[The_Warrior]

The Background:
I started driving my Indica in the year 2001 and have never looked back since then. Drove around in my Indica for around 1.25 Lac Kms and then sold it off, then it was time for an upgrade and finally got Indigo, got into a major accident in the first month itself when it got hit by a speeding maruti and the Indigo became an Indica post accident.

Got it repaired at Tata Service Center only after a whopping bill of 1.5 lacs out of whih i paid only Rs. 7,500/- balance was paid by the Insurance Guys and i guess they probably they cursed me so hard that my vehicle could never get back to the original, issues kept cropping up and still after 70000 kms. sold that vehicle too.

Then in 2008 the search began for a new sedan and after many Test Drives and a lot of reading on T-BHP forums (i am sorry for myself as i missed reading the Skoda threads ). Lot of debates and searches later found a decent used Octavia 2004 Model done only 41000 Kms till September 2008. Picked it up immediately and started munching miles, then came time for service and the estimate given by Service Center was around 45000/- (including the timing belt change). Went back to my regular mechanic and got the service done and Timing Belt changed. Drove for around 50000 kms and was enjoying it. In the meantime somewhere in 2009 end i started feeling a lot of back-pain and knee pain during long drives (i am 6'2" and of healthy built) and everybody attributed my pains to my being over-healthy (family members and doctors just need a chance to pounce upon you), i was still not convinced and somehow the pain vanished.

or the past 3 months knee pain and back-pain have started haunting me again and then i went to see a different set of doctors and the explanation i got was: Your left knee has a damaged cartilage, did u ever get hurt in your knee?? I said i was an active basketball player in school days but its been 10 years now and there was never a major injury of any sort. doc: Anything else you want to tell me apart from this? I was like i travel a lot by road for my work and i drive an Octavia. Doc: Change your car and i was like .

Now the search begins for the SUV:
TATA ARIA: I know before you pounce on me that this is not a SUV. Episode-1, Rama Motors, Okhla - Reception-I am looking for an Aria, can you please call somebody for the demo?? Sure Sir, please make an entry in the register and i'll call the executive. In the meantime me and my wife start checking out the Display Vehicle and as everybody here on this Forum has already mentioned about the fit and finish i'll not get into the details. Now, i have a slight problem that i get into the minutest of details. So this Executive walks over and i tell him that you should atleast have the display vehicle in proper order.. The executive goes like what happened sir? I point towards the gap in the Skirting on the Front right wheel arch and the fender. Sir, people come and fiddle with the car and this happens and then the moron tells me that sir this vehicle also has a defogger on the rear left quarter glass and i feel like banging my head in the steering but i calmly tell him that if you don't even know the difference between a defogger and a printed antenna, then please be kind enough to not give me a demo. I asked for a Test Drive and very conviniently the Executive tells me that the bosses have taken the vehicle out of town for 2 days. I am almost furious and tell him that a Test Drive vehicle is not for your bosses to make merry but for the prospective customers. Ne ways after all this i was in no mood to discuss anything further on this matter and i walked out of the showroom.

PAJERO: This vehicle is out of question as 1. the engine is not BSIV and 2. it is very low on power.

FORTUNER: The vehicle is excellent, but before we get into the details the doctors have advised that i should look for a vehicle wherein when i sit on the driving seat my thigh should be straight and not inclined upwards. Now coming to the fortuner i found the seating to be low and when i pressed the clutch i could feel the pain in my knees, however i didn't feel this in Aria.

X-TRAIL: Very Expensive so out of question + lesser no. of dealerships + Spares Cost.

ARIA: Episode 2- Went for a Test Drive to Tayal Motors in Faridabad, they indeed had a TD vehicle with them and found them more educated and trained in selling Aria, but the Executive Ms. Meghna sent a Fiat guy with me for a TD and he was hilarious, i mean, i put on a seat belt and he was like sir, you don't need this here but when i put the seat belt on he said it is a very good practice that you have. Now about driving impressions: I found the NVH levels to be very high and upon enquiring with the Aria executive she tells me that this vehicle is being driven by many people including the mechanics and that is the reason of such NVH levels.

