A 7-seater to replace my Tiago on a 14L budget: Which MPV to choose?

I want to replace my 3 years and 1 month old Tiago with something that can carry 6 people in relative comfort.

BHPian skmsoumya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Soumya here, this is my first post in TeamBHP but I have been an avid reader of the forum since last 15 years. I can very well say that the perspective of teambhp has helped shape my opinion and made me a refined car guy.

Background:

This post is regarding a dilemma I am facing at present. Long story short I want to replace my 3 years and 1 month old Tiago with something that can carry 6 people in relative comfort. The criteria to sit 7 is a must and is the sole reason behind me willing to let go of my Tiago.

I love my current car because of the manoeuvrability and stability it offers even at triple digit speeds. I am a active driver who pays attention to the road and surroundings, and I really like the feeling of being connected to the road and I think Tiago does a great job giving me that sense of control and connectedness. I would love to keep it around for longer but due to some changes to my circumstances and an itch to get a different ride I am taking a decision to switch the car.

Why a seven seater:

The reason behind why a seven seater, I recently got married and me and my spouse both are single child, and we both need to take care of our parents. We want to have a car that can ferry all of us to some holiday destination together.

Another reason is I live with my parents in my hometown. I deliberately chose to stay with my parents after staying in Pune for 4 years. I currently work as a software engineer in a remote US based startup. I love staying with my parents because I can be part of my family gatherings and functions and save on rent, food and entertainment front.

My extended family is a large one and not all of us have a personal car, so when we travel due to a family gathering or function, usually me and my cousin brother (has an XUV300) will accommodate as many folks as we can. The places where we usually travel are 1 to 2 hours away from our place, and sometimes we have to carry 6 people in each of our cars which is not really safe nor comfortable.

A 7 seater will be so much better when I look into my usage pattern.

Requirements:

• Should be safe.
• Should be able to accomodate 7 people without luggage and 6 with Luggage.
• Should perform well as a long term beater car. I am thinking of keeping this one for more than 7 years.
• Max budget is 14L. The lower the better.
• Should be on par with Tiago (XZ+) in terms of drivability and creature comfort.

Scheme to save money:

The reason behind not looking to spend more on this car is simple. I don't want to be burdened by the EMIs. I draw a healthy salary and can pay upto 50k per month on car EMI, fuel and running expenses combined but I don't want to. I have a simple mantra don't take EMIs which are not covered by funds in hand. I have suffered in the past because of my home loan and credit card EMIs and, I don't want to suffer in the future.

So for this car it would be a EMI + SWP. I will be exchanging my current car so for the remaining amount I would take a car loan. But before I do that I will save and invest the total principal and interest into a index fund direct plan (around 12% YoY returns). From that fund I will setup a systematic withdrawal plan and take out the amount required for the EMI. As per my calculations doing this gives me a healthy sum of money back after the entire car is payed off.

The higher the price of the car the more I will have to save upfront, and the more time it would take. Additionally I am a petrol head, and I will for sure be drawn into buying a new ride after 3-4 years again. So I am thinking I should not spend more this time around.

Cars in the radar:

Used Tata Hexa (7-8 Lakhs):

I am seeing a lot of good examples of Tata Hexa in my state. The prices goes up to 9 Lakhs for the ones that have 70000 to 90000 KMs on odo and are 4-5 years old. If I go this route I will have to keep my Tiago and ditch the plan to buy another big car 4-5 years down the line.

Economy wise I will have to secure around 11 lakhs in fund for the loan + interest. The loan tenure of 7 years will give me a return of around 8 Lakhs after paying off the car. But I am still not able to chew the fact that I will be buying a used car which sold less and has a parts availability issue.

Renault Triber RXZ (9.15 Lakhs on road):

So far I am inclining towards this one. I test drove one last week and was impressed by the amount of space this has. We being a family of less than 5.5 footers, this car is perfect for us space wise. Even the last row seat is usable for us for long distance trips.

The problem is its small engine. I love to drive in the power band of the car and Tiago can cruse

Economy wise, this will give me a monthly emi of less than Rs 9000 and taking the EMI + SIP route I will have around 5 Lakhs left after paying off the loan. I have to secure the loan amount + interest of Rs 6.15 Lakhs, I have already secured these funds.

