Which new SUV???

[raj_5004]

Guys, we are planning to buy a new SUV now to replace our trusty Innova. We are in no hurry & we are ready to wait till May 2011, if any new launch is happening.

Max budget is Rs. 25 lakhs, on-road.

Priorities-

1) Should be an SUV/softroader/crossover. Cannot be a sedan as my parents find it difficult to crouch into a low slung sedan. Should not be too high like LC too!
2) Good reliability
3) Good A.S.S.
4) Comfortable & classy interiors, good exterior is a bonus
5) Nice ride quality
6) Impressive feature list
7) Preferably a 7 seater
8) Should be a diesel

Options considered till now:

1) Mitsubishi Outlander: Great car but rejected as it was a petrol. Also, no 7 seats option.

2) Mitsubishi Pajero: Again a classic SUV but rejected as it had very old school interiors. It does not even have ACC.

3) Nissan X-Trail: A nice SUV but was unimpressed with it's styling, poor A.S.S. & its only a 5 seater.

4) Chevrolet Captiva: Awesome car. Perfect for my family. But has no rear AC vents. So rejected.

5) Skoda Yeti: I love the car but it looks very puny & is relatively cramped inside. Again a 5 seater. So no no for us!

6) Ford Endeavour: I dont like anything in this car except it's looks. Performance is good but rear seat comfort is pathetic. Also it has antiquated leaf spring suspension.

7) Tata Aria: Very honestly, rejected as it was a TATA. We are not in a mood to play a gamble with our hard earned money yet again.

8) Mahindra World SUV (W201): I am keen on this car but we have no fixed launch date of this car. Also, no reports about it too. So, its pointless waiting for it. Also, very frankly, replacing a toyota with a mahindra sounds dumb!

That leaves us with the two most obvious choices -

* Hyundai Santa Fe: I love this car. But it will be mostly chauffeur driven, so that 197 horses is waste except that it will be low on fuel efficiency. Also, my brother is reluctant to plonk 25 lakhs on a hyundai. Even i am hesitant as it may suffer the same fate of the Terracan & Tucson.

* Toyota Fortuner: My brother loves this car. I 'like' this SUV except that the interiors are too boring & for the money, its too basic IMO. But I wont deny that this car is built to last, has a peppy (but noisy) 177 bhp motor, is supremely reliable & the toyota brand image. BIGGEST PUT OFF IS THE WAITING PERIOD. Its 8-9 weeks here in mumbai!

Do we have any other choices? When is the Pajero Sport launching?

 

[avindu]

Hey Raj. First of all, let me take the privilege to congratulate you first and good luck for your new SUV.

I saw the VW Touareg, recently and it looks spectacular. Not sure about the cost or the features though, but it does have some road presence and sure signs of sturdy SUV. However, some of the points that you mentioned, that caught my attention..

1. Good A.S.S - how good do you think the Mitsubishi or Nissan or VW (if you consider the Touareg) is? (considering that Nissan, VW, Chevrolet relatively new)

I cant think of any cars manufactured by these guys that has lasted for 4 years or may be even less, in India.

First of all what criteria is given to an A.S.S to consider it as Good or Bad?

Me as a layman, I would expect the company to have survived in India for atleast 5 years, with three to four different products, doing reasonably well, taken in account that their parts are affordable at reasonable prices.

Another point, which I wanted to bring to your notice. (Just my personal opinion and a suggestion) : 8) Mahindra World SUV (W201): I am keen on this car but we have no fixed launch date of this car. Also, no reports about it too. So, its pointless waiting for it. Also, very frankly, replacing a toyota with a mahindra sounds dumb!

Why not? :

I would definitely not consider Mahindra inferior to Toyota or any manufacturer for that matter. I'm not speaking from my heart because I own of their products or my patriotism.

One of our family friends, who owns a Scorp that he bought in 2004, recently saw mine and was sharing his experiences. He mentioned, right from the start, the parts were never priced high nor has his car given any trouble in 6 years. He also said the upgrades that they have done in the past few years, has been incredible and he cant wait to own another M&M product. Can this trust be built by anyone else?

