Sub-20Lakh Compact SUV - Quest for "The One" Fellow petrolheads
We are in a bit of conundrum, in an attempt to purchase a car suiting our needs and seek your wisdom in zeroing in on "The One". Our efforts so far have been futile and we are stuck in a loop of analysis paralysis. The Ask - Looking for recommendations for a 5 seater petrol automatic under 20 Lakhs (On-Road, Noida), meant for a mixed use of city and highway usage (~65:35). The top attributes, in order of priority, are "Safety", "Comfort", "Feature set", "Fun to Drive", "Durability". The primary driver will be my SO for her daily office commute of ~30kms round trip on mostly well paved roads and moderate traffic. We are looking at Compact SUVs and crossovers and the expect to have a car delivered over the next 60 days Context - We have moved to Noida a little over a year back aligning to my SO's office location. I am a bit of a travelling salesman, spending 3-4 days/week on the road which will remain as is for at least a couple of years. My SO's work was following a hybrid model until end of last month which has now changed to 5 days in person. For the past year, she has been dependent on Uber/Ola and colleagues staying in the proximity to get to and back from work. Her in/out timings are erratic and requires her to be at work until ~2000hrs on a few rare occasions. While we have delayed the car buying decision for over a year owing to Covid and related challenges, we now have decided go ahead with our purchase primarily for SO's commute to work and errands around. Over the weekends and holidays, we intend to explore the length and breadth of the country. We have a 2018 Jazz VX CVT in Hyderabad (Parents place), 2016 Ciaz VXi in Delhi (In-laws place) and never had a car of our own. So this is going to be our first car and primary driver. Usage pattern - My SO is a new driver (Licensed) , sedate but overtly cautious at times and has practiced driving around on my brother in law's Ciaz manual during Covid times. I, on the other hand, have been driving for over 7+ years and enjoy endurance trips across all terrains. My driving style in the city is fast, stickler for lanes and mindful of traffic. On the highways, I am consistent in terms of speed and try to maintain enough safe space around the vehicle. We often commute to Delhi over the weekends to my in-laws place amidst stop and go traffic. Needs and wants
• Safety - Our requirements on safety have been steadfast and we are looking for 6/6+ Airbags, 4/5 GNCAP or equivalent safety rating, ISOFIX points for child seat (Future planned) and inclusion of driving aids such as ABS, EBD, ESC at bare minimum. While I have been insistent on a car meeting our safety requirements, the feature set of few cars are swaying us towards considering a relaxation on safety (Eg: Seltos) • Fun to Drive - ○ Powertrain - I am a fan of high revving petrol powertrains and would like a car with generous low end and mid torque. I am not a fan of unbalanced 3 cylinder engines and firmly believe in "No replacement for displacement". That said, recent test drives revealed advancements in refinement of 3 cylinder engines, on par with 4 cylinder engines
○ Transmission - My experience with the Jazz CVT has been a mixed bag. The CVT has a pronounced rubber band effect and takes a bit of learning to keep the car in the power band. Keeping this in mind, we have shortlisted models with TC/DCT gearboxes prioritized over CVT
○ Ride handling - I am particular about handling in corners and willing to weigh out ride comfort for high speed stability although my SO would like to prioritize comfort and expect me to take turns slower than usual as a compromise. Steering feel and feedback is an important factor of consideration for I have experienced the worst in previous gen i20 and the best in Jazz (HPS).
○ Braking - Progressive and sharp brakes are of utmost importance and I absolutely detest spongy and inconsistent braking. For the weight and power class under consideration, we are completely fine with a drum+disc setup as opposed to a disc+disc setup found in higher variants of crossovers • Comfort and convenience - ○ Seats and AC - Good ergonomics, side bolsters for front seats takes priority for us over any additional features such as electronic adjustment and ventilated seats. Long trips in the Ciaz has spoilt us with 3 pax able to sit shoulder to shoulder with a bit of wiggle room to spare. While it will be me and the SO in the car for most times, the rear seat should be able to seat 3 comfortably for when the larger family joins. Soaring temperatures in Delhi NCR and other parts of the country warrant a powerful AC to cool and maintain the cabin temperature. Effective rear AC vents (Blower) are a must.
