[CkmGowda]

Background: My Nissan Terrano will be completing 8 years in few weeks. I am considering to buy a new SUV using company lease option.

Budget: Upper limit of my company lease plan is 22 lakhs on road (Bangalore). This will include Ex showroom price + Registration charges + Insurance + TCS.

Usage: My usage will be around 2000 KM per month. Around 600 Km in Bangalore City and 1400 Km in Highway (Bangalore to Chikmagalur). Occasionally to Mangalore.

Requirements:
1. Great to drive
2. Automatic transmission
3. Useful modern-day features
4. Safe Car
5. Good looks
6. Good mileage
7. Good ground clearance (hilly area drives)
8. Good resale value (I am planning to see in 3 or 4 years after the lease plan ends)
9. Good boot space (Terrano spoilt us)
10. No nonsense service and maintenance

I have finalized two cars which will closely meet my requirements – Taigun GT plus and Seltos GTX Plus.

Drive: Both are good at ride and handling but Taigun feels little better. It also feels quick for overtaking. NVH is also better in Taigun (because of petrol engine). Seltos has better seating position (sitting high)

Transmission: Both automatic transmissions are good, but Taigun is little better in sports mode.

Features: Seltos wins hands down. In addition to everything that Taigun offers, Seltos has:

1. 360-degree camera
2. Blind View Monitor
3. Bose audio system with 8 speakers
4. Ventilated and powered seats
5. Heads Up Display (HUD)
6. LED fog lamps
7. Auto headlamps
8. Driver One Touch Auto up/ down with Anti Pinch function
9. Rear Door Sun-Shade Curtain
10. Rain sensing wipers
11. All 4-disc brakes
12. All black sport interiors

Safe Car: Although Taigun is not NCAP rated, I am assuming it to be better than Seltos given its history of making solid (safe?) cars.

Looks: Looks are subjective, but Taigun GT wins hands down (personal preference). There is simply no car which matches the class and elegance of Taigun under 25 lakhs (considering average price of Jeep Compass is above 25 lakh). Not saying that Seltos is less of a looker but it falls into mass category. Clean lines of Taigun will leave lasting impressions. It is like Polo GT of hatchbacks. Seltos is more like Swift.

Mileage and running costs: Here Seltos come out as winner. Yearly saving of 50k on fuel expenses alone.




Ground Clearance: No significant difference here (190 mm of Seltos vs 188 mm of Taigun).

Resale: I have a feeling Seltos will be better here.

Good boot space: Seltos has better boot space on paper, but I felt Taigun will hold more luggage in real. Taigun boot space is deep.

Service and maintenance: Although Hyundai group has better track record, I am willing to believe VW’s commitment on improving service and maintenance experience for Indian customers.


Wildcard: If the Work from Home continues, I am willing to wait till Q2 2022 for All New Scorpio.


What do you all think?

[condor]

Picking a car today has one major factor - delivery times. I dont know which one of these is available for delivery as per your requirements.

Second is price. And then servicing availability in your area.


My take Regarding the features:
1. 360-degree camera - not a must. But helpful.
2. Blind View Monitor - Helpful
3. Bose audio system with 8 speakers - Good
4. Ventilated and powered seats - Good
5. Heads Up Display (HUD) - Good to have
6. LED fog lamps - not an advantage, exp if these are cool white.
7. Auto headlamps - good to have.
8. Driver One Touch Auto up/ down with Anti Pinch function. Good to have
9. Rear Door Sun-Shade Curtain - Good to have
10. Rain sensing wipers - Good to Have
11. All 4-disc brakes - Not necessary. I have 4-disc brakes on my vehicle. But rear drum is sufficicient
12. All black sport interiors - personal choice


Running costs: what you have mentioned is indicative. Actual numbers will be known after you start using it.

[youknowitbetter]

I just bought Seltos DCT last month and so far I am satisfied as the whole package does add to the ownership experience, but I am not sure how many of those features I will use on a regular basis.

If you are looking at Seltos, you may want to also consider 2 aspects (other than the safety which you already mentioned), which I also considered but still ended up buying it:

1. It is a very common car. There is no exclusivity. While it is nice to buy a tried and tested product, but I would have preferred a slightly more exclusivity.

