buying a new car

[buycar 0]

Am thinking of buying a car for twice a week mumbai pune travel. My budget is between 9 to 11 lacs. Safety, fuel efficiency and comfort in that order are my concerns.

Would appreciate suggestions.

[sparshq 0]

You certainly need a diesel.

So why don't you try the Tata Safari Vx 4x2??

It comes with ABS, Airbags, has best in class comfort and is Reasonably Fuel Efficient being a Diesel.

Or if a Sedan is what you need, please check out the Hyundai Verna CRDi, Optra Magnum or the Fiat Linea.

[buycar 0]

Am not too keen on a Tata. How would the following compare : Optra Magnum vs Skoda Octavia vs Toyota Innova.

Thanks

[sparshq 0]

Optra Magnum has superb performance and comfort in Diesel, but the quality is not upto the mark. Skoda Octavia has a rocking diesel but has cramped rear seats.

Octavia is a notchback ie sedan but boot opens like hatchback and has huge boot space of 550+ liters.

[sgiitk 0]

I will not look at the Octavia because there are serious service issues with Skoda. Also, the Laura is actually the updated Octavia in Europe. See the New Laura thread for links for the serivce issues. Both Magnum and Innova are excellent but I will opt for the tied and tested war horse - Innova. By and large the Japs have better build quality and attention to service.

sgiitk2009-05-14 11:33:09

[anijog 0]

Optra A GM product will u risk it?

Octaiva - Too long in the tooth.

Innova - You plan to travel heavy every time?

Get some more on your list.

[rahul1810 0]

The diesels in this segment arent that fuel efficient that you would get the benifit of owning a diesel with the exception of octavia maybe. I suggest you go for the fully loaded ANHC. You can also wait for corolla diesel cos that will most probably be fuel efficient otherwise go to ANHC for fuel efficiency or civic or corolla if you want a car from a segment above.

EDIT

Verna automatic is also a wonderful car, and you will have the joy to own an automatic, but will have to forego airbagsrahul18102009-05-14 12:45:48

[CYRUS43 0]

Why not go in for a Toyota Corolla Altis? It is a Japanesse car, so it will be reliable, and it is a very good overall package. If you could stretch your budget a lil bit, you could also look at the Civic.

[buycar 0]

Bombay pune twice a week, means an average running of say around 2500-2800 kms / month. Travel in fact is going to be light, i need a car in this segment only for safety and naturally comfort comes in. How would a Honda City compare to say the Innova/Skoda for this purpose ? Cheaper too in upfront cost. Petrol v/s diesel cost of travel will be around Rs.40000 per year, but given the difference in price of the car, the diesel Skoda will take nearly 5 years to breakeven with say a City ?

[BonFre 0]

Honda City seems the best buy here for your kind of usage & requirements. Its safe, efficient & comfortable.

[anjan_c2007 1]

Why not try the Scorpio Refreshed SLX ? For highway travel, like you are proposing one needs a car/SUV with a solid feel to bulldoze through the unruly traffic. If handled well, I cannot think of anything better than the brute, rough and tough Scorpio for highway drives.

I am posting this as a satisfied  Scorpio owner.

anjan_c20072009-05-14 16:17:30

[buycar 0]

I think i am more comfortable with a sedan than an SUV, except maybe an Innova. From a safety perspective how would the Honda city compare with the Innova and Octavia

[anjan_c2007 1]

Of these in your list the Honda City is only a little bit less fragile than the Maruti Esteem. The Octavia is the most solidly built amongst these and one gets the feel while driving it. the Honda City or even the Toyota Corolla Altis lack this feel.

I feel the Innova should be a better choice from your list. SUV's and MPV's owing to their higher ground clearance  have been proved to be much safer than sedans, when bashed up. of course they risk bgetting toppled id not handled properly. If a MPV/SUV or even a truck hits a sedan, the dash is direct with the passenger compartment of the sedan, which is at the heavier vehicle's bumper level. So the airbags and other safety features like crumple zones in sedans are  of  use only upto a certain limit.

[buycar 0]

Is it true that the Corolla Altis is being offered a discount price currently ? Also are there other cars in this 10 lac segment on the anvil that one should wait for ?

[sparshq 0]

Buycar, you obviously can't go for city because you need a diesel with a running of 1000+ kms per month.

