<Warning! Lengthy Post Ahead!>
My trusty old warhorse [Ford Fusion+, petrol;
related thread (Excellent service experiences with Dhone Ford, Pune)] will turn 15 this September. The car is still going strong, is still silent and refined as ever, still puts a smile on my face whenever I drive it, still gobbles up potholes and preposterous speed-breakers with aplomb, still handles like a dream and still looks quite nice too, if I may say so myself.
(Pic taken by Mrs. P earlier this week)
While I intend to renew its registration and keep it going, I have started considering fallback options, just in case. It was during the research for this fallback that I realised that I am facing some sort of a midlife crisis.
A midlife crisis for an enthusiast, I submit, is evidenced when s/he starts looking for a steady, no-nonsense, easy-to-maintain, mass-market, point-A-to-point-B commuter. In my case, in fact, the crisis is briskly and inexorably approaching the midlife catastrophe threshold - i.e. no car at all - thanks to the Pune traffic+roads situation, exacerbated by long-term infrastructure works like the Metro construction, as well as the undeniable comfort of Uber/Ola and eventual convenience of said Metro, as well as my driving needs diminishing with time.
The alternative to the above two for me is to mutate into an EnthusiastLite or a DietEnthusiast™ by acquiring a mass-market easy-to-maintain ride that also attempts to pull at the heartstrings, that embraces the midlife mess unabashedly but also allows me to slip into lucid intervals of sanity (read: vanity). Thanks to the forthcoming launches of the Suzuki CSUV/crossover twins - Arena's Brezza and Nexa's S-Cross - in their petrol avatars (finally!), I think this just might be possible now.
Which brings me to the topic of the thread: which of these should I consider? My requirements, during my fallback research, in no particular order, have been:
- Sturdy build quality
- Decent Ground-Clearance
- Petrol engine
- Automatic Transmission
- Not too big
- Not too small
- BS6
- As many safety features as possible
- Preferably below 15 lakhs on-road
- Preferably more pliant ride-quality than the Fusion
- Preferably better performance than the Baleno, i20, Jazz segment
Obviously, the BS6 EcoSport Titanium+ fits all these criteria and then some. Ford's service in Pune has demonstrably improved too, over the past few years (I refer you back to my "related thread" above), so it won't be exactly tough or expensive to maintain. But for some reason, the freshly minted "Uncle" in me simply refuses to look away from the Marutis. And based on those covetous glances, here are my assessments of the two. Note that I haven't test driven any of them yet, since they're yet to be made available for TDs, so these are strictly at the discussing-with-friends-whether-I-should-ask-her-out stage:
S-Cross:
Pros:
- I like its looks, largely, and its proportions and roominess
- Safety features reasonably up to the mark, all disc brakes (assuming Diesel variant specs are carried over)
- Meets my other main requirements (GC is 180, build quality is solid)
- Handling and ride quality were both good in the diesel, unlikely to regress in the petrol
- 4-cylinder engine, against EcoSport's 3
- True AT, with goodies (Hill-hold, creep functionality) present
- Seems the ideal successor of the Fusion, the original crossover
Cons:
- ESP/ESC missing
- 2 airbags against EcoSport's 6
- 4-speed AT, against EcoSport's 6
- That chrome grill
- SHVS stop-start might irritate me
Brezza:
Pros:
- I don't mind its looks
- Safety features reasonably up to the mark (as evidenced by the 4-star rating, assuming Diesel variant specs are carried over)
- Meets my other main requirements (GC is 198, build quality is reasonably solid)
- Handling was decent in the diesel, ride quality might be better in the petrol
- 4-cylinder engine, against EcoSport's 3
- True AT, with goodies (Hill-hold, creep functionality) present
- Not as cramped as the EcoSport, but will still be easier to park than the S-Cross
Cons:
- ESP/ESC missing
- 2 airbags against EcoSport's 6
- 4-speed AT, against EcoSport's 6
- SHVS stop-start might irritate me
- Not as roomy as the S-Cross
- Mrs. P hates its looks, and not just out of jealousy
Pre-TD at least, the S-Cross seems to be winning, though the Brezza is not far behind. Should I graduate from the leery voyeur to the sincere suitor? Or should I fight against the hovering crisis and go for the EcoSport?
Will update the thread after the TDs of course. Am refraining from taking the EcoSport out for a spin too, till then. Have also evinced interest in the Nexon EV's subscription plan, but would prefer a petrol for the next few years. Not considering the petrol Nexon due to the AMT and the Marutis' reputedly comparative peace-of-mind ownership.
Appreciate the responses!