[amolpol]

The last few years we’ve been enjoying our life in France, you can read about the experiences here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/inter...st-la-vie.html (The (Great) French Migration – c’est la vie!)

But like all good things that have to come to an end, later this year it will be time for us to head back to Bangalore where we hope to continue living happily ever after. However, a few things will be different as we return, one of the biggest changes being our garage. So here I am, spending my time, energy and money yet again to buy the materialistic things that help create our joyful experiences.

My previous garage was mostly 4x4s and ADV bikes as you can read in the thread. It was near perfect and worked well for our lifestyle. But before putting the money on these silly things again, I thought it’s always good to explore all the options and this thread is intended to harness the power of "Collective Intelligence" and challenge the boundaries of our imagination.

We’re a family of 3 with a definitive need of at least 2 cars for my wife and myself – more the merrier but it has to make sense! There are some lifestyle requirements and of course budgets to manage.

Requirements:

1. At least one family tourer that’s always ready for service whenever we want, can go wherever we point it and bring us back safely
2. At least one medium capable off-roader that could double up as a camping car and climb over the traffic on the city roads
3. Maybe one pickup truck for transporting bikes whenever needed
4. We’re done with stick shifts, automatic boxes only
5. Interior space is valued and luggage space is appreciated
6. Good safety characteristics are a definite plus
7. ADAS and all electric gizmos are good to have
8. Brands with “snob value” are good but not necessary
9. Servicing without headaches is a big plus
10. EVs are not banned from our list, but have to fit the need
11. Reliable pre-owned options are also welcome
12. I have been toying with the idea of a beater car and a driver given the horrendous Bangalore traffic, but don't want to give in to that temptation yet

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

---------------------

Mod Note: Clarification on budget from a later post added here for convenience.

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.

[PetrolHead2272]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Requirements:
At least one family tourer that’s always ready for service whenever we want, can go wherever we point it and bring us back safely

What about an all Mahindra garage?

1. XUV7OO AT for your long distance family drives. The batches now are a lot more sorted than the initial ones. ADAS is provided and from my own experience with a Scorpio N, Mahindra has improved the quality of their service by far. (Although I am based in Delhi so I don't know much about their service in the South).

2. Thar AT 4x4 or RWD that could be a capable off-roader doubling up as a camping car and climb over the traffic on the city roads and along with that the sub 4m size of the car will make it easier than an XUV to manoeuvre in the city.

The total cost might exceed the set budget by a few lakhs but I feel this combination would suit your family well.

Happy hunting and welcome back to India mate

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by amolpol

[*]At least one family tourer that’s always ready for service whenever we want, can go wherever we point it and bring us back safely

Hycross or Kodiaq

Originally Posted by amolpol

[*]At least one medium capable off-roader that could double up as a camping car and climb over the traffic on the city roads

Hilux or Gurkha

Originally Posted by amolpol

[*]Maybe one pickup truck for transporting bikes whenever needed

D Max V Cross

Originally Posted by amolpol

[*]I have been toying with the idea of a beater car and a driver given the horrendous Bangalore traffic, but don't want to give in to that temptation yet

Fronx


If I were able to understand the requirements alright that is

[Axe77]

I’ve read your France thread as well as some other travel threads with great interest and thoroughly enjoyed them. Given you and your daughter’s motorcycling hobby plus your collective love as a family for adventurous road trips, I think a brand new or used Toyota Hilux A/T is definitely car number one.

It is very flexible in its use case in terms of being camping friendly, can do long drives with motorcycles at the back etc if you want to drive and ride. Its a worthwhile compromise to lug in the city given how handy it would be for someone like you on other occasions.

Whatever second car floats your boat in the leftover money. Maybe a used automatic Honda City or anything else that makes a practical family car for the family for Bangalore duties plus should be capable enough for basic highway duties if you don’t feel like taking the Hilux on any particular travel.

EDIT:
On second thoughts (and taking a cue from some posts below), I also totally second a Jimny AT as an excellent 2nd car. It will allow you to continue your adventure biased road trips in a smaller footprint vehicle and also be a very convenient and compact city car. It’s practical and versatile enough for a range of end use.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by Axe77

I’ve read your France thread as well as some other travel threads with great interest and thoroughly enjoyed them. Given you and your daughter’s motorcycling hobby plus your collective love as a family for adventurous road trips, I think a brand new or used Toyota Hilux A/T is definitely car number one.

Axe made a good recommendation on the Hilux.

It seems that here is one person who will use the pickup the way it is meant to be used.

Lifestyle Vehicle/ Dirt Bike Transporter;
I agree that the Hilux and Isuzu V Max are absolutely ideal for the transport of motorbikes, dirt bikes and such. However, I would buy the Hilux. Nothing to beat a Hilux.



The one thing to be watchful of is that unlike the EU Zone, where most of the paved roads are in good shape, here the road surfaces are perpetually uneven and there are these unexpected bumps and things.

Hence, it is of equal importance for you to ‘prep’ the vehicle which will transport the bikes without them keeling over or shifting while being transported. For this, the correct and proper heavy duty straps and shackles and ring mounts and things to secure them whilst in transit, is of paramount importance.