○ Driving aids - Among the cars under evaluation, we have checked out the topmost variants and the plethora of driving aids offered are quite amazing. This has in turn set a benchmark for SO with a few models like Taigun/Kushaq twins falling short of expectations. To be honest, given the driving experience of my SO driving aids are always welcome. At minimum, reverse camera with active guidelines are a must. • Durability - We are expecting a niggle free experience from the car over a 5-7 year timeline and willing to pay a premium for long term durability. The reliability requirements are not just restricted to the product but also the service experience from Dealer OEMs. This plays an important role in the purchase decision The story so far
• Tata and Mahindra - Fully appreciating the leaps in product safety from the Tata and Mahindra stables, we have evaluated and ruled out the Nexon, XUV 300 from the shortlist for the lack of true automatic options. If it weren't for these, we would have prioritized the home grown steeds, over the gimmicky feature phones on wheels, for they meet most of our requirements stated above. SO loved the Thar and I was almost willing to compromise on the AT Gearbox, but she took a pragmatic stance and backed out due to practicality. The long delivery period did not help the Thar's case
• Maruti Suzuki - I work extensively in the automotive consulting field and Maruti is revered for the strength of its sales, after sales ecosystem and a product portfolio best suited for the average Indian consumer. I do not subscribe to and detest MSIL's stance on safety, hiding behind the garb of "we are in compliance with Indian regulations". We did check out the S-Cross but ruled it out due to the weak AT Gearbox
• Kia - Seltos gets the SO's approval from rear seat comfort, rich feature set , styling standpoint. The fact that every 3rd C-SUV that we see on the road is a Seltos, it is on top of SO's list. We are considering the GT line DCT variant or X-Line but TD vehicle was not available in Kia Noida or Delhi. We took a short test drive of Seltos HT top variant (Round the block) with 1.0L engine and TC gearbox and my experience was strictly moderate. There was a slight perceptible lag in gear shifts and overall decent low end torque. I could not articulate this to my SO in a convincing manner though. Ruled out Sonet for its mediocre space in the rear seat. We also checked out the Carens for fun and even took a test drive of the 1.5 DCT variant, also available in Seltos. There's oodles of power available in the low end but the DCT box shifts were slow
• VW/Skoda - I was very inclined towards the Kushaq/Taigun twins (1.5+DSG) and we checked out the Taigun first. SO approved the overall design but found the car to be small and compact compared to the Seltos. We went to Skoda next and she loved the well-proportioned design of the car. We took a TD of 1.0L TC (1.5 DSG not available) and the SO now understood what I meant by shift lag and shift speeds of the GB. The power delivery was impressively linear and got out of the car with a smile on my face. We took another trip to VW this time with my brother in law. Here's where it all went south. We were comparing the rear space and comfort of Taigun and it was a very tight fit. BIL also noticed the roof is too low and to our horror that demo car roof liner of taigun was thin as paper and had torn off around the rear cabin light corner. Final nail in the coffin for the twins. Au Revoir DSG, some other time maybe
• Hyundai - SO loved the Creta but I found it polarizing. Rear seat comfort was amazing and the sun roof added to the snazz. SO was ready to put her money on the booking right away, if it was not for the 12 month delivery time. Checked out venue right after and ruled out for the compact space.
• MG - We were running short on time and casually dropped in to the MG showroom on BIL's insistence to check the Hector, although we did not need a big car. I was not very keen on MG given the Chinese ownership and the hush hush resolution of major issues (Fire, failures etc.). Stumbled upon the MG Astor and loved the cross over form. The interiors were neutral but plush and the seats were super comfortable. We tried the 3 in the rear seat and found it to be slightly congested especially for the middle occupant. The under thight support was not up to the mark and feels wrong overall. Unable to pin point what the issue is. SO loved the car too and as we were short on time we kept Astor as a wild card entry to the mix. A weekend later, we took a test drive of the Astor 1.3 Turbo AT variant as found the ride to be smooth and comfortable (Short drive round the block). The ADAS was overwhelming and I did not pay heed to it during the drive . There was a perceptible lag in the TC , thanks to the VAG boxes setting wrong expectations. We took our time to check the vehicle in depth. SO found the interior quality to be bad (Sangria variant) but changed her mind after seeing the black interiors. The rear seat still remains a concern. While this car ticks most boxes, the long term reliability of MG remains a concern (Partially alleviated by the comprehensive service packages and 5 year extended warranty) In a nutshell
• Tata, Maruti, Mahindra - Ruled out for lack of proper automatic gearboxes
• VW/SKODA - Kushaq/Taigun ruled out for poor interior quality and lacklustre feature set (Relative to Seltos)
• Hyundai - Creta ruled out for 12 month delivery time and venue for less space
• Kia - Seltos in the race (~6 months delivery). Confused between 1.5L+DCT vs 1.0L+TC
• MG - Astor 1.3 Turbo under consideration. Reliability and rear seat concerns (~2 months delivery time)
We need to take a decision in the coming couple of weeks and make the bookings. Happy to get your thoughts
Cheers
Revverend |