[fhdowntheline]

Dear BHPians,

I am getting into the market for a Do-It-All solution for my transportation and automotive enthusiast needs. I never thought that this point would be reached in the middle of the Covid outbreak, but given that there are lean times all around, (as of current), I might as well try to get a deal before prices go north.

I would like to caution that this may be a long post but essential to address my intentions. So apologies in advance !

Background: I had purchased the Honda City CVT back in 2018 as a spacious sedan with great boot space and of course its excellent engine, from a perspective of some long distance driving with my entire family. I already had the Polo GT TSi to cater to the more enthusiastic tendencies especially when just me and my wife would drive on short trips.
My parents liked the City, especially the space and seat comfort. But later as we realised from our multiple long distance trips, they felt distinctly uncomfortable with the backseat experience, especially the slightly bouncy suspension and the slightly skittish feel on the wheels at speed. I had mentioned in my earlier posts that my parents actually eventually felt more comfortable in the cramped but taut-feeling Polo than the City, whereas my wife felt slightly the opposite. This was coupled with ingress-egress issues in the rear which we, in all fairness didn't anticipate well enough. And then there is the issue of the ever worsening road conditions in and around Pune and in Maharashtra in general. This is one state that has probably the worst roads in the country relative to its perceived economic status. Let’s leave it at that for now.
Ever since Covid struck, I have had this lingering feeling that maintaining two cars for essentially one driver in the family may not be a great idea going forward. We always have to keep one car in the open , subject to the vagaries of the weather (usually the Polo). Add to that, regular cleaning, driving around to keep the grease going, seems to be a bit of a chore. Ergo, I am seriously looking at a Do-it-All solution- a car with decently high ground clearance, good space, and price-performance positioning. Must haves for me are
i) Equal or better safety features than City or Polo- min 6 airbags, ESP as standard.
ii) Honda City (or thereabouts) equivalent dimensions so that city commuting is not hindered.
iii) Adequately high ground clearance to cater to bad roads/rough roads.
iv) Good driving dynamics (like the Polo)
v) Good performance- not scorching fast, but able to overtake cleanly without heart-in-mouth moments.

vi) Adequate boot space (not hell-bent on 500+ litres as such)
vii) Very important-easy ingress egress, good headroom and occasional 5th pax capability.
viii) Parking aids, 360-deg camera would be beneficial.
ix) Convenience of service centre location. Kia centre is merely 600 metres away. Somehow this is important at this time.

My budget is about 25-27L. The currently shortlisted cars in the increasing order of price are:

• Seltos DCT
• Seltos 1.5 Diesel AT
• Harrier AT
• Tucson Petrol

I haven’t looked at the Creta for the following reasons:

• Slight issue in rear ingress-egress because of tapering roofline.
• It didn’t feel any better than the Seltos in terms of cabin ambience.
• Longer waiting period -in general the dealers I spoke to, I got an impression that they were not very keen considering they are sitting on an order pile. Is it so much better than the Seltos, for example to wait for a longer period? Not sure.
• Not a huge fan of panoramic sunroof. I would rather have better headroom if the sunroof is intruding into that area.
• It doesn’t have front parking , 360 deg camera and lane watch- features that I would use more than say, paddle shifters

.
Another contender (albeit limited) is the Compass. Again, within the budget, I would get only the Petrol AT- which isn’t an overwhelming favourite choice anyway. Besides, the limited service network is a bit of a bother for me. Not entirely ruled out yet, but lesser chance of it being shortlisted unfortunately.

Of these, I have test driven the Seltos 1.4 DCT, the Harrier AT and the Tucson, albeit GLS AWD (which was the only model available, more on that later).

Seltos DCT Impressions
Positives:

• Good quality interiors. The Test drive car too was in great shape, which is a rarity.
• Ergonomically, felt at ease very quickly with the controls.
• Good driving position, just right enough to feel tall yet not lose the car-like vibe.
• DCT engine performance is definitely superior to the City-CVT performance, and in fact feels like a grown up Polo GT TSI. In general it gave me the typical European car vibe. High speed stability was better than expected.
• The braking felt very good.
• The overall dimensions are just optimum from an urban commute/parking perspective.

Negatives:

• Suspension is stiff- there are no two ways about it. While the handling is very good, bad-road ride needs to be done very carefully , to avoid discomfort. Ground clearance was not an issue.
• The cabin space may not accommodate the 5th adult passenger very comfortably. But at least that person has a headrest.
• The HUD seems to be a bit of an information overkill. If I buy the Seltos, I am not sure how much it will be used.

