[black.beauty]

Hi Fellow BHPians,

I need your help with a decision I've been mulling over.

I bought my first car in late 2021, a black petrol XUV300. Loved the 200 Nm torque, aggressive front, and those premium interiors. But the limited boot space was a letdown on my frequent 9–12 hour drives. More importantly, it never felt like that car I’d turn back to admire after parking. The upgrade itch kicked in sooner than expected.

Since then, I’ve been evaluating every car through this lens:

• Looks
• Performance
• Comfort (driver and passenger - aging parent and wife)
• Long-term Reliability
• Safety

Looks have become so primary to my car selection that I don't mind even a 7-seater, as long as it looks great and falls in that price range. I can just fold the last row and use that for extra luggage space. Hence, when you have a glance over the shortlisted contenders below, they are from everywhere - Sedan, MPV, and SUV.

1. Virtus (Sports GT MT)
   On Road: 22.5 Lakhs
   
   
   
   I began my test drives with this one, and for good reason: it’s arguably one of the best-looking sedans today. And not just that, it is practical too. The VAG twins gave some life to the dying segment of sedans with 179 mm ground clearance and a small turning radius of 5.05 meters. As soon as I got in, I found my driving position instantly. Transitioning from a compact SUV, I didn’t feel like I was sitting too low either. And oh, the engine purrs beautifully when you tap the throttle.
   
   But the ride quality is where it falters. The suspension felt stiff and transmitted sharp bumps into the cabin. The TD car was noisy with rattles and thuds over potholes. Rear seat cushioning was also on the firmer side, which might be uncomfortable on long drives. Lastly, the dashboard fit and finish never felt premium for the price.
   
   ---
   
2. Jeep Compass Sport
   On Road: 24 Lakhs
   
   
   
   The moment I pressed the accelerator, the Compass launched and completely caught me off guard! I don't feel there is a better driver's car in this range. I felt the rush as an enthusiast. I never felt so much in control, with the sharp handling and the popular suspension. The compact size felt so right for my 3-member long trips. Above all, it just looks so proportionate and handsome with its timeless design. I know even after ten years of ownership, I will not stop admiring its looks. And the solid thuds: the tank-like reputation it has developed over the years, surely makes you cocooned in safety, as you drive.
   
   But, Compass second row has one of the most upright angles. This is a downside for long journeys. But the bigger concern? The probability of things going south is much higher with Compass than with any other car including the Tatas and the VAG twins. These are not minor niggles. Compass has left people stranded in the middle of nowhere with no signs of an RSA for multiple hours. Horror stories include the car being in the garage more than your parking space. Even if you don't face any of these issues, the upkeep is certainly a pricey affair.
   
   ---
   
3. XUV700 - AX7 MT Diesel Ebony Edition 6 seater
   On Road: 25.8 lakhs
   
   
   
   I wasn’t a fan of the XUV700's design initially, but the Ebony Edition changed my perception. It's not just dechromed, it also comes with all-black interiors and leatherette seats that genuinely feel premium. The captain seats are fantastic for long trips, and the panoramic sunroof makes the second row feel airy and spacious. Power delivery is solid, and coming from an XUV300, I’ve had a positive service experience with Mahindra. This has also become one of the most value-for-money cars, especially due to its massive price drops in the recent past.
   
   That said, the steering feels too light for my taste, even in city conditions. It doesn’t weigh up at high speeds despite what the SA claimed. And while the looks have grown on me a bit, it still feels slightly disproportionate compared to something like the Harrier. (And those Harrier tube-light DRLs? Not my thing, didn’t even bother with a TD.)
   
   ---
   
4. Toyota Hycross GX (O) 7 seater (non-hybrid variant)
   On Road: 27 lakhs
   
   
   
   I loved the drive of Hycross against what the numbers state on paper. I never felt like rolling a close-to-4.8-meter car, the maneuverability was simply amazing. The comfort levels are clearly above XUV700 with its brilliant under-thigh support and a suspension setup that offers a comfortable and composed drive.
   
   Full marks to Toyota for their attempts to give Hycross an SUVish look. However, the smaller tyres in proportion to its huge body and lower ground clearance (compared to actual SUVs of that length or more) are solid giveaways of an MPV. And to add to that, it has low mileage for the variant.
   

---

We dropped other contenders like Safari, Harrier, and Slavia mainly because of their looks.

XUV700 might not be the outright best at anything like others, but it is a solid average at everything, which makes it the foremost contender:

• Decent reliability
• Good performance
• Acceptable handling
• Average looks (Ebony edition makes it better)
• Great comfort, especially for rear passengers
• Premium, all-black interiors

As a complete package, it feels like a safe, sensible pick. Compass tugs at my heart, and is clearly the better enthusiast's car. But I can’t ignore the red flags around its reliability.

