[anupmathur]

Abhi, if I hear you right, all I can say is: Get the Innova.
You and the lady will come to love it and be alive & kicking to keep cherishing it.

The dangers of going turtle are the same in almost all the SUVs with the Innova giving you a good advantage. And, it's the only one that handles almost like a car/sedan. To say nothing about Toyota reliability and longevity being benchmarks in the industry!

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

I do not think this is a matter of physique, but somehow the cushion support in Tavera and Bench like seat seems to be culprit to me. I know a guy who extra cushioned the Tavera seats and seating was very much different indeed (in +ve manner)

The higher end Tavera's come with captain chairs for the second row but I have never found them to be as generous or comfortable as Innova.

[hrag]

I have no idea how tall you are but make sure you are comfortable in the driver's seat and rear seat for extended periods (if possible). Whatever you decide to buy.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by abhi182

Having driven an Innova on a long road trip, I understand the limitations with SUVs in such scenarios, but I have personally seen two Scorpios flip over under similar circumstances (no flaming from the Scorpio lovers plz, I am just recounting what I have seen in person..Was it attributable to driver error, maybe..but I am absolutely not taking any chances on that front

I do not intend to driver at speeds over 110, max 120 ..that too on perfect tarmac highways with full straight line visibility... I usually maintain a steady 90-100 on our highways , Although I intend to test the Safari's high speed braking capability on the (hopefully) final TD this weekend, I'd love to hear a non biased opinion on this

b) I understand Safaris tend to have teething problems, and I am willing to take a chance on that as long as it involves non -critical failures.. I can live with AC fuse failures or brakelight burnouts, but a critical failure on this highway is a possibility that scares the $hit out of me...

Do not worry, no SCORPIO owners will attack you for voicing out your opinion about the scorpio, even if its criticism. we respect every individual's opinions.

the scorpio mhawk comes with ABS, so do not worry, its braking is quite stable. but the scorpio dives a bit under hard braking though it does not flip or leave its path until the driver does something foolish.

although i have never experienced this, i have read that safaris fishtail under hard braking. i dont face this problem in my safari though.

secondly, the safari's gearbox & engine are relatively trouble free. at the most, you can expect electrical issues or some sensor problems. so getting stuck on a highway seems unlikely. however, as i said before, every safari is unique. some safaris do suffer from suspension & engine issues.

dont know why, i feel you should go for the innova. if you plan to do so & since braking is your concern, please opt for the 'VX' variant with ABS. a innova without ABS has poor braking.

[ashthedivx]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

The higher end Tavera's come with captain chairs for the second row but I have never found them to be as generous or comfortable as Innova.

Thats what is said they lack proper cushioning and being designed as bench setup it always perform poor no matter weather it captain or straight seat.

[abhi182]

Given up my quest for now :(
Unfortunately, none of the vehicles within my budget seem to fit my needs except the perhaps the Innova

The Innova is a big NO from high command and even my heart isn't exactly jumping with joy at the prospect of buying one

Will continue to rent out self drive Innovas for long distance driving vacations for now till I can either up my budget or a better vehicle comes along

Also, I get to continue driving a maneuverable sedan in the city or for a Chennai-Bangalore/Pondicherry run
while get to use a sensible MUV for those long distance + bad road vacations

at 2 driving vacations for a week each a year, it works out substantially cheaper too (2500X7X2 = 35000 per year)

[tsk1979]

The scorpio is no more likely to flip over than the Safari. Both are SUVs and will not behave like cars.
If you are thinking of better vehicle to come along, there is the option of the Fortuner somewhere end of this year and price around 18L, which is endeavor territory.
If you are looking for a vehicle which has SUV feel. and costs less than 12L, for the next 5 years I do not see anything apart from Scorpio and Safari making the cut!

[abhi182]

let's see how it pans out..
I reached this conclusion after after a lot of thinking through though

i.e retain both the cars for now, use them for city/expressway driving

the limited vacation time can be done at a far cheaper cost via self drive rentals...
especially so coz the guy who serves our office gives us pretty neat deals

I was in a bit of a hurry since we are planning to do a week long drive through Kerala early next month, and wanted to have a UV for the trip
the fella here is giving me an endeavor this time at his usual Innova rate which should serve us just fine this time

[BurningHeart]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

If all you want is a comfortable highway cruiser with ability to take bad roads on a budget, I would advise you the MUVs i,e Sumo Grande/Xylo/Innova etc.,
You want to buy a 2WD vehicle, and if you want features like ABS etc., in your budget, I think Xylo can deliver all that.

ABS in Xylo!! When is that coming?

Originally Posted by abhi182

I was in a bit of a hurry since we are planning to do a week long drive through Kerala early next month, and wanted to have a UV for the trip
the fella here is giving me an endeavor this time at his usual Innova rate which should serve us just fine this time

That's pretty cool defense against the local KSRTC buses. Btw, has this guy got some operations in Bangalore?

