No Perfect car in the 40L-45L range?
Hi Petrolheads, A quick introduction of me. I'm a 23years old Automobile Engineer. We are a Family of 5. My family loves road trips. We sold our 2013 Toyota Innova before the pandemic since it has crossed 5,00,000kms. This should give you an idea of our usage. We also have a 2013 Ford Endeavour 3.0AT at home. After using and loving every minute of my 2013 Ford Endeavour 3.0 AT we have decided to sell the car and get another SUV to replace it.
The problems with our endeavour are - the rear is very bumpy(due to the leaf springs)
- the floor is too high you sit in a slight knees-up position in the second row. The third-row seats are not for adults.
- the car somehow became noisier than when it was new. (the engine sound and the TC gearbox)
- Fuel efficiency is below average.
Expectations from the new car- Should have a very comfortable ride and very good NVH
- Must be a safe car with all the safety features, NCAP rating, etc.
- Nice and plush interiors.
- A long list of features and creature comforts
- Hassle-free after-sales Network
- Reliable and fuss-free ownership
- Fun to drive, Mile muncher and highway cruiser.
So here’s the question
Is there any perfect/good car for sale in India in the 40-45L range?
As far as I know, the answer is actually no
First in consideration was Ford Endeavour. Endeavour really was the best car in that price range but it failed to sell in good numbers compared to the Fortuner. Now that Ford India has shut shop here what are we Indians left with.
1. Overpriced Fortuner?
2. Outdated Kia Carnival?
3. MG Gloster?
4. Used Ford Endeavour 3.2?
Cars we considered
Ford Endeavour 2021
I drove the previous 3.2l Ford endeavour and I can't help but notice how the performance is let down in the 2.0L one. It's a fast SUV but it is not as fun to drive as the 3.2. the new gearbox tries to hide the downsizing of the engine well but the punch from the 3.2 is still missing. But the endeavour is cheaper to maintain than the competition. Moreover, I'm annoyed by the way Ford India keeps on removing features from the endeavour. They removed Active Noise Cancellation,10 speakers system, Rear A/c with heating, Ambient lights near the door pads, backlight on the gear lever. Thought of waiting till the bi-turbo is launched but after Ford India’s exit, have to remove a brand new Endeavour from the list.
Used Ford Endeavour 3.2L 2018
I think the best car to buy right now is a used Ford Endeavour 3.2. Endeavour had an update in 2018 with keyless entry and a few visuals changes I absolutely love the way this model looks. Panel gaps are tight and this makes the whole car look strong and well built like a tank IMO. But the main problem here is there are not many 2018 Ford Endeavours 3.2 for sale in Hyderabad right now. I couldn’t find even one in the whole of Telangana in OLX. According to me a 2018 Endeavour 3.2L with 20,000-25,000kms on the odometer will be a good buy. If anyone here has any leads please help me find one.
Toyota Fortuner
This car sells in good numbers and has slightly more road presence than any other SUV in this price range. Because it sells more the resale value is also good. (same with the endeavour too but people are not noticing it yet). I know some people who knew that Endeavour is a better car and still chose Fortuner because Fortuner is looked at as an investment. For example, a 3-year-old used Fortuner with 1lakh km on odo will easily fetch you 30-35l in Hyderabad. as a Toyota owner, I know that the after-sales service is on point though I think the service costs are a little on the higher side. The car is overpriced for sure and even after the new facelift it still misses many features. the ride is bumpy, my 2013 endeavour rides well than the current generation Fortuner the NVH is also not as good as you expect. After paying 45.25l on road on would not like to hear the diesel clutter inside the cabin. The top-end costs 50L which is not justified according to me. My family hates the Fortuner. So it is not an option for me. But now I think there’s no competition for the Fortuner
Toyota Innova Crysta
We Already have an Innova Crysta in the family and we don't want to buy a new one the recent facelift is a minor one without any major changes the fact that the top end z variant gets only captain seats in the second row and the way the wheel wells eats up the space in the third-row seats didn't go well with my family we recently went to Tirupathi a one-way journey of 600kms from my place made my mom mad about the insufficient space in the third row. she used to sit in the third row of our old Innova and not complain at all the whole trip. the price of the Crysta is 28.7l for a manual which is overpriced for sure. the Crysta is also not an option for me.
Kia Carnival
Haven't had a test drive in it yet but from the reviews, I saw I know that it has a low ground clearance. With 7 people on board, it will not only scrape the underbelly of the car on a speed breaker but will also cause some serious underbody damage if the driver couldn't notice the breaker on time. The ingress to the third row in the limousine variant looks hard. The fact that the driver gets cooled seats on the front passenger doesn't get one really annoys me. It has a small infotainment display but has two separate screens behind the headrests for the second and third-row passengers. The car looks very wide which will be a problem to drive and park on narrow roads. This is strictly a chauffeur-driven car I don’t think I’ll enjoy driving it as much as other cars. I don't have any serious complaints about the carnival. But the fact that the latest generation of carnival isn't being offered in India is holding me from buying the carnival
Mahindra Alturas
I don't like the looks of this SUV it is more car-like. It doesn't have enough road presence. The Third row feels claustrophobic. The interior looks nice and premium. But I don't wish to own a 38L Mahindra. I worked as an intern in a Mahindra dealership service and seeing the way they treat a customer I would not invest a single lakh of my hard-earned money into buying a car from them. This dealer's service is really pathetic. This particular dealership where I worked is the worst I would wait at least 5 more years before buying a Mahindra I don't know about the other dealership. Hyderabad has only two major dealers. But my experience at this particular dealership where I worked has scared me for my life. Also, I don’t think they’re still selling the Alturas G4 anymore
MG Gloster
MG Gloster is packed with features and ADAS. But it’s a relatively new car and I’m a little sceptical about investing 47L on road for a freshly baked car. I test drove the Gloster the car felt a little bumpy at 20-25 speeds the car didn’t feel well put together and during the whole test drive which was for 30-40mins the navigation in the MID was not showing anything except a loading animation. The resolution of the 360-degree surround camera is not so great. I felt it didn’t have enough road presence. As mentioned in the Team-Bhp official review the low-end turbo lag is very evident and this makes the drive not as enjoyable as I would like. On the plus side, it is the longest with the best in class wheelbase amongst the competition.
Please help me decide on my next car. I didn’t consider Skoda Kodiaq because they’re all sold out. I can’t hold the purchase for later and need to book the car before Aug 2022.