[yd_gli]

30L is no small change and I wouldn't spend it based on features or marketing gimmicks. At that price point there are only a few cars I'd get. The Tucson, the Compass, the Allspace and the Kodiaq.
Don't bother with a used Endeavour. Warranty claims if at all will be a pain in the rear to get and eventually over the next few years service will become non existent. Don't get tricked in to comparisons of GM continuing with their service. Getting a Beat serviced is far more easier than an Endeavour.
In spite of all the hoopla around the XUV 700, I'd still pick the Safari. The ride, powertrain are sorted and it just looks better in my opinion. The 700 is too gimmicky for my liking.

[Hayek]

You do face a serious dilemma here. First, you run a lot (1500 km per month) but a lot of it is in Bumper to Bumper traffic in Bombay. Hence buying a BS6 diesel is very risky - you could end up with choked DPFs irrespective of the car you buy, unless your highway driving is every week and will give you the chance to regenerate properly. So despite the fuel cost issue, I would suggest you go in for a Petrol vehicle - though you could look at a used BS4 diesel.

Second you need to fit two adults and a child seat in the rear - which reduces the attractiveness of cars like the Compass, Seltos, Creta, Kushaq and Taigun, though you should try them out if you can before ruling this option out.

So that leaves you with a limited set of choices, the Tucson Petrol AT, the MG Hector (really bad to drive - but may be a sacrifice worth making for the family), the XUV 700, the Innova Crysta Petrol with a bench seat or a split last row, and the Tiguan / Kodiaq as and when they are launched. If the budget is real constraint, you should think of the Hector or a used Tiguan / Kodiaq. If you can stretch a bit, I think the new Tiguan 5 seater will be almost perfect when launched. And as a compromise between the two, the somewhat long in tooth Tucson may work quite well.

Best of luck.

[NarediAni7518]

I guess the Hector suits your requirements and is bang on your budget. However the car’s suspension is super soft which I find too irritating (I’m a diesel hector owner) so please take a long test drive on bad roads before buying it. Also, the Crysta is a better option I guess considering your requirements, only if you’re fine with it’s size and a 7-seater. The compass might be cramped with 5 occupants so check on that, otherwise it’s an awesome product. XUV700 is also a superb product but wait for at least 6-7 months before going on it. Also, why don’t you check out the Citroen C5 Aircross, I guess that can also be your option ! Do at least check it out.

[Lalitha Venkat]

If you can spend up to INR 30 L, I suggest you test drive the Tucson base Diesel which has a gem of an engine and GB. Its non fancy car (from Hyundai) and drives better than most of SUVs i test drove (Harrier, Safari, Jeep Compass, Seltos/ Creata). The current generation looks little old school. The rear bench can take three adults and has good seating/ reclining. The blue colour looked really elegant and i am sure you can work out some deal on pricing (INR 1 L). The only thing that held me back was a possibility of an update in 2022. If you want to save INR 6L, book an XUV700. I dont feel that there may be too may niggles. I heard from know sources that the team has worked on this market perception/reality and are really expecting no major niggles. I have not looked at XUV as it was not available when I did the test drive. Have paused my buying decision and hence did not want to see the car now.

[Lalitha Venkat]

Originally Posted by Hayek

You do face a serious dilemma here. First, you run a lot (1500 km per month) but a lot of it is in Bumper to Bumper traffic in Bombay. Hence buying a BS6 diesel is very risky - you could end up with choked DPFs irrespective of the car you buy, unless your highway driving is every week and will give you the chance to regenerate properly. So despite the fuel cost issue, I would suggest you go in for a Petrol vehicle - though you could look at a used BS4 diesel.

Best of luck.

Hayek, I had a doubt. The fact of chocked DPFs in bumper to bumper traffic, would this be even if we drive say 300-400 kms a month at max. I was curious as to how cabbies/Uber/ Ola manage given that they mostly drive within city.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by Lalitha Venkat

I was curious as to how cabbies/Uber/ Ola manage given that they mostly drive within city.

At least in Bombay, diesel cabs are not allowed for local transportation. Most cabs are CNG fuelled with a petrol back up. Am basing my comments on DPFs on experiences of a few friends plus posts on the forum

[Taruns_Hah]

You should consider the Audi Q2. The price has been dropped substantially and also on some cars there are serious discounts. I think its possible that you would get it around the Rs. 30 - 32 lac mark for the premium plus edition.

[Lalitha Venkat]

Originally Posted by anb

T-ROC makes sense as a compact SUV in the 20-30L category. The CBU definitely worth 4-5 lakhs over Kushaq/Taigun for the quality and drive it offers. I don’t consider XUV7OO, Harrier and Hector as “compact” SUVs. Jeep Compass is definitely a good option but the diesel AT crosses 30 lakhs budget.

T -ROC can seat only person in the back if you have a child seat affixed. The rear seat space is lesser than Vento

[Poitive]

Hi Folks,

Replacing the Optra Magnum after a decade of fruitful ownership. 'Finally' some might say. After having ‘Driven’ a few, seeking views from fellow mates for ‘Choosing' a vehicle.