I know the XUV700 doesn’t enjoy fan-favorite status on this forum. It’s not a design icon, it’s overloaded with tech, and its steering isn’t confidence-inspiring. But after all my research and test drives, this is the car I keep circling back to, and I didn’t expect that myself.

What do you think, BHPians? Am I missing something here?

[Sensible_Speed]

Hycross non-hybrid variants are a massive money pit in terms of fuel consumption. That engine is strained by the CVT and cabin insulation is a joke in the Innova Hycross.

Mahindra is probably your best bet now. Good comfort and infinitely improved dynamics from the XUV500. Instead of going all in for the AX7, you can look at the mid AX5 variant that has most of the same stuff packed in minus the ADAS and some connected features, which are that many fewer problems in the future.

While the VW's stiff suspension helps on long journeys over smooth tarmac, it can give your spine a lot of trouble over bad city roads.

[sunikkat]

For me the best car under 30 lakhs is undoubtedly Virtus 1.5 DSG/MT. Even after being a VAG it is dominating the segment for a reason. It is the most fun to drive from your shortlist too.

[Shreyans_Jain]

The most sensible and practical buy in the price range is the Maruti Invicto. Exact same car as the Innova Hycross Hybrid, and you get real discounts and deals on it instead of the attitude you get from Toyota dealers. If you can get the car registered in a state that offers road tax benefit on string hybrids, then it’s a no brainer. Clearly, you are impressed with the petrol only Hycross. The hybrid is that much better.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by black.beauty

More importantly, it never felt like that car I’d turn back to admire after parking.

Since then, I’ve been evaluating every car through this lens:

• Looks
• Performance
• Comfort (driver and passenger - aging parent and wife)
• Long-term Reliability
• Safety

XUV700 might not be the outright best at anything like others, but it is a solid average at everything, which makes it the foremost contender:

• Decent reliability
• Good performance
• Acceptable handling
• Average looks (Ebony edition makes it better)
• Great comfort, especially for rear passengers
• Premium, all-black interiors

I know the XUV700 doesn’t enjoy fan-favorite status on this forum. It’s not a design icon, it’s overloaded with tech, and its steering isn’t confidence-inspiring. But after all my research and test drives, this is the car I keep circling back to, and I didn’t expect that myself.

For just the above factors and the highlighted point in bold, ignore the Hycross. It's just not a car you look back after driving.

XUV700 and Virtus 1.5 turbo seem the best of your bet. Compass too maybe considered but the future of Jeep worries me. My other considerations would be Verna 1.5 Turbo and Seltos 1.5 Turbo too. These would satisfy all your requirements in varying degrees. Especially the criteria of looking back at your car after a long drive!

[Livnletcarsliv]

Originally Posted by black.beauty

• Looks -
• Performance
• Comfort (driver and passenger - aging parent and wife)
• Long-term Reliability
• Safety

Looks have become so primary to my car selection that I don't mind even a 7-seater, as long as it looks great and falls in that price range. I can just fold the last row and use that for extra luggage space. Hence, when you have a glance over the shortlisted contenders below, they are from everywhere - Sedan, MPV, and SUV.

1. Looks are subjective and personal, period. For example, I like Slavia better than Virtus. I don't like the looks of Hycross because of those puny wheels. And so on. So it is your call.

2. Since you are looking for a petrol manual <30L in terms of good handling, and performance - VAG's 1.5 manual is the best engine. Compared to these, XUV700, Verna are not far behind. However, 700 will be far behind in terms of handling compared to any of these.

3. Performance-oriented cars = stiff suspensions. 700/Verna are way more comfortable (especially for rear passengers) than Virtus/Slavia/Kushaq/Taigun/Seltos. So you have a compromise on either performance (just slightly) or comfort. Since you have an aged parent, I recommend choosing comfort over pure performance.

4. Reliability = Toyota/Maruti > Hyundai/Kia > M&M > VAG > Tata. Since you are choosing a manual the reliability of M&M and VAG as products are almost same.

5. Safety = M&M = VW = Skoda = Tata > Hyundai/Kia.

Finally, your choice should be Kushaq/Slavia/Virtus/Taigun (all are the same except for looks) vs 700 vs Verna.

[black.beauty]

Originally Posted by Sensible_Speed

Mahindra is probably your best bet now. Good comfort and infinitely improved dynamics from the XUV500. Instead of going all in for the AX7, you can look at the mid AX5 variant that has most of the same stuff packed in minus the ADAS and some connected features, which are that many fewer problems in the future.

The AX5 would have been an easy choice if the Ebony Edition were available there. AX7 purely for the Edition.

