[newton_meteor]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Budget: Somewhere in the range of 15-45L depending on the car, of course lower is better!

One car comes to my mind fulfilling all the above requirements, it's the Hyundai Tucson AWD. Happy shopping!

[Random_Alien]

Hilux (as others suggested, fixed) + honda city (my suggestion) + skoda kodiak (optional)

If you go the beater route, buy a pre-owned City and get a tourer (like pre-owned skoda kodiak)

If you go the reliable family car route, go for new honda city hybrid. Doubles as a good city car as well as highway mile muncher.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

Hilux + Jimny. Already a few BHPians with this garage and it works supremely well.

Originally Posted by yedukrishnan199

At 45 lakhs per car, this is simpler, get the Hilux in the top-end trim and a Fortuner or a Merdian or a Roxx or a Scorpio-N, depending on how capable the second vehicle should be.

Originally Posted by PetrolHead2272

What about an all Mahindra garage?

1. XUV7OO AT for your long distance family drives.

2. Thar AT 4x4 or RWD that could be a capable off-roader

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

Hycross or Kodiaq
Hilux or Gurkha
D Max V Cross
Fronx

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Lifestyle Vehicle/ Dirt Bike Transporter;
Nothing to beat a Hilux.

Grand Tourer;
I would heartily recommend the BYD Sealion 7 AWD Performance Electric Vehicle.

Runabout;
the MG Comet EV
the MG ZS EV is a good bet, along with the Hyundai Creta EV.

The other options for the city runabout (with passengers) is the Toyota Hyryder Hybrid or the Grand Vitara Hybrid.

I agree with M that the Jimny is fantastic in city

Originally Posted by GTO

Thar Roxx 4x4 or XUV700 AWD or Scorpio-N, depending on your needs. Great for rough use and Bangalore traffic too. The Thar Roxx is a beautiful combination of fun + style + practicality.

Would suggest the Punch EV or Curvv EV.

Make it a garage of a fun 4x4, fun motorcycle and fun EV. Research them well and buy them one by one for maximum pleasure .

Originally Posted by //M

I second Axe77, Hilux High AT is the car to go for

For the second car, I would have suggested a simple MG Comet for daily usage in Bangalore traffic but since you are more of a jeep guy, you might find anything else a tad too boring. You may however consider the Jimny AT for city runabouts as well as offroad sessions.

Originally Posted by Axe77

A Hilux + Jimny is a super cool and practical / usable garage, not to mention that it leaves a whole lot of dry powder to buy some really nice bikes for you and your daughter both.

Originally Posted by vsbabu

Beater car with or without a driver is a must in Bangalore.
My choice will be Hilux and a beater car/motorcycle.

Originally Posted by newton_meteor

One car comes to my mind fulfilling all the above requirements, it's the Hyundai Tucson AWD

Thanks for the suggestions so far, some are resonating with my thoughts and some are broadening the search, don’t know if it’s making it easier though

Hilux: seems like a popular opinion, added to my list of test drive when I visit in April
Jimny: this one was not really on my list mainly because it looked too small and the engine wasnt exciting enough, but will check it out
Fortuner: is a big contender for the SUV we can trust, but with the Hilux it could be redundant unless they both drive very different because they almost look the same inside
Meridian: somehow not really a big fan of the Jeep SUVs except the wrangler
Scorpio N: not a big fan either
XUV700: this one I really found to be quite nicely done on the inside. I can’t picture myself with it though, don’t know why!
Thar Roxx 4wd AT: I saw the car couple of weeks back when I was visiting and the interiors looked quite decent. The outside looks very proportionate and good too. With the engine tunes it should be good to drive but have to get my hands on one.
Thar (Petrol 4WD AT): I hear good things about this, not so good things about the mileage but its not the concern. Have to drive it to see if it makes the connect.
Hycross: I sat in one the other day and it felt quite good, but with a driver. Not sure if I will find it amusing to drive.
Kodiaq: The home ministry’s choice! Sadly, the old one is gone and the new one will probably change the pricing equation. If this happens to be more expensive than the Fortuner AT 4x4, it’s going to be out of the race.
Fronx: not sure about this at all
BYD Sealion: great car but questionable on long journeys with relatively zero presence outside some big cities
MG Comet: no offence but I would never!
MG ZS or Creta EV: will be confined to the city, might be something to think of when the main ones are sorted
Hyryder or Vitara: they’re the same I guess and quality seems to be left wanting on the inside
Punch/Curvv EV: Don’t like the punch but the curvv looked interesting if only for the city. It’s a Tata so will need a lot of mental preparation to own it.
Tucson: hadn’t thought about it yet, but will check it out. I don’t know if this will be abuse friendly and to what extent.

