[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Also, I am not too sure if I can trust a 10 year old vehicle with no ABS (or even airbags) to ferry my family on the highway where high speeds are the norm.

Grand Vitara always came with anti-lock brakes (abs), electronic brake-force distribution (ebd), brake assist and dual front airbags as standard. That said, please look out for a 2.4 liter model. Even if you might have to wait till you find one, they are perfect. The 2.4 liter engine came with variable valve timing and because of the abundance of power and torque, you did not have to rev it too high to get the car going and that also translated to better mileage. I think the 2.4s command 5-7 lakhs in the used market but I feel they are well worth it. I think they started selling the 2.4 post 2009.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

hserus and sridhar-v.... Thank you for this advise. Yes, IshaanIan actually PMed me and told me about the used GVs. I did find one in the Mumbai area that seemed OK. But, at 3.75 lacs for a 2.0 lit from 2007, it seemed a bit expensive for me. Also, I am not too sure if I can trust a 10 year old vehicle with no ABS (or even airbags) to ferry my family on the highway where high speeds are the norm.

Right you are Aroy. My search keeps bringing me back to these three vehicles only. Of the three, I like the XUV best. But, the Ertiga makes the most sense.

While on the Ertiga, what are your thoughts on Petrol vs. Diesel on the basis of power alone? I mean, if I had to pull 5 people plus luggage up a steep ghat in bumper to bumper traffic which one would you recommend?

I think that a turbo diesel will pull better if a lower gear is selected, as most diesels have more torque at lower RPM compared to petrols. Ideally an old school DI diesel is best for low speed steep climbs, but in the modern scenario that is ruled out.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

hserus and sridhar-v.... Thank you for this advise. Yes, IshaanIan actually PMed me and told me about the used GVs. I did find one in the Mumbai area that seemed OK. But, at 3.75 lacs for a 2.0 lit from 2007, it seemed a bit expensive for me. Also, I am not too sure if I can trust a 10 year old vehicle with no ABS (or even airbags) to ferry my family on the highway where high speeds are the norm.


Right you are Aroy. My search keeps bringing me back to these three vehicles only. Of the three, I like the XUV best. But, the Ertiga makes the most sense.

While on the Ertiga, what are your thoughts on Petrol vs. Diesel on the basis of power alone? I mean, if I had to pull 5 people plus luggage up a steep ghat in bumper to bumper traffic which one would you recommend?

The Grand Vitara has 2 airbags & ABS. And it is a bloody sturdy vehicle. Particularly if you plan to take it off-road. The low cost of acquisition and low cost of spares means I don't think twice putting a wheel in a ditch or scraping a branch.

My friend has a petrol Ertiga. My take -it is hopelessly under powered on steep ghats, even with just 4 people on board. If you want to use it only for city drives, go in for the AT petrol. It will be adequate.

For a 5 seater compact SUV take a look at the Compass.

[ariesonu]

I have just completed Mumbai-Amritsar-Mumbai tour on my TUV 300 (11 months old/100BHP) and must add here that I planned this 5000 kms excursion at one hours notice and without any preparations for such long journey. (16th June to 30th June)

I drove all the way myself as wifey chose to enjoy the landscapes of Gujarat & Rajasthan from the passenger seat. Since wifey was travelling and this was her first such trip in India, she almost carried our entire wardrobe with us that also included utensils, mugs, bedding's, pillows and cover sheets.

Must add here that this was my first such trip after about 9 years. I chose to fill up tank only at HP pumps all the way and even kept away from HP pumps where trucks were parked. Checked her oil & essentials ONLY once in the entire trip and drove all the way with AC.

I pushed the TUV on Ahmadabad-Vadodra Expressway and it also performed beautifully on bad stretches while I visited my native village and other places in Punjab.
However I chose to drive with ECO mode on highways as it restricted me to 100kph on 4th gear. Getting used to ECO was pretty hard for me but I chose to stick to it.

On return journey, we had rain spells all the way.

I can now safely say that TUV is pretty steady and safe for such long journeys and even if you are traveling with family.

Regards-Sonu

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Grand Vitara always came with anti-lock brakes (abs), electronic brake-force distribution (ebd), brake assist and dual front airbags as standard. That said, please look out for a 2.4 liter model....

No 2.4s in the second hand market. I will search again in a few days.

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

My friend has a petrol Ertiga. My take -it is hopelessly under powered on steep ghats, even with just 4 people on board. If you want to use it only for city drives, go in for the AT petrol. It will be adequate.

For a 5 seater compact SUV take a look at the Compass.

That's hard to hear about the Ertiga petrol. Still, given cost constraints that may be the only choice for us as I hear that the diesel (with it's turbo lag) is even less impressive than the petrol on ghats. On that note, I am also pretty pissed with that 1.3 diesel being plonked into every car type possible by both Maruti and Fiat. That's a crap move by these 2 manufacturers. They should give bigger cars bigger engines IMHO. Otherwise, the whole experience is dinky.

