[sjain2054]

In India, with the way out toad conditions are - potholes, loud honking, pollution, etc - you want something that cocoons you in luxury. C5 Aircross is your answer. Bad roads wont worry you, no noise will filter in, steering is so light that tiredness won’t creep in either. Just go for it. Read the C5 Aircross review and see GTOs comments.

Only other option I see is the Hyundai Tuscon. All the same advantages I mentioned about the C5.

Unless you like the 360 camera and ventilated seats A LOT, You should avoid Jeep Compass. C5 doesnt have these but its got EVERYTHING else

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by DCharger

A close friend of mine is currently looking to upgrade
- They clock more than 20k every year, so decent fuel economy would not hurt.
- Bootspace is not an issue
- Their favorite amongst all is Jeep Compass Diesel

Interesting decision - upgrading several segments from an Alto to a ₹35 l on the road range.

As a Tiguan Allspace owner, I can tell you it is a fantastic car (should it or the 5 seat Tiguan be relaunched); it is as powerful and smoother to drive than my X3, and more spacious in the second row as a 5 seater. But fuel efficiency is low - on similar running about 20-25% lower than the X3 20d. And while that does not hurt me with 10,000 km per year running, the equations change if you get to 20,000 km per year.

Given the 20,000 km per year usage, a diesel makes sense - for which I guess the Tucson or the Compass are the best options. The Tuscon is long in tooth, but arguably tried and tested and hence should be considered. The Compass is less spacious but seems to fit their use case very well - though I can’t comment on how it is to drive since I have taken only a short urban test drive.

But as someone upgrading from an Alto, they must keep in mind the fact that all of these are much more complicated cars - and DPF issues if they have long stretches of purely urban driving (without using the Hyderabad ORR), and much higher maintenance costs are things they should factor while taking this decision. Do keep us posted on what they decide.

[sid_deb]

Worth checking out the Toyota Fortuner Petrol given they found Taigun to be small. Only if they can compromise with the lack of a panoramic sunroof. It is going to be miles ahead of the Compass in terms of reliability and long term maintenance.

The petrol Fortuner is a bit slower than diesel but will still be a solid upgrade given they are currently used to an alto/celerio AMT.

[DCharger]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Interesting decision - upgrading several segments from an Alto to a ₹35 l on the road range.

Hi Hayek,
Quite a few interesting points you added here..

Upgrading several segments indeed..But as many of us have experienced earlier, this game started at 15l, extended it to 20l due to Kushaq, then 25l due to Harrier and all the way till 35l due to Compass. Now I insisted on checking the A4 after checking many BHPians bought them in last few weeks, the budget shot to 40l. My friend says though sedan doesn't picture in any of his choices, A4 deals and looks seem to be tempting.

Originally Posted by Hayek

As a Tiguan Allspace owner, I can tell you it is a fantastic car (should it or the 5 seat Tiguan be relaunched); it is as powerful and smoother to drive than my X3, and more spacious in the second row as a 5 seater. But fuel efficiency is low - on similar running about 20-25% lower than the X3 20d. And while that does not hurt me with 10,000 km per year running, the equations change if you get to 20,000 km per year.

He indeed wants to check the new Tiguan 5-seater numbers and pricing, once launched.

Originally Posted by Hayek

Given the 20,000 km per year usage, a diesel makes sense - for which I guess the Tucson or the Compass are the best options. The Tuscon is long in tooth, but arguably tried and tested and hence should be considered. The Compass is less spacious but seems to fit their use case very well - though I can’t comment on how it is to drive since I have taken only a short urban test drive.

Tucson is one of the best options out there with all bells and whistles. But for 33 big-ones, getting a gen older car is a bad idea(New gen is launched in several markets, India launch expected in Q1 2022).
They are smitten by Compass indeed and as many BHPians responded, this is a close fit for all their requirements.

Originally Posted by Hayek

But as someone upgrading from an Alto, they must keep in mind the fact that all of these are much more complicated cars - and DPF issues if they have long stretches of purely urban driving (without using the Hyderabad ORR), and much higher maintenance costs are things they should factor while taking this decision.

Sure, this is will be foremost while taking the plunge. Now that A4 is also under consideration, the usage pattern might change a bit.