Briefly: Being a bigly built guy with some recent back-issues, need a high vehicle with easy ingress+egress, a lot of headroom, legroom and foot-room. Am much inclined towards a torquey diesel. Fun to drive, though much desired comfort for the back is more important. Ideally of course have both. Budget reluctantly stretched it to about 20L OTR.

--------------------------


Some background/intro:

The last time I sought help from mates for selecting a car, was overwhelmed by the affection, camaraderie and interest. While the decision got made in about 12 pages, the thread became a more general thread and had 700 posts in 4 months, and became the first thread in What Car-Sedans section to cross over one lakh views. That was a decade ago.

Links:
Main What-Car thread:https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sedan...-upto-12l.html (Choosing a Spacious Diesel Sedan upto 12L)
Sister Thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...iesta-pg5.html (Driven! Vento, Optra, Linea, SX4, Manza. EDIT: Fluidic Verna (pg4), New Fiesta (Pg5))
Ownership thread: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...let-optra.html (Finally! “Driven!” & “Chosen a Diesel Sedan” – The VVS Magnum (Chevrolet Optra))


Details of Needs and Wants:

• Intend to keep the vehicle for long. Say 9-10 years if it holds up well.
  .
• Need a spacious vehicle. Am bigly built.
  • A comfortable seat
  • Lots of headroom
  • Ample legroom
  • Decent space in the foot-well, ideally with a dead-pedal.
  .
• Convenient ingress+egress is important. To be easily slide onto the seat is highly desired, hence focused on an SUV.
  .
• A mix of self and chauffeur driven. It will typically have 1-2 people in the car.
  .
• Monthly usage is highly uncertain. Could well be a few hundred a month, or even 2000kms odd kms a month.
  .
• Mainly city usage. Could well have ample city-suburb use which includes expressways. Within the city too, less of bumper to bumper and more of free roads travel. Unlikely to have much highway use, but want to be prepared in case it is to be used such.
  .
• An Airy cabin is much preferred.
  .
• Features and Gizmos are not a focus, though don’t hurt. I’d any day prefer a better suspension (ride+handling) to the bling-gizmos.
  .
• Quite dislike the idea of an automatic, so am only considering Manual Transmission. It just feels natural, enjoyable and intuitive to me.
  .
• Due to what I’ve been used (about 230Nm/tonne) to and enjoyed, and also potential use, have only focused on diesel till now.
  .
• Budget: started with about 14-15 in mind while exploring, but have reached about 20L OTR. Very unhappy to extend beyond that.

While I have already paid a booking amount and am frustrated with the wait, I am willing/considering a change. To avoid bias and keep views flowing freely, let us ignore that the booking has been made - at least for now.

Please share your thoughts.

Thanks,
Poitive.

PS: There is much more I’ve written but it needs some structuring, so will post it later. Have also done some test drives, which too I’ll share in subsequent posts. They are way way more casual than the ones I shared a decade ago.

[AYP]

The Jeep Compass Sport Diesel suits your requirement in the most apt way.

It has a slick manual gearbox and its 2.0 engine will feel like an upgrade from the Optra. This is unlike the other choices like the Creta or the Seltos both of which in their diesel guise will feel like a downgrade in the engine department. There are some other options but none of them offer a diesel engine. The Compass will just nudge your budget of 22L even in the base trim though with some discounts, it may be possible to have it within 22L.

The other option is the XUV 700 AX7 MT. Its pricing is at par with the Compass Sport though you do get many additional features on offer. Yes, you have stated that features don't matter to you much but even if we discount that, the XUV 700 is the bigger car of the two and will give you that airy feel and better space. In fact purely in terms of performance, the XUV 700 will feel like the biggest upgrade from the Optra.

But since you intend to use the car mostly within the city with 1 or 2 occupants most of the time, the compact dimensions of the Compass will come in handy. Also, its ride and handling is better than the XUV 700.

Personally speaking, between the two cars, I'd go for the Compass only if I can get the Longitude variant but since you features are low on your priority, the Compass would be my choice.

There are other diesel options like the Hector/ Hector+ and the Harrier/Safari, but I'd rather go with the XUV 700 than any of these options.

[Poitive]

I had created a new thread for choosing an Urban SUV up to 20/22L (22L was to keep the Jeep Diesel in contention)

Found that thread missing, and later found the post was now on this thread (Crossover/SUV in 20-30 lakhs)

Originally Posted by AYP

The Jeep Compass Sport Diesel suits your requirement in the most apt way.

Thanks for your suggestions, AYP. Much tallied with my thoughts, and Jeep is lovely, but have some issues with it (knee, etc etc). Also with the XUV 700 (reliability, waiting, etc). Had written to mods and hope the thread will be unmerged soon, so hope to continue the discussion there.

I don't wish to hijack Harshal's thread, even more so as besides the budget, my needs are different.

