[beanstalk_230]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

If you're buying today - then i think the fortuner is the best option. Its solid, very reliable, easy on the pocket to maintain, is a proper 4x4 although limited due to the size, and gives great mileage too.

If you can wait then maybe the newer versions of the endeavour or captiva are worth waiting for. but it will be a while before they are launched.

I feel the santa fe while a great vehicle, is quite overpriced.
Also i think the pajero sport should be coming to India, so maybe you could check that option out too. But my vote still goes to the Fortuner!

Only interested in the Fortuner or Endy. Might take a TD of the Endy tomorrow but still leaning towards the fortuner and will take its TD after the D - Day (Ind v Pak encounter). Just keeping my fingers crossed regarding the delivery issue and hope to get resolved somehow though it could be a factor that might kill the deal .

[mdsaab]

Unless you want an AT it has to be the fortuner all the way. The ride in the fortuner is a bit bouncy too. But going back to when we test drove the endy, boy was that one bumpy ride. The endy just couldnt stop bouncing up and down and i had to slow down to smoothen the drive out.
Also i believe the rear seats of the endy are not positioned to well, making long drives in the back seat kind of uncomfy for rear seat passengers.
The endy has a nice head unit with built in sat nav, but you could always upgrade the fortuner system to something even better. Plus the fortuner has ACC, which is missing in the endy.
Overall if you could pull some strings at toyota or can bear the wait.
Its the fortuner from which ever angle you look at it.
If possible do a back to back test. Good luck!

[shankar.balan]

Endy is dated as is the Pajero

Its a clear choice therefore between the Fortuner and Santa Fe.

While the Hyundai is expensive-ish (for a Hyundai) I think overall it is the more comfortable of the two. If your primary desire is a smart looking, comfy SUV with pretty good soft off-roading ability and easy handling in city plus highways I would suggest the Hyundai.

If your desire is a tough, imposing and rugged SUV with pretty much of a capability to go anywhere anytime, then it is the Fortuner.

One more point to remember- the Fortuner seems to be holding up its residual value pretty well in the used market.

Of course, the Santa Fe is too young to have got into the used market yet but because Toyota is general is more desirable a badge than a Hyundai, my guess would be that the Fortuner would tend to outshine the Santa Fe in the residual value stakes.

As regards the After sales service part, there would be little to choose between the two companies - both are very good on that score. Same with overall reliability.

[beanstalk_230]

More than the go-anywhere ability my requirement is that the car should comfortably seat 5-6 people (including a kid). Otherwise would have definitely looked at buying a sedan. As far as off roading is considered it would be absolutely nill except for those once in 2-3 years getaways where you have no idea what kind of roads await you.

And currently I am not considering Santa Fe.
Pajero - Uncle absolutely against it coz of the dismal mileage of around 6 that it usually achieves and expensive maintenance.
Outlander / CRV rejected - Petrol

[shankar.balan]

then my friend it looks like the Captiva for you!
thats a very good vehicle there's no doubt about it.
So you can happily buy the 2WD version which should admirably suit your purpose!
plus the vehicle inherently is extremely comfortable and full of nice little touches of convenience. the price is bearable too - considering your budget.

Originally Posted by beanstalk_230

More than the go-anywhere ability my requirement is that the car should comfortably seat 5-6 people (including a kid). Otherwise would have definitely looked at buying a sedan. As far as off roading is considered it would be absolutely nill except for those once in 2-3 years getaways where you have no idea what kind of roads await you.

And currently I am not considering Santa Fe.
Pajero - Uncle absolutely against it coz of the dismal mileage of around 6 that it usually achieves and expensive maintenance.
Outlander / CRV rejected - Petrol

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Of course, the Santa Fe is too young to have got into the used market yet but because Toyota is general is more desirable a badge than a Hyundai, my guess would be that the Fortuner would tend to outshine the Santa Fe in the residual value stakes.

I completely agree, also going by the resale values of previous hyundai suv's or even hyundai's bigger sedans. The resale values of the Santa Fe don't look to promising. Although we can't say till Santa Fe's trickle down to the used market. Also won't the Santa Fe exceed your current budget?

[beanstalk_230]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

then my friend it looks like the Captiva for you!
thats a very good vehicle there's no doubt about it.
So you can happily buy the 2WD version which should admirably suit your purpose!
plus the vehicle inherently is extremely comfortable and full of nice little touches of convenience. the price is bearable too - considering your budget.

Yeah it does suit the requirements but my dad prefers the looks of the T- Fort / Endy over any other option. Moreover I already own 2 Chevy's so another one is a distant possibility. And lastly and the most important factor is that the New Captiva might be launched by this Diwali or early next year so its ruled out as well.

Basically leaves me with the only options that I had started my post with .

Originally Posted by mdsaab

I completely agree, also going by the resale values of previous hyundai suv's or even hyundai's bigger sedans. The resale values of the Santa Fe don't look to promising. Although we can't say till Santa Fe's trickle down to the used market. Also won't the Santa Fe exceed your current budget?

I feel that Santa Fe is let down by the badge and about the resale, I think its gonna be worse than the T-Fort / Endy or most of the cars in its range.

[shankar.balan]

unless your requirement is immediate, why not bide your time a bit?

consider perhaps the Koleos when it is launched and/ or the rumoured new Ford offering (s) in this space.

even the M&M Korando C or the Rexton might fit the bill for you.
In my opinion no harm in waiting for the various options, checking them out and then deciding - unless of course, you are in a hurry.

