[ramnaresh_2000]

Originally Posted by sreejithkk

If GNCAP rating is the reason you are moving away from Seltos, none of the above listed vehicle (India spec) are also not yet tested by GNCAP.

I fully agree with you. I would not buy Seltos knowingly that it performed bad in crash testing. It would running back of mind everytime I drive it.

Ecosport made the list because of the safety features offered on the top variant. I also had a deep discussion with one of my friend who works in automotive industry, he specialises in designing vehicles and works closely with many manufacturers. According to him Ecosport is one of the safest sub 4m SUV. I don't take his word for it, but the overall vehicle looks solid and I have seen some live accidents of Ecosport and confident about it's safety.

Rapid as you rightly said based on Polo platform, so is a safe bet as Polo scored 4 stars.

Kicks is based on Duster platform which scored badly in NCAP, but the turbo petrol is so tempting. This however is last on the list. My daily commute after Covid situation is 60kms per day. This is not very economical. I also did a TD of diesel variant last year and the build felt very solid. Only real crash tests can verify it's safety.

As of now I am not in any hurry to buy a new vehicle. I can wait till vaccine is available. Hopefully, more safe vehicles will magically appear in our market. Fingers crossed.

[chiefpk]

May be just may be give one more chance to Tata and M&M. Go ahead with what's in the user manual, try changing your dealerships.

Otherwise, I would look at the Skoda Rapid since, it's the better option.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by chiefpk

May be just may be give one more chance to Tata and M&M.

+1 Would suggest you extensively drive the nexon, talk to owners who have been driving the car for a long time now and objectively review the car and TATA experience before you reject it.

I'm not sure if your reason to not consider TATA is based on recent (4-5 years) experiences, but I personaly am a big fan of the new gen TATA vehicles. Their ASS might be similar to M&M but my 2 cents, build a relationship with a couple of SAs or Service Managers and you are set.

[Vinod_nair]

Get yourself a Nexon XMA (S) or XM(S), safety for you and your family should be the priority, and keep the balance money saved for a family holiday.
I own an XMA since more than 27 months, with 13k on the odometer, no issues and enjoying it.

[ramnaresh_2000]

Thank you each and every member for posting your thoughts and suggestions.

After the horrendous crash test ratings of Seltos, I have decided to spend my hard earned money elsewhere. This was real eye opener, I believe I have made the right choice posting my dilemma here, rather than going directly and buying the car based on SA and family recommendations.

My hunt for new vehicle continues. This time primary considerations are 5* rated vehicles. I know the choices are less, but I don't mind driving a bare bone safe car rather than blingy un-safe car.

Mods-Please feel free to close this thread.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by ramnaresh_2000

......
My hunt for new vehicle continues. This time primary considerations are 5* rated vehicles. I know the choices are less, but I don't mind driving a bare bone safe car rather than blingy un-safe car.

Mods-Please feel free to close this thread.

Good luck ramnaresh. A very sensible decision in my humble opinion.
Best wishes to you on your search. Do keep us informed through "I booked my car" thread.

[Kishen.padiyar]

Pick up the EcoSport of variant that suits your budget. Yes Ford has always been at the receiving end of things for a while now but there are umpteen instances of real life accidents in which occupants have made it with minimal or no injuries. A quick search on Youtube should give you a fair idea - and before I get bashed, I want to make it clear that I am not referring to kids going about doing a review on the build quality of cars.

Yes, there is no genuine excuse that Ford can provide for not having their top seller certified through GNCAP but if the Aspire can score 3 stars then I am very confident that the Ecosport will only better it if not a full 5 on 5.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Based on my research, this is a straight forward swap and should give you almost factory finish. However, the lights are not that effective. Upgrading the projector fog lights to LED/HID has yielded better results.

+1 to this.

@ramnaresh_2000, Please don't waste your money for ice cube fog lamps, it only adds to the style with almost zero efficacy. Use that money to fix a HID in the fog lamp slot which will benefit you a great deal as the stock headlights aren't something great to write home about. With that HID addition, you'll have much improved visibility.

[car_guy1998]

Ramnaresh_2000-Since you don't want to go for Seltos or Tata/Mahindra due to bad experiences with your TUV300,I would suggest you to go for Ecosport S as it fits the bill easily or my second option would be a Rapid TSI.Since your travel would be on Hyd-Warangal highway(even I also travel on the same strech twice or more than twice in a year),I suggest you to go for a C-SUV or else,try for used cars like Jeep Compass.