Originally Posted by Poitive

PS: There is much more I’ve written but it needs some structuring, so will post it later. Have also done some test drives, which too I’ll share in subsequent posts. They are way way more casual than the ones I shared a decade ago.

@Mods: Please unmerge the thread.
I have much to write on the subject. Would not like to hijack someone's thread. My requirements are quite specific (cabin, ingress/egress, footwell, etc as described in the original thread/post above). Writing all that here would make for a pretty confusing thread.
Also would like to share the test drives I have taken till now, with fellow Bhpians. They are all for ones up to 20-22L. Would help with information being better organized on the forum. Thanks

[Vandit]

Originally Posted by yd_gli

30L is no small change and I wouldn't spend it based on features or marketing gimmicks. At that price point there are only a few cars I'd get. The Tucson, the Compass, the Allspace and the Kodiaq.
Don't bother with a used Endeavour. Warranty claims if at all will be a pain in the rear to get and eventually over the next few years service will become non existent. Don't get tricked in to comparisons of GM continuing with their service. Getting a Beat serviced is far more easier than an Endeavour.
In spite of all the hoopla around the XUV 700, I'd still pick the Safari. The ride, powertrain are sorted and it just looks better in my opinion. The 700 is too gimmicky for my liking.

Thanks for this post. I've been on a hair splitting search for this very requirement and things are not smooth at all.

The frustration is real!

The broad choices are:
1. XUV700 - availability is an entirely different problem
2. Harrier - great engine and gearbox combination but various other issues/sorely outdated on features
3. Compass - brilliant facelift and upgrade on the inside, sorted mechanically.. but the price premium in atrocious! Plus, ridiculous constraint of 4x4 being forced on you if you want a Diesel automatic option. Sales/after sales/ quality niggles galore.
4.Toyota Innova - not an SUV. But still offers excellent reliability, great resale, cheap spares and service. Arguably down on features/size for city use could be a concern
5. The Taigun - again not strictly an SUV - but for the price, the size is a bit too compact and several cost cutting areas on the inside. Heck it feels cheaper than my 2017 Polo GT! That DSG's long term reliability is another area one needs to plan for. The 1.5 engine is awesome though.

Apart from these I really don't see anything else worth looking at. The Tucson was left out because the current model here in my opinion is just too far outdated to bother with.

Did I miss anything?

[Torquedo]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Please share your thoughts.

Hello and Welcome back, Sir -

Having known you since the Optra days, I'm sure you'll land up with any of these 3

1) Safari XE - XUV 7OO does not even come close to this, dynamically, ride wise and feel wise. Not even close, it's a toy car, especially with that pathetic steering. To draw some parallelism, Optra vs Verna kinda comparo.

2) Harrier XE/XM - Safari with 5 seats.

3) Used Hexa - This'll blow you away with the ride quality, steering feel (darn heavy, love them that ways) and on-road mannerisms. An18-19 XM with half your budget, look no further.

There is nothing else that'll suit your taste and I'm sure about it.

Once again, nice to see you back.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Hello and Welcome back, Sir -

Having known you since the Optra days, I'm sure you'll land up with any of these 3

1) Safari XE - XUV 7OO
.....
Optra vs Verna kinda comparo.

2) Harrier XE/XM - Safari with 5 seats.
.....
3) Used Hexa -
.....

There is nothing else that'll suit your taste and I'm sure about it.

Once again, nice to see you back.

Thanks a lot for the really warm welcome, Torquedo. My apologies for not replying (beyond DM) on the forum. Was hoping to (re)start a whatcar thread right after that but have not been able to find a large enough chunk of time to do justice to a proper thread (with TD experiences) as yet.

1. Safari/Harrier: I loved many aspects, but had ergonomic issues, which I'll get to in more detail on the said thread. Still in contention.

2. XUV seems promising with it's suspension, but the waiting period is too long. Haven't tried it yet, and your Verna vs Optra says much to me.

3. Hexa: Not really comfortable with buying used, especially a Tata Diesel.

Though my prime taste in cars remains much like you remember, Torquedo, other factors have crept in, which are now overruling that taste.

Once again, Thanks!

PS: Folks, will post the link to the new thread here once I (re)start it. Likely within a week or so. Let us not hijack this thread (of 20-30L) with my specific needs and budget (up to 20-22L). Thanks.

[lamborghini]

I'd strongly recommend the current Hyundai Tucson.
Most of it's peers in the 20-30L price bracket are 7 seater versions of existing 5 seaters : Alcazar, Safari, etc. or the 5 seater Compass.

Even though it's outdated : the refresh with the newer interiors has alleviated some of those worries in my book + it is very well priced given that it was a rival to the Tiguan not so long ago.
Given how the CRV was priced, and depending on how VW prices the Tiguan (I expect it to be 30+ ex-showroom), the current Tucson could just be the S-Cross / Rapid Rider of it's segment : a competent all rounder driven by good value for money.