and whistles can be added.

Nissan website doesn't even show the dealer list in india.I guess its due to this http://www.business-standard.com/ar...relationship-turns-bitter-114021400821_1.html

The Jazz will be the perfect car for city and highway with huge boot space+with magic seats can be extended to 1300+liters and unrivaled interior space and honda reliabilty.I am pretty sure they will launch the same 1.2l version auto found in Brio but with tweaked gear ratio and higher Top speed.So If you are considering the I20 auto then why not the Jazz ,its better in every aspect and considering you are going to keep it for a long time this imo is better or worth the wait.

No idea about the Xcent but although its subjective its one of ugliest cars out there made for India.
 
@adder

You are right about jazz. I am not really considering i20 because of high price. The thing is that waiting till 2015 mid and such may not be possible as we have a little one (my 8 days old son :) ) in our home now and hence we decided to get a car now. Actually my brother and wife have been insisting on buying for long and I was the one who was not really wanting to buy till now.
 
Since you mentioned Brio, the only problem i really have with the car is the looks. If you are ok with that, it ticks everything u need and it should be a good buy.
pros being, gr8 engine and F.E, Honda's reliability, simply awesome internal space, nice peppy engine. Cons,- I feel its a car made for women.

Then polo is a gr8 buy. The after sale cost of every car is more or less the same. The polo is build like a tank. I have a problem sitting in the polo. Its kinda cramped for me. Not comfi driving it but if u r :)

Swift, i10 grand, i20 etc im sure you have seen and researched. I really dont see why you shouldn't consider them. Forget abt the jazz for now. for me even the amaze is an over hyped car. The diesel engine is loud and the petrol variant doesnt offer much in terms of luxury. The advantage of Honda is that even the most basic variant will offer all safety features but no AT. The older jazz though really spacious, had poor ground clearance and was honestly a pretty dull car to drive. You cannot wait for a car till next yr considering the fact that the variant launched here might not be anything like the one launched abroad.

A friends got a punto. I really like his car. Gr8 spacing and performance, really well build with all safety features, FE im not sure. But, the new variant though good, there isnt much improvement in terms of performance over the older model. Still worth a look. according to me, it ticks all your requirements too.

OP - All this being said, i personally feel you need to get yourself a Small sedan. Kid means samaan *luggage) You already mentioned you plan to keep the car for long. The baby's pram, baby seat, etc etc the dickey will be useful for storage. If it makes sense to you, look at the swift desire or amaze.
 
raksrules said:
The thing is that waiting till 2015 mid and such may not be possible as we have a little one (my 8 days old son :) ) in our home now and hence we decided to get a car now.
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Congrats man.
And if you want to check out Nissan showroom, there is one on Thane-Ghodbunder road too which is closer to us than the Worli one.

Brio is a good car, but as @edge111hussain said, even I look at it as made for women (maybe not manly enough looks for me) but thats totally subjective. I havent driven it yet but I have experienced a ride in the back seat and it is pretty comfortable.

Take a test drive and let us know here.
 
@edge111hussian

I am currently just checking out the options by actually sitting in them and doing TD. So brio is not like finalized. I am very much open to suggestions.
In small sedan, I read one ownership review of the Xcent SX(O) and found that car to be good. Has AT, safety and small boot also. But then it costs 8.5 Lakh OTR (although less than top end automatic of i20 and amaze).
 
I am not a specialist in this but here is my advice-

Polo-One of the best self-driving hatchbacks!
The pickup and power output is great!
Note that their AT version costs too much!Upto 7L!So it's better to get Cross!

Micra/Pulse:actually they are remodelled version of each other!Driving experience is good but not that pleasant!
Rear boot leg spece is very less!

Brio:Very good car!Great Space!
Not at all girly!It's a very great car and Honda provides on-site
Service!
I doubt about it is available is diesel!

Ford Figo:
One of the most loved hatchbacks!Top notch safety features and good performance!
Space has never been a issue with them!

Etios Liva:No Automatic version I guess but it provides best driving experience !
Especially that Innova gearbox which is butter smooth!
Great leg space!

Swift/Ritz:despite being clear segment king! I pretty much hate Maruti Cars!Swift is a nice car with great pickup but it's leg space is always a issue to me!
Not at all comfortable!
And it's maintaining is quite on higher side in long run!

After my 3 free servicings of Ertiga and swift I had a bill of 8000/- and 6000/- each!
Despite being no damages!

So if you are willing to sacrifice Automatic transition,get Etios Liva!

If you really like diesel Automatic then get Figo or Polo!Or lastly Swift!

For Petrol variant go with Brio eyes closed!

You should actually go to all showrooms and get a test drive!
 
I went to Honda showroom today morning to TD the Brio. My brother did the TD and initially he faced issues since he had never driven an automatic before. He slammed the brakes twice in full force inside the compound of the showroom. Basically he was treating brake as clutch (also using left leg). Then he got accustomed to the car. The car is comfortable. There is lot of space. Looks tiny from outside but is spacious inside.

Rear seat passengers also have good space.

The SA did slam the glass hatch door to show it strength. I mean he actually slammed it very hard.

My father did not like small boot and he did not say much but I feel he did not like the car as much. I did not TD it because I don't know properly how to drive.



Then we went to Hyundai showroom and they did not have any AT vehicle but I wanted to checkout the SX variant of Xcent. We did the TD and it was very good. Car was super smooth and interiors were very class. Lots of bells and whistles. The SA here seemed surprised that I wanted car with safety features asking whether I have lot of Highway driving. Anyways we all loved the Xcent. We know it is sort of stupid to compare hatchback and small sedan but we want to keep options open.

We got the big car feeling inside the Xcent.



Anyways we do not plan to buy in monsoon so we shall wait for now.
But keep checking various options.



Btw in Mumbai, Solitaire Honda gave me OTR price of Brio VX AT of 7.36 Lakh

Shreeram (not Shreenath) Hyundai in Borivali west (near Chikoowadi, just besides the VW showroom) gave me quote of 8.60 Lakh for Xcent SX(O) AT.
 
raksrules said:
Btw in Mumbai, Solitaire Honda gave me OTR price of Brio VX AT of 7.36 Lakh

Shreeram (not Shreenath) Hyundai in Borivali west (near Chikoowadi, just besides the VW showroom) gave me quote of 8.60 Lakh for Xcent SX(O) AT.
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Price on higher sides!
Request quote from Panvel/Navi Mumbai showrooms!
 
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If you are eyeing for an AT drive with budget constraints then i would highly recommend you for an INDIAN make instead of spending your loved dime on international brands for simple reason you won't get what you want in budget priced car. I suggest you take a CELERIO as maruti announced this car for people like you. You want AT then get it with maurti but dont expect anything else. And maruti is like if a cycle hits you from behind you go to workshop ha ha ha.

On the other hand, why not spend some good time learning to drive instead or going for an AT. I would second the opinion of other feloows for POLO being your first choice for a hatchback in india right now. POLO is no brainer if you want a long lasting car. And its your first car i heard. Quality? Its a tank as informed earlier by someone. And the running cost, is in my opinion negligible. Indian manufacturers have their own way to look you, wheareas germans have refrained themselves from such cheap tricks, at least in auto industry. Go and test drive POLO once and you would not feel like you are sitting in a hatchback. The bloody trendline model beats top class indian hatches in almost all areas. We have 2 of these mean machines. I liked the craft so much that even after the bitter experience with the VW sales at VW Globus we bought another one. First petrol, then corrected the decision with a diesel.

Think over it again. You have not lost anything yet. The ball is still in your court.
 
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