Considering buying a Tata Curvv

[kiwisunset]

I saw a Tata Curvv 144/- and went on a test drive. And I liked it. What things should I consider before buying? My other alternatives are Kia Sonet 129/- Kia Syros 139(personal lc import 150 showroom price) ,Toyota Raize Z Grade 10k milage (145) and VW Tigun 150(personal LC) (maximum budget). 

update sonet price is - 137/- at showroom
 

Please tell me what should I consider?

Edited September 29 by kiwisunset
Added toyota Raize and Kia Sonet. 29/09/25 - Updated sonet price.

[iRage]

Oooh...tough choice.

Personally, and this is highly subjective, from your list I find the Kias to be the slightly more desired choice.

The Curvv lacked a certain level of refinement compared to the others. Although the dash looks very futuristic and all when you look at the upholstery stitching, etc...it just lacks that bit of ooph when it comes to the finishing touches.

The Raize is just old and dated.

The Tiguan, has the best driving feel and refinement than all the others (well probably, I haven't driven the Kias nor the Tata), but Euros don't fair that well in Sri Lanka which I believe is mainly due to difficulties in serviceability.

Thus, that leaves the Kias. Although these are made in India they seem to retain the same level of quality when it comes to the finish as they did with cars that came out of Vietnam and even Korea. I like the traditional look of the Sonet while the Syros is a bit too edgy and a throwback to the old Nissan Cube and Kia Soul. 

I suppose a normal sedan or hatchback is out of the question because if not it does open up models from Toyota Aquas to VW Polos.

Have you considered the JAPANESE MARKET Yaris Cross ? The highest grade Z (and various Z packages) seem to be asking 160 to 180 but you might be able to get a 2023 G grade/trim unit for lesser on a personal LC. Irrespective of the grade the car comes fairly well equipped (fine you won't get the fancy alloy wheels and unnecessarily large display screens..but still). Offers the same amount of space as (maybe a bit more than) a Raize. 

[matroska]

On 9/27/2025 at 11:58 PM, kiwisunset said:

I saw a Tata Curvv 144/- and went on a test drive. And I liked it. What things should I consider before buying? My other alternatives are Kia Sonet 129/-, Kia Syros 139(personal lc import 150 showroom price) ,Toyota Raize Z Grade 10k milage (145) and VW Tigun 150(personal LC) (maximum budget). 
 

Please tell me what should I consider?

Tata Curvv - left field choice. Kia's are tempting -TBH they are quite refined. The Tiguan would be the best out of the lot. Raize Z - deadpan boring car. If you are ok with a slightly less mainstream brand (tata) what's stopping you from getting the nicer Tiguan. If you want to play it safe Kia is the better choice. 

[kiwisunset]

9 hours ago, iRage said:

Oooh...tough choice.

Personally, and this is highly subjective, from your list I find the Kias to be the slightly more desired choice.

The Curvv lacked a certain level of refinement compared to the others. Although the dash looks very futuristic and all when you look at the upholstery stitching, etc...it just lacks that bit of ooph when it comes to the finishing touches.

The Raize is just old and dated.

The Tiguan, has the best driving feel and refinement than all the others (well probably, I haven't driven the Kias nor the Tata), but Euros don't fair that well in Sri Lanka which I believe is mainly due to difficulties in serviceability.

Thus, that leaves the Kias. Although these are made in India they seem to retain the same level of quality when it comes to the finish as they did with cars that came out of Vietnam and even Korea. I like the traditional look of the Sonet while the Syros is a bit too edgy and a throwback to the old Nissan Cube and Kia Soul. 

I suppose a normal sedan or hatchback is out of the question because if not it does open up models from Toyota Aquas to VW Polos.

Have you considered the JAPANESE MARKET Yaris Cross ? The highest grade Z (and various Z packages) seem to be asking 160 to 180 but you might be able to get a 2023 G grade/trim unit for lesser on a personal LC. Irrespective of the grade the car comes fairly well equipped (fine you won't get the fancy alloy wheels and unnecessarily large display screens..but still). Offers the same amount of space as (maybe a bit more than) a Raize. 

How big of a risk am I taking by going with VW or Tata (in terms of parts and resale)? Kia Sonet used to be 123/- and now its 137/- unless I can find one under 130/- I am not going for it. 
Currv has the most features. I like the unique look to it. In terms of interior quality. They are all below BYD. I don’t like Tata steering wheel and I could do without red interior and sunroof. 
The Taigun does not have lane keeping assist or 360. And the Sonet does not have  brake hold. Tata has both with leg operated boot lid. 
 
