[RahulNagaraj]

Maruti XL6

What you’ll like:

• A 6-seater MPV at the price of C segment sedans & some compact SUVs
• Improved stance with upsized wheels + tyres and cosmetic exterior updates
• Comfortable captain seats & spacious cabin make it a fantastic car for the chauffeur-driven
• A competent BS6 petrol with excellent fuel efficiency. Convenient automatic available as an option
• Significant updates including DualJet engine, 6 speed AT with paddle shifters, ventilated front seats, telescopic steering, Suzuki Connect with voice-activated controls, UV cut glass for windows
• Improved safety kit consisting of 4 airbags, ESP & Hill Hold Assist, integrated TPMS, 360-degree camera, etc.
• Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experience

What you won't:

• Petrol-only. No diesel on offer. CNG may be a future option
• Updated engine lacks outright grunt. Tuned for fuel-efficiency and suitable for relaxed cruising only
• Cabin updates have not significantly upped the premium factor over the outgoing car
• Captain seat layout means just 2 people on the middle row
• Build, quality & refinement are ordinary for a car costing well over a million rupees. Not a “premium” Ertiga
• 3rd-row isn't for everyone as the 2nd-row doesn't tumble forward, making ingress / egress tricky
• Some missing features like auto-dimming IRVMs, sunroof, curtain airbags etc.

Official Review Link

Kia Carens

What you’ll like:

• Fresh styling that will appeal to a larger audience (unlike the polarising Alcazar)
• A practical & sensible 3-row family car that's well-built. The 3rd-row seat is actually useable
• User-friendly interiors look really good (blue shade is awesome) and have quality parts
• 1.4L turbo petrol with 7-speed DCT offers more than adequate performance. Extremely refined too
• Economical 1.5L diesel is available in MT & AT variants. Offers good driveability
• Impressive ride quality with neutral car-like road manners
• The Carens' safety package includes 6 airbags, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes, TPMS etc as standard.

What you won't:

• 2nd-row legroom is just ordinary, despite the seat travel of the 1st-row being restricted
• Diesel’s 113 BHP & 250 Nm – although adequate – are the lowest in the segment
• Reliability of the 7-speed DCT in a heavier car is a concern
• Unknown safety rating. The Seltos just barely managed a 3-star Global NCAP rating!
• Some niceties missing vs the Alcazar - no 360-degree camera, no full virtual dials, no panoramic sunroof
• Competitors like the Tata Safari, MG Hector & XUV700 offer way more spacious cabins

Official Review Link

Maruti Ertiga

What you'll like:

• A 7-seater MPV at the price of a C segment sedan. Sub 10-lakh petrol variants are well-priced
• Practical & spacious cabin, now with a usable 3rd row & larger boot
• A peppy petrol, efficient diesel & convenient automatic on offer = take your pick
• Car-like to drive and city-friendly size (unlike most other 7-seater MPVs)
• Features such as that sweet head-unit, projector headlamps, cooled cup-holders & more
• Dual airbags, ABS + EBD, Isofix anchors & parking sensors are standard. Automatic gets ESP too
• Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experience

What you won't:

• Build, quality & refinement are strictly average for a million-rupee car
• Diesel is no longer available. Heavy users will miss its low running costs
• 3rd-row isn't for everyone as the 2nd-row doesn't tumble forward, making ingress / egress tricky
• 4-speed Automatic feels old & outdated. Not available in the top variant either
• Some missing features such as an auto-dimming IRVM and auto headlamps + wipers (expected at this price)
• Waiting periods are 5-9 months long for certain variants

Official Review Link

Mahindra Marazzo

What you'll like:

• A clean looking Mahindra (for a change!) with a robust, abuse-friendly build
• Nice & roomy cabin. 1st & 2nd seat rows are spacious, while the captain seats are terrific
• A 3rd-row seat that can actually be used by adults
• 1.5L diesel offers good driveability & fuel economy. 6-speed MT is smooth to use
• Compliant ride quality with neutral road manners for a MUV
• Impressively refined & more carlike-to-drive than other body-on-frame SUVs
• Dual airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, Isofix & ABS are standard
• Features such as 2 front armrests, adjustable lumbar support, rest Reminder, economy mode etc.

What you won't:

• With the 3rd seat row in place, the boot is rather small for a vehicle of this size
• No petrol or automatic variants on sale. Almost all competitors have petrols and ATs in the line-up
• Some design errors such as the cramped engine bay (try accessing the battery) & hard-to-use handbrake
• Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• Many important features missing (keyless entry & go, auto-dimming IRVM, leather-wrapped steering, telescopic steering adjustment, auto headlamps & wipers etc.)

