[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by wheelguy

Welcome to the forum Raghu M. We have What Car section for these kind of posts. Here's what I have to say:

1. Both were wonderful cars but given your requirements, XUV300 is the car to go with. Choose between smaller boot or smaller rear seat according to your usage.

2. If your only problem with Mahindra is A.S.S then remember Hyundai's after sales service is no better, actually it is gradually declining these days. Just go to the respective service centers in your locality, spend some time there and interact with existing owners and service advisors over there, this might help you in getting an idea about what to expect from the respective service centers.

3. Extensive back to back test drives, single and with family, will further help in selecting one between the two.

Thank you Wheelguy. My first post as in a first new thread! I liked the way people received me at the Mahindra showroom. Although my sales rep had limited experience on cars, he was all for a long drive and called me to book my TD. He was very open with understanding my requirements and also was open to making changes to the insurance and other accessories. Thank you for sharing the status on Hyundai ASS. Looks like XUV scores pretty well given the points.

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

I hope you drove the XUV300 petrol and not the diesel considering you said it was pulling like a train! Tachometer of both petrol and diesel XUV300s is same could be a mistake on the SA's part as well that he gave you a diesel instead of a petrol. In petrol the Venue definitely has a better engine compared to Mahindra's its the opposite for the diesel where the XUV 300's diesel is a torque monster! If manual petrol is your requirement then Venue SX(O) makes sense since it gets 6 airbags and other safety equipment.

Any reason for not looking at the EcoSport? I feel this still is the best compact SUV in petrol, has a amazing 1.5L engine, pick up the S trim and you will get 6 airbags and the best SYNC 3 system in the business. Safety-wise Ecosport is solidly built car even if not crash-tested you can feel the thud on closing the doors.

CEF_Beasts, yes I did test drive the petrol. Checked the fuel knob before getting into the car. Since I mostly drive in a sedate manner, I think that would have given me the impression that the car pulled pretty well. The W8 (O) of XUV has 7 airbags. The car also has all disc brakes which makes it a safer bet when compared to Venue is what I thought. Looking at the forum members thoughts, I took the Ecosport out of my list. Old platform, stiff suspension are reasons for not looking at it. I also did not get good reviews about the petrol version. Everyone (showroom rep including) mentioned to go with the diesel.

Originally Posted by anthusiast

For XUV300:
(+) Bigger and better platform - feels driving the next segment car in all aspects. Wider track, longer wheelbase, 5 star chasis (Plenty discussion on another threads), 7 airbags
(+) Ride comfort and interior space: Suspension is lot better than Venue and as good as Nexon. Rear seat has most space with headrest for 3rd passenger.
(-) No Automatic transmission. Tall gear lever with long throws, slightly larger steering, long clutch travel.

I felt Venue had more turbo lag in comparison. Since your drive is 80% in city do consider if is it better going for an automatic.

Thank you. I had similar nice to write points about the XUV. I somehow did not connect well with the Venue, did not feel premium enough when compared to the XUV. Ride comfort and interior space bought me in. I would generally not prefer an AT, I think it is purely for the love of conventional driving!

Originally Posted by wheelguy

Welcome to the forum Raghu M. We have What Car section for these kind of posts. Here's what I have to say:

1. Both were wonderful cars but given your requirements, XUV300 is the car to go with. Choose between smaller boot or smaller rear seat according to your usage.

2. If your only problem with Mahindra is A.S.S then remember Hyundai's after sales service is no better, actually it is gradually declining these days. Just go to the respective service centers in your locality, spend some time there and interact with existing owners and service advisors over there, this might help you in getting an idea about what to expect from the respective service centers.

3. Extensive back to back test drives, single and with family, will further help in selecting one between the two.

How can this be your first post?

Thank you Wheelguy. My first post as in a first new thread! I liked the way people received me at the Mahindra showroom. Although my sales rep had limited experience on cars, he was all for a long drive and called me to book my TD. He was very open with understanding my requirements and also was open to making changes to the insurance and other accessories. Thank you for sharing the status on Hyundai ASS. Looks like XUV scores pretty well given the points.