[hondaford]

I have had the Jimny 3 door in another country. Yes it is capable to go anywhere. Unless you are on trails or driving on mud or sand, you could cover most of the country in a compact SUV.

Jimny is not the most comfortable on highways. I sold it eventually because I did not feel confident even at legally sane speeds of 100 on the highway. Always felt that if I need to take any evasive move, it would tip over. It may not, but it always felt like it.

I would suggest a Hilux for your specific needs with an Elevate for the city. Two no nonsense vehicles with long term reliability and comfortable to drive too.

[//M]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Thanks for your inputs so far, one clarification I need to issue is about my budget. I meant to say that it’s between 15-45L per car and not in total, my bad! Also, I don’t think it will be wise to clock 45L on every choice so that’s why lower is generally better.

Despite this clarification, I feel Hilux and Jimny would be ideal for you. Both cars can be had with lucrative discounts in a few months, keep coaxing dealers in and around Bangalore. Also, the remaining amount can be utilised to prep the cars for meaningful offroad mods and performance upgrades, if required.

[amolpol]

So it looks like at least one choice is made and it pretty much resonates with us as well:

Car #1: Hilux High AT (unless something horribly goes wrong in our test drive)

Car #2: Jimny vs Thar vs Roxx (TBD: Preowned or New and D or P)

Car #3: TBD

Slightly off topic, how is the second hand market these days for the Thar or Jimny ATs?

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Slightly off topic, how is the second hand market these days for the Thar or Jimny ATs?

Not the best in Bangalore, the price delta is very little in most cases amd used car prices in general are the highest here in the country. Also I think you will get fedup in about 48 hours of dealing with this nonsense and just buy a new one ( unless theres a teambhpian deal to be had). Since you have the money I would steer well clear of a used car deal UNLESS it is from someone here or your immediate circle.

[yedukrishnan199]

Originally Posted by amolpol

So it looks like at least one choice is made and it pretty much resonates with us as well:

Car #1: Hilux High AT (unless something horribly goes wrong in our test drive)

Car #2: Jimny vs Thar vs Roxx (TBD: Preowned or New and D or P)

Car #3: TBD

Slightly off topic, how is the second hand market these days for the Thar or Jimny ATs?

Jimny was heavily discounted post-launch and still offers up to 2.3 lakhs available through some dealerships, Moreover, Bangalore has the highest used car prices in India, and with Jimny being just 2 years into the market, the chances of getting a good deal are quite slim. It is better to get one new or if an offer comes from friends, close relatives circle then it is worth going for. Otherwise, a new Jimny would be the better choice.

As for Thar, you do get quite a lot of used car options, and it is worth checking out.

Now, if you are considering Thar Roxx, I would recommend the Diesel AT 4WD only, especially for your usage scenario, as for the Thar, both 4WD variants are good, but diesel would be more frugal. Jimny is only available in Petrol an d so there is nothing to think about.

[OpenRoads]

Originally Posted by amolpol

So it looks like at least one choice is made and it pretty much resonates with us as well:

Car #1: Hilux High AT (unless something horribly goes wrong in our test drive)

Car #2: Jimny vs Thar vs Roxx (TBD: Preowned or New and D or P)

Car #3: TBD

While Hilux AT would meet the requirements for carrying stuff, the 2nd car option might fall short in terms of comfort or space.

