Budget Rs. 25 lakh: Looking for an SUV to complement our Maruti Ciaz

Our Ciaz is efficient, spacious, and comfortable for our family of 5 members, even for long journeys. But it doesn't feel safe and solid over highways and isn't reliable over rough roads.

BHPian shauryadabas recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi everyone,

We are looking for a new SUV/Crossover to complement our 2015 Ciaz petrol manual. Me and my brother are out of home for most of the year and both the cars will be primarily driven by my father (aged 50).

Why a new car:

Our Ciaz is efficient, spacious, and comfortable for our family of 5 members, even for long journeys. The problem is that it doesn't feel safe and solid over highways and isn't reliable over rough roads (with the rear suspension sagging completely under full load). With only 2 airbags and a light build, it doesn't inspire confidence when traveling with family.

These reasons have compelled us to consider buying a safe, solid SUV/crossover for highway drives. Ciaz will continue its duty for the in-city commutes but will retire from high-speed highway drives once we get our hands on the new car.

Must haves and feature requirements:

• Budget is in the 20-25 lakh bracket with a strong preference for top-end petrol/diesel trims. Automatic is preferred over manual but we still have a doubt if it will be easy to drive an automatic car along with a manual Ciaz simultaneously. Views from any member who has experience of driving automatic and manual together will be highly appreciated.
• As already highlighted, safety, stability, and solid build are core requirements. In addition, it should have a good ground clearance and robust suspension for bad roads. Though, AWD/4x4 is not a must-have.
• Spacious, smooth, and comfortable for 5 passengers with enough boot volume for weekend luggage.

We don't mind skipping some feel-good features but the car should be dynamically sorted with a trouble-free and safe run for at least 10 years.

I have not added my car preferences intentionally because I want to hear honest and unbiased suggestions from my fellow members!

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Would say that the XUV700, Compass & Harrier / Safari (if you can live with the niggles & inconsistent build) are pretty much the pick of the lot in the 20 to 30 lakh range. If he likes comfy cruisers, you must consider the Hector AT too, which is especially a hit with the elderly.

Except for the XUV700, the others will be almost readily available in showrooms.

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

The Mahindra XUV700 would fulfil your needs perfectly, you get both petrol or diesel engine options with automatic transmission, feature loaded car with 5-star GNCAP rating, spacious and comfortable, available with 5 seater and 7 seater options as well.

The only downside is you would have to wait quite a while to get your hands on one.

The Tata Harrier/Safari would be the next best pick, they are readily available too.

The Jeep Compass would be a bit over your budget.

The MG Hector/Hector Plus are good options to consider as well.

With regards to your question on automatics and manuals. The automatics nowadays are super smooth with seamless shifts and quite fast as well. With the increasing traffic in the cities, automatic transmissions are truly a boon, once you get the hang of it, you sure won't regret your purchase. Manuals, however still are the best for driver engagement and for enthusiasts.

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

Few pointers:

• You have not mentioned the annual running. if it is low, Diesel should be out of the picture as BS6 engines require minimum running. So TATA siblings are out of the picture. Compass is already out of the budget I guess.
• You have mentioned safe run for at least 10 years. Not sure if that means Safety. If yes, then Korean siblings are out of contention.
• That leaves you with Mahindra SUV's and Hector (plus). One thing to keep in mind is that both give abysmal mileage on petrol.
• If you do not consider safety as just merely ratings, then KIA Carens is a good choice.
• Base model (or the next one) Innova is also not a bad choice I feel.
• No matter which car you chose, 99% of cars are available if you know how to deal with dealers.

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

Since your objective for the car is safety aim for the highest GNCAP score.

That would mean the XUV700 and considering your 700-800km per month usage you could get away with a Petrol MX5 if you want.

But if you cannot wait that long then the Harrier/Safari would be the alternates but would miss out on a GNCAP rating and the other issues already mentioned.

The Jeep Compass wouldn't match in space like you said and recent reports by members leave a poor taste and personally I keep them in the same hit/miss service category as TML especially due to the prices they command.

If you intend to research further here's an excellent thread addressing your use case by Poitive. Even if you don't intend to read it at length, I would suggest to check out the TD experiences.

PS : I would suggest to check for the XUV700's realistic waiting period from the dealer. It varies on location and models. I have a feeling that petrol variants should have a shorter waiting time.

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

You should really try out the Alcazar. I test drove it last week for my cousin, I felt it as a complete package at 23 lakhs OTR NCR. It comes with all the bells and whistles and is comfortable. Given it’s a Hyundai, wouldn’t have much of niggles which we are seeing nowadays in out of showroom cars and the waiting period could be skipped as well.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.