Originally Posted by sv97

I think you should wait and TD the Sonet and then make up your mind because it would be worth it completely is what I personally feel.

Many BHPians have appreciated Kia's A.S.S so I think you should not be wary of that.

I will give it a shot again. I would love to TD the Sonet. I have been waiting for an upgrade since 2 years now and I think the wait is making me desperate to own a new car. The waiting period for XUV looks to be 2 to 3 weeks whereas Sonet's is around 6 weeks.

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[S15]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

I hope you drove the XUV300 petrol and not the diesel considering you said it was pulling like a train!

In petrol the Venue definitely has a better engine compared to Mahindra's its the opposite for the diesel where the XUV 300's diesel is a torque monster! If manual petrol is your requirement then Venue SX(O) makes sense since it gets 6 airbags and other safety equipment.

Sorry for the , but have you ever driven a XUV 300? I guess not, so here's a drag video by autocar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M25NURZQMcY

The XUV's petrol is FAR superior to the Venue 1.0, its just that the Venue gets that super-nice DCT, while the XUV gets a pathetic AMT.
But in manuals, the XUV 300 is the car to get.

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by GTO

Wow, customers are really spoilt for choice today, aren't they? My pick for the diesel would be the EcoSport.

A close friend is in this boat of choosing a compact SUV / crossover with no specific fuel choice. His budget is 11 Lakhs and I have been suggesting XUV 3OO for him. Probably extending his budget a bit more he can get a higher variant. I did not recommend Ecosport because the sales and service centers are shutting down rather than increasing. In Mumbai, we have only one service center at Kalina and rest all in the outskirts of Mumbai. We are confused between XUV 3OO, Nexon, Sonet or to extend the budget handsomely to get the Thar. He already owns a 2017 Dzire VXI which is his daily drive and is very reliable. Suggest to clear us out from this confusion. Purpose is a FTD second car with occasional highway drives to Gujrat.

[zzzehar]

Hello friends,

I need your help with the new car purchase decision. We are upgrading from a Swift ZDi. We also keep our cars really long, almost 10 years and most of the time, there will be two adults and a small child in the car. We do plenty of road trips and a lot of it involves mountain / highway driving.

Some of the fundamentals we are working with,

Budget of 15L (max, cannot be stretched) on road (will be buying from Chandigarh so road tax is 6% plus have 50% NCB from previous car)
Diesel and Automatic
Crossover / SUV, no sedans or hatchbacks - be able to see the bonnet
Relatively safe, I believe handling plays a strong part in this aspect in addition to build quality and safety features
Must have Android Auto and Cruise Control
Powerful headlamps, preferably HID projectors (can be upgraded if not present)
Affordable, reliable and somewhat honest after sales service (hard to come by)

We have test driven and rejected the following cars,

Tata Nexon - rejected due to hatchback like feel on the inside and AMT was a bit jerky
Mahindra Thar - rejected due to very bumpy ride quality, not confidence inspiring at high speeds
Kia Sonet - found it small, didn’t feel like much of an upgrade from Swift in terms of space, except that it sits higher. Moreover, founds the seats to be small; the side bolstering would mess with my shoulder blades

The two cars that we liked are,

Kia Seltos HTK+ Diesel AT - loved the diesel engine and transmission combo. I am neutral on the rest of the car, nothing against it as such. Manual AC will be a downgrade but I think that’s a trade off we are willing to make as I usually never fiddle with the temperature a lot and leave it just one setting each for winters and summers. I am reading a lot about stiff ride quality but I couldn’t feel it as much during the test drive as it was on fairly good roads. How bad it is really? For example, we found the ride quality of 5th gen Honda City good but that’s not a contender. How does it compare to the new Honda City or XUV300 in terms of ride quality? This doesn’t have ISOFIX either (which we would like to have) but I guess it can be retrofitted. I am also hearing not so good ASS stories for Kia so that’s another issue in my mind.

