Replaced my Tigor XZA with a Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Mild Hybrid AT

Low end power is more than sufficient for city driving. The car picks up speeds effortlessly, upto 70-80 kmph, after which power starts to drop and 1.5 NA engine's inherent weakness starts to show.

BHPian DCEite recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Background:

My faithful Tigor XZA 2017, was doing daily duty for my work and family travels (Review here (First one on Team-BHP: Tata Tigor XZA (AMT)).

Our other car being Ignis 2022 Zeta MT, the Tigor was being almost exclusively used for long drives and occasional highway drives, while the Ignis does the duty of a City runabout.

Circa 2024, the itch to replace the Tigor AMT with a more modern, bigger and comfortable vehicle was felt. One of the primary reasons for considering the change was the AMT gearbox on the Tigor, while being fuss free, was not the smoothest to drive around in town. Other than that, I had virtually zero complaints with the Tigor, what with the superb build quality, super AC, comfortable ride and handling and low running costs. But call it boredom and an aspiration to move to a higher segment, and most importantly a proper Automatic instead of AMT, the hunt began at the beginning of FY 24-25 for Tigor's replacement.

Main requirements:

1. A car/SUV/Crossover with good ground clearance and comfortable ride quality. Mainly to tackle bad roads/rain clogged roads and have good driving view.
2. Has to have a proper AT/DCT/CVT
3. Android Auto and Apple car play is a must.
4. Has to have 6 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Hill Hold, ESP and all 4 disc brakes (preferred).
5. Good interior and luggage space for 4 adults.
6. Good and widespread after sales service centers. Comparing my Ignis's after sales experience with TATA, the difference is quite apparent.
7. A smooth and refined engine, with well controlled NVH levels is a must.
8. LED light/DRL setup with sufficient brightness.
9. Good low end torque and city drivability. I don't care about top end or how the car builds up speeds post 100 kmph.

Here are the list of contenders I considered, right from the Compact SUV (hatchbacks on stilts) segment to the crossover SUV segment.

1. Mahindra XUV 3XO AX5 AT

I had booked the 3XO AX5 AT on the day of official launch itself.

What I liked:

- A value for money proposition. Has lots of necessary and good to have features, at an attractive price point.

- Both the petrol engines - the TCMPFI and TGDI had good performance on paper

- 5 star GNCAP rating for the earlier 300 on which its based.

What I did not:

- The cramped boot space. Given that this would be my family car, I doubt if the boot can take the luggage for long drives and vacations comfortably.

- The cramped footwell. I have long legs (probably longer than average Indian height), and I found the footwell to be cramped even on the two pedal AT variant. The dead pedal was set at vertically, whereas the natural position for the dead pedal should be slightly tilted towards left. This positioning can lead to fatigue over longer journeys.

- No paddle shifters on the AT. If ever there was one car that had to have Paddle shifters mandatorily, it would be the 3XO AT. The reason being the gearbox which is slow to respond, slow to downshift and on top of it an engine that needs to be kept in the correct RPM range to get moving in case of fast overtakes. Paddle shifters would have mitigated this inherent limitation of the gearbox to some extent. The manual mode on the gearbox is not as intuitive to use nor as user friendly.

- The petrol engines, even though have good power for enthusiastic driving, they are not really good when it comes to daily bumper to bumper traffic. Reason being non-linear power delivery which is "spiky". What I would rather prefer in regular city driving is linear power delivery and good low end grunt, which the 3XO misses on.

- Mahindra and its dealer's attitude. There was no proper communication on delivery timelines from the dealer. Every time I called the dealer, the only answer was - "Sar, we don't know when your vehicle will be allotted, we will update you on this and this date". However there was never any intimation or any communication from there side.

- Even on cancelling the booking , my booking refund was delayed by Mahindra. FYI, I did my booking and cancellation online. It took them almost 3 weeks to credit my refund. I wonder if the sales experience is so bad, how would the after-sales be, what with so many Mahindra cars on road and so less service stations in number. Anyway.

2. TATA Nexon Fearless Plus DCA

What I liked:

- That Solid TATA feeling. The doors which close with a reassuring thud. 5 Star GNCAP safety rating.

- Equipment list is impressive.

- DCA gearbox is much improved over the AMT

- The beautifully tuned Harman Kardon music setup.

