[pseudo_coder]

Having test-driven Harrier auto earlier, I checked out Creta this weekend. Sadly, dealers don't have demo cars. So the salesperson took me to their service center, and gave test drive of a new car, with the condition that the car doesn't leave the premises, which had the lap size of a grand total of 200 meters

He had diesel manual and auto options. I drove both. Observations:

Likes:
1. Feeling inside the car is top notch. The best I have experienced till date.
2. Space is better than the earlier version.
3. Seats are soft, would be good for city rides.
4. Very convenient storage spaces.

Dislikes:
1. Ride and handling. I didn't like the suspension response over speed breakers. Everything crept in.
2. Felt turbo lag. I drive with a light foot. My brother in law didn't find this issue.
3. He tested it for hard acceleration, braking and cornering. Wasn't satisfied, as body roll was prominent.

I think the petrol version would be better to drive. If so, then I think Creta is the best city SUV there is, provided roads are good.

[nibedk]

Originally Posted by pseudo_coder

Having test-driven Harrier auto earlier, I checked out Creta this weekend. Sadly, dealers don't have demo cars. So the salesperson took me to their service center, and gave test drive of a new car, with the condition that the car doesn't leave the premises, which had the lap size of a grand total of 200 meters

I have mostly found the diesel versions to have better ride and handling especially due to higher weight. Don't think petrol will be any better if not worse.

[pseudo_coder]

I am very confused between Creta SX(O) and Harrier XZA now.

Harrier: Paying 22 lakh and not getting sunroof, cooled seats. Touchscreen is laggy and has very little height (too wide). We are paying for the build quality and safety features, but even safety isn't probably that good in practice, else Tata would have got it NCAP tested like Altroz. Finding it hard to justify the decision.

Creta: The basics - suspension and power - aren't that good.

Hector: Left out, as it is Chinese.

I feel I should just pickup a used Hexa XTA for 13-14 lakh.

[Candy$Cars]

Originally Posted by pseudo_coder

I am very confused between Creta SX(O) and Harrier XZA now.

Harrier: Paying 22 lakh and not getting sunroof, cooled seats. Touchscreen is laggy and has very little height (too wide). We are paying for the build quality and safety features, but even safety isn't probably that good in practice, else Tata would have got it NCAP tested like Altroz. Finding it hard to justify the decision.

Creta: The basics - suspension and power - aren't that good.

Hector: Left out, as it is Chinese.

I feel I should just pickup a used Hexa XTA for 13-14 lakh.

I feel your dilemma!
Honestly, just get the Creta. I am assuming that you are considering the turbo petrol. Creta is a smaller lighter car than the Harrier and so the turbo-petrol is more than sufficient for it. Also, GTO and other videos on youtube have told that the ride and handling of the Creta is sorted, infact, really good.


Coming to the Harrier, no the touchscreen isn't laggy, I dunno why you feel so! Yes, there is half a second of delay before it acts on your touch but it is not laggy and you will get used to it. The cooled seats is just so overrated. You will feel it when you turn it on but soon enough, say, 5 minutes later you stop feeling it. I did a very short test-drive of the Seltos and turned it on but didn't feel that its absence is a deal-breakers. Sure, it is good to have, that's it.


Regarding the GNCAP rating, none of the other cars in the segment are tested nor any of their brothers or sisters have any good track record. Just because Tata has sent some of its cars for testing, don't hold it against the Harrier. I believe, the safety rating was more required for cheaper offerings and since the cheaper offerings have fared well, it will also do well and that is why they haven't got it tested. This is just my opinion.
The only real issue I see regarding your dilemma is the sunroof, and as someone you loves them, I recommended you the Creta. If it was me, I would have gone with the Harrier (like all fancy things it is good to have but some months down, the interest dies down and I know people who haven opened their sunroofs for more than a year, but I love it). You need to decide will you really miss it and is it (the sunroof) worth to you over all the other things you will be getting with the Harrier. Also, do go through CRAzy Driver's compilation of issues with Hyundai cars and decide are you willing to risk so much, frankly, I am not.
Or if possible, if you can stretch your budget to the XZA+, you will get the best of everything, after all it is not everyday that we buy such an expensive car and also, YOLO! (You Only Live Once)

[pseudo_coder]

Thank you for such a detailed advice!

