[NMS]

Originally Posted by crazydave

• Haha, yes, I know I'm asking for quite a lot but haven't been able to find a car that hits the major sweetspots yet (looking at Ford Ecosport as the next saviour - we can put up with the odd look it has if it meets all other expectations) - Its always the best balance amongst the desired features that will be the best buy.
• It's the expensive Skoda service and parts that is really stopping us from going 100% for a second-hand Yeti actually. Absolutely, however there are a quite a few satisfied Yeti Users on the forum and outside as well !!
• Would you care to elaborate on the Captiva idea? I haven't really followed the reviews of that car because brand-new, it is way outside our budget. I've always liked its looks however. There are a few reviews on our very own forum, However I still miss the Team-Bhp official review on this. :( (moderators, if possible please !! I know this is an already running model ) As far as I understand, it has a very good engine, good number of horses, neat safety features, and quite a few gadgets and car like driveablility, keeping in mind your wife will also be driving it. The FE is a slight dampener, say around 8-10 I believe. Considering the low monthly mileage, it should not be a real problem. Check on the service intervals and spare part costs, since I do not have much information about it. You could check with existing users from Team-Bhp to get a fair idea regarding this. But I am pretty sure it wont be beyond Skoda Spares and Service. I remember seeing some good Captiva's going for around 10-12 in the classified section. It has a low resale value, so buy it only if you are going to keep it for a long time.
• We will give the Storme another look-see though I still think that in the end, it might be too much car for us (plus, its way over the 10%+INR 1 million limit that we've set for now) - Give this a serious look, cause a lot of knowledgeable guys from our forum and equally knowledgeable safari owners have said many good things about Storme. I was also under the notion that it is tad bit over priced, but after one look and a test drive, I had a different opinion about it . EX is a good option. And since you are planning on keeping this one for a long period, you will definitely benefit much more by buying a new car, and will be able to get the proper value for money spent.

Please see the answers in line. Have you considered Pre-Worshipped Grand Vitara?
Just Another wild thought !! Mahindra Thar (Again Don't kill me) But off late quite a few Thar's have joined the Gang !! But then it would be more about offroading and the works, or maybe a matter of choice. Pardon my limited understanding about Thar but the thought came to my mind so thought of sharing. Guru's can comment better on this.

[crazydave]

Originally Posted by Blow Horn Ok

If Nissan launches its own version of the Duster, It may be competitively priced. Scala>Sunny .. Pulse>Micra. The wait for the Ford EcoSport Petrol could be a good option, especially in your scenario, where you need to keep the car for a long time with low running/month.

Haha, that might take a while (though I still struggle to understand this tango between Renault/Nissan. isnt it cannibalizing their own sales and making things confusing?)

Originally Posted by chinkara

Duster clutch is a little hard - but can be managed. At least my wife felt she would be able to drive it.
It is overpriced now though, so is Storme (more due to a lack of EX 4x4).

It is overpriced, no doubt about it

Originally Posted by ampere

Check out the differences in clutch hardness between the 5 gear (85) and 6 gear (110) versions. I think the 5-gear one is lighter.

We will. Any idea if there is option to retune the 85ps version upto a 110ps version (lets say after end of extended warranty?. Or is the clutch/gear system too crippled to handle this increase?

Thanks everyone for your inputs so far. So far it looks like a toss-up between the Duster and the Storme (and with the former, atleast we have some options to bring it down to less than 1Mn OTR) with Captiva/Yeti being stretch options

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by ampere

Check out the differences in clutch hardness between the 5 gear (85) and 6 gear (110) versions. I think the 5-gear one is lighter.

We found the 110 better to drive -- highway power better.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by crazydave

We will. Any idea if there is option to retune the 85ps version upto a 110ps version (lets say after end of extended warranty?. Or is the clutch/gear system too crippled to handle this increase?

- The 85 bhp has a FGT.
- I think its not that amenable for remap.

Here is thread on the same:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...al-issues.html

[ByDesign]

After spending a considerable time researching the subject, I finally decided to make a thread about it. The question or search if you will, can be two fold -

• Which is the best SUV below 15 Lacs for me?
• Which is the best vehicle below 15 Lacs for me?

The 'for me' bit is what I need help with obviously, because after hours and hours of research and analysis both on T-BHP and the interwebs, I'm still at a loss, because people's opinions differ. Let me try approaching the conventional questions first -


What are you going to use the car for?
Ans - The sticker on my present car(s) says it all. "Live to drive". I just want the pleasure of driving. Other than that, office, time out with friends, quick jaunts to neighboring hill stations etc. This question is misleading for me, because I have no particular requirement for a particular vehicle.



The budget question has already been answered. I don't mind getting a nice fun sedan below 15 Lacs either. That's just the way it is right now.



I visited Ford yesterday and test drove the EcoSport. Overall, it's a nice little refined car. Note I said little? While my mind was pegged down on an SUV, the EcoSport was hardly there. It seemed like a hatch from the outside (on stilts mind you), and drove like a sedan with a bit of a bump. Loved the AC to bits though, and the sound quality inside was average.



