Merc C-Class owner explains how he ended up buying an Innova Hycross

The Mercedes C-Class is now 10 years old and already shares garage space with an Ertiga CNG.

BHPian Sanidhya mukund recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have finally taken delivery of a Toyota Innova Hycross ZX(O) in Sparkling Black Pearl Crystal Shine. Here, I will share an account of how I ended up making this choice.

Even though I had stated my requirements in the opening post, for the sake of convenience, I will state them again. I was looking for a big SUV/MUV to complement my W204 Mercedes C-class and Ertiga CNG. The idea was to buy a car that is suitable for long journeys. The Merc is not conducive for long journeys because I don’t like taking it to places with bad roads. The rear seat is cramped and the availability of premium fuel becomes a big question mark the moment you venture beyond the city. On the other hand, the Ertiga does not inspire confidence on the highways due to the poor build, lack of safety features and the general compromises in the overall package. What I wanted was a car that could address all these shortcomings effectively. Also, since I stay in Delhi-NCR, the car had to be Petrol or Hybrid. Was also not looking at EVs because charging infrastructure is an issue in rural India.

My current garage: The C-class that is now 10 years old and the Ertiga CNG on the day it was delivered

Initially, the idea was to replace my C-class with a nice premium car.

My search began at a Mercedes Benz dealership which is a 5-minute walk from my residence. The new GLC had just been launched, although it would cost well over what I was looking to spend. The GLA looked good, but the 55 lakh price tag did not seem appropriate for a car with no rear armrest, a 1.3 litre Renault engine and a cramped rear seat.

They had a couple of attractively priced GLBs from 2022 stock as well, but I did not quite like the idea of buying a car that had been sitting at the dealership for 1-1.5 years.

Up next, I visited the Audi dealership in Gurgaon. I quite liked the Q3 and Q5, especially because the discounts were quite attractive and they were willing to offer a satisfactory price for my C-class. However, the rear seat of the Q3 was quite cramped and the Q5, while well-priced, did not feel special enough to make me spend that kind of money.

Did not bother visiting the BMW dealership because the X3 was expensive and was now available only in diesel, while the X1 only had a 3-cylinder engine. Didn’t want my most expensive car yet to be the one with the fewest cylinders in my garage.

As far as Lexus and Volvo were concerned, the SUV offerings were beyond what I was comfortable spending.

I then decided that rather than replacing the Merc with something from the luxury brands, it would make more sense to get an additional car. The Merc is immaculately maintained, less driven, and still quite dear to me. A proper upgrade would be very expensive and the attainable models from luxury marques would feel like a bit of a comedown in many aspects.

The first cars to win my heart were the VW Tiguan and the Skoda Kodiaq. The dealership experience was good, the cars were built solidly, they were loaded with features and were priced quite well. I called the Kodiaq home for a test drive and was blown away by the performance. The attention to detail was just like a German luxury car. Very impressive. However, I was apprehensive about the long-term availability of parts and reliability. There are very few cars on Indian roads, the models are being replaced with new ones globally, the manufacturers aren’t exactly known for the industry's best service and the cars aren’t the most reliable. Posts on Team-BHP also suggested that these cars are very sensitive to fuel grade and quality, meaning that they aren’t the best options for rural travel.

The Test drive Kodiaq that came to my house.

The next car to be test driven by me was the Hyundai Tucson. Loved the interior, sound system, fit and finish, design and technology. It felt like a proper Audi Q5 rival in all aspects barring the engine. Since I am not a fast or enthusiastic driver, I was okay with the slightly slow performance. Shortlisted.

I checked out the MG Hector at the Gurgaon dealership and was not impressed with the weird design, the huge screen and the reviews about the sloppy handling. The negativity around MG and FDI from China also played a role.

Was disappointed with the Scorpio N in terms of the poor space management in the boot, the cramped third row, no AC vents in the back and a lack of 3-point seatbelts for all passengers. The XUV700 was also not considered for the missing 3-point seatbelt for the middle rear passenger.

The Scorpio Z6 taxi that I hired while visiting my home town

The Fortuner 2.7 petrol was a pretty hard-wearing and durable car with indestructible mechanicals. However, the lack of features, unsettling ride and the fact that it is now quite long in the tooth worked against it.

In the end, it was down to Hyundai Tucson and Innova Hycross. The Tucson felt more premium, had better interiors, was easily available off the shelf and the dealership experience was also better at Hyundai. However, in the end, the Hycross won because of the ottoman seats, rear sunshades, better road presence and most importantly, the hybrid power train. I also felt that in the long run, the Hycross will be easier to maintain because being a more popular model, parts are likely to be available easily for years to come. Further, the resale value could be better for the popular Hycross. My car was chosen, somehow managed to get a Hycross ZX (o) delivered within a few months of booking.

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