Official Review Link

Hyundai Alcazar

What you’ll like:

• A 3-row family car that's well-built inside out
• User-friendly interiors look really good (brown shade is awesome) and have quality parts
• 2.0L NA petrol & 6-speed AT deliver a very smooth and refined driving experience
• Economical 1.5L diesel is available in MT & AT variants. Offers good driveability
• Comfortable ride quality with neutral road manners
• Unladen ground clearance of 200 mm is perfect for Indian roads
• The Alcazar's safety package includes 6 airbags, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes, auto-hold, TPMS etc.
• Impressive kit (fully digital instruments, 360-degree camera, 2nd-row wireless charger, panoramic sunroof, paddle shifters, Bose sound system, cooled seats & loads more)
• Hyundai's competent after-sales service & wide dealer network

What you won’t:

• Oddball love-it-or-hate-it face. We find the Alcazar's front design to be weird & overdone
• 2nd-row legroom is mediocre (captain seat variant). Compromises have been made to accommodate the 3rd-row & boot
• 3rd-row seat is best suited to kids only. Not really a place for adults
• Rs. ~3 lakh OTR premium over the Creta on the higher variants is too much!
• Nothing for enthusiasts here. The 2.0 AT is tuned very conservatively
• Diesel’s 113 BHP & 250 Nm – although adequate – are the lowest in the segment
• The Creta 1.4L DCT is a lot, lot more fun to drive
• Competitors like the Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus & XUV700 offer way more spacious cabins
• Some misses (no petrol AT 7-seater variant, auto wipers, illuminated window buttons, full-size spare tyre on top trims etc.)

Official Review Link

[GTO]

IMHO, the Kia Carens is the best MPV this side of the Innova. Car-like to drive, wide range of engines & AT transmissions (including Diesel AT), comfortable suspension and well carved-out space (unlike Hyundai which messed up the Alcazar's packaging). Heck, even when compared to the mighty Innova, 50% of buyers might choose the Carens because its easier to drive, softer to ride and has a more city-friendly size.

One of the cars that's impressed me the most this year. It's also a rare MPV that looks good, I quite like that funky face.

[AYP]

If the Alcazar wouldn't have been in this poll, I would have voted for the Carens. But since the D segmenter Alcazar has found a place in this poll, I'd rather go for the base Innova, the XUV 7OO AX7 or the Hector Plus.

Voted for others.

[msa.30789]

Voted for the Shark (Mahindra Marazzo). Though the features and engine / gearbox are limited in nos, it has the most spacious interiors and can easily accomodate 8 people comfortably. Did 16000 odd kms with my shark and it easily curises as 120+ even with full loads. Getting a mileage of 17 kmpl in highways, though it drops to 12 / 13 kmpl in cities. It also has one of the most silent cabin.

[adigup]

For peace of mind and 'do anything' vibes: Maruti XL6
For features: Hyundai Alcazar (family + chauffeur), Kia Carens (family + self-drive)

For decent, practical and useful features, utmost comfort (yes, body roll is present) and total peace of mind: Toyota Innova Crysta (literally any variant + engine + gearbox combo). You can never go wrong with an Innova in your garage.

[amol4184]

I was in XL6 camp before the facelift. The price and even sluggish performance post facelift has pushed me to Carens.

[dr.aviansh]

Sadly, NONE! We're on the verge of upgrading from our 2013 Duster.

Carens would have been my prime choice. But instead of offering the AT primarily in the NA Petrol, which would have made more sense in an MPV, they did in a sporty DCT-Turbo Petrol. Poor market survey!

Also, I don't like the fish like front facia and the blue steering.

Otherwise, the Ride and Handling package is easily the best. The AC and NVH are at par with the Alcazar despite costing about 1/4th less.


I find the XL6 easily the best looking car, but Maruti's focus for a 6/7 seater should have been on power and not fuel economy. I doubt how it's going to react on it's way uphill with 6+luggage on board.

Also, I expected MS to improve on build quality like they did with the Baleno 2022, but it is an opportunity wasted.

Alcazar, too expensive. Otherwise ticks most boxes.

Innova : Unnecessarily Heavy Steering and a Bouncy Ride Quality far from being plush.
Also, I don't like the Hound like new Facelift. I find the new black grille too imposing.

[Durango Dude]

I've voted Ertiga, it's the package that most of us can live with what I miss is the 6 airbags. That would make it perfect!

[yoscenario2000]

I've voted for "Others"

Its INNOVA - Best of both worlds IMO.

