[Tushar]

Maruti Vitara Brezza


What you’ll like:

• An all-rounded compact SUV. A neutral package at the right price
• Clean & proportionate styling. Dual-tone paint shades look nice
• Well-mannered suspension riding on big 215/60 R16 tyres. 198 mm of GC!
• Good cabin space for a sub-4 meter car. Lots of storage & a powerful air-con too
• 1.3L 89 BHP diesel is quick as well as fuel-efficient
• Driver airbag is standard. ABS + EBD and passenger airbag are available on every variant
• Features: Cruise control, touchscreen ICE with navigation, auto headlamps & wipers, projector headlamps & LEDs, reversing camera etc.
• Maruti's excellent after-sales support network

What you won’t:

• No petrol engine or automatic offered. Boosterjet turbo-petrol is still sometime away
• Ordinary interior quality. EcoSport has better quality & a more solid build
• Missing features vs cheaper Baleno (bi-xenons, telescopic steering, auto-dimming IRVM, leather steering)
• Diesel engine has some turbo-lag below 2,000 rpm (though not excessive)
• Boot has a practical layout, but is still the smallest in the segment at 328 liters
• Forget LDi, even VDi is basic & poorly equipped. ZDi & ZDi+ are the only recommended variants
• Waiting periods rapidly closing in on 6 months

Review Link

Ford EcoSport


What you'll like:

• Snazzy, futuristic styling makes the EcoSport a head-turner. Solid construction too
• 3 engine options, including the impressive 1.0L EcoBoost & economical 1.5L Diesel
• Loaded to the gills with technology & equipment (SYNC, keyless entry & go, cooled glovebox, leather seats, parking display...)
• Smartly packaged interior. Adequate space for 4 adults. Lots of storage and practical features
• Dynamically sorted. Competent handling by SUV standards
• City-friendly! Great ergonomics, driving position, manoeuvrability and size for urban India
• Safety kit includes 6 Airbags, ABS + EBD, Emergency assistance phone call, Emergency brake warning etc. AT variant gets ESP and Hill-Hold

What you won't:

• Hyundai-esque light electric steering on the Highway
• Ride quality isn't as plush as that of the Renault Duster. Underlying stiffness obvious
• Narrow cabin width makes a 5th occupant unwelcome. Best for 4 onboard
• Sub-4 meter size and compact dimensions take street cred away
• Tree trunk thick A-Pillars result in severe blind spots

Review Link

Mahindra TUV300


What you'll like:

• 7-seater SUV at a price comparable to budget sedans
• Robust, abuse-friendly build & construction. Great street presence too
• Nice & roomy cabin. 1st & 2nd seat rows are spacious
• 1.5L diesel offers good city driveability & fuel economy
• AMT available. The cheapest automatic SUV in India
• Dual airbags & ABS offered on every variant
• Features such as static bending lamps, 2 front armrests, adjustable lumbar support, Blue Sense App, economy modes etc.

What you won't:

• 3-cylinder diesel has no top-end. Slow expressway performance
• Mediocre NVH levels, especially in the area of vibrations
• Ride quality is nowhere as cushy as its car-based rivals. Does get bouncy
• Steering is on the heavier side at parking / low speeds
• 4x4 not available, even as an option
• Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• Some important features missing (rear a/c vents, seatbelt height adjustment, dead pedal etc.)

Review Link

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

My choice has to be the Ford EcoSport. It's the oldest car in this group, but still the one that gets my vote. It has a wide range of engines on offer, is the best to drive, loaded with safety features and feels well built. I'm also a fan of the SYNC system and the recent price correction has made it excellent value for money.

The Vitara Brezza is great for those who want a safe bet when it comes to after sales and resale value. It's not a bad car overall, but lacks the wow factor of the EcoSport.

The TUV300 feels the most crude among the cars in this poll. I would consider it only if I wanted two extra seats.

[sidzz]

My vote to Ecosport. This being the oldest car in the lot, still has the modern look and is loaded with safety features. Also the build quality is solid. I have always been a fan.

Brezza never excited me.

TUV300 is just okay.

[sudeep11787]

My vote goes to TUV for raw low end performance and built. A 3 cyl diesel, 1.5 tonne weight, lot of body roll makes TUV logically worst as compared to other 2 but somehow I loved driving it.

[Tushar]

My vote goes to the EcoSport. The Vitara Brezza doesn't do much wrong, but doesn't give me the premium vibe the EcoSport does. The Ford just feels better on the inside and out and the design has aged gracefully. Additionally, I'm a big fan of the 1.5L TDCi, the easy yet fun to use gearbox and lovely steering of the Ford. However, Ford's after-sales still won't get the blind trust Maruti's does and I'm not sure how good the dealership experience is either.

The Vitara Brezza will find a lot of takers because it is the best balance of the bunch:

- It's more spacious than the EcoSport, but not as spacious as the TUV300.
- Bad road ability is better than the EcoSport, but not as good as the TUV300.
- The quality is better than the TUV300, but not as good as the EcoSport.
- The engine and steering feel better to use than the TUV300's, but they're not as good as the EcoSport.
- The look isn't contemporary like the EcoSport's, but neither is it over the top like the TUV300 (though I personally quite like the Mahindra's look).

[Sheel]

First, let M&M decide as to what they want to sell and which is better, a TUV 3OO or a NuvoSport?