Originally Posted by Candy$Cars

I feel your dilemma!
Honestly, just get the Creta. I am assuming that you are considering the turbo petrol. Creta is a smaller lighter car than the Harrier and so the turbo-petrol is more than sufficient for it. Also, GTO and other videos on Youtube have told that the ride and handling of the Creta is sorted, infact, really good.

Turbo petrol is really pricey - 20.5 lakh on road. It's also expensive to drive - giving 9 kmpl in the city. I might go with IVT, and I an not a very enthusiastic driver.

My experience with ride and handling wasn't that good. I am going to get a proper test drive, will check this again.

Originally Posted by Candy$Cars

Coming to the Harrier, no the touchscreen isn't laggy, I dunno why you feel so! Yes, there is half a second of delay before it acts on your touch but it is not laggy and you will get used to it. The cooled seats is just so overrated. You will feel it when you turn it on but soon enough, say, 5 minutes later you stop feeling it. I did a very short test-drive of the Seltos and turned it on but didn't feel that its absence is a deal-breakers. Sure, it is good to have, that's it.

I didn't try the touchscreen myself. My comment was based on the youtube review. It's a minor point anyway - and can possibly be improved by a software upgrade.

Originally Posted by Candy$Cars

Regarding the GNCAP rating, none of the other cars in the segment are tested nor any of their brothers or sisters have any good track record. Just because Tata has sent some of its cars for testing, don't hold it against the Harrier. I believe, the safety rating was more required for cheaper offerings and since the cheaper offerings have fared well, it will also do well and that is why they haven't got it tested. This is just my opinion.

Hmm, makes sense.

Originally Posted by Candy$Cars

The only real issue I see regarding your dilemma is the sunroof, and as someone you loves them, I recommended you the Creta. If it was me, I would have gone with the Harrier (like all fancy things it is good to have but some months down, the interest dies down and I know people who haven opened their sunroofs for more than a year, but I love it). You need to decide will you really miss it and is it (the sunroof) worth to you over all the other things you will be getting with the Harrier. Also, do go through CRAzy Driver's compilation of issues with Hyundai cars and decide are you willing to risk so much, frankly, I am not.
Or if possible, if you can stretch your budget to the XZA+, you will get the best of everything, after all it is not everyday that we buy such an expensive car and also, YOLO! (You Only Live Once)

With small sunroofs, I never wanted to have one. May not have paid even 20k extra for it. But panoramic one really enhances the experience. Although I still don't think it is worth 1.5 lakh, and ride quality, space and safety are any day more important that that. But as you said, I just might get the XZA+, just in order to avoid an excuse to upgrade a few years later :-)

Also helping the decision to spend more is the availability of cheap loans. I have a offer of just 7.25% from Central bank.

I am surprised to see so little love for XUV500 here. It continues to sell well. It is a proper SUV, seats 7, and its top variant is much cheaper than Harrier.

Hector is another popular car that's low voted here, but I guess that's due to the China factor.

[arijit_chat2006]

Don't have permissions to vote yet, I guess (someday i will get get there ).

If I had to vote, my pick would be a tie between the following :

1) Harrier AT = because of the way it looks, and judging by our official review, there are not too many deal breakers going against the product. Even my family is pleased with its looks

2) Creta Diesel AT = Although I have still not been able to digest the car's looks, I guess I can live with it as long as Hyundai lives up to the interior quality and the after sales service.

The others are a strict no no for me.

Seltos = Although people are buying it by the dozens, it is simply too early for me to start trusting a brand which came into existence in our country only a year back.

