Mahindra Marazzo & Hyundai Alcazar are also a part of this comparison.
BHPian Aditya recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Kia Carens
What you’ll like
- Fresh styling that will appeal to a larger audience (unlike the polarising Alcazar)
- A practical & sensible 3-row family car that’s well-built. 3rd-row seat is actually useable
- User-friendly interiors look really good (blue shade is awesome) and have quality parts
- 1.4L turbo petrol with 7-speed DCT offers more than adequate performance. Extremely refined too
- Economical 1.5L diesel is available in MT & AT variants. Offers good driveability
- Impressive ride quality with neutral car-like road manners
- The Carens’ safety package includes 6 airbags, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes, TPMS etc as standard.
What you won’t
- 2nd-row legroom is just ordinary, despite the seat travel of the 1st-row being restricted
- Diesel’s 113 BHP & 250 Nm – although adequate – are the lowest in the segment
- Reliability of the 7-speed DCT in a heavier car is a concern
- Unknown safety rating. The Seltos just barely managed a 3-star Global NCAP rating!
- Some niceties missing vs the Alcazar – no 360-degree camera, no full virtual dials, no panoramic sunroof
- Competitors like the Tata Safari, MG Hector & XUV700 offer way more spacious cabins
Maruti XL6
What you’ll like
- A 6-seater MPV at the price of C segment sedans & some compact SUVs
- Maintains value proposition of the Ertiga, with a fair premium for the added features
- Comfortable captain seats & spacious cabin. Fantastic car for the chauffeur-driven
- A competent BS6 petrol; convenient automatic available as an option
- Car-like to drive and city-friendly size
- Features such as that sweet head-unit, LED auto-headlamps, cruise control & more
- Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experience
What you won’t
- Diesel is not available. Heavy users will miss its low running costs
- Captain seat layout means just 2 people on the middle row
- Build, quality & refinement are ordinary for a million-rupee car. Not a “premium” Ertiga
- 4-speed Automatic gearbox feels old & outdated
- 3rd-row isn’t for everyone as the 2nd-row doesn’t tumble forward, making ingress / egress tricky
- Some missing features such as side airbags, auto-dimming IRVM, auto wipers etc.
Maruti Ertiga
What you’ll like
- A 7-seater MPV at the price of a C segment sedan. Sub 10-lakh petrol variants are well-priced
- Practical & spacious cabin, now with a usable 3rd row & larger boot
- A peppy petrol, efficient diesel & convenient automatic on offer = take your pick
- Car-like to drive and city-friendly size (unlike most other 7-seater MPVs)
- Features such as that sweet head-unit, projector headlamps, cooled cup-holders & more
- Dual airbags, ABS + EBD, Isofix anchors & parking sensors are standard. Automatic gets ESP too
- Maruti’s excellent after-sales service, wide dealer network & fuss-free ownership experience
What you won’t
- Build, quality & refinement are strictly average for a million-rupee car
- Diesel is no longer available. Heavy users will miss its low running costs
- 3rd-row isn’t for everyone as the 2nd-row doesn’t tumble forward, making ingress / egress tricky
- 4-speed Automatic feels old & outdated. Not available in the top variant either
- Some missing features such as an auto-dimming IRVM and auto headlamps + wipers (expected at this price)
- Waiting periods are 5-9 months long for certain variants
Mahindra Marazzo
What you’ll like
- A clean looking Mahindra (for a change!) with a robust, abuse-friendly build
- Nice & roomy cabin. 1st & 2nd seat rows are spacious, while the captain seats are terrific
- A 3rd-row seat that can actually be used by adults
- 1.5L diesel offers good driveability & fuel economy. 6-speed MT is smooth to use
- Compliant ride quality with neutral road manners for an MUV
- Impressively refined & more carlike-to-drive than other body-on-frame UVs
- Dual airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, Isofix & ABS are standard
- Features such as 2 front armrests, adjustable lumbar support, rest Reminder, economy mode etc.
What you won’t
- With the 3rd seat row in place, the boot is rather small for a vehicle of this size
- No petrol or automatic variants on sale. Almost all competitors have petrols and ATs in the line-up
- Some design errors such as the cramped engine bay (try accessing the battery) & hard-to-use handbrake
- Mahindra’s after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
- Many important features missing (keyless entry & go, auto-dimming IRVM, leather-wrapped steering, telescopic steering adjustment, auto headlamps & wipers etc.)
Hyundai Alcazar
What you’ll like
- A 3-row family car that’s well-built inside out
- User-friendly interiors look really good (brown shade is awesome) and have quality parts
- 2.0L NA petrol & 6-speed AT deliver a very smooth and refined driving experience
- Economical 1.5L diesel is available in MT & AT variants. Offers good driveability
- Comfortable ride quality with neutral road manners
- Unladen ground clearance of 200 mm is perfect for Indian roads
- The Alcazar’s safety package includes 6 airbags, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes, auto-hold, TPMS etc.
- Impressive kit (fully digital instruments, 360-degree camera, 2nd-row wireless charger, panoramic sunroof, paddle shifters, Bose sound system, cooled seats & loads more)
- Hyundai’s competent after-sales service & wide dealer network
What you won’t
- Oddball love-it-or-hate-it face. We find the Alcazar’s front design to be weird & overdone
- 2nd-row legroom is mediocre (captain seat variant). Compromises have been made to accommodate the 3rd-row & boot
- 3rd-row seat is best suited to kids only. Not really a place for adults
- Rs. ~3 lakh OTR premium over the Creta on the higher variants is too much!
- Nothing for enthusiasts here. The 2.0 AT is tuned very conservatively
- Diesel’s 113 BHP & 250 Nm – although adequate – are the lowest in the segment
- The Creta 1.4L DCT is a lot, lot more fun to drive
- Competitors like the Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus & XUV700 offer way more spacious cabins
- Some misses (no petrol AT 7-seater variant, auto wipers, illuminated window buttons, full-size spare tyre on top trims etc.)
Keyword: Kia Carens vs Maruti XL6 vs Maruti Ertiga