Mahindra XUV300 Diesel AMT W8 Optional - for about one lacs less, we could get a fully feature loaded car. It has a lot of good to have features such as better crash safety, sunroof, auto IRVM, leatherette seats etc. The AMT wasn’t bad at all and something I could easily live with. In fact, I drive under 60 mph within city and pick up speed slowly and for highways, I can always use the manual mode. I also liked the ride quality. The real issue is boot space. Since we travel a lot and like to pack a ton of stuff, this may be an issue. We usually use cabin sized bags to travel and Seltos’s boot is deep but not much tall and well XUV300’s boot seemed a tad taller but not that deep. However, I believe in both of the cars, I will have to remove the parcel tray during our road trips.

I am super confused on which one to get. I have already booked Seltos and will be getting delivery in 20 days and XUV300 can also be had in about 10 days. Pls help!

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by zzzehar

Crossover / SUV, no sedans or hatchbacks - be able to see the bonnet

I don't think you can see the bonnet in most of the crossovers. Why is this a requirement at all - better to get used to driving a car without seeing how long the bonnet extends to.

[zzzehar]

Originally Posted by clevermax

I don't think you can see the bonnet in most of the crossovers. Why is this a requirement at all - better to get used to driving a car without seeing how long the bonnet extends to.

My wife is a new driver and would like this option to be there. If it isn't a deal breaker, what can you suggest in my budget?

[castiel]

I can see bonnet edge in xuv300. I am not sure about Seltos as never tried it. I chose xuv300 w8 O AMT based on its much higher safety credentials and for me boot space not an issue. I booked in December last week, awaiting delivery

[Bibendum90949]

Seltos is the best choice given all your requirements only if you're okay with the 3 star GNCAP rating of Seltos, which is largely the only fly in the ointment of otherwise a well packaged product. HTK+ variant in D AT has a seat height adjust which should enable the driver to see the bonnet. In Chandigarh, it may well fall within your budget. There are only very limited options in your budget for the diesel + automatic cars. The other option is Creta. Kia service is pretty consistent in my personal experience and so far happy with it though we keep hearing one or the other horrid stories but then it's not limited to one brand alone. The highlight of Seltos is it's driving dynamics, it's high speed stability and cornering prowess is top notch for cross over standards. If you enjoy driving, Seltos is the one for you. Please do opt for the maximum extended warranty available. And stay away from AMTs, you'll start to hate driving.

Good luck.

Cheers,
bibendum.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by zzzehar

Hello friends,
Crossover / SUV, no sedans or hatchbacks - be able to see the bonnet
Relatively safe, I believe handling plays a strong part in this aspect in
...
Must have Android Auto and Cruise Control

The two cars that we liked are,

Kia Seltos HTK+ Diesel AT ... I am reading a lot about stiff ride quality but I couldn’t feel it as much during the test drive as it was on fairly good roads. How bad it is really? .... How does it compare to the new Honda City or XUV300 in terms of ride quality?

Mahindra XUV300 Diesel AMT W8 Optional - ... The real issue is boot space. Since we travel a lot and like to pack a ton of stuff, this may be an issue.

1. Being able to see bonnet is a feel good factor, but shouldn't be a deciding one. XUV300, you can see the bonnet. Seltos, I don't think you can. Besides, see if you can fit the front parking sensors (similar to Yaris). Very helpful in parking.

2. For safety, I am sure you are aware that Seltos barely scored 3 stars with very small margin above 2 stars. XUV300 is clear winner here, with 7 air bags and general safety.

3. Diesel AT in Seltos is amazing. The XUV 300 engine is absolutely smashing, but AMT feels jerky. The driving comfort (suspension) of Seltos is far harder than XUV300. In Seltos, I could feel every change in road surface, whereas XUV300 gulps down most of the bumps in road.

4. The boot space is definitely a decision breaking factor against XUV300. Boot is just so small. It is good if you can use roof top carriers, but in stock form it is very small, especially compared to 4m+ cars.

Additionally, you can test drive Creta's corresponding versions that fall in your budget.

