[07CR]

India's hotly contested 4.3-4.4 M SUV space is seeing some new competition in form of Coupe SUVs. This styling may be a hit or miss, and seem a little controversial to many. I am reminded of the compact sedan days, when the longer sedans were chopped off to make them fit under 4 metres. Swift Dzire and Indigo CS were the first one's and they were bad design is just an understatement. Honda followed it up with a Amaze which had relatively better integration of boot.

Coming to Coupe SUVs in this segment, we have only two entries as off now. The Tata Curvv in terms of price which might sit at the upper end of the segment while the Basalt would be at the lower end. Both cars are expected to have massive price and equipment differences.

That said, both cars exterior design has been revealed (Citroen is yet to officially reveal it, though the final design won't be too different than what we have already seen).
In terms of external design alone, which do the BHPian's pick?

Attaching pics of both-

Basalt


Curvv

[Geo_Ipe]

The choice is actually Tata vs Citroen, rather than Curvv vs Basalt. Citroen needs to do a lot more work in India to be considered a worthy contender, however good their product is.

Isn't Mahindra also eyeing this space? I regularly see a similarly sized SUV-coule in camouflage along with the 5 door Thars in & around Chengalpet, TN. Could someone throw some light on it please.

[sharmanova]

For me it has to be Basalt! The side profile is well balanced in the Basalt and the GLC inspired alloy wheels looks much better than the Curvv's.

Citroen, Basalt is your last hope. Please price this one right and give it the necessary features.

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

Isn't Mahindra also eyeing this space? I regularly see a similarly sized SUV-coule in camouflage along with the 5 door Thars in & around Chengalpet, TN. Could someone throw some light on it please.

It is the Mahindra XUV.e9. Looking at the spyshots, I somehow feel that Mahindra is positioning it half a segment higher.

[FireBlade]

For me personally, Tata Curvv hands down is more beautiful and stunning design. I think it would be a strong seller because of its novel looks over the competition.

People hated Nexon's unconventional Coupe like design when it was first unveiled but look at it now. It has become one of the hottest selling CSUVs ever. Same fate awaits the Curvv in my humble opinion

[Heart_Revs]

Based on design , I can say both these vehicles will be DoA in India. However, between the two , Basalt is better designed.
I would love to be proved wrong though. After all, we Indians have some sort of penchant for ugly/overdesigned cars (Dezire, ameo, nexon, ignis etc)

[chiekennugget]

They both look good but both of them have their shortcomings.

I prefer the smoother side profile of the Tata, but the wheels of the basalt looks insane.

But, at the end of they day, I don't like the Coupe-SUV category (BMW X6, Mercedes Benz gle) They look awkward and rushed to me. They have the headroom of a sedan but not the incredible driving dynamics/looks attributed to sedans. weird stance reminds of a dog doing its excretory business.

All the best to both of the companies for trying out something new (if the expected price point is to be believed) More options to the consumer is always good. New designs are welcomed too! provide an escape from the humdrum of C-SUV's we see everyday.

[saikishor]

The Basalt looks way way better but there are many reasons why you shouldn't pick a Basalt over the Curvv.

And since we are talking in terms of design, even though the Basalt looks better, if I had to put my hard earned money I would put it on the Curvv because of those cheap flap type door handles on the Basalt. Citroen has a strategy that only the Citroen team can understand.

[Thyag]

On any given day - Citroen, they make mechanically sorted & great ride quality vehicles. I don't want to go in details about the other brand, so many threads are available in TBHP regarding the same.

Looks are subjective, yet if need to be commented there is something odd about the rear design of curvv (seems like it is about to deliver), the lift of the rear wheel arch and those alloys are really an eye sore !

[shortbread]

Tata's design team is on point, more so when we see their cars on the road. What impresses me really is the transition to production versions where little is diluted from the show stopping concepts... H5X (Harrier), H2X (Punch), Altroz and now the Curvv.

[SoumenD]

Voted for Basalt. It does look better in pictures. I strongly feel if Citreon goes all out with this one it can do what Duster did for Renault.

Citroen if you’re seeing this: Please don’t skimp on features & give it a good safety kit. Get it crash tested, get atleast 4* or above with stable bodyshell and price it competitively.

The segment it’s entering has nothing yet except Curvv which is again new and this can be your real shot at getting some serious attention in Indian market

[Raghuwire]

Basalt even if it is a great product, will not be a competition for Curvv. So, in view of this, the vote is a moot issue. Anyway voted for Basalt.

[ashutoshb]

I shall wait to see both cars on the road. The Curvv model at UK had 18 inch wheels, don't know if the production car is carrying those. Basalt studio shots do not imply it will have the same wheels.

[DigitalOne]

Originally Posted by chiekennugget

weird stance reminds of a dog doing its excretory business.

Originally Posted by Thyag

Looks are subjective, yet if need to be commented there is something odd about the rear design of curvv (seems like it is about to deliver), the lift of the rear wheel arch

Now I can't unsee this .

Curvv's slanted rear window also looks tiny. Rear passengers would probably feel claustrophobic.

[bijims]

The Basalt looks better to me but with Citroen's reputation being not good, I don't see it selling numbers unless they offer an extremely value-for-money offering with an attractive price and features as well. Their engine, driving dynamics, etc have been spot on but their cars have bare bones as regards the specs the market demands these days. If they sort that out and have a few more dealerships and a better portfolio, Well, maybe they may have a turnaround, but first impressions of the brand have not been great and in our market this matters quite a bit.

[kgt.v8]

Originally Posted by DigitalOne

Now I can't unsee this .

Curvv's slanted rear window also looks tiny. Rear passengers would probably feel claustrophobic.

The slanting rear window glass line is very similar to the one in Nexon. These upward slanting lines on the rear window make the window size too small for people with shorter height and also make the rear seat claustrophobic with dark interiors scheme.

The Basalt rear window has much better glass area in comparison. Citroen showrooms are very few as compared to Tata and their dealership, service centers are not growing at the expected pace.

Tata and Citroen might be starters for this new SUV coupe segment, but it could be Mahindra who might eventually get more sales if they can release BE.05 and another ICE variant of BE.05