[car_guy1998]

Originally Posted by amolpol

So it just happened to be the fastest purchase in my history of buying cars.
Attachment 2751830

Congratulations on the Hilux!

What all cars are you considering as the 2nd car and 3rd car apart from the Hilux?

If second car, I'd suggest an EV for city runabouts while as 3rd car, I'd suggest you a sedan or Jimny/Thar if you are okay with any of them.

[amolpol]

I was hoping that this trip to Bangalore was going to help in making some choices at least. In order to not lose time, I had already made bookings for test drives of the Jimny, Thar and Roxx on the weekend just as I arrived. The Toyota guys were quite flexible and offered to send the cars on the weekdays but they couldn’t make it on the weekend which was fine with me. It gave us some spare time to visit the Germans and discover the options that could make the list.

Here’s a brief overview of our test drives in the order of events:

1. Jimny AT: I was quite impressed by its small size on the outside but manageable space on the inside. But it ended there, the drive was rather disappointing with the engine noise in the cabin each time I floored the A pedal and saw the needle moving in slow motion from a mere 40kmph to 60kmph. The discount offered upfront was about 1L but it was probably not going to make the list even if were to go up to 3L that I had read about. No offence to anyone and I am not saying it’s a bad car overall, but needs to be driven sedately all the time with zero expectations from it to be enjoying the drive.

2. Thar D AT: The petrol AT wasn’t available for TD which is the one I wanted to check so I settled for the Diesel to get a feel at least. The newgen Thar did impress on the overall changes that have been made since the first gen that I owned. The drive quality was also much better than before and the AT delivered the 130 horses in spurts of enthusiasm, not exactly what I’d call smooth. I am guessing the petrol might do better in the gearbox department, but it’s speculation. The suspension and body roll etc, was quite similar to the old Thar, you are of course in a jeep body and it what you expect. The most annoying thing was a turbo sound from under the bonnet that found its way into the cabin even if the outside world was fairly insulated. I just couldn’t imagine listening to that sound all the time, but again I am thinking it won’t be the same in the petrol version. The music system is nothing to write about, they could have just opted out and let customers have the freedom to use aftermarket. Overall the diesel AT won’t be a consideration and the open item is to test the petrol AT before I can decide. Delivery lead times were not more than a month I was told and price was a staggering 3X of the old Thar at 22L, didn’t know that inflation has hit so hard in the last few years.

3. Thar Roxx: The only variant I was interested in was the 4x4 top end and that’s what I drove for the test. After getting off the Thar, I was expecting similar gearbox response with more jerky enthusiasm in the Roxx. But I was mistaken, the Roxx had a very premium feeling with the AT, the power delivery is very smooth and the response is quick. The interiors are very pleasing with the beige/white and a bit underwhelming in the brown. But overall finishing is definitely better considering its a Mahindra. The audio system is capable but not great, it’s good enough for a jeep though. The only gripe was that the general condition of the interiors in the test drive vehicle showed how high maintenance it needed to look clean. In an offroad car, this is a serious drawback and they should have just gone with the black and standard beige instead. Overall, its a good package and definitely made it to the list. In fact, the SA told me they had a black car readily available and we got into a discussion as well only to be stalled with the news that it got booked while I was on the test drive. At 30L, this is definitely a bit overpriced but then compared to the 22L for the Thar, it’s probably worth the extras and the refinement.

4. Mercedes E-class: With the Roxx put on the list and the Toyota scheduled for Monday, we set about roaming for the comfort touring choice to make. The e-class lwb with the new interior was on my list to check given that its sort of a benchmark in comfort in its category and comes with a more practical boot. But with the 8 digit price tag and 1% discount, it was soon off the list. The approach to make dealerships into franchises seems to be a good and bad one. I also checked the GLC but I wasn’t particularly interested in it.

5.BMW 330LI: This was something we had checked just as it launched a few years ago. It’s still a practical 4 seater family sedan which is fun to drive. The interiors with the chamois leather albeit vegan are nice but I am not a big fan of the dual tone dashboard in that colour. There’s no other option for the interior so while it was still something to consider, it wasn’t ticking all the boxes. The drive is a mix of fun and comfort and nothing to complain. The price tag is palatable and not crazy but the discounts were not too many because there wasn’t any 2024 stock and this is probably not the most opportune time to buy.

6.BMW 530LI: Standing next to the 330 was the newgen 530LI which caught my eye. The interiors are very welcoming and while the two are similar in the engine department, the space and the luxury in the 5 are definitely a new level. The ride quality was also quite compliant for normal comfort oriented driving and not the sporty character like before. While this is definitely not the old 5 series, it’s not a bad change to make it more family friendly and better suited for the crater filled Indian roads with Mt Everest size speed bumps aplenty. The price is quite close to the e-Class but lower and having a 2024 car enabled to get a better offer, but it wasn’t time for me to go deeper and close the deal because this one needed intervention from my company to work out details for the lease. Wouldn’t have happened in the few days I had so we said we will put it on the list and explore again when we move back in a few months.

