With the comparisons done on the above parameters, I would like to end it by adding some more information regarding the cars especially their
'+' and
'-' Mahindra XUV 5OO What you’ll like:
• A well-engineered, contemporary SUV with a value-for-money price tag
• More mature styling. Front end no longer looks garish
• Acres of space on the 1st & 2nd seat rows
• Competent engine delivers fantastic urban driveability, as well as fast highway performance
• Balanced ride & handling package
• Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ESP with rollover mitigation, ABS + EBD and all-wheel disc brakes
• Expansive feature list (sunroof, touchscreen ICE, powered driver's seat, cruise control etc.)
What you won’t:
• Absolutely no luggage capacity with all the seats in place
• Cramped 3rd seat row is best suited to children only. A sliding middle row is sorely missed
• Interior quality, although better, still has a lot of scope for improvement
• Clutch is lighter now, but has a long travel range & high resting point. Gets cumbersome in traffic
• Niggles & issues, as reported by existing XUV500 owners
• Mahindra's inconsistent sales & service experiences
• Automatic transmission nowhere in sight. Premium customers love their ATs
Link to the Review: XUV 5OO - Older model XUV 5OO - 2015 Refresh
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Mahindra Scorpio What you'll like:
• Same popular SUV package, now improved in the 2014 avatar
• Robust, abuse-friendly build & construction
• Aggressive front-end styling. Has good street presence
• mHawk turbo diesel is a jewel of an engine. Great driveability, performance & fuel economy
• New chassis brings better road manners
• 4x4 available on S4 variant too. More affordable than the Safari 4x4 & Duster AWD
• The Scorpio enjoys strong resale value in the used car market
• Features: 6" touchscreen system, GPS navigation, projector headlamps, LED tail-lamps, auto-headlamps & wipers, cruise control, 17" rims etc.
What you won't:
• Ride quality, though improved, is far from plush. Still gets bouncy & bumpy
• Surprisingly limited 2nd-row legroom in an SUV of this size
• Overdone rear end styling. Also, decade-old body shell shows its age
• Fit & finish leave a lot to be desired. Rough edges are plentiful
• Price of the higher variants is dangerously close to the more accomplished XUV500
• Niggles & issues, as reported by existing Scorpio owners
• Automatic transmission has been deleted from the options list
• Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble.
Link to the Review: New Scorpio - Review
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Tata Safari Storme What you’ll like:
• The best Safari till date. Tata continually upgrades & tweaks this SUV
• Solid body-on-frame construction. Substantial size & strong presence
• Competent 148 BHP engine. Excellent driveability & superb refinement
• Improved interiors, comfortable driving position & a much lighter clutch
• 1st & 2nd seat rows have enormous space. Nice seats too
• Good ride quality. Also, the X2 chassis brings better road manners & braking ability
• Low range 4x4 transfer case, limited slip differential and sufficient rear wheel articulation
• Additions such as a bigger 63 liter fuel tank, steering-mounted audio controls, double-din ICE, flippy key & LED cabin lamps
What you won’t:
• The same old body style. Surely shows its age
• Effectively a 5 seater. The 3rd row jump seats aren't suitable even for kids
• Not as dynamically accomplished as the XUV500, Duster or its sibling, the Aria
• No MID, navigation, climate control, reversing camera or dead pedal in a Rs. 15 lakh car
• ABS & all-wheel disc brakes removed from the base LX variant
• Niggling issues & problems (as per the many Safari ownership reports)
• Tata's after-sales service experience remains a gamble
• 4x4's critical electronic bits & fuel tank are placed too low. No protective plate against splashes either. Massive size & kerb weight negatively affect its offroad performance.
Link to the Review: 2015 - Refresh model review Safari - 4x2 variant Safari - 4x4 variant
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Tata Aria What you’ll like:
• Futuristic styling, stance & body-on-frame robustness
• 200 kgs lighter. Better performance and more nimble to drive too
• Spacious 1st & 2nd seat rows. Interior quality a big leap ahead for Tata
• Balanced road manners. Urban ride quality even better on 16" wheels
• Base variant gets decent kit (ABS, all disc brakes, audio system, electric mirrors etc.)
What you won't:
• Unsettled ride quality at highway speeds, just like the AWD variant
• Fully loaded Pride variant unavailable with the 4x2
• Third row of seats best suited to kids only
• Euro NCAP safety rating not applicable to the 4x2 (structural changes made)
• Tata's un-premium after-sales service experience
Link to the Review: Aria - 4x4 variant Aria 4x2 varinat
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Renault Duster What you’ll like:
• Robust, abuse-friendly build & construction
• A very competent softroader. AWD system can take you places no 2WD can
• Retuned 109 BHP engine & shorter gear ratios make the Duster AWD extremely driveable
• 1.5L dCi turbo-diesel is known for its consistently high fuel efficiency
• Outstanding ride quality has further improved. Comfortable over any kind of road
• Car-like to drive. Balanced handling and dynamics. Extremely stable at high speeds
• Safety kit: ESP, ASR, ABS, EBD, BA & understeer control. Dual airbags for the top variant
• 210 mm of ground clearance for the AWD version. Dismisses broken roads with aplomb
What you won’t:
• Not a hardcore offroader like the Jeep & Gypsy 4x4s
• No 3rd row of seats. The Scorpio & Safari Storme are 7-seaters
• Interiors look cheap & dated in many areas. Weird ergonomics as well
• Mediocre rear seat legroom. More like C1 segment sedans than C2
• Poor NVH insulation. Engine, road & wind noise are prominent inside the cabin
• Missing features: No climate control, 60:40 splitting rear seat, dead pedal or 1-touch down windows
• Bigger, more spacious & feature-packed XUV500 AWD isn't priced too far above
• Renault's after-sales service quality is inconsistent.
Link to the Review: Duster - 2WD variant Duster - 4x4 variant
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Acknowledgements:
Sincere Thanks to
S2,
GTO,
Stratos,
tsk1979,
Tushar,
Manson,
Rehaan and
Tejas@perioimpl for the Official reviews of the cars.
>> I have taken the
"What you Like" and
"What you Won't" from the Official Review section.
Thanks for reading.