Compass is way too expensive for me for just a 5 seater. As of now, the two finalists on my list are the Ertiga petrol and the XUV W8. Each for it's own strengths. I might buy the Ertiga new. But, if I go the XUV route, it will likely be a used one.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

As of now, the two finalists on my list are the Ertiga petrol and the XUV W8. Each for it's own strengths. I might buy the Ertiga new. But, if I go the XUV route, it will likely be a used one.

With the GST cuts, the S-Cross 1.6 has seen a significant drop in price and might be worth considering.

If you are going for the second hand route, I would look for 3-4 year old Altis over XUV 500. Brilliant car, which is even more brilliant in maintenance.

Another car, that is worth waiting for is the Verna going to be launched in a month. The 1.6 is a good engine, and Hyundai maintenance provides the ideal middle ground between uncertainty of VW's service and Maruti's 1.3 engine.

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by autorahul

With the GST cuts, the S-Cross 1.6 has seen a significant drop in price and might be worth considering.

If you are going for the second hand route, I would look for 3-4 year old Altis over XUV 500. Brilliant car, which is even more brilliant in maintenance.

Another car, that is worth waiting for is the Verna going to be launched in a month. The 1.6 is a good engine, and Hyundai maintenance provides the ideal middle ground between uncertainty of VW's service and Maruti's 1.3 engine.

autorahul... Thank you for your suggestions.

I test drove the S-Cross and liked the build. But, the rear bench cannot really seat 3 people comfortably for a long haul drive. It is certainly better than the Ecosport. But, not that much better. Plus the central console intrusion and the floor hump are significant. So, middle passenger is certainly not welcome. And seating 3 in the 2nd row is my number 1 requirement.

Also, this thread by 100BHP scared the crap out of me - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...is-engine.html.

So, S-Cross is off the list.

About the Altis, that car appears too boring for me. And the rear bench again might not be wide enough.

Hyundais?!!... Hmmm. No. They are just too pretty for me.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

About the Altis, that car appears too boring for me. And the rear bench again might not be wide enough.

About the rear bench of the Altis, Are you making that statement after actually trying it out or it is just an assumption? Because I have the older Corolla and have used the Altis in the family too. 5 adults on board for 500kms journeys and all of them were comfortable.

[KALINGA]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

My friend has a petrol Ertiga. My take -it is hopelessly under powered on steep ghats, even with just 4 people on board. If you want to use it only for city drives, go in for the AT petrol. It will be adequate.

With due respect, I disagree on this my friend.
I am using a petrol Ertiga for last 4 year. Already driven 65000+ km. Lots of highway trip which include many ghat section. You are from Pune, so you know better, how we surrounded with lots of ghats.

All my trips with at least 4 passenger and sometimes 7 passenger. I never feel under power in ghat section even with AC on. Yes sometimes it required quick down shift to gain the speed.

It’s not that bad how you describe.

Yes, CNG version(Less BHP in comparison to only petrol model) of Ertiga may struggling at ghat section but never the petrol one.

Is your friend have Petrol model or Petrol+CNG model ?

[mooza]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

While on the Ertiga, what are your thoughts on Petrol vs. Diesel on the basis of power alone? I mean, if I had to pull 5 people plus luggage up a steep ghat in bumper to bumper traffic which one would you recommend?

I have not tried the diesel Ertiga, but the petrol Ertiga has no problems with regard to power in the hills.

I drove my friend's Ertiga Petrol Zxi on the hills of Himachal last month with 5 adults, 3 kids and vacation luggage, and during the several times I climbed the steep incline to our resort, there were no problems at all.

[hserus]

Originally Posted by mooza

I have not tried the diesel Ertiga, but the petrol Ertiga has no problems with regard to power in the hills.

I drove my friend's Ertiga Petrol Zxi on the hills of Himachal last month with 5 adults, 3 kids and vacation luggage, and during the several times I climbed the steep incline to our resort, there were no problems at all.

People take M800s up ghat roads quite often - I doubt any vehicle is going to have a major problem unless you're trying to do say Ladakh or something.

[autorahul]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

Hyundais?!!... Hmmm. No. They are just too pretty for me.

In my opinion, compromise over looks is fine, if it gives you the practicality, but that decision is of course your personal preference.

Any reason, why you have specifically said no to Tata? With post GST prices, Hexa looks mouthwatering.

[Aroy]

The key to driving up steep slopes is to do so in high torque range, which in modern petrol vehicles is above 3000 RPM. This means that you climb up in second upto 40 km/h and then to third upto 60. Contrary to popular belief that will give you better FE than climbing at lower RPM.

Both my MPFI Esteem and the current Alto K10 have high revving engines and I have taken them regularly to 70 in second and 100 in third while overtaking. While driving up hills even in my M800 I used second and third gear exclusively, unless there was an empty stretch where I could hit 60+.

