[Sagar.Agarwal]

Originally Posted by ron178

I am not well qualified to help you with the rest but good luck with your purchase.

Many thanks for the inputs. I don’t understand why Kia opted to have such a high handed approach to safety when they paid attention to all other minor details. Looks like the Innova is winning this poll.

[asit.kulkarni93]

If the Seltos has disappointed you then the Creta won’t be any different. Go ahead with the Crysta. Did you say 7-8 years? Toyota BOFs can last over a decade without any headache.

[Behemoth]

Originally Posted by Saint_Krish

Hey guys.. just wanted to update that I eventually ended up buying a Jeep Compass Limited Diesel MT. I couldn't buy a creta or the vdubs.. Loving the jeep so far.. yes the rattling has come up and i think its from the dashboard windscreen vents. Heard a bit of foam tape should do the trick. But that isn't really bothering me and I am just enjoying the beautiful 2 L diesel to the core now. Will start an ownership thread soon. Thanks.

Great Choice! For people with a 30L budget, the Jeep Compass offers the right bridge vehicle between the mass market vehicles like the Hyundai's/ Kias and the Germans on the other side. Wish you many years of Happy Motoring!

The Diesel engine of the Compass is a gem and will reward you with good response as well as mileage - mine even after 4.5 years is giving 15-16 kmpl and running strong.

I currently own two of the vehicles in this consideration set and am sharing my ownership threads here for everyone's reference:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ip-review.html (Adventures of our Grey Goose - MG Hector 6 seater Sharp Diesel Ownership Review)

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...2-limited.html (Rise of the Silver Surfer - Chronicles of our Jeep Compass 4x2 Limited)

[udhaw]

Originally Posted by Poitive

How does the NVH feel? Since you come from a Verna, which is quite good on NVH (iirc), and you've spent several hours at a go in the Harrier, you'd be in a good position to know.

Thank you for your time and putting things to perspective. I read your comment and created another video on NVH Level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JZd3yBI2-g

Originally Posted by Poitive

When I took the Safari TD, the SA was with a new colleague, and to explain my apprehension to him, he only had to say something like "sir is having that knee issue" and was talked about like a well-known common issue. There was no mention of height.

PS: Besides the knee issue, I also had some issues with the width of the effective seat (from armrest to armrest) being a bit too wide. (reported in the TD)

I agree with you. After creating the video, I did drive the manual Harrier XT+ variant, which belongs to a gym buddy. What I noticed is that he had kept the seats slightly higher than what I would. And also that the clutch travel distance was way longer than I had in my Verna. But then again, it came to the same thing, I adjusted the seat and I was good to go. That friend now says he had difficulty for a few days as the knee would rub. Like me, he also came from Honda City (a sedan)

[Metallicar]

Got it. Experience at Tata was smooth. It wasn't like the stories that I have been reading everywhere. I guess hit and miss.

[Saint_Krish]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

The Diesel engine of the Compass is a gem and will reward you with good response as well as mileage - mine even after 4.5 years is giving 15-16 kmpl and running strong.

Thanks good sir. The above words were very reassuring. I will go through your Jeep thread for sure!
Yes like you said, it was very difficult for me to find a "solid" car as an upgrade from a GT TDI. This is a good bridge indeed.

[Poitive]

Pardon my near absence from the thread mates. Some personal issues combined with my attempt to start a thread I've had on mind for ages, before my 1000th post kept me away. It eventually was the 1000th post

Quite an extensive list and explanation of factors to consider while taking test drives, can be foind in the new thread.
Link: Guide: How to take Effective Test-Drives of new cars

~~~~~~~~~

Originally Posted by shancz

VAG twins aren't very large on the outside but I have read that their rear cabin space isn't very far from the Tiguan but will it work for you, not sure.

Originally Posted by Metallicar

I sat in a Taigun and Kushaq. Both felt smaller from inside and not worth 19 L for the kind of interior they were providing. They are good if you want to seat only 4 passengers. Boot is not that large either.

The 2651mm wheelbase was sounding kind of attractive, especially coming from Skoda/VW (implying good handling), however the interior quality (though not my prime focus) seems to be a common complaint. I was not fascinated by the Vento either, and this is said to be worse, and at a premium price for the size. Had it not been for Covid related issues, would simply have tried many. Want to push them down the priority list, but nothing much else comes up either.

~~~~~~~~

Originally Posted by Saint_Krish

Hey guys.. just wanted to update that I eventually ended up buying a Jeep Compass Limited Diesel MT. I couldn't buy a creta or the vdubs.. Loving the jeep so far.. yes the rattling has come up and i think its from the dashboard windscreen vents. Heard a bit of foam tape should do the trick. But that isn't really bothering me and I am just enjoying the beautiful 2 L diesel to the core now. Will start an ownership thread soon. Thanks.

