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-   -   MPVs are back! Sales zoom, 6 new launches expected (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/205061-mpvs-back-sales-zoom-6-new-launches-expected-3.html)

Seven seat MPV's and SUV's have never crossed my mind when the upgrade itch creeps in. Primarily, I travel alone or with my wife she also has her car; and traffic is getting thicker everyday! So maneuvering a 7 seater is a difficult task and you need to find apt parking location for it too. Economy between a MUV/SUV and Sedan/Hatchback is miles apart, daily office runs in a MUV is neither affordable nor practical.

MUV's do have their practicality, when going for a road trip, overnight drive, a family get together but most needs are met with rent a car rather than owning one. I like myself scooped in, near to the ground , carving corners with a wide grin on my face.
Sedan and hatchback for life!

If I ever reach a point in life where a 7 seater is needed I have my pick already- A sparingly used Skoda Kodiaq and a sweet Code6 remap. Sedan who?

My only problem with MPVs is finding safe parking, especially in the cities. I'm very particular about parking safe and also without hindering others and even with a small hatchback, I struggle in our cities. Even at malls where there is organized parking, I have seen some of these MPVs do 10 point turns to get into or out of a parking spot. And street parking is much more hard and every inch of additional length matters in street side parking in a congested city.

Of course, they are needed if you have to carry more than 4-5 people but I would never consider it for a max 4 person family with primary or equal use in city.

And we can them on the road! A quick glance at the office parking and you'll see a sizeable chunk of MPVs: Ertiga, Mobilio being the most common. Many families have a Crysta to ferry the family. In fact, I'd go a step forward and club XUV in this segment considering ferrying people is the most common utility it serves.

I'd attribute this growing trend to:
1) MPVs have got good design, they're not exactly "boring" cars to be seen in
2) With greater spending capacity and ability, people are willing to get MPVs so they can do leisure travel with family more comfortably
3) An overall trend towards SUVish vehicles than sedans

What I find the most interesting about this is, it is quite ironic considering how most urban families have gotten fairly nuclear with just three/four members (parents + kids).

I am also a big fan of MPV's. I think Ertiga/Morazzo is a good spot to be in. With so much gap between them and Innova. I bet if there is another offering bit higher than Ertiga/Morazzo there wil be takers. With growing families and parent visits 7 seater is a no brainer.

It's the art of merging SUV looks and MUV practicality. Like in US the Honda Pilot/Subaru Ascent/Toyota Highlander/Ford Explorer/VW Atlas etc. give lot of options in terms of space and capabilities. I think if Honda could somehow get Pilot around ~ 40L will be a good package - but with Honda doesn't look like it will happen.

Skoda Kodiaq is a great package, but priced bit high for it to make any big sales impact. Does anybody know anything on the Hyundai Hexa Space concept they showed in 2016 auto expo I think, they stopped working on it?

There needs to be more competition in this space to open up and give Innova a run for the hefty price it commands. Tata will take there own sweet time, am hoping something from Hyundai should do the trick.

Isn't Hexa a step in the Innova territory direction ?

Since this topic on MPVs is so hot, another question that crossed my mind is ..

Are we open to MPVs larger than Innova Crysta in our Market example (4 row seating 9~10 people or 3 row seating 7~8 people with more luggage room )

Pros:
1) It can swallow huge luggage - worthy while making those road-trips
2) Seat more people comfortably (e.g: captain seats in 3 rows ) - suitable for personal & corporate travels

Cons:
1) Doesn't make sense for metro cities where Parking is a luxury
2) Most of the time the vehicle occupancy is limited to 2-3 people & at times driver alone

You mean something like the Mahindra Rodius? :)





With the existing lot, one can carry extra luggage thanks to roof carriers, roof bags and roof boxes.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-carriers.html

Well, it might be cumbersome to load 'checked baggage' sized luggage. So you need to load smaller luggage on the roof, and full sized luggage in the boot.

Though I love the Innova and have bought one for the office, it would not join my stable till I am probably 60.

I just cannot stand the MPV looks. If I wanted 7 seats, the Endy ticks all the boxes.

Agreed the 7/8 seats are practical for city use, while travelling full seats on a vacation, where would you fit in the luggage for 7-8 passengers?
Yes the roof top luggage rack? It is just too cumbersome to handle by yourself on a trip.

I think the MPVs will do good in the sub 20 lakh bracket, but the premium ones( Mercedes V) would struggle in India. Their only options will be fleet and hotels.

My take is simple. I drive solo 70% of the year, and with family (4 in total) for another 20%.
My larger family that includes my parents accounts for the rest 10%.
With this reality, I feel good with Sedan for 90% and the rest 10% fulfilled with renting MPV.

I think it would depend on the number of people in your family. If you live with a close relative or parents then an MPV would make sense if the whole brigade has to move. However, the last row in any of the available MPVs today are not good enough !!

Big vehicles are a pain to drive/park in Indian cities. I drive solo 60 to 70% of the time and most drives are intra-city. If primary vehicle is MPV, I would then have to have another smaller car for city driving.

For occasional 2 - 3 long trips in a year with friends or extended family, why not rent one? Is there a necessity to own one?

Interesting observation. But what's probably happening is that grandparents could be coming along for many rides. With so many double income families, grand parents stay alongside or in close proximity to take care of the kids. Add to it rising incomes, and just like China, our trips and vacations are increasingly becoming a kid+parents+grand parents combination.

An MPV literally screams to be purchased in such a scenario.

I too struggle with this balance. On most days, my car is a single or double occupancy vehicle that fits our needs very well. But, on the few occasions that I have taken the family out, it has felt cramped and horrid. Even the rear seat of a marginally larger car like the Dzire felt pathetic for me and wife plus 2 toddlers.

I have tried renting cars for long drives. But, every one of the vehicles that I have rented has been absolutely filthy. I almost puked when I saw the Zoomcar XUV that I got the last time.

So, I am patiently shopping for an expensive people mover even though it will be filled to its capacity only occasionally.

Also, I won't lie. A bigger car would be nice for me too. That Marazzo is a real looker, drives so well, and it's 4 star rating in GNCAP is giving me itchy fingers.

The question of does a 7 seater vehicle (be it SUV or MPV) make sense has crossed my mind more than once, but my conclusion so far has been that it does not make sense for us.

Our family has just 3 members - but my in-laws live in town - and so we often have 5 family members - which implies that I give the driver a day off and drive myself when all of us need to travel anywhere. So there does seem to be some value in having an MPV which would let us use the driver more effectively.

But the issue is that the available MPVs are not particularly good to drive and work only if the driver is going to use the car almost exclusively. Further, they are not effective for out of town trips as in car luggage room is very limited with three rows up. While some folks use a roof rack, the issue that crops up is where will you keep the roof rack when it is not in use (which would be 95% of the time) - we don’t have a private garage to store it, and storing it at home seems a real waste.

If there were a reasonably priced mini van (such as as the Honda Odyssey) around, it may have been a different proposition. That said, we will consider the Innova AT seriously when it is time for replacing our Vento which is largely driven by our driver. But I suspect we will end up buying something nicer to drive

Kia Sedona/Caravan (competitor of Odyssey in many countries) is expected to be launched soon. It has already been spotted on the road many times. Follow this thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post4517013

It is much longer than Innova, and hence can hold lots of cargo even with all 3 rows occupied.

Not really- the Ertiga or the Marazzo have very sedan-like driving manners and aren't much bigger than most sedans, and yet offer more space with higher ground clearance. They're definitely more practical than a sedan or an SUV