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

About the rear bench of the Altis, Are you making that statement after actually trying it out or it is just an assumption? Because I have the older Corolla and have used the Altis in the family too. 5 adults on board for 500kms journeys and all of them were comfortable.

No, I have not tried the Altis personally. But, I have two points to offer in this respect.

1.) The forum review of the Ertiga states that the 2nd row is not wide enough for three adults. The review actually said that the seat width is the same as the Swift or Ritz. So, I took three broad shouldered adults and squeezed them into an Ertiga's 2nd row and then immediately afterwards into my Ritz's back seat. Both cars were parked next to each other. And there really was no comparison. My Ritz's back seat was way more cramped, while Ertiga fit all three people fairly well.

2.) The forum review also said that the rear bench of the S-Cross was fairly comfortable for three. Again I took the same three people from the Ertiga seat test and they could just about squeeze in there. Not comfortable at all, especially with that floor hump.

My point is that at least with respect to the three abreast requirement, I have learnt to come to my own conclusions. And based on what I see of the Altis from the outside, it doesn't look any better than the S-Cross for three abreast comfort. On the other hand, if you take one look at the XUV from the back, there is no mistaking the huge width, and the 2nd row lives up to the expectations set by the width that I see from the outside. The XUV is truly the width king according to me.

Originally Posted by KALINGA

With due respect, I disagree on this my friend.
I am using a petrol Ertiga for last 4 year. Already driven 65000+ km. Lots of highway trip which include many ghat section. You are from Pune, so you know better, how we surrounded with lots of ghats.

All my trips with at least 4 passenger and sometimes 7 passenger. I never feel under power in ghat section even with AC on. Yes sometimes it required quick down shift to gain the speed.

It’s not that bad how you describe.

Yes, CNG version(Less BHP in comparison to only petrol model) of Ertiga may struggling at ghat section but never the petrol one.

Is your friend have Petrol model or Petrol+CNG model ?

Kalinga.... I was about to PM you to ask this question. Good to see that you piped in here. It may very well be the petrol Ertiga for me. Let us see.

Originally Posted by mooza

I have not tried the diesel Ertiga, but the petrol Ertiga has no problems with regard to power in the hills.

I drove my friend's Ertiga Petrol Zxi on the hills of Himachal last month with 5 adults, 3 kids and vacation luggage, and during the several times I climbed the steep incline to our resort, there were no problems at all.

Thank you mooza. That is certainly confidence inspiring.

Originally Posted by hserus

People take M800s up ghat roads quite often - I doubt any vehicle is going to have a major problem unless you're trying to do say Ladakh or something.

hserus.... Talk about perspective. I hadn't thought of it that way. But yes, you are right of course. We used to do these hills on lot less competent cars and didn't bother to overthink it. Thanks to you, my mind is a lot less cluttered now on the aspect of power.

Originally Posted by autorahul

In my opinion, compromise over looks is fine, if it gives you the practicality, but that decision is of course your personal preference.

Any reason, why you have specifically said no to Tata? With post GST prices, Hexa looks mouthwatering.

autorahul.... I am conventional that way. I don't trust Tata with cars because the market largely doesn't do so. Plus, I don't like the way the Hexa looks. But, having said that, I did go through all the videos and reviews for it. That floor hump in the middle row is a deal breaker for me. The XUV has a flat floor with wide seats. If I had the money, I would close my eyes and buy the car. But, budget considerations are forcing me to look at alternatives.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by mohansrides

No, I have not tried the Altis personally. But, I have two points to offer in this respect.

1.) The forum review of the Ertiga states that the 2nd row is not wide enough for 3 adults. The review actually said that the seat width is the same as the Swift or Ritz. So, I took 3 broad shouldered adults and squeezed them into both an Ertiga's 2nd row and then into my Ritz's back seat. And there really was no comparison. My car's back seat was way more cramped, while Ertiga fit all of them fairly well.

2.) The forum review also said that the rear bench of the S-Cross was fairly comfortable for 3. Again I took the same 3 people from the Ertiga seat test and they could just about squeeze in there. Not comfortable at all, especially with that floor hump.

My point is that at least with respect to the 3 abreast requirement, I have learnt to come to my own conclusions. And based on what I see of the Altis from the outside, it doesn't look any better than the S-Cross for 3 abreast comfort. On the other hand, if you take one look at the XUV from the back, there is no mistaking the huge width, and the 2nd row lives up to the expectations set by the width that I see from the outside. The XUV is truly the width king according to

Lol if we were to evaluate the seating space of cars from the looks of it then even an empty Polo would seem spacious. It would be better if you try out the Altis in person and then make such statements. It's not just me but probably every other person even on the forum who has been on the back seat of the Altis can vouch for the space and comfort.