[fhdowntheline]

Why the preference for diesel, if I may ask? If you choose petrol you may get some interesting choices like Creta/Seltos IVT, Magnite CVT, Duster CVT. All of them have essential safety features, and then some (Duster has ESP).From a 10 year ownership perspective, a petrol AT will perhaps serve you better. The AMT is arguably at the bottom of the pile as far as AT's go, especially for relatively heavier vehicles.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Why the preference for diesel, if I may ask? If you choose petrol you may get some interesting choices like Creta/Seltos IVT, Magnite CVT, Duster CVT. All of them have essential safety features, and then some (Duster has ESP).

Let me add Ford Eco Sport in Titanium Plus variant too to the list. A TC gearbox, ESC and six airbags makes it a compelling buy. It's still a looker though it's one of the oldest cars in the segment. It may not have the extensive feature list of a Seltos, Sonet or Creta but the basics and safety are pretty well covered. The telematics and ICE part(sans Android Auto/Apple Car play which is a big miss though) to an extent is taken care too unlike it's previous version. Icing on the cake is it's a driver's car.

[haisaikat]

I will try to give you some additional perspective, when upgrading I would look for following areas of focus

1. Segment Upgrade
2. Space Upgrade
3. Driveablity Comfort and Convenience Upgrade
4. Safety Upgrade
5. Features Upgrade

If I were in your shoes at this junction 1 year earlier then Duster AWD would be the best recommendation, ticking all of the above except in terms of features (and 3 star NCAP same as Seltos). On present day, if you can live with lesser expectation on features then the new Duster is still a great option ticking most of the above boxes.

Remember its the Drive train and Space that matter more in future since these are what you primarily buy a car for.

Going by above, the base model for XUV500 would be merely 60,000 more than your budget and would be an immense upgrade. But of course there are news of newer model next gen model which you must take into consideration while deciding. Same applies for Scorpio and if you want to get spoiled with space TUV300 would have been great option too on top of being smaller wheelbase and RWD making it better combination for hills.

Finally, Maruti XL6 (although not in diesel) and Brezza should also be on your list for consideration as they are practical and the later on coming with good NCAP too.

[zzzehar]

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Seltos is the best choice given all your requirements only if you're okay with the 3 star GNCAP rating of Seltos, which is largely the only fly in the ointment of otherwise a well packaged product. HTK+ variant in D AT has a seat height adjust which should enable the driver to see the bonnet. In Chandigarh, it may well fall within your budget. There are only very limited options in your budget for the diesel + automatic cars. The other option is Creta. Kia service is pretty consistent in my personal experience and so far happy with it though we keep hearing one or the other horrid stories but then it's not limited to one brand alone. The highlight of Seltos is it's driving dynamics, it's high speed stability and cornering prowess is top notch for cross over standards. If you enjoy driving, Seltos is the one for you. Please do opt for the maximum extended warranty available. And stay away from AMTs, you'll start to hate driving.

Good luck.

Cheers,
bibendum.

Thank you for your perspective! I absolutely enjoy driving and that's one of the reasons I am looking at monocoque mini SUVs and not ladder on frame anything. Driving dynamics and handling are one of the most imp factors for me. I get your point about AMTs, it's just that XUV300 is otherwise such a great package for the price.

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Why the preference for diesel, if I may ask? If you choose petrol you may get some interesting choices like Creta/Seltos IVT, Magnite CVT, Duster CVT. All of them have essential safety features, and then some (Duster has ESP).From a 10 year ownership perspective, a petrol AT will perhaps serve you better. The AMT is arguably at the bottom of the pile as far as AT's go, especially for relatively heavier vehicles.

First of all, I love the low end torque in diesel and then I think this is probably the last diesel car I will be able to buy; it's all petrols or better still electric by the time I buy the next car. I also do a lot of mountain driving and I think that low end torque helps add the fun factor. We also drive for about 1200 KM a month so a diesel would be more fuel efficient, plus being a slightly lesser costing fuel.

Originally Posted by ani_meher

1. Being able to see bonnet is a feel good factor, but shouldn't be a deciding one. XUV300, you can see the bonnet. Seltos, I don't think you can. Besides, see if you can fit the front parking sensors (similar to Yaris). Very helpful in parking.

