[blackwasp]

Mahindra Scorpio

What you'll like:

• Same popular SUV package, now improved in the 2018 avatar
• Robust, abuse-friendly build & construction
• Aggressive front-end styling. Has good street presence
• mHawk turbo diesel is a jewel of an engine. 140 BHP tune even more so
• Finally gets a 6th gear, although only on the higher variants
• 2014 chassis update did improve its road manners
• The Scorpio enjoys strong resale value in the used car market
• Features: 6" touchscreen, reversing camera, auto-headlamps & wipers, cruise control…

What you won't:

• 16-year old body shell shows its age. The Scorpio feels outdated in many areas
• Ride quality is far from plush. Still gets bouncy, bumpy & shaky
• Surprisingly limited 2nd-row legroom in an SUV of this size
• Fit & finish leave a lot to be desired. Rough edges are plentiful
• 4x4 on the top S11 variant only (was earlier available in the cheaper S4 too)
• Higher trims are overpriced & dangerously close to the superior XUV500
• Niggles & issues, as reported by existing Scorpio owners
• Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. It remains a gamble

Review Link

Tata Safari Storme

What you’ll like:

• 154 BHP & 400 Nm torque! Excellent driveability, superb refinement & mature power delivery
• Merely a Rs. 15,000 price premium over the Storme 320
• 6-speed gearbox brings superior cruiseability & spread of power
• Solid body-on-frame construction. Substantial size & strong presence
• 1st & 2nd seat rows have enormous space. Nice seats too
• Superb 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
• 2015 model improvements such as a bigger 63 liter fuel tank, steering-mounted audio controls, double-din ICE, flippy key & LED cabin lamps

What you won’t:

• 400 Nm engine tune only available in the expensive VX (top-end) variant
• The same old body style. Surely shows its age
• Effectively a 5 seater. Side-facing jump seats (3rd row) aren't suitable even for kids
• Not as dynamically accomplished as the XUV500, Duster
• No MID, navigation, climate control, reversing camera or dead pedal in a Rs. 15 lakh car
• 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

Review Link

Mahindra XUV500

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

Review Link

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

Review Link

Hyundai Creta

What you’ll like:

• An all-rounded urban SUV. Perfect size for Indian cities...good looking too!
• Well packaged interiors offer sufficient legroom & headroom
• Excellent 1.6L petrol & diesel engines. Awesome refinement levels
• Automatic + diesel combination available. 6-speed AT is very smooth
• Balanced suspension offers comfortable ride quality & neutral handling
• Hyundai's reliability, competent after-sales & 3 year unlimited kms warranty
• Equipment such as 6 airbags, ESP, touchscreen ICE, hill-start assist, reversing camera & more

What you won’t:

• Premium pricing! Most BHPians feel that it's overpriced by Rs. 1 - 1.5 lakhs
• Several missing features, big & small. Disappointing at this price point
• Petrol MT & Diesel AT are unavailable in the SX(O) trim
• Rear seat is more suitable for 2 adults, not 3
• No AWD capability like the Duster & XUV500. Adventure tourers, look elsewhere
• Some competitors offer you 3 seat rows for the same money

Review Link

Renault Captur

Launch thread Link (The Renault Captur SUV. EDIT: Launched @ Rs 9.99 lakhs)

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the UVs Section. Thanks for sharing!

It's either the XUV500 or Hexa for me. Not the Scorpio nor the Safari - both are way past their sell-by dates and feel too outdated today. Unless you need a body-on-frame 4x4, there is no reason to pick a Scorpio over the XUV500.

[SJM1214]

Mahindra XUV 500 wins hands down. As GTO rightly mentioned Safari and Scorpio are too outdated. I think for me, there will be a mind Vs heart situation, where the mind will go with Hexa and the heart will go with XUV. At the end, the heart will win.

Hexa is an amazing product with solid built, spacious third row, good GC and all the safety features. But after all, it looks more like a van. Kerb weight of more than 2200Kg is another downside.

Voted for Mahindra XUV 500!

[The Rationalist]

Why is Jeep Compass not in the list? Is there some price barrier? Or does it belong to a higher segment?

[PrideRed]

In a country that is so obsessed with SUVs, anything with a brute face will sell. Just look at the number of new Thars that are being bought (No offence to owners, but its too outdated ). Voted for Hexa among the options listed as I feel that is the right upgrade from Scorpio. While Tucson/Creta/Captur are great, the Scorpio buying people will not even give them a second look.

[SPARKled]

Where are the Crysta and Compass in this poll? I recently bought a Crysta 2.8 and most of these cars, if not all were in the fray

What I like about the Crysta

Loads of space, a brilliant 2.8 automatic with a rather usable eco mode, Toyota brand and hopefully the great reliability associated with it, excellent resale, Fast people carrier, excellent flat ride.

What I don't like about the Crysta

Expensive top variant, lots of niggles reported for its reputation.

