[Asoon]

My Elimination approach (lowest to the best)

- Kia Carens - Why is it featuring here ? not part of the league, in-fact I would pick Ertiga over Carens

- Alcazar - Over priced, an Hatchback in a boxy shape and jacked up suspensions. Creta/Seltos/Alcazar have amazing sales play book, they know all the ingredients lure typical car buyer. But I am not in the market for a gadget, cars means mechanical!!!

- Hector - I never liked it (my be personal bias), better than the above two but no match for others

- Safari - Good package (Chassis D8 Land Rover Platform, Engine 2L Fiat sourced shared with Compass, 6 speed Gear Box from Hyundai), it was my favourite some time back till I drove XUV 700. XUV and Safari do not belong to same generation /segment

- XUV - Most premium in this list, once you are inside XUV (higher variants) others feel like a generation below. But at the end of the day it is a Super Super Hatchback , its like Creta of 20-30L segment

- ScorpioN - Strong road presence, capable, very well equipped, BOF, RWD, 4X4 only SUV in this list. Being positioned as strong, robust abuse friendly car, it also carries finesse as a lot of components are shared with XUV

- Innova Crysta - Best Reliability, Space, Comfort, Ownership Experience, nothing comes close to Innova even a segment above in the aspects mentioned

Mind says Innova & Heart says ScorpioN

[sulliavi]

My vote goes to XUV700 . Its a very well designed car, looks good from all the angles. It drives more like a sedan and has most powerful diesel engine.

Its actually more VFM than ScorpioN when compared spec wise. XUV700 has 5 star rating and M&M had announced that during its launch itself but, they did not do that for ScorpioN yet.. Ride and handling is way better in XUV700 and one needs to do proper test drive of both to know that.

Innova Crysta is the only car in this list which can give serious competition to XUV700 because of its reliability and low cost of ownership. Crysta got many price hikes recently, sadly there was no effort from Toyota to make it appealing to younger audience, which is a downer .

Rest of the cars don't appeal to me personally...


peace

[Contrapunto]

If you are stretching hard and buying this car, its important that you eliminate "risks" out of your purchasing decision. That takes Scorpio N out of contention. Its untested and its defects and gremlins still unknown.

Between the rest, I would choose the Innova Crysta. Its a "head" decision. Buy one and drive long for the next few years till you are bored with your steed. XUV700 is a viable choice now, but damn, the waiting period is too long

[aveoman19]

My two cents. Purely on what one requires in an SUV. If 4x4 is not a necessity, then I see no point in going for the Scorpio-N. I would not consider the Alcazar as it feels a size smaller than all of the other vehicles mentioned here. The Tata Safari would have been a solid contender had it not been for the endless niggles associated with Tata SUVs.

I voted for the Scorpio-N 4x4 (Manual or Automatic doesn't matter) as it is the only true ladder frame Chassis 4x4 SUV in that segment. For a family of four, the torturous last row of seats in the Scorpio-N is a non issue for me. If refinement, high speed manners and comfort for 7 passengers is what one is looking for then it should be XUV 700 hands down.

Whatever you chose, make sure to have a long test drive before you part with your hard earned money.

[tp_dominator]

Having booked the XUV 700 already, I voted for Hyundai Alcazar and most probably would be getting it too. Here are my reasons and it all boils down to personal preferences. Comparing only diesel automatic trims here.

1. Engine - 1.5 vs 2.2 - XUV 700 is more powerful, no two ways about it, but where are you going to use that power with countless speed cams being set up on highways and cities nowadays. Moreover, Alcazar would be more efficient and insurance & maintenance costs are going to be lesser too. It can also cruise along at 80-90 kmph comfortably all day without breaking a sweat and rewarding you with good fuel economy. This is due to my increased highway usage now.

2. Reliability - with the Ford Ecosport, I haven't visited the SVC out of turn and would like my next vehicle to carry on with the same too. Mahindra might be responsive to complaints, but those should not have been there in the first place. With the Alcazar, I hope I would not have to visit the service center without any scheduled services.

