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Dilemma: Wait 8 months for the XUV 700 or get a Slavia or City instead?

10th March 2023, 19:47 by Ananth Iyer

The car should be fun to drive with excellent stability between the speeds of 110 to 130 kmhr.

BHPian MotorDev recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone, 2 weeks back me and my family visited a Mahindra showroom in Banglore to check out the new XUV700. We liked it and planned to book the top-end AX7L petrol in midnight black. The waiting period is about 8-9 months. So in the meantime, we checked out the Slavia and City too.

So now we are confused about the above-mentioned cars. Our requirements are:

Space for 3 at back. We need a proper 5 seater. This car is only for highways.
Fun to drive with excellent stability between the speeds of 110 to 130.
Feature loaded
Waiting period is not an issue but the sooner the better.
Decent reliability
Solid build quality and crash rating.

The variants of the cars picked are:

XUV700 Petrol AX7L
Slavia 1.5 DSG
Honda City 1.5 CVT (facelift)

So, please do give your suggestions.

Here's what BHPian GRAND23 had to say on the matter:

I see you are also from Bangalore and hence my suggestions are purely based on my personal experience. FYI, I have owned Grandi10, Duster, XUV5OO and Honda BRV.
1. Since you are put up in Bangalore, I would strongly suggest to have one small, fuel efficient car (used or new or electric). XUV7OO is fantastic car, but petrol variant will be fuel guzzler. Heck, to some extent diesel also provides very less mileage. My XUV5OO was just providing 9-10 km/l average within city. My suggestion would be to keep XUV7OO for highways and small car for city. Take my word, small cars are more fun to drive than big cars.
2. Skoda 1.5 DSG - No doubt this is fantastic car and the performance this car provides blows your mind. But keep in mind of DSG reliability. None of the manufacturers have proven DSG reliability in our market. So I would stay away.
3. Honda City Facelift: I assume you are considering hybrid option as well. Since you are anyway going to buy new, I would suggest you to spend bit extra and go for hybrid version. Honda hybrid is way better and reliable. I don't think I need to talk about 1.5 engine and it's CVT smoothness. It's the best what we have. Hybrid model is good for both city and highway. Car will be fuel efficient and it meets all requirements you mentioned.
So my choice would be Option-3 else Option-1.
Hope this helps.

Here's what BHPian Dead_Pedal had to say on the matter:

Wait for the City facelift. Hopefully Honda will surprise us all with a hybrid model without Honda sensing which I believe you could do without. Personal preference here-I don't prefer Mahindra/Tata vehicles and would never buy them and as far as City vs Slavia/Virtus is concerned, the City feels like a more complete product(it's got more nice to have features that you may appreciate over a period of time) so my vote would be for the City facelift. Also, why not check out the upcoming new Verna and then take a final decision?

Here's what BHPian TheHelix0202 had to say on the matter:

If you don't really have a need for the automatic 'box, try the MT Slavia. It's really sporty, has superior build quality, and is spacious enough (the City and XUV beat it in this regard though). There's really no going wrong with any of the cars you've shortlisted.
It's either going to be a head or heart based decision. Close your eyes and go for the one you feel you'll enjoy the most along with your family's votes, don't over analyze!

Here's what BHPian Sam264_2000 had to say on the matter:

I own 5th Gen Honda City CVT and my cousin XUV700 AX7L Diesel AT and Virtus 1.5 DSG. Having driven all 3, let me give you my perspective vis-à-vis your requirements:
Space for 3
All 3 can seat 3 adults but it would be a bit tight in Slavia. As my family and friends put it, rear seat of Honda City is a sofa. XUV700 rear seat has a bit of an upright position rather than a relaxed angel.
Fun to drive with excellent stability between the speeds of 110 to 130
Slavia and XUV700. City NA iVTEC is fun too for some (like me) but the enthusiast in you may like the Slavia or XUV700, primarily due to turbo engine/DSG combination or a more powerful engine. When I want to have some fun with my City on highways, I slot it in "S" mode and use the paddle shifters. That satiates my "enthusiast" / "fun to drive" feeling
I have read comments on this forum that the Honda City is bouncy at the rear when driven at >=120kmph. Frankly, in reality, I have never been able to maintain a speed (consistent or in excess) of 120kmph to experience this. Not to mention it is unsafe for Indian highway conditions in my opinion. But whenever I have driven in between 100 to 120, my rear passengers have never complained of this behavior. That's the max I would like to push my vehicle on Indian highways.
Feature loaded
XUV700 AX7L, Slavia 1.5 and then City ZX, in that order.
Waiting period is not an issue but the sooner the better:
I think now you can get Slavia or City in the same timeframe. I don't anticipate long waiting period for these 2 cars.
Decent reliability
When it comes to reliability, no brand comes close to Japanese. So Honda, Mahindra and then Skoda for me, in that order.
Solid build quality and crash rating.
XUV700 and Slavia are GNCAP tested if I am not mistaken whereas Honda City is ASEAN NCAP tested. All 3 have a minimum of 4 crash rating from their tests.
Other points to consider:
Honda City is the most fuel efficient of all. I get 13 to 14kmpl (tankful to tankful) from my ZX CVT in city traffic conditions (I drive 46kms everyday). My cousin's Virtus 1.5 DSG gives him 9kmpl at the max in city. Don't think Slavia would be any different. His XUV700 AX7L Diesel AT gives him 12kmpl in city, petrol would be much lesser.
What is important to you - fun to drive or reliability? For me, it is reliability. I needed a fill it, shut it, forget it vehicle. This answer will help you narrow down to 2 options.
If you decide to go for Slavia, then make sure you get extended warranty up to 7 years.