Originally Posted by beanstalk_230

Yeah it does suit the requirements but my dad prefers the looks of the T- Fort / Endy over any other option. Moreover I already own 2 Chevy's so another one is a distant possibility. And lastly and the most important factor is that the New Captiva might be launched by this Diwali or early next year so its ruled out as well.

Basically leaves me with the only options that I had started my post with .




I feel that Santa Fe is let down by the badge and about the resale, I think its gonna be worse than the T-Fort / Endy or most of the cars in its range.

[beanstalk_230]

TD'ed the endeavour today. Took it around for 45 minutes. Tried various patches of roads to test the so talked about ride. Was the MT 2.5L that the salesperson brought over since 3.0L 4x4 was not available (on request only).

Result: Was outrightly rejected by my parents. Ride was way too uncomfortable especially on the bad patches and the third row seat seemed like a roller coaster ride with both the passengers jumping in their seats everytime we crossed a speedbreaker (since the last year nos have quadrupled & though they are more like rumblers and not mountains). Even the middle seat is nothing to talk about where my mom was sitting all the time. Now I should mention here that my parents daily drive (rear seat always) is the Optra P or Indigo and sometimes Magnum, so this is one of the major contributing factor in the rejection.

To get a perspective, I could actually see the middle and especially the last row passengers bouncing whenever I crossed a bad patch at a speed between 20-30 in the rear view mirror. The passenger seat is the place you would wanna end up in the Endy.

Apart from the ride, the 2.5L 143bhp engine is just okay for the size but this is only my perspective. Gearshift was notchy and far from smooth I should say, but it could also be because its a TD vehicle. Costs 19.25L on road in Lucknow and the sales person said that there would be a price increase of 60k from 1st April (May be just to push the sale). 3.0 4x4 AT is 22.5L onroad.

Things look really bleak from now on about the purchase and to make matters worse mom just wouldn't stop talking about how good (Read: Comfortable) my uncle's innova is. Get the idea

Would TD the fortuner soon and post the results and it'll have to perform exceptionally well to even make them think about getting through the delivery issues et all related to the T.

Cheers

[.anshuman]

^^ The Ride in Fortuner though is better than the Endeavour, the difference is not as much as it's made out to be. SUV's with old world chassis can never be as comfortable and composed as Monocoque SUVs.

The Fortuner is considerably better handler than the Endy because of the AWD, Rear coil spring suspension and obviously better calibration of suspension. The Endeavour has a tendency to stick out it's tail with enthusiastic cornering, this can be quite scary at times. The Fortuner has safer handling but still hates hard driving.

Both these Chassis based SUVs with Solid Rear axles are as rugged as any SUV can get. If ruggedness is of prime concern to someone, he should ignore the flaws in Dynamics.

The Pajero on the other end has much more sorted dynamics but the lack of power and dated interiors spoil the overall experience.

[beanstalk_230]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

^^ The Ride in Fortuner though is better than the Endeavour, the difference is not as much as it's made out to be. SUV's with old world chassis can never be as comfortable and composed as Monocoque SUVs.

The Fortuner is considerably better handler than the Endy because of the AWD, Rear coil spring suspension and obviously better calibration of suspension. The Endeavour has a tendency to stick out it's tail with enthusiastic cornering, this can be quite scary at times. The Fortuner has safer handling but still hates hard driving.

Will take Fortuner TD tomorrow. Think thats the only way I can get the idea of ride, handling & comfort levels in there.

Moreover you are absolutely right about the Endy handling which I happened to notice at a perticular roundabout which I frequent in my cars during the TD, though imo that is expected from such a tall and heavy SUV.

[mdsaab]

You were warned!
Yep the suspension of the Endy is really bouncy for the rear passengers.
And we felt that almost immediately when we took it out for a test.
Yeah the fortuner will be better, but by how much?
But one little thing, don't whack me for suggesting this.
Isn't the innova basically a softer version of the fortuner. I mean exterior and interior wise. So if you don't need 4x4 and can live with the lesser road presence. don't you feel the innova is a good choice. I am going to have to go with your mom here. The innova is basically all the fortuner is minus 4x4 and HUGE road presence. Also if i am not mistaken the innova is a better handler than the fortuner. and while going for the innova test the sales rep was literally chucking the gigantic innova as if it were a hot hatch. So what's say?

[prmd_cochin]

You should wait for Mahindra's launch before you splash the cash. Endy, Captiva, Sante fe are old versions, fortuner is a hyped up pickup.

Still insisting then santefe looks better packed.

[TheARUN]

I pass through a small CHEVROLET showroom everyday from work. I've noticed a lot of interest in the CAPTIVA. They manage to sell one everyday!

Having said that, you should wait for the new CAPTIVA which should be out anytime now. It looks like a big bad American SUV. Remember, CHEVROLET invented the SUV when they made the SUBURBAN in the 50's

[Paco]

I started the thread... and its good to see all the views.

Guys, our daughter Xena, our Endy (3.0 4X4) came into our life last July, and boy, we're loving it. On 14th May 2011, we leave for our road trip from Mumbai to Turtuk (~200kms ahead of Leh) and back.

By the way, I agree to all the opinions about Fortuner, Captiva, Santa Fe, but I've fallen in love with Xena. The 3rd row is uncomfortable, she has a ladder-chassis, drive could've been better etc etc... they are all right, but everyone in the family has accepted her 'just like that'.

Respect the car and she will respect you even more!