2. For safety, I am sure you are aware that Seltos barely scored 3 stars with very small margin above 2 stars. XUV300 is clear winner here, with 7 air bags and general safety.

3. Diesel AT in Seltos is amazing. The XUV 300 engine is absolutely smashing, but AMT feels jerky. The driving comfort (suspension) of Seltos is far harder than XUV300. In Seltos, I could feel every change in road surface, whereas XUV300 gulps down most of the bumps in road.

4. The boot space is definitely a decision breaking factor against XUV300. Boot is just so small. It is good if you can use roof top carriers, but in stock form it is very small, especially compared to 4m+ cars.

Additionally, you can test drive Creta's corresponding versions that fall in your budget.

I could see the bonnet in the Seltos I test drove fairly clearly. I agree on XUV300's engine and power, very addictive. Creta diesel at at least 2.5L more expensive than our already stretched budget.

Originally Posted by Bibendum90949

Let me add Ford Eco Sport in Titanium Plus variant too to the list. A TC gearbox, ESC and six airbags makes it a compelling buy. It's still a looker though it's one of the oldest cars in the segment. It may not have the extensive feature list of a Seltos, Sonet or Creta but the basics and safety are pretty well covered. The telematics and ICE part(sans Android Auto/Apple Car play which is a big miss though) to an extent is taken care too unlike it's previous version. Icing on the cake is it's a driver's car.

Thanks for the recommendation! It is indeed a great car and I test drove the diesel again a few days ago. Petrol won't make economical sense. Honestly, if it was petrol, I'd eyes closed go for Creta IVT - I'd get the panoramic sunroof SX variant at about 16.5L which I could probably do or better still, the 5th gen Honda City if we didn't need an SUV.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

I will try to give you some additional perspective, when upgrading I would look for following areas of focus

1. Segment Upgrade
2. Space Upgrade
3. Driveablity Comfort and Convenience Upgrade
4. Safety Upgrade
5. Features Upgrade

If I were in your shoes at this junction 1 year earlier then Duster AWD would be the best recommendation, ticking all of the above except in terms of features (and 3 star NCAP same as Seltos). On present day, if you can live with lesser expectation on features then the new Duster is still a great option ticking most of the above boxes.

Remember its the Drive train and Space that matter more in future since these are what you primarily buy a car for.

Going by above, the base model for XUV500 would be merely 60,000 more than your budget and would be an immense upgrade. But of course there are news of newer model next gen model which you must take into consideration while deciding. Same applies for Scorpio and if you want to get spoiled with space TUV300 would have been great option too on top of being smaller wheelbase and RWD making it better combination for hills.

Finally, Maruti XL6 (although not in diesel) and Brezza should also be on your list for consideration as they are practical and the later on coming with good NCAP too.

Originally Posted by castiel

I can see bonnet edge in xuv300. I am not sure about Seltos as never tried it. I chose xuv300 w8 O AMT based on its much higher safety credentials and for me boot space not an issue. I booked in December last week, awaiting delivery

You just snatched the words from my mouth. I absolutely want this and then again this segment has really no cars in our budget. Harrier XMA is too barebones, XUV500 is due for a facelift and Hector doesn't come in diesel automatic. Manual is out of the question. I am getting a somewhat good deal on a used Hexa but I found the steering too heavy for my liking at city speeds and then it wasn't as much fun to drive. In fact, it was rather cumbersome when making u-turns or driving in narrow lanes which is a part of a lot of mountain driving that we do. I didn't exactly feel nimble or agile in handling.

[GreyNomad]

I’d suggest the XUV300 over the Seltos given its safety rating. The fact that you undertake frequent road trips would make safety of paramount importance. Alternatively the Ford Ecosport is a good option.

[darkLightning]

Hi All,

As the thread title suggests I have started looking for a car that can serve me for long term. I will share the background and my thoughts here so please take your time to read it through and suggest on points I may be missing or not getting correct.

