[samabhi]

I know.. From the title, there is no real comparison between the three cars, except that they are all automatic. Its a long post and feel free to skip the background and jump to the Requirements section directly.

Background :

We currently have two cars for our daily use. Hyundai 2009 i10 Sportz model and Mahindra Reva e2o. The i10 is driven mainly by our driver to help Dad with his daily chores in the town and to go to Church and also to drop/pickup kids to/from school. e2o is used by me and wife for our daily office commute. Before we moved into our new home, we were staying close to the main road and church, so Dad could easily walk down the road and doesnt really needed any car for himself. It worked out well for almost 6 years.

As I have to travel frequently on business trips, there was a need for my wife to start driving. She was comfortable with automatic car and thats how we bought the e2o last year with the idea that my wife uses this car as her daily commute and we will replace our i10 with a bigger 7 seater car like Innova in the coming years. The e2o will continue to be our City car for a long time.

Plans changed and we moved into our new home which is far off from the Church and that needed us to get a driver to help Dad continue with his Church work. (He is a civil engineer by profession, happily retired and is seeing over the construction of our new Church building). Now our new home is at a place where there are absolutely no roads at all. The lovely little e2o couldnt help much in tackling those roads and we have to drive very carefully each day inorder to take care of the not so well put suspension. It was becoming painful and at some point, we felt that we could no longer use this car comfortably on such bad roads. Thats when we started searching for different options available to us. Replace e2o or i10 for a better car. We decided not to replace the i10 as its serving us well. Its run for 85k Kms and still doing well. That left us with the only option of replacing our e2o. I am still waiting for a good deal to sell this car, only after which we will be planning our next purchase.


Requirements by priority :

• Automatic for handling the maddening traffic and also compact enough for wife to drive in the city traffic
• Good Ground Clearance to tackle Bangalore Roads where there are literally no roads and just potholes everywhere with the skyscrapper humps
• Ride Comfort with good suspension
• 7 seater (We are 6 in the family - Me, Wifey, Parents and 2 kids, aged 6 & 4)
• Safety (Dual Airbags and ABS/EBD are bare minimum necessities)
• Good performance and FE (Petrol or Diesel really doesnt matter, but need to be good at cruising speeds for those occasional highway trips)
• Feel good factor with good interior quality
• Budget - Not more than 12 Lakhs (The lesser the better)

Considering the above factors, I zeroed in on three cars.

1. Ford Ecosport AT
2. Maruti Ertiga VXI AT
3. TUV300 AMT

I didnt consider Duster/Mobilio due to the non availability of AT , Creta AT for being priced exorbitantly, Scorpio and XUV500 AT for being too big and budget being another major factor. Honda BR-V is another car that I am following closely, but I might have to buy a car well ahead of its launch if I let go off my e2o soon. I am not considering used cars, as this will be through company purchase.

Ford Ecosport AT :

We actually visited the Ford Showroom to checkout the new Figo Automatic. Talk about cross-shopping, one glance at the Ecosport stance and the heavy doors feel with sturdy build quality was more than enough to move away from the Figo. This car fits all our requirements, except that its a 5 seater.

What we liked :

• Ground clearance
• Top notch safety features
• Good view of the road ahead (important for the wife)
• Seating comfort and good interior quality
• Dual Clutch Automatic, while its not so fun to drive, it does the job well

What we didnt like :

• 5 seater
• Pricey when compared to the competition (comparing only the automatic variant and no, I am not including Creta here)

Maruti Ertiga VXI Automatic :

When Maruti announced that they are going to launch the new Ertiga with an automatic variant, I almost decided that this is the car I am going to buy.

What we liked :

• 7 seater and a compact car which is its biggest USP to be used within city
• Responsive 1.4L engine
• Automatic (AT variant for test drive is not available anywhere, so drove the Ciaz Automatic which has the same 1.4L Engine with a 4 speed gear box). The response throughout is good and much better when compared to Hyundai's Fuel Guzzler 4 speed gear box on Grand i10 or the Xcent AT variants
• Maruti Service, economical to maintain with good FE
• Decent interiors (Any day better than its direct competition - Mobilio)

What we didnt like :

• 4 Speed AT Gear Box. This is one of the major concerns, as this car will be used on highways with full load of 4 adults and 2 kids
• Available on Mid Variant. Why is Rear Wiper and Defogger available only on the top variant?
• Safety Standards (Read as build quality, etc..) when compared to the competition

TUV300 AMT :

Mahindra has pulled out a great car at a great price, considering the restrictions of sub 4 metre size and yet came up with a good design. They should be applauded for all that they are doing to represent the Indian Automobile Industry at the International level. Immense respect for them and the brand. Plonk in that m-Hawk 2.2L engine, mated to the 6 speed automatic gear box as in XUV500, this would be a car to own.