3. Features - I have the Ecosport S and would like to have more features than my current ride. Alcazar has Ventilated Seats which I desperately want, nay, desperately need since I spend long hours on the driver's seat. Also, XUV 700 misses out on auto dimming IRVM which I have come to love now. Remaining features are all neck and neck between the two. Alcazar misses out on auto wipers and that is great for me since I keep my rain sensing function off on the Ecosport since it fails to recognize mild drizzles most of the times. Also, the criteria for not considering Carens is lower feature set than Alcazar.

4. Space - we are a family of maximum 5 and mostly would be 3 only. Moreover, 70% of the times, I would be the sole person in the car. So, both cars would be used as strict 5 seaters only. Both have got enough space for the middle row since I am the tallest in my family at 5'9" and both got ISOFIX mounts which I need. Also, Alcazar has sliding middle row, which adds that much extra flexibilty in space management. However, XUV 700 outer dimensions are larger and it would be cumbersome for me to lug around that much real estate at all times. Alcazar length is close to our Honda City 5th Gen's, which translates to better usability in the city.

5. Safety - this is the point which has stopped me from getting the Alcazar right away. The features etc don't matter a lot unless the car is safe. XUV 700 earns my points and trust here.

6. Looks - exterior looks have very little significance for me, its the interiors that matter. And Alcazar has nice interiors too, not saying XUV's interior is worse, but Alcazar is not that bad too. I can imagine I can drive both for my day long travels and not get bored with the interiors.

7. Ride quality - after the Ecosport and 17 inchers, I want that S-O-F-T suspension back in my life please! I will not drive fast and go easy around curves but would love if the car does not toss me around on the umpteen bumps and bad patches both on highways and in the city. Had MG Hector been available with a diesel auto, that would have been my default choice just for the ride quality. I believe both would fare better here but after TD, I was more comfortable in the Alcazar, just my point of view.

The XUV 700 tugs at my heart but Alcazar jolts my brain. Having already listened to my heart with the Ecosport, I would like to listen to my head this time around. The price difference of nearly 5 lakhs plus lower maintenance, fuel and insurance costs are inclining me towards the Alcazar. Lets see in the battle of the mind vs heart who wins. Till now its 1-0 in the favor of the mind.

[vivekkp]

Kia Carens for me.

The practicality and comfort it offers to all the 3 rows of passengers is of immense importance to me

Originally Posted by Asoon

- Kia Carens - Why is it featuring here ? not part of the league, in-fact I would pick Ertiga over Carens

Why shouldn't it be?

[rakesh_r]

If I had the option to vote for two, it would be the Crysta and the Scorpio N

I would pick the Innova for:
1- If i want to keep a car for more that a decade (Looking at the current prices, makes sense to use the car for full 15 years)
2- Fill it, shut it, forget it
3- Toyota's service is much more organised and streamlined.
4- Comfortable highway cruiser
5- Comfortable for senior citizens
6- Third row seats are comfortable as compared to the Scorpio N, also gets AC vents.

I would pick the Scorpio N:
1- A rugged BOF 4x4
2- To tackle bad roads (have Spiti, Zanskaar, Leh in my wishlist)
3- I would have picked the Z4 if it had come with 4x4 with AT.
4- Aftersales support, but cant compare with Toyota

My head says, go for the Toyota, heart says a 4x4 with AT, hence the ScorpioN.

[Vtach]

XUV 700.
For the AWD it offers in a monocoque format. Can't bear the jiggliness in the second row of the ladder frame Scorpio. Had the Harrier been offered with a 4X4/AWD or even a RWD it would've been my top choice. The form factor, size, execution of design elements is much more cohesive in the Tata but the XUV trumps it in the hardware. The extra 100 Nm is icing on the cake.

[msarunms1987]

Innova Crysta, it is - In my opinion:

• It is a Body on Frame car which is rugged and can take abuse, unlike most other contenders which are monocoques and may not be as rugged as the Innova (barring ScorpioN).

• It is a practical 7/8 seater which can very-comfortably seat 4-5 adults in the first two rows and "2-3 medium sized adults or kids" in the third row. For enthusiasts who are also furry friends, the 3rd row is best for their friends! - The 3rd row has AC vents.

• Heck, there is also a decent amount of boot space even with all 3 rows up! unlike almost all other contenders who barely have any space left with all 3 rows up.