I'm sure you owning the 3 different variants of the Scorp, know yourself about their reliability, right?

The point that I want to convey is, if a well established car manufacturer like TATA or M&M is coming up with a new product, that matches the design and superior interiors, that of the Japz or Germans and offers some futuristic list of goodies, should we even have a second thought?

All the best and hope you find the one that suits your needs

 

[raj_5004]

Hey Raj. First of all, let me take the privilege to congratulate you first and good luck for your new SUV.

Thanks buddy.

I saw the VW Touareg, recently and it looks spectacular. Not sure about the cost or the features though, but it does have some road presence and sure signs of sturdy SUV. However, some of the points that you mentioned, that caught my attention..

Toureg costs Rs. 65 lakhs on-road in mumbai.

1. Good A.S.S - how good do you think the Mitsubishi or Nissan or VW (if you consider the Touareg) is? (considering that Nissan, VW, Chevrolet relatively new)

Mitsu & Nissan has really poor A.S.S. but Chevy, though not the best, still has better service network.

First of all what criteria is given to an A.S.S to consider it as Good or Bad?

Good service is the most important thing, even if service charges are a slight premium. this is what sets toyota apart. I always crib about their sky high charges but their service quality is outstanding.

Another point, which I wanted to bring to your notice. (Just my personal opinion and a suggestion) : 8) Mahindra World SUV (W201): I am keen on this car but we have no fixed launch date of this car. Also, no reports about it too. So, its pointless waiting for it. Also, very frankly, replacing a toyota with a mahindra sounds dumb!

Why not? :

Because, very honestly, when we are buying a car worth 25 lakhs, we do look for brand value, snob value & appeal. I do.

I would definitely not consider Mahindra inferior to Toyota or any manufacturer for that matter. I'm not speaking from my heart because I own of their products or my patriotism.

I would never consider the mahindra to be inferior to the toyota or any company. Infact I am sure the W201 would be better than the fortuner or captiva in many aspects. Only thing lacking is the brand image & good A.S.S. when compared to Toyota.

One of our family friends, who owns a Scorp that he bought in 2004, recently saw mine and was sharing his experiences. He mentioned, right from the start, the parts were never priced high nor has his car given any trouble in 6 years. He also said the upgrades that they have done in the past few years, has been incredible and he cant wait to own another M&M product. Can this trust be built by anyone else?

No. I agree. Even I am a mahindra loyalist. Maybe the next car replacing my scorpio would be a mahindra but this one, we are skeptical.

I'm sure you owning the 3 different variants of the Scorp, know yourself about their reliability, right?

We know about scorpio's reliability, thats why we bought 3 scorpios in the first place!

 

[vijay]

well Raj, those are the only two options you have as of now, but maybe early first quater of 2011 we might see some new launches so you can wait till then.Lets see what really mahindra ofers with their world SUV, tata surprised us with the quality and product ARIA, am sure would be the case with mahindra as well.Else no better value then Fortuner.
Heard SantaFe is an amazing vehicle to drive, good softroader and amazing cruiser, why dont you TD both these vehicles and give us your feedback.

 

[jayadev]

toyota fortuner.

its worth the money, for looks ,gc,perfomance.remaining ones looks puny in front of it.

ignore the interiors as anytime its not going to give any troubles

but somehow when it comes to performance and braking scorpio wins

 

[Akash]

Well, the two SUVs which you have shortlisted are best suited to your requirements.
Since the car will be chauffeur driven, i think comfort must be the first priority for you. As far as the comfort level, interior quality and headroom/legroom is concerned, Fortuner beats Santa FE.
I would suggest you to go for Toyota Fortuner. As for the waiting period, try some trick, jumping over the waiting queue is Possible!

 

[vijay]

As for the waiting period, try some trick, jumping over the waiting queue is Possible!

well buddy do you think thats possible without need to pay more on what you are already paying? i doubt.

