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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.html)

Hi All,

I am in search of a new car for my (soon to be +1) family. Appreaciate all help from forum members.

Current drive:

I drive a humble 1.2 2015 polo petrol which has a mediocre engine. Bought it pre-owned in 2018 and is going strong 5.5 years later. Although it fulfills most of my current needs and is rock solid and well maintained, it has very low back seat space.

Why a new car:

• Need for space. Should accommodate a child seat + occasional family gang of 4-5 Adults plus luggage.
• No Child seat anchors in current car.
• I'm done with driving a boring and noisy engine (Polo 3-cyl is loud and harsh and unsuitable for an otherwise great car). Need something decently powerful.
• Growing concern of E20 fuel and falling price of polo in market soon.
• I'm a big supporter of used vehicles and most of mine are used, but this time is different. Parents are strictly against used vehicles, and somewhere I want a new car this time too (Although I'm still uncomfortable paying so much of bull** tax and charges). So new it has to be.

Requirements:

• A 7 seater
• 4 Cylinder. I'm not buying a 3 anytime soon.
• Decently powerful. Though I feel anything will feel better coming from polo 1.2
• Petrol. Automatic. My running is comparatively low. Also no EV and AMTs.
• Decently safe. Anything above 3-4 stars is fine.
• Budget: Preferably within 28Lacs on road(Bengaluru).
• Ventilated seats :) My sweaty back needs it.
• I don't need gimmicky features, can drive with minimal electronics.
• Not in a hurry, need the car by March next year.

Shortlists:

• Hyundai Alcazar: I love how comfortable Hyundais are and they are market leaders in providing lot of features. Looks and feels premium.

+ 360 Camera. I will need it moving from small hatch to big car.
+ Ventilated seats.
+ at 158HP, engine is decent.
+ Top end is 26 Lac on road.

- DCT Don't know how reliable it is.
- Safety is not known.
- Facelift launch time is unknown.

• Tata Safari(Facelift): I love it and if it was available in Petrol, would have considered it. However, I'm hearing that upcoming launch has Petrol engines.
  
  + 360 Camera and ADAS. I will need 360 camera moving from small hatch to big car. Not a fan of ADAS.
  + Ventilated seats.
  + Engine is nice. Have driven friend's diesel.
  + BIG and commanding stance. Don't want to be bullied on roads anymore.
  + Safe
  
  - Don't know if upcoming petrol will have TC gearbox.
  - TATA's service.
  - Price for top end has already breached 31-32L. Facelift will be more expensive.
  - Facelift launch time is unknown.
• XUV 700: Loved this one since its launch. Looks and feels premium.
  + Drive feel is closer to a car than a SUV.
  + Engine is very powerful.
  + Safe
  
  - Price is out of range(Same as Safari).
  - Ventilated seats.
  - Waiting time ?
  - Service is hit or miss.
  
  
  Please help me out here if you can. Thanks in advance for all help.

Make sure you take a long test drive with all the family members . None of the cars that you shortlisted would satisfy your requirement of a full time 7 seater and space for your luggage.

3rd row seats are typically congested and are good for kids or short drives. IMHO better 3rd row space would be Safari > Alacazar >700. Luggage space is minimal when you utilize all the seat space.

Best of luck in you search.

Since you need a car by March next year, please include the HyCross VX Hybrid on your shortlist as well!

It’s over 30L OTR but well worth it!

I think you should also have a look at the Kia Carens that's selling better than Alcazar and is more VFM and has better space on the inside too. Power Trains are the same as Hyundai.

Would suggest the XUV700 based on your requirements, if the budget makes sense. Heck you could safely go for a used once and restrict the budget.

If you are looking for something less expensive, why not the Toyota version of Ertiga? maybe wait for b-NCAP results to be released.

I would suggest you to check out the Kia Carens and take a test drive. It is one of the best 7 seater cars in terms of space utilization (including boot space), interior quality and high on VFM factor.

If you are going for Petrol, do a little math on excel sheet and decide whether you want to go for full hybrid like toyota hyryder or toyota innova hycross. Most hybrids and EV's need high number of kms per month to justify the extra cost and hastle.

If you want 7 seater and going for non hybrid petrol version you need to go for lighter vehicles with less power like Kia Carens and Alcazar, thus ensuring pocket friendly fuel consumption figures.

If you dont bother about fuel consumption , eyes closed go for XUV 700 petrol, no other car comes close to the feel, power and features. I recently bought a XUV 700 Diesel automatic AWD and can talk from my own experience as Petrol XUV 700 has better driveability than diesel, the only downside is 4.5 to 5.5 kmpl on Mumbai traffic infested roads.
Consider:-
Innova hycross non hybrid for space and reliability.

XUV700 for fun to drive, features, good suspension and steering and space too.

Kia Carens for a mixture of above with less space but good interiors.

A word of caution- Do not opt for DCT transmission irrespective of the company which manufacturers it, all are plagued with problems sooner or later.

My preference a old school torque converter transmission and second CVT.
IMT is also good considering that there is no clutch and shifting gears is not a big hastle.

Regarding Carens, I once sat in a top model driven by my friend, and felt like it was bare bones even though it was top end (Possibly because of space and airiness it provides?)