The Sales person acknowledged the initial DCT heating issues, but he said that subsequent buyers haven’t complained as much. But I am extremely keen to test drive the Diesel AT, planning to do so shortly. The Salesperson said that Red and Orange were available in the DCT variant if I wanted to close the deal soon enough.

Harrier AT Impressions:
I had the Harrier AT in mind considering the fact that it was a spacious, powerful and robust option with decent feature set. I had partially mentioned my impressions in another post. But here goes:
Positives:

• It gives me the vibe of being not-so-large outside, but spacious inside. Maybe it's my personal opinion only, but the Harrier when viewed while parked or moving about on the road amidst other cars doesn’t look visually intimidating. But while driving I was pleasantly surprised at the space and the visibility all round. The ORVMs did not bother me with respect to the blind spot.
• The engine performance is pretty smooth and refined, with only an initial gruffness while starting from standstill.
• The car feels pretty easy and nimble to drive even in the city environment.
• External build quality feels robust. The car does flatten out bad patches of the road. Bumps are felt, but do not cause discomfort even in the rear.
• Rear seat space is quite good, both in terms of width and legroom. The sunroof in this kind of car will enhance the feel-good factor.
• The boot seems well laid out and feels like it may carry more than its advertised capacity.

Negatives:

• The Test drive car had the power driver seat buttons MISSING and the seat was in a bit of an uncomfortable position. So I can only imagine that in normal circumstances, the driver feel would be comfortable and ergonomically ok. Not done for a test drive in a fairly expensive car.
• There is a visible lag between the actual gear shift and the display. Not a big issue, but doesn’t feel premium.
• I may be the odd one out here but I am not a fan of the chocolatey upholstery or that faux wooden finish. It feels a bit old school to me, almost like a throw back to the Ambassador era. I like things to be modern in and out I guess.
• No headrest for the 5th passenger in the middle is a bad miss on this car.
• I anticipate some difficulty turning the car within my society roads leading up to the parking.

Since my budget was inching past the 25L mark, I had a thought- why not look at the decidedly better option in the Hyundai/Kia stable, i.e. the Tucson ? So I enquired with a couple of dealers. My observation is that most of these dealer salespersons did not have a good idea of their own product features and specifications. Whats worse, they didn’t have the Tucson on display. I asked one dealer how he expected people to buy it-the salesperson said, that only those who know the product especially people who have stayed abroad and used it, straight away purchase the car without test driving it. I wasn’t convinced at all by the reply. One dealer said that it could be available in 20 days or so.
After persisting , I finally got the opportunity to test drive the highest variant, the GLS AWD, that too on a rainy day. Here are my impressions of the Tucson (GLS AWD):

Positives:

• Excellent build quality, especially interiors, finished in black feel quite nice to touch. The car itself was almost fresh off the factory with lots of plastic still around .
• Again, the car felt very easy to drive. Interestingly I got the impression of it being a bit more substantial than even the Harrier at the wheel. It had that hefty, meaty SUV feel that the Harrier didn’t. (Harrier felt more like a larger Duster).
• The diesel GLS variant doesn’t behave like what was mentioned in the official review ( with the 6 speed AT). I was expecting a lurch when starting off ,owing to the 400NM on tap, but it actually felt very relaxed and progressive. I think the 2 additional cogs from the 8-speed transmission have helped spread the power /torque curve. When you engage ECO mode it gets even more calm. And conversely, in Sport mode, it gets quite aggressive. At city driving speeds the car felt like it was using just about 30 % of its power, like a tamed beast. When I finally got a chance to stretch it on the Pune-BLR bypass, the car just transformed into this monster, galloping past 60, 80 and reaching 100 in no time. It’s speed belies its size. Again, this feels like a proper hefty SUV even at high speeds . The steering feel was well weighted at all times.
• Ergonomically, this was an excellent place to be in, with just the right dimensions all around. Although the Harrier driver seat felt like it offered slightly better visibility.
• The ride quality was even better than the Harrier. The potholes and uneven stretches of highway tarmac were flattened out and nothing was felt either in the driver seat or in the rear seat. Request Mods to pls update the Tucson official review just for this special AWD GLS version. I think its worth it.
• Rear seat comfort is the best of the lot, with the enormous and easy recline function. Again, all-round quality is simply the best of the lot I have seen amongst the cars I checked out.
• We waded through a highway underpass that was filled with at least 1 foot deep water with ease. I then rejoined the bypass on one of those muddy, rocky sharp intersections. The car sailed through without a hitch. I guess the ground clearance of this car, especially in the AWD avatar is not at all an issue even if ~170mm kind of numbers are quoted.
• Good boot space.

