[Tony2298]

Well Team-BHP is the gold standard of judging the Indian Automotive Scene and has been redlining it for nearly two decades now and the general consensus unanimously says it all the Mahindra XUV700, Mahindra has even outdone the gizmo and goodies leader, Hyundai by providing never before seen goodies in the segment, that combined with the superb engines+transmission and 5star GNCAP rating makes it an obvious choice in that segment, no wonder why it came out on top.(It personally reminds me of the first gen i20 launched in 2009 which brought never before seen features in the segment and even embarrassed luxury sedans and well its rivals look bare-naked in comparison.

For me personally though, it's the Škoda Octavia 2.0TSi, it breathed a fresh lease of life and is the torch-bearer in an almost dead segment which at one point of time was the symbol of success,affluence and achievement among the chic urbane clientele of India and was buzzing with cars like Honda Civic,Toyota Corolla Altis ,Volkswagen Jetta, Chevrolet. Cruze, Renault Fluence, all excelled in their respective department has just boiled down to basically a single car now.

Even though I agree Škoda has jacked up the price of Octavia by a fair margin but still I find it very good. It has all the traditional strength of VAG cars of space, luxury,comfort and that solid German tank like build quality we expect and love at a lesser price compared to luxury marquees, also personally find it to look very appealing and good looking and Škoda has hit the balance right between timeless and modernity, also the interiors are at a whole altogether different level and yes many were appalled by the lack of sunroof in such an expensive car but I'm completely fine with it, well I've been owning two cars equipped with sunroof but use it maybe just 10% of the times, most of the times it closed anyways, also that addictive driving experience will offset the problem of sunroof when you're on your favourite stretch. I just hope Honda re-enters this segment with all guns blazing and launch the 11th gen Civic with 1.5VTEC Turbo ASAP to our shores, it truly looks drool-worthy

[Bhalla]

Even before the beginning of this Car Of The Year Voting, everyone was aware which car is going to be the winner and that’s XUV700. But I voted for Tata Safari. It’s purely heart over brain decision. Reason is I’m always a fan of Safari since my school days when Safari was launched. For me, Safari brand is emotion. When Tata discontinued Safari in 2019, I was upset but when they decided to bring back Safari brand by launching 7 Seater Harrier with Safari name, I was on cloud 7. Naming that 7 Seater Harrier as Safari is really a master stroke by Tata and sales of Safari+Harrier duo proves it. So voted for Safari.
My second option is Force Gurkha. It’s a proper SUV. Very happy to see a niche company like Force Motors trying to keep Body on Frame 4x4 SUV alive in this era where BOF SUVs are on the verge of extinction.
By the way, very proud to see top 4 spots are occupied by cars from Indian brands. Our Indian brands are moving in right direction.

[The Alchemist]

Voted for XUV700! It is an excellent overall package - Balanced & dynamically sorted ride & handling, 5-star safety, a wide variety of features including ADAS, powerful engine options, excellent transmissions, etc. There is something for everyone starting at 14.5 all the way up to 29 lakhs on-road in Kerala. And I think the comments regarding it being not available to customers yet are not accurate. In our sales analysis chart, its volume is second only to Innova in D1 segment (for last 2 months, since when deliveries began)

Here are my thoughts on the other options.

1. Maruti Celerio: This was a game-changer when it was launched many years back. The new version is uninspiring and overpriced.

2. Tata Punch: A good package undermined by its engine-price combination. Either reduce the price or give a better engine. Close to 11 Lakhs on road for the top-end AMT version is an absolute loot.

3. Renault Kiger: Nissan Magnite had already stolen the show last year. This was not offering anything new. The fate of all second-borns among twins perhaps?

4. MG Astor: Love those luxurious interiors. This would be a definite choice for those who seek luxury in this segment. But not for me. The poor driving dynamics is a downer.

5. Volkswagen Taigun/Skoda Kushaq: I was eagerly waiting for these twins and even justified their reduced dimensions on paper citing better engine and gearbox. When I experienced the car, it just didn't feel like a Volkswagen. When you price it at a premium, the premium feel is expected in the cabin. That wasn't the case, unfortunately.

6. Force Gurkha: A good attempt but not enough to upset the standards set by Thar last year.

7. Tata Safari: After the XUV700 launch, Safari doesn't seem to have any upsides. While I've seen most people praising its looks and so-called macho feel, it just didn't strike my heart. Tata's double standards in sending this one for GNCAP is saying a lot.

8. Hyundai Alcazar: In my opinion, this is a compromise in many ways. Features continue to be Hyundai's only plus side

9. Skoda Octavia: An excellent car but overpriced by a few lakhs. From Skoda's viewpoint, it was a good strategy to price it higher as they are not expecting volume anyway.

10. Citroen C5 Aircross: I was not able to find any plus point other than its ride comfort. Ride comfort alone is not good enough to warrant a test drive in my books. And the pricing

[Sudeep Lakhotia]

Mahindra XUV 700 seems to be the reasonably obvious choice and this reflects not just in the Mahindra sales figures but also in Team Bhp's COTY poll. The car is not just a beauty to look at but the engine, handling, features everything seems to be very well put by Mahindra and kudos to them for this achievement. Thar and XUV 700 seem to be pulling in the cash for the company and rightfully so. They have also good presence in international markets and I wish for at least one Indian manufacturer to be recognised by folks of other countries. They have a long way ahead but not an impossible way ahead. Tata has been functioning in similar manner but TaMo India has no global presence and maybe in future they have plans to do so.