What I didn't:

- Overpriced for what it offers. Lately though, TATA has started to offer some decent discounts.

- The reliability factor. After going through various reviews both online and offline, I realized the newer TATAs have some unsorted issues mainly with electronics and DCA gearbox reliability. Don't want a car that has a lot of features but you can't use most of them for most of the time. And I hate visiting TATA service centers for frequent repairs. Period.

- The DCA gearbox even though much improved over the AMT, still isn't as quick shifting or smooth as a DCT from say Hyundai or Kia. Besides, during the test drive I observed jerky behavior while the gearbox was downshifting to lower gears. I understand this is a common concern.

- TATA's after sales leaves a lot to be desired. My Tigor got multiple dents on the running board after it was serviced at their authorized service center in Noida (it is now closed). The crowding and mismanagement is very apparent at their service centers.

And now coming to the next segment:

3. Honda Elevate VX/ZX CVT

What I liked:

- Peppy performance from the 1.5 Litre IVTEC engine.

- Rear legroom is super good. Seats are very comfortable too.

- The view from the driver's seat is unbeatable. You get a commanding all round view, with bonnet edges clearly visible. Makes driving in tight traffic relatively easier.

- Ride quality is mature.

What I didn't:

- Honda's future in India doesnot look too bright, at least for me. They are kind of stuck with the Elevate and City as the main cars in their lineup, and sales have been declining steadily for both the cars over the past few months.

- The CVT, although refined and tractable, suffers from rubber band effect. And the it creates a bit of a ruckus inside the cabin when revved hard. So not the greatest of NVH levels around.

- Only the top spec ZX trim comes with cruise control (adaptive). The lower trims do not have even normal cruise control.

4. Hyundai Creta S(O) IVT

What I liked:

- Mature styling compared to the outgoing model.

- Seems better built and should score atleast 4 stars on GNCAP, hopefully.

- Ride quality, NVH levels and driving dynamics are spot on for regular city driving (1.5 L NA CVT)

- Minimal rubber band effect on the CVT/IVT gearbox.

What I didn't:

- Waiting period. Over 6 months for S(O) IVT is insane.

- Upper variants do not have the option to have the car without sunroof. I, for one, hate sunroofs, as I find them not only unsafe but also impractical from North Indian weather perspective.

- Sparsly equipped S(O), does not come with soft touch on door pads and other touch points or even Auto IRVM.

- Hyundai's after sales though good, is slightly on the expensive side and from my past experience, service centers do fleece customers in the name of unwanted add ons during regular servicing.

Other cars considered:

Skoda/VW Twins (Kushaq/Taigun): Brilliant package. Interior space is good (unlike their sedan counterparts Slavia/Virtus). The build quality is impressive and ofcourse the 5 star safety ratings. What I did not like was the way it drove (1.0 TSI AT). It had a lag at the lower end of the power band, and picks up speeds post 2000 rpm. However, the real deal breaker for me was the performance of the Air Conditioning unit on both the Skoda/VW twins. It felt like a ceiling fan amidst 43 degrees outside temperature. Maybe it was an unusually hot day, but still, even if I compare to a mediocre AC like that of the Ignis, it was disappointing to say the least.

Kia Sonet: Again, good feature list. The HTX DCT variant is value for money. Comes with ventilated seats, leatherette seat covers and other useful features. However, the deal breaker was the rear seat legroom, and the ride quality. My Ignis has a stiff suspension. I didn't want another car with similar suspension setup. Besides, the rear legroom is not good for this segment.

Grand Vitara Smart Hybrid 1.5 AT test drive and vehicle feedback

To be honest, Grand Vitara was not in my initial shortlist. Reason being the negativity around its perceived performance specially on highways and hills. But since my driving pattern is mostly 99% city driving, I thought why not give it a try. What with good discounts on offer (60k cash discount), the Zeta Mild Hybrid AT was quite close to Sonet/Nexon top end from price perspective.

Besides not having a sunroof (which is a plus for me), the Zeta variant has most of the essentials like :

- Tilt and telescopic steering

- Auto AC

- Auto IRVM

- Hill Hold

- Paddle shifters

- Soft touch door pads and Sliding armrest (sliding armrest is a big plus for me as the extension means I can rest my long arms comfortably over long journeys).