Negatives:

• Lack of availability of petrol Tucson for test drive.
• Steep price.
• Slightly less under thigh support in the rear seat. I felt that Harrier’s under thigh support was a bit less, this one feels a tad worse (by a few mm).
• Zero discounts on any variants.

Other than that, I didn’t find any negatives with the car I drove as such. I would like to emphasise that this GLS AWD gave me the proper hefty SUV vibes. At 33L, it’s over my budget for now though.
So at this point, I am still in a bit of a quandary. I have experienced a good car for a good price, a greater car for slightly greater price and the best car for the highest price.
It would be highly useful if someone can throw light on real world experience of the petrol Tucson that is quite elusive at this point. I like the Tucson for its space, comfort and adequate size. But not sure if plonking 7.5 L over the Seltos for my requirements is worth it. Guidance is welcome!

[Arjun Reddy]

I would suggest the Seltos top spec diesel torque converter. This eliminates reliability and the overheating issues of the DCT. The diesel will also deliver more mileage and is marginally cheaper than the DCT.

However with better ride,handling and build quality ,I would suggest the Jeep Compass diesel automatic in longitude trim. With current discounts on this trim, you could land one well within 25 lakhs OTR. You might loose the bells and whistles over the Seltos but it translates to ride and handling that is leagues ahead and the 4*4 will be a bonus.

Take a test drive and decide.

Happy shopping.

[46TheDoctor]

Given your requirements, my pick of the lot will be Harrier XZA+ dual tone variant. I was offered one for less than 24 OTR price. Incidentally i also test drove the same demo car with driver seat power adjust switches missing!

Since i dont see any AWD/4WD requirements in your post, i think Harrier will offer you the best user experience at a reasonable price. Seltos is filled with the features but Harrier will offer superior mechanical experience, proper big SUV feel and not to mention lots of cabin space. Tata's Service in pune is good and you have lots of alternatives, so no issues on that front either.

Compass diesel is a good car too but has a disadvantage in rear seat space compared to Harrier and additional price is justified only if you want AWD.

Also from your review, Tucson also seems a very good car indeed but again the additional price over Harrier isnt justified if you arent keen on getting AWD/4WD

[Abhi5868]

According to me a Jeep Compass is a no brainer if your requirements are limited to a strict 4 occupants. It'll not just cater to the enthusiast in you with it's handling but is surely gonna woo your parents with the excellent ride comfort. However the rear seating might be a problem for you considering the occasional stretching our elders demand on long highway drives.


The Harrier XZA+ is also a great car since it comes with all the bells and whistles which the Compass misses even after sitting at such premium. It has all the space in the world and the rear seats have enough rooma and support for your parents. The ride comfort is also almost at par with the compass.

Please also keep an open mind to the karoq. Considering you've already dealt with the infamous VAG after-service the karoq might just be the car for you. I wouldn't comment on the ride comfort but the handling and 1.5tsi combined with the best in class DSG is surely gonna plaster a smile on your face.

[haisaikat]

You may check the Volkswagen T-Roc since you liked Polo and will be within your budget.

Otherwise I will also ask you to check MG ZS EV if you want to give electrics a try. If you did not like the Creta then wait for the next Seltos to arrive to complete your comparison.

Also if you have not ruled out Mahindra then upcoming XUV 500 may be worth the wait.

[ChoosetoCruze]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Must haves for me are
i) Equal or better safety features than City or Polo- min 6 airbags, ESP as standard.
ii) Honda City (or thereabouts) equivalent dimensions so that city commuting is not hindered.
iii) Adequately high ground clearance to cater to bad roads/rough roads.
iv) Good driving dynamics (like the Polo)
v) Good performance- not scorching fast, but able to overtake cleanly without heart-in-mouth moments.

vi) Adequate boot space (not hell-bent on 500+ litres as such)
vii) Very important-easy ingress egress, good headroom and occasional 5th pax capability.
viii) Parking aids, 360-deg camera would be beneficial.
ix) Convenience of service centre location. Kia centre is merely 600 metres away. Somehow this is important at this time.