I always consider/advise 14EMI-per-year concept for any car listed as below. I arrived at this approximations after checking few cars(Opel Corsa, Fortuner-2021, GLC220, Honda City, Ciaz, i20, Honda Accord, etc) that I owned and drove in past 20 years. This may vary a bit for various segments.

EMIs and Maintenance considering 10-15% down payment and tenure of 5 years.
-12 EMIs
-1 EMI equivalent - Insurance
-1 EMI equivalent - Service and Maintenance(includes wear & tear across years)

Example: Our Toyota Fortuner was 43l OTR.
-Down Payment was 7,00,000. EMI @69,000.
-Insurance -> 79,000(approx 1 EMI) for first year and goes down every subsequent year(Special mention here, showroom quoted 1,45,000, we got this done with our regular agent for 79,000 after multiple communications).
-Total Maintenance for 5 years -> 3,50,000=70,000 per year(approx 1 EMI). This includes regular services + wear & tear.

Fellow team members, please check if this 14-EMI per Year concept fits on your vehicle and suggest if can improvise this.

Originally Posted by Hayek

Do keep us posted on what they decide.

I will keep you guys posted with our test drives and impressions. Plunge will most probably be taken before year-end.

[DCharger]

Originally Posted by sid_deb

Worth checking out the Toyota Fortuner Petrol given they found Taigun to be small. Only if they can compromise with the lack of a panoramic sunroof. It is going to be miles ahead of the Compass in terms of reliability and long term maintenance.

The petrol Fortuner is a bit slower than diesel but will still be a solid upgrade given they are currently used to an alto/celerio AMT.

Hi Sid,
I personally own a 2021- 4X2 Diesel Fortuner. This is solely for our site visits and mostly chauffeur-driven, I take the wheel few times though. I personally feel this is bulky for city driving and pain for parking. I drive a Honda City and a GLC within city.
It will be a herculean task for my friend(considering 60km per day within city traffic) to squeeze this on narrow roads and in hospital parking. With his small family, it is way too big for his requirement. However in this segment, I would have rather suggested a Ford Endeavour for driving fun and dynamics, hands-down, had Ford not exited our market.

[Big Smoke]

You have already seen that your friend is almost spoilt for choice now, with such flexible requirements and 40 lakhs in the pocket

There are many, many good options, each one tempting in their own way. Just to reiterate, currently your friend has a pool consisting of-

• Jeep Compass
• Citroen C5 Aircross
• Audi A4
• Audi Q2
• VW Tiguan (both 5 & 7 seater being considered)
• Tata Harrier
• And some other options which haven't yet been named / your friend might not be considering, like: Skoda Superb, Skoda Octavia, BMW 2 series (post discounts), etc.

All I would say is, make sure your friend, along with your inputs as a BHPian, makes a judicious decision. I would suggest to truly go for a car thag appeals to your friend & his family from the heart.

Happy shopping!

[agrawalyash11]

I was in a similar predicament about 4 months ago as your friend’s. I’d like to share my experience, hope it helps your friend.

The Compass Model S suited almost all our requirements on paper but when we went to check it out in person, it seemed to be a size too small on the inside. Size wouldn’t be much of a problem but it feels claustrophobic inside. Our family of 4 medium-build people wouldn’t be too comfortable for highway trips.

But the test-drive of the Citroen C5 Aircross was something that I haven’t experienced before. AMPLE power on tap and P-L-U-S-H ride makes it a joy to commute in the city and munching miles on the highway. I can’t reiterate enough how good the car was from the drivers seat. That 2.0L diesel with 8-speed auto is one of the best drivetrains I’ve experienced south of 40-lakh rupees.

The caveat was it isn’t a spacious car, lesser than even the Compass. But it doesn’t feel claustrophobic at all. I feel this would be an amazing car for your friend.

Since then we have bought the Superb Sportline. It is an AMAZING car and something that ticked all of the boxes for us. But some days I remember how good the test drive was and yearn for the experience again. If I wanted a car for myself and my young family south of 40L, I wouldn’t give a second thought to the C5.