2. Facelift is long overdue. Since the car is selling so well, Kia is is holding back on launching an update. They did one last year, but that was fairly limited. Consider Creta as a comparison, they are gonna launch 3rd variant (from the time Kia original launched Seltos) in India.

Looks are subjective. Honestly, I prefer Seltos' SUV type body structure more (its not a true SUV, hence, play with the words) and it offers more in cabin space as well. With VW, I am just not sure what is the thought process they have in terms of launching and maintaining product portfolio. They are quite abrupt in terms of discontinuing products (case in point, T-Roc, Karoq, Kodiaq, Taigun, which I can remember) or continuing with older gen products (polo, rapid, vento selling forever).

[Iyencar]

No point consider the Seltos considering the crash test rating. All those feel good features aren’t saving anyone in a crash. 20 lakhs is a lot of money to compromise on safety especially when there are other options available. I would say wait. You don’t need a new car asap so wait. Even if you got one home tomorrow with the rapid rise in cases you probably aren’t going to risk a long drive anywhere. By then there might be a better idea if the Taigun’s safety. Plus the new scorpio and the 5 door Gurkha will be out. They might just give you the best of both the Taigun and Scorpio.

[Shreyans_Jain]

I don’t see the point of spending 20L on a Seltos, a vehicle which barely managed a 3 star GNCAP rating with an unstable chassis. No amount of features can compensate for that, especially when you plan on doing plenty of highway running. Secondly, you are overestimating the 1.4 turbo petrol’s mileage. The engine is extremely sensitive to throttle inputs and FE figures tank very easily. The VW is at least as efficient, if not more, in real world conditions. It’s ride and handling is also better. The Seltos boot may be bigger on paper but it’s shape doesn’t make it very useful. Neither car can accommodate anywhere near as much luggage as your Terrano.

I see the Tiguan and Kushaq as the best overall 4.3m SUVs in the market today, as long you seat only 2 people at the back. Mighty fine cars, these. If you are inclined to wait, I’d rather you wait for the Skoda Slavia. Mainly for the much bigger boot. Don’t see how the new Scorpio will work for you. It will be much less efficient and more cumbersome to drive than the smaller and lighter monocoque crossovers.

[morphique]

Exactly these two are the contenders for me as well.

Here are my thoughts based on test drives, feature comparison, and sifting through ownership reviews:

Engine + Dual Clutch combo: Taigun - 10/10, Seltos - 8/10
- Based on two test drives of both

Safety: Taigun - ?/10, Seltos - 5/10
- Yes, I cannot rate Taigun. With the flimsy interiors on the Taigun and Kushaq, the inconsistent grains of plastics used in the exterior, along with a number of other cost-cutting measures, this is not the VW that we have known over the last decade. If safety is really a concern and a major criteria, and you must go with VW / Skoda, I would rather go with the dated Polo / Vento / Rapid than betting on Taigun / Kushaq. May be a year or two later, they would improve on these aspects, and may be we would have the crash test ratings by then, and that is when I would consider them safe. I would not give VW any benefit of doubt here (over Kia), since the platform is new, and their thought process looks cheap.

Features: Taigun - 4/10, Seltos - 10/10
- Many features in Seltos might be useless for many folks (including me). If this combo was available in a lower variant, I would have gone ahead with Seltos without a second thought. Still, if you do an actual feature-wise comparison, Seltos wins by a huge margin.

Price / VFM: Taigun - 7/10, Seltos - 9/10
- Both are overpriced. But, if Seltos is overpriced by 1L, Taigun is overpriced by 3L minimum.

Conclusion
If it was urgent, I would go with Seltos, unless your heart says Taigun. Else, I would wait for a better option.

[fhdowntheline]

Why not go for a Duster if extra airbags are not a consideration ? A 156PS CVT Duster will be a perfect lateral upgrade for your Terrano. You dont seem to be keen on feel-good features. At least you get continuity of the basic car frame, its ruggedness and a more powerful engine with a more reliable Auto transmission than DCT. And you save some money as well.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by CkmGowda

Usage: My usage will be around 2000 KM per month. Around 600 Km in Bangalore City and 1400 Km in Highway (Bangalore to Chikmagalur). Occasionally to Mangalore.

Avoid European brands for this kind of running, these are not 6 lane highways - big bills will follow.