Compass = Too overpriced IMHO (I know, I know, its a premium brand et all).

The rest do not even make it to my contenders list.

[HTC]

Voted for xuv 500 mainly for the real estate it offers and is a proven work horse.
But looks are not something which has not grown on me all these years.

[pseudo_coder]

Can someone please explain why Harrier is perceived to be so much better than Hector - 250+ votes vs just 2? This despite the Hector having many advantages over Harrier:

1. Better priced.
2. More premium interiors
3. Much bigger boot
4. Bigger touchscreen and connected car features

[Turbokick]

Originally Posted by pseudo_coder

Can someone please explain why Harrier is perceived to be so much better than Hector - 250+ votes vs just 2? This despite the Hector having many advantages over Harrier:

Because Harrier is internet's current favourite and Hector is a troll magnet.

Polls often dont show the reality and there is a sense of biased thought process while voting for the same. The ground reality and purchase decision is altogether a different ball game.

Harrier maybe a better car overall but Hector's consistent performance in the sales chart inspite of being relatively unknown in terms of identity shows the difference in votes is far from reality.

[rags.singh]

<Long Post Alert>

I have owned a Skoda Fabia Petrol (MT) for the past 10 years and I think its high time to get a new set of wheels, and no I'm not planning to let go of the Fabia. It will serve as the second car. I loved my Fabia for its solid build quality, high speed stability, decent amount of space (both rear seat as well as boot), music system and safety (dual airbag + solid build). It endured 2 major collisions during in its life but both the times all the impact was absorbed by the car and the occupants were scratch free.

I am thoroughly confused hence reaching out to the experts on this forum for help. My selection criteria-
1. Has to be automatic
2. Safety, safety, safety
3. Has to be much more spacious
4. Solid build quality
5. Good ride quality
6. Not too bothered about gizmos/bling features etc
7. Want to restrict my budget to 25 lacs
8. We are a family of three plus a dog. We do occasional highway runs and most of the times a 5 seater is sufficient (except maybe once or twice a year which we have so far managed by using a self drive car). As a reference data point, we have covered 93k in 10 years in our Fabia (self driven kms may add about 10k to the count).

Here are the options that I have considered/not-considered:

Not Considered

• Korean Duos (Seltos/Creta)- Doesn't offer me much more space than my current car and build and ride quality is more important for me than gizmos/bling
• MG Hector - Anti-china sentiment but more importantly the ride quality (including body roll) doesn't seem to be very great. Don't like the looks of it as well
• XUV - Current model is very old and have grown tired of seeing it and a new model is expected to be launched in the next year. So no point buying a soon to be discontinued model. Always hated the boot space in the XUV, you can either use the 7 seats or 5 seats with the boot space.

Options Considered/Considering

• Tata Harrier - Absolutely love the looks of the car. IMHO, definitely the most stunning looking car in the segment. Great ride quality and the top end variants are loaded with tons of safety features and a bit of bling (sunroof etc) as well. As the official review mentioned, AT and engine combo in the Harrier works better than the Compass with the same engine. Tons of space (comfortable 5 seater plus a large boot), premium interiors, road presence etc.
• Innova Crysta - Everyone loves the Innova and so do I but the AT is either available in the GX variant (similarly priced to Harrier XZA) or ZX (which touches 30 lacs on-road in Bangalore). The GX variant is bare-bones but the extra space, almost trouble free maintenance makes it a worthy contender. The re-sale value would also be higher however I'm not sure how important that is to me given that I kept my previous car for 10 years (and counting).
• Jeep Compass - The top-end model is loaded with host of safety (and I'll feel complete peace of mind from a safety perspective) and other features and the build quality is solid. However, its too compact. The cabin is very small (almost comparable to my Fabia). Other issue is that the AT variant is only available with 4x4. I don't care much about 4x4 but it takes the cost up significantly in an already expensive car. Rather than spending 28-30 lacs for the AT, I would rather buy the Crysta ZX AT. I felt the ride quality was inferior to Harrier (Compass owners don't beat me up pls). Another factor was that the facelift of Compass is imminent and don't want to be stuck with an older version.
• Skoda Karoq - Having owned a Skoda, I know that the build quality and safety will be top notch. It is also loaded with various safety and other features and IMHO its a better VFM than Compass if you aren't particular about 4x4. I haven't taken a test drive of the vehicle yet (thanks to the lack of response from the sales team) but given the price point, it would most likely not feature in my top 2.
• Tucson - Haven't taken a TD yet. While I generally don't prefer Hyundai cars because of their light weight build, have read some very good reviews about it hence considering. However only the petrol GLO version would fit my budget (after stretching). Only the top end diesel variants are available for TD but in terms of features, even the base variant has most of the necessary ones. If anyone has driven both petrol and diesel and can provide some pros and cons, I would really appreciate that input. Also not sure if its a wise decision to buy a Tucson now considering that a new one has been introduced overseas, though it may take 2-2.5 years to reach India.

