[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by 07CR

I should have been a bit more clearer on the doubts I have on these cars-

1) Superb- Even though it's MT, I am not really sure about how good the ASS would be. If any BHPian's could share their reviews on this please!

Skoda ASS has improved a lot in the last 10 years. I've a Laura MT TDI since 9 years which is still going strong after having clocked 183K so far. I've almost had zero niggles with it- Touch Wood ! I have taken very good care of my car too. In fact 60k on a Skoda is not even a warm up for it's engine. Issue lies in how well the car has been maintained, whether it was chauffeur driven( most Superb owners have one), any major hiccup etc. If you've clear answers for all these, it's great.

Here in Bangalore, i've been extremely happy with Skoda Tafe Access. I share a very good rapport with them too. I'm not sure how good the ASS in Pune.

Among all the options you've listed I strongly feel XUV is your best bet. Icing on the cake is it's an AT. I guess all those initial niggles it had were sorted out by 2016 for sure. As @ Reinhard indicated, you'll have the benefit of extended warranty coming along too. I've a close friend who is happy with his XUV500 MT for 8-9 years now. May be you can comb through XUV threads for ownership experiences to get more details.

Cheers,
bibendum.

[PaddleShifter]

Voted for XUV500 W11 AT for the following reasons in short:

1. Superb- Seems best car in the cohort but personally not comfortable spending on an almost 60k run D segment car from a brand with repeated negative service history.

2. Camry- Its big, spacious, reliable, toyota, hybrid too so easier on pocket. But I'd prefer a SUV for better peace of mind during monsoons (water logging) as well as non rainy seasons (pot holes and speed breakers). Spares for Camry are also expensive I heard (can't be ignored for a second hand car).

3. XUV500- Top variant, AT, Very low running, reliable (2018 model), easy on pocket maintenance, go anywhere car.

Among new cars (Seltos vs Hector), I'd choose Seltos over a Hector any given day as I do not need that XL space in a congested city. Seltos should be easier to service long term too (speculating).

Now, between Seltos and XUV, I'd pick XUV because of the fact that it has lost much of the initial depreciation already. Its a top variant, diesel and has more space too. Support on highway is excepted to be better for XUV as it is an old model and Mahindra is present in smaller towns also. In summary, the reasons are strictly from economy and vehicle support point of view owing to your highway usage.

[Ffj]

Looking at the options that are on the poll, if I had to choose somethingfor myself, I would have gone in the following order
1. Xuv- It being a top end and relatively new car among the pre owned ones. Also considering you have a beater car in hand (the amaze), I would have opted for an SUV.
2. Camry- Toyota's have been known to be built to last. And it being a hybrid should probably have a good FE.
3. Seltos- Personally like the appeal of an SUV which is why it's coming before the Superb.
4. Superb- great styling and comfort. But not sure of the ASS which is why it'splaced so low in my ranking.
5. Hector- The looks somehow do not appeal to me personally.

Please note that these are my personal opinions and I may be very wrong about my judgements here. Still a newbie

[ArjunPadmakumar]

Considering the current situations, I would strongly advice against a new car purchase but if its absolutely necessary then the Seltos is the one to get, the feel good factor you get after a drive or ride in it is unparalleled in the segment however there is long waiting list and the pricing will touch 20 Otr for the higher variants. Also be prepared to see them in every street corner in another year or two!

Coming to the Pre-owned options you have shortlisted, The Camry is an overall fantastic car however reliability of the hybrid system on the long run is a big Question mark. Now that brings us to the Superb. If it had been a DSG L&K variant I would not recommend it to anyone, however the manual is generally devoid of the major issues faced by the auto variants especially in its 2nd gen avatar. Also even in the style trim it is really loaded and can stand up to an Audi A4 or an A6. Its the most bang for your buck at 11.5 lakhs. Also after the warranty is over it is better to take them to qualified mechanics in your city over the Skoda ones. Being a VAG product they are easily Remappable to over 200hp once you get bored after a few years! I am driving a Skoda rapid 2015 DSG run 80k km and touch wood its pretty alright other than a flat battery once.
So go ahead and get the Superb, you wont have the urge to upgrade for a substantially longer time

[46TheDoctor]

Voted for Camry Hybrid because:
1. It can easily serve you for 10 more years with utmost reliability which cant be said for other options. Toyota service is also best so minimum maintainance costs are expected compared to other options.
2. Its a real hybrid, so can be used for city use in electric mode i guess, also car will be more refined and fuel efficient compared to other options.
3. Camry is the most comfortable car on all the seats among your options. It will also be most luxurious if you exclude Superb.
4. Even if Camry is the oldest car among your options, it will last the longest i am sure.
5. Lastly the price: you are getting a 5 years old sparingly used example for approximately 40-45 % of its original price which is a good deal for a Toyota car

[GTO]

Would go for the Camry Hybrid (a car built for 300,000 km) or the XUV500 (its engine + AT are superbly mated) from your list. Other options you should strongly consider are the Compass Diesel (sheer driving pleasure) & Hexa AT (all-rounded with superb ride comfort).

