[RedOne]

Greetings all!

I currently have a Mondeo which I love and am very happy with. I am looking for a second vehicle (used), which needs to be an SUV for comfortable long distance travel with family and luggage. Our vacations tend to be in out of the way places which are sometimes are not accessible, and almost always very difficult to get to, by car. I had a Landcruiser 80 earlier and occasionally do go off-roading. Budget is 8-10L.

Criteria for the SUV:

Mandatory
1. Comfortable on Highway (cruise at 120+) and easy to drive in city (so full size SUV’s are out)
2. 4WD
3. Low running cost
4. Good 2nd row space, back/thigh support
5. ABS and Airbags

Good to have:
1. 3rd row seats
2. Hardcore 4WD capability (ladder chassis, low range etc)
3. Sunroof

I have been looking at options and have shortlisted:
1. 05 Hyundai Terracan – 8L (+ve Spacious, capable 4WD, 3rd row seats, good engine –ve Out of production, unsettled suspension)
2. 98 Landcruiser Prado 90 – 9L (+ve Reliability, 3rd row seats, sunroof, 4WD capability –ve old tech engine, parts availability)
3. 07 Nissan x-trail – 10L (+ve v good engine, on road manners, mileage, sunroof –ve soft roader, expensive parts, no 3rd row)
4. 03 Grand Vitara XL-7 LPG – 5L (+ve price, maruti network, 3rd row seats –ve LPG, cramped seating, out of production, limited luggage space with LPG tank)

I did look at the Safari but the build quality put me off. Scorpio was too cramped and 4wd was iffy. Endy was too big.

Any thoughts or inputs on the above options? Any other choices?

Gears,
Red-One.

[suhaas307]

Have you looked at a used Mitsubishi Pajero? Even a used Land Cruiser Prado isn't a bad bet. Both work well off-road, and should provide adequate comfort over long distances. Look for Nissan Patrols too. But they might be a tad too large for you.

If you can find a Monterio that has logged some miles, that would be a good option too. But generally, Monterios at 9-12 lakhs might have been flogged quite a bit. Choose wisely.

Whatever the SUV you go in for, make sure that all its documents are in order.

All the best! Dive safe!

[ACM]

Originally Posted by RedOne

I have been looking at options and have shortlisted:
1. 05 Hyundai Terracan – 8L (+ve Spacious, capable 4WD, 3rd row seats, good engine –ve Out of production, unsettled suspension)
2. 98 Landcruiser Prado 90 – 9L (+ve Reliability, 3rd row seats, sunroof, 4WD capability –ve old tech engine, parts availability)
3. 07 Nissan x-trail – 10L (+ve v good engine, on road manners, mileage, sunroof –ve soft roader, expensive parts, no 3rd row)
4. 03 Grand Vitara XL-7 LPG – 5L (+ve price, maruti network, 3rd row seats –ve LPG, cramped seating, out of production, limited luggage space with LPG tank)

I did look at the Safari but the build quality put me off. Scorpio was too cramped and 4wd was iffy. Endy was too big.

Among the options listed by you:
The Nissan X- Trail seems the best simply because it is a new and reliable vehicle even inspite of the -ves mentioned.

Feel that if you can consider a Terracan then an Endy too should remain on your list. But then the middle row seats are not exactly comfy. (a bit to bouncy)

Also Feel that you should relook at the Safari and possibly wait out and get the new one (code named Merlin) that may be available by Feb (After Jan launch). Yep the quality of the prado, and Xtrail will still be far higher than of the Merlin but with the reported improvements it will make a good choise + have Ladder chassis, 7 seats and most importantly 4 year 150,000 kms warranty. The build quality of newer Safari's are better, though minor niggles do remain.

[Blue Thunder]

Why not a Hyundai Tucson , RedOne?

[Tapish]

Originally Posted by RedOne

Greetings all!

I
I have been looking at options and have shortlisted:
1. 05 Hyundai Terracan – 8L (+ve Spacious, capable 4WD, 3rd row seats, good engine –ve Out of production, unsettled suspension)
2. 98 Landcruiser Prado 90 – 9L (+ve Reliability, 3rd row seats, sunroof, 4WD capability –ve old tech engine, parts availability)
3. 07 Nissan x-trail – 10L (+ve v good engine, on road manners, mileage, sunroof –ve soft roader, expensive parts, no 3rd row)
4. 03 Grand Vitara XL-7 LPG – 5L (+ve price, maruti network, 3rd row seats –ve LPG, cramped seating, out of production, limited luggage space with LPG tank)

Have you given a thought to XUV. IMO spending 30% extra on something that is brand new makes sense.
The SUV's you mentioned will have reliability/spare part issues. Check out the reviews for XUV, take a TD and then decide.

