Moving back from France to India; What cars should I add to my garage?

We’re a family of 3 with a definitive need of at least 2 cars for my wife and myself – more the merrier but it has to make sense! There are some lifestyle requirements and of course budgets to manage

BHPian amolpol recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

The last few years we’ve been enjoying our life in France, you can read about the experiences here.

But like all good things that have to come to an end, later this year it will be time for us to head back to Bangalore where we hope to continue living happily ever after. However, a few things will be different as we return, one of the biggest changes being our garage. So here I am, spending my time, energy and money yet again to buy the materialistic things that help create our joyful experiences.

My previous garage was mostly 4x4s and ADV bikes as you can read in the thread. It was near perfect and worked well for our lifestyle. But before putting the money on these silly things again, I thought it’s always good to explore all the options and this thread is intended to harness the power of "Collective Intelligence" and challenge the boundaries of our imagination.

We’re a family of 3 with a definitive need of at least 2 cars for my wife and myself – more the merrier but it has to make sense! There are some lifestyle requirements and of course budgets to manage.

Requirements:

1. At least one family tourer that’s always ready for service whenever we want, can go wherever we point it and bring us back safely
2. At least one medium capable off-roader that could double up as a camping car and climb over the traffic on the city roads
3. Maybe one pickup truck for transporting bikes whenever needed
4. We’re done with stick shifts, automatic boxes only
5. Interior space is valued and luggage space is appreciated
6. Good safety characteristics are a definite plus
7. ADAS and all electric gizmos are good to have
8. Brands with “snob value” are good but not necessary
9. Servicing without headaches is a big plus
10. EVs are not banned from our list, but have to fit the need
11. Reliable pre-owned options are also welcome
12. I have been toying with the idea of a beater car and a driver given the horrendous Bangalore traffic, but don't want to give in to that temptation yet

Budget: Somewhere in the range of 15-45L each, depending on the car, of course lower is better!

Here's what BHPian PetrolHead2272 had to add to the discussion:

What about an all Mahindra garage?

1. XUV7OO AT for your long distance family drives. The batches now are a lot more sorted than the initial ones. ADAS is provided and from my own experience with a Scorpio N, Mahindra has improved the quality of their service by far. (Although I am based in Delhi so I don't know much about their service in the South).

2. Thar AT 4x4 or RWD that could be a capable off-roader doubling up as a camping car and climb over the traffic on the city roads and along with that the sub 4m size of the car will make it easier than an XUV to manoeuvre in the city.

The total cost might exceed the set budget by a few lakhs but I feel this combination would suit your family well.

Happy hunting and welcome back to India mate

While BHPian Axe77 said this regarding the matter:

I’ve read your France thread as well as some other travel threads with great interest and thoroughly enjoyed them. Given you and your daughter’s motorcycling hobby plus your collective love as a family for adventurous road trips, I think a brand new or used Toyota Hilux A/T is definitely car number one.

It is very flexible in its use case in terms of being camping friendly, can do long drives with motorcycles at the back etc if you want to drive and ride. Its a worthwhile compromise to lug in the city given how handy it would be for someone like you on other occasions.

Whatever second car floats your boat in the leftover money. Maybe a used automatic Honda City or anything else that makes a practical family car for the family for Bangalore duties plus should be capable enough for basic highway duties if you don’t feel like taking the Hilux on any particular travel.

EDIT:
On second thoughts (and taking a cue from some posts below), I also totally second a Jimny AT as an excellent 2nd car. It will allow you to continue your adventure biased road trips in a smaller footprint vehicle and also be a very convenient and compact city car. It’s practical and versatile enough for a range of end use.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.