Maruti Ertiga ZXI + (13.27 Lakhs on road):

This would have been the perfect choice if it had a bit higher safety score. Recently saw a black one on road and it took my heart. The amount of practicality this car offers is surpassed by none but this one requires me to secure 12.5 Lakhs in funds before I can make my purchase. This means I will have to stop my all other long term investments and save for around 6 months to buy it. I dont think I can wait that longer and I don't think it is economically wise either.

Secondly the car is big and I might have some trouble using it as my daily driver when comparing it with the Triber.

If I secure the amount to buy this car and invest it before deducting monthly withdrawls for EMI, I will get around 9 Lakhs in return after 7 years.

Kia Carens:

Poor safety is bothering me.

Mahindra ScorpioN Z2 and XUV700 MX 7 Diesel:

Will be costly and will take about an year more to save enough to buy this.

Questions

Has any one gone via EMI + SWP route to buy a car in the past? Do you think these calculations makes sense?

As you can see I am really inclined towards the Triber. I think its a good car and suits my requirement for a daily driver quite well. I know I am compromising on engine power but did not felt the same when drive it.

Thanks for sticking with me so far in the thread. Please share your thoughts on my thoughts about this purchase.

Here's what BHPian 07CR had to say on the matter:

I would have gone for either Carens or Ertiga if I was in your place. Moreso the Carens. It has all the passive and active safety features one would want in a car. Has all the practicality you need for your luggage and passengers and a great interior. Fuss free nature and a par engine with great NVH are other added benefits. Ride quality is splendid!

Just because the car secured a 3* rating in GNCAP should not just be a criteria to reject it. Have seen 5 * rated cars fail spectacularly in basic functions (like power-loss, gearbox and ESC malfunctions, wheel popping out, cars toppling upside down) and so on. 5 * ratings does not take into account such issues, and hence should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Coming to Triber, if the usecase would have been City + short highway drives it makes sense. But on long drives with a full load, this car would be very underpowered.

Here's what BHPian bonemechanic had to say on the matter:

Mahindra Marazzo base trims will come under 15 lacs. I am a Marazzo owner who clocks nearly 1.5 lakh km, and I am totally happy with my shark. Even the third row can comfortably fit adults for a long drive.I feel the power is adequate for highway cruising. Also got 4 star GNCAP safety too.

Here's what BHPian Knightrider had to say on the matter:

As you mentioned, you will keep this car for 3-4 years and then look for a new one again, I would suggest to go for the Triber as it fulfills your current requirements without stretching your budget.

Had it been the case where you would keep this car for a longer period (8-10 yrs) then Carens would have been a better option.

Here's what BHPian ashkamath had to say on the matter:

A month ago, my friend in Bangalore was on the lookout for a 7 seater replacement for his 10 year old Petrol Chevrolet Enjoy. His requirement was simple. It should be a 6/7 seater and last row should be really usable for adults on long journeys. And NO MARUTI (for poor safety ratings and personal like/dislike)

He wants to keep the new car for around 10 years. And as his usage had increased, he was inclined towards a diesel car. Budget was around 16L-18L.

We went on a car hunt and checked out Kia Carens, XUV 700, Tata Safari, Toyota Innova.

I don't want to go into deliberations on each car as most of us already know the pros & cons of each car. If it was high price & waiting list for Toyota Innova, it was the uninspiring interior space and set up of Tata car.

Finally we all unanimously agreed that Kia Carens was the best among all the cars that we had checked out. An usable 3rd row, decent power, good and spacious interiors, usable boot space with 7 onboard and the features from price POV.

He booked a Kia Carens Premium (Option) Diesel Manual and is awaiting the delivery soon (in a week or two)

Earlier, I had never sat in a Kia car, nor had looked at the brand with any interest. However, I came out quite impressed with their line-up and especially the 7 seater Kia Carens for the sheer value for money proposition the car provides.

I read that you had not considered Kia Carens due to its reported poor safety. Ironically my friend totally rejected Maruti Ertiga/XL-6 on the same basis. Infact he wouldn't touch a Maruti with a barge pole. But that's individual perception. He rejected Maruti but was comfortable with Kia. Only time will tell if his decision proves to be right or otherwise.

Renault Triber was not even in the reckoning due to its puny engine. We didn't even consider the car while we prepared our list of possible cars. So we never bothered to check it out.

On a personal note,

I would go for a brand new car instead of a pre-owned car even if it meant waiting for a longer period to save enough money.

If I had to go for a pre-owned car, then I would look for a low-mileage, 3-5 year old car and no older than that.

For a new car, I would choose a Kia Carens over all other cars for the sheer value proposition.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.