7-seater SUV / MPV under Rs 40 lakh to replace my 2013 Safari Storme

The only car interesting enough to wait for seems to be the Thar 5-door.

BHPian viXit recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

4-car garage currently. Most of them are unused.

1. Maruti 800: kept for sentimental reasons, fully restored and immaculate.
2. Hyundai Grand i10 AT: fantastic TC box for urban runarounds
3. Honda City Diesel: Highway/Outer Ring Road steed of choice, consistent 25 km/l
4. Tata Safari Storme 2013 4x2: time to go.

Enjoyed 10 years with the car, with no major issues till now, and never broke down or left us stranded. Mechanically great too. But a decade is a good run and I feel like Paisa Vasool is done.

What next?

• We bought the car all-inclusive for about 15L in 2013
• Spent a fair bit enhancing the experience and its upkeep.
• So it's a comfy long-distance cruiser for 5. Looking for something similar.

Most likely replacing 2 of the existing cars with one new.

Functional Requirements:

• 7 Seater (Large Family, loves to travel together)
• Robust and Niggle free (I use it on the farm and often transport produce)
• Automatic Gearbox
• Comfortable Seats and ride quality (no compromise on this)
• Peace of mind on no roads
• Not tiring to drive over long distances

The budget is flexible and around 40L as of now. But let's be realistic there is nothing that conforms to my requirements in that. So what would you buy if you were in my position?

1. Toyota Innova Hycross: Extremely disappointed with interior quality, NVH and seats. All passengers sit knees up as the seats are too close to the ground. Not worth its asking price. Although it scored well on the efficiency and practicality front. It is an option but only a last resort type.
2. Mahindra Scorpio-N: Took a good test drive and came out really impressed. But was vetoed by Mom as soon as she sat in it since it felt claustrophobic as soon as we moved from the Safari.
3. Mahindra XUV 7OO: Really liked the car, but was sceptical about long-term ownership convenience. Parents won't have the time or patience to deal with niggles as I might no longer be available to keep running around for it. Top contender for now. Scored high in mom's books.
4. Toyota Fortuner: Comes close to the requirements best but the price tag is simply too much to digest. If it was loaded with ADAS, A nice ride, Digital Cluster yada yada, maybe. But it simply doesn't sit right with us.

The only car interesting enough to wait for, seems to be the Thar 5-door. Hopefully, niggles are sorted through the Beta testers of That 3 door. If it has FSD, should fit the bill. And not too much tech so should be fairly reliable.

I might be coming across as an idiot just nitpicking but it truly feels hard upgrading from a car so simple yet useful. Never felt a lack of features or convenience, felt lined, illuminated and soft open storage, cubby holes, door pockets, auto down on all doors, heated and super large ORVMs, Auto-dimming mirror, 5 full-size alloys, a really good engine etc. kept the car really VFM.

Please, chime in with your input.

Storme is to be inspected by Cars 24 days after. Estimated 3.8L value.

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

I would just like to say that almost all of us have a natural subconscious tendency to look at the vehicles we own with rosy nostalgia-tinted glasses, no matter how average they are.

I would also like to remind you that every single car that you have listed and 'rejected' above, all of them have a third row which is infinite times better and more comfortable than the Storme's side facing the third row.

I would suggest that first, you decide whether or not you need the third row, and then decide. And if you don't, then this line in the opening post doesn't really need to be there.

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

I have been having exactly the same thoughts. There really is nothing that big and spacious and comfortable and sturdy and having that sort of presence. So I decided to keep spending on her, tolerating some of her tantrums, and keep her. 10 years and counting here too. EX 4x2 Astern Black.

The Innova Crysta is the only one that comes close, and I would rather keep driving my Storme, to be honest. The showroom and workshop guys say there is a Storme Classic coming in the next 6 months. The same body, completely modern inners and engine. Waiting!

10 years of driving the Storme have totally spoiled me for other cars. Now when my Storme was in the workshop being worked on, I drove the Baleno for a couple of days to the office. And I felt as if I was go-karting on the road. I've heard diesel engines go lacs of kilometres. My Baleno is soon to enter her 20th year. My Storme and my Duke are both in their 10th years. My Bullet 500 is in its 22nd year. My Hercules Top Gear is in her 25th year.

And I am in my 53rd.

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

The 5-door Thar is still a few months away. From the current list and comments shared, XUV7OO seems to be the one that will be accepted by the family.

A sinking feeling just to read that 3.8L. May as well drive it into the ground - but then even that will take years!

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

Going through your requirements Innova Crysta pops into my mind. You can get a ZX AT in the pre-owned car market. Innova is a capable people mover, RWD and built to last.

If going for a new car then:

XUV 700 AWD seems like a good choice. It's a decent soft offroader, easy on the eyes, feature-rich and should keep you going for the next couple of years.

Did you try the new Tata Safari? The new EPS steering is much better than the old HPS setup and if you aren't on the taller side then ergonomics shouldn't bother you a lot. The ride quality is good as well and it's comfortable and more spacious than XUV and ScorpioN in the 3rd row.

I wouldn't be so sure about Thar 5 door. It would be a new vehicle and as is the case with Tata and Mahindra, it's better to buy their new vehicles after a year or so.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.