[pgsagar]

Thanks everyone for suggestions.

Crazy Driver, yes, high-seating is what I'm seeking now after owning 2 low-riding sedans. Rear leg-room is unimportant to me as I mostly drive 2-up or 3-up at the max. So, I do not like lugging a huge spacious van like car around which I probably will fill once or twice a year. I'm happy even with A-Star AT space that I currently own. Ecosport will definitely be one up on it. XUV AT is around the bend but like I said parking spot is way too tight and although it can be squeezed in, some day in a hurry, I might scrape. And then falling petrol prices coupled with low running that I do, Eco and its like make more sense.

Arunphilip, you have a point about that "foot in the door". Lock up 50K advance amount and book a spot in the queue. That way, I can withdraw my foot anytime I want if something better looms large on the horizon. In any case, AT variant delivery will not take less than 2 months.

Hills, S-Cross pics did not appeal me. But ix25 did, immensely. Which is why I'm in dilemma.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Ecosport will definitely be one up on it. XUV AT is around the bend but like I said parking spot is way too tight and although it can be squeezed in, some day in a hurry, I might scrape.

The width of ix25 is 1780mm which will be a bit more than EcoSport. it makes sense given your constraints, to go in for the EcoSport.

[Turbo_asd]

Hi all,

Now let's get straight to the point. The choices that I have in my shortlist are just plain weird. Not a soul would speak against that. We have a pseudo SUV, a market failure and an SUV that has not even launched!

So what exactly was I thinking when I compiled this odd list?

My criteria( in order of priority):

• Fun to drive
• Powerful engine
• Good ride and handling
• Safety
• Decent list of features

BUDGET: 15 lakh

We are flexible with petrol and diesel, automatic and manual options. Our daily running is around 45 km. A good chunk of our driving is in the city, while there are regular road trips to Chennai as well.

Coming to the contenders:

Ford Ecosport Ecoboost:

This was the car that was solely responsible for our family being bitten by the SUV bug. It did just about everything we expected except, well, it isn't quite an SUV at all! The engine and handling were strong points of the car. Not so with the ride though. I thought my Polo did better. The pricing is spot on though. My dad's opinion of Ford changed with just one test drive!

Used Skoda Yeti:

Yes, it is a market dud, but does that mean it is not good? Far from it. The car met every single one of our requirements, but getting a new one was just beyond our reach. I did find a couple of used ones though. The links for them are as follows:

http://http://bangalore.quikr.com/Skoda-Yeti-4-4-Diesel-Top-end-2011-Dec-for-sale.-W0QQAdIdZ195017294

http://http://bangalore.quikr.com/2010-DEC-Skoda-Yeti-Elegance-TDI-4x4-for-sale-in-koramangala.-W0QQAdIdZ199239250

http://http://www.classicautomotives.net/vehicle-details/bancla2014301-skoda-yeti

I like the first one the best, being my choice of colour and variant. It is being sold by an individual. Price is 14 lakh
The second one is being sold by a dealer, Royal Carz. I like the car except for the black seat covers. Price is around 12.5 lakh
The third is being sold by Classic Automotives, one of the best used car dealers in business. Sadly, the car is an ugly red, meaning I will be forced to reprint it completely. Price is again in the whereabouts of 13 lakh.

I will need help on how to assess the condition of these vehicles, if I try any of them out.

Hyundai ix25:

My family has been in love with hyundai since time immemorial. A Hyundai SUV would be nirvan for my dad, since he loves both SUVs and Hyundais. However, I am not too optimistic about the price. The Verna retails at a maximum price of 13 lak or so. The Elantra starts retailing at that price. So where does the ix25 fit? I am quite sure that Hyundai will have to kill one of the two to add the ix25 to the line up. Also not sure how long I will have to wait to book one. The photos of the Chinese model do look quite nice though.

So, all you bhp guruji's out there, which one of these cars would be your pick and why?

Thanks
Turbo_asd

[IshaanIan]

The ecosport, ix25, avventura, etios cross, upcoming xa alpha etc. are all just small little hatchbacks on stilts and that's it. If you think the ecosport handles well, why not try a figo.

The Yeti is the only car of the trio you mentioned, that justifies its existence and hence it is the only one I can recommend. BTW I love the red and it is a very rare color in the Yeti since they stopped making it just a little afterward.

[shankar.balan]

As a Yeti owner I will clearly state that it will tick all your boxes. This is truly an one-of-its-kind vehicle in this market. Extremely capable. Excellent quality. Great safety and lots of bells and whistles. Nothing else comes close.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

As a Yeti owner I will clearly state that it will tick all your boxes. This is truly an one-of-its-kind vehicle in this market. Extremely capable. Excellent quality. Great safety and lots of bells and whistles. Nothing else comes close.