I have also created the attached xl file to help me with the decision making process. Have compared Crysta GX AT with Harrier XZA as both of them are at the same price point. Have colored the features green to show which aspect is better in which car (some of these could be subjective). I have also included Karoq vs Compass as well in the file as I thought it might be useful for others, for me it doesn't look like they'll make it to top 2.

As you can see from the color distribution, Harrier scores better than Crysta but there are some strong points (service+reliability, all the extra space) in its favor, hence the confusion. I am not saying that Innova should be feature loaded like the Korean cars but there are lot of features which have become very common in cars across all segments and its fair to expect such an expensive vehicle to also have those features. Why Toyota chose not to have AT in the VX trim is something that beats me. The current Innova model hasn't been changed much (except the price going up on a regular basis) since its launch, so a facelift may be on the cars in the near future.

I truly miss Hexa right now as it would have made the decision making process much easier. And these were all the options I could think of, have I missed any? And does anyone else feel that all of a sudden, there are a very few options available in the market now? Hexa discontinued, Octavia not on sale, Corolla not on sale, Kodiaq not on sale, XUV and Duster are really old models etc etc. Manufactures are either focusing on 30 lac+ or sub-15 lac segments, could be a function of the current times (subdued sales further dampened by COVID).

Anyway, I hope you guys understand my dilemma and can help me in the decision making process. Sorry if the comparisons don't make sense, but this is where I am at.

[landcruiser123]

I'm assuming no pre-owned. Little bit of a left field choice here - why not a Honda City?

If you're deciding among the cars you've considered, I'd stick to Innova Crysta / Skoda Karoq (if you can handle the ASS ). If you're buying an Innova, I'd ask you to stretch for that ZX if possible to get the 6 airbags or get a pre-owned ZX

[Researcher]

If you can wait and don't need a car in a very short time, I will suggest you to wait for the Hexa in BS6 as I feel your heart is set on the Hexa, and its a worthwhile wait. I know some people who went to check out the Harrier and were smitten by the Hexa instead. Even I felt Hexa was a more finished product than Harrier in terms of quality control.

However if you must buy soon, I will go for the Harrier XZA+ over the XZA. There's not much you will gain apart from the diamond cut alloys, panoramic sunroof and electric seat adjustments but personally I feel it will make the car a bit more future-proof in the feel good department for not much extra price. But I am guessing it may overshoot the budget slightly. You can try for discounts citing low sales.

Both the Innova Crysta and Jeep Compass may receive facelifts in some time. So you may feel shortchanged in the near future, assuming you will keep for a long duration from your Fabia ownership.

Slightly off topic, but any specific reason for not going the pre-owned route? You may find a good Innova Crysta ZX AT or Hexa XTA or even a Honda CR-V.

[anandbangalore]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I'm assuming no pre-owned. Little bit of a left field choice here - why not a Honda City?