My budget is about 25-27L. The currently shortlisted cars in the increasing order of price are:[list][*]Seltos DCT[*]Seltos 1.5 Diesel AT[*]Harrier AT[*]Tucson Petrol

I would like to emphasise that this GLS AWD gave me the proper hefty SUV vibes. At 33L, it’s over my budget for now though.
So at this point, I am still in a bit of a quandary. I have experienced a good car for a good price, a greater car for slightly greater price and the best car for the highest price.
It would be highly useful if someone can throw light on real world experience of the petrol Tucson that is quite elusive at this point. I like the Tucson for its space, comfort and adequate size. But not sure if plonking 7.5 L over the Seltos for my requirements is worth it. Guidance is welcome!

In my opinion, if you’re considering the Tucson, you should also consider the petrol CRV. It is well suited to fulfil most of your requirements. And the on road price is 33L too.

A word of caution with the Seltos, you may want to go through the following threads (if you haven’t already) so that you make an informed decision.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...eltos-dct.html (Serious gearbox issue in my Kia Seltos DCT)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...breakdown.html

The Tucson is an international vehicle and should have much better reliability than the year old Seltos.

Do your research well before spending your hard earned money on your next purchase & choose wisely.

Originally Posted by hserus

I would say that especially with the pandemic, there is zero sense selling both cars - relatively new ones at that - at a hefty depreciation hit and buying a new one.

As the GT TSI is there just for fun and your entire family sits in the City just fine, either sell the GT or park it to take out for long weekend drives.

Alternatively, this is excellent advice and would be the sensible option.

[hserus]

I would say that especially with the pandemic, there is zero sense selling both cars - relatively new ones at that - at a hefty depreciation hit and buying a new one.

As the GT TSI is there just for fun and your entire family sits in the City just fine, either sell the GT or park it to take out for long weekend drives.

[Durango Dude]

Let's face it, almost all cars incl Hyundai come with 'firmed-up' suspension, nowadays. For having a footprint equal to the City, I think the Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue, Ecosport would be the best. That said, City probably makes best use of space in such a compact footprint. I've taken it through some narrow streets last Sunday and it was easy to punt around and I didn't find any problem on the highways, my family has found backseat comfort good and with a large enough boot to swallow the luggage: to each his own. Harrier AT is in a league 2 rungs above and is large enough and difficult to punt around. Post Covid with the traffic as it is with no proper public transport and swarm of two wheeler's to make life miserable. I'd stick to a small foot print rather than even go to the Creta/Seltos. BTW have you tried the 2020 City?

[Cessna182]

There was a thread about buying a used Endeavor recently. That's a good option. Honestly, Seltos etc. are not worth the 20 lakhs that you pay for the top trim. The AWD model of the Seltos with all bells and whistles costs less than 20 lakhs in international markets, and Kia does not offer many features in India.

But Fortuner or Endeavor are the most competent SUVs and combine safety, driving pleasure and comfort into a good package. Sorry if I missed any point about your preferences being for a new car rather than a preowned one.

[landcruiser123]

If you're open to spending a little bit of time and money, fix the City with suspension spacers(Roger AB or similar) and/or upgrade to better tires. If that fixes your problem, sell the Polo or keep 2 cars.

Remember, you want your new (or replacement) car to be the Jack of all trades, so it is not going to be the master of any.

Here are my choices:
1. Used Corolla; Most of them have 175-180 mm GC which is okay for almost all drivers
2. Wait for the new XUV 500
3. Tucson if you can get a fantastic deal; The petrol will be a lot weaker compared to the diesel
4. Seltos
5. Harrier

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

You may check the Volkswagen T-Roc since you liked Polo and will be within your budget.

Since you already own a Polo, you will immediately feel at home in the T-Roc. It is a well put together package with all the required bells and whistles minus the gizmos that the Koreans have. From a driving and safety POV, it is a clear winner.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

Background: I had purchased the Honda City CVT back in 2018 as a spacious sedan with great boot space and of course its excellent engine, from a perspective of some long distance driving with my entire family. I already had the Polo GT TSi to cater to the more enthusiastic tendencies especially when just me and my wife would drive on short trips.