- Auto Headlamps

- Cruise Control

- 9 Inch Smarplay Pro + touchscreen with Wireless apple carplay and Android Auto

- UV Cut glass (Helps in containing heat inside the cabin and increasing AC's efficiency)

What I liked:

- Low end power is more than sufficient for city driving. The car picks up speeds effortlessly, upto 70-80 kmph, after which power starts to drop and 1.5 NA engine's inherent weakness starts to show.

- The 6 speed Torque convertor is smooth and gearshifts are not perceivable.

- The ride quality is mature. It is neither too soft nor stiff. Just the right kind of tuning that not only aids in a relatively comfortable ride over bad roads but also helps high speed stability.

- The chassis, braking, steering response, everything feels premium and it feels Maruti/Toyota engineers developed the car keeping in mind a more powerful engine in mind.

- Interior space for 4 adults and a kid is good. Rear legroom is not class leading, but good by segment standards.

- Auto AC is a chiller. What also helps (as I stated earlier) are the UV cut glasses.

- Front view is good. Tall passengers like me can see almost the whole bonnet, whereas shorter passengers can see till the start of bonnet.

- Wireless Android Auto and Apple carplay works flawlessly, without hiccups (so far atleast). The sound quality from the 6 speaker setup is good considering absense of external Subwoofer/Amp. There are three preset modes to choose from, and they give a decent output. Customized equalizer is also available. In terms of SQ alone, I would equate this setup to the TATA's 6 speaker setup in Tiago/Tigor/Punch range (which in itself is good).

- NVH levels are low inside the cabin. This is unlike Maruti's of the past which had high levels of traffic noise filtering inside the cabin and even the horn used to sound like its positioned towards the cabin. However in the Grand Vitara, the traffic/engine/tyre sound is minimal and comparable (if not better) to the segment leader Creta, and the horn's sound level inside the cabin is minimal.

- The car has good road presence and exterior looks are well proportioned. The front has imposing stance, though a bit of chrome overuse. The length of the vehicle stands out amongst other crossovers in the same segment.

- Another plus point being a Maruti, is the number of service centers to chose from. I have 3 service centers nearby my residence itself (2 Nexa and 1 Arena) and 3 near my workplace.

What I didn't:

- While the 1.5 L NA has decent pickup for day to day city driving, but overtaking at higher speeds requires careful planning. What helps though are the paddle shifters, which are quick to downshift. But Maruti could have tweaked the engine with a bit more power and torque to make it more fun to drive at highway speeds.

- The plastics on the upper part of the dashboard don't look and feel particularly premium. And they are a dirt magnet for some reason.

- Boot space at 373 odd liters is good, but Elevate and Creta offer more luggage space. Despite the GV being longer.

- Being AT, I was expecting driver console to display the exact gear number while driving in the D mode. But it just displays "D", not the exact gear.

- Gearbox stick itself is a bit clunky and does not sound or feel premium while using it. Take some lessons from Hyundai (Creta), Maruti !

- The doors, though have good weight to them, do not close properly and takes multiple retries on some occasions, specially the front driver door.

- No GNCAP/BNCAP ratings yet for the GV. Hopefully though , based on Brezza's Tect platform should score atleast 4 stars.

- Hill descent control is not available in this variant, neither are ventilated seats or head up display.

- There is no 360 view camera on the Zeta variant, but what is disappointing is that the rear camera has static guidelines, and not dynamic.

- The engine start stop system can get a bit irritating in stop and go traffic. And it is activated by default every time the car is first time started.

- The Smart Hybrid system seems like a gimmick. Not sure how much fuel efficiency is getting improved with the engine start and stop and the mild hybrid torque assist. Although I must add, in my 200 odd kms running so far, the car has on an average given around 12-13 kmpl in mostly city driving conditions, which is not bad considering it being an AT and the size of the vehicle.

- Suzuki Connect seems useless to me, as long as it does not support remote engine start/stop and remote AC on/off. Even the trip summaries displayed in the app are erroneous as the navigation path shown is incorrect on the Mapples based trip analysis.

Nexa Accessories added at the showroom itself: Roof rails, Front skid garnish, Window Sunshades, Headlamp garnish (black chrome), Rear lights garnish, 3D mats, Number plate frame

Some random shots:

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