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Originally Posted by MaNishi I have been following this tread on Hexa keenly eyeing a purchase in next 3-6 months. I plan to keep the car for 7-10 years, all self driven. |
In my personal opinion Hexa, Innova, XUV - all of them can easily do 7-10 years unless abused like commercial car vehicle owners. Even though Hexa, the latest entrant in this list, has been in market for only about 2 years, it has easily proven to be reliable both mechanically and electrically - suggesting it's a long run workhorse. You really can't go wrong with any of these in the 20-26 lacs approx OTR budget.
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Originally Posted by MaNishi 2.2 Tons of Weight, it is too much for me to take around Bangalore on a daily basis, I would feel guilty of the extra 400 kgs weight that I will carry and thus more fuel and more maintenance due to wear and tear. |
I'm owning a Hexa in Bangalore for the last 6 months and I really don't think once getting adjusted inside any car, you really feel the heft of the car. I owned a XUV before Hexa and while that was also by no means too light for that size of a monocoque crossover, once you get adjusted to that size in a week's time, it doesn't bother you afterwards. Yes the Hexa steering is heavier than XUV (still lighter than Innova I think) as a hydraulic unit, it's again something you will get adjusted to easily without much bother. And in the longer run appreciate it as well vs some super light EPAS that don't weigh up enough at higher speeds.
Now regarding wear and tear - I think it's unfair to say the weight of the car will have a bearing on it. Otherwise The Rolls Royce should have had been the most quickly deteriorating car (they are almost always 2.5+ tonnes). Mileage - yes, will be affected if you have a heavier right foot than most but honestly the gap between Hexa and any other lighter 7 seater with 2.0 liters or bigger engine will be around 1-3 kmpl at the most if driven in a balanced way. Do note Hexa's ARAI figures state 17 so don't compare real world mileage of Hexa with another cars ARAI figures. In real world it will come down to very closely contested situation.
What can be appreciated is the weight helps immensely in a planted straight line manners on the highway and probably the best ride quality in any car under 40 lacs OTR bracket today in India. And while there is body roll, the Hexa is almost always surefooted with a predictable handling unlike the XUV - which sometimes will give you too much confidence to push harder and in the very next moment rob you of all of that. While I never had an untoward incident with the XUV, I could never really define what it's limits are, as they would always create doubts in my head.
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Originally Posted by MaNishi Secondly, while at Showroom, I also happen to sit in the Nexon, the interiors of the Nexon look far ahead of HEXA. I am hoping that TML should be launching a refreshed HEXA with new updated interiors sooner to arrest the falling sales of HEXA. |
My family felt that way as well, at the first time in the showroom when they saw the Nexon. However design wise I prefer the boxy Range Roverish / Ford styled dash of the Hexa complimenting it's gearth as a rugged machine than the floating one in Nexon which screams soft roading crossover all over the place. You are free to call me old school that way. Yes the small 5" touchscreen missing AA & ACP is a downer, but other than that the Hexa has much better quality, deisgn and materials than the Nexon (which has several rough edges if you look closely). There are hard plastics no doubt in the lower section of the dash, but they are properly screwed and built to last. No issues of rattles. Plus while the higher set toughscreen (like in Nexon) aids navigation, etc, due to that setup, the AC vents getting pushed down is a design I personally don't quite like. Especially in a car with low set dash. The AC vents will almost always freeze your left hand while driving if you turn the vents towards yourself. I faced this issue while driving the Nexon once (but not much since it was a manual and most times I was using that hand to shift gears). But remember the Harrier uses the same setup so it can get annoying for some drivers like me who in an automatic car, prefer to keep both their hands on the steering when driving at higher speeds.
I did contemplate waiting for the H7X (Harrier's 7 seat avatar) before buying the Hexa. But I sorely needed to move away from a manual in Bangalore traffic (my 2014 XUV) and Hexa's these qualities eventually sealed my purse strings -
1.) Seating position - I can see more of my surroundings both front and sides than any other SUV I drove (except Endeavor). No car has such a low positioned dash in that segment and considering Harrier is low slung like Nexon, it will also concede to Hexa and Endy.
2.) Ride quaity - enough said about those amazing frequency sensitive dampers
3.) NVH levels - Massive upgrade from the XUV (even the new gen as well) and Innova
4.) Automatic gearbox - That one from Punch Powerglide is just amazing hauling that 2.2 ton beast with an engine that has a pronounced turbo lag in manual but masked completely in the automatic avatar. Sports mode is cherry on the cake. I will say this 6 speed auto is better than any SUV upto 40 lacs range (I think new 2018 CRV and Kodiaq are better but they are north of 40 OTR range)
5.) Audio system - As an OEM system it's fantastic and I appreciate it everyday whether I drive alone or with friends and family
And lastly - A bird in hand is better than 2 in the bush !! H7X is expected to be promising and carry a lucrative price tag. I don't get swayed too much by that marketing mumbo jumbo of JLR pedigree, and would rather test drive myself to validate the claims. And without the H7X in flesh, here there was Hexa with clean europeanish design and with no major / significant issues reported in it's last 1 & 1/2 years of existence.
Hope this helps !! All the best for your hunt.