Heartiest congratulations, mate! So you did increase the budget to get this lovely machine. Also interesting that you stuck to MT - an ever reducing tribe. So happy for you. Not terribly surprised considering what you've been used to. Wishing you lots of fun with it, and looking forward to your ownership thread. Please inform the thread when you start it, as it would be a logical read for the readers.

Originally Posted by Metallicar

Got it. Experience at Tata was smooth. It wasn't like the stories that I have been reading everywhere. I guess hit and miss.

Congratulations again, mate; and this time on actually getting it! Quick in today's times. Black on an SUV almost always looks good. Harrier should be a wonderful one on the highway. Despite many complaining about it, what pulls me to the Harrier is it's steering. I hope you too are enjoying it. Hope to see an ownership thread.

PS: Will reply to the other posts later, mates. Cheers!

[Metallicar]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Quite an extensive list and explanation of factors to consider while taking test drives, can be foind in the new thread.
Link: Guide: How to take Effective Test-Drives of new cars

~~~~~~~~~


Congratulations again, mate; and this time on actually getting it! Quick in today's times. Black on an SUV almost always looks good. Harrier should be a wonderful one on the highway. Despite many complaining about it, what pulls me to the Harrier is it's steering. I hope you too are enjoying it. Hope to see an ownership thread.

PS: Will reply to the other posts later, mates. Cheers!

I haven't had the chance to drive it yet. I am stuck in Arabian sea for the next 2 weeks. My sister took the delivery on my behalf. Eager to go back and drive it.

[morphique]

Sonet Diesel AT vs Seltos DCT - Which one is more fun to drive? And which one has better roadholding?

I've test driven both. I kind of liked them both equally, but it is quite difficult to judge based on just couple of test drives (E.g. The TD vehicles had over-inflated tyres). Is it worth spending 6.5L more for Seltos DCT?

[Saint_Krish]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Heartiest congratulations, mate! So you did increase the budget to get this lovely machine. Also interesting that you stuck to MT - an ever reducing tribe. So happy for you.

Thanks mate! Haha yes I did increase that damn budget
Well the Diesel automatic was way out of budget since Compass offers a diesel automatic only on a 4x4 version. I really didn't need a 4x4 so decided to stick to the stick shifter!

Please inform the thread when you start it, as it would be a logical read for the readers.

For sure mate. Need to sit down with the laptop and do it. Been a bit too busy mile munching whenever i get the chance.

Here is a pic of the beast from a recent Kerala trip.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by Saint_Krish

Thanks mate! Haha yes I did increase that damn budget
Well the Diesel automatic was way out of budget since Compass offers a diesel automatic only on a 4x4 version. I really didn't need a 4x4 so decided to stick to the stick shifter!

Many would change the car than skip an AT. That you didn't says a bit about how the 'Compass' guided your choices. A bundle of joy. Lucky that you didn't have ergonomic issues with it.

For sure mate. Need to sit down with the laptop and do it. Been a bit too busy mile munching whenever i get the chance.

Lovely picture, colour and surroundings. Both the colour and surroundings suit the Jeep. The excitement tells me that the ownership thread might take a while.

Originally Posted by Metallicar

I haven't had the chance to drive it yet. I am stuck in Arabian sea for the next 2 weeks. My sister took the delivery on my behalf. Eager to go back and drive it.

A difficult 2 weeks. Looking forward to your impressions, mate.

Originally Posted by morphique

Sonet Diesel AT vs Seltos DCT - Which one is more fun to drive? And which one has better roadholding?

I've test driven both. I kind of liked them both equally, but it is quite difficult to judge based on just couple of test drives (E.g. The TD vehicles had over-inflated tyres). Is it worth spending 6.5L more for Seltos DCT?

Mate, I'd say that let not others decide that for you. Try and take longer drives. A few times if necessary. Different aspects of cars are fun to different people, and we experience cars differently. Ensuring proper tyre pressure is worthwhile. I've often stopped at a bunk and got it right before carrying on with the drive.

The thread I mentioned a few posts before might help a bit in deciding it. It is about taking effective test drives.
Link.

[Puneet0612]

Dear BHPians,

I bought my first car, an i20, back in 2015 thanks to everything I learned about the car from this reliable community.

It's been 6+ years since then, am a family man now and in the process of graduating to a bigger car. I say in the process because I booked the Sharp Diesel Variant of the MG Hector on Oct 22, 2021, and cancelled the booking last Saturday, on Jan 8, after almost 3 months of booking. What started as a promising booking experience with MG's flagship dealer in Ggn, turned out to be an awful ending with the sales lead repeatedly lying to prevent me from cancelling my booking. More on that maybe in another thread if someone's interested.

On to my dilemma.

After the sour experience with the MG dealer (even the second one in Ggn is owned by the same party sadly) I am somehow only seeing faults with the Hector, just to convince myself to not go back to MG.

The thing is, alongside my better half, I test drove the Hector, both the XUV automatic fuel variants and the Harrier. I have read on enough threads about how people's pre-sale experience with Tata hasn't been the best. Fortunately for me, I have managed two test-drives from home and one stockyard visit in one week to check the interiors of the variant I am interested in thanks to a very cooperative advisor. So with that background, here are my personal views on the driving experience on each car alongwith the interiors.

Hector:

*Planning on the Sharp deisel variant

-Decent performance from the Jeep engine but something felt missing in the power delivery. My brother has a Jeep and the performance is far better on that beautiful car The engine is clearly not well mated to the extra long body on Hector.
-Plush interiors, great music system
-Feature loaded

Haven't as yet rejected the car but am sincerely doubtful and need your help here. But do read on.

XUV700:

*Drove both petrol and diesel automatic

-Petrol engine far smoother and delivers power like you don't expect. The drive was exciting and almost convinced me to make a booking there and then but other things mentioned below prevented the booking.

