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-   -   Which 7-seater MPV / SUV for family usage? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/suvs-muvs-4x4s/270181-7-seater-mpv-suv-family-usage-2.html)

I would strongly suggest for Hycross VX or Kia Carens.

I was in a similar dilemma last year. If budget is not am issue then the Hycross is the best option.
XUV700 and Safari are a bit of a hit or miss. I have come across threads where owners with two XUV700 is delighted with one but is having major issues with the second one.
Alcazar is a good option in terms of looks and interiors are quite premium feel.
Carens is an absolute VFM product when compared to the Alcazar.
You can try two more option:
MG Hector Plus. The only downer is the engine with auto gearbox is very thirsty.
Mahindra Scorpio - a good friend has been living with one for some time and he is quite happy with it.

Thanks! I share your opinion as well about all points on Carens and Alcazar. Basically I want one car to do it all, e.g. don’t have to think twice before taking out for errands, office run and highway trips alike. Won’t need a big third row.

But I love the feel of Safari :( Will evaluate the petrol engine on price and variants, if it comes in time.

The Alcazar is a great car. The only doubt is safety, though according to me it feels better put together than the Creta and I strongly believe that it should score better than Creta in the crash tests if they ever happen. Moving from a polo to a safari/xuv700, you might take some time getting used to their huge dimensions.

Innova Hycross is a great option too.

From the grapevine seems like Safari/Harrier will be coming with a turbo charged 1.5 ltr engine which will have 150 ps of power and 280 nm of torque. I don’t think Tata currently has a 2 ltr petrol engine.

For a heavy car like Safari I don’t think you will be either getting a good mileage or will be having fun with it.

For instance I own a Harrier which has 170 ps power and 350 nm of torque. The mileage I get in heavy traffic in Pune is 9-11 km/ltr. So you can guess the mileage figures for a petrol engine in the same car.

Also Be cautious while opting for M-Stallion engine with XUV 700. The engine is smooth , silent and super fun but mileage takes a dip. I have a Thar Petrol AT and it gives a mileage of 8 - 8.5 km/ltr in city.

Even if you were to Consider MG Hector petrol it isn’t the most frugal out there.

A big Crossover/SUV with a petrol engine will always be heavy on the pocket no matter how you look at it.

I would recommend going ahead with Innova Hycross. It will make you stretch your budget a bit but should be more economical than other petrol options.

On safety front iirc Ertiga/XL6 performed better than Kia and Hyundai.

To sum it up :

Mileage isn’t a concern : XUV 700
Mileage is a concern : Innova Hycross.

I own the Safari 2.0 and while it ticks all the boxes you've mentioned, I feel it won't do justice when you're going full load. I've got the 6S variant and we ply 4 people with luggage comfortably. If you pick the 7S variant, I'd say it'd be a tight squeeze for 5 people when you add that child seat. Otherwise, it's a solid car, relatively niggle free compared to the early days.

If the Nexon facelift and spy shots are to be considered as a starting point, here's what you might miss when the Safari facelift arrives.

• Fully digital instrument cluster compared to the smaller one in the current version

• New illuminated steering

• New gear lever, stubby shift stick

• Probably a new interior color as the red was a hit

Mechanically, you might get a new petrol engine and EPS with ADAS (very speculative). But with the sheer size and weight class of Safari, it'd only make sense to go with a Diesel.

As others have pointed out, do look at the Hycross. It's a well-packaged car for its price. I'm still not happy with where the XUV is given that most of the competition has already caught up in terms of features.

I'd pick the Harrier over the Alcazar if it comes to it.

Hope this helps.

As many users have suggested here, in your budget XUV700 comes the closest to your requirements but consumes fuel heavily. If you can increase your budget to 33L-35L, you will have everything and a future friendly vehicle.

I do not recommend the Safari Petrol because its new and a couple of my friends are already facing issues with their clutch pedals in their Diesel Harriers and Safaris.

I do not recommend the Carens and Alcazar because they are not fun to drive and they are not safe either.

I have Carens Prestige - 2nd variant from bottom. Please think it's the top variant! I added good quality leatherette seat covers in creme color, they make the interiors stand out.

