Tata Nexon
What you’ll like:
• Very well-priced for what it offers. Undercuts all rivals
• Funky styling ensures that the Nexon stands out from the crowd
• Solid build & construction, unlike many of its flimsy competitors
• Nice, spacious cabin with comfortable seats. You get a practical 350-liter boot too
• 1.5L diesel & 1.2L petrol offer good performance. Diesel is especially impressive
• Balanced road manners for such a tall car. Fine EPS & 209 mm of ground clearance!
• Loaded with features: Driving modes, LED DRLs, reversing camera, 8-speaker ICE etc.
• Dual airbags, ABS & Isofix child seat mounts are standard on all variants
What you won’t:
• Overdone design will be a turnoff for many of you. Rear end is way too busy
• Jiggly low speed ride; bumps are felt in the city (unlike other Tata cars)
• 3-cylinder petrol can't match 4-cylinder competition in NVH. Has lag too
• The observant eye will notice some rough edges in fit, finish & quality
• Concerns over long-term reliability, more so of the freshly developed engines
• Missing essentials (telescopic steering adjustment, auto-dimming IRVM, proper dead pedal)
• Tata's inconsistent after-sales experience is far from that of Maruti & Hyundai
• Shorter service / checkup interval of 6 months & 7,500 km (
rivals have 12-month gaps)
Review Link Maruti Vitara Brezza
What you’ll like:
• An all-rounded compact SUV. A neutral package at the right price
• Clean & proportionate styling. Dual-tone paint shades look nice
• Well-mannered suspension riding on big 215/60 R16 tyres. 198 mm of GC!
• Good cabin space for a sub-4 meter car. Lots of storage & a powerful air-con too
• 1.3L 89 BHP diesel is quick as well as fuel-efficient
• Driver airbag is standard. ABS + EBD and passenger airbag are available on every variant
• Features: Cruise control, touchscreen ICE with navigation, auto headlamps & wipers, projector headlamps & LEDs, reversing camera etc.
• Maruti's excellent after-sales support network
What you won’t:
• No petrol engine or automatic offered. Boosterjet turbo-petrol is still sometime away
• Ordinary interior quality. EcoSport has better quality & a more solid build
• Missing features vs cheaper Baleno (
bi-xenons, telescopic steering, auto-dimming IRVM, leather steering)
• Diesel engine has some turbo-lag below 2,000 rpm (though not excessive)
• Boot has a practical layout, but is still the smallest in the segment at 328 liters
• Forget LDi, even VDi is basic & poorly equipped. ZDi & ZDi+ are the only recommended variants
• Waiting periods stretching to 6 months
Review Link Ford EcoSport
What you'll like:
• Snazzy, futuristic styling makes the EcoSport a head-turner. Solid construction too
• 3 engine options, including the impressive 1.0L EcoBoost & economical 1.5L Diesel
• Loaded to the gills with technology & equipment (SYNC, keyless entry & go, cooled glovebox, leather seats, parking display...)
• Smartly packaged interior. Adequate space for 4 adults. Lots of storage and practical features
• Dynamically sorted. Competent handling by SUV standards
• City-friendly! Great ergonomics, driving position, manoeuvrability and size for urban India
• Safety kit includes 6 Airbags, ABS + EBD, Emergency assistance phone call, Emergency brake warning etc. AT variant gets ESP and Hill-Hold
What you won't:
•
Hyundai-esque light electric steering on the Highway
• Ride quality isn't as plush as that of the Renault Duster. Underlying stiffness obvious
• Narrow cabin width makes a 5th occupant unwelcome. Best for 4 onboard
• Sub-4 meter size and compact dimensions take street cred away
•
Tree trunk thick A-Pillars result in severe blind spots
Review Link Honda WR-V
What you’ll like:
• Crossover styling, taller seating position & 188 mm of ground clearance
• Interior space is awesome, with a practical boot too. Honda’s packaging skills are brilliant!