+1 to that.

Why settle for a sheep in a lion's clothing or wait for I25. In other words go for theYeti which is in the second link. Rejecting that by a simple reason on the seat cover is not a nice idea if the car is quite good.

Skoda service woes is the only drawback.

[Turbo_asd]

Thanks all for the suggestions. Currently the poll tilts in the favour of waiting for the ix25. But those who voted for the same, I do request you to voice your opinion as to why your vote went there. The ones who posted were all die hard fans of the Skoda Yeti, which is coming second in the poll.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

The ecosport, ix25, avventura, etios cross, upcoming xa alpha etc. are all just small little hatchbacks on stilts and that's it. If you think the ecosport handles well, why not try a figo.

Is the ix25 really a hatchback on stilts? If I remember correctly, the Chinese production model's length was close to 4.3m. About the size of a Duster, which I feel falls in the compact SUV category.

Ah, about the Figo,
Even if we end up with an Ecosport, I would have the rights to call it a crossover, which I can't do if I end up with a Figo. Anyways, it is only the handling that is a plus point for the Figo. Safety, features, styling,comfort? I think the Ecosport is far ahead.

@ rajeev k, I am certainly not rejecting the car due to the black seat covers. I just thought it did not gel well with the interiors. Probably something I can live with. Anyways, there are other options!

Thanks for your suggestions! I feel one step closer to buying the right car!
Turbo_asd

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

Hi all,

Now let's get straight to the point. The choices that I have in my shortlist are just plain weird. Not a soul would speak against that. We have a pseudo SUV, a market failure and an SUV that has not even launched!

So what exactly was I thinking when I compiled this odd list?

My criteria( in order of priority):

• Fun to drive
• Powerful engine
• Good ride and handling
• Safety
• Decent list of features

BUDGET: 15 lakh

We are flexible with petrol and diesel, automatic and manual options. Our daily running is around 45 km. A good chunk of our driving is in the city, while there are regular road trips to Chennai as well.

A monthly quota of 1500 km could very well qualify for choosing a diesel over a petrol in your case. Also, the fact that you use it more in the city means the low end torque of a diesel makes way for a more effortless driving experience in your urban commute.

Coming to the contenders:

Ford Ecosport Ecoboost:

This was the car that was solely responsible for our family being bitten by the SUV bug. It did just about everything we expected except, well, it isn't quite an SUV at all! The engine and handling were strong points of the car. Not so with the ride though. I thought my Polo did better. The pricing is spot on though. My dad's opinion of Ford changed with just one test drive!

The Ecosport Ecoboost is not at all a powerful engine although the specs on paper say otherwise. Despite being a little lifeless lower down the rpm range, the turbo pull also is pretty weak and I wouldn't really call it a fun to drive engine option at all. The 1.5 TDCi is far more driveable in the city and economical on the highway, which you might want to consider instead of the lacklustre ecoboost option.

Used Skoda Yeti:

Yes, it is a market dud, but does that mean it is not good? Far from it. The car met every single one of our requirements, but getting a new one was just beyond our reach. I did find a couple of used ones though. The links for them are as follows:

Two things to note :
- One is it is a European (VAG car in particular) and more so being a diesel, expect the maintenance costs to be quite high going ahead as you are already buying it in its middle aged period where the warranty honeymoon is over and regular servicing will also cost more. It will definitely be significantly higher than your other (new car) options. Make sure you are ready for this and for more frequent visits to the service centre.

- Secondly, if you are considering buying on finance (loan) rather than outright cash, do consider the fact that used car loans command higher interest rates which mean you will be paying more for the same amount of car loan. Also banks do not finance as much for used cars as for new cars (you will typically get only 60-70% of the total value) and will have a cutoff threshold for age of the car (some banks don't finance cars older than 4-5 years foe example)

I like the first one the best, being my choice of colour and variant. It is being sold by an individual. Price is 14 lakh
The second one is being sold by a dealer, Royal Carz. I like the car except for the black seat covers. Price is around 12.5 lakh
The third is being sold by Classic Automotives, one of the best used car dealers in business. Sadly, the car is an ugly red, meaning I will be forced to reprint it completely. Price is again in the whereabouts of 13 lakh.

Repainting a car to another color will entail changes to the RC book / smart card and some visits to the RTO. Opening a can of worms which is best avoided in my opinion. As murphy's laws go, if you find a pre-owned car in stellar condition, chances are it will be in a color you don't like and vice versa.

