[viXit]

4 Car garage currently. Most of them unused.

-Maruti 800 kept for sentimental reasons, fully restored and immaculate.
-Grand i10 AT, fantastic TC box for urban runarounds
-City Diesel, Highway/Outer Ring Road steed of choice, consistent 25 kmpl
-Storme 2013 4x2, time to go.


Enjoyed 10 years with the car, no major issues till now, never broke down or left us stranded. Mechanically great too. But a decade is a good run and I feel like Paisa Vasool is done.

What next?

We bought the car all inclusive for about 15L in 2013
Spent a fair bit enhancing the experience and it's upkeep.
So it's a comfy long distance cruiser for 5. Looking for something similar.

Most likely replacing 2 of the existing cars with one new.

Functional Requirements

1. 7 Seater (Large Family, loves to travel together)
2. Robust and Niggle free (I use it in the farm and to often transport produce)
3. Automatic Gearbox
4. Comfortable Seats and ride quality (no compromise on this)
5. Peace of mind on no roads
6. Not tiring to drive over long distances

The budget is flexible and around 40L as of now. But let's be realistic there is nothing that conforms to my requirements in that. So what would you buy if you were in my position?


Innova Hycross- Extremely disappointed with interior quality , NVH and seats. All passengers sit knees up as the seats are too close to the ground. Not worth its asking price. Although it scored well on the efficiency and practicality front. It is an option but only a last resort type.

Scorpio-N - Took a good test drive and came out really impressed. But was vetoed by mom as soon as she sat in it since it felt claustrophobic as soon as we moved from the Safari.

XUV 7OO- Really liked the car, but skeptical with long term ownership convenience. Parents won't have the time or patience to deal with niggles as I might no longer be available to keep running around for it. Top contender for now. Scored high in mom's books.

Fortuner- Comes close to the requirements best but the price tag is simply too much to digest. If it was loaded with ADAS, A nice ride, Digital Cluster yada yada ,maybe. But it simply doesn't sit right with us.

Only car interesting enough to wait for seems to be the That 5 door. Hopefully niggles are sorted through the Beta testers of That 3 door. If it has FSD, should fit the bill. And not too much tech so should be fairly reliable.

I might be coming across as an idiot just nitpicking but it truly feels hard upgrading from a car so simple yet useful . Never felt a lack of features or convenience, felt lined, illuminated and soft open storages, cubby holes, door pockets, auto down on all doors, heated and super large ORVMs, Auto dimming mirror, 5 full size alloys, a really good engine etc. kept the car really VFM.

Pls chime in with your inputs.

Storme to be inspected by Cars 24 day after. Estimated 3.8L value

[Haze]

I would just like to say that almost all of us have a natural sub-conscious tendency to look at the vehicles we own with rosy nostalgia tinted glasses, no matter how average they were.

I would also like to remind you that every single car that you have listed and 'rejected' above, all of them have a third row which is infinite times better and more comfortable than the Storme's side facing third row.

I would suggest that first you decide whether or not you need the third row, and then decide. And if you don't, then this line in the opening post doesn't really need to be there.

7 Seater (Large Family, loves to travel together)

[condor]

The 5-door Thar is still a few months away. From the current list and comments shared, XUV7OO seems to be the one that will be accepted by the family.

A sinking feeling just to read that 3.8L. May as well drive it into the ground - but then even that will take years !

[BleueNinja]

Originally Posted by viXit

-Storme 2013 4x2, time to go.

Going through your requirements Innova Crysta pops in my mind. You can get a ZX AT in pre owned car market. Innova is a capable people mover , RWD and build to last.

If going for a new car then :

XUV 700 AWD seems like a good choice. It's a decent soft offroader, easy on the eyes, feature rich and should keep you going for next couple of years.

Did you try new Tata Safari? The new EPS steering is much better than old HPS setup and if you aren't on the taller side than ergonomics shouldn't bother you a lot. The ride quality is good as well and it's comfortable and more spacious than XUV and ScorpioN in the 3rd row.

I wouldn't be so sure about Thar 5 door. It would be a new vehicle and as it's the case with tata and mahindra, it's better to buy their new vehicles after an year or so.

[Kosfactor]

For farm duties pick up an old Thar, you can convert it into a 2 seater half cab at home itself , just order a half canvas canopy. All others will retain farm fragrances and ruin their interiors.

Now you have more options for a highway vehicle, XUV is of course the best driving car of the lot, you could go for the petrol or AWD as needed if some slippery farm tracks are to be tackled.

[Abhisheknott]

Do check out the MG Gloster. The interior space and quality is decent.
Mu-X is another option. MG down on mechanicals and Izuzu down on brand/sales.

[Slushmaster]

I was in a similar situation 2 years back and I picked a Fortuner as my primary requirement was a dependable 4wd. For a few days I missed my Storme's ride, but now I am used to the ride of Fortuner.

