[ashthedivx]

Lately, adding to the confusion. Why not Captiva AT ?

On can get very good example available in used car market for < 15 lakhs, thanks to bad resale of Chevrolet products. Cheaper to maintain and comfortable interiors, what more can you ask for ?

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

However, most of my friends in Coorg, HP and UK swear by their hatchbacks due to their light weight, FWD layout where the car seldom loses traction, hence the Laura came up as a prime contender.

+1 to that. I actually don't have a jeep in coorg and all our estate work gets done with an Omni van. Yes, I do struggle in the monsoon when some of my estate roads look like slush fields, but other than that, I don't miss the 4x4 and the clearance of my Omni works enough for Coorg roads, which to be honest are starting to resemble the cratered surface of the moon.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Dev. On a recent trip to Coimbatore, then Ooty and back to Bangalore, including some city driving in Coimbatore and inside Mysore etc, my Yeti returned an average of 19 kmpl. Which I think is pretty phenomenal. What say?

Certainly is Shankar, however, its comparatively diminutive size and post warranty upgrade costs are a cause of concern. Also, spending 2 million INR for a manual vehicle is something I d want to avoid, unless compelled to.

Originally Posted by drbones

A new vehicle is always a new vehicle , what ever condition the Pre owned vehicle may be.

Sorry Doc, but I do not subscribe to this view completely. In fact, on TBHP you ll see people enjoying their "Pre worshipped" beauties for years on end, peacefully. If you ask me to choose between a pre-owned Pajero and a new Scorpio 4wd VLX, for my needs I d choose neither.

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

Lately, adding to the confusion. Why not Captiva AT ?

The Captiva never appealed to me for its handling, lack of roof ac vents for the price it sells, and its staid looks, which is a personal choice. However, I m on the lookout for a well maintained example in the AWD avatar.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

I don't miss the 4x4 and the clearance of my Omni works enough for Coorg roads, which to be honest are starting to resemble the cratered surface of the moon.

Precisely Ganapathy. A light vehicle with good GC is all one needs for 90% of the situations. In fact, during my Leh trip a week ago, M 800s and Altos were comfortably crossing mountain passes and no road areas compared to the Sumos, Taveras and Scorpios.

[drbones]

N.Devdath, If you have enough time and patience to go around garages, befriend some good mechanics then no problem to go for a pro owned vehicle. But if you dont have the above mentioned virtues in you, then any day a brand new vehicle is the best bet. Finally its your hard earned money that you are putting down.

Dont go by others here in the fourm or any where else, final decision is yours. you know best what you want form your vehicle, pastures are always green on the other side. There are always two people one who goes by his heart and other who goes by his head. If you are not planning to take your car to any OTRs then i think laura will be a good buy, as i saw some discussion about it here . I always like my car to be perfect and cannot compromise on it . If someting is bothering you with your SUV then there is always one soothing thing to reduce your pain and tell others ( Its a jeep thing you wont understand)

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by pganapathy

+1 to that. I actually don't have a jeep in coorg and all our estate work gets done with an Omni van. Yes, I do struggle in the monsoon when some of my estate roads look like slush fields, but other than that, I don't miss the 4x4 and the clearance of my Omni works enough for Coorg roads, which to be honest are starting to resemble the cratered surface of the moon.

Absolutely. I ve seen this in the '80's and '90's in the Nilgiris. Little M800's and Omni Vans used to go where anyone else quite literally feared to tread.
Unless of course one was mounted on horseback!

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Absolutely. I ve seen this in the '80's and '90's in the Nilgiris. Little M800's and Omni Vans used to go where anyone else quite literally feared to tread.
Unless of course one was mounted on horseback!

With a narrow track and low weight these two overcome all but heavily pitted roads with huge craters. The best part is that I have traveled in both over roads rutted by truck wheels, and their track enables them to travel on the flat space between the wheel ruts.

The best vehicle for rough and slippery jungle/plantation roads is the Gypsy as it has both a narrow track for squeezing into narrow lanes and low weight to prevent it from bogging down in mud. The only down side is its highway performance, which is a major requirement in this case.

I still think, that the Pajero is the best 4x4 all rounder with low ratio, as it has all disks, ABS and LSD and an excellent low end torque not matched by the modern CRDI engines. The next best budget vehicle is the Scorpio Lx 4x4, all other competing 4x4 vehicles are either 25L+ or have reliability issues (mostly electronics).

[zulfi hansi]

Actually there is no comparison, eyes closed only Pajero will qualify to your needs, period. Any which way you look at it, the only exception being the Fortuner only if your budget permits otherwise even according to me it is not good VFM. I was myself thinking about this option (Pajero) sometime back but not once it came to my mind about Scorpio, even as an option. Pajero may be dated, but its a far superior, competent and reliable product, even compared to the new XUV (If it does come in AWD in future that is). Many are concerned about the dated looks of the Pajero, but if you are not stuck with that thought in your mind than there is no better option. Fortuner will never be a VFM option even in future in the used car market. In new cars option maybe only Duster could have fit in if it is launched in AWD option. IMHO go for the Pajero without waiting, look for a low mileage car with full service history, these cars are known to cross 1.5 lakh kms without a hitch, if well maintained it may even cross 2.5 lakhs kms in your hands in the next 10 years. Running and service cost is realistic and reasonable in the long run, you may not have problems with spares for at least next 5 - 7 years. I am sure once you buy it you will feel so confident of its usage that your usage might go up considerably and the idea is precisely that, enjoy it more often and probably change it in next 7 - 8 years instead of 10 year period.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I still think, that the Pajero is the best 4x4 all rounder with low ratio, as it has all disks, ABS and LSD and an excellent low end torque not matched by the modern CRDI engines.

