[Huzi]

My vote would go to Innova Crysta. It belong to a the same D1 segment, though it’s an MUV.

Reason: it provides a clear compelling reason to buy, in terms of its positioning in the segment.

IMHO none of the above products provide a real compelling reason to shell out more than 20L. Maybe I did not articulate my point clearly, but a glance at the monthly D1 sales figures would explain everything.

[Night Raven]

Voted for the compass. Let me try and explain my reasoning for the choice.
1. Aircross: Too quirky for my taste, too costly for my pocket. No manual transmission available. Even if I can overcome all that, Citroen is too much of a new player to put so much money on.
2. Compass: Always loved the clean looks & compact size. Said to be a great handler and built solid. Has been in the market for sometime but not yet outdated. I never had a problem with the outgoing model’s interior but the new one looks good too. As someone who owns a Fiat, maintenance related fears to the brand is no unknown territory.
3. Tucson: feels too outdated, doesn’t feel worth the money. No MT available.
4. Allspace/ Fortuner/ Endeavour: 95% of the time I drive alone. Another 4.5% of the time my wife and kids are there. Parents travel with us may be 0.5% of all drives. I don’t need a 3rd row or big size.
5. Safari is the only other option that comes to my mind. Again, I will prefer a compact premium SUV and the ease of driving/parking that comes with it than a bulky one with loads of road presence.

PS: A humble suggestion to the mods. It will be more appropriate to put a picture of the present face lifted model of the compass in the original post.

[monish_m]

Can't vote yet.

Here is my own rationale for Tucson, just my view

1) good engine with 185 power enough to throw you back in the seat.
2) butter smooth automatic, fairly responsive to sudden acceleration, but otherwise super smooth.
3) have seen some good mileage returned...(16-17 on our forum)
4) has all the bells and whistles, connected features, panoromic sunroof, TPMS, front powered seats, wireless charging and several other features etc.
5) space - clear winner in back seat space and boot space
6) 5 yr warranty should take care of almost 50% of ownership
7) Hyundai ASS should be decent.
8) good road presence keeping on mind ease of city use and parking

The sales advisor have assured that the new gen is not coming until mid - end 2022 or early 2023.

Am sure the new gen will have more gizmos, radical new design, Several ADAS features...but am sure it will few lakhs more making it touch the 40 L figure..

[Lowflyer23]

Voted for the Allspace.
Have one in extended family and the quality and driving experience of that car has to be experienced to be believed (being a CBU, there is no cost cutting), it's a Q5 at bargain! Yes, the engine is not very efficient and it doesn't have the midrange grunt of a diesel but it's still very fast and a great handler due to the 4Motion system and offers lots of flexibility with 5+2 seating.

My second choice would be the Citroen C5 aircross, the only downsides of an otherwise lovely vehicle is limited legroom and pricing.

No BOFs for me! I prefer a stable ride and top-notch handling, the compass is a good alternative though the automatic could have been better and FCA service doesn't have much positive reviews (neither do VW but I can tell from my personal experience that they are improving). Tucson is too old and feels boring now but is a well-rounded package, it's the only Hyundai I would buy.

[advenk999]

Voted for the Jeep Compass.

Personally love the handling and tight natured character of the car. It is definitely overpriced for its size and the interior space could be classified to the size of an i20 probably. The wafer thin dealership network is also an issue.

The Compass is definitely a driver's car but you'd have to pick the diesel manual. As GTO mentioned, the Auto box isn't all that well calibrated and throttle responses are vague and can be spiky at low speeds.

I like the regular Tiguan over the all space that seems to have a weird overhang at the rear. The C5 Aircross has got too much happening in terms of design along with Citroen's over ambitious pricing. Can't say about the drive as I haven't driven it.
Fortuner and Endeavour are great cars too, but I just cannot fathom the body roll at higher speeds especially in the Fortuner that makes me want to throw up my gut.

A

[Axe77]

As of now, I would be constrained to write “None of the Above”

Body on frame SUVs: I would never choose a full body on frame SUV like Fortuner / Endeavour. Too crude, too much body roll and just not my kind of drive whether at the wheel or as a passenger. I would not choose this in a 40L price point which I reserve for my flagship car (a 16L Thar is a different matter).

