Worth replacing my 2021 Rapid TSI with a 2023 Harrier diesel?

I did think about the Honda Elevate & Kia Seltos, but landed up on the Tata SUV after looking at the crazy wait times of the Mahindra XUV700.

BHPian Karthik Mathur recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone,

I have always been a fan of sedans. I learnt to drive on a Maruti Esteem and my journey continued with a City, Linea and Figo Aspire.

In mid-2021, I was looking to buy a new car and despite all the faux SUVs out there, I was quite certain that I wanted to go for a sedan and picked up a Skoda Rapid 1.0 TSI. Got a really good deal since it was the outgoing model and the Kushaq was just about to be launched. Slavia wasn't even in the picture at that time.

I've clocked about 24k km in 2.5 years and it's mostly used to travel to work from Navi Mumbai to Mumbai with a couple of road trips thrown in. I enjoy the driving experience and it's been fairly niggle free except for the entertainment console and battery which had to be replaced. Availability of spare parts has been a challenge and I shudder at the thought of any other part conking off since I know that means at least a couple of weeks of downtime and the hassle of getting an Uber at BKC.

Recently, I travelled to Pune in an Innova Hycross and I was blown away by the sheer comfort of the rear seat. The plush ride quality, even over bad roads and what the Maharashtra govt considers good roads aka filling a pothole higher than the rest of the road and creating an undulating road surface.

That's always been a pet peeve for me with the Rapid, there's a lot of vertical movement over such undulating surfaces and potholes, even at low speeds. So I got thinking, would an SUV, even a faux one, be better for me?

Another aspect that got me leaning towards a bigger car is the fact that I have a 6-month-old and we use a car seat, the larger one that can be used for a newborn till they are 25 kg. So it occupies an entire rear seat and a bit of the middle one. That means there's less space for my wife and mom in the back seat.

My initial thought was to go for a mid-size SUV like the Seltos or Elevate. I checked out the Seltos and loved the tech but it didn't seem any bigger than the Rapid. I was especially disappointed with the boot, the Rapid's boot can swallow two full-size suitcases side-by-side and still have room for a carry bag. Similarly, the rear seat is also comparable to the Rapid and it didn't seem like my needs would be met.

Net-net, I don't think a mid-size SUV would seem like an upgrade over my existing car. Had I been in the market for a replacement, these might have sufficed but certainly not for an upgrade.

That's when I opened up my search a little more and checked out the Harrier. Now this has a massive road presence and the interior space is more as well. Took it for a test drive and I'm amazed at the way it ate up the bumps, I didn't feel a thing! The best test I could put it through was on the right lane of the Nerul flyover going towards Belapur. The extremely shoddy job of filling up the potholes meant a weird, Topsy-turvy road that would always make me lurch on the Rapid.

Bloody hell, the Harrier ate it up like it was nothing. Just glided through it and I wouldn't have even known the road was this uneven had I not gone on it earlier. I also loved the EPS, it's almost unbelievable a vehicle of this size and weight can take a U-turn this easily. Almost felt like the the move from normal steering of the Esteem to the power steering of the City.

The tall driving position felt good at the time, kinda felt I'm lording over the rest of the cars on the road. It also gives amazing visibility. The engine was good, couldn't tell it was a diesel since it didn't seem any louder inside the cabin as compared to the Rapid except when the Sport mode was engaged, which became quite loud then. Though the performance didn't seem all that exciting, I couldn't feel that the pace picking up when I floored the pedal. Indeed, I could never quite understand what speed I'm at just based on the feel of the car, not sure if it's a good or a bad thing.

The tech also blew my mind, be it the crisp 360 camera, the blindspot camera feed on the dash or the lane keep assist. While I've read plenty about the car and seen enough YouTube videos, I think it's only when one experiences it first-hand does it all comes together and gives the wow factor. I was certainly not expecting to like it that much.

Post the test drive, when I got into the Rapid, I realized, I love this driving position. It puts me so close to the road that it makes me feel extremely connected to it. I took the same route back home and changing lanes, accelerating just felt so intuitive and refined. It felt like I was driving a car in real life than driving one in the simulator, which is kinda what the Harrier felt in comparison (I know that sounds weird).