As I can see that 4wd is not your requirement, go for Hycross.

Thanks,
Slushmaster

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by viXit

I might be coming across as an idiot just nitpicking but it truly feels hard upgrading from a car so simple yet useful . Never felt a lack of features or convenience, felt lined, illuminated and soft open storages, cubby holes, door pockets, auto down on all doors, heated and super large ORVMs, Auto dimming mirror, 5 full size alloys, a really good engine etc. kept the car really VFM.

I have been having exactly the same thoughts. There really is nothing that big and spacious and comfortable and sturdy and having that sort of presence. So I decided to keep spending on her, tolerating some of her tantrums, and keep her. 10 years and counting here too. EX 4x2 Astern Black.

The Innova Crysta is the only one that comes close, and I would rather keep driving my Storme to be honest. The showroom and workshop guys say there is a Storme Classic coming inside the next 6 months ... same body, completely modern inners and engine. Waiting!

Cheers, Doc

[condor]

Originally Posted by ebonho

The showroom and workshop guys say there is a Storme Classic coming inside the next 6 months ... same body, completely modern inners and engine.

While the body may remain same - but engine + interiors have to change -- IF what they say is actually going to happen. And I doubt.

Doc, same place as you. 10 yrs on. No reason to let go. No possible replacement candidates visible. I am not going for a Fortuner. If anything, it has to be something close in size too, a little smaller but definitely not bigger.

[Livnletcarsliv]

Given your requirements, only Hycross, Safari and XUV700 fit the list.
Out of the 3, my recommendation would be (in the same order) - Hycross, XUV700, Safari.

Yes Hycross is expensive for the quality and NVH is offers. But which car worth the money in the current market dynamics?

Between 700 and Safari, 700 is a more sorted car since it is also exported to other countries. Of course, it is not perfect, but way better than Safari. With the new Safari, more electronics means more niggles.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by condor

While the body may remain same - but engine + interiors have to change -- IF what they say is actually going to happen. And I doubt.

Doc, same place as you. 10 yrs on. No reason to let go. No possible replacement candidates visible. I am not going for a Fortuner. If anything, it has to be something close in size too, a little smaller but definitely not bigger.

10 years of driving the Storme have totally spoiled me for other cars. Now when my Storme was in the workshop being worked on, I drove the Baleno for a couple of days to office. And I felt as if I was go karting on the road. I've heard diesel engines go lacs of kilometres. My Baleno is soon to enter her 20th year. My Storme and my Duke are both in their 10th years. My Bullet 500 is in her 22nd year. My Hercules Top Gear is in her 25th year.

And I am in my 53rd.

Cheers, Doc

[Guru_Shikhar]

Hello viXit,

It is indeed difficult to separate from your beloved 2 / 4 wheeler when you decide to move on.

Since you have not mentioned about your opinion about Innova Crysta, I would suggest you to consider this as an option. Proven engine, munches miles, absorbs shocks well due to body on frame construction, comparatively less maintenance and can be a seven seater for limited hours of travel. Also check Kia Carens or you can wait for the new Kia Carnival to be launched here using great Safari for time being.

Happy searching…


Cheers

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by viXit

Functional Requirements

1. 7 Seater (Large Family, loves to travel together)
2. Robust and Niggle free (I use it in the farm and to often transport produce)
3. Automatic Gearbox
4. Comfortable Seats and ride quality (no compromise on this)
5. Peace of mind on no roads
6. Not tiring to drive over long distances

Based on your requirements the below cars come to my mind:
1. New Tata Safari
2. Kia Carens
3. Hyundai Alcazar
4. MG Hector.

I have seen these 4 cars during my BIL's new car buying process as the requirement was pretty much same as yours. After taking TD's of all these cars, he finalized on the Safari (pre facelift).

You have not specified any preference for fuel so I assume you are OK with both Petrol and Diesel. If transporting farm produce takes a higher priority than people transportation then you should be looking at the rugged looking Isuzu DMax

[PrasannaDhana]

I would suggest the fortuner.

I will be in your boat in 4 years time, ie, the time when i will have to let go a 10 year old storme.

Hycross is too flimsy, from my experience being in it. Crysta is a good option but it's more of a van than a proper SUV.

You will feel the same appeal in the fortuner. Sadly there aren't any other good D segment SUVs today.


I wouldn't trust the new Tata/Mahindra, though both Safari and XUV7OO are excellent products until Tata/Mahindra QC nightmare dawns upon us.

[buzzy_boy]

I would strongly recommend not to go with the XUV or the Harrier if you need a reliable vehicle. Just read my posts on the XUV niggles. In my scenario, I took this calculated risk just because the XUV is my only workhorse.

What's more, the rear suspension of the XUV is just not designed to haul produce.

I liked the Fortuner, and was okay with the ride quality. If you're okay with that, why don't you go for it? Yes, it's expensive, but you're paying for peace of mind, and future resale value.