Mumbai

•4d

Hi, I own a Kia Sonet, which I am extremely disappointed with. About 99% of my driving is in the city, and my budget for a new car is around Rs 15-16 lakh. My priorities are a sedan with a smooth and comfortable ride, particularly over city speed breakers and potholes, along with good mileage, relatively low and hassle-free maintenance, reasonable running costs, and good after-sales service. Unfortunately, I have found the Kia Sonet disappointing in all these areas. I am therefore looking for a decent sedan that better suits my requirements. I also believe sedans generally offer a smoother and more comfortable ride than many of the newer compact SUVs. Please correct me if I am wrong and suggest some suitable options within my budget.

•5m

Given your priorities, the Honda City is the clear recommendation. It is a proven sedan with a comfortable ride, excellent reliability and low maintenance costs. The suspension is well-tuned for city use, and it handles speed breakers and potholes with a level of composure that many compact SUVs struggle to match. Honda's service network is strong, and ownership experience is generally hassle-free. The petrol engine is smooth and efficient, making it a great fit for predominantly city driving.

Your observation about sedans is largely correct. A well-engineered sedan like the City often delivers a smoother and more settled ride than many compact SUVs, especially over broken city roads.

If you want a more premium feel and a slightly softer ride, the Hyundai Verna is also worth considering. It is a comfortable and refined sedan with good service support, but the Honda City remains the more proven long-term ownership proposition.

The key is to avoid turbo petrol engines with DCT gearboxes, as they can be less suited to stop-start city traffic. The naturally aspirated petrol engines in the City and Verna are smooth, reliable and well suited to your usage.

Overall, the Honda City is the most sensible and satisfying choice for your requirements.

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Honda

City

from ₹14.16 Lakh

Hyundai

Verna

from ₹12.98 Lakh

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•1w

Looking for a sedan that fulfils the following criteria, in order of preference:…

•1d

For your requirements, the Honda City is what we would recommend. It offers the most comfortable rear seat in the segment, with excellent legroom and a well-cushioned bench that makes this Honda car ideal for chauffeur-driven city use. The ride quality is also very well judged, with the suspension absorbing potholes and speed breakers without the car feeling bouncy or unsettled. Honda’s reputation for reliability and relatively low maintenance costs further strengthens its case, and the City’s petrol engine is efficient enough for your predominantly city driving.The Hyundai Verna 1.5 MPI would be the second choice. It offers a comfortable ride and a premium cabin experience, but the rear seat is not as spacious or as comfortable as the City’s, which is a key consideration for your usage. And while the mileage is good, it's not quite as good as the City's. The Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus are both good cars, but their ride quality is firmer, and they are not as well suited to chauffeur-driven city use.Overall, the Honda City is the best fit for your requirements and budget. It delivers the right balance of comfort, ride quality, efficiency and ownership experience for a predominantly city-driven sedan.

Looking for an SUV Upgrade from Honda City CVT with Similar Comfort and Newer Technology

•3d

Given your usage of 700-800 km a month in Delhi and a 10-year ownership of a Honda City CVT, the Honda Elevate CVT is the most natural upgrade. It retains the same Honda ownership experience, offers a comfortable ride and the CVT gearbox is smooth and well-suited to city driving. The Elevate also sits at a sensible price point and is backed by Honda’s strong reliability record, making it a stress-free long-term ownership proposition.If you want a more premium experience with a richer feature set, the Kia Seltos IVT is a good option. The IVT gearbox is smoother in traffic, the cabin feels more upmarket and the Seltos offers a wider range of modern features. However, it does come at a higher price point. The Skoda Kushaq 1.0 TSI automatic is worth considering if you enjoy driving, as it offers a more engaging experience and the torque convertor gearbox is also the smoothest around. The ride is a bit firmer and the ownership experience is not as straightforward as Honda or Kia, so make sure the dealer in your area is well reputed.

Upgrading from Maruti Ritz to a Premium Sedan or SUV: Hyrider, Slavia, or City eHEV?