-When I drove the diesel automatic, I was in for a shock. You can actually feel eons of lag, as the diesel automatic shifts from the first to the second gear. In fact, you feel the need to press the gas harder without seeing any power. The advisor himself accepted that there is an annoying lag with the diesel automatic and recommended that I go for petrol because of better performance.

Interiors not great even in the top model. I think Hector spoilt this experience for me.

Rejected the XUV because:
I am looking for a 5-seater and all the nice features come only in the AX7 variant which only has 7 seaters in it.

Really got wondering why wouldn't Mahindra not provide a luxury variant in the AX5, 5 seater, with all the nice creature comforts. Why should someone have to buy a 7 seater for features when the last 2 seats are never ever going to be used? So XUV is out.

Harrier

*Looking at XTA+ variant.

Hits:

-Amazing drive with the three power modes actually working and not just buttons added on a car.

-Driving this beast gave me a sense of joy and security both, and I know it would be a reliable companion on the highway when I push beyond 140. Hector or XUV didn't give me the same confidence.

Misses:

-While it has a lot of features, the interiors don't look like an upgrade from my i20, honestly. If I am spending around 22-23 lakhs on a car, the interiors should have felt better. My wife, especially, isn't convinced on the interiors on this variant as well and stretching to 25 for the XZA+ isn't possible for me.

-JBL speakers don't sound the best, especially without the amplifier and sub-woofer that the top variant has.


So now I am in a complete dilemma over which car to buy.

I am inclined towards Harrier for the ride quality and I know this car is going to be a tank on the highway. But
then, Hector and XUV are both feature loaded as well as decent performers. Even the cars in a segment below have tidier features. Since I'll have this car for 5-6 years in the least, I fear I'll keep feeling like I bought an iphone11 because it was cheap when iphone13 is already 5g enabled.

I don't have issues buying a diesel car in NCR because I personally feel, as long as trucks continue to be the backbone of our economy and as long as Indian farming depends on tractors, diesel cars will exist. I am in any case staking the next 6 years, after which I'll most likely switch to an EV.

need a car yesterday because I sold off my i20 three months ago and need a car of my own for various things that me and the missus still need to step out for regularly.

So dear fellas, help me make this decision between a manual diesel Hector top model and the XTA+ Harrier.

Waiting on your most valuable inputs. Thanks for reading ❤️

[Poitive]

Mates,

A quick note: While starting the replies, just checked something about the Nissan Kicks and drifted onto cursory check on many pages. Sharing some quick thoughts I am pondering upon:

1. Chanced upon this post by @ Godzilla with a table showing comparative power to weight and torque to weight ratios. Makes the Kicks look juicy!

2. What really caught my attention from this YouTube video (in Hindi) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP8l6QPUTBY

(a) His complaint about a 'heavy steering' and on checking, to my delight found it to be a Hydraulic Steering! Yipee!! That was the one thing I was really missing in what was becoming the least deal-breaker option (Hector)
(b) The eagerness with which the car picked speed, and how the second gear went well into the 80s (kmph) band, much like the Optra Magnum
(c) Another complaint he had was about the steering controls being behind the steering. I like to have my steering wheel free without distractions and that is increasingly rare. Designers also might have chosen this for a better driving experience, which in turn indicates whom the vehicle has been designed for.

3. The engine has apparently been developed with Mercedes and is to be a part of the GLA series by them (haven't checked on this yet). Likely to be free revving and long lasting.

4. Very unsure if the interior space will suffice. The outer dimensions and small turning radius of 5.2m would be very practical for the city.

5. FE might be bothersome. I've been used to a turbo diesel, which manages to give a lot of fun without much drop in FE.

6. Lack of a dead pedal. A cramped footwell bothers me. Might be a deal-breaker. The armrest too seems quite small.

7. Another potential deal breaker (had seen on another video long back) - for a tall person the top of the glass (windshield and windows) might be too low.

I wonder if the above doesn't bother people (and it wouldn't to a lot), from a driving experience perspective, it just might be a bit like a Jeep Compass MT Petrol on a budget! The specs make for interesting reading.

Originally Posted by Puneet0612

Hector:

*Planning on the Sharp deisel variant

-Decent performance from the Jeep engine but something felt missing in the power delivery. My brother has a Jeep and the performance is far better on that beautiful car The engine is clearly not well mated to the extra long body on Hector.
--------
Rejected the XUV because:
I am looking for a 5-seater and all the nice features come only in the AX7 variant which only has 7 seaters in it.
--------
Harrier


Misses:
-While it has a lot of features, the interiors don't look like an upgrade from my i20, honestly. If I am spending around 22-23 lakhs on a car, the interiors should have felt better. My wife, especially, isn't convinced on the interiors on this variant as well and stretching to 25 for the XZA+ isn't possible for me.

Hi Puneet, I see this is your first post. Welcome to the forum and the thread. Only sharing quick thoughts for now:

- You seem to like most things about the Hector except the engine comparison to Jeep. I actually didn't find it much worse. The rest seems to work well for your needs. Please take a test drive a different piece of Hector. It just might have been an issue with the vehicle.

- XUV: I agree with the 5 seater point (mentioned in my TD report), however one could consider a 7 seater and fold the seats down. A waste, I know, but the vehicle offers much else (those engines, especially). Again, maybe TD another piece; also the petrol AT. If you are okay with a Hector MT, maybe an XUV MT? The issue would be delivery times though.

- Harrier: Yes, the interiors don't feel Hector quality, but if the ergonomics work for you, likely to be a joy on the highway and more.

- I see that your thread has been merged here. You might find the test drives in the beginning of this thread (post # 3 onward) helpful.

- At the face of it, and with the limited info available, a good test drive of the Hector Diesel (with tyre pressures checked, and preferably NOT the plus model) might convince you to it.

- For your other/repeat test drives, you might find this pretty detailed guide I recently made helpful. Click here.


