[Titan]

Dear All,

I intend to buy one of these SUV in the coming months. Have test driven both vehicles. One hand the Audi Q3 feels an absolute joy to drive around, however lacks the road presence and the mud plugging abilities of the Fortuner. Please suggest me which one of these makes a better choice?
Also, would waiting for the new Storm Edge design Santa Fe 2013 make sense?
I live in Thane and 90% of driving would be in City Conditions, the balance on Highways or one off drive to my cousins farmhouse.

[S@ndy]

First of all congrats for your first post. As I have read your post, your city driving is mainly confined to City or highways. When you are saying mud plugging abilities of Fortuner, are you referring to extreme off-road conditions in which you would be driving? If so, then go for Fortuner. Fortuner is good if you are married and have wife and children or have a full-fledged family. Plus, You'd always have humoungous torque to play from that massive 3.0 liter engine.

BUT

If you are single and prefer refined engine, awesome build quality and the ability to tackle some rough tarmac, then Audi Q3 Quattro is for you. It's build quality, goodies to play in, light steering are a boon but however it depends on you. You could buy 7- seater SUV's at lower price. If I were you, I'd prefer Q3 over Fortuner. No offense to owners, just a personal preference.

Waiting for Storm Edge Santa Fe ain't a good idea as there are no India plans right now nor in next year. But who knows, it might be launched next year. If you can wait enough, then it is a good idea. But as of now, Q3 is my choice if you adhere to the criteria I mentioned, else Fortuner.

Hope this helps to some extent!

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

[dkaile]

Do you need 7 seats and do off-roading? If answer to both these questions is a NO, then you DON'T need a SUV (and I won't rate Q3 as one). Buy a premium sedan and you will enjoy much more than either of these two vehicles.

[KINI]

Originally Posted by Titan

Dear All,

I intend to buy one of these SUV in the coming months. Have test driven both vehicles. One hand the Audi Q3 feels an absolute joy to drive around, however lacks the road presence and the mud plugging abilities of the Fortuner. Please suggest me which one of these makes a better choice?
Also, would waiting for the new Storm Edge design Santa Fe 2013 make sense?
I live in Thane and 90% of driving would be in City Conditions, the balance on Highways or one off drive to my cousins farmhouse.

IMHO don't go for the fortuner unless you go off-roading frequently.Storme will be atleast at a segment below.

FWD Q3's are under testing currently AFAIK.Why don't you wait for them??
Or you could look at the Captiva.Great road presence,well loaded,powerful engine,decent handling,good interiors.Plus,Chevy doesn't sell too many of them,so you will stand out!!

You could look at the Endeavour too.Please have a look at other vehicles in the segment.Personally I feel the Fortuner is very overpriced for what it offers

[shankar.balan]

Please buy the Q3. The way forward in the urban madness we live in means smart, lightweight, crossover type vehicles and not lumbering, heavyweight SUV's.

In any case the Q3 wins hands down in the looks department , efficiency department and driving pleasure etc for daily use. Audi is any day a greater badge than Toyota.

Additionally, I personally find the Fortuner way too large as a daily driver, too under-specced and way too overpriced in India. And if I am spending that kind of cash, then I would want some badge value too!

Buying a vehicle for 'Road presence' which is merely an euphemism for 'intimidation' is seriously and totally un-cool and un sophisticated in today's world. At least,this is so amongst the better element, like us guys on TBHP.(One hopes!)

Wish you all the best.

[entropy]

As dkaile has suggested probably a premium sedan would suit you more. Get the 3 series now and two years down the lane perhaps new design Santa Fe

[.anshuman]

Depends on your usage- If you need a truck that can take abuse, take you offroad, go anywhere and still can be with you in next decade go for Fortuner.

Q3(and even X1) is more car like and refined. Q3 is superior in Performance, Refinement, Badge value, handling, fuel efficient, DSG transmission.... but ride on bad roads/no roads is harsh. With Quattro AWD it may take you farther off the road compared to Sedans but it is no match to chassis based Pick-up derived SUVs.

Though i am not a big fan BMW X1, it is being offered at a very tempting price, have a look.

Next Santa Fe might take quite some time to reach our shores, the current car is also a good option.

[amolpol]

Does the Fortuner AT come in 4x4 config for off-road use? Buying a 4x2 will mean mostly highway runs and trail driving at best.

If city use is what it's mostly intended for, I guess the Q3 wins! You may not intimidate the rickshaw guys, but you'll surely have a lot of heads turning at you.

[Blow Horn Ok]

If you are not keen on the AT and really need a truck, I would suggest to check out the Pajero Sport just for the sake of exclusivity. T Forts are too common and I could spot plenty of them in my tiny city. Both of these trucks are priced at premium, but the P Sport would be my personal choice.

If don't need a truck and space/7 seats, go for the Audi! Or a fully loaded sedan, as suggested by dkaile.

[AdiSinghV12]

Since 90% of the driving would be in 'city' conditions, I'd say do check out the X1 as well. Its relatively 'fun' to drive then the Q3 and the current offer of around 27 on road makes it more VFM, though that's a personal opinion. However, even the Fortuner is a great car and has more road presence than the Q3 and even X1 for that matter as its BIG and a proper SUV. Good Luck!

