New 7+ Seater For Rs.16 Lakh

[amitpshelke]

Looking at your budget there are so many MPV options to go for,

- Toyota Innova Z
- Tata Aria Pride 4x4
- Mahindra XUV500 w8 AWD

- Nissan Evalia XV
- Chevrolet Enjoy LTZ

Out of which Innova, ARIA and XUV are the powerful vehicles. The top variants may cross your budget a little. But all of them are true road performer.

XUV 500
The XUV500 (spelt as XUV 5 double ‘oh’) is the first Mahindra which is built on a monocoque frame and as per international standards. The XUV500 gets a 2.2-litre mHawk engine producing 140bhp and comes in a 6-speed MT. The XUV500 comes with features like airbags, ESP and ABS+EBD. The powerful SUV has already won the heart of adventurer. A true performer and a market leader in the segment in INDIA. The exterior and the ride quality has impressed owner of the vehicle.

ARIA
Aria is the arrival of Crossovers that possess the qualities of both an SUV and an MUV. Keeping in mind the road conditions in India, TM designed this vehicle to give the customer the feel of luxury and performance without compromising on space. Tata Aria are powered by the 16-valve 2.2-litre Dicor diesel engine which generates 138bhp of power at 4,000rpm and 320Nm of torque at 1,700rpm.

INNOVA
The market leader in the segment. This car has already proven its capabilities. Toyota Innova are powered by the 2.5-litre diesel engine which generates 100bhp of power at 3600 rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1,400rpm. The car is combination of space and luxury.

Rest Evalia & Enjoy cannot be compared with the other three.

Comparing above three Innova lack in terms of power but good on space and a brand value amongst the three. XUV is more over a SUV so considering your choice on last row comfort, so this car may be out of you list. ARIA has plenty of space can fit in your terms but still a top variant Pride 4x4 can scratch your pocket a little.

If I would be at your place, my choice would be TATA ARIA Pride 4x4.

 

[TaxiMeter]

My suggestions are..
Innova +Trusted engine +Great suspension -Must be chauffeur driven
XUV500 (with Roof carrier) +Value for money + Trusted engine +Features -Indian brand (some ppl think)
Nissan Evalia - I dont have any info, looks to be good, you can do some research about this car

 

[manojodungat]

But I would never consider any Mahindra car as an option because of their inferior quality and diesel gulping noisy engines (and of course their worse ride and handling).

Disappointing post, yet again, not surprised though !

My nearly 5 year old Scorpio M-Hawk returns up to 14 kmpL with 100% AC.
If you find the ugly cry of the puny diesel in a fully loaded Ertiga manageable, you wouldn’t even hear the roar from the mighty m-Hawk, especially while cruising at 100-130kmph.

To somebody with a budget of 16 L, the likes of Ertigas and Sumo Grandes don’t simply make any sense.

As a comfortable and reliable 7-seater people mover, there is no competition for Innova at present, though a bit overpriced. The other option is Tata Aria which being a proven market dud, I would stay away from it at present.

In fact it is not just the poor sales figures the deterrent but the reason for the failure, a matter of serious concern for me. I would give it another 6 months or so to see how Tata Motors handles it’s cars, in terms of after sales support , any differently if at all.

 

[DJ bro]

Disappointing post, yet again, not surprised though !

My nearly 5 year old Scorpio M-Hawk returns up to 14 kmpL with 100% AC.
If you find the ugly cry of the puny diesel in a fully loaded Ertiga manageable, you wouldn’t even hear the roar from the mighty m-Hawk, especially while cruising at 100-130kmph.

There is no ugly cry or so from the Ertiga, even with full load.
Well, the Ertiga need not to be in the list of 16 lac budget. But I will go anywhere and say, Mahindra lacks the quality, though they may have improved a lot in engines.
The Aria has whole lot value than the Innova. It is just that initial response was disappointing because of the pricing and positioning.

I disagree.
spend 2 hours with xuv 500 and you'll be forced to change your mindset. if you're ok with Tata, why not Mahindra? having both safari and xuv, I'll actually rate Mahindra on the better scale.

I knew that this would be your reply sir.
I have checked out many cars, been to many showrooms to review and get a feel of them, though not driven, among which the XUV was also included.
I found the cabin quality to be inferior to that of the Aria (XUV costs 18 lac on road for the top end here) and the 3rd row severely cramped.
Ok, the engines might be good and powerful, but the ride and handling of most of Mahindra cars are worse!

