[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by vroom77

max people capacity (6 to 8 person ) at a cost below 8 lacs .
Not a 4 person carrier.

In this case Indica is ruled out.
Choices were Bolero, Sumo, Tavera.

IMO Bolero has better reliability and cheaper spares and Tavera holds better ride comfort.

[vroom77]

Originally Posted by dean5545

You can have a look at the Tata Winger if you want or a Maruti Eeco Cng. The Maruti should be good for at least 1.5-2.0 lakhs. I don't know whether it comes with company fitted Cng.
One more car which comes to my mind is the new Eicher MultiX. It's very cheap, seems to have a good ride quality however there is no report on the engines reliability part.

Even I have the same running of about 100-150km a day sometimes shoots upto 400km.
What I am using is an Innova. It's already done 1,75,000 km, no issues faced yet.

Whats your take on tata winger ? Is it going to be a reliable bet for 300k+ kms. I like winger for one thing that in the future we will have more people using the vehicle.

Bolero for its rugged look and at the fit when it comes to use for small groups.

From other suggestions, tavera and sumo seems like good options too. So the short list could be like. Tavera could be a little more expensive though.

1. Sumo for its reliability and low cost of ownership.
2. Bolero for the same reasons - may be more rugged than Sumo and low on ride quality
3. Winger for its bigger capacity.

If you have to pick one which one would it be ?

Order of priorities
1. Reliable vehicle - 3lacs+ Mileage
2. Low maintanence & good warranty ( 1 and 2 ) to low cost of ownership.
3. Max people carrying capacity 7/8

[ramzsys]

Sumo Gold
Tavera
Bolero plus

In that order.

Sumo even if it gives niggles, is easy to maintain.
Tavera is all about space.
Bolero was/is reliable because things are simple.

[VW2010]

300K or More.

I am not sure if Tata or Mahindra will solve this puzzle. Toyota for sure will get you to 300K.

8 year of ownership is quite possible with the Bolero and Tata Sumo. Both are not known for safety as a whole. Instead if you can be content with driving safe, either of them will be fine.

There is no real 7 or 8 seater except the innova for me. Even the Ford Endeavor is not a 6 seater let alone 8.

But my assumption is that those 8 were already travelling in Omni in a cramped manner which makes the Tavera a better purchase.

Dont expect ABS, airbags in this segment at this price point.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by vroom77

Whats your take on tata winger ? Is it going to be a reliable bet for 300k+ kms. I like winger for one thing that in the future we will have more people using the vehicle.

Bolero for its rugged look and at the fit when it comes to use for small groups.

From other suggestions, tavera and sumo seems like good options too. So the short list could be like. Tavera could be a little more expensive though.

1. Sumo for its reliability and low cost of ownership.
2. Bolero for the same reasons - may be more rugged than Sumo and low on ride quality
3. Winger for its bigger capacity.

If you have to pick one which one would it be ?

Order of priorities
1. Reliable vehicle - 3lacs+ Mileage
2. Low maintanence & good warranty ( 1 and 2 ) to low cost of ownership.
3. Max people carrying capacity 7/8

I don't want to increase your confusion but I have traveled in Sumos, Boleros and Xylos which have covered 2-2.5L kms. These are the cabs used by my company and used for intra-city movement. I found that the interiors and the body of the Xylos were much better held together than the other two and the car also felt more plush. From ROI perspective, Sumo and Bolero might seem better as the initial investment and the routine maintenance should be lower. But if you want some comfort, then you might consider the Xylo.

[KALINGA]

Ertiga LDi or VDi can be a good choice.
Excellent mileage with ABS in LDi model.

Even CNG versions are also available in LXi & VXi model.
Ertiga has low maintenance as well.

[BlackPearl]

1> Bolero, rugged, reliable and can take a lot of abuse. I have seen very high mileage Boleros running fine
2> Sumo, same as above. Might be little less reliable but more comfortable than the Bolero
3> Rhino, heard that it gives very good mileage. Good on the highways as well. Looks horrible though.

[vroom77]

Took a test drive of bolero - saw Sumo also not driven yet. Initial impressions are as follows.

1. Quite a good engine Bolero has - you can quite easily maneuver in 2nd gear and above in most of the traffic situations.
2. Interiors are decent and theatre style seating is quite a refresher. It really looks like a good bet for a sight seeing car with lot of glass all around.
3. Quite good on bad roads - absorbs a good amount of potholes.
4. Comes with a 2 year unlimited kms warranty
5. Second row is cramped and rear seats are just name sake - only for a short distance - same as safari.
6. Not very eager to charge up, initial pick ups low, but I like it for the fact which equates to better safety. Vehicle is going to be used by drivers.
7. Suspension seems to last and maintain the overall stance of the vehicle unlike Tata Sumo where old vehicles easily looks out of balance.
8. The sales rep claims 15kms in city with a/c but I feel 12 is a reasonable expectation.
9. Looks more professional if someone in the company has to go for a client meeting
10. Possibly a better build compared to Tata as Mahindra is trying to give medium level features at the price compared to tata trying to squeeze in many features and skimming on quality of interior parts.

So that's where things are at, have asked for final rates with exchange, discounts etc. They also have a 2014 model where they are willing to offer discounts. Only difference seems to be the date of manufacture compared to 2015 models and since model is one year down depreciation can take a hit on resale.

Anything else to look at ? Your inputs have been quite helpful and I considered Ertiga and other suggestions made here such as Tavera and Sumo Grand. Tavera is ruled out because of the maintenance plus the added comfort is not much of a preference. The passengers are not going to have more than 30 mins ride at a time and the way things are now it looks neat in Mahindra.

Hope the I am on the right track with respect to analyzing the situation. Thanks again.