[Nalin1]

Voted for the Hexa.

Wow! What a car! That is what I felt when I saw it for the first time and feel the same way every time I see it. Just seems to be a perfect fit for someone looking for a 6/7 seater and for those highway runs.

Yes, some minor issues here and there with some basic essentials missing. Still Tata needs to be lauded for this product .

[Prathiiik]

The Scorpio and Safari are just too outdated to compete against feature loaded and modern cars like the XUV5oo and the Hexa.

Between the XUV and the Hexa, I voted for the former mainly because of it’s SUV - ish looks, features and driveability in the city.

The Hexa is just too long to drive in city traffic and the MT also suffers from long gearthrows and a heavy steering coupled with a wide turning radius.

If I was buying an AT SUV, I would go in for the Hexa eyes closed.

However, since i’m more of a stickshift liking guy, I’d go in for the XUV.

The Hexa’s ride quality is something I still envy, having an XUV in the garage. How nice would it have been if Tata launched the Hexa a few months before.

[roy_libran]

After almost 3 years of owning a Scorpio 4WD, there is no way that I can cross my heart and vote for the Scorpio. It is one of the most badly engineered and unsafe vehicles on the road today. Thankfully it is on Lease and I return it in July this year. I am counting down to July!

Voted for the Hexa, although despite it's age the XUV is also a great product. Hard to believe that the XUV and the Scorpio both came from the same company.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

DMAX VCross, Duster AWD, Used Fortuner/Pajero sport, Used XUV AWD- all I could think about. XUV and Duster miss 4L option though but will be far more comfy than Scorpio.

A more appropriate thread to answer:

V-Cross's open boot just won't suit everyone including me. Used cars are a good option but only if I know the car and that it has not been abused by a rich kid or by a chauffeur, else we are back to Storme/Scorpio. The Hexa is too low for my usage & its way too large. Duster is good as a product, but its niggles & support from company are way less than what Mahindra offers here.

Originally Posted by roy_libran

After almost 3 years of owning a Scorpio 4WD, there is no way that I can cross my heart and vote for the Scorpio. It is one of the most badly engineered and unsafe vehicles on the road today. Thankfully it is on Lease and I return it in July this year. I am counting down to July!

We exchanged the VLX at 1.4L kms for a S11 and despite paying close to 17L OTR for a 4X2, there is seepage of dust from its gate opening levers [from inside]. Problem is, there is no body on frame robust SUV which can take abuse at this price point. Creta/Hexa are too low and we need decent GC.

But no way I think I am going to buy a S11 4WD for ~18L OTR. I somehow feel my S10 4WD is still good for 2+ years and I too won't go in for a Scorpio again.

The positives are good, the S11's engine is a gem as is the support from company and absolutely no niggles or any issues to report of. But the interiors and overall finesse just doesn't suit a 16L SUV. Problem is there are very few alternatives to Scorpio.

The S11's engine and Hexa's suspension would have been an awesome combo. The engine supplier for both are same, AVL, surprising as to why the Tata folks haven't been able to tune it as optimally as Mahindra. But have begun to like Tata's vehicles and especially there efforts towards their newly launched cars. The ASC & sales people here continue to be pathetic.

[hemanth.anand]

Voted for the Hexa.

In the provided options, Hexa would win the race for me closely followed by XUV 5OO. The compromise with Hexa is it's MUVish looks. XUV5OO scores better in this department, but overall it's not as good as the Hexa

But if I'm thinking about the top spec variant of any of the options given in this poll, I'll go buy the Compass Longitude variant instead.

[kozhissery]

My vote goes for XUV500+AWD+AT

I like Tata Hexa very much, but with age creeping up I want an AT at my disposal. 4x4/AWD feature is one which I won't be using every day but AT almost daily (city grind).
If Hexa was available in AT+AWD my vote would have gone for Hexa, as it is not available the next best bet goes for XUV500/AWD+AT

[Tarmac.terrorist]

My vote goes to hexa for now for its feature packed and extremely comfortable ride. My vote will change when Mahindra comes out with the 170hp xuv. That would be something else to drive

[ShubhamGhute]

Surprisingly Innova is out of the options. Hence I have voted for ‘other’. Innova has following things in its favour to count my vote;

1. Tough ladder on frame construction
2. Diesel and petrol engines with an option of AT. Choose as per budget and requirements.
3. Built quality that can outlast the owner
4. Toyota’s proven reliability
5. Safety list on offer. All variants have 3 aribas, ABS as standard and top variant has all the bells and whistles
6. Better resale value

This is my own opinion. I dont intend to offend any member’s opinion/choice through my post.

[R-Six]

Got stuck between XUV and Hexa for a while. But if this is a car that you want to drive around and not to be Driven, I’d have to go with XUV.

The MUVish stance and the longer wheelbase compared to XUV made me choose XUV.