Tata voice assistant felt better than Kia.

My mind says Sonet. But heart says Tata Curvv. 
 

150/- is the absolute max. And JDM Yaris is out. Also no Personal LC as well for me. 
 

No for hatchbacks and sedans. 

Edited September 29 by kiwisunset

[iRage]

22 hours ago, kiwisunset said:

How big of a risk am I taking by going with VW or Tata

VW: When new you should be okay provided you buy a decent car from a respected dealer. A decent VW is not going to start falling apart on you. When reselling you might take a bit of a hit because used Euros are bought buy a specific group and most of them would have the financial freedom to buy a new one.

TATA: Well...are you buying it from the agent? The agent is decent when it comes to taking care of their premium brands but sort of slacks when it comes to the not-so-fancy brands. Again, since this car is new to the SL market it is hard to say how it will fair in the used car market when it is time for you to sell it. Because of the novelty of the model the only point of reference for Lankans to assess the car is from the brand's history in the country. 

I would say your best option is one of the Kias. 

Things like voice commands, etc...are funky features to have, but first and foremost you must go for the car that is best at what a car is supposed to do, provide safe, economical and efficient transportation. This is an issue I have with all these EVs coming into the country. People get distracted by all the funky gadgets and shiny bots that they overlook if these cars are actually decent cars. What is funny is if a Japanese or European car had some of the cheap build and quality control oversights, our people would be burning the brand to the other end of hell. 

[kiwisunset]

5 hours ago, iRage said:

Things like voice commands, etc...are funky features to have, but first and foremost you must go for the car that is best at what a car is supposed to do, provide safe, economical and efficient transportation. This is an issue I have with all these EVs coming into the country. People get distracted by all the funky gadgets and shiny bots that they overlook if these cars are actually decent cars. What is funny is if a Japanese or European car had some of the cheap build and quality control oversights, our people would be burning the brand to the other end of hell. 

Yes the funky features are nice to try once and show off to people (the voice commands all have a slight indian accent to it). But I don’t have any use for it. Even the sunroof seems like a trouble in waiting but its included in the mid or higher spec versions and not optional. The ADAS might be useful on the highway and 360 camera is useful for me daily because i live on a narrow lane with two tight turns.
 

The primary reason I started looking into the Indian assembled vehicles was because of the ventilated seats. Do you recommend anything other than the KIAs ?

also does VW have an agent ?

[iRage]

8 hours ago, kiwisunset said:

KIA

You do know that the Kias you are looking at are made in India right ? 

I have no idea who the VW agent is now...at one point it used to be Car Mart..then Senok used to take care of them....sorry  you will have to look in to it.

8 hours ago, kiwisunset said:

the voice commands all have a slight indian accent to it

 Interestingly....my Corolla Touring voice is American with a tinge of Australian mixed in. The GR Yaris on the other hand is through and through British..like proper Princess Diana, TOny Blair type British English. I know..thank god it doesn't have a Japanese English accent.

[kiwisunset]

12 hours ago, iRage said:

You do know that the Kias you are looking at are made in India right ? 

I have no idea who the VW agent is now...at one point it used to be Car Mart..then Senok used to take care of them....sorry  you will have to look in to it.

21 hours ago, kiwisunset said:

Yeah. I knew that they were Indian. But the KIAs were the least Indian feeling of the bunch. 
 

VW does not have an agent but the place most importers provide a warranty is Id*al Pr*mi*r with partnership with c******o (first year insurance included without additional payment) and can be extended to 5 years given you stay with c******o. 
 

but recently I found out from another european car owner that their quality has gone down. So not I am not sure. 
 

Given everything I kinda wanna go with F10 BMW 5series (523i, 528i,520i,520d). What do you think ? 

[iRage]

16 hours ago, kiwisunset said:

F10 BMW 5series (523i, 528i,520i,520d)

Decent car. Much nicer than all the other options you have presented with even though it is older. Be very very picky and very thorough with what you get. There are plenty of F10s around that were bought by cheapskates that were not maintained properly or were hacked by their overindulgent kids.

Most of what you find would be diesels which for a diesel feels surprisingly nice. I am not a BMW person so don't know the ins and outs of mechanical issues and such. Maybe someone else can chime in on that.