[KPR]

With latest released 4 star rating for Jazz, I will give a second chance to consider it for it's longevity. Bonus will be sun roof that kids are after nowadays. Another chance must be given to Carens base or prestige variant petrol as it may suit more than your purpose at similar costs. If you don't like any there's always SCross as fall back option.

[neerajku]

Saying in jest... only a car built like tractor will serve your purpose. Seriously speaking pleased look at Bolero, easy to maintain, to repair and good comfortable ride. Please do not wait for Jimmy or any other new age cars, they will be expensive to maintain. Jimny may even turn out to be toys for boys, for all we know. Even Thar may serve your purpose well. It is built well and being a Mahindra will be easy to maintain. Good drivability actually swings the pendulum in its favour. Though no luggage space may be a constraint if there are for people riding it.

[sukhbirST]

Very good inaugural post which is nicely compiled for suggestions. This will help a lot of us who are in the similar situation. You may check with updated models of existing cars like Brezza etc which could have a fixed timeline (for decision)of say 6 months. Else Brezza or Bolero Neo would be the choice in your area.

[Carpainter]

I'm sorry I didn't read the entire thread but from your first few posts I think the ideal car for you is Duster. It's available in turbo petrol and has all the car like qualities you want and some Jeep like hardy build you expect. Only two negative points are that it'll exceed your 10 lakh budget if bought new and the car might get discontinued within a year or two.

Other cars that might suit your needs are Xuv3oo, Jimmy (not launched yet) and last but not least a second hand Innova may be if you can get a good deal. I have taken my Innova to various rural areas in Bengal and although the ground clearance is not as high as a Sumo etc. It'll do the job for you specially if your work takes you around surroundings of Santiniketan and Kolkata most of the time.

[RijuC]

Originally Posted by neerajku

Even Thar may serve your purpose well. It is built well and being a Mahindra will be easy to maintain. Good drivability actually swings the pendulum in its favour. Though no luggage space may be a constraint if there are for people riding it.

OP has a budget of 10 Lakhs +20%, may be?

And petrol FE of Thar is difficult to attain double digits.

Diesel Thar is good, but OTR price will be way above 10L. And Thar rear passenger seat does not allow 5th occupant. OP needs sitting for very occasional 5th companion.

[Aravind_M92]

Since you live in a remote area, I believe manufacturers with scanty service centres should be off your charts. That rules out Nissan, Skoda, Volkswagen, MG or Kia. I believe the best for you would be to get a Maruti or Hyundai. Their networks have expanded very well. Tata or Mahindra in rural areas cater mostly to Commercial vehicles and services in these areas are mostly a gamble.
I would suggest you to choose from the Maruti stable. I would suggest you to get the Brezza or the S cross. If you're okay with poor After sales, Tata Nexon would also be an option. Being in remote areas, go for a car that sells in huge volumes. As cars with poor sales have trouble getting spares even in tier 1 cities.
Also choose a car with good seating position. As sir, you're in 50s, low slung seating is something to avoid! Given the CSUV offerings, Brezza would be a good choice. I would also suggest the XL6. The car is has decent clearance and performance. The suspension sure is a little hard.
If Kia service isn't a problem, do checkout the Carens as well. The car looks and has good specs.

[Carpainter]

Originally Posted by Aravind_M92

Since you live in a remote area, I believe manufacturers with scanty service centres should be off your charts.

I don't know exactly where he is from but since he mentioned somewhere that he lives in close proximity to Santiniketan, I can tell you that it's not as remote as many thought it would be. He won't be needing a Jeep Wrangler to drive around. Santiniketan is very close to Burdwan which is a very populated and busy district so I don't think he'll find it difficult to get his car serviced if it's not a Maruti or Hyundai. I don't know about VW or Nissan but our everyday consumer brands should not be a problem. Also it's within 150kms from Kolkata. I've seen people owning superbikes that has no service centre in their entire state. So service is not going to be an issue. If OP takes his cars to the more remote villages and interiors and if breakdown happens then it's going to be a different matter altogether. Usually modern cars don't break down often in the middle of the road unless it's a VW or Skoda

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Aaditto

So, at this point, it will be of great help if an expert here could become the Devil's Advocate, and give me NEGATIVE points that I need to consider about the S-Cross!


Actually, the same goes for the Honda WR-V & the Mahindra XUV 300 - focusing on why I SHOULD NOT consider them might help further! Both of them being in my Top-3 list at the moment.