The SUV desire is because we already have two hatches and a sedan (an i10 1.2, a palio stile 1.3, and an optra magnum 2.0). The way each of these drives is entirely different. The optra is super refined in every way, the i10 is extremely light to drive and handles like an auto, and my beloved Fiat is a beast, raw and unbridled. I'm yet to come across a car that surges forward like my stile 1.3. That engine is lethal. Even my Optra doesn't have such raw acceleration.



This is why I want to experience an SUV! I want to see the world from above! I went to Mahindra after the EcoSport experience, and checked out the Scorpio and the XUV 500. The Scorpio is super dated, and feels like a rugged jeep. For 10 Lacs? I'm not interested. The XUV 500 has so many tacky bits about it and 16 Lacs on road killed it for me. In fact I might think of requested for a Thar and new Bolero test drive (worried about the Bolero from the same POV of the Scorpio).



I will be test driving the new Safari Storme and Aria today. I'm a big fan of the new Safari, especially from the T-BHP review. I don't mind the panel gaps and bland dash, it's more the seating position and sheer size of that leviathan that I'm after. I hope you guys have understood what I'm after. Is there some particular about Tata that I should be wary about? The less than satisfactory salesman at Synergy Mahindra didn't even have a spare parts list of the cars he was trying to sell, and assured me that the Safari storme is nothing but a headache and constant repair and waiting for parts. He also tried convincing me that Scorpio's are serviced in about Rs. 3,500 per service. What utter rubbish. What engine oil do they use, Amul butter?



Anyway, if anyone has any inputs, particularly about the SUV's under 15L (hopefully considerably under), I would be grateful. As you see, even the Aria seems plausible. The important things are quality and reliability, with road dominance, like the Safari's height and bulk. The scorpio's aged, the EcoSport is small and refined, the XUV is overpriced and cheap feeling. Aria, Duster, and Storme are on the to-do list for now. I'm worried the Duster will be the same as the EcoSport in terms of ride height and drive feel.



Thanks in advance.

[julupani]

Looking at the kind of vehicles that you have, I think you will like one of the two Tata beasts. The Aria is especially humongous, which may be to your liking, and its has loads of space.

Let me say just a small thing I had heard about the Aria. A taxi operator near my house has an Aria, which he bought when the Pure variant came out. The driver who actually drives it loves it to death, especially when he goes on long overnight drives, much more than his earlier Innova for one simple reason. He sleeps much better at nights in the Aria, as when he lays the 2nd and 3rd row of seats flat(almost), he can completely stretch out as if he is on a bed.

If neither the Storme nor the Aria tug at your heart, do try out the newly launced Linea Tjet, and you may just find a car that betters you Palio.

[Motormania]

Some of the cars you must take into consideration are :- Linea TJet, Chevy Cruze and the Renault Duster.

The Tjet should be a good companion to your Palio, the Cruze a good highway mile muncher, and the Duster, well, a faithful little pet I say

[sivadeep]

Decide on your choice, but do not miss to test drive the Safari to feel the way power is unleashed from the 2 ton monster

Advanced wishes !!!

[IshaanIan]

According to me it is extremely wasteful to buy an SUV just for the taller stance ("soft-roaders" leave me flabbergasted). Also, since I noticed you own a palio, the SUV will never satisfy the the "driver" inside you.

Anyway since you seem to be dead set on one, both the Aria and the Safari Storme are brilliant cars

[ByDesign]

Originally Posted by julupani

If neither the Storme nor the Aria tug at your heart, do try out the newly launced Linea Tjet, and you may just find a car that betters you Palio.

Hopefully I'll TD both the Aria and the Storme today. I'll update the thread after. I've never been a fan of the Linea's design. Something about the body lines just don't do it for me.

Originally Posted by Motormania

Some of the cars you must take into consideration are :- Linea TJet, Chevy Cruze and the Renault Duster.

The Tjet should be a good companion to your Palio, the Cruze a good highway mile muncher, and the Duster, well, a faithful little pet I say

No Tjets, but the Cruze seems like a delicious option. I test drove the Cruze when we bought our Optra, and boy! The Cruze is such a killer vehicle to drive! I will definitely give this a thought. The duster doesn't appeal to me at the moment, but a test drive is in order.

Originally Posted by sivadeep

Decide on your choice, but do not miss to test drive the Safari to feel the way power is unleashed from the 2 ton monster

Advanced wishes !!!

Excellent. This will be done soon.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

According to me it is extremely wasteful to buy an SUV just for the taller stance ("soft-roaders" leave me flabbergasted). Also, since I noticed you own a palio, the SUV will never satisfy the the "driver" inside you.

Anyway since you seem to be dead set on one, both the Aria and the Safari Storme are brilliant cars

It's interesting how you equated my 'driver' enthusiasm to the Palio. I'm hoping I'll like driving SUV's too. I'm actually quite the diesel head, petrols and their lack of torque kill the low rev range experience for me, plus who isn't a fan of a massive turbo rush? Any reason why you think the Aria and Storme are brilliant cars?