 

[Viru]

Sir, you say you feel the Grande is a better UV than the Aria?
I would suggest anyone to do a full TD and detailed review of the cars they have shortlisted.
You can suggest them to do a TD of the updated Aria. What's the harm in a TD?
Given they want a proper and comfortable UV, the Innova's third row is ergonomically improper and the XUV is very cramped. Even the Aria's 3rd row is upright, but there is reasonable space when you adjust the slideable middle row seats.
Not to bother anyone of course

sumo grande may fit your seating requirement. the ride quality is below par. when people sit at the rear for more than 1 hour, they will never sit back. it has to do something with the suspension. i suggest you to stay away from grande unless if tata has made changes to the suspension. I would suggest you to go with aria, innova or xuv.

To be honest, even I have a soft spot for the Aria and if this car were for me I would have gone for that. However, since it is for someone else, I would never recommend a car which has reliability issues worse than those of a Lancia Gamma! Even if they claim to have fixed it, I would wait a few years to see if they have actually improved before suggesting it to anyone, but this is not a realistic option.

I just noticed that the Grande uses Leaf springs in the rear. Definitely eliminated!

reliability perceptions aside, will someone explain what's better in innova than aria and others?

I find innova is a very dumb car and does not make sense at all due to -
outdated engine
small wheels (big box on puny wheels )
taxi image
horrible handling and cornering.
single headlamps
long gear throw
noisy
poor efficiency
bland looks
lack of features (reverse camera, GPS, voice command , hill assist any many more)
expensive Toyota service.
high price for nothing.

my choice in order -
aria
xuv 500
used fortuner
ertiga
Scorpio Hawks
Chevy enjoy

I find the Innova engine quite smooth and quiet actually, albeit there can be a bit of vibration while coasting. They claim to have fixed this too in the new one with some new engine mounts, not sure if it is worth believing though.

Yes, it can be a bit odd on the road, but compared to other MPVs it maintains stability better at speed.

Taxi image is not a barrier. I agree the gear throw is long, but it is much more precise than any Mahindra gearbox I have encountered (Not too sure about XUV).

I don't think the new Innova has bland looks, I think it is just plain hideous, especially the rear with all that ridiculous chrome striping and misplaced reflectors. Even the front looks like the car is mentally challenged.

Poor efficiency and high maintenance costs are the main reason I was exploring alternatives!

Aria is out due to unreliability
XUV500 is still a contender
Fortuners are definitely out, I have enough reasons to fill a book
Ertiga is out simply because it is a bit slow and sluggish
Chevy Enjoy has bad suspension setup

Is the scorpio still being produced? How's the 3rd row seating in this one?

My suggestions are..
Innova +Trusted engine +Great suspension -Must be chauffeur driven
XUV500 (with Roof carrier) +Value for money + Trusted engine +Features -Indian brand (some ppl think)
Nissan Evalia - I dont have any info, looks to be good, you can do some research about this car

Not worried about Indian brand, these relatives of mine actually favor cars that were manufactured domestically, even if the brand is foreign.

If they were to release Innova with an auto transmission, all the problems would be solved!

Unfortunately, Evalia has a slew of build issues I would rather do without.

There is no ugly cry or so from the Ertiga, even with full load.
Well, the Ertiga need not to be in the list of 16 lac budget. But I will go anywhere and say, Mahindra lacks the quality, though they may have improved a lot in engines.
The Aria has whole lot value than the Innova. It is just that initial response was disappointing because of the pricing and positioning.

I knew that this would be your reply sir.
I have checked out many cars, been to many showrooms to review and get a feel of them, though not driven, among which the XUV was also included.
I found the cabin quality to be inferior to that of the Aria (XUV costs 18 lac on road for the top end here) and the 3rd row severely cramped.
Ok, the engines might be good and powerful, but the ride and handling of most of Mahindra cars are worse!

Ertiga is too sloooowwww, no offense.

Even I prefer Tata to Mahindra, but Mahindra has been hard at work recently to turn the tables!

 

[Tornado]

Mind well, an 8 seater is required & he can manage with acceptable FE. @budget bellow Rs 16 L. It is not compulsory for the buyer to spend Rs 16 L, He can take liberty to spend less. Else can think of a tempo traveler also, provides lot of luggage space also which is required by the Op.
And the last 2 passengers are not so tall (5.4 f). With seven passengers on board, he needs decent luggage space, Tata Xenon XT with custom made canopy and 3 row seat can satisfy his criteria.

Since budget is bellow 16 L, why not Force one?if he can settle with a seven seater.

 

[Viru]

Mind well, an 8 seater is required & he can manage with acceptable FE. @budget bellow Rs 16 L. It is not compulsory for the buyer to spend Rs 16 L, He can take liberty to spend less. Else can think of a tempo traveler also, provides lot of luggage space also which is required by the Op.
And the last 2 passengers are not so tall (5.4 f). With seven passengers on board, he needs decent luggage space, Tata Xenon XT with custom made canopy and 3 row seat can satisfy his criteria.