Grand Tourer;
As for the family highway touring vehicle, honestly, considering the budget that seems to be available, I would heartily recommend the BYD Sealion 7 AWD Performance Electric Vehicle. It is SIMPLY SUPERB. And it comes with massive performance and huge range and best of all, it will be negligible in terms of running cost.



Runabout;
I would look no further here for the in-city runabout work, than the MG Comet EV - especially if this is primarily going to be used by one or two persons at a time, for groceries and things.



If one has to accommodate more folks on a regular basis and prefers a compact runabout for the city, then 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. This gives the best of both worlds and will also be quite inexpensive to run, though not as advantageous as the EV’s suggested above.



I agree with M that the Jimny is fantastic in city - I have one and it eats up our horrid Bangalore road surfaces. Being narrow it can get to one’s destination much faster just because (like an auto rickshaw) it can squeeze into tiny gaps. Its fantastic and a great all rounder. The AT version makes sense for city but the MT gives better responsiveness. Its small and compact and easy to park in our tightly squeezed cities. And the ideal compact companion for some adventuring as well.



To the OP:
I sincerely believe that the above combination of vehicles will enable the you to do exactly what you want to do, with absolutely NO compromise on comfort, general safety, useability and best of all, in relative anonymity, at an inexpensive running cost.

Forget all the noise around ‘badging’ and ‘snob value’ and all that. This is the combination that I would give serious consideration to, if I were you.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by amolpol

We’re a family of 3 with a definitive need of at least 2 cars for my wife and myself – more the merrier but it has to make sense! There are some lifestyle requirements and of course budgets to manage.

At least one medium capable off-roader that could double up as a camping car and climb over the traffic on the city roads

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.

With 26-28 lakhs spent on the Thar Roxx 4x4, you have about 20 left for the rest of the garage. Use it for a fun motorcycle and an EV for the city (EVs are superior in the city due to their smoothness, refinement, torque & fuel-up-at-home advantage). 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 .

[//M]

I second Axe77, Hilux High AT is the car to go for considering your requirements. Presently dealers are offering discounts but it is lesser than what was available in 2024. You can coax your local Toyota dealer from now and wait for sweeter deals to come by during the year. It is a medium off-roader given its limitations with the weight and overhangs but has serious mod potential to make it for competent for off-roading. It can double up as a tourer assuming you won’t be bothered with the ride quality given your past experiences of driving the Thar and LC80. It can easily be the perfect camping vehicle with lot of room to carry gear or motorcycles in the truck bed. Toyota reliability and ease of aftersales is also a plus point.

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. The size and weight of the Jimny would be very useful for daily usage in urban conditions and you can always mod it to make it more offroad friendly.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by amolpol

The last few years we’ve been enjoying our life in France, you can read about the experiences here:

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

Hilux + Jimny. Already a few BHPians with this garage and it works supremely well. Both can be had with great discounts. 35l + 15l = 50l (price of one fortuner).

Hilux: pros / go anywhere long distance, over lander, camping friendly , multi purpose hauler, diesel, jap reliability, can intimidate other cars. Cons / cannot do tight exploratory trails around Bangalore, needs a lot of track width, cannot be a daily driver in bangalore or for small errands.

Jimny: pros / go anywhere short distance, tight trail exploring, camping friendly, can be a daily driver, can run errands, park anywhere, jap reliability. Cons / long distances are a test of patience and wallet strength, very little cargo space, can be intimidated by other cars.

An example of tight camping bush trails we explore in Bangalore. Scroll to 1.35 of the video

https://youtu.be/_u3gt94ACjg?si=BGSaLFVp1_0NeCHa

Yes we need walkie talkies lol

And gets progressively tighter

https://youtu.be/FPr1ZrJJPBU?si=XvfHF-7-xfRTLldM

[yedukrishnan199]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Requirements:

1. At least one family tourer that’s always ready for service whenever we want, can go wherever we point it and bring us back safely
2. At least one medium capable off-roader that could double up as a camping car and climb over the traffic on the city roads
3. Maybe one pickup truck for transporting bikes whenever needed
4. We’re done with stick shifts, automatic boxes only
5. Interior space is valued and luggage space is appreciated
6. Good safety characteristics are a definite plus
7. ADAS and all electric gizmos are good to have
8. Brands with “snob value” are good but not necessary
9. Servicing without headaches is a big plus
10. EVs are not banned from our list, but have to fit the need
11. Reliable pre-owned options are also welcome
12. I have been toying with the idea of a beater car and a driver given the horrendous Bangalore traffic, but don't want to give in to that temptation yet

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

An Isuzu V-Cross or Hilux, the Hilux costs a whopping 47 lakhs OTR. Still, with discounts from dealers ranging from 6 to 12 lakhs,it would essentially cost anywhere between 35 lakhs to 41 lakhs OTR, So it doesn't leave you much for another car, if you do get it at the higher end of the discounts mentioned. The second option must be around 10 lakhs, even if you get the Jimny Zeta AT with the max discount of 2.3 lakhs, it would still come to 15 lakhs at least, so that would entail 50 lakhs on these two cars, which would fulfil most of your requirements but would be over budget.