[SRM]

Mahindra, XUV and customers seems to be a match made in heaven!

Happened with 500 and now looks like a bigger success with 700. Both had the same formula at launch - good looking cars with powerful engines, next level features, comfortable and most importantly the pricing that seals the deal! All the ingredients that an India customer wants but barely gets it in one car, and hence my vote definitely goes for XUV700. Looks like 700's going to be our COTY with even a bigger margin than 500.

Hopefully, should be in my garage 2 years from now

[tristis2008]

Voted for XUV700.
Safety aspects have become more or less basic now for M&M and Tata. With XUV700 bringing in ADAS and also living up to the expectations in terms of features, I believe the 700 deserves the title.

[Abhikumar629]

Can't vote as I am a newbie, however, if I did have the option, my vote would have gone to the XUV700. Maybe this is the 1st Indian car that will give goosebumps to Hyundai management and product team and push them to start the hunt for new buttons, lights, touchscreens and graphics that they can add to their cars to entice the common Indian junta (who do not know much about cars). With that said, yes safety was never and will never be their priority even in the foreseeable future. Aam Junta are just GAGA over their gizmos.

Talk of Maruti - "Where are the new set of stickers"...

[srinitdas]

It had to be the XUV 7oo. The hallowed 200 bhp mark is now actually achievable to many.

Is there a compiled list of team bhp COTY over the past several years?
Would be intersting to see how the preferences of bhpians have evolved over time.

[Rolling_Stock]

It is high time that votes should be based on 'Performance on road' rather than 'Specs on Paper'.

Any vehicles that hasn't completed at least 3 months of ownership should be left out of contest.

This will allow the rating to be better calibrated rather than just perception.
It will also allow us to reflect upon the SAY : DO ratio of the OEM.

Cheers.

[Monty1]

Inadvertently have followed the herd and voted for the XUV 7oo. Disclosure I have booked one too. However following were the calculations that went into my decision:-

1. Drive: Merc A class, Merc GLA, Volvo S60, Mahindra XUV 7oo, Skoda Octavia, Kushaq, Taigun (only the 1.5s), Safari, CitroenC5

2. Safety: Xuv7oo, Merc A class, Merc GLA, Volvo S60, Skoda Octavia, CitroenC5, PUNCH ( Brownie points for punch to even feature in this group)

3. Tech: Volvo S60, Merc A class, Mec GLA, Citroen C5, MG Astor, Xuv 7oo

4. After Sales support and coverage: Hyundai Alcazar, Maruti Celerio, Mahindra XUV 7oo, Tata Punch & Safari, Merc A & GLA( In luxury class I feel Merc is the Maruti of the lot n Audi the Hyundai)

5. VFM: Mahindra XUV 7oo( Considering it is hitting both above and below the belt), PUNCH ( Anyday better than the cofeemachine albeit car from Maruti) , Merc A class ( Considering Merc has the least depriciation in second sales market compared to BMWs n Audis)

So up until now I have had 3 candidates as mentioned in point 5. So how do I select one of them. So following were the further permutations and combinations:-

Xuv7oo - Traumatic booking experience and horrible Delivery date planning. Niggles related to tech have started cropping up here and there

Punch - It really doesnt give you punch once you put the pedal to the metal. There is feeling of a raised hatchback from the insides. The engine is more of slow mo slap than a PUNCH.

Merc A class: Nothing with the car but more to do with the roads and city civic infra in India. One ding here and there you end up spending a PUNCH ( pun intended)

So XUV 7oo it is then for this year.

On a separate note, for the senior and old timers in Team bhp do we have WCOTY : Worst car of the year too?

[pradeepkc]

I am with the popular opinion here. The features and options offered along with the appeal of XUV700 to customers, Mahindra definitely deserves the COTY for stepping up their game.

If it wasn't for XUV700, it would have been a close call between MG Astor and Force Gurkha. Both MG and Force have made big leaps in terms of product maturity.

[mp417]

Voted for XUV7OO. It's by far the best car on the market and ticks all the boxes and its from an Indian manufacturer.

It's is going to be a clean sweep "car of the year" awards this year by XUV7OO

[nairanupg]

Voted for the Safari.

In my book, considering todays time and age it is absurd to wait almost an year for a car which has been launched with such fanfare.
Its an amazing product no doubt is the XUV 700 on paper, if only we had them on the roads in enough quantities to judge objectively.
Call me finicky or what ever, but for me it just doesnt make the cut, 'cause Mahindra cannot deliver timely.
May be an year down the line when we have enough XUV 700's on the road and hopefull can get hands on a new one within reasonable timelines, i would might vote for one.

No offence, but this is me who has owned and driven an XUV 500 without complains for more than 1.2 lakh Kms.

[hemanth.anand]

When I went through the list, it was only Punch Vs XUV7OO. It was as close as the England and NewZealand 2019 Cricket world cup finals. Just because XUV7OO had more and better engine options, they won!

[alokk0912]

For me, it is XUV700. Enough said and written by fellow Bhpians already. For me, Mahindra is brand of choice for the following reasons apart from already mentioned earlier:
- Focused on continuous improvement as can be seen from Thar and XUV700
- Improved after sales service while this can be definitely better
- Overall lower total cost of ownership as against comparable brands
- Longevity of their brands. Scorpio still going strong after 20 years
- Made in INDIA