[jeganatu]

Originally Posted by asmr

Now that you had asked, Nissan-Renault was not even in the radar for me. No particular reason other than not having enough confidence in their service and support. The sub-4m cars mentioned were not considered for lack of space. (I had taken a test drive of Venue when it was introduced and it was pretty cramped in the back seat!)


Thanks to all for sharing your views!

Hey,
I think you have omitted out a best contender for your requirement. I am one of the early owners of 1.5 Diesel Nissan kicks and can say geniunly that 1.3 Turbo CVT will be strong contender. Since you mentioned space, ride and drive quality, rear seat comfort, CVT, VDC/ESP and budget of 20 lakhs, the nissan kicks fits perfectly. Duster is old school and about to be phased out, so its out.

You may read one of our bhpian's review here. https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-report.html (Nissan Kicks XV Diesel - Ownership Report)


I also insist you to take a test drive of the Mercedes-Benz derived 1.3 turbo Kicks variant along with your family before you freeze your choice. Check the october offer here https://www.nissan.in/vehicles/new/k...cks_offer.html.

If you are fine with used channel, then consider Jeep compass .

[sam264_2000]

Originally Posted by ags82

Dear asmr,
I am almost in the same situation as you were. The only difference is I have sedans in the mix as well. Currently I am stuck between S Cross Alpha AT and Honda City VX CVT. Honda City has slightly better features including 6 airbags, rear ac vents etc. which is sorely missing in S Cross. These features are important to me as I am upgrading from a Swift. Low ground clearance is the only concern I can now see in a Honda City. Not that I am planning to go off roading but pot holes in Bangalore is a worry while driving sedans. I am wondering if I change the tyre profile to 195/55/R16 instead of stock 185/55/R16, the ground clearance would increase by 5.5 mm.Would that be sufficient to drive around peacefully without worrying about bottom scraping? Hoping to hear some advise.
Many thanks!

I got my 5th Gen Honda City ZX CVT delivered 2 weeks back. Have taken it to highways and I regularly drive within city on uneven roads and tall speed breakers. In both scenarios, I have had 4 adults + 1 kid in the car. Highway drive had luggage too. The car DID NOT bottom out once. No suspension thuds either. Honda has worked on the suspension and it shows in the ride quality. Of course, you got to slow down but then you got to do that even in crossovers. The car seems to have low ground clearance but it has sufficient GC. I hope to pen down my experience and update a thread I started - hopefully during Diwali holidays.

If at all you decide to go with Honda City, my recommendation would be to get the ZX variant. The leather seats, the LEDs and a few other nifty features are totally worth the extra money.

[shashi792]

I would recommend Harrier AT.

Pros:
Space.
Engine 2.0L @ 170 Bhp.

Cons:
After Sales & Sevice. But, Mahindra is also no Toyota.


Another thing to add is. "Never let the SA/Showroom experience deter you from buying a car of your liking".

[ags82]

Originally Posted by sam264_2000

I got my 5th Gen Honda City ZX CVT delivered 2 weeks back. Have taken it to highways and I regularly drive within city on uneven roads and tall speed breakers. In both scenarios, I have had 4 adults + 1 kid in the car. Highway drive had luggage too. The car DID NOT bottom out once. No suspension thuds either. Honda has worked on the suspension and it shows in the ride quality. Of course, you got to slow down but then you got to do that even in crossovers. The car seems to have low ground clearance but it has sufficient GC. I hope to pen down my experience and update a thread I started - hopefully during Diwali holidays.

If at all you decide to go with Honda City, my recommendation would be to get the ZX variant. The leather seats, the LEDs and a few other nifty features are totally worth the extra money.

That's good to know! Looking forward to your driving experience.
Are you running on stock tyres?

[ags82]

Originally Posted by sam264_2000

If at all you decide to go with Honda City, my recommendation would be to get the ZX variant. The leather seats, the LEDs and a few other nifty features are totally worth the extra money.

Agree! The LED is much better than the halogen projector lights.

