[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

How does the Yeti become the best all rounder car in our market? I see most people echoing that thought in there posts but I have a question. Shouldn't the price of a car be also considered before calling it an all rounder?

It is rather strange to me that the best all rounder yeti needs to fulfill these criterions:
1. Has to be used.
2. Has to be serviced outside to beat the exorbitant Skoda after sales costs.

Can't speak for others, but I happen to be a fan of pre-owned cars. I find them to be incredible value for money, with negligible drawbacks. I was not trying to imply that Yeti @ Rs. 18 Lacs is overpriced.

Agree on what you say regarding Skoda spare part costs & questionable reliability as a factor though. But then there is no car in the world that has only positives and no negatives.

[PatienceWins]

Best allrounder is Toyota Innova, without any doubt. It is comfortable, reliable, spacious, refined and great for city as well as highway usage.

[nozzlering]

The All rounder should have:
A good engine
Nice, affordable price tag
Reasonably powerful, yet fuel efficient
Comfortable
After sales service

IMO, the best all rounder car in India is Swift Dzire, diesel version. Though I don't own this car (and don't like much too), I can't deny the +ves it has

Excellent Fiat engine, which is mapped to be peppy, yet fuel efficient.
Generous interiors and boot space for a family.
Decent Price.
Excellent After Sales Service.

Some might not like the looks (including me). But looks don't contribute to a car's performance.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Can't speak for others, but I happen to be a fan of pre-owned cars. I find them to be incredible value for money, with negligible drawbacks. I was not trying to imply that Yeti @ Rs. 18 Lacs is overpriced.

That is not what I was trying to say. I myself love pre-owned cars and till date 6 of the total 8 cars we have owned have been pre-owned.

But what I am trying to say here is that to label a car as the best all rounder shouldn't the cost ( ie the new car's OTR price) be a criterion too? Does then the Yeti make sense at 15-18L OTR as the best all rounder? Shouldn't VFM also define a car's capabilities?

[aniketi]

Best all rounder car must be segment wise. You cant say 15-20 lacs car is better all rounder than 3-5 lacs car. We need to compare apple to apple only.

In small cars it must be Alto. Its small, very fuel efficient, great A$$ & parts are easily available. In bigger hatchback, you can say Swift or Figo. Both are good & clicks most of the boxes right. In sedans, i guess Dzire Diesel is unbeatable. City is better but in certain areas Dzire beats it like Diesel option. Even Petrol is good. I guess Accent also makes a good, sensible buy even today.

In MUV, new Xylo makes it a good all-rounder for sure. Innova is better but its very costly compared to Xylo. Scorpio also makes a good buy as all rounder as it is like MPV with looks of an SUV. Same with Safari as well. Both has there own usefulness & advantages with good amount of space. In small MUV, Eeco is the best. No competition at all

[Dr.Suraj]

WOW!

What a thread!
I distinctly remember one of the mod's saying - why cant people make 1 decent car which ticks all the boxes in our list.

Indeed - such a car (or even phone) is yet to be manufactured.
But then - as individuals we all have different needs, requirements, wants and expectations.

I understand this means Jack of All trades & NOT best car in each segment
Still a certain variety would be mandatory
My votes for this:

1. Pre-owned Fiat 500 or The Original Mini Cooper
Small, neat, cute, decent power - akin to a glorified Nano in terms of better power, comfort, safety etc.

2. Tata Manza Elan Quadrajet
Biiig, Comfort, Diesel, Excellent FE, Highway cruiser, Soft clutch, total VFM in the sub-10 lakh segment, BIG boot, good Ground clearance, being a Tata manages rough roads even non-existent roads pretty well

3. Mahindra Thar - with some additional accessories to be fit in
Perfect offroader, diesel engine, maybe a hard top and some accessories to be fit in. A little addition (oxymoron) if I may say so. Still it will be a worthy contender in sub 8 lakhs.

4. *preowned* Skoda Yeti and Mahindra XUV500 (also if they slash Tata Aria prices further)
Need I say something here that has not been already said ?