So here are a few questions that I'm grappling with:

1. Does it make sense to replace a 2.5-year-old car that's driving well for the reasons I want to change viz. better suspension and more space? Do note that I have an extended warranty of up to 7 years and 5 5-year maintenance package, which I understand is transferable.
2. Do all big SUVs feel similar to drive? Kinda vague and disconnected? Or is it heightened since I drove a sedan right after that?
3. While D-segment sedans are currently not being sold, would they have been better for my needs? Like an Elantra or an Octavia?
4. For my usage of 1.5k km a month, would a diesel vehicle be cost-effective? Never owned a diesel car in the past and I understand it's even more complicated now with DPF and whatnot. Since the Harrier only comes in diesel, I don't have a choice. I could of course look at the XUV700 but I understand waiting times are crazy long.

Thank you for reading patiently this far, look forward to your views.

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

Thanks for sharing your experience, I haven't tried the new Harrier twins but could visualize your experience, quite helpful indeed. The Elevate should have a larger boot but I don't think it can match the Harrier's ride. Do check it out since I haven't driven either.

1. If you have a need which you seem to have in my books, then it's best to move on.
2. I have driven the Safari Dicor albeit for a very short duration but it was worse than what you experienced. Just felt disconnected from the road. But that's what we're trying to achieve, stay cocooned from the road imperfections, to put it mildly
3. By their very nature, driving cars will make us feel the road. There will be exceptions in the luxury sedan space but not the Elantra or Octavia.
4. Cost-effective no but as you said no petrol options. While I hate diesel, I also agree that heavy vehicles are better off with a diesel powertrain. The Harrier's 2.0 unit uses the Diesel Emission Fluid to reduce emissions so you're better off than the smaller diesels which suffer from DPF issues in city traffic. But the safest way of course is to get petrol.

Some points to consider:

While you're sold on the Harrier do check for realistic waiting times from a dealer on the XUV700 petrol too. From what I have heard the lower trims like the AX3/AX5 are available much easily. That would open up the petrol option but do check if it offers the same level of ride as the Harrier.

• If and when you've decided on the Harrier then why not consider the Safari? Bigger space, more seats while being marginally taller and longer (6-7cms IIRC).
• If you're getting either of the Harrier/Safari do expect to face some glitches in the displays as members have been reporting and the usual disclaimer of hit/miss service.

But before all of this first, you've to decide do you want to step away from a sedan to an SUV driving. If yes then make your move to whichever suits you the best.

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

We both share the same background and the same residential area. I too have a Rapid TDi and an 8-month-old baby using a humungous baby seat at the back. The only difference would be that I luckily have an Innova at home for when we travel with the entire family.

From what I understand, you are facing 2 problems:

1. The jumpiness on bad roads
2. Insufficient space at the back.

So here's what I think I might have done if I was in your shoes:

Scenario 1: If I want to retain the Rapid and backseat space is not a big deal breaker;

I would go for a suspension upgrade to something comfortable. Even an upgrade of tyres makes a big difference. I recently went for Vredestein and my god the car just floats. If you know the JNPT and we patch which has terrible undulations, my Rapid with Vredestein just floats on it. The same was observed with another member with Vredestein tyres, with immense improvement in comfort.

As for the space at the back, we'll just make do if I don't regularly travel with everyone in the family and not many long-distance journeys to be had.

Scenario 2: Retain Rapid and get another pre-loved sedan/SUV (eg Jetta, 7 seater old Innova) for those family trips. This saves me from losing out money by selling off a 2.5-year-old car and paying a huge amount for a new car in this inflated market.

Scenario 3: Sell off Rapid and get a used or new Sedan or SUV. I won't go for a new car personally as your running including the toll is very high(I'm assuming approx 9k for fuel per month) and new diesels are a bit of a pain to maintain. Petrol is not feasible as per running costs. They don't make cars in the same league as Rapid/Polo/ Octavia anymore, and I'm not talking about build but everything in general.

Hope this helps or gives you some insights.

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