SUV / Car for driving pleasure in 20 lakhs budget

[urs_frienddelhi]

Hello Friends!!

My budget is around 20 lakhs and my requirement is
*Minimum 5 seater
*Fun to drive (I will drive it always. No chauffer or friend will ever sit on drivers seat)
*Reliability as I want to keep it forever with me
*Good middle seat comfort for long drives(For family members)
*Occasional offroad
*I can wait for next 3 to 4 months max
*I will also go on long drives like Delhi to Nainitaal / Rajasthan / M.P. / Even to Mumbai & Kerala. Twice or thrice in a year.

PLEASE SUGGEST ME SOME GOOD CAR / SUV.

According to me, the vehicle nearest as per my requirement is Pajero.

Only concerns are
* 3 people cant sit in middle row
* Ordinary interiors

Is it possible to change interiors ? I am ready to expense some one or two lakhs extra on interiors only.

Another options are CRV or Laura. How is Laura for long drives ? Does its ground clearance sufficient? Can three people sit comfortably in last row? Pls comment on this also.

[navin]

Sonta Embera will seat 5 but has limted driving pleasure. Under 15L/20L the Octavia RS / Laura DSG still are the most fun to drive but they will seat 2 adults and 2 large kids (ok 3 small kids), wonder if the Accord 3.0 will fit under 20L.

[shuvc]

Not sure how you can consider sedans, if you are planning ocassional off-roading.

CR-V seems to fit most of the criteria.

Have a look at the Tucson too. Diesel economy will surely help on long drives.

Or wait a while for the GM Captiva - though I've read on this forum that it may not be fun to drive.

[abhilashvk]

Two cars that come into mind are Hyundai Tucson and New Ford Endever. Mitsubishi Montero can also be considered if the budget can be stretched.

[razor4077]

Originally Posted by abhilashvk

Two cars that come into mind are Hyundai Tucson and New Ford Endever. Mitsubishi Montero can also be considered if the budget can be stretched.

Do you mean Mitsubishi Pajero? From what the HM people told me, the Montero costs north of 30 lacs. That's a fairly large budget stretch

[reignofchaos]

The Monty is 35lacs onroad cos its a CBU. Why on earth Mitsu doesnt assemble it locally is anyone's guess...

[Sahil]

The Accord V6 will just about fit in your budget ! Imo it is by far the most fun to drive car in this segment.

FYI, the new CR-V is no where as fun to drive as the Accord V6.

I suggest you take a few test drives to help you decide better.

[iraghava]

Well seeing your criteria your options are:

1. Honda CR-V
2. Hyundai Tucson
3. Grand Vitara
4. Accord V6

My personal choice would be between the CR-V & the Grand Vitara if you want SUV's or the Accord if you want a sedan.

Originally Posted by navin

wonder if the Accord 3.0 will fit under 20L.

Yes, Navin Delhi On-Road is around 18L.

[urs_frienddelhi]

Hello Abhilash,

Montero is a best vehicle for me but its not in my budget.

Endeavour is not good for city driving as its 5 mtr long and its suspension is also not so good.

Tucson is a nice suv and I am also considering it but its looks and image is not so good. Even then I will test drive it soon.

Thanks for reading and replying friends

[raul]

Since you are planning to travel a lot a SUV makes most sense, I would suggest the just launched Grand Vitara at 15-17lakhs depending on manual or auto and you get the additional benefit of Maruti's wide service network.

It's a CBU imported from Japan, a 4WD and reasonably comfortable. Only problem is its petrol and so your trips around the country could turn out to be quite expensive and we don't know much about maintenance costs yet.

[urs_frienddelhi]

Hello Raul,

As you said I am also keen on SUV. Vitara is no bcz of its low FE.

Thanks for suggestion

[prodarul]

Dude, trust me u wont regret buying the new ford. try the limited edition which will fit in your new budget. i'm lookin to buy a new SUV in a month and i've test driven every SUV's available here in india except for the high ends available in bmw n merc

my suggestions;
1. Vitara - Trust me the engine is so powerless u just wont love driving. shocks are worse than endeavour and the mileage is mere 6.7kmpl. only the looks are great.

2. CRV - its again another petrol engine very powerfull, but very less mileage, but its again a car type and not exactly an SUV and also for 5 seater, its really cramped.

3.pajero - dude its the 2nd generation old models that looks so bad for that budget of 20 lakhs and even the interiors r bad.

4. montero - this is the ideal SUV here in india, but its too expensive. infact the cost of an actual montero is only 20 lakhs in other countries, so the price that we r paying for it here in india is just for the duty. i feel its not worth for the price.

5. tucson - its much of a soft roader and it looks so depressing and so i dint even bother test driving it.

6. nissan X-trial - its almost a car like and i dont think u'll like the way it performes either. handling is not as gud as an off roader, also the actual price of X-trial is cheaper in other countries and so we r just paying higher only for the duty.

7. chevy forester - bad looks, almost looks like a car and its not as comfy as u can expect.

8. toyota fortuner (also called as 4Runner in other countries) - supposed to be launched in 2005 along with the endeavour, but toyota had their hands full with inova and so they dint bother. but now as indian customers r more in need of SUVs , this new model is expected in few months before end of this year. so keep ur eyes open.

9. ford endeavour - comparing with all the others (considering even the budget, cost factor), i feel endeavour is an ideal choice. the new endeavour's new TCDi engine is so damn powerfull and it rolls faster than vitara's petrol engine. the steering control is so damn easy for such a huge vehicle. the shocks have been very much improved from previous model. the interiors have transformed totally from the old model. its need inside n comes with plushed leather interiors with all models. the limited edition cost around 17.5 lakhs onroad, n it really has some cool extras that makes ur car look real gud. even if its an advantage for such a long size of 4.85 meters long, the added advantages n for the price tag, this is the best choice. get into ford's website and look into more features of the new endeavour and dont forget to test drive it. trust me u wont regret my comments.

lemme know when u decide.
Cheers

[akshay1234]

id say the crv.. its pretty quick and should be fun to drive.

[prodarul]

Also dude read the september edition of motoring magazine and u'll have more ideas of SUVs test driven off-road.
cheers

[urs_frienddelhi]

Thanks Prodarul,

I agree that Endeavour's interiors are light years ahead then its predecessor, it has great looks, price is very reasonable but its suspension is not good especially rear one. Second its FORD and its difficult to trust on Ford. Endy has less thigh support then Pajero and it will make a difference in long drives. Endeavour is not a reliable vehicle for 15 or 20 years. After 60,000 kms it will start leaking oils while Pajero is tried and tested product. Pajero can run more then 2 lakh kms and its a driver friendly SUV.

Everyone has different opinion or say everyone has different priorities.

Thanks again for taking such a pain for writing about every SUV in detail.