~~~~~
PS: Pardon the delay in replies, mates.

[shancz]

Originally Posted by Poitive

1. Makes the Kicks look juicy!
2. Very unsure if the interior space will suffice.
3. FE might be bothersome.
4. the top of the glass (windshield and windows) might be too low.
5. it just might be a bit like a Jeep Compass MT Petrol on a budget!

1. It does but wouldn't the heavier and diesel cars would be more concerned about the torque to weight ratio ?
A bit unfair to compare petrol and diesels, IMHO.
I think real life performance and feel is what should be the final test although the numbers in Godzilla's post are quite interesting.

2. I don't think it would that's why I didn't check it out. Even the guy in the video is quite high on the driver's seat, the rear seat doesn't look very promising too but won't comment on it unless I research further.

3. It will, the way he was accelerating I expect single digits.

4. Yes, a steep uphill right hander in the mountains will be tricky for a tall person. Probably the sloping windshield will provide some space to bend peek.

5. Performance wise maybe, but it still misses out on the feel, reminds of the Nexon in design theme and size(could be slightly larger but Nexon top end looks way more butch especially the dark edition).
Doesn't "look" like much of an upgrade over the Magnite which looks way larger for its price. Strange I know but that's how the market feels going by sales numbers.
The major reason for its low sales along with the price tag and Nissan's brand image/presence.

PS : Will check the road test thread too, soon

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Poitive

(a) His complaint about a 'heavy steering' and on checking, to my delight found it to be a Hydraulic Steering! Yipee!! That was the one thing I was really missing in what was becoming the least deal-breaker option (Hector)

EPS is better now, the hydraulic steering in Kicks is a clue as to why that vehicle is an old duster in a new suit. Not something you would want to buy in 2022. If you are a prospective buyer for a new car, look at the overall performance and value it brings to your specific use case rather than individual bits and pieces.

Kicks did not sell because it's no match for the Korean twins , even in terms of performance. Seltos and Creta are incredibly fast.

Power to weight ratio does not guarantee a faster vehicle , what if the gearing is wrong? What if the clutch is very heavy? What if there is a revv limiter in first gear? What if the ESP does not let you floor it? What if the engine itself is slow to pick up the revvs? There are too many variables.

It was a trick by certain manufacturers to give a tall 1-2 gears to say that vehicle is powerful enough to reach 100kmph in 2nd gear , we know that in real life it means an absolutely terrible vehicle to drive in Indian traffic. There are many things like this to entice a prospective buyer, it's a wonder sometimes a customer ends up with the right car.