5. BMW X1
Another cross-over attempt. Low price point. High brand value. Decent performance. Again - pre owned would be a wonderful option

6. 2 Hypothetical contenders:
Smart FourbyFour Diesel.
Hummer HX4

7. BMW C1 (I know its a bike - sorry couldn't resist mentioning it)

8. Toyota Innova with DC lounge

[rlakhanpal]

Currently - Innova

At the risk of sounding too excited about my current object of interest, I'd say the Innova better watch out for the Ertiga. To enable this:

- The drive needs to be proven under "within city offroad" conditions
- Pricing

The whole point of an "all-rounder" is - it is capable, flexible and performs when needed.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by nozzlering

IMO, the best all rounder car in India is Swift Dzire, diesel version. Though I don't own this car (and don't like much too), I can't deny the +ves it has

The boot space in the new one is quite inadequate, and that is not a small factor if you have to consider a vehicle that should perform (almost)everything. But the older one, to an extent yes I would agree with you somewhat, although I absolutely detest its looks

[shankar.balan]

VFM is a very relative thing.

What appears as VFM for Mr A may not be so for Mr B and vice versa.
There is no "one size fits all" possibility here.

For example, for me personally the Yeti is a perfect all rounder and an incredibly VFM vehicle, which is why I went and put my money where my mouth is. Before the Yeti, I thought the same of my Scorpio and before that I thought the same of my Bolero and earlier, it was the Gypsy, so people do tend to grow, evolve and change their minds as time goes by and hence cannot be pinned down at any time. Its a matter of choice really.

If I could afford one and if it were readily available I would probably go and get an XC60 or XC90 which is as of now, to me, the epitome of VFM, Safety, All Round capability etc etc - in short those cars tick all the boxes for me as of just now, but I am liable to change my mind if something better comes along.

For some others, they may consider the Audi Q5 or Q7 or Landrover to press all the right buttons as far as they are concerned.

Equally someone else may say that there is nothing as good as as a Scorpio OR even an A Star Automatic in terms of all round ability and VFM.

So lets just leave it at that.

Originally Posted by drmohitg

But what I am trying to say here is that to label a car as the best all rounder shouldn't the cost ( ie the new car's OTR price) be a criterion too? Does then the Yeti make sense at 15-18L OTR as the best all rounder? Shouldn't VFM also define a car's capabilities?

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

For example, for me personally the Yeti is a perfect all rounder and an incredibly VFM vehicle, which is why I went and put my money where my mouth is. Before the Yeti, I thought the same of my Scorpio and before that I thought the same of my Bolero and earlier, it was the Gypsy, so people do tend to grow, evolve and change their minds as time goes by and hence cannot be pinned down at any time. Its a matter of choice really.

So lets just leave it at that.

I totally agree with you. The Yeti is a brilliant car and I am sure it was the best car for your needs. What I meant to say was that most people suggesting Yeti as the best all rounder car were also mentioning that it becomes that only when you buy it used at around 10L. This is why I asked if not the affordability be weighed in before calling a car the best all rounder. At the end of the day I don't see Yeti selling much and can hardly spot one on the roads. Hence how right are we ( being the number one car forum in the country) in voting it as the best all rounder whereas the market statistics are totally opposite.

My comments are not against the Yeti or any other brand/model. I just mentioned Yeti since a lot of members voted for it. The same holds true for anyother car too. And therefore I wanted to say that lets judge a car as all rounder at the price it comes at and what it offers at that price ( and not the prices in the used car market). Once again my views are not against the Skoda Yeti so don't take it in a wrong way.

[ashthedivx]

Interesting Thread !!

And even more interesting to see inclination of motor-heads towards Yeti but still not so many yetis on-road, Shall we call it a missed opportunity for Skoda ??

That atleast create a test-drive of yeti for sure

Anyway, for me it depends on one's demand and requirement.
-In Hatchbacks, I would rate Swift Diesel above others (specially with current looks)
-In sedans, Laura Diesel AT and Fludic Verna Diesel AT looks promising to me. Wish Corolla Altis diesel would had been available with AT.
-In MUV, Innova without any debate.
-In SUV, Fortuner AT. What is fortuner?? An Innova with different exteriors, 4x4 and powerful engine. Do I need to say anything more about what special about Fortuner ??

[shankar.balan]

There is possibly a misunderstanding. Im not concerned what the world thinks of the Yeti and nor am I defending it over any other car.

The point I was attempting to make was merely that VFM is a completely relative thing and no one size can fit all.

Incidentally, the Yeti in the similar Elegance Spec in the UK and Australia costs about 23000 odd GBP and 36000 AUD respectively, which is more or less equivalent to the price on road here in Bangalore.

