[Digital Vampire]

Originally Posted by jerish666

How about the middle row?

The middle row was spacious enough for me (I'm a tad above 6 ft) with ample legroom. The third row is strictly for kids and eats big time into luggage carrying capacity. It is better to consider Santa Fe as a 5 seater for long distance travelling with lots of luggage. IMHO Santa Fe feels like a beefed up Tucson on steroids. An auto box would be a welcome addition but I'm afraid that will screw up the pricing further.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by Digital Vampire

The third row is strictly for kids and eats big time into luggage carrying capacity. It is better to consider Santa Fe as a 5 seater for long distance travelling with lots of luggage.

Completely agree. I found this to be the biggest dampener for Santa Fe. Any decent luggage reduces the seating capacity to 5.

[4x4addict]

See attached pictures for space available in Fortuner & Santa Fe with Third row up. The difference is minimal but looks like Fortuner is better here.

[jerish666]

Guys finally i decided to buy 2.5 L Ford Endeavour. Thanks to all the tbhpian's who helped me.
I decided not to buy the Santa Fe just because i have to wait for years.

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by jerish666

Guys finally i decided to buy 2.5 L Ford Endeavour. Thanks to all the tbhpian's who helped me.
I decided not to buy the Santa Fe just because i have to wait for years.

Excellent choice, join the gang

Do go for the 4x4 AT option though, it's a little more money and you get a whole lot more!

[patil]

Hi I suggest you to go for the Santa Fe. It is the best available in the price range of Rs. 25 lakhs. It has the best safety features and gives the best mileage. Moreover it has the best features such as six airbags, all four disc brakes and many more.

I personally feel that though it costs a lakh or two more than the competition is worth the premium pricing. You can compare the features of the Santa Fe with the other competition from their respective websites.

Moreover the service cost of the Hyundai is far less than the competition. However since the Santa Fe is a completely built unit import availablity of spares and their cost may be a concern. Otherwise its a good vehicle and value for money when compared to the competition.

[4x4addict]

Originally Posted by jerish666

Guys finally i decided to buy 2.5 L Ford Endeavour. Thanks to all the tbhpian's who helped me.
I decided not to buy the Santa Fe just because i have to wait for years.

How many years? I thought it has been launched already..

Originally Posted by siddheshb

Do go for the 4x4 AT option though, it's a little more money and you get a whole lot more!

2.5L Ford Endy is available only in 2WD Manual.

[AlokSriva]

Originally Posted by patil

Hi I suggest you to go for the Santa Fe. It is the best available in the price range of Rs. 25 lakhs. It has the best safety features and gives the best mileage. Moreover it has the best features such as six airbags, all four disc brakes and many more.

I personally feel that though it costs a lakh or two more than the competition is worth the premium pricing. You can compare the features of the Santa Fe with the other competition from their respective websites.

Agree with you on the features which Santa Fe has. That's it. Not sure how many would agree with you on the premium pricing it commands - at least not me

Moreover the service cost of the Hyundai is far less than the competition.

Not really. All vehicles in the segment we are talking about have comparable costs - whether it be service or spares. Yes you are correct about the spares costs being on the higher side for Santa Fe - it being a CBU, and hence, with nil localization.

[siddheshb]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

2.5L Ford Endy is available only in 2WD Manual.

Yes, I meant, go for the 3L 4x4 AT, it's totally worth the additional price. The AT really makes driving easy in the city, the 4x4 adds tremendous fun to the whole SUV experience, and even the interior accessories like built-in GPS and rev camera make a big difference overall to the driver's delight (although these may be available in some other versions too)

[4x4addict]

@siddhesbh:

I too would spring for the 3L over the 2.5L just for the engine alone..

I am not a big fan of Auto and I think Ford was stupid to discontinue the 3.0 4x4 Manual version.

[shuvc]

There's an ad for a 3.0L 4x2 Auto Endy in TOI today.

[.anshuman]

Originally Posted by shuvc

There's an ad for a 3.0L 4x2 Auto Endy in TOI today.

Endeavour 3.0 2wd AT has been around for months now. See this thread (4x2 Ford Endeavour AT (3 liter diesel) launched) for details.

[zipzapzoom]

Hi friends
I have been looking out for a carlike SUV and captiva fits my requirment like "T"
It has auto option,
is a looker ( a agree this is subjective),
has got a great punchy engine, turbo lag no issue with auto box.
My family consists of 3 so 5 seater is fine but seven seater is a boon for the outdoor picnics with friends and family piling in all together.
I am not going to drive offroad but still the auto box version does have AWD so another advantage for getting out of tough spots if required.

but then,

1) BMW X1
At the same or slightly more price ( not so much as i will get BMW badge) , new BMW X1 is available. Should i sacrifice 7 seater capacity, but then in mumbai looking at current booking status, BMW won't be available for long time. And then it has RFT tyre problem and ofcourse higher maintainance cost.
2) Face Lift Captiva
Should i wait for some time and then go for the new facelift captiva. Alas, no schedule of launch avaialble as yet. It may not be available in auto version to start with. And i will again have to wait till it is launched. One more issue the current model of captiva comes CBU and the new model may be CKD so i just might miss the perceived CBU quaility fit & finish ( no offence to indian assembley line)

Now here is the confusion..!
both the above points are proving i should buy captiva now and soon but...
Surprisingly the dealers are not offering any discount as of now which i think should start anytime soon. Looking at BMW X1 pricing and in the view new facelift captiva is getting launched.
I just don't want to end up with that feeling that i should have had waited one more month.
And apart from money, is it worth waiting, am i missing something in haste.

what do experts with inside knowledge of industry say on this?
I am all ears...

thanks in advance.

[beanstalk_230]

Does it make sense to buy the Fortuner / Endeavour in May (mid) 2011? ( If it isn't May then it could be postponed until next year. Reason - An occasion, instead of utility or requirement )

Was googling around and saw the pics of the new endeavour to be out in mid 2011 in Thailand. Its all new as far as I could judge since the engine options / gearbox / platform / looks all have been revamped completely. Now a wild guess would put the India launch by early - mid 2012 though there is no official backing to this statement.

On the other hand there is no news about a new / refreshed fortuner coming up anytime soon. Delivery seems to be still an issue in Lucknow - 6 months officially but from what could be judged around 3 months would be the actual period. Mid May delivery is more or less impossible.

advice: Should I get the Fortuner by overcoming the delivery issue somehow OR Wait OR get the current Endeavour 3.0 4x4 AT without a fuss?

Regards

P.S. The news of the new Endeavour has made me really disinterested in the current model which I think could be deal breaker though any advice is welcome.

[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!