Need a well-rounded, no-nonsense SUV on a 20L budget

Did not look at Tata/Mahindra as I am not a fan of the products they sell (my personal opinion). As for the Korean twins, having burnt my fingers with an i20, I'm very skeptical of overall reliability and quality the brand provides.

BHPian Sreesh1009 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Need a car for my parents to travel as well as daily drive. Will be driven by me occasionally.

Current Vehicles

1. 2005 Santro Xing (1,28,000 kms)

Needs to be sold due to age and safety issues

2. 2014 Honda Amaze VX AT (1,08,000 kms)

In two minds about selling or keeping it as a second car. In need of new tyres as of now.

Requirements

• Must be comfortable and spacious (we're all in the 5'8-6 feet height range)
• Must be powerful enough for both the highway and city
• Strictly automatic
• Decent to good mileage.
• Must be reliable

Budget

Between 15-20L on road BLR

Cars considered

• VW Taigun: Dad liked the 1.0 AT, I loved the 1.5 DSG. The only concern being reliability of the DSG and fuel costs.

• Grand Vitara: Dad test drove the Non-Hybrid AT. I am not quite convinced about spending soo much for an underpowered 1.5L AT

• XL6: My dad liked this one due to the captain seats and overall space. I took a short test drive of the car and was quite shocked with how poor the braking is. Also the underwhelming performance of the 1.5L + AT combo makes me wonder how the car will perform during long drives

• Honda Elevate: While I did not test drive it but I loved the amount of space on offer as well as the general feel of the interiors. Would like to test drive and see how the CVT + NA Engine combo fares in comparison to the competition

Did not look at Tata/Mahindra as I am not a fan of the products they sell (my personal opinion). As for the Korean twins, having burnt my fingers with an i20, I'm very skeptical of overall reliability and quality the brand provides.

Dilemma:

1. Sell both cars and buy one car
2. Sell the Santro and keep the Amaze as a daily driver
3. Go for one of the Japanese cars in the list
4. Go for the Taigun and buy extended warranty to keep the DSG headache at bay for the time being.

Please help me out with your suggestions!

Here's what BHPian arnav17 had to say on the matter:

Since the Amaze too has seen a lot of running, I would personally recommend selling both and getting the Taigun. You loved the engine and it is a good all rounder, barring the DSG issues which I can't comment much on. To me, this seems like the safest option of the lot, and VFM.

Good luck on your purchase

Here's what BHPian ashivas89 had to say on the matter:

The Elevate is an excellent option. It is the car the GV/Hyryder NA twins should have been.

Don't let the CVT's rubber band effect fool you. This car can make swift progress especially evident when you check the mirrors after flooring it. It is faster than the Korean twins' NA engined variants and will easily smoke all Marutis. I have test driven all cars in this segment multiple times back to back. This car gets all the fundamentals right.

The last time I checked, a 1.5 turbo variant of any car in this segment is unavailable under 20L (OTR BLR) unless one is eligible for BH plates.

Considering the fact that your folks hang on to their cars for long, it would be wise to steer clear of turbo petrols/complex gearboxes.

Here's how I skinned the cat: Convinced dad to get himself a gen 5 City ZX CVT as his retirement wagon; got myself a Slavia DSG, thinking that we can swap occasionally if he feels the need for speed. That day has NEVER come so far.

Alternative take:

While you may have "burnt your fingers" with an i20, the 19 year old Santro in your garage is a clear testament to Hyundai getting thigs right for the most part (We have owned 5 of them in the past, they had their fair share of niggles, but no nightmatres, thankfully).

The Creta and the Seltos offer a whole lot of feel good for 20L. Take the cars for a spin with your folks. See what they think.

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

If your parents are going to be primary users of this car, it would be prudent to lean towards relatively fuss-free options. They'll likely neither care for the explosive 1.5 TSi motor nor the slick DSG, and it'll always be a sword hanging over the ownership experience (extended warranty doesn't mitigate being stranded or frequent ASC visits).

Buy for the primary users' use case and preferences, not yours.

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

I suggest avoiding turbo engines and complex gearboxes like DSG/DCT, especially if your parents will be driving the car frequently. Opting for a NA petrol engine with CVT/IVT, as recommended by others too, will be a good option.

Hyundai Creta and KIA Seltos with 1.5 NA IVT will be my first recommendations. Simple yet very efficient engine and gearbox combo. Plus they offer more than decent performance. Don’t worry about Koreans being not built to last. I drive a 2015 Creta and it has been a fuss free ownership from day 1. And it still feels as good as new when it comes to driving experience and overall quality.

As a second option, the Honda Elevate with the same configuration is worth considering, although it may lack the premium feel of the Korean models, which could be a deciding factor for you or your parents.

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

I have got a couple of suggestions for you:

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder S Hybrid

If you can find one that can be delivered to you soon, the Hyryder Hybrid would be a frugal and reliable choice costing around 20.65 lakh on-road.

Honda Elevate ZX CVT

The Elevate meets most of your requirements and would be a good buy considering the overall package and price point at which it is offered more than the rock-solid Honda reliability.

If you want a 6 or 7-seater, the Kia Carens would be the best choice by far in this segment, in terms of power, space or features, do take a test drive and see how it goes.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.