You want to sell a car in <2 years?! It's a terrible idea in normal circumstances & completely absurd in these Covid times. We simply don't know what way the economy, our businesses & jobs will go in the coming 1 - 3 years. Please hold onto your City - read my thread on why holding onto your car is a financially sensible decision (ARTICLE: YOUR 5 year old car : Keep, Upgrade or Swap?).

especially the slightly bouncy suspension and the slightly skittish feel on the wheels at speed

No car is perfect. If you have a problem with a bouncy suspension in the City, you might have an issue with a bumpy, stiff suspension in your future car (Seltos), niggles (Harrier) or an average AT (Compass). Again, there is NO CAR that is perfect. Now that you bought the City, better you fix it. Let's start with 2 things:

- Get the coil spring adjusters to reduce bounciness - related thread (Coil Spring Adjusters : VFM Fix for the Honda Civic's (lousy) soft rear suspension?)

- Swap out the tyres for sticky 195 / 205 mm rubber.

Both of these moves together will significantly improve your highway driving experience. If you are getting bored of your City, time for you to read this thread and spruce it up - related thread (Your car's midlife crisis - How to rejuvenate your existing car and save a lot of money). Your City seems to have been hit by a midlife crisis earlier than expected.

Ever since Covid struck, I have had this lingering feeling that maintaining two cars for essentially one driver in the family may not be a great idea going forward. We always have to keep one car in the open , subject to the vagaries of the weather (usually the Polo). Add to that, regular cleaning, driving around to keep the grease going, seems to be a bit of a chore

Come on! Sounds more like you're making excuses to buy a new car.

My budget is about 25-27L

Invest that 27 lakhs sensibly and make it 50 lakhs in 5 years. Then, in 2025 or 2026, open up a new "What Car?" thread for a 50 - 60 lakh rupee Do-It-All SUV and we'll help you pick a kickass + FAST + European one.

[chiefpk]

Originally Posted by GTO

You want to sell a car in <2 years?! It's a terrible idea in normal circumstances & completely absurd in these Covid times. We simply don't know what way the economy, our businesses & jobs will go in the coming 1 - 3 years. Please hold onto your City - read my thread on why holding onto your car is a financially sensible decision (ARTICLE: YOUR 5 year old car : Keep, Upgrade or Swap?).



No car is perfect. If you have a problem with a bouncy suspension in the City, you might have an issue with a bumpy, stiff suspension in your future car (Seltos), niggles (Harrier) or an average AT (Compass). Again, there is NO CAR that is perfect. Now that you bought the City, better you fix it. Let's start with 2 things:

- Get the coil spring adjusters to reduce bounciness - related thread (Coil Spring Adjusters : VFM Fix for the Honda Civic's (lousy) soft rear suspension?)

- Swap out the tyres for sticky 195 / 205 mm rubber.

Both of these moves together will significantly improve your highway driving experience. If you are getting bored of your City, time for you to read this thread and spruce it up - related thread (Your car's midlife crisis - How to rejuvenate your existing car and save a lot of money).

I am quoting this whole thing after shrinking it a bit because it just makes a whole lot of sense.

You have 2 cars in your garage (read= 2 great cars) one of them being just 2 year old and they are both reliable to do quite a long run and you say you want to exchange them for one. Trust me, Don't!.

There is no need right now. These are already difficult times and you don't know when things do downhill. Save the money invest them and then use them on a badass SUV under 40 lacs after a span of 5 years, maybe when your TSI needs a replacement.

In time you may ask your other half to learn driving so that you can have 2 drivers at your home and when in need she can take over.

[drmohitg]

Seltos makes most sense to me out of the cars listed above. It has got all the features that you would need and will solve your issues with bad roads and ingress-egress comfort.

If you are comfortable with the size of Harrier, then why not consider the Toyota Innova? I would dare to say that it may be the perfect "jack of all trade" kind of a car.

[2000rpm]

I have owned both cars you have. A Honda City CVT and a Polo and I know the difference you are taking about.

There is no better "Do-It-All" car than a Honda City (ok may be a few more).

1. Great engine
2. Amazing Space for Passengers
3. Huge usable boot
4. Great reliability
5. Decent interiors
6. Decent GC
7. Good looks
8. Easy availability of parts

No other car in your list will tick off so many boxes.

The highway wobbliness can be easily fixed with coil spring adjusters, with higher placement of spacers in the the springs to dampen the initial movement.

You can also experiment with two coil springs, one in top and one in middle if you want a really firm ride. But try it out before taking your parents on the ride.

Trust me, in a long city ride with potholes, your parents will complain in the Polo with the hard suspension. Thats what the city solves with softer suspension.