I booked the Marazzo M8 last week. Here is the story.
Though I was desiring the Jeep Compass (or Creta top-end variant as a cheaper option), my dad was rooting for a 7 seater to replace our Ertiga. Since this car would primarily be used by him, and that this was going to be the "big car" of the family, I had to give in. Now our options were the Hexa XM+, Innova Crysta 2.4 V and Marazzo M8. We were looking for the manual variants as dad gets chauffeured to work (which is mainly a highway trip) and more than 50% of the driving over its lifecycle will be done by the chauffeur. Besides we already have a hatchback which we use for traffic-driving in the city.
We test drove all 3 cars back to back and extensively tested out the middle and last row seats as well before coming to a conclusion. Some points:
1) Hexa XM+: The manual gearbox of the Tata Hexa is a pathetic one.Gear shifts are not precise and are very rubbery. The TD car was brand new (had less 500km on the odo), so this couldn’t have been an issue of badly treated or badly maintained car. It was very clumsy to use in city conditions. The car also had more vibrations than the other two. Also found the power delivery to be slow at low RPMs. The steering is also a bit on the heavier side for city driving and overall the car feels too bulky.
2) Hexa XTA: We rejected the XM+ due to the above observations and put the XTA (auto gearbox) into consideration (XM or XMA have some missing features which I was not ready to accept). My friend owns an XTA and we took it for a spin and came back mighty impressed. The gearbox issue of the XM+ doesn’t matter here, the auto box is great, the vibrations were lesser. But the bulkiness of the car was still a problem in city conditions. You will always be reminded of the sheer weight of this car will driving it in the city (even the auto variant) and we did not want that for the occasions when one of us is driving this car. The pluses of the Hexa were its superb ride quality (reminded me of the ride quality of the BMW X1), its SUV-ish brute looks and the menacing road presence, and its auto gearbox. But that was not enough to keep the Hexa in contention. It also lost out on Fuel Efficiency and 3rd row space and comfort, ease of getting in and out of the car.
3) Innova Cysta 2.4V: So that left the Innova Crysta 2.4 V and Marazzo M8. Space wise the Marazzo and Innova were neck-to-neck. In we fact we found the Marazzo to be more comfortable overall across the three rows as compared to the Innova. The highway ride quality of the Innova isn’t as great as the Hexa or even the Marazzo. And there is the sidewards movement in the ride which is typical of a tall body-on-frame vehicle. Apart from this there is not much to find faults in the Innova. Interiors feel premium, features are adequate, space is adequate, seating comfort is good, NVH levels are acceptable, ease of entry is acceptable (lower floorboard than the Hexa), power is sufficient and the driving ease in city is better than the Hexa.
4) Marazzo M8 Hits: The most striking thing about the Marazzo when you drive it the first time, especially after the Hexa and Innova are its NVH levels. It actually feels “Silent as a shark, Smooth as a shark”. Class-leading NVH levels for sure. Add to that the light steering, the smooth shifting gearbox and light clutch and this car is very easy to live with in the city. Certainly a big plus. The power delivery is good and the car did not feel underpowered on the highway either. The interior space and comfort is as good as that of the Innova Crysta. The seats are very comfortable and there is enough space for 6 adults (only captain seats in M8) to sit comfortably. The second row sunblinds are a great touch. The captain seats are very comfortable. The diffuse feature in rear AC is great. The rear AC is not simply a blower but has its own compressor I guess. So you have an option of only keeping the rear AC on and the front AC switched off when being chauffeured (this is great for cabbies too). Ease of access is great due to its lower floorboard as compared to the other two. My grandparents would love that. Access to back row with a one touch tumble down is very easy. The low boot space is a botheration only if you travel with 6 passengers and their luggage of more than one weekend. If its just 6 passengers + luggage for a Saturday night away from town, the Marazzo has you covered. Other than the lack of more airbags, safety wise this car is acceptable – all 4 disc breaks, ABS and EBD and best part – a 4 star Global NCAP rating which none its competitors can boast of. You also get Android Auto and Apple Carplay which again none of its competitors can boast of.
5) Marazzo M8 Misses: The top end variant does have some missing features like keyless entry and start-stop button (not essentials for me), side and curtain airbags (but even the Innova 2.4 V did not have them, so I did not have a choice here), auto-dimming IRVM (shocking in a 16.5 lakh car), auto wipers and auto headlamps (would have loved to have them but can live without them), ESP and traction control. But when you consider the Rs. 5 lakh price difference between this car and Innova 2.4 V, you start getting comfortable with these misses. The Marazzo is also very low on boot space as compared to the Innova with all rows up, but then you have to live with that. Also, a bench seat option on the M8 should have been there and we would have considered it if it was about as comfortable as the captain seats are. I even added the extended warranty in the end after reading the recommendation of some Distinguished BHPians here.
So after considering all the pros and cons of each car, and considering the huge price difference between the Marazzo and Innova we decided to go for the Marazzo. The Innova was always a stretch for our budget and it is in fact too expensive when you see it against the Marazzo’s light, which does most of the things as good as the Innova, and some things even better than the Innova. The Innova has its strengths over the Marazzo but I could not see myself stretching my budget by that much for. It might have been a different result if we had started out with a budget of 22 or 25 lakhs, but that is for another time. For now I am eagerly waiting for the delivery of our Shark
In the end an Excellent review, as usual, from Team BHP! No one can come close to the kind of details you guys get into. Thank you for this.