There is not much difference in the pricing Internationally and here in this particular vehicle as far as I know. Hence it is not really to be considered as "unfair" pricing. It is quite another matter that the Indian consumers at large may wish to buy this level of vehicle from the pre-owned market wherein the first owner has taken the complete hit of the initial insurance and initial depreciation etc. This is perfectly sensible financially, but it must be said that it also comes with the flip side of getting a "not-so-well-driven-maintained" pre owned car - but this is another story entirely.

In summation, a Brand new Yeti in India, is indeed priced reasonably, unlike other vehicles such as the erstwhile brand new Tucson, Terracan and the present day brand new Santa Fe, Koleos, Fortuner, LR Freelander etc which are significantly more expensive in India than they are abroad.

And in terms of general all round use-ability, the Yeti does make a lot of sense, even if there arent all that many of them getting bought by our Indian consumers.

Cheers

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I totally agree with you. The Yeti is a brilliant car and I am sure it was the best car for your needs. What I meant to say was that most people suggesting Yeti as the best all rounder car were also mentioning that it becomes that only when you buy it used at around 10L. This is why I asked if not the affordability be weighed in before calling a car the best all rounder. At the end of the day I don't see Yeti selling much and can hardly spot one on the roads. Hence how right are we ( being the number one car forum in the country) in voting it as the best all rounder whereas the market statistics are totally opposite.

My comments are not against the Yeti or any other brand/model. I just mentioned Yeti since a lot of members voted for it. The same holds true for anyother car too. And therefore I wanted to say that lets judge a car as all rounder at the price it comes at and what it offers at that price ( and not the prices in the used car market). Once again my views are not against the Skoda Yeti so don't take it in a wrong way.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

but still not so many yetis on-road, Shall we call it a missed opportunity for Skoda ??

Doesn't exactly require a MBA from IIM to understand why!

You generally associate a 4x4 SUV with the words BIG and MENACING. If the car has an angry face, its a bonus. So while I'm saying that I like the Yeti because it is small, the small size is probably the main reason for its uninspiring sales numbers. How ironical is that!

Ecosport has a better chance of success - because it looks right. You know what they say about First Impressions!

[carwatcher]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

In summation, a Brand new Yeti in India, is indeed priced reasonably, unlike other vehicles such as the erstwhile brand new Tucson, Terracan and the present day brand new Santa Fe, Koleos, Fortuner, LR Freelander etc which are significantly more expensive in India than they are abroad.

Though I won't fully agree that Yeti is reasonably priced but if one looks at the Brand Image of Skoda, then Yes, it is as the other offerings from Skoda are in the higher price brackets in their respective segments.
But if you look at the Fusion and Jazz, the Yeti seems Grossly overpriced.
Now coming back to the topic, isn't this amazing that the top-three choices (X-over, Sedan and MUV) are voted almost equally by the voters and rightly so as what I have observed first hand (we have Fusion, Linea and XUV(on the way) in our family) and I find each one of them perfect for all purposes with no need to replace them for a long time.

One more thing to be noted that the Indian market is maturing at a healthy pace and now people are queuing up in large numbers to buy a 12-15 Lac rupee SUV (read XUV) and will queue up for Ertiga (7-10 lacs category) very soon and if one can go by the interest generated by EcoSport and Duster, we can surely say that now the market for Mid-sized (if its the correct term) cars is opening up and I think all companies should try hard to make the most of that opportunity. Is Fiat listening.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by smartcat

What according to you is the best car for the Indian driving conditions? A car that will not need a replacement for many years to come? What according to you is the car that offers the ideal mix of everything you need in a car?

I remember the famous story of Akbar and Birbal: one day Akbar asked the people in his court to name the weapon they thought was the best. Some named swords, some the bow and arrow, some named a few more. When it was Birbal's turn, he said, "the best weapon is the weapon at hand".

To test this, some people set loose a drunken elephant on the route Birbal took for his daily bath in the river. Seeing the elephant raging towards him, crushing and demolishing whatever crossed its path, Birbal looked around. Seeing a puppy asleep nearby, he picked it up by its hind legs and threw it onto the elephant. The puppy, startled from its slumber, shrieked and tried to grab the elephant's head with its knuckles. This surprised attack held the elephant in check.

Morale of the story: the best allround car is the car you have.