[sundeep]

This year we were hit by floods again in Mumbai.
So we have decided to buy vehicles suited for floods - don't intend driving in floods, but to be prepared if we are stuck in the same.

Need 2 cars: One SUV/MUV and one sedan.
1. Price range for both: Ideally upto 30 lacs with another 10 lacs flexibility if there is something more convincing and suitable within 40 lacs.
2. Automatic transmission is a must

Looked into specs offered by companies. Except for Ford Endeavour / Toyota Fortuner, Innova and Ford Eco Sport, nobody else seems to want to list water wading capacity in their specs.

SUV/MUV:
Ford Endeavour / Toyota Fortuner are not suitable because they are too high for my aged parents to climb into and and I am not quite interested in Ford Eco Sport either. However, they can get into innova Crysta easily
So, we can go for Innova Crysta: it's value for money and suitable though we don't need such a high seating capacity. We dont need a 3 row vehicle.
However, we would prefer something more SUV like with good wading capacity within our target price range/budget.

Sedan: Quite clueless on what would be suitable.
I understand these wont be quite as effective as SUVs/MUVs, but amongst the lot, which one has good water wading capacity?

Request recommendations for both segments please. Thank you!

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by sundeep

SUV/MUV:
[i]Ford Endeavour / Toyota Fortuner are not suitable because they are too high for my aged parents to climb into and and I am not quite interested in Ford Eco Sport either.

There is no match to the Endeavor (Everest) and the Fortuner as far as water wading is concerned. They are the best in the price range. I have also found these SUV's easy (relaxing) to drive in heavy traffic and rush lanes.

As for the height issue, since you mentioned the Crysta is OK, check this out -

https://www.facebook.com/Jaincarsdec...0164598860185/

[sundeep]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

There is no match to the Endeavor (Everest) and the Fortuner as far as water wading is concerned. They are the best in the price range. I have also found these SUV's easy (relaxing) to drive in heavy traffic and rush lanes.

As for the height issue, since you mentioned the Crysta is OK, check this out -

Thank you for replying. They can already get into the Crysta without the prop and if I cannot find a suitable alternative that's more SUV-like, I will go for it.

I already know Endeavor and Fortuner have excellent water wading figures. I would have opted for Fortuner without a second thought.
However, both Endeavor and Fortuner are NOT OPTIONS because my parents cannot get into them.

So, any other recommendations apart from Fortuner/Endeavor/Eco-Sport in both SUV and Sedan categories?

[IshaanIan]

When it comes to flood suitability, more than sheer capability indicated by spec sheets, what matters more is sheer reliability and simplicity in order to be fixed

Innova, SX-4 petrol (unfortunately only available in the used market right now) both simple cars to work on, have decent ground clearance and very much under your budget which means you have loads of cash spare in the event of a bad case of flooding. S-Cross could fit the role of a sedan IMO.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by sundeep

...
However, both Endeavor and Fortuner are NOT OPTIONS because my parents cannot get into them.
...

Hi, since your problem with these vehicles is only that your parents cant get into them, please check the link I sent in my earlier post -

https://www.facebook.com/Jaincarsdec...0164598860185/

I have seen this step working in the V-Cross, and its good. Not a temporary solution.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by sundeep

This year we were hit by foods again in Mumbai.
So we have decided to buy vehicles suited for floods - don't intend driving in floods, but to be prepared if we are stuck in the same.

Need 2 cars: One SUV/MUV and one sedan.
1. Price range for both: Ideally upto 30 lacs with another 10 lacs flexibility if there is something more convincing and suitable within 40 lacs.
2. Automatic transmission is a must

Looked into specs offered by companies. Except for Ford Endeavour / Toyota Fortuner, Innova and Ford Eco Sport, nobody else seems to want to list water wading capacity in their specs.

Thank you!