Originally Posted by sunikkat

For me the best car under 30 lakhs is undoubtedly Virtus 1.5 DSG/MT. Even after being a VAG it is dominating the segment for a reason. It is the most fun to drive from your shortlist too.

I agree, it was fun to drive. But I am also looking at two other criteria: passenger comfort and reliability. I am willing to deal with even reliability issues if it solves the comfort. But the 2nd row is not comfortable at all, with my aging dad sitting there. He could feel the thuds when it hit sharp potholes, which Compass and XUV700 didn't even let us know. The seats were also stiffer than the other cars I have shortlisted. My target is to make passengers enjoy the drive as much as I do.

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

The most sensible and practical buy in the price range is the Maruti Invicto. Exact same car as the Innova Hycross Hybrid, and you get real discounts and deals on it instead of the attitude you get from Toyota dealers. If you can get the car registered in a state that offers road tax benefit on string hybrids, then it’s a no brainer. Clearly, you are impressed with the petrol only Hycross. The hybrid is that much better.

I would have considered Hybrid if my budget allowed. I can stretch to 27 if what is offered is that great. I don't think I can get Invicto in that range. Also, the looks are just not there as a whole. It looks great from the front and the back. But the side profile is a downer, with those small tyres. I keep looking at the side-profile to see whether that will ever grow in me. It doesn't.

Originally Posted by 07CR

For just the above factors and the highlighted point in bold, ignore the Hycross. It's just not a car you look back after driving.

XUV700 and Virtus 1.5 turbo seem the best of your bet. Compass too maybe considered but the future of Jeep worries me. My other considerations would be Verna 1.5 Turbo and Seltos 1.5 Turbo too. These would satisfy all your requirements in varying degrees. Especially the criteria of looking back at your car after a long drive!

I agree with you 100% about Virtus and XUV700. Though Verna's headlamps are just not my taste, everything else about Verna is beautiful. Verna also has corrected the infamous Hyundai/Kia handling to a good extent. Heck, if Verna didn't have those headlamps it might even be above Virtus for me, because it also offers premium interiors. However, the same poor handling persists in the Seltos. The drive never makes you feel as if you are in total control of the car. Compass did that the best, Virtus easily the 2nd best. But XUV700 wasn't far behind either.

[MonkOnWheels]

Originally Posted by black.beauty

I can stretch to 27 if what is offered is that great.

If you can stretch to 27 Lakh, you should be able to get the XUV 700 AX7L with the current discount offers instead of the AX7. With the AX7, you will soon miss out on a 360-degree surround-view camera. Also, consider a 7-Seater instead of a 6-Seater if you are planning to fold the third row and use it as a 5-Seater with luggage space.

[Tanmay_868]

Originally Posted by black.beauty

Compass tugs at my heart, and is clearly the better enthusiast's car. But I can’t ignore the red flags around its reliability.

I know the XUV700 doesn’t enjoy fan-favorite status on this forum. It’s not a design icon, it’s overloaded with tech, and its steering isn’t confidence-inspiring. But after all my research and test drives, this is the car I keep circling back to, and I didn’t expect that myself.

What do you think, BHPians? Am I missing something here?

You are on the correct path for choosing XUV7OO and Virtus GT.

I would say experience the Seltos with 1.5 turbo too. Try to see the highest variant ie. XLine or Gt line.
I recently had a go in it and it really impressed me. The quality is good and cabin felt really upmarket and let’s not get started on Features. It has an amazing stance with those 18 inchers wheel.
Certainly a car to look back after parking.

Virtus is good but cabin didn’t provide the feel expected at such a price. The suspension I found it to be great (little bit on stiffer side) but some find it too stiff. Check it by going over pot holes at slow speed (at optimum tire pressure)
So experience and do TD over a long distance.

For XUV I find the car to be very Mundane in terms of styling. Apart from that no other problem with car.
It’s priced appropriately, has stonker of an engine, with good features. Reliability too has improved so that fear is eliminated.

I would say AVOID COMPASS. It’s maintenance can really make owners pocket empty. Seemingly it has higher costs as compared to Merc CLA.

In short TD all the car in the price range you do not know which car may impress you.
I find it to be the best part of a car buying journey.

[StrykerEV05]

Originally Posted by black.beauty

Hi Fellow BHPians,



What do you think, BHPians? Am I missing something here?

Any particular reason for excluding EVs? Since you mentioned good looks and performance, I would strongly recommend the Mahindra BE 6, it is compact compared to the XEV 9E - recommending this over the 9E since you mentioned that you liked the compact dimensions of the Jeep Compass. There are a lot of long term reliability issues with the compass and the engine is a guzzler which drinks a lot.
Range Anxiety is now a thing of the past with the modern EVs, since all of them will give you over 400km range even when driven hard.
If you don't mind the size of the car you may consider the 9E as well. It might be Slightly over budget but you will save quite some money in fuel costs so even at 32-33L it will be equivalent to a 27-28 lakh ICE car.