•3d

Based on your requirements, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Strong Hybrid is the most sensible upgrade. Your concerns about the 3-cylinder engine are understandable, but in the hybrid, the petrol engine is assisted by the electric motor, which smooths out the power delivery and reduces the typical 3-cylinder vibrations. This Toyota car also delivers excellent fuel efficiency, especially in city driving, which will make a significant difference over a 10-year ownership period. While it may not be a "proper" SUV in the traditional sense, it offers a higher seating position, good ground clearance and a comfortable ride, making it a practical and premium upgrade from the Ritz.The Honda City e: HEV is a strong alternative, but the higher price pushes it into a different budget bracket, and the cost-benefit equation becomes harder to justify. The Skoda Slavia is a great driver's car with a smooth 4-cylinder engine, an extremely practical cabin and strong performance, but if efficiency is a high priority, it is best to stick to the strong hybrid. The Slavia will receive an update soon, which will also feature a new gearbox which replaces the earlier Aisin-sourced 6-speed torque converter (AQ250) with a newer Aisin 8-speed torque converter (AQ300). This will be exclusive to the 1.0-litre engine and will be a bit more efficient too. However, in comparison to a strong hybrid, nothing really comes close. Overall, the Hyryder Strong Hybrid offers the best balance of efficiency, reliability and ownership experience for your needs.

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Popular discussions right now

•5d

I am a lady driver and drive around 65 km every day on the expressway. Twice a m…

•4d

For your usage, the Skoda Kylaq is a good upgrade. Your 65 km daily expressway run means you need a car that is stable at speed and comfortable over long distances. The Kylaq delivers that very well. At your budget, you could get a lower-spec automatic, which would make it easy to drive in city traffic, which matters for your twice-a-month urban runs. The automatic gearbox is a torque converter, so its shifts are very smooth and it is very reliable too. The only possible downside is that fuel efficiency is not going to be very high, and given your high daily running, this is something that might bother you. If so, opt for the Maruti Suzuki Fronx 1.2L, which is also good at higher speeds and would be more fuel efficient. The auto box in this case is an AMT, which would not be as smooth, but this would only be a bit of a bother in city traffic and not on steady highway cruising.

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•1w

Compact SUV for Potholes and Bad Roads

•5d

Given your priorities, the Mahindra XUV 3XO is the best fit. It has the most comfortable ride in the segment, with a suspension that deals with broken roads and potholes better than the Brezza or Nexon. The wide rear seat and good cabin space will also make a difference for your wife and family. The Brezza is the more reliable long-term ownership proposition, but its ride is not as plush as the 3XO. The Nexon is a good all-rounder, but the 3XO has the edge on ride comfort and rear seat space.On the Honda Elevate, it is a solid, reliable SUV with a comfortable ride, but at Rs 18 lakh on-road for the well-equipped variants, it is not worth stretching your budget for. The 3XO gives you a better ride and more features for less money.Overall, the 3XO is the best balance of ride comfort, space and value for your requirements. Go for the petrol automatic variant for the smoothest city driving experience.

i20 IVT vs Kia Sonet Dca vs Tata Nexon AMT Under 12 Lakh

•5d

Given your high running of 3,000-4,000km a month on the highway, the priority should be a car that is comfortable, stable at speed and easy to live with over long distances. The Hyundai i20 IVT is a good hatchback, but at that kind of running, a compact SUV makes more sense because of the higher seating position, better ground clearance and generally more comfortable ride over broken patches. Between the Kia Sonet DCT and Tata Nexon AMT, the Sonet DCT is the better fit for your usage. The DCT is a proper automatic gearbox, which is smoother and quicker to respond than an AMT, especially on highways where quick gear changes matter during overtakes. The Sonet also feels more refined, more premium and better put together overall. The Nexon is a solid car, but the AMT gearbox is not as smooth or as enjoyable on long highway runs. The only caveat with the Sonet DCT is that dual-clutch gearboxes can get a bit jerky in heavy stop-start traffic, but on highways, they are in their element. Overall, the Sonet DCT is the best fit for your usage and budget.

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