[naikameya]

It might be difficult if you consider you are replacing BMW with a Hyundai. Else I will recommend going for Tucson.

It is not very low on efficiency. In stop-and-go traffic and a very short distance of 8 km daily, I get 9kmpl. Long road trips with a mix of expressways and poor roads have given me an average of 17kmpl with a little aggressive driving. On a recent trip from Hyderabad to Hampi and back, I got 15+kmpl for pedal-to-metal kind of driving. I have read on TBhp that people have got better efficiency than this. I have also extracted 20+kmpl on a stretch of 45 km non-expressway road.

If you are okay with driving an unpopular car, Tucson is best; nobody knows it. People call it Creta, and I just smile.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by ron178

About the new car: Pretty much narrowed down to the Tucson and Hycross. The Tucson seems like a better choice to replace the F30 with because it quite a bit more premium-feeling than the Hycross. The only thing making me from making a clear-cut recommendation for the Tucson is the ~4kmpl drop in fuel economy. Whether that is worth the rest the Tucson has to offer is quite a hard, subjective, head vs heart decision.

Then when we sell the Fortuner a few years down the line our garage would be Polo, Octavia, Tiguan. I will leave it to you to figure out what could go wrong with that.

1. I wouldn't be worried about the Tucson FE. For highway driving and the like that this car would see - the FE should be on par with / better than the 320D & Fortuner.
Yes, it would be lower than the Innova Hybrid - especially in the city, but then you're also getting a much nicer car.
The Innova with it's more utilitarian interiors, fewer features, etc. could be harder to convince the family when it comes to the fee; good factor; especially once the Suzuki Invictus starts making it's presence felt on the roads.

2. I would assume when you sell the Fortuner, you would buy a replacement at that time as well - hence suggested the Q3 / Tiguan / Kodiaq.

Just for understanding since you mentioned the 3 is giving issues, etc. - how much has it run, what troubles are there, how far are you from Mumbai?
Reason being the F30 in general is a fairly reliable product, especially the 320D engine and transmission.
There are a few niggles and of course expensive wear and tear parts - but as is the case for Germans, you need to look outside the A.S.S for maintenance post warranty period.

Also, are you open to sedans since you're replacing the 3 & not the Fortuner? And if so, what would the criterion be for a new sedan? Would something like the Camry Hybrid qualify?

[aseem23]

Originally Posted by ron178

Thanks so much everyone for the myriad of advice. Have been reading your replies as they come but could not reply in time because I was otherwise engaged; sorry about that.

About the new car: Pretty much narrowed down to the Tucson and Hycross. The Tucson seems like a better choice to replace the F30 with because it quite a bit more premium-feeling than the Hycross. The only thing making me from making a clear-cut recommendation for the Tucson is the ~4kmpl drop in fuel economy. Whether that is worth the rest the Tucson has to offer is quite a hard, subjective, head vs heart decision.

Thanks again everyone and I apologise if I haven't acknowledged your help or messed up some of the quote tags. Will look at everything in greater detail over the weekend.

Ron, I mainly drive my Tucson in the City, which gives me an average of 11 km/l. On highway runs, you will easily extract around 16-17 Km/l, even more, provided you drive at an average speed of 90-100, and TP is maintained at 33psi.

Yesterday, I went on a short evening ride. Speed was around 85km/hr, Eco drive mode, and I got an average of 19.8 km/l. I am sure if I had gone for a longer drive, then the fuel economy would have been a bit higher. Attached is a screenshot for reference.

[ron178]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Just for understanding since you mentioned the 3 is giving issues, etc. - how much has it run, what troubles are there, how far are you from Mumbai?
Reason being the F30 in general is a fairly reliable product, especially the 320D engine and transmission.
There are a few niggles and of course expensive wear and tear parts - but as is the case for Germans, you need to look outside the A.S.S for maintenance post warranty period.

Also, are you open to sedans since you're replacing the 3 & not the Fortuner? And if so, what would the criterion be for a new sedan? Would something like the Camry Hybrid qualify?