It has

- 6 airbags
- Hill start assist
- Hill descent control
- Wireless android auto and apple carplay
- rear camera
- front parking sensor
- TPMS
- Auto headlamps
- AC and USB ports for all 3 rows

All for just 12 lakh on road, the price for a top end hatch.

Take a test drive of XUV 700. I recently had a nice SA experience with PPS Mahindra in HBR layout, but their test drive vehicle was old and not serviced. Be sure to try other dealers as well.

Top model petrol goes for 29.something OTR in Karnataka. It has automatic. It's the most powerful of the bunch you've shortlisted and most feature loaded as well. Ventilated seats were a big requirement for me, but I think XUV 700 has quite a powerful AC.

Also, waiting times aren't that scary now. You should get a car easily before your March deadline.

Try out the Hycross. It's a little expensive, and the wait is a little long, but it is way better than all the cars you've shortlisted, with decent space, reliability and features.

Out of the cars you've shortlisted, the best option will be the XUV700, but beware occational niggles and problems.

Safari is out for 2 reasons
1. No petrol (Even if the upcoming facelift is launched with petrol engine, it will also come with enough niggles/issues.)
2. Reliability - Out of the options that you've mentioned, Safari will be the least reliable.

If you can extend you budget (which I recommend you do), you should go for Hycross without any second thought. Your mental barrier about the image is true for Innova Crysta. But Hycross is totally a different car. Why should you extend your budget - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buyin...to-longer.html

The other options would be XUV700 petrol auto, Alcazar/Carens petrol DCT where in terms of product per se, Hyundai/Kia is more reliable and far greater value. 700 comes with TC transmission which is any day better than a DCT in terms of reliability. So if it is DCT, you should go with the longest warranty possible. And of course, 700 is much safer and more spacious than Carens/Alcazar.

Hi everyone,

I have been on a similar search and in the phase where I am still reviewing all options before taking the test drives.

Requirements:
A great handling and comfortable vehicle which has good ingress/egress. Dad and mom have been having issues lately getting in and out of our 10 year old humble Xcent.

I have a yearly run of around 10-15k kms hence not particular about diesel or petrol. Never had diesel cars before so some advise on costs overall would be helpful.

We are a family of 4 adults and a 8 year old. All of us are healthy(read obese) and comfortable seats and ride quality are very important. 400+ kgs in weight is what the car would have to bear and ground clearance/good suspension is important for us.

Since we would like to keep the car for atleast 10 years, I would want a reliable, safe, good ASS car preferably a 7 seater would adjust with a good 5 seater too.

I love the feel of manual and just thoroughly enjoy it, so would prefer a manual car. This means I have to lose out on a feature rich car, perfectly ok with it. Definitely don't want a sunroof but if that's what leads to a good machine, will live with it.

Budget: 22 lacs on road (not more than that)

Cars on the radar: Carens, Alcazar, XUV700, MG Astor (vfm angle).

Am I looking at the right set of vehicles?

Since you are open to MG (and it is a decent enough brand by now), check out the Hector Plus. It may lack on features but is very spacious and comes with good engines and MT gearbox.

Should be in your budget after deals and exchange for sure.

Check for BH registration, if eligible.

The car is very spacious and Diesel will be economical to run. Petrol suffers from low FE but otherwise not much difference between the two.

I found the Carens to be less spacious for 2nd and 3rd row seats. Not that Hector Plus is great for 3rd row, the 1st and 2nd rows in Hector Plus are very good. Carens scores on features however. I am sure Alcazar will too. For being a Hyundai customer, if you do manage to get a good exchange value/deal for your Xcent - go ahead with the Hyundai.

Hi, I did end up doing test drives for all cars Hyundai Alcazar, Mahindra XUV700 and Kia Carens. I liked how the XUV700 drove but the others felt very off from a driver's and passenger's perspective. We were driving back from the Mahindra showroom where we noticed the toyota showroom and ended up looking at Innova crysta and hycross. The prices being on the higher side put me off but I couldn't stop thinking about how the hycross and finally ended up taking the test drive. What a hoot to drive, really loved the experience and family loved it for the space. Not for one second did I feel that I was driving a car that size. I ended up booking the GX(O) variant. Hopefully the stretch is worth it longer term. Thank you for all the advise. Truly appreciate it.