7.Audi Q5 Technology: This one wasn’t on my mind but then since we had already visited the other two German houses, we decided we will try this one too. Honestly, I came back impressed with the simplicity and ride quality of the Q5. We’ve had the Superb and the Q3 from the VW stable and this one felt very familiar. The interiors were not as flashy as the BMW5 but were timeless and classy, well made and well fitted. The ride quality was excellent and the engine was definitely packed with usable power delivered smoothly by the dual clutch system. The only issue I had was that the design looks a bit dated since the car has been around a while and the new one is coming next year probably. But then, I don’t really like the new styling so it’s an opportunity to get it before the refresh. There was some 2024 stock and discounts were available and much higher than the other two dared to offer. I was tempted to push for more and try closing it but time was not on my side and I didn’t want to leave frustrated so we put it on the list to deal with later.

8.Toyota Hilux High AT: The car came home for a test drive on Monday late evening once I was back from office. We spent a few minutes understanding what the car has to offer on the inside and how it differs from the Fortuner which was going to come the next day for the test. Once I started driving, it all felt like home and the autobox although not refined by any means, kept the drive engaging and the responses relatively quick. I was super impressed by the Hilux and how it pretty much turned two cars into one. In the past, I couldn’t have made a choice between the fortuner and the Vcross because both were very different cars but the hilux filled that gap beautifully. The audio system was a little let down and while it matched the utilitarianism of the Hilux, it didn’t match the expectations at the price it was being sold. Towards the end of the drive, we started talking about the discounts and then matters got a bit intense. It came to a point of me taking offer and making the transfer for the booking amount about 10mins after the test drive. The Nandi Toyota guys promised delivery on Thursday evening with everything managed by them. The only condition was that I would cancel if I were deciding on the Fortuner based on drive experience on the next day.

9.Toyota Fortuner 4x4 AT: The next evening the car arrived in the black trim and while it had bits to show for the difference in price it commands over the hilux, it wasn’t really worth the difference in my mind. The drive quality and engine tunes were very consistent and even with the rear leaf springs, the hilux felt quite comfortable. In fact, the hliux in eco mode rolled better than the same mode in the fortuner is what I thought, the power mode is only good to drive like a ruffian at times when needed. The audio quality of the JBL left me wanting, even if it was better than the Hilux. This was one of the most important differentiators and I concluded that both of them didn’t suit my needs and will need to be tweaked. The other criteria included the rear seat comfort of the Hilux to be acceptable while we were familiar with the rear seat of the fortuner being good but not great even in the past. Overall, the fortuner didn’t disappoint in anything but it didn’t score too different than the hilux and thus the decision to keep the booking and delivery on Thursday was retained.

10.Toyota Camry Hybrid: During one of our discussions we talked about the Camry and I had expressed my desire to test it. So they got it brought it alongside the Fortuner that evening as a surprise. I have sat in the old Camry and wasn’t very keen on it because while it had a comfortable ride at the back, the interiors were never comparable to the Germans and driving it was not a great experience. It was just a good chauffeur driven car but it didn’t fit my needs. The new hybrid looks a bit quirky I felt, drawing inspiration from the Lexus design language of which I am not a big fan. The TD car was white and made these quirky design elements more prominent, but then there’s darker colours that mask the design characteristics and make it more neutral I think. One must admit that it has a bit of identity crisis, its not exactly looking a luxury sedan and neither like a sports sedan. Once you get inside, everything is forgotten, the dash is more european looking and the back seats maintain the executive seating. Nothing screams luxury but there’s nothing quirky either, its a well laid out car with everything you need and lots of physical buttons to do stuff. The steering controls are not exactly intuitive but once you know, it gets easier to manage. The hybrid powertrain was the hidden surprise, it has a new character I think. With no conventional gear shifting, it’s matching the DSG experience and feels quick and smooth. The 230 horses make a bit of noise in the cabin to tell you when they’re brought out by the A pedal but they retreat quite quickly once the situation stabilises and the EV brings back the silence in the cabin. It’s not a car that pushes you to drive it hard like the old 5 series beemer, but it doesn’t disappoint when you want to go quick either. The music system is brilliant and had the right tones and clarity, gave me the confidence that someone at Toyota does understand what music in a car should sound like but maybe they were never involved in the Fortuner design. Surprisingly, this is now on my list given the comfort, drivability and reliability even if it lacks the snobby luxury brand value that the Germans have mastered. Its selling small numbers without any discounts, but it’s still cheaper than the others.

There were a few other options that I couldn’t find time to test, one of which is the BYD and the new Mahindra EVs. The Skoda Kodiaq does deserve a look even if the pricing is a bit off with the new launch. We did visit the showroom briefly to be told that the display and TD cars should start arriving in May. Will check them out before a final decision is made on the remaining cars.

So the new list looks like this now:

Car #1: Hilux AT waiting for us to return
Car #2: BMW 530LI / Audi Q5 Tech / Toyota Camry / BMW 330LI
Car #3: Thar Roxx D AT 4x4 / Thar Petrol AT