And,we are also in the same conundrum whether we should get the Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT or HTX+ Manual as the replacement for our 10 year old Innova.Since we do highway trips rarely,I feel Seltos or Creta would be a best bet for people like us and the car is mostly chauffeur driven by dad and regularly driven by myself,my dad and mom.

[ramnaresh_2000]

Originally Posted by car_guy1998

I would suggest you to go for Ecosport S as it fits the bill easily or my second option would be a Rapid TSI.

...else,try for used cars like Jeep Compass.

I shortlisted EcoSport S variant and also did a TD few months back. I have following observations

+ve

• Well built vehicle. However, after Seltos 3* fiasco, I will not make any assumptions. I need hard proof from crash testing agencies.
• S variants features list (including safety list) is impressive.
• Low maintenance.
• Great mileage (as I drive 60+ kms per day, after Covid situation, mileage is also important but not at the cost of safety).
• Bonus - Service center available in my hometown as well. This will give me peace of mind.

-ve

• Coming from TUV to EcoSport, I felt very cramped. TUV offered space equivalent to a plane.
• Turbo lag felt in 2nd gear. 4 adults were in the TD vehicle. I constantly had to shift to 1st gear in normal traffic conditions. I managed to stall vehicle a couple of times in the short TD I did.
• Mahindra has 51% stake in Ford India now. I really hate M&M for giving me a lemon vehicle as wasted my hard earned money. Staying away from M&M as much as possible, else I would have purchased XUV 300 eyes closed for it's 5* rating.
• Rumors of upcoming facelift version. I don't want to own an old model, even though it ages well. After I purchased TUV 300 T8, Mahindra released T10 variant in 3 months, it really got my nerves.

Rapid TSI

+ve

• Turbo petrol puts a smile on many reviewers (did not get chance to TD as no Skoda showroom in my hometown).
• Solid build as it is based on Polo platform, I am sure it is 4* safety rated (assumption only).
• Dad is a huge fan of Polo and Rapid. He will be happiest if I buy this.
• Monte Carlo edition is a looker. It oozes character. Onyx as well.
• Minimalist design, I don't care about wireless chargers, keyless entry, sunroof and other gizmos.

-ve

• No service center in my hometown. I regularly service vehicles at my hometown, as I visit mostly during weekends and city ASS is always crowded.
• Turbo petrol long term reliability unknown. I want to keep my new vehicle for at least 10+ years to recover the loss of my old vehicle.
• Skoda ASS in Hyderabad is not confidence inspiring. I heard horror stories about Mahavir Skoda.
• High maintenance, availability of spares.
• Outdated looks.
• Claimed mileage of 18.9 kmpl. It will put a big hole in my pocket.
• Showing it's age. I wish Skoda released the facelift model which was released in Russia.

Originally Posted by Kishen.padiyar

Yes, there is no genuine excuse that Ford can provide for not having their top seller certified through GNCAP

Fully agree. It just feels hard to trust any vehicle after the Kia Seltos shocking ratings.

I am also looking for Jeep Compass, but the base model itself is out of my budget (22 lakhs on road here for diesel variant) and my family is totally against used vehicles. Waiting for year end offers to see if they make any sense.

[padmrajravi]

A wild card entry - Go for the base model manual Innova. It is a better UV than a Seltos or 2WD compass anyday. It scored 5 stars in ASEAN NCAP and the rating is valid for cars sold in countries like Myanmar and Vietnam. I don't think the Innova we get here will have structural changes compared to what these third world countries are getting.

After what M&M and Tata put you through, you deserve the Toyota experience. Since you are already used to a big vehicle, Innova will not feel odd in anyway. You get the commanding view too. And it gives you a second chance in case you get fed up with it. Drop an ad and it will be sold in no time for a higher price than any car under 25 lakhs.

[car_guy1998]

Ramnaresh_2000,

If the service center is available in your hometown and getting your car serviced at your hometown is the main criteria(Warangal,I guess?),I suggest you to go for Ecosport only as it is easy to maintain and has torquey 1.5 TDCI Diesel engine as well.

If I was in your place,I would simply go for Rapid just for rockety 1.0TSI Turbo Petrol engine.But,here in Hyderabad,Mahavir Skoda has poor reputation and even my dad is aware of poor reputation of Skoda A.S.S in Hyderabad as his friends own Superbs and Rapids as well.When we were planning to buy a new car in 2017,we had considered the Rapid too but had to remove it from the list due to the same reason I've mentioned above.But,whenever I see the Rapid,my heart just beats and I still love it over our present Honda City due to its build quality and powerful engines and especially,the LOOKS.