Volkswagen Tiguan AWD or Hyundai Tucson 4WD might be a good option for the 2nd car if comfort, safety and space is prioritized.

Note: Both mileage and money have left the discussion

[GutsyGibbon]

My beater 4x4 that could haul a bike or allow me to build a camper would be the Tata Yodha. Is this no longer available in India?
The second car would be a highway friendly family car/suv. Seltos/Brezza or such.

[Marx1997]

My 3 cents ( cars) :
HILUX
HYCROSS
HONDA CITY.
Sorted

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

I would steer well clear of a used car deal UNLESS it is from someone here or your immediate circle.

Noted, will float the idea on some enthusiast whatsapp groups that haven't kicked me out even though I've been MIA for the last 3 years and see if there's any known specimen

Originally Posted by yedukrishnan199

Jimny was heavily discounted post-launch and still offers up to 2.3 lakhs available through some dealerships,

As for Thar, you do get quite a lot of used car options, and it is worth checking out.

I read about the big discounts on the Jimny, will check if there's still some 2024 stock running on those. Problem is that such deals will have to be done quickly and I've not moved back yet. There's a lot of 4x2 Thars out there I believe but will have to look for an enthusiast 4x4 who knows what they've bought.

Originally Posted by OpenRoads

While Hilux AT would meet the requirements for carrying stuff, the 2nd car option might fall short in terms of comfort or space.

The Hilux is a big car but with no real luggage space if you use the loading bay as a truck and driving it in the city can be fun in its own way. We had the same issue with the Isuzu and I had a roof carrier for the luggage which was good but also a nuisance with the wind noise when empty. The second car is mainly going to be a fun 4x4 and my daily off-road drive to office maybe (staying in Bangalore has it's own merits). So thats why the Car #3 has come in picture

Originally Posted by GutsyGibbon

My beater 4x4 that could haul a bike or allow me to build a camper would be the Tata Yodha. Is this no longer available in India?
The second car would be a highway friendly family car/suv. Seltos/Brezza or such.

Sadly, the Yodha is not something my family would agree. It's probably available (or the likes of it) as a yellow board registration I guess. But its a Tata, and I've done my share of penance early in my life.

The compact SUVs aren't on our list, mainly because they're generally good practical cars but we've not got completely rational people in our family. The idea is to have non-overlapping and distinctive vehicles in terms of characteristics, so we can never compare them directly because each is good in their own thing. That way all can live happily together!

[manofinfinity]

I would recommend the following:
1. Hycross Hybrid-Can be used in multiple ways as you mention, Family Tourer, Beater Car, with Chauffer, an all-around Practical Car also fantastic to dive in the city with excellent FE, telling from personal experience.
2.Hilux/Fortuner-Your go to anywhere Off-road Vehicle.
3. Any EV of your choice for City Runabouts.

[Clown Prince]

If you are looking for reliable and easy to maintain car then you are pretty much bound to Toyota, nothing beats it hands down. Second position is either Honda or Maruti. You cannot go wrong choosing from their staple. For my recommendation
1st car is Hilux
2nd car is Jimny or Kodiak
3rd car is City ( personal choice because I'm a sedan guy ). You can also check Elevate but it's driving seat setting is not for everyone. Comet is also good for city driving due its small size and being an EV.
I'd say new ones only. Don't go for used Mahindra's or Tata's unless you are sure of their upkeep. They are Pandora boxes.

[car_guy1998]

The first car I'd suggest you is Hilux or Kodiaq or Hycross for touring while as a second car, I'd suggest you go for Jimny or Thar for off roading and as a third car, I'd suggest you go for sedan like Virtus/Slavia, Verna and City.

Or, as a third car, I'd even suggest you go for an EV as a city runabout over sedans like Creta or ZS EV or Windsor if range is not much of an issue for you.