[Mogs]

XUV700 it is! Most powerful, feature rich and VFM.

Safari handles beautifully and looks great. However, the sales and service experience does not.

Alcazar is smooth and effortless to drive in city. But it is cramped and overpriced.

[Waspune]

Voted for ‘Other’.

For me fun to drive factor supersedes other things so if I have a budget of around 20-22 lakhs I will happily get the Compass Sport 2.0 MJD MT in Metallic Green colour without any second thoughts. Yes it’s the base variant but thankfully it’s not barebones and comes with all the required/necessary features. The only major miss would be 6 airbags!

The interior quality and looks are great in the facelift and the overall built quality is superb as well!

It is compact which is another plus and I am not a fan of the bigger SUVs or 7-seater MUV/SUV.

[grimmreaper_gtr]

Voted for the Safari.
The Innova is for someone who really needs to accomodate 7-8 people on a regular basis. For that purpose alone, it's the best car. Toyota being Toyota, VFM is out of the question and it missed out on creature comforts.
The XUV is a very impressive package, given the large number of variants to choose from. There's one for everyone. What I didn't like was the driving experience. The steering feels too light and there is a ton of body roll. The seating position is too high and the steering can't be adjusted much in terms of rake. The looks are still hit and miss. Space in the second and third rows is inadequate. I even found the auto box to be a bit jerky and unresponsive at times. Lot of lag.
Hector misses out on a diesel Auto. But the looks are a deal breaker for what could have been a good vfm car.
Alcazar doesn't belong in this segment. It's an overpriced Ertiga rival in terms of size and space.
Why the Safari then?
1. Ground clearance is the highest in the segment
2. Adequately loaded in terms of tech and features
3. Looks are amazing without a doubt
4. It isn't a pure Tata, which is a good thing because the reliability of the components is at par with others
5. Driving position, seat comfort, auto box responsiveness are all up to the mark. Gearbox is laggy in city mode but the sports mode makes the car much more drivable
6. Space in the third row is luxuriously good

Apart from these, I do acknowledge that a lot of issues have been reported by owners, particularly in terms of after sales service. That's a risk in willing to take for what is otherwise a great package overall. I'd still wait it out to see if Tata does improve some aspects like the infotainment system and adds some features like AWD and 360° cameras. The absence of these isn't a deal breaker but it'd be nice to have them.

Ciao!

[Lobogris]

XUV 700 for me without doubt. Although I hate the idea of a 7 seater vehicle and wouldn’t really want to buy anything that large, all the features in the 700 make it a no brainer. The most important feature for me is the ADAS followed by the big screens in the instrument cluster as well the infotainment screen. The wood on the doors, memory seats and LED lights seal the deal further. Only thing missing is the ventilated seats and auto dimming IVRM. Though the Safari looks good, features and safety are more important to me than power, fun to drive, looks and any other factor.

[kapilsharma80]

It is Innova for me as it checks all the boxes: Safety, Reliability, Feature loaded, Understated looks, Driving and seating Comfort. I don’t mind paying premium for the car, since I am getting what I want.

I personally feel that Alcazar, XUV and MG are quirky with a big question on reliability.

Like to play it safe!

[neerajku]

A lot of folks here seem to be voting for XUV700 and safari. One is yet to be driven by any and second has too few numbers for any shareable user experience on websites. Safari has no long term driving experience, XUV700 has none. Are these credible recommendations; without even driving them for some duration or without driving at all; just by reading the specs, some reviews and past record?

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by som9729

Hi,
Why is Innova a terrible personal car?
Curious, as we're considering purchase of a SUV.

Is it to do with the interiors or any other reason?

I guess it is ok if you are going to use it like a taxi - with a driver driving it sedately. But if you want to drive it yourself, and want to slice through the traffic or push it a bit, I find it not great to drive and even worse for the passengers who may get nauseated given the nature of the suspension which hates to be pushed. We test drove the Crysta recently and the unanimous view from the family was, “No way!”. Though my driving during the test drive of course attracted a lot of flak from the family as well.

[Arjun Bharadwaj]

If on a budget - xuv700
No budget problems - Innova eyes closed

[charanreddy]

XUV 700. But only after 1 yr has passed by and skeletons are out of the closet. I don’t mind paying a little bit extra, but need relative peace of mind.

The Crysta is a close 2nd. Only for the reliability it offers. As a self drive vehicle XUV fits perfectly.

[saleem_k]

Voted for Toyota Innova Crysta - The new Crysta looks better although it's still a van silhouette but I don't have to lose sleep over its ability to take me in comfort and cover long distances without breaking sweat.

MG Hector Plus / Alcazar - Joint runner-up primarily because of lack of 3 row comfort but for a family with two young kids, these can be a decent options. Hector plus is a tad better option space-wise.

XUV700 - Looks promising but too early to consider it a peace of mind ownership.

Safari - Won't consider because of the horror stories coming out slowly.

Others --> Jeep Compass - Will definitely opt for the 4WD version if I don't need a 7 seater car and can afford to spend a little more moolah.

Underdog and probably the best space-wise - The base or mid version of Kia Carnival. Especially if I travel with family most of the times.

[NitSat]

Voted for Safari.


I did test drive extensively Harrier and then Safari, before deciding to put my money on it.
Simply love the design, the road presence and and driving manners of new Safari.



I have heard that XUV 700 has lot of features, both in terms of engine specifications and other blings. However no one has actual Real Life drive or ownership experience of the new engine or platform. A lot of people have trusted Mahindra, even without a proper extended test drive. And Good Luck to all of them.

Alcazar , to me , is just another creta, hardly any differentiation.
Innova is the best MPV , a long race workhorse.

Hector is a Chinese brand. Period..

[Turbohead]

Considering the price point, I'll wait 2+ years and take into account the overall reliability of the XUV 7OO before putting my money in one of these cars.

Pretty sure the Crysta would've become more expensive by then but if the XUV 7OO is reasonably reliable with all those electronics, I would actually buy it over the Crysta- the Mahindra, from the reviews, has been designed with FTD factor in mind. And that is extremely important for me because a car which you love to drive is a car you'll want to retain for the long run.

Else it's the Crysta for sure. Even if I end up hating it over time, I can sell it for minimal loss.

[manojas]

Voted for Alcazar
If I am in the market today, I will go for the Alcazar
May be one year down the line, when most of the niggles are sorted out, I may choose XUV 700 over Alcazar
I will not buy an Innova for personal use.

[noo.b]

Voted for Safari, Nice engine, Love the understated classy interiors and seats and looks swell. I will be in the market for a 7 seater in about a year and hopefully the issues are ironed out by then, and these are my reasons to reject the others :

1. Innova Crysta - Not a bad car per se, decent engine too but I can't shake off
its MPV image.

2. Alcazar - No street cred. The Creta looks infinitely better. The Diesel engine is lacklustre.

3. XUV 700 - That front end reminds me of Freddie Mercury, and not in a good way. Plus its a Mahindra, who are we kidding, it'll have the same if not more issues than the Safari plus an inferior ride quality, and what's with the fibre boot

[chennai-indian]

Voted for Tata Safari after a lot of deliberation though XUV700 also ticks most of the boxes for me. Innova is more of a minivan than a day to day drive and did not consider Hector as Chinese cars are a no-no for me.