[gthang]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

We love to shame our home grown products so much that we miss to give them a fair chance to compete.

Loving the passion, but a bit misplaced, perhaps?

There is nothing "home grown" about this vehicle, except the badges maybe, and what's to say that didn't come from Korea either?

Ssangyong has always been the step child of MB and have lived off their hand me downs. The reputation they had was for distinct style and questionable reliability at an attractive price. This second generation technology allowed them to compete with lower class vehicles with higher features.

Obviously since this method has not been overly successful financially, Mahindra got an opportunity to buy them. Now Mahindra wants to try the same formula here, and they might have a chance since the lower segment has crept up in price. Now the customers can opt for a more plush, albeit anaemic ride of a ML/GL rather than the stiff competition.

Off-road ability and reliability might be subjects best not discussed or compared.

Cheers

[sandeepmdas]

Those who are planning to buy the Alturas should recall the "traditional" Mahindra way of "road testing" (pun intended) their new cars for at least one year. That their products will usually mature, stabilize and be free of niggles only after 12-15 months. I am not calling the new owners Guinea pigs but I bought my XUV (doing great) in APR 2013, after the XUV niggles thread in TBHP went relatively cold.

Originally Posted by civic-sense

No need to bring patriotism and supporting desi companies into this thread. Those who buy desi cars out of patriotism are fools.

This is the Walmart way of thinking. This is the kind of thinking that made China what it's today and the US what is going to be tomorrow.

Originally Posted by civic-sense

The problem with the Alturas could be summed up like this: It is a car with a desi badge and a foren price.
The average buyer do not know or care that it is a foren car under the skin. They only see a 35L Mahindra.

Well, the car is CKD imported. It's not really Desi, and its foren price is actually much less than the Desi price, as mentioned by someone.
Ref. the "35L Mahindra", M&M had been there, done that and tasted success when they launched a 16L vehicle in 2012. The XUV. If they can do that in that time, they can definitely do that again in this time, but only if the vehicle is worth or exceed that much of moolah. They XUV has that.

Originally Posted by JS Kwt

Is buying a CKD car sold by an Indian company MORE Patriotic than buying a Made in India car sold by a foreign conpany ?

+1. Any product made in India (even if it is made by the Taliban) is Indian by birth. Coal, imported by an Indian company from a mine owned by them in Australia shouldn't be called Indian.

Originally Posted by giri1.8

Good news is that, it is already BS-6 compliant, Toyota has already announced 4% price hike across the range, I expect Ford to do something similar as well, seems to be a common thing during the year end.

IIRC the 2019 Endeavour facelift will use a new 2.0L engine that (I assume) would be BS-6 compliant.

Originally Posted by R2D2

And they highlight the inclusion of a M-B gearbox to make it sound posh. Yeah, as attractive a USP like the Tempo Traveller mini bus and the Trax highlighting the presence of the Mercedes-Benz OM616 engine.

If I am not mistaken, Force Motors, the makers of Traveller and Trax is an OE assembler of engines and transaxles for Mercedes and BMW globally.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

I see a lot of people mentioning herd mentality, biased toward Fortuner/Endeavour. Well may be true for some, but not the case with many...only time will tell.

+1. The Toyota crowd loves it because of it's resale value and reliability and the Endy fans love it for equipment and drive/ride superiority. In my observation, the Endy crowd is more educated and tech-inclined too. (No offenses please, Fortuner owners). Don't know what kind of fans the Alturas is going to have, keeping my fingers crossed.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

If I am not mistaken, Force Motors, the makers of Traveller and Trax is an OE assembler of engines and transaxles for Mercedes and BMW globally.

Yep, Force Motors, formerly Bajaj Tempo, have had a technical tie up with M-B since the 1980s and now assemble engines for BMW India. Not sure if they assemble engines for Mercedes-Benz India with the exception of the OM616 motor.

[civic-sense]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

This is the Walmart way of thinking. This is the kind of thinking that made China what it's today and the US what is going to be tomorrow.

Implying that people who buy desi stuff are inherently more patriotic than the rest of us only putting patriotism in bad light.

Well, the car is CKD imported. It's not really Desi, and its foren price is actually much less than the Desi price, as mentioned by someone.

So buying a car that was built in a foren country, with a desi badge put on it at a price that is higher than the foren price constitutes patriotism?

Ref. the "35L Mahindra", M&M had been there, done that and tasted success when they launched a 16L vehicle in 2012. The XUV. If they can do that in that time, they can definitely do that again in this time, but only if the vehicle is worth or exceed that much of moolah. They XUV has that.

XUV tasted success on its strengths, not because of the desi badge and the patriotism displayed by its buyers.

Alturas is no XUV.

[JS Kwt]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

Don't know what kind of fans the Alturas is going to have, keeping my fingers crossed.