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Titan

I intend to buy one of these SUV in the coming months. Have test driven both vehicles. One hand the Audi Q3 feels an absolute joy to drive around, however lacks the road presence and the mud plugging abilities of the Fortuner. Please suggest me which one of these makes a better choice?
Also, would waiting for the new Storm Edge design Santa Fe 2013 make sense?
I live in Thane and 90% of driving would be in City Conditions, the balance on Highways or one off drive to my cousins farmhouse.

If you have the budget, go for the Q3 - especially because you mentioned 90% city use.

It will be much easier for you if the requirements are clear - whether you want a good city car, or something with mud-plugging abilities. If you are looking at Q3, the alternate options are probably the X1, or even the Yeti.

[Titan]

Originally Posted by S@ndy

First of all congrats for your first post. As I have read your post, your city driving is mainly confined to City or highways. When you are saying mud plugging abilities of Fortuner, are you referring to extreme off-road conditions in which you would be driving? If so, then go for Fortuner. Fortuner is good if you are married and have wife and children or have a full-fledged family. Plus, You'd always have humoungous torque to play from that massive 3.0 liter engine.

BUT

If you are single and prefer refined engine, awesome build quality and the ability to tackle some rough tarmac, then Audi Q3 Quattro is for you. It's build quality, goodies to play in, light steering are a boon but however it depends on you. You could buy 7- seater SUV's at lower price. If I were you, I'd prefer Q3 over Fortuner. No offense to owners, just a personal preference.

Waiting for Storm Edge Santa Fe ain't a good idea as there are no India plans right now nor in next year. But who knows, it might be launched next year. If you can wait enough, then it is a good idea. But as of now, Q3 is my choice if you adhere to the criteria I mentioned, else Fortuner.

Hope this helps to some extent!

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

I am not into serious offroading. However, the higher ground clearance of the Fortuner does come in handy.
However, driving dynamics on road, the Audi is far better than the Fortuner. Specially the Dual Clutch 7 Speed Auto box of the Audi is light years ahead to the Fortuner 4 Speed Auto.
Guess, i will go ahead with the Audi.
Thanks a ton for your advice!

Regards,
Titan.

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Please buy the Q3. The way forward in the urban madness we live in means smart, lightweight, crossover type vehicles and not lumbering, heavyweight SUV's.

In any case the Q3 wins hands down in the looks department , efficiency department and driving pleasure etc for daily use. Audi is any day a greater badge than Toyota.

Additionally, I personally find the Fortuner way too large as a daily driver, too under-specced and way too overpriced in India. And if I am spending that kind of cash, then I would want some badge value too!

Buying a vehicle for 'Road presence' which is merely an euphemism for 'intimidation' is seriously and totally un-cool and un sophisticated in today's world. At least,this is so amongst the better element, like us guys on TBHP.(One hopes!)

Wish you all the best.

Well said Shankar.I totally agree with you.Buying something primarily for road presence is foolishness i feel. Fortuner and the Yeti are similarly priced.Fortuner is reliable and has a good engine no doubt.But it is very overpriced for the equipment level it offers. A 20+ lakh SUV having Bad headlamps, has 2 channel ABS,Average brakes, Innova interiors. I will not be willing to spend 20+ on a SUV that does not have these features!

Heck,if size is what matters , one can buy a Tata 407 for its road presence!

[speedy]

Originally Posted by Titan

I live in Thane and 90% of driving would be in City Conditions, the balance on Highways or one off drive to my cousins farmhouse.

Solely based on your feed back provided, i would say the Q3 and if your not in a rush of sorts then next year Audi plans to bring in the non Quattros at a cheaper price. The Q3 with it 17" wheels and soft suspension takes all the crators with a smile giving the owner a bump free drive. The electronic steering is a boon for the traffic conditions and at high speed it stiffens up. The power delivery is linier and at the slight tap can make the 2.0 tdi reach top speeds. In no ways do write off its off road trail drive capabilities as i have tested it myself (pros of owning one and being an offroader myself).

The Fortuner Automatic is a 4x2 and in traffic situations and in non secured parking conditions can be a pain, the Manual is alot worse. I used to do extreme offroading with my Fortuner and she is more than capable to handle everything thrown at her, but for highway drives she does leave you wanting something more.

The X1 is a total right off imo..your better off buying a 320D.

My pick out of the Two would be the Q3 with your requirement in mind.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by speedy

Solely based on your feed back provided, i would say the Q3 and if your not in a rush of sorts then next year Audi plans to bring in the non Quattros at a cheaper price. The Q3 with it 17" wheels and soft suspension takes all the crators with a smile giving the owner a bump free drive. The electronic steering is a boon for the traffic conditions and at high speed it stiffens up. The power delivery is linier and at the slight tap can make the 2.0 tdi reach top speeds. In no ways do write off its off road trail drive capabilities as i have tested it myself (pros of owning one and being an offroader myself).

The Fortuner Automatic is a 4x2 and in traffic situations and in non secured parking conditions can be a pain, the Manual is alot worse. I used to do extreme offroading with my Fortuner and she is more than capable to handle everything thrown at her, but for highway drives she does leave you wanting something more.

The X1 is a total right off imo..your better off buying a 320D.

My pick out of the Two would be the Q3 with your requirement in mind.

Any day! I agree that Q3 is vastly preferable to either the Fortuner Or the X1. However, I would buy the Quattro and if possible the top spec.
The Q3 like the Yeti has speed sensitive steering and is an excellent all round car. It is definitely the vehicle of choice!