[DicKy]

Originally Posted by managhatke77

I'm an avid traveller, and have driven across the himalayas multiple times. .....I'm on the look out for a good, safe and a reliable SUV. The car will mostly ferry my wife and I for our road trips, and will ocassionally take my parents to coorg or mangalore regions. (They have another hatchback for their daily use in the city)....I have the budget for a new Scorpio N AT or XUV 700 AT the top end, but my mind is simply refusing to spend 28 L+ on a depreciating asset which will only be used minially for long trips. (My work is fully remote). I foresee a big economic recession in 2023 and want to ensure that i have enough cash on hand to spot any good investing opportunities.......I am not interested in compact SUVs. ....Do I Yolo it and go for a Scorpio N or look for a Fortuner AT, Pajero AT or Hexa XTA in the pre-owned market?

The ScorpioN Z4 diesel auto is ~20 lakhs, and so is the XUV700 AX3 diesel auto for a couple of lakhs more. Why go for top variants? Any version of the Hycross would also suffice since you haven't mentioned FE as a criteria.

Or buy an old Fortuner for ~10 lakhs and invest in aftermarket suspension to take care of the ride.

YOLO and buying a ScorpioN (presumably to use it for 10+ years) is not a thing to worry, recession or not. You are not buying a 30 lakh European car to worry about.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Drive around in the ScorpioN or the XUV7OO - especially the AT versions for a good while and then try the City.

Sure they both are a bit far from a Sedan but give it a shot, see if that compromise is worth it.

How about a BOF vehicle with steering that is lighter than a Celerio or a Honda Brio? Yes!

I have an A pillar problem with City. Visibility is the issue and I find Safari / Scorpio or even the humble Wagon R far less stressful to drive. My cousin has owned various Hondas for almost 20 years now, and hence I have driven a lot of Hondas - City as well as Accord.

[Sandy Damodaran]

Originally Posted by managhatke77

Hi All,


I'm an avid traveller, and have driven across the himalayas multiple times.

I'm on the look out for a good, safe and a reliable SUV. The car will mostly ferry my wife and I for our road trips, and will ocassionally take my parents to coorg or mangalore regions. (They have another hatchback for their daily use in the city).

The dilemma:

I have the budget for a new Scorpio N AT or XUV 700 AT the top end, but my mind is simply refusing to spend 28 L+ on a depreciating asset which will only be used minially for long trips. (My work is fully remote). I foresee a big economic recession in 2023 and want to ensure that i have enough cash on hand to spot any good investing opportunities.

I am not interested in compact SUVs.

What do you recommend?

Do I Yolo it and go for a Scorpio N or look for a Fortuner AT, Pajero AT or Hexa XTA in the pre-owned market?

I was in a similar dilemma and finally got a Pajero Sport MT. After over 20K km over the year across the length of India, Couldn't be happier, Just cannot wrap my head around paying 25L+ for Tata/Mahindra and living with their inherent unreliability or paying 40L + for Fortuner. The peace which comes with a reliable car cannot be matched by gimmicks.

Go ahead with the pre owned route and get a Fortuner/Crysta. Given that this would be only for occasional use, you could look for a Pajero Sport AT as well.

[King CMR]

Originally Posted by managhatke77

Do I Yolo it and go for a Scorpio N or look for a Fortuner AT, Pajero AT or Hexa XTA in the pre-owned market?

I can completely resonate with your thoughts as i was in the same boat few months back. We got a Hexa XTA after lot of search/re-search in last Aug 2022. Getting hold of a Hexa with less odo is a challenge in Bangalore considering the 2nd hand pricey market here.

I agree with your dilemma on plonking 25+L on a Mahindra or a TATA even though you can afford it.

I would suggest to expand your requirement definition beyond "good, safe and reliable SUV" to really narrow down on a used 5 Seater or a 7 Seater SUV. There are multiple options from a used Tucson/Santa fe or a new Alcazar or XUV300 depending on your redefined requirement.

[vredesbyrd]

Just get a new Scorpio-N or a 2017+ Fortuner AT / 2016+ Crysta AT (more sensible options. You can sell them for 5-10% profit after 5 years) and YOLO it!

If you are indeed worried about reliability, then a used Toyota it is.
Life is too short to drive FWD crossovers when you have better options in your budget.

[Comrade]

Wait for 2023 Maruti Jimny. Small and frugal, and can take two people (and their luggage) to either Coorg or Himalayas.