The Polo match on the Launch suggests Rajas and Maharajas

[ACM]

This is a segment in which, while value is important (either as resale / reliability of Fortuner or Technological superiority / ride and drive comfort of Endeavour). Even more important is the absence of niggles. However aggresively Mahindra tries to service and Support, if the vehicle ends up having any niggles (like XUV 500 did) then at this price point it would be totally rejected and 10-15% cost saving would be ignored by customers.

Yep no report to indicate any issues but previous generation has not exactly assured people either.

It will be a tough challenge to reverse perceptions.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by JS Kwt

The Polo match on the Launch suggests Rajas and Maharajas

Their successors our esteemed netas are Mahindra’s loyal fan base. Expect flags, bull bars, aux lights and shrill horns as the most popular accessories.

[raj.barcode]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Thanks

In comparison, the Ford Endeavor has an approach angle of 30 degrees and Toyota Fortuner has an approach angle of 29 degrees.

In this department, this falters beyond expectation for me.

Departure angle for Landcruiser is 24 degrees .. so is Fortuner a better off-roader than Landcruiser?

We had a xuv 500 that was bought from the initial batch and never had any issues as such, it was niggle free for 95000 kms and was an absolute gem of a vehicle. so complaints that users are guinea pigs may not be totally true, yes some vehicles may have had issues and which company does not have them. we should give them a fair run before criticizing negatively.

The on road price of rexton in UK translates to 31.0 lakhs and 34.5 lakhs respectively. To understand pricing in UK Land cruiser is priced at 31 lakhs ex-showroom ( not on-road)
and In Thailand the ex-showroom of Fortuner starts from about 26 Lakhs INR. with the above numbers into consideration, we need to give Alturas a decent run before jumping into conclusions. If its really bad then it needs to be said so and vice versa.

Whatever said and done it is a commendable fact that Mahindra is trying its best to venture into new territories as far as Indian manufacturers are concerned and for sure will applaud them.

[Turbanator]

We had a xuv 500 that was bought from the initial batch and never had any issues as such, it was niggle free for 95000 kms and was an absolute gem of a vehicle. so complaints that users are guinea pigs may not be totally true,

Here's a thread of close to 300 pages just in case you have missed. You got lucky or maybe don't consider some failures as niggles

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...solutions.html (Mahindra XUV500 niggles & solutions)

The on road price of rexton in UK translates to 31.0 lakhs and 34.5 lakhs respectively. To understand pricing in UK Land cruiser is priced at 31 lakhs ex-showroom ( not on-road)

UK Rexton prices start from 28,000 GBP and LC- Prado for the bare basic one 36,000 GBP but these quickly increase to 54,000 + for the higher spec that we get in India. Being a CBU, prices in India for Prado cannot be compared with Rexton besides Toyota sells less than 12 in a Year here.

Whatever said and done it is a commendable fact that Mahindra is trying its best to venture into new territories as far as Indian manufacturers are concerned and for sure will applaud them.

I agree and support Indian manufacturers bringing best products using their partnerships

[vigneshkumar31]

Originally Posted by JS Kwt

The Polo match on the Launch suggests Rajas and Maharajas

As I sat in the G4, I was wondering what I felt different about the G4 compared to its competition...something I couldn't put my finger on. I think I get the connection with the Polo match and where they’re going with that narrative. It’s intangible but let me try if I can put words to it.

The cabin definitely feels ‘regal’. With the tan coloured Napa stitched leather, knurled rotaries and the brushed metal buttons on the door with the faux wood inserts running along the dash, sitting in the G4 cabin, I personally felt like it was quite a plush, luxurious setting. It’s not ‘contemporary’ chic or glassy modern bezels that we find in modern premium cars. Instead, it has this Mozartsy air, of palatial grandeur about it. It’s got more of a stagecoach appeal than a modern cockpit vibe. And that’s in a good way- a different, classic, kind of good. And for that subtle reason, I find that it stands out from all the other competition... in this-its definition of luxury. Its not to my personal taste, but theres no denying that despite some inconsistent bits, the cabin of the G4 felt to me, one of the best in the segment.

And With 3.5 tonnes of towing capability,chuggging along the royal horse trailer should be no sweat




Even with the exterior, SsangYong’s design language of ‘Dignified Motion’, there’s a feel of shoreless expanse. The high bonnet line and contrasting black jawline, the gargantuan proportions and overall, just the way the G4 fills the space around it has an unyielding kingly steadfastness to it. This is no car...With that kind of mammoth footprint, the sheer real estate it occupies, we may as well declare it a princely state.

The sticker price has been declared and it is what it is. Im not going to lose sleep over whether its justified or not, or wonder if the car would be a hit or miss in our market. Cash registers ringing or fortunes plunging, either way, I'm not going to accompany M&M to the bank. Heck, if I had to put down my money tomorrow, I would honestly choose the 3.2 Titanium over the G4. BUT....

i'm just thinking...it takes some nerve to bring an underdog Korean musso here, knowing very well its predecessor was mercilessly slaughtered, but still..., now this time, stake your own name on it, and send it up there to fight in the un-breached big boys league..against the un-defeatable reigning Jap champion sumo.Boy oh boy, there is some fight in this dog! ...and I'll tip my hat to that!