I don't know am still not comfortable in plonking such a huge sum of money on Aria after experiencing the high NVH levels.

Do you people think that such high NVH levels are beacuse of the reason given by the Executive??

Do help me in taking a decision.

Cheers...

PS.: I need a Diesel only so please do not suggest petrol vehicles.

[Akshay1234]

Please do check out the Skoda Yeti also. You might just like it. The driving position is not totally car like a bit like an suv. Quite comfortable if you ask me.

[2500cc]

Any reason for not considering our desi SUVs Scorpio and Safari. Scorpio AT will be good option for you as you dont have to use the clutch and will be a lesser burden on your thigh. Also, as Akshay mentioned, do consider Yeti also it is a very good option, it can do 90% of what all those SUVs you have mentioned can do. Also you can consider Captiva.

Since you are talking about X-trail and assuming that you are OK with that price range, BMW X1 is also a very good option.
So at the end of the its your comfort and how much are you willing to shell out of your pocket. Do TD these vehicles as you can best judge what suits you the best.

[The_Warrior]

Originally Posted by 2500cc

Any reason for not considering our desi SUVs Scorpio and Safari. Scorpio AT will be good option for you as you dont have to use the clutch and will be a lesser burden on your thigh. Also, as Akshay mentioned, do consider Yeti also it is a very good option, it can do 90% of what all those SUVs you have mentioned can do. Also you can consider Captiva.

Since you are talking about X-trail and assuming that you are OK with that price range, BMW X1 is also a very good option.
So at the end of the its your comfort and how much are you willing to shell out of your pocket. Do TD these vehicles as you can best judge what suits you the best.

I would love to have the Safari but then the family is not willing to budge from the NO SAFARI stand and honestly i do not find Scorpio comfortable at all as i have also extensively driven my cousin's scorpio. Captiva on the other hand can also be given a thought and X-trail as i have already mentioned is way too expensive for me...

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Please do check out the Skoda Yeti also. You might just like it. The driving position is not totally car like a bit like an suv. Quite comfortable if you ask me.

After looking at the maintenance and spares costs of my existing Octavia i am more than reluctant to go for a Yeti

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by The_Warrior

After looking at the maintenance and spares costs of my existing Octavia i am more than reluctant to go for a Yeti

You bought it used, with no indication how it was used earlier. Now this will be a new car, and Skoda offers 4 year warranty. Sure the services and parts are on the higher side, but then service is only once a year. And you are used to the sturdy Skoda build. Just take it for a TD at least before ruling it out.

[drmohitg]

What about the Innova? I find its seating pretty decent. Do try that out too.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by The_Warrior

I would love to have the Safari but then the family is not willing to budge from the NO SAFARI stand and honestly i do not find Scorpio comfortable at all as i have also extensively driven my cousin's scorpio. Captiva on the other hand can also be given a thought and X-trail as i have already mentioned is way too expensive for me...

After looking at the maintenance and spares costs of my existing Octavia i am more than reluctant to go for a Yeti

. X-Trail is reported to be going at a 4L discount, so it comes in the Fortuner bracket.

. If you have knee pain, then an AT is a better option.

. I still consider Pajero to be the best of the lot, except for the BS-III engine. Heard some rumours that they are working on BS-IV certification.

. If you want maximum comfort over long routes, consider an Innova. The highest trim has all the gizmos need, Innova reliability is solid and the maintenance cost comparable or lower than other SUV. You can expect Innova to last 2-3 lac kilometers without any problems.

[gshanky]

If you are still curious about aria, please check out the ownership threads and post in one / all of the threads. So far the overall impression is good.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ght-place.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ip-report.html

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...highlight=ARIA

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...highlight=ARIA

On the other hand one slick BHPian modified the innova interiors like no other -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ghlight=Innova

[adisag]

Originally Posted by The_Warrior

The Background:


or the past 3 months knee pain and back-pain have started haunting me again and then i went to see a different set of doctors and the explanation i got was: Your left knee has a damaged cartilage, did u ever get hurt in your knee?? I said i was an active basketball player in school days but its been 10 years now and there was never a major injury of any sort. doc: Anything else you want to tell me apart from this? I was like i travel a lot by road for my work and i drive an Octavia. Doc: Change your car and i was like .