VW Tiguan Allspace: Possible choice but bad ride quality is a big downer and then the uncertainty of VAG product ownership for the long haul is another downer. I feel more confident today buying a BMW with a 10 year ownership outlook than buying any VAG with the same intent. Lack of a diesel is a minor factor as well for the VAG.

Compass: Too overpriced, half a size too small at the price, and a deal breaker imperfection in the gearing set up.

Tucson: Great choice but feels a generation old. If the next gen was in the market today, that would likely be my top choice in this poll.

Citroen C5: This would have been my top choice honestly BUT for four key problems:
1. Price
2. Rear seat comfort (not just leg room but the seat comfort overall)
3. New player - unknown on reliability.
4. Plusher seat quality

Pt 3: I can take a call and get comfortable on in 18-24 months of track record.
Pt 1: I would suck it up and pay a 4 - 5 lakh premium (I would for a Camry after all) but then the product has to be bloody perfect if its justifying such a HUGE premium. It can’t have a material usage failing like rear seat comfort in this case (and IMO deserved plusher leather seats also at this price point). The Compass has far superior seats at 5 lakhs lesser and that’s ALREADY a car thats itself 4-5 lakh overpriced. If you want to charge a ridiculous premium then there can be NO material failing in the product itself. And both the Compass and the Citroen disappoint on that front.

————

Given all of the above, in the unlikely event that this is the shortlist I am choosing my 30 - 45 lakh car purchase from, the most likely candidate to get my money would be the next gen Tucson and the one that missed getting my money for 2 - 3 key failings is the Citroen.

For now, it’s NONE OF THE ABOVE for me for the reasons listed. Can be read as something else which might be anything like the Camry, used LWB 3, used 530d etc. Heck, it might even be the Jeep Commander if they create a damn near perfect product at a price thats well below Fortuner price.

[k0p]

The Compass and Tucson have the best ride quality among their peers, only becomes a matter of size and what kind of driving comfort you prefer. Though the comfort in the front seat and drivability belong to a higher segment, the lack of Independent Rear Suspension really shows when doing back to back test drives.

[46TheDoctor]

A few points about my buying preferences:

1. Unlike few who have said here, i have no problems cross shoping between BOF suv and a unibody one. Now a days, BOFs are also loaded with features and are roadwothy enough. The only reasons to avoid them are if you intend to drive in a corner carving driving style and if senior citizens are going to use the car (due to difficult climb in).
2. If I am buying a MPV/SUV, it cant be a front wheel drive. Ideally it has to be AWD/4x4 or atleast a rear wheel drive.

So, if I have to buy today, my choices will be either Compass AWD, Fortuner 4x4 AT depending on whether i need 2 row or 3 row seating. If senior citizens are to use the car, i will consider Innova Crysta instead of the Fortuner.

I am in fact looking for a car in this segment but i have chosen to wait till next year hoping for other options to come forward and not much urgency due to Covid related limitations currently.

1. Safari AWD : if Tata launches this, this will be a no brainer.
2. Next gen Tucson : if Hyundai brings this soon and prices this sensibly, this will be it in the absence of Safari AWD.
3. XUV700 : I will consider this since it is expected to come with AWD, but the decision will depend on how good a mechanical package this turns out to be, not just on its long feature list.
4. If the above options fail to materialize/impress, then it will be a Compass/Fortuner for me as stated in the beginning.

If i end up buying a Fortuner, it will replace my 2013 Pajero Sport, if i buy any of the other options it will be an additional car and Pajero will also stay.

[AMG Power]

Quoting my post of 16th February on why the C5 Aircross WILL be a failure in India:

And that’s where Citroen have goofed up big time.

Indians don’t care about depth of engineering. Forget engineering, they don’t care about depth in any area.

We like everything in our face - A 11 inch screen on the dash in place of high quality NVH materials in the firewall. Christmas lights on the front, back and everywhere else in place of 4 or 5 star crash rating. Sun roofs in place of torsional rigidity. Flashy alloys in place of multi link suspension systems. A BOSE music system with the name written all over the car in place of an actually good system.

Hence even if the C5 Aircross is priced at the same level as Seltos or Creta it still will not sell more than either of them.

So let’s not ignore the elephant in the room. Citroen aren’t going anywhere with the C5 Aircross however good it may be.