 

[Akash]

well buddy do you think thats possible without need to pay more on what you are already paying? i doubt.

If one has some contacts, one can jump the waiting queue.

 

[type-r]

go for a second hand Q7 or X5. it may seem like a bad option but think it out.

 

[yahabhiyah]

@raj_5004..go for toyota fortuner. its just world class. moreover the Toyota TAG makes it more reliable.

 

[jayadev]

As for the waiting period, try some trick, jumping over the waiting queue is Possible!

i agree to that. the waiting period is some kind of marketing strategy presently with toyota. they are able to deliver fortuner within a month.but no idea about side effects

 

[raj_5004]

well Raj, those are the only two options you have as of now, but maybe early first quater of 2011 we might see some new launches so you can wait till then.Lets see what really mahindra ofers with their world SUV, tata surprised us with the quality and product ARIA, am sure would be the case with mahindra as well.Else no better value then Fortuner.
Heard SantaFe is an amazing vehicle to drive, good softroader and amazing cruiser, why dont you TD both these vehicles and give us your feedback.

Yes, we will be shortlisting some vehicles & planning a TD. right now, we have shortlisted the Santa Fe & Fortuner. Should we give the dated but capable Mitsu Pajero a chance too?

toyota fortuner.

its worth the money, for looks ,gc,perfomance.remaining ones looks puny in front of it.

ignore the interiors as anytime its not going to give any troubles

but somehow when it comes to performance and braking scorpio wins

Fortuner's performance is better than both my innova & scorpio.

Well, the two SUVs which you have shortlisted are best suited to your requirements.
Since the car will be chauffeur driven, i think comfort must be the first priority for you. As far as the comfort level, interior quality and headroom/legroom is concerned, Fortuner beats Santa FE.
I would suggest you to go for Toyota Fortuner. As for the waiting period, try some trick, jumping over the waiting queue is Possible!

I agree to what you said but jumping the queue means you have to shell out a huge premium which i am unwilling to do, especially for a product which already seems too overpriced to me!

well buddy do you think thats possible without need to pay more on what you are already paying? i doubt.

even if you pay more, waiting period is more than 4 months.

If one has some contacts, one can jump the waiting queue.

Sadly, I have no contacts in Toyota.

go for a second hand Q7 or X5. it may seem like a bad option but think it out.

We dont buy second hand cars.

@raj_5004..go for toyota fortuner. its just world class. moreover the Toyota TAG makes it more reliable.

Well, i dont think the fortuner is world class in any way. I feel the Santa Fe has much more features, better interiors, more refinement & a better ride too. the only thing against it is the Hyundai badge.

i agree to that. the waiting period is some kind of marketing strategy presently with toyota. they are able to deliver fortuner within a month.but no idea about side effects

who said? waiting period here in mumbai is 8-9 months & if you pay a premium, you MAY get the car in 4-6 months.

 

[sriharsha]

@raj_5004

dude , i hope its not another april fool prank. and if its not, then i think its time for you to turn over that old prank into reality now. hope you understood which SUV i am asking you to get.

 

[raj_5004]

LOL, its not a prank this time buddy. I understood what you meant buddy! Only if Toyota understands & reduce the waiting period.

 

[cooldhaya]

Well Raj why not consider the Captiva? Apart from rear AC vents , it has everything you need. Looks good , decent interiors , great performer , good feature list. Only Chevy's A.S.S is a bit of a worry and no Chevy 3 year promise for Captiva! Also i think new facelifted Captiva is coming next year.



I would say if you have the budget for Santa-Fe go ahead with it. Being a Hyundai it must be reliable , looks good , impressive feature list , better Interiors than Fortuner and with 197HP it must be a performer! And also i read in other reviews that FE is around 13.xxkmpl in highways which is not bad at all considering its size and power. But lacks the snob value!


Then the next obvious choice is Fortuner! Has everything what you need except for feature-list! Luckily i have good contacts in Toyota and i was promised delivery within 3 months!