Hi Gagan,
I'm looking to buy an Automatic car with a budget of 10-14 lakh (max) for my parents. It's my first car soo I'm really confused. Other than Hatchbacks and Sedan, I'm open to all the cars.
I already booked Xuv300 W8(O) P AMT, but now I'm having second thoughts after seeing your videos.
My ideal car should be:
1. Safe
2. Comfortable
3. Spacious
4. Stable on high speeds
4. Feature Rich
5. Stunning Looks
6. Silent Cabin
7. Good Driving Dynamics.
During my research, I tried several cars but due to these reasons I rejected them:
1. Toyota Urban Cruiser - Good exterior but really bad cheap quality Interiors. It didn't feel good. Also Lots of outside noise in the cabin.
2. Maruti Brezza: I hate Maruti due to its build quality, but still it got 4 stars, so I had a look. But same issues as above.
3. Tata Nexon: Ergonomics are poor. My mom's head was colliding again and again while entering the car. The windshield felt super narrow, and from inside it gave me a claustrophobic feeling. Plus AMT was really bad, too many head nodes. Too much engine noise and cheap quality of materials in the interior.
4. Kia Sonet: After sitting on Nexon seats, these seats felt uncomfortable. The back row was not having good legroom. Plus Kia seltos performed poorly in terms of safety, so I had my doubts.
5. Maruti S cross: Really poor build quality.
6. Ford Ecosport: Amazing car, loved it. But my mom hated it in the back seat. It can never accommodate 3 people in the back. The suspensions were super stiff, I could feel all the potholes.
7. Hyundai Venue: I felt like its automatic was very laggy at lower RPM.
8. Creta, Kushaq, Taigun, Astor- Their automatic models were out of my budget.
Final Car:
Xuv300: Interior although plain and dull but felt like it was of premium quality. Seating was comfortable and cabin was spacious. I was hoping AMT to be laggy and less responsive with head nodes like Nexon, but it was quick and smooth. Build quality and styling is also good. Too many features. Amazing suspensions. I can adjust with small boot space as back row sitting is on higher priority. And also I felt like the cabin to be very silent. So I booked this one. It tick marked most of my requirements.
Confusion:-
Now, Mahindra is removing soo many features, and increasing the price. I'm just not sure at 14 lakhs, is it still a good choice. Also, should I wait for the next facelift model as it's already expected next year? Due to my budget constraints I'm afraid it will be on higher end.
Also, this car will be there in our family for the next 10 years, so should I wait for flex engine cars? Since this is my first car, I'm not opting for an EV.
Do you think I made the right decision or is there any other car I should look at or give a second chance? Maybe by increasing my budget a little bit, do you recommend any other car, which could fit my requirements?
Also during 15mins test drive, we cannot judge anything, maybe I made wrong judgements about other cars. In one of your videos you said, Xuv300 cabin is really loud. And few said that the AMT is not at all good. And I felt completely opposite. Might be I didn't tested on really high speeds.
Kindly help me in deciding the best car for me. Its a long term decision and I dont want to regret it later. Please be as open as possible. I really want to know your recommendations.
Thanks & Regards,
Jatin Arora