Tata Hexa
What you'll like:
Smart styling & substantial presence. Solid build & paint quality too
Spacious, high quality and comfortable interiors. Even 3rd row is rather useable
6-speed AT is smooth & competent. Perfectly mated to the 2.2L diesel
Excellent ride quality. Comfortable over any kind of road
Features such as selectable driving modes, auto headlamps & wipers, ORVM demister...
Awesome 10-speaker JBL audio system. Sound quality is fantastic!
Topnotch safety kit includes 6 airbags, ESP, TC, ABS, EBD, hill hold / descent control etc.
AWD with electronic wizardry & 200 mm of ground clearance
What you won't:
Automatic variant unavailable with AWD, ESP & super drive modes
Missing essentials (
steering reach adjustment, smartkey entry & go, auto-dimming IRVM...)
Access to the 3rd row is flawed in the captain seat (6-seater) version
Heavy steering (low speeds), long travel MT shifter, big size & wide turning radius are annoying in the city
Fat 2,280 kg kerb weight blunts performance & efficiency. Competition is 400 kilos lighter!
Concerns over niggling issues & long-term reliability
Tata's after-sales service remains a hit or miss
Link to Official Review Mahindra XUV500
What youll 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 wont:
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
Link to Official Review Toyota Innova Crysta
What you'll like:
Indestructible build & durability. The Innova is known for its bullet-proof reliability
Spacious, flexible & practical cabin. An extremely comfortable long distance commuter
Upmarket interiors. The ZX AT variant is very plush
Powerful diesel engines with user-selectable driving modes
Balanced suspension & road manners. High speed stability is
rock solid
Top-notch safety kit. 7 airbags, ABS, ESP, TC, Isofix & 3-point seatbelts for all
Feature packed! Leather seats, LED headlamps, mood lighting, cruise control & lots more
Toyota's excellent after-sales service and fuss-free ownership experiences
What you won't:
Hefty price tag! 2 - 3 lakhs higher than the
already expensive ol' Innova
Top ZX variant is unavailable with a middle-row bench seat (8 seater)
Lower variant's interior looks too basic. GX doesn't even get a stereo!
2.8's single-digit urban fuel economy due to the hefty kerb weight, engine size and AT
2.4's NVH package still has holes to fill (
engine clatter, dancing gear lever)
Heavy steering at parking / low speeds. Can get cumbersome in the city
Poor sound quality from the ICE. Cheap speakers beg for an upgrade
Short service interval of merely 5,000 km. Inconvenient for those with high usage
Link to Official Review 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
Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
Link to Official Review Tata Safari Storme
What youll like:
The best Safari till date. Tata continually upgrades & tweaks this SUV
Solid body-on-frame construction. Substantial size & strong presence
Competent engines. 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 wont:
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 Official Review