Coming from a 2015 Volkswagen Vento, I am looking for a car that I can keep for at least the next 5 years.
BHPian Bhodrolok recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
I have been driving my 2015 Vento with around 60K kms till date and it’s getting a little old in the tooth now even as VW doesn’t have any extended warranties beyond the 7th year. So the itch to upgrade has been around for close to a year now although the car seems to be doing pretty fine. In fact, very recently completed a drive to Ooty & back and it was absolutely terrific.
I booked the Hycross with its hybrid on launch day late last year and was set on getting it although it was higher than the budget I would have liked to stick to the logic that the higher cost would be made up by a good resale value down the years when I decide to move on and I like to keep my cars for longer durations and take good care of them. However, when I finally test drove the car, I couldn’t justify paying 35 lacs for that driver experience. Maybe if this was chauffeur driven, I would have relented but being self-driven, the car just didn’t feel right so I canceled the booking and took my money back.
About a month later in March, the itch started again, I knew the Virtus GT was the obvious choice and I have test driven it both in its 2022 and 2023 avatars as of today, but it does not feel like an upgrade with its Meh interiors and lack of features like 360 camera & even one-touch up & down in all windows.
Skoda also decided to stop the Octavia and I can’t seem to find any decent used Octavias from 2020 or beyond in Bangalore. I did flirt with the idea of getting a 2020 vRS which was being sold in Kolkata but I couldn’t pull the trigger in time with used car loans being an absolute pain in the wrong places.
So, it was back to the Virtus GT again when Kia fired its salvo with the Seltos 2.0 last month. Now the Seltos is a vehicle I always liked the look of since its launch in 2019 but the safety ratings remain the constant hurdle. But with its newer avatar with ADAS, it pushed my obvious buttons. So on 14th July, I booked a GTX+ on launch (with K code), to make sure I didn’t have to wait 6 months to get a car.
Now as I wait for the Kia delivery to be sorted, the doubts around the GNCAP rating keep coming back to my mind.
Should I go ahead with the Seltos with ADAS or should I stick to the tried and tested Virtus but no ADAS? Or should I look at something else?
Just to summarize need a car for 4-5 occupants, has to be fun to drive and safe which I would keep at least for the next 5 years.
Help!
Here’s what GTO had to say about the matter:
Sedans have traditionally been more fun-to-drive than SUVs, but that’s the old BOF ones. The new crossovers handle pretty well. I’ve had a blast on the highway with the Kushaq, Taigun, Seltos and believe it or not, the 2nd-gen Creta. All of these have fast engines & sorted suspensions.
When it comes to driving pleasure, you can’t go wrong with either the VW Virtus 1.5L (especially with the black roof) or Kia Seltos 1.5L turbo-petrols. Personally, I’d go for the Seltos between the two. I love what Kia has done with the facelift, it has the usual crossover advantages (e.g. ground clearance, rough roads etc.), is a fast crossover (0 – 100 under 9 seconds) and is loaded with features.
But really, you can’t go wrong with either. Take a long test-drive of both and pick the one that makes you the widest. This is a conundrum only a long test-drive can solve.
Here’s what BHPian Gotham had to say about the matter:
My daily driver is a 6-Year-old Vento TSI. When I sold my S cross 1.3 Diesel I wanted an ideal replacement with AT. I’ve honestly lost count of how many cars I had TD but nothing could give me the immediate kick to book a car right after a test drive apart from Skoda Slavia. I did back-to-back TD of Virtus & Slavia and I went with Slavia for 2 reasons. First, we already have a VW which we don’t plan to sell anytime soon & second, the suspension on Slavia was soft compared to Virtus.
I keep switching between Vento & Slavia for my daily commute but if I had to pick one between both my heart would be torn apart.
As I was only looking for a Sedan to replace the S cross I didn’t bother testing Kia’s but had driven the new Verna and it was my shorted TD. The car felt so disconnected to me.
TD the new Seltos & See if it makes you grin. While ADAS is a good feature to have for me it wasn’t really a decision-making factor.
Here’s what BHPian Figopian had to say about the matter:
Same conundrum that I am having!! 7 years old TDI DSG and there are no diesels with VAG!!!
Virtus/Slavia look good, nothing else looks ‘Safe’ and economical too!
Had the same feeling about Seltos, hopefully, I will like it when I do a test drive, fingers crossed!! Also waiting for its crash test results. Do let us know what you go for finally.
Here’s what BHPian Rajeevraj had to say about the matter:
Maybe it makes sense to hold on for some more time. Understand the itch though as I went through the almost same process last year for my 2013 Vento TSI. In my personal opinion, neither the Virtus nor Slavia felt like a possible significant upgrade from a Vento TSI. Same gearbox, slightly more powerful engine, questionable interior quality as compared to the older Vento’s. Of course, loaded with much more features and looks better, but that was not enough to justify the purchase for me. Ultimately it is a lateral upgrade.
So what I did to get over the itch was some upgrades. A Stage 1+ ECU/TCU Remap, A new Android HU, some good speakers from Helix, and some interior cosmetic changes. All this bought some freshness to the car and also the list of upgrades/changes one can do is limitless. Planning a few more this year.
If you really don’t have a strong reason for changing, then suggest to freshen up the car and hold on for another year or two.
Keyword: Kia Seltos facelift or VW Virtus: Want something safe & fun to drive