Background - I am a 29 year young guy from Bhopal [Madhya Pradesh], got married last year to my college friend of 8 years. I have two wheeler riding experience of almost 12 years now, However I have only recently started driving four wheelers so you can consider me as a starter for car driving. The reason for this huge gap between two wheeler and four wheeler experience is simply because I either wasn't having a four wheeler or didn't feel the need when four wheeler was available. However with age and now increasing travel needs learning and having a car has become priority.

I have purchased a Celerio Zxi (O) AGS in 2018, (review for which is still waiting in the Assembly Line) Celerio serves as the primary car for family purpose however with whole family moving to Bhopal (I was previously working in Pune) now Celerio is not able to satisfy all the use cases for a large family.

So what I am looking for is a car with following thoughts in mind -

Use Cases -

• Cross country travel as I intend to explore as much of India as I can with my wife and family (wherever possible for family)

• Primary usage will be the long outstation trips and weekend trips as for daily errands and small trips we still prefer our two wheelers.

Must have requirements -

• Top notch safety kit, 6 or more airbags desirable(I know some of you would look at my Celerio but there also I opted for the safest possible variant of Celerio, this part is explored in the review).

• Ability to tackle bad roads as I would like to take my car to as many places as I can.

• Reliability, I intend to keep the car for a minimum of 10 years and if possible up to 15 years so reliability is a major factor and cannot be compromised

• Robust, needless to say it should be robust

• Handling and dynamics, I believe in our vehicles being an extension of our selves so the car's behaviour on road should be something I can trust and predict

• Features, I am not a sucker for latest features but yes things like Navigation, ability to take calls hands-free, good music system for making the long journeys pleasant, TPMS, Reverse parking sensors etc are the things that I would like to have in my car and which actually enhance the drive.

• Joy of driving, I am not someone who will gun for speed limits but definitely I am someone who enjoys the varieties of experience that our roads bring so whether it be cruising on highways at 80-90-100 kmph or traversing the long and windy village/mountain roads at 30 kmph the driving experience should be such that it keeps me engaged, This you can say is the requirement of biker within me.

• Good rear seats, keeping in mind the term I am looking for, rear seats will have more use few years down the line so they cannot be ignored.

• After Sales and Service, I don't want to spend my days playing tug of war with the service centres.

• Diesel power train, with not much difference between diesel and petrol rates as well as diesel and petrol variants I believe the extra fuel efficiency that diesel engines bring will be of more use for me.

• VFM

Nice to have -

• Sunroof - This is wifey's requirement

• AWD/4WD - If present makes the car all the more sweeter

Budget - I am looking at a range of 12-15L OTR although can stretch a bit if there is an exceptional car but not by much.

Time of Purchase - Anywhere between November 2021 to May 2022 with key point being that it does not make sense to pay interest to bank for a car that is sitting in the parking lot.

__________________________________________________ _____________

Options Considered -

With the above points in mind I have done 1st round screening of the possible options and shortlisted what I feel are the cars I should test drive, I will walk them through one by one manufacturer wise.

Maruti - The only possible Maruti cars which were anywhere near my requirements were

• Brezza - Found it to be too boring plus lacks substantial safety kit and features although 4 star rated

• S-Cross - Good and capable car let down by Maruti, simply lacks the safety kit and features that will make it a undeniable proposition something international S-Cross has

Hyundai/Kia - I used to love Hyunday especially the original Santro however with there latest grand focus on Safety, my experience with their showroom staff and their ignorant service centres I am going to keep these two away with a barge pole, the only Hyundai car that made sense for me is Tucson but it resides in a altogether different price bracket.

Tata - Went to Tata dealership with clear eyes on Nexon but I don't know what pot Tata is smoking from as to how they can price Nexon top variant at 15L OTR (higher that XUV300 which is safer and has whole lot more features) is beyond me, In my honest opinion Nexon at 13.5L OTR is a good deal, not a single rupee higher. Add to that the ever persistent Tata dealership and service woes and I decided to pass on Nexon. Also the headroom in front seats was not adequate for me.

Renault - Checked both Kiger and Duster, Duster is simply too outdated and expensive now for what it offers, AWD Duster would have been a consideration. Kiger is in one word "Smart" and VFM for sure.