Thanks for suggestions about carens, will take a test drive with open mind.

Thanks. I normally wouldn't worry about FE but 5-6 is a tad too low. I can manage with 8-10 within city limits because my polo doesn't go past 11 as well :) I will consult my friend about his 700's economy as he lives nearby and has a driving pattern similar to mine. I'll live with 7-9kmpl if I'm getting such insane power :)

About Innova, it is a psychological barrier for me more because of it's boxy nature and a taxi image (with all due respect to owners - it's just my mindset.) I would think 10 times before taking it for errands. So it's out of my consideration.

I can see you have a healthy budget and don't worry about mileage but still I would suggest you check out Suzuki XL6 Alpha plus or Toyota Rumion which has a 6 speed TC transmission and ticks most of the boxes.

Both Alcazar or Carens are good based on your liking and a notch above XL6.

Top choice would be Toyota Hycross. I cannot think of a better choice than this in all aspects.

Note: I have deliberately not suggested Safari or XUV700 which I feel fails in terms of after sales services and quality checks in comparison with its peers.

Drive all of them and do let us know experience. Good luck.

If you need a comfortable 7 seater, there is only 1 option to consider, its the Innova Hycross, the higher sticker will be offset by good resale and by being cheaper to maintain in the long run. Do drive it before you rule it out.

Besides the Innova, Ertiga, XL6, Rumion and Carens are decent options, however safety rating may be a bit of a concern with these, Tata Safari is a nice addition to your shortlist, it has decent space for all 7/6 depending on the variant you chose, only issue with Safari is that there is no space left for luggage with all seats up.

XUV7OO and Alcazar have a cramped last row and are not ideal 7 seaters when you plan to carry a kid with a child seat and 4-5 adults.

Good luck with the hunt:thumbs up

Looking at your requirements, I would recommend either go for:
XUV700 AX7:
It is one gem of a car with excellent driving dynamics and it covers all the features you need and it might be in your budget too. You will miss out on ADAS and 360 cam but rest everything is covered. It has bulletproof safety and Mahindra has upgraded it's ASS quality.
Only downside is low FE ,but if you drive with a light foot you might get acceptable figures.

Hyundai Alcazar:
It is VFM in my opinion, you get all the features, plus the 1.5 turbo gives better fuel efficiency. Its cabin is one of the best in the category and it comes with trusted Hyundai Badge and ASS.
Only safety is a gripe since I guess it would get 3 star, same as Creta, but it comes well within your budget and it would be a great choice. DCTs do have some heating issues but they are being sorted out so they are becoming more reliable and popular.

Kia Carens:
It is an out of box choice. Safety is not as good but it is certainly a good VFM product. Really good cabin, usable three rows and ASS is also good.

Tata Safari is a brilliant car bogged down by Tata's incompetent ASS and QC. Even after so many years of its launch they have not been able to iron out their issues and niggles. The facelifted Nexon reviewed by Team-BHP had niggles and issues too, so I would refrain from them. I love the Tata Harrier but I would prefer to have a peaceful and fuss free ownership experience.

Will make it short and will give you advice based on the 2 cars I own, i.e., putting money where your mouth is. :)

1) Kia Carens top variant 1.5 Turbo Petrol DCT - it checks all your boxes.

• CHEAP, excellent ride, feature rich, not super "safe", enough space for 4-5 with tons of luggage, or around 6 with 'weekend' luggage, a very no-nonsense car.

2) Toyota Innova Hycross Hybrid VX - it doesn't have ventilated seats, nor gimmicky features and will be a bit more expensive.

• NOT cheap, best-in-class space (especially with the 8-seater middle bench seat), powerful hybrid, comfortable ride, misses out on ventilated seats and materials are not great especially in the VX trim.

PS - disclaimer - I own different variants of these, Carens Diesel Auto and Hycross ZX.

I'm in the same boat as you are and my choices are very similar.

I love the Alcazar. The interiors are great and the pano sunroof adds to the airyness of the cabin. In my humble opinion, 160bhp for Alcazar is great, likely has a power to weight ratio of 100 bhp per ton. Also, it feels more SUVish that MPVish.

Utility wise, Carens beats Alcazar. But sadly, the interiors are not as polished. No pano sunroof and the boot is flimsy. It also looks MPVish. Add to the fact that Kia's service quality and reach is not half as good as Hyundai.

I'm confused as hell. But I'll likely go with Alcazar as I don't need a 7 seater for daily drives. I'm OK with the cramped 3rd row as I only need it sparsely for those big friends and family road trips.

Xuv 700 and Safari are a strict no go because I prefer peace of mind over everything else. And my Freestyle has spoilt me with a niggle free experience.

Well! I suggest you go for the Alcazar DCT Signature variant.

Initially, I had booked Carens, but after a test drive of Alcazar, and comparing the engine (which is of course the same), I decided to go for the Alcazar DCT Signature variant (6Seater).

The 7-seater version felt too claustrophobic.

Trust me, you will not regret your decision. Sports mode is bliss on the highways and hills when you need that extra punch to overtake.

Would have suggested Safari, however, the petrol engine (top model) if launched would be out of budget and the unreliable service support is a big no for Tata.