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Cannot agree more to this point. In 2014 when the Duster AWD came out I was bowled over by the ride quality and overall capability of the vehicle. The benchmark on ride quality set by Duster has been surpassed by Hexa in 2017.

The pricing is really competitive. I was shocked to note that the XMA variant is available for just a shade over ₹15 lac on road in Siliguri. But the gap between XMA and XTA is simply enormous (₹2.5 lac).

As an aside, I don't know how Honda manages to sell a single unit of the BR-V to the educated customer, given the existence of this car. If I was strictly looking for a seven seater, this is the vehicle I would buy.

Agree. I am sure even Tata's may have not set the target to beat XUV numbers. First full month dispatches post market launch generally shows the monthly target a company has taken.

Last six month XUV has averaged 2114 numbers and Hexa 992 numbers. With post GST prices Hexa may be able to sustain or marginally improve the tally.

No doubt another Rs 50K reduction will make Hexa a very attractive proposition for potential customers but my guess would be there was no room left else they seems to be pretty aggressive this time around.

Turning radius is a direct function of wheelbase, which again plays a huge role in how the vehicle behaves. So, you can only do so much there.

True. 5.75 for a large vehicle like Hexa is quite good and on par with similarly sized vehicles.

I wouldn't read too much into the average values. They are misleading, specially for a recently launched vehicle like the Hexa.

What those numbers don't portray is the fact that XUV is consistent around the average of 2114, whereas Hexa has been seeing a steady and consistent decline. Average of 992 hides the fact that the values (1498, 1026, 940, 1213, 727, 550) shows no respite from bottoming out.

With the current price corrections, I personally expect it to stabilize around the 300 - 350 units range.

Anyways, that's just my expectation of the market. Will need to wait and watch.

Hexa has a big 5.75 m turning radius. Big compared to the UVs like Innova and XUV.

But compare to the other SUVs like Endeavour 4x4 (5.85 m) and the Fortuner 4x4 (5.9 m), it's less.

But why would you compare it to those, right? It's the largest among its direct competitors, and that's not a good thing. Oh well, you can't have everything.

The most popular variant in almost all cars, which brings in most of the numbers, is their mid variant(s) and Hexa's inadequacies (& therefore, the low sales) lie in the fact that its mid-variant - the XM is not up to par with respect to the equipment/feature levels. Explained in detail below:

Features XM gets compared to XE for price ~2L OTR:
- Choice of color (Yes! :Frustrati)
- 400NM engine compared to 320NM
- Drive modes (minus the dynamic mode)
- Touchscreen Infotainment & 2 extra speakers
- Parking sensors
- ORVM Demister
- Rear defogger & wiper
- Body colored ORVMs, door handles and some other cosmetics

IMO, the above list just doesn't quite justify the 2L premium over the XE variant. But the real deficiency with the XM variant is not what it does or doesn't get with respect to XE but what it loses out compared to the XT for an extra 2.5L OTR.

Features XM loses out compared to XT for price ~2.5L OTR:
- 19" Alloys
- Side & Curtain airbags
- Safety features (ESP, TCS, HHC, HDC, HBA)
- Dynamic drive mode
- Reverse parking camera
- Auto AC
- Cruise control
- Leather seat upholstery, steering and door inserts
- Center speaker with sub-woofer
- Fog lamps & DRLs
- Auto headlamps & rain sensing wipers
- Power folding ORVMs
- Roof rails
- Chrome here n there with some other cosmetics

IMO, unless someone can afford to upgrade to XT, there are plenty of deal-breakers right there. And reason why I am yet to see a single XM or XMA variant out on the roads in the 6 months since launch.

I am Tata, thank you for highlighting the above, tell me what should I do to fix the dwindling numbers?
Simple, fix the bread & butter variant(s) - reduce the price of XM by another 35K & introduce an additional XM(O) variant. The features in this variant, here you go:

- 16/17" Alloys
- Auto AC
- Cruise control
- Reverse parking camera
- Tired now, other bhpians will let you know more on this :D

I would just go ahead and say give me just the alloy wheels and Reverse camera. Don't require ACC as long as the manual AC does its job well. Don't need cruise control as it is of no use on Indian highways. 6th gear takes care cruising requirements for me

Because Hexa has a fair bit of off-road ability as compared to those. And is of a comparable wheelbase and length. All that hardware (like LSD on both axles etc) has to have some design compromises, unlike a simpler straight forward MUV.

Sure if an MUV is all that you require, then the Innova with 5.4m radius is much easier to live with, whereas the XUV 5OO with 5.6m and light off-road ability will be comparatively better off as well.

Well said, and totally agreed. Already posted a similar opinion above.

Infact, no need to reduce the price of the XM variant by much as well. It does well by undercutting the XUV 5OO W6 by a good 66k already.

However, they really need another variant in between XM and XT, along the lines of the XUV 5OO W8. The features you have mentioned are really basic and absolutely essential. When you are asking all customers to pay the full extra for the XT just for these features, they might just prefer to shift to other brands.

TN highways are absolutely perfect for cruise control. Drive between Salem to Kanyakumari at a leisurely pace sometimes require braking only for the toll plazas. Indian highways have really come a long way.

That's a nice thought. However does not cut the bill for me. I may be looking for an upgrade next year and it's only the XTA that I will be looking at. AT for obvious reasons and of course the single biggest factor of 6 airbags. I have decided my next car will have them. Give me 6 airbags in XMA, I will happily lap it up despite lack of other features.

One of the grouses I have with manufacturers. When will they start offering these as options along all variants?

S Cross does not have one and the upcoming Compass would again have it only on the top variant which is way beyond my budget :deadhorse

Agree and I have missed this often in the Storme.

The 6th gear can help cruise at a leisurely RPM but cruise control helps to avoid pressing the accelerator continuously.

I am not sure about the Highways beyond Trichy as I have not had the opportunity to experience them. However I have made multiple trips to Trichy and Coimbatore. I did feel that the traffic density has increased over the years, especially during long weekends. Hence my concern about the usefulness of Cruise Control under such situation.

True. Agree with this. But it is not going to take much of an effort for that as we will cruising on highways. Hence my point.

However I do agree that it is one option which I will never say no to :D

One of the main reason people still buy after appreciating hexa is its easy to drive nature of XUV and more bell and whistles at same price. Most of the people doesn't really understand what ride quality is and what is the premium feel. My friend is finally buying hexa as his family likes the hexa more but he is shifting from zen and he feels xuv is much easier to drive compare to Hexa.

Not just that mate, there are bunch of other things. You can buy XUV with AT and AWD. Being a monocoque, XUV is more agile and is quicker. It is also more engaging to drive. The XUV is also more established product in comparison. Probably the equation would change once Hexa establishes its mark in the market. It all boils down to your needs and preference.