You can also wait for a while and grab a Curvv.EV 55 or Creta EV if they reduce the prices by 3-4 lakhs in the next few days/weeks.

[black.beauty]

Originally Posted by MonkOnWheels

If you can stretch to 27 Lakh, you should be able to get the XUV 700 AX7L with the current discount offers instead of the AX7.

I did TD with Sireesh Motors, Dommasandra. AX7 L goes way above 28 lakhs. And this one is not even the Ebony Edition. Trust me, the Ebony edition does look uber premium with its Black Interiors and Black Leatherette. The only car I get with Ebony edition in my price range is the AX7 MT.

Originally Posted by Tanmay_868

I would say experience the Seltos with 1.5 turbo too. Try to see the highest variant ie. XLine or Gt line.

I would say AVOID COMPASS. It’s maintenance can really make owners pocket empty. Seemingly it has higher costs as compared to Merc CLA.

In short TD all the car in the price range you do not know which car may impress you.

I had driven a pre-facelift Seltos sometime back, and found its suspension hard. No doubt, it is one of the best-looking cars out there. It feels premium as well, with the Bose speakers and everything. Also couldn't feel the car in control due to its lack of steering response. Unless these have changed, I don't see a reason to take the TD again.

Compass is purely heart over head. It is a great Value for Money with the entry variant costing 23.5 lakhs on road in Bangalore, and this variant has covered almost everything one would need in a car: all 4 disc brakes, TPMS and alloy wheels. Except for Sunroof, 360-degree camera, and Leatherette seats, it's all good. Above all that, it drives well and screams handsomeness all around. But, the head doesn't want to take the plunge because of its breakdown issues.

Originally Posted by StrykerEV05

Any particular reason for excluding EVs? Since you mentioned good looks and performance, I would strongly recommend the Mahindra BE 6, it is compact compared to the XEV 9E.

You can also wait for a while and grab a Curvv.EV 55 or Creta EV if they reduce the prices by 3-4 lakhs in the next few days/weeks.

I really liked the interiors of BE 6, haven't driven it though. However, I am just unable to connect with the design. It is too futuristic for my taste. I wish there were a good-looking electric car in that range. Whether its Curvv or Creta, it just does not give me a great-looking car vibe like the Compass or the Virtus. XUV700 is manageably good-looking as well for me.

[MonkOnWheels]

Originally Posted by black.beauty

I did TD with Sireesh Motors, Dommasandra. AX7 L goes way above 28 lakhs. And this one is not even the Ebony Edition. Trust me, the Ebony edition does look uber premium with its Black Interiors and Black Leatherette. The only car I get with Ebony edition in my price range is the AX7 MT.

I agree that the Ebony edition's black interiors and black leatherette look awesome. I suggested AX7L only because of the missing 360 camera in AX7, as this can't be retrofitted later. Also for some reason, I thought AX7L is around 27.5Lakh.

[heydj]

Looks are subjective and out of OP choices I like Compass best. However will I buy it? maybe not as its got reliability issues and for me I like cars which are mix of looks, performance and reliability.

In 2021 when I was looking to buy a car at intersection of looks and reliability only vehicle I finally liked was Tucson and when I futher decided to buy a variant it was Diesel for me. Will keep this for full 10 years as it has everything I needed then and I need now i.e. A. Performance (415NM Torque), B. Looks, C. Reliability.

I did overpay beyond my budget but better that then changing car after 3 years of buy as that is throwing money. So this time my only advice will be to listen to your heart and make correct choice.

[esp33]

Originally Posted by MonkOnWheels

360 camera in AX7, as this can't be retrofitted later.

That is not true! You can fit a 360 cam even on the AX5/AX7 variant's stock infotainment system. Plenty of videos are on youtube about the same.

[IshaanIan]

Looks are an individual preference for example I turn around and look at my 2004 Brilliant Yellow LXI WagonR with black bumpers just as often as I turn around and look at my Kizashi at the supermarket parking lot or the local chicken shop

I feel the often over styled look of modern cars is to blame here more than a lack of correct proportions or interesting design. Honestly cannot recommend anything to you if you cite looks as your primary quality when selecting a new car. All I can say is that if I were spending that much, I’d look into a heavily discounted Maruti Invicto hybrid and call it a day. I may not look back at it apart from maybe to admire the nearly commercial bus looking set of wheels that I just rolled up in, but on the inside and with many passengers, there’s no better feeling new car overall in that price range. It just makes so much sense and does nearly everything so well that it would be tough for me to pass on such a car just to find something that looks better.