What we liked :

• Spacious
• Very comfortable front seats. Lumbar Support adjustment is an added plus
• Cheapest Automatic Diesel car with 5+2 seats
• Commanding view
• Looks tough and well built (On the lighter note, my wife is a big Prabhas fan and she wanted to consider this car, just that he has endorsed it)

What we didnt like :

• 3 Pot Cylinder. The test drive that I took for almost an hour was more than enough to expose its weakness at higher speeds
• Too big to drive as per Wife. She said she cant handle this beast in the daily traffic and I agree partly with her opinion
• Bouncy suspension
• AMT is best at low speeds and lacks the punch once its pushed for higher speeds
• Interiors. The best Mahindra till date, as told by many and I agree with that. But they are not there yet
• Flat rear bench with lack of under thigh support and straight back rest. This could be corrected with aftermarket options, but its a let down for me
• Jump seats though can seat kids comfortably, miss the lap belts. I would prefer the front facing 3 row seats in Ertiga with 3 point safety seat belts. (Not that my kids always put on the seat belts, every time they sit in the car, but I enforce them to do so whenever they can)

Ecosport AT is top on our list and we almost decided to go ahead with its booking. But as always common sense prevailed about the other priorities to be taken care of.

I also have another option of going ahead with Ecosport for city usage and then replace the i10 after couple of years (when finance permits) with a bigger 7 seater car.

Please share your expert opinions on what is the best car that would suit my needs.

Thanks,
Greg

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by samabhi

I know.. From the title, there is no real comparison between the three cars, except that they are all automatic. Its a long post and feel free to skip the background and jump to the Requirements section directly. I also have another option of going ahead with Ecosport for city usage and then replace the i10 after couple of years (when finance permits) with a bigger 7 seater car. Greg

My friend has an Ertiga 1.4 petrol-Manual. I have driven it a bit and all that I can say is that the car is seriously underpowered. Even with 4 onboard it struggles to climb moderate slopes. And with 7 passengers he had to grind it in 1st. on most slopes. The AT version will be slightly better, but it is definitely not a highway cruiser for 7 people. It will be adequate for city use for 7 people. The Ecosport is slightly better on power, but much better in the safety department. Since you already have a driver the I10 can be used for his trips and I feel Ecosport will be a better pick than the Ertiga.

[shankar.balan]

These are all quite different vehicles and can't really be compared.
At a pinch one can maybe compare the Ertiga and the TUV.

If you want something with some reasonable size and capacity, you'll have to look at the latter but if you want a neat 4-5 seater then the EcoSport is clearly it!
Is this set of choices primarily budget driven?

[vb-saan]

For me, it's a pretty straightforward option there - to go with the Ecosport AT. On the safety front, it trumps the other two in a big way.

[ampere]

If you are a looking for a 7-seater, then how come Ecosport and TUV are in that list? Even Ertiga is decent 7-seater only for city. Does not work well for the highways.

If you can wait, you should look for the new Innova AT which is coming next year.

[VW2010]

If you can wait, you should look for the new Innova AT which is coming next year.

+1

Innova is the most comfortable and actually very powerful car and its a very good utility vehicle.

With AT it will be a breeze to drive in the city as well.

My vote is for Innova AT as well. If you want more than 5 seats go for Innova. And trouble free ownership, unbelievable resale value and no nonsense service and maintenance.

[samabhi]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

If you want something with some reasonable size and capacity, you'll have to look at the latter but if you want a neat 4-5 seater then the EcoSport is clearly it!
Is this set of choices primarily budget driven?

To an extent yes. Given a choice with more budget, I would buy SantaFe Automatic, but its out of reach for now. Its compact, well built, has automatic and can seat 7. Along with the budget limit, it's more to do with the ease of driving with compact size and the car should handle Bangalore roads, traffic. 90% of the times it will be used only in the city with just the two of us in the car. The car will be loaded only during the weekends and occasional trips in a month or two. The need of hour is a well built automatic car with good GC and something that my wife could drive as well. I could drop the 7 seater requirement for now, but eventually I need to buy one with kids growing bigger.

The other option is to keep the e2o for my wife and I buy a manual 7 seater car to be used only by me. My wife is totally happy with e2o. But then I didn't want to have 3 cars at home. It just doesn't make sense to have a car for everyone in the family and add more cars to Bangalore roads.