And if the world reduced to just these 3 cars, I would chose the Ford.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

I had decided to book the Ecosport automatic for parents, despite the waiting periods for the vehicle back in 2014.

Mom called up the dealership a few times. Every time they disconnected the call after she asked about Ecosport. Not even the most basic courtesy of answering a phone call properly, forget giving basic details, offering a TD or taking a booking. This for someone who was willing to book the vehicle no matter what their waiting periods were! They called back 6 months later to ask if we had enquired about Ecosport. By then, we had an Xcent automatic in the garage and was pretty happy about it. The excuse they gave? Sales advisors were busy - for 6 months!

Ford guys called back once again, after a gap of almost once year - asking if we had enquired about Ecosport. This happened few days back, near to the launch of the Brezza. Along with the price reduction for the Ecosport - this one made me laugh my heart out. I'm sure Brezza had them pissing in their pants!

And why not? Two colleagues in my office have booked, one in my wife's office and two in the apartment friends circle.

The best part? Wife went on her own to the showroom to enquire about the car, since I was busy with office work. She was so curious why everyone is going crazy about it. And inspite of the 4-5 months waiting period and demand, she was treated like a king and even received proper follow up calls.

• Its a Maruti. Against Ford.
• Looks brilliant. Clean and elegant lines IMO. Ecosport is also good though.
• Has good interior. Ecosport has better quality, but cramped rear seat is a deal breaker.
• Never had any complaints with the Multijet 90hp.
• Good feature list. Would have preferred the 6 airbags of Ford, but doesn't matter for a family of two.
• As a brand, I would prefer Maruti over Ford for customer ethics. The milking of Ecosport in the demand period, huge price reduction after Brezza launch, the way the Indian Ecosport is inferior compared to international variants and moreover the way I was treated - all leave a very bad impression about Ford for me atleast.

My vote goes for the Brezza. And hope Maruti teaches Ford a lesson about customer service.

The Mahindra contenders? The ugly duckling has been left out of the poll, and the one considered reminds me of the traditional rat trap used in old households. Both have strong points of space and extremely driveable engines - but the design is a huge letdown and I wouldn't want to be seen in one, atleast in the near future.

[DragonHawk]

I will pick a car anyday which has overall good build quality, better ride and handling, value for money, decent service support, and offers quality interior. In that sense TUV300 is straight away ruled out and even though Vitara catches with most of the aspects but I personally feel interiors are bit a let down and no where it matches the premiumness offered by ecosport.
So given the current options I will pick ecosport and I don`t mind stretching my budget to pick up Scross either.

[ashis89]

After owning two Marutis, travelling in their latest premium offering Ciaz and checking out the Baleno and Brezza, my opinion hasn't changed about their build quality. They build really light and almost flimsy vehicles which love to rattle for a couple of years. This is the only complain I had regarding the Brezza, or rather Maruti as a whole. SCross is an exception but not a major one, which means I am still not very happy with the build of the SCross. So I would stick with the Ecosport as it is an equally good but much better built vehicle at the same price point.

I have never been a Mahindra fan except for the ruggedness of its vehicles and the smooth MHawk engine. With the TUV, I am repelled by the slab like design from all angle and thus, it's a no for me.

[AYP]

My vote goes to the Ecosport for its better build, better dynamics and much better interiors. If only the interiors of the Brezza were as good/striking as its exterior(then I may have changed my mind). There is no wow factor when it comes to the interiors of the Brezza.
I would pick the TUV if I had a farmhouse or if I had to negotiate tough terrains regularly.

[extreme_torque]

Ford Ecosport any which day. Most powerful of the bunch, best built of the three and the safest (active) or may be passive as well. It is a no brainer for me.

The TUV300 will not even make to my shortlist. Worst looks and objectively the worst ride and handling compromise of the lot and even the engine isnt great. A Fiat Avenntura or the i20 Active to me makes infinitely more sense than a TUV300.

[rdhawan15]

I will pick Ford Ecosport for the build quality and overall package in terms of better looks and road presence. My second choice would have been a Maruti Breeza.

[aravind.anand]

If not for the bare basic interior design and average build quality, I might have considered the Vitara Brezza as a serious competition to the EcoSport. However, EcoSport still has the better engine among the two, and proven build quality as well. So my vote is for the Ford here.

Well, I din't even consider the TUV during this voting exercise, Maybe the NuvoSport would have been a batter candidate here?

[Rajeevraj]

My vote goes to the Ecosport. 3 years since launch and still looks fresh. Good build and feature list including 6 airbags. Wide range of options, diesel, Petrol, Turbo Petrol (Ecoboost) and Automatic.

And last but not the least, Ford finally seems to have woken up to the potential of the Ecosport and have improved the marketing as well as the dealer experience (with respect to the Ecosport). We had a pleasant experience buying the Ecosport recently. The price cut makes it real value of money.

The monthly numbers has always been in line with what Ford supplies and has never been in line with the actual demand. with 4000+ units shipped in March, Ford seems to be ensuring a good supply also. In addition with Ford shifting the manufacturing of the Ecosport for Europe to Romania, I assume there may be additional capacity that can be utilized to increase the local dispatches. The next 2-3 month numbers will be interesting to see.

[abhishek46]

I voted for the Ecosport due to the following reasons:
1. Looks Butch! Also, the tail gate mounted spare gives it character.
2. Tractable motor, which has more usable power in low revs
3. Driving dynamics
4. Safety - Stronger Build and 6 airbags.