The ideal 20-30L SUV for a family of four & a dog: Which car to pick?

We do go on some rough and village roads, not necessarily 4x4 country.

BHPian skrao recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have a 2009, trusted Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8 GLS. I acquired it from a friend who hardly ran it. As on date it has clocked 1.9 lac KMs and still runs like a dream. Spares, service and routine maintenance are all pocket friendly, the engine has enough oomph to tirelessly much miles. Sad to let it go for scrap.

The irrevocable logic of a new car or a preloved newer vehicle makes eminent sense.

There is a three way debate currently on

• Petrol Vs Electric
• Car Vs SUV
• New Vs less than 3 year old pre-owned

The requirement:

• We are a family of four, with a small dog.
• We love to travel as a family with our pet in tow, we clock between 18 to 22 k per year
• I am also at a life stage where one kid is starting university and that constrains the budget ( more prudence and planning than affordability) and the budget is between 20-23 lacs, and can be stretched a bit to 25- 26
• We do go on some rough and village roads, not necessarily 4X4 country
• Not great fans of the Korean makers

The Options

• One of the VW/Skoda twin sedans - 1.0 or 1.5 ? DSG or MT?
• An Indian SUV Mahindra or Tata? Safari or Harrier or Scorpio or XUV?
• A Nexon electric? or stretch a bit and look at MS ZS EV.
• Not really my option but wife is not averse to an Innova Hycross
• A pre-owned and loved car/SUV from any of the above

Also a final ask, scrap the Corolla? or get a fitness certificate and keep it as a local run around beater?

All help is greatly appreciated

Here's what BHPian Love4Cars had to say on the matter:

Let's breakdown your requirements:

1. Petrol vs Electric: Electric makes sense for your high running or at least a Hybrid (Hycross)
2. SUV or Sedan: An SUV makes sense as you will need it for your Village runs

With above two requirements, you are left with EVs and Hycross. Next question is do you travel long distances? if yes, how is the charging infra? If above issue is addressed, EVs make more sense, if not just buy a Hycross.

Among EVs you have Mahindra XUV400 (GC of 200 plus bigger boot) and ZS EV (More refined product with all bells and whistles).

I would suggest against Nexon EV as it is a smaller car for your pet and luggage and Kona due to low GC.

Test drive both Mahindra XUV 400 and MG ZS EV. You may get XUV400 even less than 18.5 depending on the state RTO.

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

My logic:

1. With the kind of distance travelled each year an electric would be a BIG NO. Can't imagine the time and anticipation you need to put into recharging the vehicle.

2. A Safari/Harrier/Scorpio would be a good choice but that depends on how lucky your are. I mean in terms of quality issues they are setting the gold standard. I would not like to spend 20-25 lac for car and then keep visiting the service station.

3. Innova Hycross is actually one of the best choices in the lot given the space, hybrid tech, quality and peace of mind. If you can afford it then definitely go for it. Your dog would love it

Lastly, If you have the space in the garage and do not need the additional money then keep the corolla as a beater car.

Note: How do you save the seats from scratches or bites? I never had a pet so I am just curious to know.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say on the matter:

I read your post.

• Family plus dog have to be nicely accommodated in comfortable and reliable transport for your road trips.
• Predictable and Controllable running and maintenance costs will be a good goal to focus on, considering that you already own a Toyota Corolla.
• For now, given your specific need state, hold the Corolla for all the daily running about. It will never let you down.
• Get a nice, comfortable, spacious, well-designed, proven and reliable Diesel tourer.
• You can consider a well-kept Innova (used) or a new one. Or the Mahindra XUV700. Or the Scorpio N.
• For you the 2WD version of the XUV or Scorpio should do the job admirably.
• A friend of mine has bought the handsome new facelifted Tata Safari Diesel for a similar family oriented grand touring need. And the car indeed looks gorgeous and is full of comforts and features. You might wish to consider this too.

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

There is no case for electric as Nexon EV LR is too small for your requirements and the ZS is outdated and hardly any more spacious. There have been detailed discussions elsewhere on the forum about canine friendly car options for touring, and the consensus has been that MG Hector is the best of the lot.

HyCross GX(O) variant, non hybrid, also makes a lot of sense for you.

Not exactly sure how the Kushaq/Taigun will work out for you as they are considerably narrower than your Altis and have much less space.

If you want to go down the pre owned route, make sure that the car is a 2023 model (read as E20 rated) and not older.

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

The Altis is a gem of a car and I am sure you have had many great memories with it, now considering an upgrade for a family of four, along with a pet dog, you should ideally consider a 6/7 seater so that your whole family along with your dog can travel in comfort. The 25 lakh budget gives you a wide range of options to chose from and here are my recommendations:

1. Toyota Innova Hycross

Having owned a Toyota and the rock-solid reliability it comes with, the Hycross seems to be a logical choice, but considering your budget, it is the Petrol CVT variants (non-Hybrid) that are available. However, in my opinion, the Hybrid would have been a better fit owing to the great fuel efficiency, power, features, etc, but the premium over the CVT just doesn't feel justified, moreover, it will take you over 8 years to break even the additional investment from savings in fuel costs.

2. Tata Safari

The Tata Safari is a safe, modern, feature-loaded, and spacious SUV that would be a great option considering your requirements, it comes with a diesel engine (the same one used in the Jeep Compass) mated to either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed AT, you can choose the transmission and trim based on your preferences and if you can get an My 2023 model (dealers still have a few in stock), you could get discounts worth upto 2 lakhs, which would make it a great deal.

3. Mahindra XUV700

The XUV700 is one of the best options in this segment, and an option worth considering based on your requirements, it is available with both Petrol and Diesel engines, with Manual and Automatic transmissions in each of them, a feature-laden car, with a good balance of ride and handling, its almost as spacious as the Safari too, both engines are powerful and torquey and power the SUV effortlessly.

The Mahindra Scorpio-N is also an option worth considering from the SUV range but considering you don't need the 4x4 drivetrain and BOF chassis, the other options will be more suitable and should provide a more plusher ride.

I wouldn't recommend Electric cars just yet owing to your higher yearly running and considering their limited range. Moreover, outstation trips in EVs require great planning as well. However, if your trips are limited and you can make do with the hassle of charging along the way on long trips (or your trips are limited), EVs just could be an option, and the notable options are the MG ZS EV (available with huge discounts), Tata Nexon EV and XV 400.

As regards sedans, I wouldn't recommend the VW/Skida twins only owing to the fact of your higher running and the not-so-reliable nature of these cars, especially the DSG. Moreover, they aren't made rock-solid and reliable like Hondas or Toyotas (the real Toyotas, not the badge-engineered ones)

Overall, I would recommend you choose among the ICE SUV lot first, if not and you are willing to go Electric, then the ZS EV would be a good buy considering the price cut and offers available. The Hycross is also a contender if you want the space and reliability of a Toyota.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.