I love the Pajero too but...

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

Actually there is no comparison, eyes closed only Pajero will qualify to your needs, period. Any which way you look at it, the only exception being the Fortuner only if your budget permits otherwise even according to me it is not good VFM.

The Pajero is a very capable vehicle off road, however, its on road performance is less than satisfactory (anything above 120kmph is not the Pajero's forte) and its poor highway fuel efficiency adds to the list of negatives.

[Titan]

Pajero's off Roading ability is legendary. It's built quality if decent, however more on the utilitarian side. If HM was able to provide better spare part availability and A.S.S, Pajero would be my choice.
I know somebody who owns a Pajero with 1,30,000 KM on the Odo. He has driven it across the length and breath of India, in fact traveled to Bhutan via Baghdogra as well. He is completely convinced by it's reliability and off roading ability. However, last year some problem came up with the ECU. The HM guys in Mumbai quoted him approx. 3 to 4 Lacs for replacement. He eventually called up Mitsubishi in Japan and somehow convinced them to give him a free replacement of the ECU! and YES they agreed, however he had to pay for labor charges. Probably it's a one off case, however if you can live with that kind of uncertainly, please go ahead with the Pajero.
BUT
If you can stretch your budget a bit, I personally think a Used Fortuner would make more sense. There are atleast 3 to 4 people i know who have driven it upwards of 1,00,000 KM and have absolutely no issues whatsoever.
Personally, I am not a great fan of Mahindra Vehicles, and also feel the Scorpio is a class lower. To sum up, used Fortuner would be a better choice!

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

I love the Pajero too but...



The Pajero is a very capable vehicle off road, however, its on road performance is less than satisfactory (anything above 120kmph is not the Pajero's forte) and its poor highway fuel efficiency adds to the list of negatives.

An SUV will never be as efficient and fast as a sedan, among the given choice there is very little to chose. Other options that might make it to your list could be X-Trail its very capable and many owners here will vouch for it. On the other hand Endeavour may be good on highways but as I have know will not be light on running cost, and it has other limitations too. BTW Scorpio will not do even 120 kmph without making you sweat, I have tried to once and decided to stay below 100, its like riding a skate board anything beyond 100.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

An SUV will never be as efficient and fast as a sedan, among the given choice there is very little to chose. Other options that might make it to your list could be X-Trail its very capable and many owners here will vouch for it.

Agree with you Zulfi. It is the limited choices that are making my decision so difficult but the older Pajero is too slow and thirsty.
I will take a look at the Sport when the Blore outlet opens this month.
How I wish there was a Laura with the Quattro...

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I still think, that the Pajero is the best 4x4 all rounder with low ratio, as it has all disks, ABS and LSD and an excellent low end torque not matched by the modern CRDI engines

The Torque characterested of the Pajero 2.8 is nothing to write home about when compared to modern DI engines of the same capacity. Take a look at the bhp/torque curve of the Toyota 3.0 D4D and you will understand.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by Titan

If you can stretch your budget a bit, I personally think a Used Fortuner would make more sense. There are atleast 3 to 4 people i know who have driven it upwards of 1,00,000 KM and have absolutely no issues whatsoever.
Personally, I am not a great fan of Mahindra Vehicles, and also feel the Scorpio is a class lower. To sum up, used Fortuner would be a better choice!

This will sound strange but I totally detest the Fortuner's ride quality and hence it will be purchased ONLY if there is NOTHING else available. Also, my better half doesn't like it one bit and I count on her opinion since she is as much a roadie as I am.

Mahindra vehicles are great VFM and are very reliable when it comes to core components however, Mahindra has a lot of lessons to learn when it comes to making its glamorous gadgetry work, sort out interior space packaging and most of all, ride comfort.

[n.devdath]

***Research Update***

Has anyone purchased/driven the new Captiva 2.2 AWD AT version? I read up a few foreign road tests and by the standards of competition we have in India, it seems to be a decent contender. It has loads of features like:

1. 184BHP 2.2 litre diesel engine.
2. A reasonably modern 6 speed AT.
3. AWD on demand (not exactly what I m looking for but could adjust).
4. A sunroof.
5. Flat folding 3rd and 2nd row seats.
6. Cruise control, Eco mode and automatic climate control (sans the 2nd row vents but I can live with that too.)
7. Space for 5 with luggage and 7 with no luggage.
8. Better build quality than the XUV (I presume).
9. Reasonable after sales service facilities across the country.


Any views people?

OT: I ve driven the older version and didn't like it due to its vague steering then.

[KMT]

Being a Korean car, a Captiva still does not come near the Japs for relaibility.
As a generalisation about 60K before problems begin, if you sell it off before that, all is good.
This is based on user feedback I got in Oz on the Holden Captiva and a couple of pals who have had it here in India.
And also, it depreciates pretty badly compared to the Fortuner.