After all the initial hype and hoopla is over the car is going to be DOA. Even with price corrections this car isn’t going to sell.

French design is an acquired taste and Indians don’t have the time to acquire taste.

It’s the difference between Boeuf Bourguignon and Chicken Tikka Masala.

Amen.

[JoshMachine]

Voted for ‘None of the above’.
That’s because I am inclined towards the Kodiaq, when it comes to shopping in this 30-40 lakh SUV segment.

Have driven (test drive and/or friend’s) almost every rig mentioned in the list but found the Kodiaq’s sophistication, practicality, value luxe quotient, engineering et al to be the most desirable.
And the facelift version due now, should make the overall proposition that much sweeter with some more value luxe features and the more powerful 2.0 liter turbo-petrol alongwith my all time fav DSG.

Body-on-frame’s not for me (too loud to lug it around) even though I like the overwhelming seating position and the almost “Die Hard” attitude.

The Compass is somehow, inexplicably way too pricey, for the value it offers.

The Tucson feels it is playing catch-up with its younger sibling. No stand-out appeal for me.

Citroen is, still not arrived, in terms of being called an attractive buy at that price point.

And that leaves the Allspace. It comes a close second. Had it got some more oomph (style, but that’s relative), I might have voted for it.

All said & done, awaiting the Kodiaq facelift launch. Little birdie on the Skoda street tweets that the launch will go ahead as scheduled in Q3’21 as planned.

[Maky]

I voted for the Compass. Would be a 'heart' purchase and not a 'mind' purchase : )
I see there is a very strong consensus in it being overpriced, I am in total agreement.

I wonder why they went up so much in price, were they selling in large volumes previously that they they thought they could get away with it?... or was the intention to become a funny Skoda 'value premium' category brand.

[fast&curious]

I got my Jeep Compass 2.0 Limited Plus MT, which at that point was the top variant on offer, in December 2020 for 22.5 L OTR in HP.

At that price I felt no other car came close to the premium feel, the build quality, the features the mind blowing cornering ability, the highway performance and that lovely steering, for me.

It was a conscious decision to not wait for the 2021 facelift as the RTO charges in HP were about to more than double soon, and it happened exactly two days after I paid for registration and the year end discount would also go away. Also, because for me the interior of the 2020 model was a great upgrade in itself coming from a 2013 i20.

For me it's a great VFM purchase. However, given the current OTR prices especially in other states, if the Jeep Compass does reach 30L OTR, it would seem very overpriced indeed. I think that would make me gravitate towards BOF SUVs.

[a4anurag]

My vote: Hyundai Tucson

Works efficiently both in city use and highway - thanks to the decently tuned 2.0L Diesel engine + 8-speed TC, it is a breeze to drive in any conditions that our roads throw at it. I'd love to get this car (current generation ONLY) as a replacement for my Creta. I know I detest AT's but one TD and has changed my opinion towards AT's.

Feature-wise has almost everything (except proper audio system and headlight setup) that can be taken care of after purchase too.

[petrol_power]

I guess this is one of the toughest segments to take a call.

1. Jeep Compass - Extremely badly tuned Auto box for diesel. I took a test drive 1 week back and definitely felt not worth to invest 33 lacs on this gear box. But has AWD for long touring. And no paddle shifters.

2. Hyundai Tucson - Very good as per reports, but completely other countries get completely re-designed model, which is so modern looking. So after knowing that within 1 year, this will look completely boring may make prospective customers think twice. Not sure if they plan to introduce the new model in India at all.

3. Citroen C5 Air cross - Got paddle shifters and a good engine & gear box. No 4WD/AWD making it incomplete for long distance touring and of-course the price.

4. VW Tiguan - Comes with AWD, paddle shifters, good petrol engine and gear box. Car like stability as per reports. Lack of diesel and uncertainty in pricing are the only 2 factors against it.

But still voted for Tiguan hoping they price it decently.

[abhijet.sen]

The biggest threat to all the models mentioned in options comes from Hector twins and Harrier twins. Conspicuously both the options are not even listed. Both of these missing options though may not be as good as listed items in terms of fit and finish, these missing options are much cheaper and bigger than all of them. No wonder while listed options are more of a flop, missing options are selling in very decent numbers.