[shashanka]

Originally Posted by SCORPION

.......Why are Indian manufacturers struggling with foreign names. Why not name it say 'Oonchayi' or 'Aag' or 'Brahma' or 'Sher' or something! Every major manufacturer names their cars, ateast a few of them, in their local language. Why not make our language popular? Make people ask, 'what does the name mean'? Like how we are made to wonder what in the world 'Alturas' means!

Very well put, Scorpion! - Why indeed? With the kind of range at our disposal (our Purans, Vedas and all the other epics would put any other cultural collection to shame!) all the mfrs. should be spoilt for choice. Instead they go hunting in the Basque script and elsewhere! Reminds me of the time a few decades or so ago when Maserati decided to name their exotics after mid-Eastern/ Mediterranean hot winds (https://www.motorwebmuseum.it/en/pla...ter-the-winds/). Unfortunately, this didn't save Maserati from going under and their current resuscitation has come about in just the nick of time!

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

Departure angle for Landcruiser is 24 degrees .. so is Fortuner a better off-roader than Landcruiser?

It is unto you to compare a Fortuner with a Landcruiser or a Prado or a Thar, I never did that. I compared the Rexton with its peers if you missed that part.

A better approach, rampover/break-over angle and departure angle doesn't make it a superior off-road vehicle, but at some places, they will come in handy.

[raj.barcode]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Thanks

In comparison, the Ford Endeavor has an approach angle of 30 degrees and Toyota Fortuner has an approach angle of 29 degrees.

In this department, this falters beyond expectation for me.

How else can one read this statement.


Also people commenting on xuv being so bad, most of them do not own one, but love to bash a product.

This thread has surely become a mahindra bashing thread rather than constructive criticism since no one has driven the g4 nor have we got team bhp review which gives comprehensive and in depth review of the product. Will reserve judgement till then.

They did surprise us with xuv hopefully they will with alturas g4.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

How else can one read this statement.

This entirely depends on how would one like to interpret that, its one individual's judgement.

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

Also people commenting on xuv being so bad, most of them do not own one, but love to bash a product.

XUV has been a success and it works for most people out there, didn't mean I went ahead and got one, I chose a Scorpio S10 4WD back then, it depends on one's priorities, while the XUV is more safe, I find the Scorpio to be less prone to niggles/issues and more of a SUV which ironically the XUV is not.

Any further discussion, would be off-topic or not add value here. Will agree that let us wait out for further reports from fellow members and nothing like an Official Review whenever [if] it comes out.

Regards .

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

How else can one read this statement.

The approach angle of LC Prado is 32 and for LC-200 its is 30 degrees and departure angle of Prado & LC are 25 & 20. Prado has only Rear Height control whereas LC 200 has height control on both front & rear so I am not sure if these figures are at normal height or will these increase when raised?

I Think, Sheel simply tried to highlight the difference on the Mahindra & others in this segment. 20 degree does look low for such a large SUV and this may be a problem in some conditions, increasing Tyre size may help a bit.

Also people commenting on xuv being so bad, most of them do not own one, but love to bash a product.

Correct, it's only human. We try to go by the experiences of others, don't we? I don't even order the food without checking the reviews these days But I agree, to comment on something even without tasting is not correct.

This thread has surely become a mahindra bashing thread rather than constructive criticism since no one has driven the g4

Not really, people are expressing their opinion based on their past experience or otherwise and some guys who have an otherwise great experience with Mahindra do not agree.

BTW, out of curiosity, I went to check the SUV in person and will agree with what vignesh has written, If someone has to pick the SUV just for the interiors, this will be the first choice. Unfortunately, the Gurgaon Dealership splits their Test Drive vehicle between two branches so I will have to either go at the other branch or wait for 2-3 days. But most of the reviews already are positive about the interior and exteriors. The problem seems to be on the ride quality mostly or that's what I could make out. Quality of Leather is far superior over Fortuner & Endy and so are the multiple features that are a segment or two above. Quilted interiors do look nice for a change, perhaps inspired from here.


Sadly, we don't get these even as an option from Toyota in India.

Mahindra sales guy was trying to say that we should patronise Indian manufacturer over the foreign guys, so I guess this was part of their sales training but had no answer when I told him that Toyota manufactures engines for Fortuner here.

May go for a Test drive later today to see how it is to ride but One thing is certain, this is not a regular Mahindra vehicle and this may get numbers even at this price, contrary to my perception, a lot of guys were keen checking music system, ambient lighting and other fancy stuff on this truck so I guess there is indeed a demand for a dressed up SUV in this segment.