Looking for a luxurious, go-anywhere car for a family of four

We like to travel and usually have a lot of luggage with us. We wish to buy a bigger car now, possibly an SUV again.

BHPian stallion_16 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hey mates,

Having been a viewer of this forum for a better part of 6 years and now a passive member for a few weeks, I finally wish to put all our minds to work over the selection of our next steed. The post would be divided into various parts so everyone knows the history and optimizes the decision-making process.

The background

We are a family of 4 adults between 5'10 to 5'2, so average heights and fit builds, plus a fur baby, a chocolate Labrador Retriever, with enough luggage as our trips are 10-25 days depending on our schedules. We have travelled the length and breadth of India in our trusty old Tata Indica Vista Aura Safire petrol model from 2008 for around 9 years (more on that in the latter part of the thread). We have a smaller car for the errand runs and city traffic and hence this car might mostly be used for our weekend Mumbai-Lonavala-Pune and longer journeys.

We are travelers at heart and no journey is long enough. Over the years we've had various steeds in our stable which is the next part of this thread.

Our steeds

Mahindra Bolero SLX

I do not remember much of this car as I was barely 7 when we had this car except the fact that it ate up rough roads for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It was comfortable enough and powerful for the time.

Mitsubishi Pajero 1986 Wagon

This was truly a beast of a car and we had it with us for 15 years as it was truly a go-anywhere vehicle which was our first and the best experience with an SUV. As a child, I loved that car and preferred it over the Bolero for its muscular looks and the feeling of safety it gave. It wasn't a scorcher but it took us to places where roads were a part of our imagination and doing it with ease and comfort. Sold it off due to one of its axles breaking and it broke our bank to get another one.

Tata Indica Vista Aura Safire

This was the tourer of our family for 10 years. We visited every place in India except the North East in this car. A slouch of an engine, could barely make up the hills but it never failed us and its build quality was second to none for us. On none of our trips did it ever even have a single puncture, but had to sell it off due to flooding in our society.

Honda City i-VTec 1.5 V (2010)

Coming from an Indica, the City feels fast and comfortable. It is a beautiful car and super reliable. We love it to no end it also has taken us to all our travel destinations without a hiccup. We intend to keep it till the end of our lives. Its huge boot gobbles up our luggage, which isn't any less, we are talking 2 medium-sized suitcases, 2 large duffle bags, a 25L chiller box and a 70L rucksack. Its N.A. engine is the most beautiful I've driven in this budget and the comfort it provides even after being driven for 1300+ kms in a single day is amazing.

Ford Figo 1.2 (2012)

Another beautiful car we have had with us since 2014. It is fast, reliable, the AC is a chiller, and handles like on rails. Set the bar high for hatchbacks. Set to be replaced.

We've also had a Tata Nano which was mostly used for the city or Lonavala runs, loved the peppy car, the space it offered and the cold AC.

Now the question arises. Which car do we replace it with?

As one can see, we travel, have a lot of luggage and keep our cars for as long as we can. We wish to buy a bigger car now, possibly an SUV again.

The contenders

They are in order of preference.

• Ford Endeavour 3.2
• Tata Hexa XZA
• Toyota Innova 2.8
• Toyota Fortuner/Legender 4*4

My heart is stuck on the Endeavour but I'd love to know everyone's views about the options, or any other options I might've missed. We've always gone the pre-owned, pre-loved route and it has been great for us. So really agree with our moderator GTO on the advantages of it.

(P.S. - We also wish to buy another true off-roader between the Mahindra Thar and the Force Gurkha except for the above purchase but it's set for after 5 years so for now I'd wish for a luxurious go-anywhere vehicle)

Here's what BHPian VW2010 had to say about the matter:

Ford Endeavor will be my recommendation. You can even pick one cheaper from a panicking seller today and enjoy ownership that will allow you to cover any distance in comfort, space, quietness, and conquer most terrains.

Toyota Innova is a no-brainer honestly but I love the Endeavor for what it offers.

My travel buddies are my small family and a beagle and they enjoy the luxury of space and our recent trip down the Banglore highway cemented my research that as a driver I do not feel tired after any long trip. In fact, the sedan I owned earlier tired me down in spite of better ride dynamics and comfort. There is no substitute for ladder chassis.

The Ford Endeavor is not for many but from your history of cars and what you have shortlisted, go and enjoy the Endeavor.

Service - Spares are easily available and support will not be an issue for at least the near term. A better bet is to get a local mechanic to take care of the car.

If I summarize overall feedback on Endeavor ownership in spite of mine being the older version, here is what I can share:

• Comfort - 5 stars (Most comfortable drives while we can cruise at 100-120 easily all day long).
• Driveability - 4 stars (For a truck the car corners flat with absolutely no discomfort).
• Service and Parts - 4 stars for availability, 3.5 stars for the cost (I order parts and get them delivered at home from an official parts supplier in Chennai).
• Fuel Efficiency - Do not buy this for efficiency runs. It's a guzzler.
• Road Presence - 5 stars.
• Space - 5 stars for a 5 member family, 3 stars for trying to use the last row with adults.
• Off-road Fun - 5 stars (You will not be doing hardcore off-roading and there are specialist vehicles as you mentioned for the same).
• Engine Sound - 10 stars if you like diesel engine sound.

People still own Pajeros and most parts need to be imported from Japan. So I am not worried about owning a Ford for the next 10 years.

Here's what BHPian mug:mush had to say about the matter:

You can never go wrong with an Innova Crysta 2.8. Have been doing long drives since 2001, but nothing I drove compares to an Innova 2.8 in driving comfort, quality of service, cost of spares, luggage carrying capacity, highway mile-munching capacity and road manners. In general, I clock around 30K Kms in the car every 3yrs and we replace it. In the case of our Innova, it has run 57K Kms in the last 3yrs and we have decided to keep it until diesel is sold at sane prices in India. Yes, it's that good.

Here's what BHPian kosjam had to say about the matter:

Wow. That is quite the lineage of vehicles you guys travel in.

Since a lot of things are not clear in your post, I am going to make a couple of assumptions, which may or may not apply. Budget, area of travel, duration of travel are some of them.

While your heart may be set on the Endy, you should ideally look at a well maintained Toyota Innova, followed by the Fortuner. Both vehicles will satisfy the driving pleasure, as well as luggage carrying capacity, as well as the comfort of your 4-legged friend.

There is no beating a Toyota in terms of longevity and reliability. Creature comforts they offer are sometimes the best in class.

The Ford has a couple of things going against it. First and foremost, the lack of company-level support, which will quickly reduce from whatever levels it is at currently. None of the authorized service stations would be interested in remaining with a dead brand. Any breakdowns will be very costly, both in terms of money, as well as time (Speaking from personal experience with a non-Ford but discontinued vehicle breakdown).

Ride quality-wise, I found the Toyotas far better than the overly heavy and consequently stiff ride quality of the Endy.

In this regard, even the Hexa would be a better bet than the Endy, because even though it is discontinued, its parts might not be as expensive as compared to the Ford, because many of them are even shared with the Harrier/Safari/Aria. Plus, it being from the stables of a relatively well-performing Indian brand, finding a service station won't be as difficult as Ford's.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.