[sam264_2000]

Originally Posted by ags82

..Are you running on stock tyres?

Yes, I am still running on stock tyres. I was contemplating changing to 195/55 but then one of my friends who happens to be a distributor of luxury car tyres recommended to keep it stock for now and change when they are at the end of their life. His point was don't take any chances with warranty since dealers themselves don't provide accurate information when it comes to such scenarios.

[esc2break]

Originally Posted by asmr

In retrospect, all this wouldn't have happened IF I hadn't sold off my Santro and simply renewed it for another 5 yrs in my name, while waiting for the Creta to be delivered. Shouldn't have trusted the dealer's word on delivery time. Absolutely guilty on that front.

@asmr, based on my experience after booking S-Cross Zeta AT, Nexa dealer's word on delivery time is iffy as well. When I booked last month, I was given a timeline of up to 6 weeks for delivery. It's been 6+ weeks, and even the allotment hasn't happened; current ETA for allotment is another 1-2 weeks. After allotment the dealer said it'll take 12-15 days for transit - which pushes dealer's guesstimate for delivery time to about 10 weeks. The operative word here is guesstimate - they don't seem to have any tracking after booking; they claim tracking can start only after allotment.

[Rama Naveen]

Hi ASMR,

I totally agree with Shashi792's recommendation.

Either Harrier or Safari would justify all your requirements.

I own Tata Bolt Diesel and it has never let me down on trips with my parents and family(two kids), despite being hatch back, it has great space and comfortable.

Full tank (44 litres) yields 900kms of mileage with all members onboard.

Service getting better these days I say.
Take a test drive once.

[steadfast]

Eyes closed go with a Harrier/Safari.

Cons-
1.) Diesel engine is not as per your preference.
2.) Tata niggles and ASS are hit or miss. Be ready for little discomfort due to them [ though you won't get stranded] but the gain/pleasure/comfort/ruggedness/confidence/safety you get by owning either of these two will be beyond anything.

Have a test drive, see the car inside out and you can relate to my comments here.

[sumeet]

Hi @asmr,
Wow ....your requirements are exactly (I mean really - exactly) the same as mine. And I had booked the same variant of Creta around the same time. The difference is that I have not had such a bad experience at the showroom - nor have I cancelled the booking yet.
But I am curious to know - apart from dissatisfaction with the sales ppl is there some other data point which made you reconsider your decision. Considering all the requirements I still don't find any other car in the same price range.
Will like to have more inputs to see if I need to reconsider as well.

[prakhar30]

I would recommend Harrier AT. A 5 seater with acres of space inside, good hyundai gearbox and good luggage space as well.

It looks the best of the lot and has comparatively less waiting period than XUV700.

XUV700 MX variant also ticks all the boxes for you but yeah to your point waiting period is too much. Though you can still keep it in list as petrol deliveries will start soon and get to know exact waiting time.

[asmr]

Originally Posted by Rama Naveen

Hi ASMR,

I totally agree with Shashi792's recommendation. Either Harrier or Safari would justify all your requirements.

...
Take a test drive once.

Originally Posted by steadfast

Eyes closed go with a Harrier/Safari.

... Have a test drive, see the car inside out and you can relate to my comments here.

Thanks for the input, folks. Before I decided on the S-Cross, I did reach out to TATA Motors and 2 dealers. The first one never got back to me after the initial call and did not even bother to show up at the agreed time for the TD.

So I went to another dealer, saw the Safari in person (they didn't have a TD vehicle for Harrier), fixed a date for TD. They didn't show up. But called me few days later saying that their TD vehicle had to be repaired for something and got a new appointment for TD. They didn't show up for the second time too. There was a third date given after that. But they ever showed up again.

I decided to drop Harrier as a choice right then and there.

Originally Posted by sumeet

Hi @asmr,
Wow ....your requirements are exactly (I mean really - exactly) the same as mine.

... Will like to have more inputs to see if I need to reconsider as well.