I am pretty okay with the base model of XUV 300 - it provides the 'Height Adjustable Driver Seat' feature (which I need) - and it does not come with a 'Sun Roof' (which I want to avoid)... The feel of the vehicle was very impressive (though my TD was in the city)... and the interior of even the base model is quite plush.

What I DO NOT like about that car is its bulkiness.
And, what I am unsure about is it's LONGEVITY.


Similarly, with the WR-V, I am very impressed by the feel and handling of the vehicle. And, just like the S-Cross, I LIKE it's hatchback-SUV crossover designing...
Again, my main worry with it is it's LONGEVITY - along with the issue with it's lack of response in the lower end.

You're going to be staying with the car for a long long time. If it doesn't appeal to your heart it's not worth the investment.

Out of the 3 choices, I think the XUV300 & S-Cross are really good vehicles, but I find the WRV to be a little over-priced for what is on offer : If you're seriously considering the WRV, do have a long test drive of the Jazz too and see if it can handle those roads whilst saving you Rs. 1.3-1.4L

My vote goes to the S-Cross for the sheer value for money it provides. Yes, the size is a little cumbersome - more so the width than the length, but our S-Cross has covered 60K in Mumbai traffic (and 10K on the highways) which can compete with Kolkatta on many occasions.
Coming from a primarily Toyota / VAG garage, the build has definitely impressed me given the abuse the car has taken on our roads here.

That being said, the one thing to consider is availability of spares. All these 3 models are slow sellers for their respective companies relative to the other products.
As time goes on, parts for these will become a little harder to come by. Nothing to worry about if it's a planned replacement, but say an accident / break down could see the car spending more time than needed at the workshop.

Just a suggestion : IF you're open to pre-owned choices, have a look at the Etios 1.5 / Liva Cross.
It's not a looker inside or outside, and it has a taxi-cab image; but if you're willing to look over that you would appreciate the simplicity & build. It has good road manners (ride & handing), an eager engine (1.5P while the 1.4D will impress you with it's drive-ability), can take on most roads without issues of ground clearance, good build quality, very easy to navigate in the city (due to excellent visibility and width), and is very abuse friendly. It ticks the basics requirements while avoiding the frills - and given it's discontinued : should be available at a good price. We bought the Liva in 2011, and it surprised us enough to go back and get the Etios in 2013. It was still as tight when we sold it in 2018, as it was on Day 1 - in fact it has aged better than our Corolla!

[thanixravindran]

Originally Posted by Aaditto

I am actually seriously looking at THREE cars only - from the list I posted originally -

• S-Cross

• WR-V

• XUV 300

In that order of preference.

Would be great to know what all you guys feel about those three choices!

The choices you have shortlisted especially - S-cross and XUV300 are good for your requirements as Maruti and Mahindra have got them correct.

XUV300 is a 3 cylinder Turbo 1.2 Petrol and not great in fuel efficiency. So if you consider XUV300, please check the base diesel which is safe, rugged, nice interiors and fuel efficient but it will cross the 10 Lakhs barrier slightly.

Another important point is, have you considered the service center availability in your area? If service centers are not available there, how much down time you can tolerate if this being a single car and have to send the car to service in a nearby city? Are you open to service it in local garage?

Down south, Mahindra does not have many service centers spread out even in urban areas but Maruti is ubiquitous. So in this area, Maruti scores.

Kindly check on this aspect before taking a final decision.

[grosserimperial]

Welcome to the forum!

Looking at your requirement I would suggest 2 options-

1) Mahindra XUV 300- One of my close friend owns one and the car has been a delight. He used to have a Hyundai Xcent earlier and has mentioned on many occasions that the maintenance costs of the XUV 300 are cheaper. Further, local Mahindra mechanics are able to resolve complex mechanical issues with it.

2) Maruti Suzuki Scross- This car is already in your consideration and satisfies most of your requirements. However, lower service costs are thing of the past regarding Marutis. Also from personal experience authorizes services centres do tend to urge for replacement of parts after 60,000-70,000 kilometres.

[Livnletcarsliv]

First and foremost, kudos to your lifestyle and your living style. Time and again we come across people like you who put love, care, and life at the front than needs, money, and lifestyle.

Now coming to your requirements and given your situation, I recommend you to stick to only these brands for the obvious reason of peace of mind and long-term ownership - Tata, M&M, Maruti, and Honda/Toyota (if you have a good SC at your access). Don't even think about other brands for their unreliable nature, expensive maintenance, limited-service network.

So the cars you can consider are as follows (in no particular order).

