Quote:
Originally Posted by condor agreed.
On an another note, had a quick TD of the direct competition. The XUV felt a little more car like, while the Storme has the SUV in it. IMO, the two are polarizing vehicles -who likes one is not likely to like the other. Needless to say, I feel much more at home in the Storme.
But would miss the 6th gear & the air-bags. I think TML should also have done the same 3 trim line-up as with the XUV. |
Hey Condor
I guess you are seriously considering the Strome. I am planning to post my detailed views on all SUV's & MUV's (that I have had a chance to experience - 20+ over the years) in a new thread when I do get the time. Felt I should share my view on the Storme, XUV and also the Aria out here. I had a detailed test drive of the XUV when it came out and also experienced it as a passenger, of course own the Aria and prior to that have had the Safari TCIC for almost 10 years. Recently (two weeks back) TATA was kind enough to loan me a Storme VX 4X4 for a few days and I drove it a fair bit in that period. So here is my take.
As you rightly mentioned these are all very different vehicles and if one loves one then one will not really like the other options as they are so different.
Looks- I love the Strome the most followed by the XUV and then the Aria (if only it was a bit less Innovaish and had the storme kind of rear end treatment) The XUV is a wierd one though and if it was not that great a value it would not have met acceptance. The Storme is imposing and frankly the rear without the spare wheel looks even better due to the various elements thrown in. That said the Fortuner and the Pajero look better. The Fortuner is shorter and wider and that helps it automatically. The Storme is the best vehicle to scare of other road occupants though.
Seat & Space Comfort -
Driver - The driver does get the best view of the Road in the Storme by far and the Aria is next best followed by the XUV. This due to the height the seat adjustment the A pillar size etc. The Steering also falls to hand best in the Storme and also the legs don't foul with anything in the footwell (I kept hitting the steering rod in the XUV). But the Driver if tall and well built may not be able to see the top of the instrumentation console even if the seat is at the lowest and steering at the highest (like in my case).
Passengers - Best vehicle along with the Aria to seat Driver + 4 in comfort out of the lot, but if there are 6 or 7 persons on board then XUV and Aria are better, with Aria being the best of the lot and even better than the Fortuner besides it does have decent space for luggage after having 7 on board.
Driveability of the Vehicle- The storme can be driven in almost any gear (including wrong gears) at any speed. The Aria can easily be stalled in the second gear and I still do it quite often. The XUV too can be driven in the wrong gear quite a bit as it is light and has similar power as the Storme. Thus if one is lazy and tends to lug the engine at times to avoid changing gears this is an added convenience. That said the absence of Cruise control in the Storme hurts in convenience on highways and empty roads and the Aria and XUV are better in that aspect.
City Driving - Liked the Storme best in this regard followed by the XUV.
Highway Driving - Liked the Aria the best followed by the XUV - Both felt safer at higher speeds. The Brakes of Aria inspired the most confidence but the Storme was close, the XUV though much lighter (lesser inertia) did not feel that comfortable.
Rough Road - The Storme was the best here and like city driving the high visibility helps. Also of course the 4X4 modes are much better for pure off roading compared to AWD as in XUV and Aria.
Feature set - The Storme losses out bit time to the Aria and the XUV and for those like me who are used to the features, the large screen infotainment, MID etc this hurts.
Safety package - The Storme misses out on 6 Airbags, TC, ESP etc.
My application currently is about 100 kms of home to office plus occational outstation drives mostly on NH. This implies high speed runs on the NH and even within the city on the Express highways. The Aria felt the most comfortable in these runs - though I have use the previous Safari for the same appication for many years and though the Storme is miles ahead of that one in all aspects, after using the Aria the feeling of safety that it gives on these runs is superb. I actually first drove around town on the first two days in the Storme over the weekend and loved it over rough roads and while driving at a sedate speed it is when I took it to office that I just did not feel comfortable enough. Though I have not taken the XUV for the Office Run felt it would be a similar breed.
The Storme is something that still tugs at my heart and my kid loves it more than the Aria, but on the highways and longer drivers the Aria is better for both the driver and the occupants. Yet as mentioned above if I had a shorter drive like say 50kms per day instead of 95 then the storme would have been better for my needs. The XUV is an incredible value package but taking it on real rough roads will not be as comfortable an experience as it is with the Storme and one can't really get the ricks to move away either in the same manner in the XUV. Size does matter at times.