• 1.5L diesel offers excellent driveability & fuel economy
• Well-tuned suspension; a supple, cushy ride matched to neutral handling
• Features such as the segment-first sunroof, feather-touch climate control, LED DRLs, cruise control, reversing camera, touchscreen ICE & more
What you won’t:
• Unimpressive 1.2L petrol has a weak bottom end. Honda should’ve gotten their tasty 1.5L here
• Diesel’s NVH still has holes to fill, especially at higher revs
• Strangely, no automatic! This & the Mobilio are the only Hondas without an AT option
• Petrol is inexplicably lesser equipped than the diesel (
keyless start & go, cruise control)
• Missing features! Magic seats, rear air-con vents & adjustable headrests, auto-dimming IRVM, height adjustable seatbelts, auto headlights
Review Link Hyundai i20 Active
What you'll like:
• All-rounded package, with exterior enhancements over the Elite i20
• 190 mm of ground clearance makes it rough-road friendly
• Spacious interiors with outstanding quality, fit and finish. Practical 285 liter boot too
• 1.4L diesel has excellent driveability, refinement, performance & fuel economy. 6-speed gearbox is smooth
• Mature suspension offers a comfortable ride and neutral handling characteristics
• Hyundai's fuss-free ownership experience & excellent after-sales service
• Loaded with features & gizmos (projector headlamps with DRLs, 16" rims, keyless entry & go, 8-speaker stereo, rake & reach steering, rear air-con, reversing cam, cooled glovebox and lots more)
What you won't:
• On-road price is over a lakh more than the equivalent Elite i20 variants
• Petrol unavailable in the top SX trim (no passenger-side Airbag, rear wash / wipe, splitting rear seat etc.)
• 1.2L petrol is nowhere as impressive as the diesel. Mediocre highway performance for a premium car
• Anyone over 5'11" will find rear headroom to be insufficient. Sloping roof eats into cabin height at the back
• Dynamics & steering aren't to an enthusiast's tastes. Avventura, Cross Polo etc. are more fun to drive
• On-road price difference between the petrol & diesel is ~1.3 lakhs. That's higher than the competition
• Missing essentials (fuel-efficiency indicator, auto-locking doors, height-adjustable seatbelts)
Review Link Mahindra TUV300
What you'll like:
• 7-seater SUV at a price comparable to budget sedans
• Robust, abuse-friendly build & construction. Great street presence too
• Nice & roomy cabin. 1st & 2nd seat rows are spacious
• 1.5L diesel offers good city driveability & fuel economy
• AMT available. The cheapest automatic SUV in India
• Dual airbags & ABS offered on every variant :thumbs up
• Features such as static bending lamps, 2 front armrests, adjustable lumbar support, Blue Sense App, economy modes etc.
What you won't:
• 3-cylinder diesel has no top-end. Slow expressway performance
• Mediocre NVH levels, especially in the area of vibrations
• Ride quality is nowhere as cushy as its car-based rivals. Does get bouncy
• Steering is on the heavier side at parking / low speeds
• 4x4 not available, even as an option
• Mahindra's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• Some important features missing (rear a/c vents, seatbelt height adjustment, dead pedal etc.)
Review LinkWas a hard choice between Nexon and the Ecosport but ended up going for the Tata because of its newer fresher look and that it has a more powerful diesel engine. I wasnt a fan of the cut short Xylo aka TUV300 ever and would never put my family in any new age Maruti simply because they are too light and flimsy no matter what NCAP has to say. Real life accidents are not "perfect" or in controlled conditions.
Tough choice between Ecosport and Nexon.
Ecosport : Slightly spacious rear seat would have made the choice easy + It has 6 airbags as an option which no other competitor has.
Nexon : vfm choice, bit odd exterior, very good interior, and good features list.
Voted for Nexon
I have never owned a Tata car but traveled thousands of Kilometers as a passenger in their cars right from their Estate, Mobile, Sumo, Indica and Safari. By looking at their transition from these cars to Zest/Bolt and now Hexa/Tiago/Nexon I believe Tata's best offerings are yet to come. They are improving with every new car releases. That is the reason I have Tata Motor's share in my portfolio.