Now the search begins for the SUV:

PS.: I need a Diesel only so please do not suggest petrol vehicles.

Reading through your post, it seems you are changing your car on your Dr's advice (primarily to avoid strain on your knee) - Should you not be looking at Automatics ?

If you've made up your mind to get a diesel SUV, your choices would be the Scorpio at the lower end of your budget and the Endeavour/Captiva at the higher end....

If you are open to considering sedans - a whole lot of other options open up

[AbhiJ]

Originally Posted by adisag

Reading through your post, it seems you are changing your car on your Dr's advice (primarily to avoid strain on your knee) - Should you not be looking at Automatics ?

I second that...

You need a car with a auto gearbox (no strain on knee) and a high seating..

Even something like a SX4 AT might serve your purpose nicely.

[jkumar007]

Why don't you try Ford's Endeavor? One of the best SUVs available in India.
It will comfortably fit in the mid range budget SUVs. And Ford is known for its excellent driving dynamics and comfortness...

-JK

[The_Warrior]

Mods, request you to lock this thread as i won't be able to check/reply for the next 2 to 3 weeks as i'll be travelling.

Thanks people for all your replies. Will carry forward this debate when i get back.

Cheers..

[n.devdath]

Just in case you pop in to read: Please take a look at the Captiva and the Fortuner with the seat adjusted properly. In fact, after travelling extensively in the Fortuner, I feel that its ride quality at low speeds is the only thing that needs to improve.

Also, the Endy has the highest floor and hence the least comfortable seating position.

[ACM]

Warrier

I have a Skoda Laura and though it is an AT i have also experienced back pain post obtaining the Laura, this pain did not exist while I was working hard at making my TCIC Safari move all these years. Yes being heavy does increase the problem but my conclusions were.

1) Best to sit with errect back be it a sedan or a SUV. Yes it is comfortable to sit with back inclined but on long drives this takes a toll on the back.

2) Do not use lower profile / sport tyres. They are fun to drive but bad for the back, I have often felt that the yoko S-Drive have been the culpit in my Laura and post moving to higher profile (bigger sidewalls) the pain has diminished significantly.

3) Sit like in a chair - i.e. decent amount of driver seat height adjustment is essential. Fortuner even in the highest seat position has one seated with the legs stretched in the front and even the Innova has a better seating position, so my experience makes me feel that fortuner is not the best bet for someone with back pain.

4) Aria does have a great seating position though there is no passive leg rest for the left leg, it is not required as one seats quite vertically.

5) Harder/stiffer leather or pseudo leather seats are better in the longer run for the back.

That said I one can get the errect seating position and also get an AT it would be ideal. Aria and Fortuner both are not AT, the Endy AT has an even worse seating position. Yeti seating position is no better / worse than that in the Laura. The Captiva is AT but it too has one seated with the legs stretched upfront.

I think you will be well served with the Aria or the the Captiva AT - But there is a 6L OTR price difference. Once in the Aria one really like the interiors and gizmos and it feels fairly premim overall. From outside nothing beats the fortuner.

Final solution get the Aria and also a driver (atleast for a year) and all your back pain problems will go away in due course and you would be able to return to driving yourself if you wish to.

Lastly on the point about NVH - I found the NVH levels of the Aria and the Fortuner to be similar or even better in the case of the fortuner. I get a feeling that the car given for the test drive was either not in the best of conditions or not driven well. It is something that someone else had also felt while testing the Aria and it is known that some of the units used for testing have been from the first pilot batch produced before the formal launch and these were not the best examples.

Could not get your location, but if in Mumbai you could PM me for a longer test drive with me some day.

[nairanupg]

Something weird in Mumbai. Have been looking around for an SUV for the last fortnight and here is what i have
Fortuner 8 months waiting
Etios 9 months waiting
Innova 3 months waiting

is it the general state of affairs or the guys at the dealership dnt like me