• The sliding 2nd row seats make it even practical for using the 3rd row.

• RWD will any day take you a bit more farther than where a FWD can take you (XUV AWD may perhaps be an exception here - but I don't know). I couldn't let any of the fancy traction control systems change my opinion about this! I once moved from FWD to RWD and just haven't been able to look back.

• Seating Space - I can confidently say that Innova Crysta has the most seating space among all the contenders

• Reliability - No comments needed here

• Ground Clearance - Although the FWD Crossovers from the list claim a GC of over 178mm that the Crysta has, I am sure, the Crysta's laden GC can not be beaten by any of them

Yes, it misses out on fancy features like sunroof, wireless charging, larger alloy-wheels (these are of-course, functional too) and probably even might lose some points on ride-quality (comparing monocoques and their soft suspensions here - body roll, so what?), but I feel, its a more practical and capable car.

Not to miss, ScorpioN did not buy me out in spite of being a RWD (and even 4X4) BoF butch SUV - as I had already driven a 2010 Scorpio SLE and knew what to look for. I was sure it didn't have the boot space I wanted and the 3rd row AC vents.

I had checked out the Hyundai Alcazar, Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV700, Toyota Innova Crysta and Mahindra ScorpioN - in the same order mentioned.

I didn't even consider Kia Carens (I couldn't get in terms with its outlook) and MG Hector Plus (It had no Diesel AT 7 seater option).

And placed my booking for the Crysta GX AT. Bingo! - Another customer's loan got cancelled/rejected and the SA asked me if I would like to take the Avant Garde Bronze for immediate delivery.

Got it home just 3 days after booking and close to completing 1000 kms of it. Loving every bit of it!

[Lokesh Soni]

My vote goes to Scorpio, It Does What It Is Supposed To , better than the other listed. All other have their own USPs though.

[SoumenD]

Voted for XUV7OO.

If I am in market for a 20-30L car, XUV is a no-brainer really. A solid 5* GNCAP, has all the features I would ever need and more, very potent engines. At that price if going for a high GC car, I would go the whole hog & like an option of AWD(personal preference), thanks to uncertainty of our road conditions. That rules out Safari, Innova and MG.

Scorpio would have been my choice if 4WD was a requirement, but am not into off-roads at all, so the USP doesn't help me much. As a soft-roader XUV looks & feels plush.

Hyundai/Kia don't belong to this group IMO. Even if they did, I won't touch them with a bargepole till they bring in atleast 1 structurally stable car.

[raj_5004]

Both the Mahindras beating the king the segment (Innova) hands down, that's new!

I have voted for the Scorpio N. Reason is plain and simple - It's a Scorpio, nothing else will do.

The XUV is no doubt a much more superior vehicle, but very few vehicles lure my heart the way a Scorpio does. And the Scorpio N has uplifted that love several notches higher.

The Safari comes third in the race. The Hyundai and Toyota is not even under any consideration. Proud of our desi manufacturers!

[khanmaj]

Mahindra XUV700 is a modern and stylish urban SUV but none can match the reliability and the ease of ownership of Innova Crysta among the lot. It may not have the DNA of a real SUV but gets the job done.
Voted for Innova Crysta.

[Jaisalmeriya]

Although unable to vote as a newbie, but my vote and the booking amount have been to XUV7OO.

After spending months of sleepless nights considering my options (read that as "analysis paralysis"), with cars from Taigun, Carens etc. to the Thar, Scorpio N and Safari, I finally put my money down for the XUV. The gem of the powertrains (AT was a must), most of the features I needed, 7 seats (again a must), the budget, and my mental block to try and buy an Indian manufacturer (Mahindra or Tata), the XUV made for a strong case.

Closest second is the All Black Safari as IT IS the most "Mafia" looking car in my opinion and I somehow feel that dealing with the Mahindra ASS might be a tad better than Tata ASS given my experience so far overall.

[Aanchal Kaushik]

Anyday Innova Crysta, this car's maintenance is very nominal which I feel is a big plus, apart from that it easily sustains through its 15 year period.Tried and tested my self.My house is big on Toyota cars. I agree they tend to be a bit expensive than the competition but are super reliable.Whether you talk about difficult terrains or city run, there is no match for it.