My choice: Nexon - It is new, fresh, with good engines and excellent VFM pricing (at launch)
2nd Choice: Ecosport - Might become the 1st choice again with the facelift. Only thing against it is ever increasing price
As for Others:
Brezza: I like the looks, that's it. Nothing more to excite me
WR-V: same as brezza. I would rather buy Top end Jazz with magic seats
TUV: Well, best choice if I am looking for interior space and road presence. Costly, considering the engines on offer to move that heavy block. But still more practical than Brezza. Would be my (distant) 3rd choice
I20 Active: What does it offer above I20 really? Good alloy wheels only. Plus, I really HATE that half red, half transparent reflector cum reversing light on the right rear and full red one at the left.
Voted for Ecosport based on the preview info on the facelift. Still feel its the best buy in the segment for fit/finish, looks/proportions, above average material quality in the interiors and good engines. Hopefully they don't price the refresh at insane levels and retain existing pricing.
Nexon is a great leap ahead for Tata and definitely better than the rest of the segment from my perspective. But the Ecosport just edges it out overall.
After my OHC, I have never liked any Honda cars in India.
Brezza to me looks terrible, interiors look very basic, seats are like a flat bench and that engine ( while good on its own ) is so out of place in this segment.
@ Latheesh - based on your requirements isn't the XM the variant to go for ? Your budget is 10L. So how will you buy the XZ+ unless dealer is very generous with you :)
Voted for the Nexon.
Reasons are fairly simple:
- Fresh, Out of the box styling
- Massive GC
- Strong Diesel engine
- Comfortable Space for 5 passengers
My second preference would be the Brezza.
It is an all-rounder, does most things well, without excelling in any.
Eco-sport is out of consideration for me, due to it's lack of space and poor ride quality.
I am not a huge fan of this segment. They offer little over the premium hatchbacks. Yes, additional ground clearance is helpful but not to the extent that I would pay 1 lakh extra for it.
This segment also lacks a good petrol engine other than the Ecoboost. Maruti seems coy about launching Brezza with petrol engines, Tata engine has lags, the 1.2 from i20 and Jazz, while refined, when doing duty on Active and WR-V seem inadequate. The Dragon range on the Ecosport looks exciting, and the advertorials on it have mentioned that they have reduced the cost to manufacture the engines too, so hopefully the scenario would change in the near future,
Considering this, my top choice for petrol would be i20 Active. Its available for just a little extra over the original i20. For the 40k extra over standard i20, along with some offers, that ground clearance increase seems worth it.
For diesel, I would not go for anything in this segment, but rather stretch by 50k and S-Cross. The EMI difference would be around a couple of thousands an you get a much better all round car.
I think this discussion can change heavily on 9th November when the Ecosport launches with the new engines, upgraded interiors and hopefully more spacious cabin.
No compact hatch or sedan, premium or non-premium can withstand the rough terrain that Bangalore is throwing up these days. Maybe, they should host the Dakar rally here!
The craters put Mars to shame. Successive Govt apathy and record rains have left huge wells, and I'm not exaggerating. I posted a pic of Munnekolala road in Whitefield the other day, on another thread. Have a look. It's beyond anything I've seen. Compact SUVs are the need of the hour.
Voted Nexon as it's the best all rounder in the market right now, I feel. Decimates everything south of Jeep Compass! Love the car like anything!
Voted for Ecosport.
While Nexon looks good in the pictures (from some angles), I spotted a couple of them on NH8 yesterday and have to admit that they fail to grab road presence.
The darker shades still look good on the Nexon, but those white stripes are an eyesore. Also, if you see one in flesh, it feels more compact than a compact SUV.
R-Six
Amazingly, all cars in the hottest segment of the market have an incomplete line-up.
1) Some have no petrol option while others have no diesel option
2) Some are not available with automatic transmission
3) Automatics are all non-traditional -> AMT (not preferred by many) & Dual Clutch (expensive + questionable long term reliability). No torque converter or CVT options.
