BHPian akshye recently shared this with other enthusiasts:The story: I have been driving a Polo for my commutes to the office. I can take 2 routes: one is 70% highway and is a 75km return journey. The other is 100% city road, a 65km return journey. A few months back, my leg started complaining about the heavy clutch. So, I started considering a Motorcycle as an option. A quick, acceptably nimble bike should do, was my opinion. I had zeroed down on Triumph Speed 400. I had thought, I’ll dodge the bullet once Monsoon is over. The plan was that, a couple of days a week, I would ride a bike through the city roads. That will give my clutch leg some rest. Sadly, I had 4 accidents with my car in the span of 2 months. 1 was my mistake, 3 others decided to meet (physically) at my car. After the last accident (a small truck driver was too lazy to hold the brake at the signal and rolled back into my car – damaging both the doors on one side), I started being skeptical about driving on bike, even in the city. Hence, the next best choice is having a small car to drive through the city. If it’s a small car, I can drive through city roads. It’s shorter and greener (as per G-Maps). It takes longer with Polo and needs more footwork. Hence, I mostly avoid that road. But it would not be an issue for a small automatic car.The need: Since I already have a Polo, I want a smaller car. A small car would be perfect for all city runs (which we do a lot of – currently in Polo). I’m considering EV – Comet, and ICE – S-Presso/Alto. Comet seems expensive, says my better half. I don’t want the Tiago EV as it is similarly sized to the Polo, and then it would not make sense to hold 2 very similar cars. Alto or S-Presso is OK, but AMTs are not really autos. I would always feel that I’m the lazy guy who can’t handle a manual shifter. While my left foot agrees to that statement, my mind would not like to be ‘labelled’ like that. I’ve done a cost calculation, and interestingly, over 5 years, a 10 Lakh EV turns out to be cheaper than a 7 Lakh ICE. I’ve assumed the unit rate of 9.5 rupees. Anyway, I am looking for suggestions from you people – a small, auto car for the city.BHPian Shreyans_Jain recently shared this with other enthusiasts: A prudent option at this time would be to wait for the upcoming range extender hybrids on small cars from Maruti. They promise to be economical and super cost-effective ICE alternatives to cars like the Comet and Tiago EV. And of course, they are expected to be automatic. The launch is not too far away. Otherwise, nothing quite like the MG Comet for an urban commute. BHPian MindFreak9874 recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Quote from BHPian akshye:I can take 2 routes: one is 70% highway and is 75km return journey. Other is 100% city road 65km return journey.I’ve done cost calculation, and interestingly, over 5 years, a 10 Lakh EV turns out to be cheaper to a 7 Lakh ICE. I’ve assumed the unit rate of 9.5 rupees. Comet EV does fit this nicely. The base model (which I’ve put through 12k km of mostly city commute) should be under 8L anywhere, making it even cheaper! It’s a great little car, perfect for the city. Yours is a long commute though, so I’d recommend a long test drive to be sure you’re comfortable with the car. You’ll also absolutely need home charging since with your usage you’d have to charge every other day. A simple 15A socket will do, though. 4 hours to take it from not quite empty to full, plug it in when back home and it may be done before you sleep. I’d suggest looking at the Punch EV or perhaps Citroen eC3 too (Especially if that got the recent updates their other models did). A bit of a stretch, but may be worth it given the time spent in the car each day. And, no ICE automatic can compare to the ease of electrics in traffic and long commutes (well except proper hybrids but those won’t fit here). The instant linear acceleration really makes for a smooth journey. The silence just adds to it, and I’d consider that important given the distances.Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