Will let you know the mileage on the weekend when I visit home, but yes, I believe it has run a lot. Reliability is along the lines of what you would expect with any German and by that standard it is not particularly problematic. But we are used to keeping our cars longer with much less trouble and lower running cost (including scheduled maintenance).

We’re not looking for a sedan at the moment but we might when the time comes to sell the Octavia (no plans yet but let’s see what the DSG has to say). My father has always loved the Camry but it is not what we’re looking for right now and also well beyond our budget. The SUV form factor is high on the priority list this time.

Originally Posted by aseem23

Attached is a screenshot for reference.

Wow that is very reassuring. Is yours an AWD or a 2WD?

[heydj]

I would recommend Tucson over Hycross for few reasons:
- Tucson Diesel is one of the best driving diesel suv in it's segment and even few segments above. Hycross is no where near to that fun factor
- Tucson is not from taxi family unlike Innova Hycross.

I myself own Tucson Diesel bought few months back and can safely say within SUV segment I couldn't find anything better to drive / reliable in that budget.

[aseem23]

Originally Posted by ron178

Will let you know the mileage on the weekend when I visit home, but yes, I believe it has run a lot. Reliability is along the lines of what you would expect with any German and by that standard it is not particularly problematic. But we are used to keeping our cars longer with much less trouble and lower running cost (including scheduled maintenance).

We’re not looking for a sedan at the moment but we might when the time comes to sell the Octavia (no plans yet but let’s see what the DSG has to say). My father has always loved the Camry but it is not what we’re looking for right now and also well beyond our budget. The SUV form factor is high on the priority list this time.

Wow that is very reassuring. Is yours an AWD or a 2WD?

Yes, mine is top model AWD

[Sandeep M]

Hi ron, my family owns the Tucson and I'm sharing some of my experiences here.

There is no way we are getting a Hyundai" - sister, c. yesterday

Just so you know, our previous car was GLC 220d. It wasn't a head over hearts decision. You could say it's both synced in one mix. If we wanted to replace our GLC with another German, we need to shell out 1cr+ while Tucson was able to deliver 90% of their experiences at a fraction of their cost.

I will be frank with you. It will be hard to get over the brand downgrade and will take some time to get used to. Even after 1 month of ownership, I still had thoughts about this, but once I get behind the wheel or even while riding a shotgun, I just forget about these automatically and enjoy the vehicle. It is simply the brain and the general notion that is tricking us.

Now, coming to your requirements, Tucson is the only vehicle that comes to my mind when considering your budget and requirements, reasons being:

it should preferably have only two rows and comfortably seat up to five, although we are willing to make an exception for a third row if the car is otherwise good enough.

You prefer two rows of seats and 5 people can easily be comfortable in the vehicle. Being the LWB version, the rear space is humongous and there is also no floor hump like we see in Germans. Since the rear seat is reclinable, the family will be comfortable for long journeys.

the car should be reliable and easy on the pocket in the long term - we already had a bad experience with the F30 and will still be left with an Octavia with the DQ200, so we don't want to take more risks.

Since it's a Hyundai, it's reliable and maintenance is also lesser and they are offering 3 years of free service (only labour charges are excluded I think).

should drive well. Not talking track-worthy levels, but my parents' daily drives have been 170+ hp sedans, this should not be much of a downgrade.

Since your family have already driven the vehicle, I think they already know how awesome that engine + transmission combo is. Not to mention the awesome suspension setup which absorbs every potholes like a champ.

Now, I will list out the negatives I have experienced.

1. No rear sunblinds
2. We liked how GLC automatically applies the handbrake when we open the door, but Tucson misses out on this.
3. Rear passengers can't operate their climate control.
4. The back indicators are placed on the car bumper. I'm always anxious whenever I'm making turns thinking others behind me wouldn't be able to see it.
5. This only applies to the top trim, but everytime we turn off the car, Forward collision system(ADAS feature) always gets enabled and we always need to turn it off every time. This ADAS feature is not viable for Indian roads.
6. If you are an heavy audiophile, the audio system might not live upto your expectation. But I do like it since our GLC had an average audio system.

