Looking for a 5 seater SUV to replace my 2014 Renault Duster

I did like the Tata Safari & Mahindra XUV700, however, my budget for the new car is Rs 20 lakh.

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Hi folks!

I own a Renault Duster 85 PS RXL Plus - 2014 November model, 91,000 kms on the ODO. The car has served me very well through the 7+ years. It still runs well except for the rising maintenance costs for the wear and tear parts which is expected with the age. The ride, too, has become a little rough off late.

Here is a picture of the white horse. As a Team-bhpian you know that your car has served you well when the yellow 'Live To Drive' sticker is now White.

The age of the car and the thought that the car might not fetch me a decent resale price if I delay any longer makes me think about getting a new car. Also, being on the other side of 40 now, long drives on the Duster are getting tiresome. I was never a big fan of automatic cars but now looks like I need to listen to my shoulders and knees and go for an automatic.

So, here I am seeking advice from all the experts on which should be my next buy.

Requirements

• An SUV which is fun to drive.
• Has all the required safety features.
• Decent fuel economy (diesel preferably).
• Good ride quality, handling, ground clearance.
• Spacious 5 seater.
• Coming from a Duster - good boot space, good second-row seating space, should be able to handle bad roads well.
• Modern premium looking interiors, infotainment, dash etc.
• Automatic preferred, a smooth easy to handle manual should be fine too.
• Some nice to have features - wireless charging, ventilated seats, sunroof.
• Easy on the pocket in terms of maintenance and insurance.
• Not too keen on features like ADAS.

I was very keen on the Tata Harrier, Safari or the XUV 700. However, the on-road price which is around 25 lakhs or more for variants with decent feature lists made me drop these. Also, the high insurance costs and the feeling that I don't need such a big car made me drop the idea of going for these cars.

This is when I decided it was mind over the heart and I am going to stick to a budget of under 20 lakhs.

The purchase time frame I have in mind is April 2023.

I look forward to your recommendations and suggestions - any good SUVs of the existing lot or any new ones that will be launched in 2023.

Here's what BHPian SK01 had to say about the matter:

Congrats on clocking 91,000 Kms on your Duster! Very sad to see Renault forgetting its hero product.

For your requirements, considering your budget to be ~20L INR OTR, I'd suggest you check Mahindra XUV7OO AX5 Diesel 5 seater AT and Tata Safari XMA. Both these cars almost tick all of your requirements except for the ventilated seats, wireless charging and the sunroof.

Alternatively, you can also consider KIA Carens and Hyundai Alcazar mid variants.

Also, if you're open to used cars, I suggest you look at the pre-owned market for Mahindra XUV5OO, Toyota Innova Crysta and Tata Hexa. While the Indians are good to consider if they have below 50,000 Kms on the odo with zero accidents and genuine showroom track, the Japs have a name for their durable engines. Anything between 1L - 1.5L on the odo with zero accidents and genuine showroom track can be considered.

Considering your purchase frame, I'd suggest you to wait for the Scorpio launch. The new one seems promising considering the work Mahindra has done with Thar and XUV7OO.

Also, you may try to stretch your budget to get the top end XUV7OO with AWD! What more do we need than an AWD! I enjoy all my drives without any worries at the back of my mind in my XUV5OO AWD.

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