Now, if you opt for the V-Cross over the Hilux, with the top-end costing 38.5 lakhs and with discounts of over 5 to 9 lakhs depending on dealership, you get it around 30 lakhs, then still it leaves you with the option of the Jimny at 15 lakhs, getting both cars under 45 lakhs.

In my opinion, the Hilux is a better choice. Although the V-Cross is no slouch, the Hilux provides the reliability of a tank, an indestructible vehicle that can be taken anywhere.

As pickup trucks are included in your requirement, this seems to be your best bet.

If you can avoid the pickup truck, then a few more options are worth considering like the combo of a Jimny and a Thar Roxx 4X4 both in their top most trims, or even a Jimny and a Scorpio-n 4x4. Perhaps a Compass 4X4 and Jimny too.

If you can do with a soft-roader with AWD and a 4x4 companion, then the XUV700 AWD and Jimny can also be a consideration. Else you can consider a used Fortuner to go with any of these cars too.

If you go used then any of these combinations will easily fit your budget too.

There are quite a lot of possibilities, and I don't think you can go wrong with any combination. In my opinion, you just have to find the right balance that suits your needs.

[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.

Hilux more than Isuzu: I’ve had the vcross and used it mainly for the bikes in the past. While its a no nonsense car, it leaves you wanting for more especially on power.

Thar vs Roxx: I have to drive them to get a feel. Have had the old Thar so I know what it takes to live with a Mahindra. It’s a heart vs mind topic for me.

Jimny: I love the practicality of the car but don’t know if the autobox makes you smile or frustrated.

EVs: I like the BYD and even Tesla should be there in a few months or even the new Born EVs look capable. But they will be more confined to the city streets I feel. The go anywhere capability will be missed. I have the Mini Electric now and it’s not what we take on the French highways even when the charging infrastructure is quite evolved here.

[Fuldagap]

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.

I was a bit confused initially but understood it is the price per car.

Fantastic budget. Would love to read about your final buys here.

[yedukrishnan199]

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.

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.

So one car should be the Hilux, and choose the next one between the 4x4 SUV options available. I don't think EVs in this budget have the go-anywhere capability you are looking for and hence best avoided.

[Axe77]

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.

Thanks for that important clarification. I too took the entire budget at 45L. Ironically, even at this number, I'd still reiterate my original recco of Hilux + Jimny although of course this budget can widen options to vehicles like the Roxx or even totally different types of cars like a nice petrol Sedan etc if that is your preference.

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.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Hilux more than Isuzu: I’ve had the vcross and used it mainly for the bikes in the past. While its a no nonsense car, it leaves you wanting for more especially on power.

On point. One of your purchases look done.

Thar vs Roxx: I have to drive them to get a feel. Have had the old Thar so I know what it takes to live with a Mahindra. It’s a heart vs mind topic for me.

I wouldn't touch the Mahindra if I had a hilux in the garage. As a one car garage, its okay. Else they simply get obliterated by the jimny on trails and the hilux on overlanding tours. Also i drive the old thar, and i am sorry to say they share nothing in common.

Jimny: I love the practicality of the car but don’t know if the autobox makes you smile or frustrated.

If used for its intended purpose - city crawls, mall crawls, trail crawls, it matters little since everyone will be at 40 kmph tops. Highways to trail locations are best done at 80-90 kmph because of very unruly local traffic anyway, and the now ubiquitous AI speed traps everywhere. Also a throttle controller does wonders on this little thing (i use one, transformed my old gen Thar).

EVs: I like the BYD and even Tesla should be there in a few months or even the new Born EVs look capable. But they will be more confined to the city streets I feel. The go anywhere capability will be missed. I have the Mini Electric now and it’s not what we take on the French highways even when the charging infrastructure is quite evolved here.

An EV now and for your kind of lifestyle makes little to no sense (treading off the beaten path 90%). EVs are set to dramatically change in the next few years, every single battery tech you see now will be obsolete in 2 years tops. BYD has already launched a 5 min 400k range proprietary speed charger in China and is opening 4000 new chargers next month there. And toyota is expected to debut solid state batteries with an exponential range soon. I would tread very carefully in EV landscape now, I neither have the time or energy to keep selling and buying cars every 2 years but i do not know if you enjoy this, prior threads indicate you dont

I would also rather get a strong hybrid jeep/ute when available like the Honda City Hybrid powertrain (not the car).

[vsbabu]

Beater car with or without a driver is a must in Bangalore. In fact, there are times when I left both cars at home and commuted by motorcycle to avoid frustration on the road. I usually commute from Koramangala to Varthur at 7am (this is ok) and return back around 5pm. The latter was a big problem and I changed it to 4pm. If 4pm is missed, then 9pm - still it used to take 1 hour even by motorcycle. My choice will be Hilux and a beater car/motorcycle.