Try the Tata Hexa. It has 500mm water wading ability listed, right out of the box. Also available in automatic, ride height is suitable for aged people, especially with side steps. And costs cheaper than the others (except ecosport)

[smekad]

Since you are ok with Innova Crysta, you should read this link below

http://2016.mb.com.ph/2016/10/13/5-r...v-alternative/

Crysta has decent ground clearance and water wading of 500mm. That is more than enough for most cases.

[GTO]

No car is suited to water wading - after all, it's a car, not a boat.

Even if a car comes with a stated water wading capacity (e.g. 600 mm), that's in ideal conditions (ideal speed, gradient etc.). And - while the car may make it through - you'll still be looking at complications. For instance, I drive a 4x4 Jeep and still avoid water because the starter & alternator are the first to go. Recently, there was a post from a BHPian who changed his starter (or was it alternator?) for 35 grand after driving through water. Not everything under the bonnet is waterproof .

Whether a car makes it through the floods or not is also hugely dependent on the driver's skill (in particular, him knowing what NOT to do) and sheer luck.

That said, there's no doubt that tall cars and those with a high air intake have a better chance in floods than low slung ones.

Originally Posted by sundeep

This year we were hit by floods again in Mumbai.
So we have decided to buy vehicles suited for floods

Mumbai saw these kind of floods after 10 years. Buying a car due to this reason is like getting bullet-proof windows on your car because of 26/11. Just be cautious and you should be okay. If the city's flooding, know when / where to drive and when / where not to.

Automatic transmission is a must

An MT is better in the floods. Based on your post, the Innova MT (followed by AT) is what you should be looking at.

[abhishek46]

Originally Posted by sundeep

Sedan: Quite clueless on what would be suitable.
I understand these wont be quite as effective as SUVs/MUVs, but amongst the lot, which one has good water wading capacity?

Request recommendations for both segments please. Thank you!

Just to give you a perspective on luxury sedans , the Mercedes E Class has a stated wading depth of 25 cm only.

source: https://www.mercedes-benz.co.in/pass...on.module.html

[Diesel4959]

I am very keen to buy a EV. However I live in a place in Chennai which gets flooded in every rain. It can be knee deep minimum. Want to know are EVs capable of water wading ? If so how much? None of the EV makes I searched not listing wading depth. Even the sales guys are evading answering the question. Would appreciate some feedback on this. Thanks

[heydj]

Originally Posted by Diesel4959

I am very keen to buy a EV. However I live in a place in Chennai which gets flooded in every rain. It can be knee deep minimum. Want to know are EVs capable of water wading ? If so how much? None of the EV makes I searched not listing wading depth. Even the sales guys are evading answering the question. Would appreciate some feedback on this. Thanks

When I think of floods Gurkha comes to my mind however that too can get damaged. So there is no answer to this however more electronics more problems with water damage.

[locusjag]

I used to believe in monstrous cars - you know, cars that can go anywhere, do anything... Call it the manly equivalent of a cherubic little girl's daydream - one where angels play around in swings and cute unicorns prance about in a sylvian background.

But then I've observed hardcore offroaders and learnt that a 4x4 only lets you go farther before you get stuck in the mud (to mildly quote Arka, with all his offroading wisdom). Getting stuck offroad is a given, no matter the man or the machine involved. Having a winch and fellow-offroaders at hand to help is a must.

Heck, I even heard an armed forces armored corp engineer explain that war tanks can do a lot many things that ordinary vehicles cannot. But you cannot get something from nothing and there's a cost attached for everything. Any demanding manoeuvres extracted from battle tanks (e.g., ever seen those attractive pics where a tank leaps from a hump and fires its gun in mid-air?) will require additional hours of maintenance (new parts, elbow grease etc.). That was quite sobering to hear and reflect upon - and totally contrary to my expectations.

And after recently seeing a thread where a BHPian's Hexa XTA was totalled after flooding uptil it's wheel hubs, I am convinced that monstrous cars of my dreams do not exist. All of our vehicles are frail and everything comes with a cost attached.

No idea about EVs though.