Thanks to all for posting.

[EagleEye]

Originally Posted by ByDesign

It's interesting how you equated my 'driver' enthusiasm to the Palio. I'm hoping I'll like driving SUV's too. I'm actually quite the diesel head, petrols and their lack of torque kill the low rev range experience for me, plus who isn't a fan of a massive turbo rush? Any reason why you think the Aria and Storme are brilliant cars?

I agree with Ishaan here. If you are really an enthusiastic driver (like I am), no SUV is going to satisfy that thirst for the power surge and the excitement of hugging corners at speed because no SUV is built for that kind of handling.
The Ecosport might, but then, it's not an SUV.

Originally Posted by ByDesign

No Tjets, but the Cruze seems like a delicious option. I test drove the Cruze when we bought our Optra, and boy! The Cruze is such a killer vehicle to drive! I will definitely give this a thought. The duster doesn't appeal to me at the moment, but a test drive is in order.

Th Cruze has dizzying amounts of raw power, but it's extremely poor in the handling department. You might be disappointed with it unless you do a very thorough test drive before buying.


One of the cars that would suit your needs to a T would be the Skoda Laura. It's slightly above 15L on road, but you might want to consider that.

[ByDesign]

Originally Posted by EagleEye

The Cruze has dizzying amounts of raw power, but it's extremely poor in the handling department. You might be disappointed with it unless you do a very thorough test drive before buying.


One of the cars that would suit your needs to a T would be the Skoda Laura. It's slightly above 15L on road, but you might want to consider that

Handling disabilities might be due to the one size too small tire set that comes with it. Shouldn't be much of a problem unless I'm racing on a track.

Strictly no Skoda's. And that's due to the horror stories I've read on this forum.

Went to Concorde Motors today to see the Aria and Storme. I was simply blown away by both. A fine examination of the Aria revealed typical Tata finish around plastic parts and edges but then again, I didn't expect any better.

There's 1 lakh discount on the Aria, the top model (pride) 4x4 variant of which comes with TCS and Cruise Control, 6 Airbags and a massive much of goodies. Now here's the shocker, these two threads on our beloved Team Bhp -

Experience 1 - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...a-product.html

Experience 2 - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ownership.html

Thanks to both members for bringing to light such horrors and sheer criminal acts of companies like this. Though I'm respectful towards Mr. Ratan's vision for the country etc. and don't hold him personally responsible for what happened to the cars above, I'm really really doubtful I'd want to spend 16 lacs of my hard earned money on the Aria.

The Storme is a MASSIVE car, to put it bluntly, and is built pretty well. The top model has lovely wood finish interiors and a very simple dashboard. Features like the rear pillar AC's, cooled glovebox etc. on the Aria made me favor the Aria more, but those experiences are really worrying me.

[jkdas]

ByDesign, you want a highway mile cruncher which can take some cargo, sit people in comfort and can go places..right?

I would suggest that you stick to Duster/Safari/Aria/Innova ( not including Scorpio since you had rejected it). Xylo was ok but coming from road huggers, it will be scary. If you want something that will drive more like a car, Duster/Innova.

Dont forget to look at long term expense/warranty etc too.

[IshaanIan]

I have only test driven the Safari Storme and driven my friend's Aria a couple of times but they are really impressive and the looks never quit bowling me over especially the Aria's The Safari is according to me, a massive improvement over the old one literally catapulting it into the modern age and making it desirable even for the non die-hard safari fans.

The Duster is a brilliant car just keep in mind that it is a Dacia and cheapness goes under the skin too; it's one of the very few cars of today that scored 3 stars in the ncap crash tests which means the cabin's structural rigidity and behavior under stress is very poor. 4 stars and above is what I look for.

As far a sedans go, well you have just ruled out the t-jet but yes the Cruze with its dollops of power and yank levels of refinement (which isn't that bad anymore) , is a very love-able car. The only qualms I have with it are the lack of EBD and ESP, the not so eager nature of the car when you show it a corner, and the difficult heavy steering at even parking speeds (this one factor does slightly make up for feel when cornering fast :P ) I have heard that setting aside the jk tyres as a garden bench/swing/flowerpot, and slapping on a set of proper rubber, vastly improves the car.

[EagleEye]

Originally Posted by ByDesign

Handling disabilities might be due to the one size too small tire set that comes with it. Shouldn't be much of a problem unless I'm racing on a track.

Keep in mind, it's a very front heavy car. Even upgrading the tyres won't solve this issue.
And it's not about racing on a track, it's about sticking to your lane when you're on a curve without slowing down even at relatively slow speeds of 80-100.

On highways you'll have noticed that 90% of drivers will swerve to the middle of the road during a curve because they are not confident of taking it even at normal speeds. I've driven a Cruze and it gives you the same problem.