The contenders are Kia Seltos, Toyota Hyryder, Honda Elevate and Mahindra XUV700.
BHPian Iyencar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
My soon-to-be 70-year-old father is looking to replace the Venue he currently has. He is a sedate driver who drives around 40 kms daily to our factory.
- Budget: ~25 L
- Current drive: Venue Petrol Manual
- Previous drive: Grand i10, Wagon R (both manual shifts)
- Location: Trichy
- Home parking: Street and a bit small
What he would like to have
- Ground Clearance
- Petrol, 5 seater SUV
- A true top-end model: No saving money up front and having accessories fitted later. Need everything factory fitted
- No downtime due to niggles: the car will be in use every single day and cannot afford to be without one
What I would like for him to have
- Nice to have features: Sunroof, ventilated seats, good cabin, 360 cam, etc. He’s worked hard all his life and deserves to have a feel-good vehicle now
- Good automatic
- Reliable
- Mass market and easy serviceability
- Safety: 6 airbags, TC, ESP, ABS, good body shell
The contenders
Kia Seltos
The car he wants which is why it is number 1 here.
Pros
- Feature loaded
- Facelift next month
- Decent service
- Sorted engine gearbox combos
Cons
- Crash test rating
- DCT is an animal with a mind of its own. Is the TC good enough and has the nice-to-have features that we are looking for?
- Stiff suspension
Toyota Hyryder Full Hybrid: The car I want for him
Pros
- Superb mileage and cutting-edge hybrid tech providing for a relaxing ride
- Toyota’s reliability
- All the good features I want him to have
Cons
- Only one service centre in the city, Annamalai Motors. Can anyone shed light on the quality of service?
- The old Innovas, Crystas and Etios-es seem to be the most common cars on that side of the country. Will the service centre be able to handle the modern tech?
- The very thin sunroof curtain: Summers can get quite hot there and don’t want this to become a nuisance. So how bad is it really? Does it make the car difficult to live with? Has anyone tried tinting the roof?
- Unknown build quality: probably more Maruti than Toyota
If any Bhpian can shed some light on Annamalai Motors or life with the Hyryder down south then that would be extremely helpful. Is Toyota service as excellent as it is in Tier-1 cities?
Honda Elevate
Pros
- The best GC
- Honda reliability
Cons
- Very poor feature list
- Possibly lethargic engine gearbox combos, considering the weight of the vehicle and the engine specs combined with BS 6.2 regulations (have the BRV CVT so am familiar with the specs. No, I’m not saying the BRV is underpowered)
- A new car so not much is known about it-good or bad (shared parts bin not withstanding)
What are the Honda dealers like down there? Google reviews of the two dealers there are good.
Wild card: XUV 700
Pros
- Loaded with everything possibly needed in a car
- Proven safety
- Blockbuster hit
- Initial niggles sorted out
- Great engine gearbox combos
Cons
- Odds of niggles popping up are much higher than for the other cars listed above.
- Maybe a bit too large. Don’t need 7 seats and may have difficulty parking- will the 360 cam help?)
- Poor FE in the petrol. DEF issues if he goes for the diesel
Not considering the Compass, Kushaq and Taigun for their reliability, niggles and service centre experiences in general. Not considering the Nexon, Exter, Punch, XUV300 since they aren’t much of an upgrade from the Venue. No Creta because we don’t want another Hyundai. No to Renault, Nissan and Citroen because of their poor service network and lack of any aspirational models. Not considering the Vitara because I would rather we get the car from the same co which makes the hybrid, i.e. Toyota. Any other vehicle I’ve missed? Looking forward to your opinions.
Here’s what GTO had to say about the matter:
Kia has now made the suspension in the Seltos way more compliant, based on customer feedback & complaints. The current car rides very differently from the launch Seltos.
Seltos Facelift launch is also around the corner. I’d consider that for the OP’s Dad, along with the Toyota Hyryder Hybrid & MG ZS EV.
Please also make him take a test-drive of the Elevate. It looks handsome, that 1.5L motor is the best NA engine in the country and the CVT is very smooth.
The Seltos Facelift & Elevate could be worth waiting for. Test-drive all of these and bring home the one that makes him smile.
Here’s what BHPian mgastor2022grey had to say about the matter:
For us BHPians, driving is our life and we respect it very much. I know that you will choose the best car for your father.
I will not recommend the Kia Seltos for your father. Considering that he is a sedate driver, the performance is pretty much useless. The stiff suspension is good for highway comfort, not for sedate driving, which will make people uncomfortable. Also, it scored only 3 stars in the NCAP, not to mention it splitting into 2 in an accident.
I would also not recommend the Grand Vitara/Hyryder too, as it would mean a significant downgrade in terms of interior fit and finish, and misses out on a lot of features too. It also has a significantly weak bodyshell and misses out on even basic features like TPMS!
The XUV700 should be ruled out too, as considering that your father is 70 years old, he would find it difficult to navigate a big car, and stating that you have street parking, will be cumbersome to park too. But it can be taken into consideration if your father has no issues with it, as it is a very safe car, and is extremely luxurious.
I would personally suggest the MG Astor. It is a very comfortable car, and it has lots of safety features like 6 airbags, ESC, TPMS, ABS and more. Your father will also like the car due to its small presence and ease of manoeuvrability. It is a petrol-5 seater, and fits all his boxes correctly. However, it has missed some features like auto-dimming IRVM and ventilated seats. It is also fuel-efficient and drives inspiringly. The fuel efficiency is around 10-12 kmpl and has very less downtime. Being an Astor owner myself, the car is very nice, and is packed with features.
Hope this helps, good luck!
Here’s what BHPian bijims had to say about the matter:
The Mahindra XUV700 would be my pick here, but the AX7 L variant in the petrol guise costs around 29 lakhs on-road in your place, so if you are fine with that, I would recommend getting it, but mileage will be poor in the petrol, we have a diesel XUV700 AWD AX7 L in our family and we are loving it.
As regards the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, it feels more like a Maruti, and parts quality and fit and finish are as such too, not worth the money for the “premium” feel in my opinion, but the Hybrid setup has its advantages and may be considered for the same if you have relatively high running.
The upcoming Seltos facelift would be the best pick under a budget of 25 lakhs and the Diesel TC AT is an excellent, tried and tested combo with good fuel efficiency and sufficient power as well. It will have all the features you ask for in your budget barring the 3-star safety rating.
So, if you plan on extending your budget to 30 lakhs, the XUV700 is the way to go, but I would prefer the Diesel over the Petrol in that scenario, ese under 25 lakhs, my pick would be the upcoming Seltos, followed by the Hyryder Hybrid.
Here’s what BHPian androdev had to say about the matter:
I think you should go for an EV or a proper Hybrid. Simply because there is a lot to be excited about the technology, a lot to learn and familiarise oneself with how stuff works and the great feeling of being at the cutting edge of things – he would appreciate it. These cars make you curious like a child, which is a very good thing to happen when you are at an age feeling you have seen it all.
Don’t buy a Honda – they sell boring utilitarian cars in India. Avoid gigantic cars like XUV700. Go for sophisticated and cutting edge – that would be EV or Hybrid in my opinion. All the best.
Keyword: Automatic, reliable & safe car for a 70-yr-old father under Rs 25 lakh