Hyundai ix25:

My family has been in love with hyundai since time immemorial. A Hyundai SUV would be nirvan for my dad, since he loves both SUVs and Hyundais. However, I am not too optimistic about the price. The Verna retails at a maximum price of 13 lak or so. The Elantra starts retailing at that price. So where does the ix25 fit? I am quite sure that Hyundai will have to kill one of the two to add the ix25 to the line up. Also not sure how long I will have to wait to book one. The photos of the Chinese model do look quite nice though.

No they won't have to in my opinion . Every car caters to a particular section of the customer audience. Verna (sedan) buyers are different from potential ix25 buyers and vice versa. Of course there will be some cross shopping but at the end of the day it is the same Hyundai laughing all the way to their bank. And after all, there are other manufacturers who have similar lineups, such as Ecosport with Fiesta for eg., or the Duster co-existing and in fact beating the Scala/Fluence.

My choice would be to wait and check out the ix25 if you are keen on the Hyundai lineage you are so comfortable with, or else get a diesel Ecosport. Any thoughts on why you have left out the Duster, which is also a very competent product?

[Rajeevraj]

Just curious to know if you have considered and dropped the xuv ,duster and terrano? these cars also meet your requirements well.

Among the 3 my preference would be for ix25 ( assuming it is not a pseudo SUV) and then the yeti. If u have the budget for a proper suv then I don't see the point in buying a pseudo SUV like the ecosport.

[Akshay1234]

Frankly going by the requirements I'm surprised there is even a need to ask this question The Yeti is without a doubt the winner here. After living with it for 2 years and 40k kms I couldn't have made a better choice. The engine itself is fairly bulletproof, and the electronics seem to be reliable enough. My car has been to the service centre 4 times, twice for services, once because of a water pump failure and another time on my behest to change the brake pads and check a few things because I didn't want to wait till the service.

[Turbo_asd]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

My choice would be to wait and check out the ix25 if you are keen on the Hyundai lineage you are so comfortable with, or else get a diesel Ecosport. Any thoughts on why you have left out the Duster, which is also a very competent product?

Thanks for the advice. I may just resign to the fact that I will have to wait for the ix25 to launch in India.
My dad was impressed with the diesel Ecosport for it's refinement and driveability, but still believes that the Ecoboost makes a superior choice. The turbo lag can be done away with via remap, and the end result would probably be a 150bhp Ecosport with good driveability in the city.

We did not have a very good experience with the Duster. The gearshift was miserable and there were tons of flimsy fittings. It was common on other Duster's we saw as well. It might be a good idea to try the AWD though, since it is much more sophisticated than the FWD.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Just curious to know if you have considered and dropped the xuv ,duster and terrano? these cars also meet your requirements well.

Among the 3 my preference would be for ix25 ( assuming it is not a pseudo SUV) and then the yeti. If u have the budget for a proper suv then I don't see the point in buying a pseudo SUV like the ecosport.

Thanks.
The Duster did not work well for us due to the sub standard gearshift quality and the Terrano just is not VFM.

Pleases don't get me started on the XUV500. We all loved everything about it. Features,space, performance, this car had everything. BUT,daddy though it was too big. Else we would already have one in our garage.
I don't see the point in buying a pseudo SUV either, since I've got the budget. But the Ecosport is competent enough to be considered. It does almost everything we ask of it at a low price point.
Sigh, choosing a car could not be tougher.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

The engine itself is fairly bulletproof, and the electronics seem to be reliable enough.

It is. Engine is still as silent as new. No mechanical issues or electrical. MT + Diesel in a European Car is

I have put up the car on classified only because of Skoda has shut shop at my place. Else, the Yeti continues to bring smiles.

The fun lies over 3,000 revs and I doubt any other crossover/pseudo SUV would be this fun to drive. The AWD too works like a charm. The wheels simply do not spin. Try what you may.

[HammerHead]

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[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Turbo_asd

My criteria( in order of priority):

• Fun to drive
• Powerful engine
• Good ride and handling
• Safety
• Decent list of features

BUDGET: 15 lakh
…
…

The best of the lot is indeed the Yeti; it’s a car from a segment above, solid build and quality, high on safety etc., and not really comparable to your other two choices. That said, it’s a market dud, and being an expensive car, it could be more expensive to maintain compared to the other two.

You mentioned your family is in love with Hyundai. Coming in the segment of small SUVs, it should be very well within your budget. If the launch is near, why not just wait for it? Being a Hyundai, it surely will cover the last requirement you mentioned (decent list of features). Rest of it, not so sure; will have to wait for the launch

[jkdas]

The Hyundai is yet to be released ( even specs);too early to?

Yeti is nice 'but' if a.s.s is good and if you can foot the bills it may give you, why not! Don't go by user review of one or two owners.

Stay on safe side with EcoSport or Hyundai. If Yeti comes with AMC, get it. My 2 paise.