Since budget is bellow 16 L, why not Force one?if he can settle with a seven seater.

I don't know how I can persuade them to get a Tempo Traveler, Tata Xenon or Force one

Traveler and Xenon have poor suspension for a personal vehicle anyways, and the Traveler is too large for city use. Force one might be problematic when it comes to service network...

 

[Tornado]

Agreed viru, I discussed tempo traveler, and xenon XT, just because of 7+seats and ample luggage space as there is no other UV which can fulfil these criteria.

 

[raj_5004]

Hi DJ bro,

First you say this -

I would suggest anyone to do a full TD and detailed review of the cars they have shortlisted.
You can suggest them to do a TD of the updated Aria. What's the harm in a TD?

Have you driven the XUV before writing it off? Atleast once?

And then you say this -

But I would never consider any Mahindra car as an option because of their inferior quality and diesel gulping noisy engines (and of course their worse ride and handling).

So,

inferior quality - GOD knows in what sense? Better plastics in your Ertiga?

Diesel gulping - XUV gives amazing FE figures. Comparing it to a 1.3 litre suzuki engine's FE is not fair.

Noisy - Have you driven it? How do you say it's noisy?

Worst ride and handling - Again, same question as above.

There is no ugly cry or so from the Ertiga, even with full load.

And you know that because.... (take a guess) - you have driven the Ertiga. Have you driven the XUV?

But I will go anywhere and say, Mahindra lacks the quality, though they may have improved a lot in engines.

Now you say the engines have been improved. So make up your mind - are they noisy and thirsty?

I have checked out many cars, been to many showrooms to review and get a feel of them, though not driven, among which the XUV was also included.

There you go - when you have not driven the XUV, how come you know that it has poor ride and handling, the engine is noisy and the FE is poor.

Ok, the engines might be good and powerful, but the ride and handling of most of Mahindra cars are worse!

So suddenly now the engine is no more noisy or thirsty?

I just noticed that the Grande uses Leaf springs in the rear. Definitely eliminated!

I will not recommend the Grande or the Aria to you simply because they are poor selling models. God know what kind of after sales service we may expect later on.

Even I prefer Tata to Mahindra, but Mahindra has been hard at work recently to turn the tables!

Between the Scorpio and the Storme, I would pick the Storme.

But between the Innova, XUV and Aria, I would pick the XUV. And I have!

 

[manojodungat]

There is no ugly cry or so from the Ertiga, even with full load.

There is. The noise and the sluggishness is no subjective affair and are easily felt, unless one is in blindly LUV with a car or a specific brand. It’s simply a stretched Swift, thus the sluggishness. There is no denying that Ertiga is a no non-sense budget people mover, certainly not an enthusiast’s car.

But I would never consider any Mahindra car as an option because of their inferior quality and diesel gulping noisy engines

Mahindra lacks the quality, though they may have improved a lot in engines. ....Ok, the engines might be good and powerful, ...

Now how does the Mahindra engine suddenly become more refined and good? You were the only the one being loud about the engine being noisy and crude a little while ago.[see the quoted text above, if at all you have forgotten it]

But I will go anywhere and say, Mahindra lacks the quality, ..

Who cares! Unless logical and objective.

The Aria has whole lot value than the Innova. It is just that initial response was disappointing because of the pricing and positioning.

Initial response? Tata aria was launched on 12 October 2010. You mean initial 4 years ?

 

[DJ bro]

Aria is out due to unreliability
XUV500 is still a contender
Fortuners are definitely out, I have enough reasons to fill a book
Ertiga is out simply because it is a bit slow and sluggish
Chevy Enjoy has bad suspension setup

Ertiga slow and sluggish? Have you done a test drive sir?
It is second only to the Xylo in acceleration timings and by far the perfect highway cruiser in the 10 lac segment! If you don't want it to be in the list, kindly say it openly sir.
Never comment on anything you don't know sir!

inferior quality - GOD knows in what sense? Better plastics in your Ertiga?

Diesel gulping - XUV gives amazing FE figures. Comparing it to a 1.3 litre suzuki engine's FE is not fair.

Noisy - Have you driven it? How do you say it's noisy?

Worst ride and handling - Again, same question as above.

Now how does the Mahindra engine suddenly become more refined and good? You were the only the one being loud about the engine being noisy and crude a little while ago.[see the quoted text above, if at all you have forgotten it]

Ok sir, I was wrong about the engines as Mahindra has worked a lot upon them since the old 2.6l engines. But regarding the ride and handling, I have traveled in the Scorpio and Xylo. The XUV may be a lot better, but still I hear that it has a stiff ride and vague handling. I found the quality of Maruti Suzuki to be far more 'consistent' and better than the XUV and good for the price. The dashboard plastics bend too much in the XUV (18 lac on road). The Ssanyong Rexton has the best quality for it's price (24 lac).