So, all I can say is that ask your family to take an extended test drive of Tucson and any other vehicle you have shortlisted and come up to a conclusion. Hope my points have helped you.

[cefiljoseph]

The only replacement I can think for a fortuner is another fortuner. Maybe a newer one like the facelift of the next generation.

Tuscon, while a good product form Hyundai, can't match a good old fortuner in the engineering and build quality. Moreover, electrics can also be considered. ZS EV an if you can stretch Ionic 5 are excellent options.

[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by ron178

-petrol not available for test drive and reviews claim mediocre performance

I got a Tucson Signature Petrol last month. If you are looking for a spirited drive then its not for you.

Personally I was looking for a comfortable ride & premium feel in a SUV & Tucson provides that. The petrol engine is very smooth, insulation against noise is really good in the car & at times it doesn't even feel the engine is running. The interiors are plush & the ride quality is quite good.

Before booking the car, I test drove top models of both petrol & diesel variants. I wanted a petrol one but I found the diesel one to be rather good as well. I took the Tucson last weekend to the mountains in Uttarakhand and had no issues going up or coming down. The ride was smooth & comfortable.

And if I want a little pep in the drive then the sport mode suffices. I don't need a SUV to race.

I'm not sure what the people look for in a comfortable SUV's engine when they call Tucson's petrol engine mediocre but I'd suggest you grab a test drive on one & make up your own decision whether its something for you or not.

Originally Posted by Sandeep M

We liked how GLC automatically applies the handbrake when we open the door, but Tucson misses out on this.

It has auto-hold feature. You can enable that & whenever you press the brake pedal for a couple of seconds, the brake would be applied automatically for you so you could lift your foot off the brake pedal.

[Clown Prince]

Just go for base Fortuner. No matter how barebones it is, Nothing can provide you a badge value equal to it.
Otherwise Hycross it is from your list. Tucson is a really good option along with Gloster and Kodiaq. But nothing rules above Fortuner in terms of respect and value.

[ADM]

You can consider MG Gloster. It's a BIG car, has all modern tech + features & should fit your 35L budget.

For an out-and-out premium feel, nothing can beat Hyundai Tucson. I love its styling & looks. It has ample space for 5 & the interiors are at par with any luxury car. Also, since it's a CKD car, you would get the global standard car in India & globally; Tucson has been a hot seller.

But the Jeep Compass/Meridian can be considered if you want a badge. I feel it charges too much for its badge, but some people find the JEEP brand aspiring, so you can decide that for yourself.

[m8002?]

Originally Posted by amitgupta

I got a Tucson Signature Petrol last month. If you are looking for a spirited drive then its not for you.

Whats the city and highway mileage of the Tuscon?

[amitgupta]

Originally Posted by m8002?

Whats the city and highway mileage of the Tuscon?

I'm getting 7-10 kmpl in Delhi traffic.

I took a trip recently towards Jim Corbett & got 12-14 kmpl on the highway.

Mine is petrol & I always run with AC on & I don't have any sunfilm on the windshield.

[ron178]

Thanks everyone for the responses. Am currently busy with some exams but hopefully after that we will be in the middle of intense decision-making. If/when that happens I will surely keep everyone posted.

[mgastor2022grey]

Would suggest you to take a look at the new Safari. Fills all the needs you have mentioned.

It is packed with a punch, looks extremely premium inside-out, has that extra third row, beautiful diesel engine which is rev-friendly, torque converter gearbox which is responsive and aggressive.

It also gets some extra features that makes it a 'premium' car like ADAS, 9 speaker JBL system, ventilated seats for first and second row, and the real 'sports' mode.

The only downer is the reliability and the cost, which many owners have mentioned. The cost of the XZA+(O) 6S is around 30 lakhs on-road in Chennai.

But trust me, it is the car if you are looking for long drives and bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Hope this helps you @ron178!