If you're deciding among the cars you've considered, I'd stick to Innova Crysta / Skoda Karoq (if you can handle the ASS ). If you're buying an Innova, I'd ask you to stretch for that ZX if possible to get the 6 airbags or get a pre-owned ZX

I'd happily jump to the Innova ZX. Deal breaker for many I know is the lack of row seats. Anyone know if the ZX can be made available with a row seat, instead of the capt seats in Row2?

[rags.singh]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I'm assuming no pre-owned. Little bit of a left field choice here - why not a Honda City?

If you're deciding among the cars you've considered, I'd stick to Innova Crysta / Skoda Karoq (if you can handle the ASS ). If you're buying an Innova, I'd ask you to stretch for that ZX if possible to get the 6 airbags or get a pre-owned ZX

I am not completely against pre-owned, but I am not confident of finding a good deal in the pre-owned market. Also the financing is tougher/more expensive Any reliable websites/channels for same?

With the City, I won't get too much extra value as compared to my current car as in terms of space it will be comparable. While build and ride quality especially highways will be inferior. It will be feature loaded for sure but I might rather go with Rapid with a DSG if I am considering sedans in that category. Known devil is always better.

Karoq stretches the budget quite a bit though I am not too concerned about ASS after having owned a skoda vehicle for 10 years.

Originally Posted by Researcher

If you can wait and don't need a car in a very short time, I will suggest you to wait for the Hexa in BS6 as I feel your heart is set on the Hexa, and its a worthwhile wait. I know some people who went to check out the Harrier and were smitten by the Hexa instead. Even I felt Hexa was a more finished product than Harrier in terms of quality control.

Yeah, I think Hexa was the only car that ever came close to what Innova offers. Others were all half baked attempts. And I fell in love with it after reading the official review on the forum. Any news about the launch date?

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by rags.singh

My selection criteria-
1. Has to be automatic
2. Safety, safety, safety
3. Has to be much more spacious
4. Solid build quality
5. Good ride quality
6. Not too bothered about gizmos/bling features etc
7. Want to restrict my budget to 25 lacs
8. We are a family of three plus a dog. We do occasional highway runs and most of the times a 5 seater is sufficient

I hope you guys understand my dilemma and can help me in the decision making process.

Originally Posted by rags.singh

I am not completely against pre-owned, but I am not confident of finding a good deal in the pre-owned market.

With the City, I won't get too much extra value as compared to my current car as in terms of space it will be comparable. While build and ride quality especially highways will be inferior. It will be feature loaded for sure but I might rather go with Rapid with a DSG if I am considering sedans in that category. Known devil is always better.

Karoq stretches the budget quite a bit though I am not too concerned about ASS after having owned a skoda vehicle for 10 years.

As mentioned before, the City should fulfil your criteria very well, with the added bonus of the reliable Honda drivetrain. If you want something more spacious, get the Civic.

You haven’t said why (or did I miss it?) you have restricted yourself to SUV/MUV/Crossovers, does it have to be one of them? If yes, remember that they are priced (and taxed) higher than the equivalent sedan/hatch version, so it’s you who’ll have to bear the brunt of the cost.

Since you keep your cars for 10yrs +, I fully recommend you stick to Toyota or Honda because they make the most reliable vehicles compared to others. If it has to be a tall vehicle, get the Innova/CRV and buy used if the new car price is out of your reach. (Follow the tbhp used car checklist guidelines & get it thoroughly checked by your FNG/service centre)

Be careful what you wish for with a new Skoda product, there are plenty of recent examples of reliability incidents on this forum itself. Your 10yr Fabia was built during a different era of Skoda engineering when they had much less over engineering & much better reliability. Also, the Rapid is no longer sold with a DSG, they’re now fitted with Aisin (owned by Toyota) TC automatics.

You’ve chosen wisely by not falling for the bling of the locally made Koreans.