1. Tata Punch (the newest product of the lot)
2. Tata Nexon (most successful tata vehicle today)
3. M&M Bolero (highest selling M&M car ever, and money maker for M&M, downside is only Diesel)
4. M&M Bolero Neo (modern tinge to the Bolero, Downside is only Diesel)
5. M&M XUV300 (updated/refreshed model in launch line-up this year)
6. Maruti S-Cross (Highly underrated car, the only downside will be the ruggedness and no road capability)
7. Maruti Brezza/Toyota Urban Cruiser (Still a good car).
8. Honda WRV (Not a leader in any front. Could have been better in some. But overall a good package).

Please do a thorough TD of all these before deciding. Of course, you will not go wrong with any of these.

[samyakmodi]

@Aaditto

That's one of the best intros I've read in a long time regarding - what car to buy?

The S-Cross is ticking everything in your list other than the slump in performance between 60-80kmph - right? Just think how many times you will experience it in the next 10-15 years of ownership. If it's just once or twice a day - I would strongly recommend you to go ahead with it as that is the car that your heart desires!!

As far as WRV is concerned - it's a very good car which excels at nothing but is an over all excellent compromise in every way. Cost of ownership is quiet low and you can not beat Honda's reliability.

XUV 300 - is a total miss for me as I have never driven it, so can't comment anything on it either.

Another couple of cars that you SHOULD consider are the new TATA Punch as well as the Nexon. TATAs are making some really robust cars in terms of safety. If the car is strongly built - I have my doubts how much it would squeak and rattle over the years.

Clearly stay clear from Hyundai as their long term reliability and life is seriously questionable! (All of our 2 santros, 1 accent, 1 i20 and 1 tucson ended up with paint fading and body panels rusting horribly) Cost of ownership is quite high too.

[Romins]

Ground clearance(mm) of these three cars are listed here. Source: TBHP official reviews.
I guess this is a major factor for your decision.

S-Cross : 180
XUV 300: 180
WR-V : 188


Other possible candidates:
Brezza : 198
Bolero Neo : 160
Nexon: 209

[purohitanuj]

I would suggest Bolero or Bolero Neo. Fits your requirement perfectly. I agree the "show" value is to be desired but reading your requirement, you sound like way to practical man.
Please don't go by the ground clearance mentioned on a piece of paper.

[Neversaygbye]

My two cents considering your requirements:

Stick to Maruti, Tata and Mahindra while choosing your next car. Forget all others including the Hyundais.

Disregard what your mechanic friend is saying about Tata - It is a myth that Tata cars don't last. Just count the sheer number of Indicas still on the roads of Calcutta even if you don't consider my opinion as a happy Tata owner. Plus Tata and Mahindra cars are far better built than the Marutis of today. I rather doubt that the modern day Marutis will last as long as your 800 or Gypsy has. One friend's recent Marutis (Ertiga and Dzire) developed rattles and creaks in 3-6 years of sparing usage. Another friend sold off his Swift within 2 years because he could not adjust to the light build after coming from the Polo. However, having said that, the S-cross is still a good car. In fact I would go as far as saying that it is Maruti's best car at present. Of course that might change if it comes in the heartect platform (which is more of a heart attack platform) in future, but as of now it is a car that you can consider, but do not expect longevity. They just don't build them like they used to.

If you do decide to look beyond Maruti, go for the Nexon or Bolero Neo / XUV300 (if budget permits), as long as the ride quality is upto your expectations. Nexon is a turbo petrol but unlike the Hyundai/Kia CSUVs it is comparatively frugal. I think Punch will also address many of your requirements thanks to the higher ground clearance and NA engine, but I will not recommend it as it is a new Tata product. Tata products are great only after they have been on the market for 2 years, since it takes about 2 years for them to complete the beta testing at the cost of the paying customer. Both our Tata cars plus my in-laws' Indigo were purchased after the model had been in the market for more than 2 years and all of them were/are trouble free, durable and solid, with low maintenance costs. My almost 9 year old Vista has done 90k kms and still doesn't have a single rattle or creak.

The other advantage that Tata and Mahindra cars have is that they are great for highway runs thanks to their heavier build. After Maruti, both these brands also have ample service centres and a presence in tier two and three cities.

I am not recommending Hyundai despite the fact that their cars are leagues ahead in fit and finish, simply because they are overpriced for what they offer, have dodgy safety, mileage is usually poor compared to competition and service costs are high. As for the others - we really don't know how long they will be in India, do we? Plus you will not get anything within your budget with most of those brands, either.

In case you do decide to evaluate the Nexon, please also reach out to BHPians GMHossein and Sujoy76 since both of them have one and can give you unbiased feedback.