Hi Sumeet! As I have mentioned earlier, this was 'heart' decision. I was upgrading from a Santro which I held for 15 years in excellent condition and wanted to get something really good for the family. But the way the delivery commits were handles by the dealership (they squarely blamed HMIL) and HMIL (who obviously don't care about one commit) just threw me off.

It was only after l lost my trust in my dealer that I started to read up on other vehicles, compared a lot of them with Creta and found that I can get better value for my money elsewhere. In your case, if you like the vehicle and are prepared to wait for 6+ months and have a dealer who is transparent and supportive, do stick to that choice.

[NarediAni7518]

I guess the MG Hector ticks all your requirements. Go ahead with it, it’s a great car. Yes the infotainment system is laggy, but the car is very good, is super spacious and definitely is better built than the Koreans. Have been driving one for the past 1 year and have come out really impressed with it. However, one thing that I feel is very bad about the car is it’s soft suspension, you will get tossed around on vertical undulations, the rear especially bounces. So take a longish test drive with your family members around such roads and then proceed !

[rkponders]

Dear BHPians !

Have a very similar confusion, hence using this thread. Need guidance on choosing a SUV in the range 14-17lacs. Key requirements -

1. Budget 14-17Lacs

2. Automatic but should not burn my pocket for fuel

3. Strong build quality - no compromise on Safety as will have parents and 6 year old travelling regularly in it.

4. Home-Office-School-Supermarket runs in Bangalore + Occasional highway drives to Chennai/ Pune/ and tourist locations in the outskirts. Hence, Petrol Engine

5. Hassle Free drive quality and a good trouble free ASS.

6. SUV / Crossover - Driving fun and easy egress/ingress for parents! Also drove a used Tiguan in Australia, so difficult to orient towards Sedan.

My shortlists and observations -

1. S-Cross - Brother has it. Dad has Celerio. Very reliable cars but disappointing build quality and interior plastics ! Why doesn't Maruti improve the plastics !

2. Hyundai Venue - Was eyeing this car since its launch in both India and Australia. Having owned Grandi10, love ergonomics of Hyundai and hassle free ASS. But terribly disappointed with the build quality and neglect to safety requirements. Why does Hyundai improve build quality in India cars.


3. Kia Sonet - Had loved Kia's performance in Australian market, but deeply impacted by the feedback on Safety in India models. The news of accident where car split from pillar has deeply impacted me !

4. Tata Nexon - Cousin drives a EV Nexon. Love the features and build quality but very skeptical of AMT. Not sure I understand it well !

5. MAhindra XUV300 - Again, amazing build quality but AMT and small boot space pushing it down the list. Also, have heard about niggles in Mahindra cars.

6. VW Taigun 1L AT - Did a TD in Chennai and was floored with the drive and build quality. Took another TD in Bangalore .. Love its Topline but completely pushing my budget. Highline lacks 6 airbags - possibly only reason why I am not keen on considering it. Also, skeptical on the practicality of car in a city like Bangalore.


Request enthusiast and owners of the above cars to help me here. Feel free to question my understanding of the above options and correct me, if I am wrong.

Really need quick inputs I am relocating to Bangalore in 3 weeks and need a car asap.

thanks !

[Knightrider]

Originally Posted by rkponders

Dear BHPians !

1. Budget 14-17Lacs

2. Automatic but should not burn my pocket for fuel

3. Strong build quality - no compromise on Safety as will have parents and 6 year old travelling regularly in it.

4. Home-Office-School-Supermarket runs in Bangalore + Occasional highway drives to Chennai/ Pune/ and tourist locations in the outskirts. Hence, Petrol Engine

5. Hassle Free drive quality and a good trouble free ASS.

6. SUV / Crossover - Driving fun and easy egress/ingress for parents!

After reading your budget and requirements, SCross from your shortlisted cars makes the most sense.

Alternately, may I suggest you a 6/7 seater - new XL6 or Carens (Prestige Plus variant). Since you regularly travel with parents and kid, and also do outstation trips, a 6/7 seater would be most comfortable. Give it a thought.

If you can wait for a while, you can also have a look at upcoming new Brezza.