[nandishpal]

why not a chevrolet forester??one of the best cars in this range,it can put most of the big cars to shame.end users think there is a service problem but chevrolet is servicing the car very well with full support of spares,
drive one & i am sure you will not ask for any other car

[mayankjha1806]

Out of the given options i would recommend the Nissan XTrail as its much newer and the cabin feels fresher then the rest as others are at least 5+ years old.

Although Nissan's service network is non existent now but surely in few years time they would have spread to decent numbers. Also its just a 3 year old Car hence any chance of having any trouble is minimal.

BTW none of the cars listed have details around how much they have run. That alone has the potential to change the scheme of things.

[tsk1979]

Nissan X-Trail is as much of a soft roader or hard roader as a safari or scorpio or a GV.
Do not discount the vehicle without testing it.
I think it will be quite reliable, though parts may be a tad expensive.

That said a Scorpio 4x4 brand new is within your budget. But since you did not like scorpio, no point going there.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Out of the given options i would recommend the Nissan XTrail as its much newer and the cabin feels fresher then the rest as others are at least 5+ years old.

The used examples of the X-Trail are likely to be the older model which had gray interiors, central mounted instrument cluster and looks quite dated.

[Swanand Inamdar]

Why not look at the XUV? Its well within your budget. You still get a brand new car and spares should not be an issue. Not a true blue off roader, but still there with the others.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by Tapish

Have you given a thought to XUV. IMO spending 30% extra on something that is brand new makes sense.
The SUV's you mentioned will have reliability/spare part issues. Check out the reviews for XUV, take a TD and then decide.

XUV W8 AWD comes to around 16 lacs on road. This is 60% more than his budget of 10 lacs. His requirement is 4WD so suggesting W8 AWD.

[gods-envy]

RedOne, You should get decently run Pajeros in the 10-11L range.
I did come across a well maintained one for 12L, when I was searching for an SUV(about an year back).
Dropped the idea as I could not increase my budget.

[RedOne]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Have you looked at a used Mitsubishi Pajero? Even a used Land Cruiser Prado isn't a bad bet.

Thanks. I discounted the Pajero for it's lethargic engine. I am considering the Prado, though. The Montero is not in my budget.

Gears,
Red-One.

[scopriobharath]

IF you are ready to forego any ONE of the above requirements There are good options

If you are ready to forego ABS+Airbags
Bolero
Armada, Commander etc
Trax Gurkha
Toofan
Maruti Gypsy

If you are ready to forego 4X4
Mahindra XUV500 (Basic Model)
Ford EcoSport(Expected in early 2012)
Mahindra Mini Xylo(Expected in early 2012)
Premier Rio (expected with ABS&Airbags in early 2012)
Used Xylo E8

[RedOne]

Originally Posted by ACM

Feel that if you can consider a Terracan then an Endy too should remain on your list. But then the middle row seats are not exactly comfy. (a bit to bouncy)

Also Feel that you should relook at the Safari and possibly wait out and get the new one (code named Merlin) that may be available by Feb (After Jan launch).

@ACM, No Endy due to size and yes, the bouncy ride. I have a bad back so it is important. Merlin 4WD would typically be available in VX version and so out of my budget.

Originally Posted by Blue Thunder

Why not a Hyundai Tucson , RedOne?

@Blue Thunder, Tucson is too soft a soft roader for me .

Originally Posted by Tapish

Have you given a thought to XUV.

@ Tapish, AWD XUV is out of my budget by 5-6 L. Plus, to put it mildly, I am not thrilled by it's over designed looks!!

Originally Posted by nandishpal

why not a chevrolet forester??

@Nandishpal, I did think about the Forrester (very breifly) but decided against it due to parts cost and running cost.

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

BTW none of the cars listed have details around how much they have run. That alone has the potential to change the scheme of things.

@Mayankjha, mileage as follows:
Terracan - 75K
Prado - 150K but anybody's guess how much it has really run. 3rd owner.
Xtrail - 67K
XL7 - 45K

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Nissan X-Trail is as much of a soft roader or hard roader as a safari or scorpio or a GV.
Do not discount the vehicle without testing it.

@ tsk1979, I have driven all the vehicles mentioned here, but not the xtrial off road. I do believe the lower GC and lack of low range will limit the Nissan's off road capability. But as mentioned, it is not a key criteria.

Originally Posted by Guna

The used examples of the X-Trail are likely to be the older model which had gray interiors, central mounted instrument cluster and looks quite dated.

@Guna. Correct, the grey looks bit dull but I kinda like the central instrument pod. I do a lot of back seat driving (!) and like being able to see all data without having to peer over the driver and under the steering wheel .

Gears,
Red-One.