There is. The noise and the sluggishness is no subjective affair and are easily felt, unless one is in blindly LUV with a car or a specific brand. It’s simply a stretched Swift, thus the sluggishness. There is no denying that Ertiga is a no non-sense budget people mover, certainly not an enthusiast’s car.

Sir, I am in LUV with my car, but not the brand. That is because it is perfect for us and most of the people who needs an MPV with flexibility and ease for a lesser budget.
There used to be a time when I used to hate MS!
Of course, the turbo lag is the characteristics of the Fiat engine.
But MS have optimized the gear box to reduce the lag.
There is as much torque in the Ertiga as in the Innova despite the engine being half the size! Last week my LUV hauled more than 500kg of Mud (7 sacks) along with 4 people on board in the city. It never bogged down or touched down on the speed breakers!
If you go past the lag, then it is a diesel rocket all the way to 170kmph!
At the same time a drive on highways will show you which one is the better MPV.
MPVs are all about space, flexibility, reliability, economy and practicality (which the LUV has in spades). Why does it needs to be an enthusiast's favorite? But even though, it is the best handling driver's MPV in the market.

 

[Viru]

Ertiga slow and sluggish? Have you done a test drive sir?
It is second only to the Xylo in acceleration timings and by far the perfect highway cruiser in the 10 lac segment! If you don't want it to be in the list, kindly say it openly sir.
Never comment on anything you don't know sir!

I actually HAVE done a test drive of the Ertiga.
Throttle response was dreadful, steering felt disconnected and the whole thing felt heavy. Above 70kph there was too much front end lift!
No doubt it is a good car for moving people within a city, but it's lack of speed and luggage space means it's not a good highway cruiser.

 

[manojodungat]

Is the scorpio still being produced? How's the 3rd row seating in this one?

Between the Scorpio and the Storme, I would pick the Storme.

As a 7+ seater, even a Scorpio is better than Storme since the jump seats of the latter is simply unusable. With the improved suspension, seats and the new and robust suspension bushes on the 2009 refresh models, it is for some reasons the current 2009 refresh Scorpio is still consistently hitting the market at around 4000 per month and sadly, it doesn’t have any competition, even today. That leaves us with a disadvantage of having not many options to choose from, while in the market for a new vehicle in the segment.

But today I wouldn’t recommend the current Scorpio to anybody who can wait a bit, as a newer version of it is just around the corner, which should obviously be more up-market and updated.

 

[DJ bro]

I actually HAVE done a test drive of the Ertiga.
Throttle response was dreadful, steering felt disconnected and the whole thing felt heavy. Above 70kph there was too much front end lift!
No doubt it is a good car for moving people within a city, but it's lack of speed and luggage space means it's not a good highway cruiser.

Well, that is because maybe you drove a diesel monocoque big car for the first time.
I wonder how only you give all such comments whereas almost every automobile reviewer and family man finds the Ertiga to be the best driver's MPV. Even I vote it to be the best UV under 10 lac.

 

[Viru]

As a 7+ seater, even a Scorpio is better than Storme since the jump seats of the latter is simply unusable. With the improved suspension, seats and the new and robust suspension bushes on the 2009 refresh models, it is for some reasons the current 2009 refresh Scorpio is still consistently hitting the market at around 4000 per month and sadly, it doesn’t have any competition, even today. That leaves us with a disadvantage of having not many options to choose from, while in the market for a new vehicle in the segment.

But today I wouldn’t recommend the current Scorpio to anybody who can wait a bit, as a newer version of it is just around the corner, which should obviously be more up-market and updated.

The Scorpio might actually be a better choice than the Innova, especially because you can get it with an Auto gearbox! The suspension setup on the 2WD model looks pretty good as well, it should have fixed the excess bounciness of the original ones.

Do you have any idea when the new one should be coming? Since it wasn't displayed at the Auto Expo I'm afraid it won't be released for a long time and I don't think we can wait that long...if it comes out before August this year it should be worth the wait!

Well, that is because maybe you drove a diesel monocoque big car for the first time.
I wonder how only you give all such comments whereas almost every automobile reviewer and family man finds the Ertiga to be the best driver's MPV. Even I vote it to be the best UV under 10 lac.

Actually it was the Petrol version.
When they call it the best driver's MPV they are usually saying that it is more user-friendly than other MPVs like Xylo, and I agree that in the city it is much easier to use than others. But on the highway or even on an open road it just doesn't seem to get a move on!