Living with a single BS-6 diesel in BLR: Worth the risk?

I live in a part of Bangalore where we offroad everyday.

BHPian bigDaddy_In recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

I am planning to trade my Ford Freestyle TDCi BS4, Goldberg(he/him)(5years and 100k Kms young) for an automatic. I feel there is no car in the market that can give me the kind of pleasure he offered at a comparable price point. I have completed the Spiti circuit, Ladakh(Umling La via Nerbole), driven 24hrs at a stretch to catch sunrises at Dhanushkodi or have a biryani in Hyderabad or sunset in Udupi without feeling any kind of discomfort with this humble hatch.

I hope I find someone who will appreciate his mechanical/visual condition and not just look at the odometer. Cars such as these are designed to be driven for multiple lacs of KMs if taken good care. He is on his 3rd set of tyres. All invoices related to service history is archived and can be passed on. If anyone of you knows an enthusiast who is looking for a fun car in budget, please feel free to refer. Not everyone would be able to gauge his worth.

Coming back to the topic, here are a few things I am looking at while narrowing down on my next vehicle:

• Fun to drive.
• Long Term Purchase.
• Sedan or SUV. If it has to be a SUV, it has to be RWD/4x4.
• I have a heavy right foot.
• I live in a part of Bangalore where we offroad everyday. The Ford Freestyle has made me careless about the road condition, I can drive through bad/no roads without worrying a bit. I do not want to retrain my brain to assess the road condition.
• Acceptable mileage. My drive is about 300-400kms per week within city limits(my work is 4kms from home and it takes 45/60mins on a good day, this being the main reason to change. Roads are not good enough for walking/two wheelers). I do not want to buy something which has a drinking problem. There is no point in buying a vehicle and worrying about fuel every time you'd want to take it out.

Cars I have shortlisted:

• VW Virtus/Skoda Slavia
  Pros - Fun Engine, okayish Automatic, good GC. Cons - Low single digit average mileage if driven hard, unnecessary red inserts in the interior(I don't need to be reminded I am driving a faster car), digital instrument cluster on the higher spec is an eye sour(what's wrong with the big circular dials for Speed and Tachometer with MID in between, do they cost more?).
• Hond City hybrid
  Pros - Comfort, no CVT related issues, best mileage for city use. Cons - Low ground clearance(requires change in driving style), bootspace issue due to battery placement
• Mahindra Thar Roxx
  Pros - GOAT capabilities, powerful diesel engine, future proof with required tech. Cons - Requires change in driving style being a Ladder-on-frame, BS6 diesel DPF issues.
• Mahindra Scorpio N
  Pros - Almost GOAT capabilities, powerful diesel engine, interior is family friendlier when compared to Thar Roxx. Cons - Requires change in driving style being a Ladder-on-frame, BS6 diesel DPF issues, less value for money when compared to Thar Roxx.
• Jeep Compass
  Pros - Need to test drive to comment. Cons - Price is for the logo, hardware is not GOAT enough.

If we go for either of the Mahindras, do you think the car will live well in Bangalore considering the traffic and also the fact that we are not shy of hitting the highway often. Can someone from Bangalore with a single car garage and having a bs6 diesel(Safari/Harrier/XUV700)? Do Jeeps also face DPF issues like a Mahindra(I have not heard or seen any)?

Or should we consider getting a second car for the city(I wish Goldberg could do this, but we need an automatic just for the city, can do manual everywhere else)? Just to give you perspective, we will be stretching our finances quite a bit to do this.

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

You need an AT for city. I was using a Mahindra Scorpio MT (2nd generation) and got tired with heavy clutch driving, whicle I enjoyed the highway rides.

So, I swapped my Scorpio to XUV 700 AX7L AT. A world of difference to city driving, but have to say the size at times makes it difficult to plan or park in narrow lanes. I have done only 1500kms so I can't comment on the DPF issues.

The AT makes it good for the city and the highways in equal measure. I love the planted feel on the highways and it effortlessly cruises at 100kmph (haven't pushed it more).

Do I miss my MT? hell yeah, I feel the ATs aren't tuned for ghat roads and it keeps searching for 2nd to 3rd or 4th gear shifts. I feel the engine and clutch are getting overworked here

Maybe after a few more kms on the ODO I will have better clarity

One word of caution - Both the Thar and Scorp are BoF, so ride quality will not be the same to your other shortlists. If ride quality is not a criteria, ignore this part

Here's what BHPian vignesh.cv had to say on the matter:

If you are willing to consider the Jeep Compass, why not the XUV 700. It is definitely far more comfortable for longish drives when compared to the Roxx or even the Scorpio. With regards to DPF, as long as you do sufficient highway runs, it should regenerate and should be trouble free.

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

I believe I qualify.

I moved to a 2021 Diesel Thar (BS6) from a VW Jetta (since sold) and have nothing else to drive.

My usage is 99.95% highway. The only city driving I do is to get from home to highway and highway to destination front-door.

I do occasionally (maybe once a month or thereabouts) take the car off-road, nothing too extreme, but not very easy either.

Just wife and I, no extras in the family, neither of us being in any way a useful contributor to society.

I have completed 67,000 kms in this Thar and have nothing but praise for the car. Oops, one "complaint" I do have is that luggage room is more than enough for my wallet, as long as there's no cash in it.

I have so far not had any DPF issues; I just get the emissions check done once a year; fill fuel and air; and drive.

Parking is a breeze, the car is small and fits into tight spaces, as long as the tightness is related to length/width and not height.

But to answer your main question in the post title - yes, you can - I do.

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