I think you should wait for the new Mitsubishi Lancer which will come with a Diesel. And also, Innova is a car like MUV, but has cramped rear seats. I suggest you can also check out the Octavia but it has service issues.sparshq2009-05-15 04:46:10

[buycar 0]

Like i wrote earlier, at my monthly running, diesel cars will save around Rs.40000/- per year. However given the difference in costs between say a diesel octavia and a petrol honda, it will take over 5 years to break even. At most times there wont be more than 4 adults in the car, so the space should not be a problem

[nikvint 1]

Don't think Octavia for service and spares issues. Don't compare H-city with Octavia for safety. Octavia is more safer and solidly built car than H-city. If I were you, I will select between Scorpio Slx and Linea Emotion pack. Both diesel of course. For sedan Linea makes more sense against all the sedans you are thinking. It is available at a price of H-city, has economy of Diesel like Octavia, has built quality and solidarity of Octavia, has all safety features, has lowest spares cost compared to all the cars you are evaluating. So total ownership cost will be much lower compared to other cars. Linea is fresh and spacious compared to octavia. Pl go thru the thread of Linea to learn more about the car. All the best.

[anijog 0]

How about the FORD FUSION, you get diesel too.

Good compromise between a MUV & Sedan, safe too.

Nice car with a unique design. There are substantial discounts on this one from Ford.

[bluesapphire 1]

If safety, FE and comfort are most important thing for you than in your price bracket Innova V or Optra magnum fits perfectly and also optra has good plastics and build quality, overall a good car..

But i read your post and you were thinking to go for lower segment petrol car with same requirements and you liked City as its pricing would offset the high segments diesel benefits, if this is the case then i would recommend you Linea, as Anijog said it has pricing of City(means double benefits than you are thinking as its diesel) and superb blend of Features, style, ride, handling, tank like build quality, world class diesel and comfort...It has almost everything and more than many 13-14lac car, but you need to deal with its not so good A.s.s, but still i would recommend you Linea against City if you are not a BIG Honda fan...

And new innova with new features is also very good if you want a Muv...

[buycar 0]

Both the Innova and Corolla Altis versions which fit in my budget of sub 11 are without Air bags. I liked the Corolla Altis very much. Really great finish. How much of a safety risk is not having air bags ? I will be having a look at Linea tomorrow, but isn't it underpowered ? Also i hear that Tata dealership has a step motherly attitude towards Linea buyers ?

[rssh 59]

Well you are going to do complete highway drive and so you need ABS and airbags as standard life protector (with seat belts offcourse). Try the Emotion optional multijet linea it has 90bhp (octiva's power) and is priced well too . You can offset the diesel's margien in 2.5 years but then the multijet is best efficient engine in India and can reduce those years .It has best ride and handling quality in the segment and is as big as a Jetta with lots of road presence and I think is perfect for your requirement.

[CYRUS43 0]

Thread Moved.

[uneet 0]

Hello Buycar,

 

As per your requirement, as suggested by many knowlegeable people out here, Innova seems to be the best option. Iam using Innova for around 42 months now and it has done 45000 kms. Its the most comfortable vehical in its segment.

 

Also I would like to suggest yo Skoda Octavia. Only because of the fact that its a very safe car with a great diesel engine. The Skoda as a company is a bit worrying fact! Iam driving Skoda Fabia and its a great car in its segment. It has 6000 Kms in 9 months.

 

I would not be suggesting both Honda City and Optra Magnum simply because these are too Flimsy Cars and are not ideal for highway running.

[rahul1810 0]

If you are interested in linea, wait for some months if you can afford to. Linea 1.6 Diesel is coming and it has the benefits of both power and mileage. But if you have doubts over fiat like me, go for the Honda City.

I would not suggest that you leave the airbags, cos they are essential, nothing is more essential than life, is it? Even if you have to go for a lower segment car. Else without airbags Verna would have been the best choice, no doubt.

My choice, go for the honda city, and get some accesories. A cithy comes near my home everyday with alloys and different grille in balck colour. Looks good enough to eat

[buycar 0]

Had a look and drove the Linea today and didn't really like it at all. The interiors were so so especially if you compare with the innova, leave alone the altis. I think i will have to decide between the city (which is not the ideal highway car) and the octavia (with service and repair issues). Or jump budget for the innova. Difficult decision really