Bargain hard - it's a buyer's market out there .

[07CR]

Thanks everyone for their opinions. I am leaning towards the Camry followed by the XUV. But will have to wait for the lockdown situation to subside in my region (it's very serious and complicated in my region).

Originally Posted by GTO

Would go for the Camry Hybrid (a car built for 300,000 km) or the XUV500 (its engine + AT are superbly mated) from your list. Other options you should strongly consider are the Compass Diesel (sheer driving pleasure) & Hexa AT (all-rounded with superb ride comfort).

Bargain hard - it's a buyer's market out there .

Just one query, will there be any spares issue with the Camry since its a previous generation model and not exactly a hot seller.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Just one query, will there be any spares issue with the Camry since its a previous generation model and not exactly a hot seller.

Not at all.

1. The Camry has sold in reasonable numbers for its segment in India.

2. It is a best-seller worldwide, selling over 5 lakh copies each year.

3. Being a Toyota, you really won't need spares that often .

For regular maintenance, stick to the authorised dealer as their service quality is damn good + service costs are surprisingly low. For big work, you can evaluate based on estimates.

[R2D2]

5K kms/year running is very low. Are you sure you need another car? I am sceptical about used cars (unless from a known person who knows how to care for them) but if you must it is best you go for the Toyota given their reliability, comfort and Toyota's superlative after sales. They will back you up for decades and I say that from personal experience. Next choice would be the Superb - premium look and feel plus Euro road manners but you MUST have it evaluated by a professional technician. These cars can get expensive to repair. The M&M XUV next, M&M has some bugs in their products (which car doesn't?) but I think their customer focus is good and they will help out. Kia Seltos and MG Hector while very good products when seen on their own are too new to judge their mid to long term reliability and service support.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by GTO

Not at all.

1. The Camry has sold in reasonable numbers for its segment in India.

2. It is a best-seller worldwide, selling over 5 lakh copies each year.

3. Being a Toyota, you really won't need spares that often .

For regular maintenance, stick to the authorised dealer as their service quality is damn good + service costs are surprisingly low. For big work, you can evaluate based on estimates.

Great, any idea how much the annual cost for Camry would be? I am not happy with my Dad's Amaze diesel's ASS. We have spent a whopping 1.63L (including replacing front suspension recently) in 6.5 years, despite great maintenance from our side. That works out to a 27K expenditure per year.

So compared to these costs, how much more annual maintenance costs would I be expecting from Toyota?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Great, any idea how much the annual cost for Camry would be? I am not happy with my Dad's Amaze diesel's ASS. We have spent a whopping 1.63L (including replacing front suspension recently) in 6.5 years, despite great maintenance from our side. That works out to a 27K expenditure per year.

So compared to these costs, how much more annual maintenance costs would I be expecting from Toyota?

Let's get one thing clear about Toyota - routine services are very reasonable. BUT accident repairs, serious mechanical failures, damage to the engine or transmission will turn out to be expensive. Also in a hybrid car, consumables like the NiMH battery pack is expensive, according to the local TKM dealer about 2.5 lakhs and I am not sure if it excluding taxes and labour. In an D2 sedan you can expect large bills if the car isn't maintained properly. So please do your homework when buying a used car.

[daretodream]

Voted for Toyota Camry.
Saw them in scores and dozens in Dubai last December. All of them having high Odometer: Minimum 3.37L KM and maximum around 8L KM.
The ride, refinement was extremely superb! I spoke to the drivers (mostly from India, Pakistan and Afghanistan) and they said this is the default choice and offers peace of mind compared to similar hybrid cars compared to competition(e.g Honda Accord Hybrid, Nissan Hybrid)

And someone says it won't be fun- at red lights, we couldn't keep up with the Camry's in my BIL's fortuner.

It's been an aspirational car for me since then.

[Comrade]

Please find out the battery pack health and replacement cost for Camry. I would personally avoid used hybrid cars just for the battery pack cost.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by Comrade

Please find out the battery pack health and replacement cost for Camry. I would personally avoid used hybrid cars just for the battery pack cost.

Haven't looked into battery specifics yet. But I read on Camry's thread that the batteries for Camry's and Toyota's other hybrids easily last over 15 years or so.

Still will look into it in more detail.

[sv97]

Originally Posted by 07CR

Haven't looked into battery specifics yet. But I read on Camry's thread that the batteries for Camry's and Toyota's other hybrids easily last over 15 years or so.

Still will look into it in more detail.

Please look into the battery health as it is the integral component of these cars and it can fail without any possible signs and the costs of replacement as some BHPians have already pointed out are very high.

Have experienced this in my civic hybrid the hybrid battery failed without any indication and it costed almost 2 lacs to replace it even though Honda provided 7 years of warranty on the battery.