Originally Posted by sjain2054

In India, with the way out toad conditions are - potholes, loud honking, pollution, etc - you want something that cocoons you in luxury. C5 Aircross is your answer. Bad roads wont worry you, no noise will filter in, steering is so light that tiredness won’t creep in either. Just go for it. Read the C5 Aircross review and see GTOs comments.

An endorsement from GTO isn’t too bad either

Happy car-hunting.

[kmsithan]

I would suggest to consider Volvo XC40 in your option list.
Currently Volvo is offering XC40 at 38L Ex-Showroom price and you might get additional offers at dealer level. It is an automatic, diesel, fun to drive and loaded with features.

TBHB review:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...olvo-xc40.html (Driven: Volvo XC40)

[autotranny]

Originally Posted by kmsithan

I would suggest to consider Volvo XC40 in your option list.
Currently Volvo is offering XC40 at 38L Ex-Showroom price and you might get additional offers at dealer level. It is an automatic, diesel, fun to drive and loaded with features.

TBHB review:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...olvo-xc40.html (Driven: Volvo XC40)

This is quite dated information. XC40 in Diesel guise has been discontinued sometime back and only available in Petrol. Ex Showroom is also increased to Rs 41.50 Lacs, not sure of discounts though. Volvo Hyderabad is not very transparent on the discounts, unless you do a showroom visit and genuine interest to buy.

[kmsithan]

Originally Posted by autotranny

XC40 in Diesel guise has been discontinued sometime back and only available in Petrol. Ex Showroom is also increased to Rs 41.50 Lacs, not sure of discounts though.

You are right about the Diesel guise. But Volvo website shows the offer price of Rs 39.9 Lacs Ex-showroom.

https://www.volvocars.com/in/offers

Also checkout the review by another team BHP member on the volvo XC40

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...-new-ride.html (Volvo XC40 Review | My new ride)

[CArspeed]

I am also on the look out for an SUV to replace my 10 year old Corolla ALTIS CVT. I have narrowed down my options to Jeep Compass Diesel S AT and the VW Tiguan. On an enquiry today with the dealers of VW in Chennai, they confirmed that the Tiguan 5 seater launch is on 23 October and that they were also informed that only one petrol 4 wheel drive version is to be launched for an on road price of less than 35 lakhs.

[WheelWizard]

Hi
Apologize for trying to hijack this thread for a few questions from my side as well. I did not want to create a new thread as the only difference between my query and the original post is the budget.
I have been driving the xuv500 for the past 8 years and now want to buy a new suv/sedan. Skoda Octavia has always been my dream car, but the budget is always a problem and no other sedan comes close. Now having got used to the high seating in xuv500, i doubt if i would be able to drive an Octavia as i do lot of night driving. I initially started looking for something in the 20L range and now looks like it would become 25L. I was waiting for Kushaq, but now after reading about the issues, will not look at it. My choices are now limited to Compass Limited, xuv700 AX7. T-Roc looks very small, though i haven't seen it up close or TD it. 7 Seater is not a must for me , but 5 people need to be comfortable and now i rate safety and build quality above other aspects, given that most cars in this segment have adequate power/performance. I never felt the exhilaration of the power/response in the Korean cars. I am yet to TD the Compass, but love its taut design and build. I never fancy sunroof/skyroof, as personally i feel it has no value/utility except for some maintenance overhead incase of improper insulation/closure issues given the conditions here. But xuv700 AX7 only comes with skyroof, i believe. If i am to decide on the Compass, what are the things that would not be in its favour barring no 7-seater. I am worried about its service and spares as i plan to drive this for the next 5-7 years minimum.

[R_R]

Originally Posted by CArspeed

I am also on the look out for an SUV to replace my 10 year old Corolla ALTIS CVT. I have narrowed down my options to Jeep Compass Diesel S AT and the VW Tiguan. On an enquiry today with the dealers of VW in Chennai, they confirmed that the Tiguan 5 seater launch is on 23 October and that they were also informed that only one petrol 4 wheel drive version is to be launched for an on road price of less than 35 lakhs.

Earlier reports said Tiguan was to be launched in November! So this is good news, though "less than 35 L", I guess we'll have to wait and see how much lesser! Ex-showroom was supposed to be 28-30L, so this does sound about right. Also waiting to see which version exactly because Tiguan internationally has so many versions!! But all in all good news.