Get a traditional diesel AT, your running costs will be less overall. I am not suggesting which car, I think you will figure that one out

[shancz]

Voted to wait for the Scorpio.
Based on how the 700 was priced it might shake up the market again. Not to forget Mahindra's statement about not launching any new car which is less than 4 stars(GNCAP assumed in context).
Looks handsome IMO and will feel like an upgrade over your Terrano overall.
But like already mentioned the delivery times may play spoilsport.

Based on the roads you travel the Taigun makes better sense with its relatively compact dimensions in the city and better performing engine and dynamics when you head to Chickmagalur.
Spoilsport would be the running costs and potential DCT issues due to the city but I would choose this over the Seltos.
Do check on the EPC issues, i haven't heard much about them so assuming they're sorted.

[WheelJack]

I would definitely tell you not to consider Taigun 1.5 DSG as it does not justify the price it is asking. To be honest it does not even compete with likes of Seltos and Creta, but just demands the same price for top variant. You have to see it in complete isolation and then you can decide whether it is worth 22 lakhs. I am a Seltos Gtx+ AT D owner and would obviously suggest going for seltos but then that would be bias. Feature and driving experience wise nothing can beat seltos gtx+ in this category range however if safety rating is your main criteria then would suggest go for either xuv700 or a tata make. Not sure about new Scorpio.

If you want a detailed comparison of the test drives of the cars like taigun, astor, kushaq etc and why I chose seltos over them, you can read my post here:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...gtx-1-5-d.html (Cianna – Welcome home Kia Seltos GTX+ 1.5 AT D)

[roadrunner_nv]

Voted for “Wait for the Scorpio”. After the XUV700, Mahindra has set a benchmark and I’m sure they will only do things better there. Being with VAG cars for a long time and their nuances, repair bills and headache drove me to sell all of them at whatever price I got. Seltos might be a brilliant car but no dual clutch tranny has ever made its mark in the reliability sheet. I’d rather wait to see how the Scorpio shapes up. After all, with the recent covid surge, travel will be on the lowest priority for the first 4-5 months.

[PrasannaDhana]

Voted for the Taigun.

Reason - Safer car (knowing SVAG's track record in structural stability)

The incident I am sharing here may not be taken generically. But still, I want to share it. One of my friends who works with Kia/Hyundai was contemplating Sonet purchase but canceled the booking. Upon asking g the reason he shared this incident and told me he does not have confidence with Kia.

The circumstances surrounding every accident is unique and there are multiple factors involved. That being said, airbag not being deployed even when there has been a significant front impact as well as a roll over, is what bothers me.

An unfortunate accident that happened in my circle. 4 occupants, 3 passed away. Front passenger and rear passengers died on the spot. Driver sustained injuries but was saved by airbag.





It was a Seltos HTK+, used by a supplier company to Kia/Hyundai. They still don't know why front passenger airbag did not deploy. There is absolutely 0 probability of the front passenger not wearing a seat belt as they are professional auto industry people who travel a lot everyday.


There is a sense of safety in Euro cars that sadly isn't there in the Seltos. No offense to owners.

Regarding upcoming Scorpio, no matter how improved it becomes, it will still lack the ease of use and handling of the seltos/taigun.

[nitkel]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

An unfortunate accident that happened in my circle. 4 occupants, 3 passed away. Front passenger and rear passengers died on the spot. Driver sustained injuries but was saved by airbag.

There is a sense of safety in Euro cars that sadly isn't there in the Seltos. No offense to owners.

An unfortunate accident indeed, but there's no point in putting forth a crashed car as a reference to deem a car unsafe or safe. We don't know how the crash happened and how intense the impact was. Let the Taigun/Kushaq crash test details come out first, then we can objectively compare them with Seltos' 3 star rating.

[antz.bin]

Originally Posted by CkmGowda

company lease plan

<snip>

What do you all think?

If it is a company lease, you should be able to claim expenses for fuel from your company and reduce that outgo by 30%.

Stick to the Taigun. It is the safer car.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by nitkel

An unfortunate accident indeed, but there's no point in putting forth a crashed car as a reference to deem a car unsafe or safe. We don't know how the crash happened and how intense the impact was. Let the Taigun/Kushaq crash test details come out first, then we can objectively compare them with Seltos' 3 star rating.

Agreed. I have edited that disclaimer to my initial post. It was a HTK+ too. So no side airbags.