BH.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by abhi182

the limited vacation time can be done at a far cheaper cost via self drive rentals...
especially so coz the guy who serves our office gives us pretty neat deals

You are a very lucky man indeed!
Self drive rentals are a no-no for us because of the additional charges that are always slapped on for damage/scratches etc.. caused to the car! They check it with a fine tooth comb while being returned!

[abhi182]

^^ Try Eco rent a car in delhi
We recently used their services, and I have nothing but praise for them

[Shyamtanu]

Taking a queue from Raj on this - "i have read that safaris fishtail under hard braking. i dont face this problem in my safari though."

Do you tink this can hapen because the very set up IMO is incorrect in ALL heavy cars in India i.e. Disk at the front, drums at the back. It is only normal that the rate of deceleration will be different and the rear wheels will have higher angular velocity than the front, since disk brakes slow down faster. Also, please note that the engine is the most heavier part of the vehicle, and what that will mean is, the weight distribution will make the car to gt a fishtail pattern under hard braking, IF the wheels are not perfectly in straight line.

This will happen not in cars and even in bikes, I have tried it myself in my old Fiero, which had very bad brakes IMO, and the entire weight was on rear wheel, it used to scare the $hit out of me, and I have had some accidents due to that. Tried the same in Fiero F2, it has better load distribution across the wheels, and it feel more stable for that reason.

I guess, car maker can seriously think of introducing disk brakes all around, albeit the price will shoot up a bit, I would not mind coughing up another 20k for that. I have noticed that even in UK and US, lots of cars have similar set up, cost cutting?? But expensive cars, bikes do have disks al around, e.g. Tuscon.

[d3adlythegame]

Well i am in a similar position, i need to decide between top model Safari VX and the new top model Scorpio.

If i am right, the top end Scorpio doesnt come with ABS + Airbags right ? Thats one and only point which is making me title towards the safari, any suggestions ? My range is around 12-14 Lakhs. Dont wanna get the Endy, and feel other Suvs in the same range arent worth the money.


I Already own the top model Scorpio and Safari LX, personally i prefer the drive of Scorpio and the comfort of Safari. Selling those two off, and will be getting one one of the above.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Shyamtanu

Taking a queue from Raj on this - "i have read that safaris fishtail under hard braking. i dont face this problem in my safari though."

Do you tink this can hapen because the very set up IMO is incorrect in ALL heavy cars in India i.e. Disk at the front, drums at the back. .

i dont think thats the reason. many heavy SUVs such as the scorpio, tavera & even the innova does not fishtail under hard braking.

Originally Posted by d3adlythegame

Well i am in a similar position, i need to decide between top model Safari VX and the new top model Scorpio.

If i am right, the top end Scorpio doesnt come with ABS + Airbags right ? Thats one and only point which is making me title towards the safari, any suggestions ? My range is around 12-14 Lakhs. Dont wanna get the Endy, and feel other Suvs in the same range arent worth the money.


I Already own the top model Scorpio and Safari LX, personally i prefer the drive of Scorpio and the comfort of Safari. Selling those two off, and will be getting one one of the above.

the top end scorpio does come with ABS but not airbags, a serious omission.
with the recent price cut of about a lakh, offering the mHawk engine even in the base model, nice face lift & electric ORVMs, i feel the scorpio is the way to go. (not that i used to think otherwise before the facelift too!) but now, since the scorpio is priced cheaper, has got better fetures, better drive comfort, lesser maintainence issues & most importantly, if you drive yourself.... i think it should be the scorpio VLX.

else, if passenger comfort & cabin space is your priority & the chauffer does the driving, it should be the safari for you.

since you already own a scorpio & safari, why not have a look at the innova.

[d3adlythegame]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

the top end scorpio does come with ABS but not airbags, a serious omission.
with the recent price cut of about a lakh, offering the mHawk engine even in the base model, nice face lift & electric ORVMs, i feel the scorpio is the way to go. (not that i used to think otherwise before the facelift too!) but now, since the scorpio is priced cheaper, has got better fetures, better drive comfort, lesser maintainence issues & most importantly, if you drive yourself.... i think it should be the scorpio VLX.

else, if passenger comfort & cabin space is your priority & the chauffer does the driving, it should be the safari for you.

since you already own a scorpio & safari, why not have a look at the innova.

Yep i agree with you, but i just feel that airbag is a really important feature, specially going by the way i drive. I am goign to be Tding both of them in the coming few days to check how each of them drive now . Previously i had 3.0 Safari and 2.6/4 (not sure) Scorpio, havent driven the mHawk engine yet.

PS - Already own Innova.