Quiet confused and I am tilting more towards EcoSport. But then didn't want to buy a car just for now and regret later.

[samabhi]

Originally Posted by ampere

If you are a looking for a 7-seater, then how come Ecosport and TUV are in that list? Even Ertiga is decent 7-seater only for city. Does not work well for the highways.

If you can wait, you should look for the new Innova AT which is coming next year.

Originally Posted by VW2010

+1

Innova is the most comfortable and actually very powerful car and its a very good utility vehicle.

With AT it will be a breeze to drive in the city as well.

My vote is for Innova AT as well. If you want more than 5 seats go for Innova. And trouble free ownership, unbelievable resale value and no nonsense service and maintenance.

All new Innova is definitely on the list, but I don't need a proper 7 seater. As long as it can seat 4 adults and 2 kids in comfort, I would be more than happy with it. One of the main criteria is that my wife should be able to drive it too and she won't feel comfortable with chugging around in the city traffic with such a big car.

I included Ertiga in the list mainly for its 7 seat capability (last row to be used by kids only), an automatic option and well within budget. Suspension is decent as well with on par GC.

I am not exaggerating when I say there are no roads at all on the way to my new house. I live on Sarjapur Road behind Amrita Eng College and it's a night mare to use these roads everyday. TUV300 is being considered for this main purpose. The jump seats are fine for the kids, but the lack of seat belts is a big deterrent. When I look for 7 seater cars in the market with an automatic transmission and with a budget limit of 12L, only TUV300 and Ertiga come closely.

[wilful]

I would say go with what your mind tells you - Ecosport AT. Except for the 7 seater requirement it ticks all your boxes. Maybe a few years later when your children are bigger you could look at other/bigger options. I am sure there will be a lot more then.
As an owner of an Ecosport AT, I am fairly satisfied with the car in the 12000 odd kms I have used it for - and given a choice to go back in time and select, I would still plump for it.

[ShaileshHinge]

Originally Posted by samabhi

I also have another option of going ahead with Ecosport for city usage and then replace the i10 after couple of years (when finance permits) with a bigger 7 seater car.

Another option is to purchase a 5 seater now and rent out ( zoom, Justride, Myles) whenever there is a need for a 7 seater. This way you are driving a small car in the city, get a more reliable vehicle, spend less from your pocket immediately and can always drive out a bigger vehicle on planned outstation trips. I understand owning a SUV gives a different kick - tough call

[anup7649]

I would suggest TUV300 given the reason that it can be used spaciously for 7 folks (i.e. 5 adults + 2 kids). Am sure the kids of 4 & 6 would need space and cannot compromise in the middle row of Ecosport and that too while it really does not have complete 3 seats in that row.

TUV has space, good build, high GC, good service backup, selling really well.
The Size of vehicle is about getting used to only, am sure once your wife starts driving it regularly, she will be much more comfortable than a small car. As I also read, you said this need to be a highway vehicle, hence for daily city usage, your i10 can still do the duty.

Innova AT will be out of budget with about 25lacs to be put on. Your budget is not stretched till that as I read below.

[KALINGA]

As per your requirement TUV 300 will be the best choice.
It takes the bad roads very well. Mileage/comfort/abuse friendly & VFM is the +points of TUV.

Ford ES is good but i believe it is not VFM and may not good on bad roads. I have never driven this car so can not comment more.

Note: I am a petrol Ertiga owner, already completed 40000 KM till now in 2.5 yrs.

[sridhar-v]

Now some long term stratergic thinking. It is only a matter of time before Bangalore also imposes driving restrictions like Delhi. So you may be actually better off keeping the E20 and upgrading the I10. 7 seater for highways means you need minimum 150hp power. Go for a used petrol suv like Grand Vitara or Outlander if you want a larger vehicle. Innova AT will be upwards of 18-19L on road, when it is launched. Or get the Ecosport AT & hire an Innova taxi whenever you need 7 seat trips.

[ravivrt]

After reading through,
I understand that safety is also a priority, right?

Well, then how are you planning to go for weekend long drives???

with kids on laps of your parents??

A big No, please install proper child seats and buckle them up.

[jkdas]

Get EcoSport; apart from having far better engine-wengine ( that's a trademarked word by Yeti), you get a better quality product. I see Ertiga as a bigger Swift. TUV300/Quanto it looks funny.

OT, has to be AT? Else try the EcoBoost too.