Best family cars in India for 2011 R2Iers

Indian Heart · Post by **Indian Heart** » Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:02 pm

I know there is a sticky thread that discuss what car to buy in India. That was started years ago and has lot of outdated information, which could be confusing in the current scenario. A lot of new cars are introduced in India in last few years.

Can we have a separate thread to discuss new cars in India for 2011 R2Iers? I think it is a good idea, but I will know today if the forum administrator agree to it :-)

We are returning to India in another 3-4 months and I did lot of research on what car to buy. We are a big family and need a big car. I am not considering spending all my savings to by the BEST CAR IN INDIA (just like I chose not to send my kids to the BEST SCHOOL IN INDIA).

I short listed few big cars, with reasonable price.

1. Toyota Innova
2. Mahindra Scorpio

I am leaning towards Innova now due to the comfort of travel it offers, compared to Scorpio, even though Scorpio has a better look (in my opinion).

But I may end up buying another small car, with automatic gears when we reach India and post pone the plans to buy a bigger car for next year.

Anybody have other suggestions on which cars are suitable for R2Iers?

mrsherlock · Post by **mrsherlock** » Fri Jan 28, 2011 11:20 pm

You may want to consider Tata Aria too.

GutsyGibbon · Post by **GutsyGibbon** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 3:14 am

Checkout team-bhp.com . Its an Indian auto enthusiast forum, with helpful people, lots of reviews from real people
http://www.autocarindia.com/car-reviews Many reviews here. Same with cardekho.com and bsmotoring.com

Personally, I think the Innova reliability beats Scorpio hands down. But if you like that SUV image better than a minivan image, Scorpio serves well.

About Auto trans - Last year, we bought an i10 auto for my father, and he is very happy with it. Small, comfy, peppy engine with a smooth 4 speed auto trans. Stay away from autotrans on older model suzuki cars. The new Sx4 has a 4 speed auto that is much better than the old 3 speed ones on Zen. For the sake of comparison 2011 Civic has a 5 speed Autotrans.

anuma · Post by **anuma** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 4:23 pm

It seems Xylo is much better in the "ride comfort and 3rd row space" department if you compare it against Scorpio. So that is another 7 or 8 seater you can consider.

Xylo is about 3lakhs cheaper for somewhat better equipment level wrt Innova. I struck off Innova from my list for this reason

It seems there is/will be a brand new Chevy Tavera (with Sonalika engine replacing the Isuzu engine) and could be another choice.

Old-Spice2 · Post by **Old-Spice2** » Sat Jan 29, 2011 8:56 pm

One of my relative is an automobile engineer, asked me to stay away from Mahindra and Tata vehicles. And he knows everything about cars, motorcycles and heavy vehicles.

direstraits88 · Post by **direstraits88** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:30 am

It depends on average driving per month, city of residence. If you drive mainly to work and back, a large size vehicle will be a negative. If you have a large family, then you may buy a large size vehicle as a a second car and have a smaller car for daily commute.

And people change car every 2-3 years in India. So a mahindra is fine too. It boils down to your total cost of ownership.

boyds · Post by **boyds** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:27 pm

desipardesi;364771 people change car every 2-3 years in India.

How close to realty is this statement. Specially in big Metro cities.
I would love to hear actual experiences from people who have liven in India for some time and have changed vehicles.

I will go first.

My grand father bought one car and kept it for 15 years(semi urban setting).
My father bought one car and kept it for 9 years(urban setting).

mkngtrbl · Post by **mkngtrbl** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 12:33 pm

On a road trip recently with rented cars, from a passenger comfort point, Xylo was better than Scorpio.

The only people I know who change cars every 3 years are ones who have their own business and drive quite a bit. They depreciate the car in the books for 3 years and then sell it off. Plus the money they get for the sale of their used car has a not disclosed to govt (read black) component.

back2desh · Post by **back2desh** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:11 pm

Not to kill this thread, I want to know if in Bangalore there are any good car rental companies that provides Auto Transmission cars? Can I drive a rental car in India with US license.

mkngtrbl;364867On a road trip recently with rented cars, from a passenger comfort point, Xylo was better than Scorpio.

The only people I know who change cars every 3 years are ones who have their own business and drive quite a bit. They depreciate the car in the books for 3 years and then sell it off. Plus the money they get for the sale of their used car has a not disclosed to govt (read black) component.

r2i_blr_10 · Post by **r2i_blr_10** » Sun Jan 30, 2011 8:20 pm

There is talk of Mahindra Global SUV W201 releasing in 2011 with a 6 speed auto tranny. No frozen release dates yet though. If it comes with an auto box, i am planning to splurge on one.

If you plan to drive the car to office, i would suggest an i10/astar auto. That was one right decision i took, especially given the traffic in namma bengaluru.