[sunikkat]

7 seater - Kodiaq first and only if I want diesel will go for Fortuner.
5 seater - Tiguan or if diesel then X1

Not a fan of any other car in this segment. Compass, I like everything except the outright performance and space. It doesn’t feel powerful for the money.

[drive2eternity]

So I am the first vote in the Others category. For me, recent changes in life have elevated the need for a comfortable and reliable machine which at times would need to sit 4 adults and a kid together. And hence the car I would choose is the Crysta
I'd be saving some good amount over these options too!

If I could convince my wife to look over the Taxi image, the Crysta would be in my garage tomorrow.

[Contrapunto]

Kodiaq and Tiguan- great products but the problematic gearbox and the VW group's philosophy of shafting the customer as much as they can (especially in countries with poor consumer protection) excludes them. I hope they realize that most customers think with their heads when they have to put down ~30-40 lakhs on road for a vehicle.

Meridian- good product if a bit expensive compared with the regular compass. If a good, long lasting 5+2 seater is that you want, this fits the bill.

Fortuner- this is where I have just put my money. Its a prehistoric cave in terms of features when compared with the competition. But I fully expect that I (or whoever I sell it to) will be happily driving it 15 years from now- while the others have already been sold to scrap, or just adorning a garage somewhere.

[rajshenoy]

Not sure why keep compass belongs to this list. Which made me rethink and chose others as my vote and I would happily go for next gen tucson(hybrid/diesel ) or Kia sibling if they are planning due to sheer VFM packaging

[buzzy_boy]

Jeep compass on this list is confusing. Hence, voted "others" for the XUV 700 which IMHO is second only to the Fortuner, but much better VFM.

[Sandy Damodaran]

Voted for the Fortuner! My driving is mostly long distance on scarcely populated areas or forests. Always accompanied by Family.

Given this, besides reliability and space, everything else is negotiable. Nothing comes close to a Fortuner for this use case. Overpriced terminology for a Fortuner is a very relative term and the peace of mind one gets on a Toyota is unmatchable.

[Celes]

It's a tricky space at the moment. The Carnival is a brilliant product for bigger families and has an amazing engine-gearbox combo.
Fortuner requires no introduction in BOF space. Kodiaq is the most sophisticated choice of the lot that punches above it's weight. And I wouldn't tread in the territory of Chinese products like Gloster.

The way I see it is that the Merdian is a mini Grand Cherokee rather than a bigger Compass. It is more abuse friendly than a Kodiaq, better ride & comfort than a Fortuner, better reliability than a Gloster or Kodiaq & in terms of off-roading credentials, it's the Fortuner or the Meridian, enough said.

Had the Kodiaq been on offer with amazing TDI, it would have been pick of the lot (despite those reliability issues). But for someone like me who's on the road for a good 25k kms per year, the Meridian takes my vote.

Cheers!
😀

[zaid qazi]

My vote would be for the fortuner, It provides almost everything that a true SUV fan would like, it has that old school charm with that ladder on frame nature, it has the most powerful diesel motor in the segment, it's the option on offer if you prefer going off the road, the after sales service of toyota is unmatched and the reliability and dependability of toyota is on another level altogether and after having all these positives if you get bored of it then sell it off and it will still retain the maximum amount possible.

[hrishig]

Kodiaq it is!. With insane price increases by all three luxury brands (Was tracking all SUV prices from new GLA to X5) since 2020, the kodiaq at the current price becomes one of the most VFM product for what it offers in the luxury SUV segment. You need to be ready to pay at least 150%+ or more if you want some feature parity with sophistication in the luxury SUV segment.

[Vasanth]

Voted for the Fortuner
Been having multiple thoughts

If I am going to work and back with occasional weekend drives up to 250-500 km I would pick the Kodiaq for its premium ride quality, features, & luxury.

If my priority is to do a cross country road trip, go anywhere, off-road or no road, haul the miles from dawn till dusk I would pick the Fortuner for its bullet proof reliability and durability.

I equally like the Kodiaq if not for its unexpected DSG gearbox and long term reliability

Additionally, it’s impossible to own one car for all purpose.
Would pick a reliable SUV like Fortuner along with a Fast German sedan (not suv) for the fun weekend drives (if I am able to afford).

[Slushmaster]

Voted for Fortuner. As a owner of the 2021 AT, I think none of the options match the value for my usage. There is a room for improvements in terms of features and specially ride quality. But, if I need something dependable that can take me to the most remotest of places of India, I will always trust a Fortuner. It is a little overpriced, but people are happy paying more than 20-21 lakhs paying for cars much smaller and less powerful. Successful Brands will always extort money from their customers and people will pay for what they want.

Thanks,
Slushmaster

[FASTLIFE]

Voted for The Fortuner.
Bulletproof Reliability, every other car here will rot after 15 -20 years down the lane but not the Fortuner. It will outlast 3 decades if maintained in time but all the others will either fail or parts will become unavailable. The recent update with on demand 4x4 is better at fuel saving too. There's a reason why some vehicles get cult following status.

[zombiedriver]

The Meridian would have been a great car especially for running about in the city where the bigger ones would be cumbersome to find parking for. But unfortunately despite the wheel base increase over the Compass.. even the middle row seat leg room is pathetic. I went yesterday to the showroom as on paper it seemed damn good only to be disappointed. I am about 5'9" but heavy set and with the drivers seat to my driving position i found it difficult to sit in the middle row and move my leg. My foot just kept getting caught under the drivers seat. We have an amaze as a city beater and frankly even that has much better leg room in the rear seat. The last row is truly terrible to the point that the sales rep informed me that they have been specifically told by the marketing team to not promote it as a 7 seater at all.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by GTO

If running is high, then the Carnival. Insane levels of luxury, excellent gearbox + engine marriage, comfort all around, family will go nuts on road-trips. It is surprisingly neat to drive. But I would check with Kia on the timelines and probably wait for the next-gen Carnival which has already been launched overseas. Whoever experienced our Carnival media car fell head over heels in love with it.
.

There is a Kia Carnival in the area I live in Bangalore. In spite of it's size, you would see it being driven (actually 'thrown around') like a hot hatch . What surprises me is how quiet the engine is. One can mistake it for a petrol vehicle. This would be my pick as a 'people mover'.

[motorhead5]

It has to be Kodiaq for me as I have been waiting for a car in this segment for 3 years and I will get it in a few days, Finally!!. Had tried many options across segments over a long period and i think Kodiaq is the most value across all - combination of performance, space, overall feel, features, practically.

Will certainly write an ownership review once I get the car ( hopefully very soon!!)