[nepalken]

Hi,
I am in Nepal and the vehicle prices are very high here. For example a scorpio M2DI costs 18.3 lacs INR.

Having been a regular reader of teambhp, I am trying to get as much information as possible to purchase a new SUV/MUV. I am in two minds as to go with Indian SUV/MUV or go for imported SUV/MUV.

For this I would like to get your feedbacks to choose from the following

1. Tata safari Vx- INR 26.185 lacs
2. Scorpio VLx- INR 25.5 lacs
3. Xylo E8- INR 21.8 lacs

4. Hyundai Tucson- INR 24.6 lacs
5. Daihatsu terios(1.6)-INR 24 lacs

These are among the cheaper SUVs/MUVs. The only thing cheaper than these are Sumos and Boleros

If you were in my situation which vehicle would you choose with regards to Value for Money.

[ACM]

Wow - what rates and we talk about India being an expensive place to buy cars.

Actually within the list given by you the Tucson is at the least premium on the price in India. But it's discontinued in India and don't know which version is being sold out there. But is is relatively the best value. But then it is already overpriced in india so it hard to know for sure.

Would recommend the Safari VX (4X4) for you. I would be available for about 13L INR out here. It is large, spacious, comanding and spares availability is decent, feature list is long, power is decent, and braking is ok, it has gone through NCAP safety tests, the next options would be the Scorpio VLx, which is a bit more reliable than the Safari, but smaller on the inside - expecially in the first two rows, has more body roll, and has not done too well on safety tests, power is also a bit less than the safari, but it has better rear visibility and is easier to park.

Do check out the various threads on Scorpio and Safari ownership in - The long term ownership section and - The Indian Car scene (photographs of Scorpio and Safari) before you decide.

[akshay4587]

What engine is the Tucson,running on?
If i were you,i would have gone for the Tucson.
Tata Aftersales,is not so great here,wonder how is it in Nepal?
Each vehicle has its own shortcomings.
But out of these i would buy a tucson.

[jigbarai]

Exhorbiant prices !
How is the used car market there ? Instead of plonking 25 good ones for a Scorpio/Safari, see if you can get a better SUV in the used market at a good value.

[sachinj12]

Holy Cow

A sub 10 L retailing in 20+ L bracket!! Try your hand at an used vehicle. The vehicles mentioned are not worth that much.

[nepalken]

Car prices in Nepal are (I do not have words to describe it). Almost 200% custom for cars (luxury goods). Add to that sole distributorship of many brands and we pay arm and leg for each vehicle.

Second hand market is also on par with new. Why should it be different. Buying second hand means older vehicle and older technology.

The reason I am asking in this forum is because you guys have first hand feel of all the vehicles. Initially I thought about going with Tata Safari, but in nepal I find very few people who ride tata safari. People here go for either japanese or korean vehicles.

I would like to what is the build quality, reliability, and refinement of Tucson Vs safari Vs Scorpio.

Once you buy a vehicle in Nepal, you will get stuck with it because they are exorbitantly expense.

Thank you for your suggestions, keep them coming

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by nepalken

Car prices in Nepal are (I do not have words to describe it). Almost 200% custom for cars (luxury goods). Add to that sole distributorship of many brands and we pay arm and leg for each vehicle.

Second hand market is also on par with new. Why should it be different. Buying second hand means older vehicle and older technology.

The reason I am asking in this forum is because you guys have first hand feel of all the vehicles. Initially I thought about going with Tata Safari, but in nepal I find very few people who ride tata safari. People here go for either japanese or korean vehicles.

I would like to what is the build quality, reliability, and refinement of Tucson Vs safari Vs Scorpio.

Once you buy a vehicle in Nepal, you will get stuck with it because they are exorbitantly expense.

Thank you for your suggestions, keep them coming

Build Quality.
Tucson>Safari=Scorpio

Reliability
Tucson>Scorpio>Safari

Refinement
Tucson>Scorpio>Safari.

And In India,Tucson was sold in a segment that was one step above Scorpio and Safari.
And it came with 2.0L engine.
Which engine is being offered in Nepal?

[Digital Vampire]

Tucson seems to be reasonably (over)priced when compared to others which are available for nearly half the price in India. If I were you I'd pick the Tucson with my eyes closed and many have suggested already. I'm hazarding a guess that the Tucson sold there comes with a 2.0L 110/140 Bhp CRDI Engine.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by nepalken

Hi,
I am in Nepal and the vehicle prices are very high here. For example a scorpio M2DI costs 18.3 lacs INR.

Having been a regular reader of teambhp, I am trying to get as much information as possible to purchase a new SUV/MUV. I am in two minds as to go with Indian SUV/MUV or go for imported SUV/MUV.

For this I would like to get your feedbacks to choose from the following

1. Tata safari Vx- INR 26.185 lacs
2. Scorpio VLx- INR 25.5 lacs
3. Xylo E8- INR 21.8 lacs

4. Hyundai Tucson- INR 24.6 lacs
5. Daihatsu terios(1.6)-INR 24 lacs

These are among the cheaper SUVs/MUVs. The only thing cheaper than these are Sumos and Boleros

If you were in my situation which vehicle would you choose with regards to Value for Money.

What is you usage going to be? Is it driving in the cities or in remote areas?