[akannath]

I am all for VFM and voted for the Carens as I see it the best all rounder, ticking most of the boxes. Not to mention the VFM it offers compared to the competition at different price points. Only thing missing is an automatic in the lower Prestige variant. Safety rating is missing but so is the case for the other options.

XL6/Ertiga
XL6 looks good but dont see it offering much beyond the Ertiga for a supposedly premium avatar. Also the new price makes it less attractive. Ertiga suffers from poor plastic quality a lot, competition has moved on.

Alcazar
Never liked its looks and waay to expensive of what it offers

Marazzo
Would have been 2nd or a close 1st choice but for the unreliability regarding its future. Wouldn't buy one now.

Others
Innova easily tops here...but again not VFM in my view. Price hike year after year feels like Toyota taking undue advantage of customer demand. Don't appreciate this.

[PrideRed]

Would go with XL6 if petrol and Carens if diesel. Again would pick these only if I am restricted by budget or need an occasional 7 seater. While Carens is spacious, a true 7 seater car needs bigger engine to haul that load. Innova is still the jack of all trades, I will let go off the fancy features and stick to a true blue MPV. Only downside of Innova is its expensive to run. Well its expensive to buy too but then the price can be recovered when selling.

[charanreddy]

Voted for the Ertiga. It’s a no nonsense car which gets most things right including the AT.

If Diesel, Marazzo gets my vote as it offers a lot more car for lot less money. But my MPV use case is that occasional trip to native or sight seeing and usage will be less than 10K KMS per year, so petrol it is !

[Vid6639]

After driving both of them extensively for the official review I have a slightly different view point.

The Carens is by far the more complete package and the better pick in terms of space, features and gets a diesel AT for efficiency as well as a fast turbo petrol DCT for people who want a bit more poke from their MPV.

Personally a few things work against the Carens for me and prompted me to choose the XL6 as the pick.

1. The XL6 has a more sober interior design that looks like it will age better. The Carens with too much piano black and beige as well as the dome shaped dash just didn't work for me. It was too flashy and over the top for me.

2. The XL6 had the better drivers seat that could go further back than the Carens for taller drivers.

3. The XL6 rear aircon was a chiller vs the Carens.

4. The XL6 is much better VFM for less than 18L you get the top spec ALpha+ with ventilated seats and 360 camera and 6 speed Aisin AT.

The Carens has a lot more features but I feel for an MPV, the XL6 checked all the boxes I needed, barring one big one which was performance. The performance of the new K15C remains lackluster and single biggest downer. The new 6 speed AT masks some of it in town but on the highway the XL6 was quite exasperating.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Voted for the Ertiga.

Maruti XL6- Never understood the hype around it. It's just another ertiga with captain seats. Design is subjective and i am not a fan of the current gen Ertiga's design either. The older Ertiga looked better.

Kia Carens- It may tick the boxes right now but like every other Korean car, it will be plagued with quality and reliability related issues. Not something I would want to go through especially for a family MPV. Obviously the media won't talk about the reliability issues around kia or hyundai.

Maruti Ertiga- A practical choice. Wish the diesel was around. The petrol auto and CNG variants would be my choice.

Mahindra Marazzo- This would have been my default choice if it came with a diesel AT or priced lower. It's a wonderful MPV only if the engine had lesser lag.

Hyundai Alcazar- This also had typical Hyundai/Kia quality + reliability issues. It looks weird just like the new creta.

Crysta would be the go to MPV but at 10 lakhs lesser than the Crysta, the Ertiga makes a strong case.

[GreasyCarb55]

I feel like the Ertiga/XL6 is the best car on this list but the only let down is the engine, I miss the 1.3 "National Engine" in Maruti's and plonking in the 1.6 Diesel from the now discontinued S-Cross would make it the best pick this side of the Innova but as it stands I would have to go with the Carens.

The turbo petrol is good on power and coming from a 2011 Innova 2.5 Diesel (102hp and 260nm) the 113hp and 250nm would be good enough for us. Although I would stick to manual with the Turbo petrol as I'm skeptical of the DCT.

I would also refrain from buying a new 7 seater car in the sub 20 lakh segment and I would stick with the 5 seater models (Creta, Seltos etc) and the lifestyle SUV's in this segment (Thar, Gurkha and hopefully the Jimny in the near future). If I absolutely have to buy a 7 seater car for around 20 lakh I would pick up a used Innova Crysta, 20-24 Lakh should get me a well maintained 2.8 Diesel and it's a Toyota so reliability will be good and so will the resale value.