Nissan - Having checked Kiger I decided to skip Magnite as Nissan service is poor in my city as compared to Renault which is in itself not great.

Honda - Checked WR-V as well as City and both of them I liked.

Ford - Checked Freestyle, Aspire and Ecosport. I like Ford cars and the value they offer.

Mahindra - Checked XUV300, Marazzo, Bolero, Thar

• Marazzo is a good and versatile car, However I don't really need the third row of seats and Marazzo overall does not seem to be something I am looking for.

• Wife, Family and I all like Thar and we checked it not once but twice but it simply is not as practical for us, To put it simply Thar is as small inside as it is big outside. Even my wife who is 5'2" found the front seats narrow, and for my 6'2" frame it is a whole different story

• I like the ruggedness Bolero has to offer but the second and third row are simply too cramped.

Skoda/VAG group - Having heard the horror stories of dealerships milking customers after warranty period I have decided to stay clear.

Pre-owned market ? - Considering that this car will be in a way first car for me and wifey we have decided to not consider anything pre-owned.

Options Liked -

After much deliberation wife and I have shortlisted the below options as per ranking

1. Ecosport Diesel S - At initial quote of 13.5L OTR Ecosport is simply the best overall package of all the cars we have seen. It ticks almost all the boxes. Wifey has also liked Ecosport for years now. This car is built for travel and with the number of travelogues present in Team BHP as well as number of happy customers with 7 years of ownership the reliability factor is definitely there.
   The only deterrent could be the ride quality.
   As for the scenario of Ford exiting India, I am keeping a close eye on the developments and my views are that as far as resale value is considered then anyways it is not going to matter much after 10 years so not really bothered with it, I may not even sell the car and it could become a permanent member. After sales and service from what I am reading should not be an issue as Ford has sold too many cars in India, also there are so many Ecosport sold spare parts should also not be an issue.
   
   
2. XUV300 Diesel W8[0] - Even safer that Ecosport, another good package for what it offers though slightly expensive at 15.5L OTR initial quote for dual tone AMT though I am more interested in Manual. I also liked the space on offer for rear passengers although rear AC vents would have been even sweeter. The main drawback is boot space and 12 litre less fuel capacity than Ecosport. XUV300 also has its fair share of niggles however it seems they are all fixed readily by Mahindra. For reliability point I am thinking of this more as Tivoli than XUV300
   
   
3. WR-V - A very VFM option at 11L OTR for top variant however the rear seats are deal breaker. They are even poorer than Celerio to be honest. Space is there but no adjustable headrest, No armrest, No 60:40 split, pathetic excuse of a fixed headrest. Rear seats is where I hate WR-V, second drawback being only 2 airbags even at top trim.
   
   
4. City - I am not really looking for a Sedan but City is something that has been a kind of childhood dream, This is more of a Celerio replacement that I will definitely own someday but it is mostly not what I am looking for today.
   
   
5. Kiger - The VFM quotient Kiger brings at 10.6L OTR for top variant is undeniably hard to ignore however after much discussion we decided to keep Kiger low in ranking because it felt relatively less safe, not a proven product yet as well as Renault service not really at likeable level, add to that nearest service centre being on other side of the city.
   
   
6. Freestyle - Brilliant car that brings in a whole lot of VFM to the picture but it is a size too small for what we want, add to that dark interiors and no sunroof to make it feel airy apart from some lacking features and we decided to give it lesser ranking.
   
   
7. Aspire - Again really good car but it is a sedan and also does not have traction control or underbody protection that Freestyle has so that makes it last choice of the cars we liked.

Outsider options - Bolero Neo/TUV300 - Definitely most rugged option in this price range but in other areas it may lack, still worth a test drive I feel. Also I am hearing of TUV300 Plus also launching soon.

For now it feels the battle will primarily be between Ecosport and XUV300, I would be taking test drive of Ecosport, XUV300, WR-V, City(for the fun ) and Bolero Neo.

I would like to hear from our wonderful on what are the things or options I may have missed as well as things to look out during test drive and things that can't be checked in test drive as well. I am open to all suggestions