Nepal is mostly hilly area, and from what I have heard the roads vary from good black tops to badly maintained dirt tracks. To choose a vehicle (what ever the local price is) I would consider the following points before short listing

- What is the condition of roads you will normally drive on? If it is black top properly maintained, any thing will do. If the roads are bad with deep pits, water crossing and/or gravel, an SUV with good ground clearance as well as good "wading depth" is preferable. Please peruse posts on Scorpio and Safari to gauge the extent of "bad roading" and water depth that is practical as opposed to the specs.

- Maintenance expenses are much higher for SUV compared to normal cars. Hence a visit to the authorised dealer and/or independent maintenance operators is necessary to get an idea of your regular expenses.

- In case you are spending most of your time in the interiors away from cities, find out what the local mechanics are familiar with.

- In case there are no local mechanics where you normally travel to, a more rugged/reliable vehicle will be worth it.

You have not listed the Pajero. The one made in India (and Brazil) is an ideal mix of good mechanical design, high wading depth and good interiors.

For rugged conditions very few vehicles in the price range can beat the Bolero 4x4 with DI engine. I have been driven around in this vehicle in Mizoram on steep, slushy roads, where the mud would be axle deep and the Bolero would pull through all that. The only other vehicles that could tackle these conditions were trucks and some times the old Spacio (which had the 407 truck engine). If image i not a problem, I would suggest the Bolero 4x4.

[nepalken]

Thanks Aroy,

Bolero 4x4 was my choice initially but I learned that the VLX version did not have 4x4 option. The sole M&M dealer has not imported a single VLX bolero. Reason-they already have stock of older boleros. Bolero's new looks are ugly compared to older models. I do not know but M&M screwed up on that.

My running would be mostly in highways with occasional off road. Having driven a 4x4 vehicle most of the time (1988 hilux, 1987 hilux surf, 1988 pajero, 2001 MPFI gypsy, 4x4 bolero camper), I cannot imagine a SUV without 4x4.

By the way new Pajero is beyond my budget. I liked the road manners of 1987 hilux surf better than a new camper or gypsy.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by nepalken

Thanks Aroy,

Bolero 4x4 was my choice initially but I learned that the VLX version did not have 4x4 option. The sole M&M dealer has not imported a single VLX bolero. Reason-they already have stock of older boleros. Bolero's new looks are ugly compared to older models. I do not know but M&M screwed up on that.

My running would be mostly in highways with occasional off road. Having driven a 4x4 vehicle most of the time (1988 hilux, 1987 hilux surf, 1988 pajero, 2001 MPFI gypsy, 4x4 bolero camper), I cannot imagine a SUV without 4x4.

By the way new Pajero is beyond my budget. I liked the road manners of 1987 hilux surf better than a new camper or gypsy.

The only Bolero 4x4 is the BS-II, 68hp DI. See if you can get it, and then jazz it up to VLX specs. All the manufacturer's added features to the basic model can normally be incorporated as after market kits. A few exceptions are ABS, which bolero does not have anyway.

Just a thought. Can you buy a Bolero in Nepal, drive it to India, upgrade it and drive back? That would solve most of your problems.

[nepalken]

Ajoy,

In nepal we are not allowed to change engines, cut or add the chasis length. In a nut shell, we can decorate the vehicle but cannot modify it.

I can drive nepal-bought bolero to India and make the necessary changes and come back, but the engine number and chasis number has to be same.

But your suggestion of buying a barebones model and upgrading sounds good. That way I can save 200% custom duty plus dealers' profit

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by nepalken

Ajoy,

In nepal we are not allowed to change engines, cut or add the chasis length. In a nut shell, we can decorate the vehicle but cannot modify it.

I can drive nepal-bought bolero to India and make the necessary changes and come back, but the engine number and chasis number has to be same.

But your suggestion of buying a barebones model and upgrading sounds good. That way I can save 200% custom duty plus dealers' profit

nepalken

The engine and chassis in most Indian vehicles is same, and only other features added. That is why most automotive sites call the variants "trim level", unlike in west where the variants may have different engines.

What I recommend is that you get a BS-II 4x4 bolero. Drive down and get the "goodies" added to upgrade it. Though the DI engine is only 68 bhp; compared to the CRDe; the low end torque is excellent, and unless you want to zoom around at 100+ the DI engine is not only sufficient but preferred for the ease of maintenance by most taxi operators in the hills. This engine has benefit of having minimal electronics resulting in lower cost of ownership and can be repaired practically anywhere.

As you rightly pointed out there is no need to pay 200% duty + dealer profit for the add-ons, which are better fitted after getting the vehicles, rather as a single package. Your case is similar to what we face in Delhi, where the Road Tax is calculated on the vehicle ex-show room price. So you end up paying road tax on accessories!

[nepalken]

Ajoy,

I do not like the DI bolero, my office has a crew cab (Bolero camper) which I sometime drive. I like something that can do 100 plus effortlessly. I am not a fast driver, but I like to have it should I want to use it.

Can you tell what is the top speed DI bolero reaches without much effort and what is the NVH level inside cabin in that speed?

[anekho]

Hi Nepalken!

Really crazy prices! I can't really comment much on your question, but I have one for you - what are used cars like? Perhaps you can strike an excellent deal for pre-worshipped Land Cruiser or Pajero?

Cheers!