Benchmarking

Given factors:
- Max budget of 10L OTR.
- Big cars, CUVs and Sedans.
- Family of 5.

Considerations:
This comparison is compiled by taking into account the given factors and as well as considering the following points,

1).The first and foremost factor that should be taken into consideration is SAFETY. The following cars in this compilation have been selected on the basis of max safety features (Active and passive safety features) offered within our price bracket.

Active safety features:- ABS and EBD being compulsory in this comparison, Chassis dynamics, Braking ability and so on to name a few.

Passive safety features:- Frontal airbags (Driver and passenger) being compulsory, ISOFIX mounts for the booster seat(child car seat in layman terms) given the fact Mr. Pughazhyendhii has a 5-year-old son, Whiplash protection headrests, Excellent/Good crash test ratings - crumple zone, cabin structural integrity and so on to name a few.

2).From the given data, It is inferred that he will be using the car for his daily commute to work as well as a monthly visit to his native place Madurai which is at a distance of 500kms from Banglore, so a to and fro distance would be around 1000kms. In total, one can assume his monthly usage will be in the vicinity of 1500~2000+kms per month, which would warrant the purchase of a diesel car because of its mileage and also would be profitable in the longer run.

3).(For info) One has to also keep in mind that the RTO taxes are around 40-50% greater compared to Chennai, Say for example if RTO tax in Chennai is around a Lakh the tax at Banglore would at least be 50k greater than Chennai. So that also has to be taken into consideration since we are helping Mr. Pughazhyendhii to choose a car within 10L OTR(On the road: Ex-showroom Incl. GST + RTO + Insurance).

So in this comparison, Only cars that pass all of the basic requirements, as well as the above considerations, are chosen.

Car Options:

Note: The exact following cars and car variants are chosen not only because of the budget constraints but because SAFETY is given a paramount importance and mileage comes secondary since all of the cars chosen have a diesel engine, so the average(City+highway) fuel economy -give or take- a few kms, lie in the same region.

1). Ford Ecosport 1.5 Diesel Ambiente variant: 10L OTR Banglore.
Reasons:
-Ford cars are always top notch when it comes to safety, Frontal airbags, ABS, EBD, and ISOFIX mounts in the rear seat as standard across all variants.Passed with flying colors in crash tests and good build quality as well.
-Good driving dynamics owing excellent chassis and suspension setup, good amount of ground clearance (200mm).
-ARAI mileage figure of 23kmpl(kilometers per litre).

2). Toyota Platinum Etios 1.5 VD variant: 9.84L OTR Banglore.
Reasons:
-The T badge is globally renowned for one thing, and that is reliability.
-Safety features covered, Frontal airbags, ABS, EBD, and ISOFIX mounts in the rear seat.
-Good crash test ratings.
-Huge boot space of 595 Litres
-Superbly comfortable rear seats with lots of legroom space.
-ARAI mileage figure of 22Kmpl.

3). Tata Nexon 1.5 Revotorq XT: 9.93L OTR Banglore.
Reasons:
-Feature packed even in the mid variant XT (Driving modes, harmann Kardon infotainment unit) and undercuts all rivals in the pricing department.
-Safety features covered, Frontal airbags, ABS, EBD, and ISOFIX mounts in the rear seat across all variants.
-Solid build quality and 209mm of ground clearance!.
-ARAI mileage figure of 21Kmpl.

Other cars:
Maruti Suzuki S-Cross 1.3 200 DDiS Sigma variant: 10.3L OTR Banglore( the only reason why this car hasn't been chosen, overcuts our budget by 30k).
Well known fact: Earned its name as the national engine for a reason, tried and tested proven workhorse is the fiat sourced 1.3 multijet diesel engine. ARAI- 24kmpl.

Trivia: A lesser known fact is the S-Cross crossover developed jointly by Japanese automaker Suzuki and Italian automaker Fiat which explains the solid build of the car. An excellent car all around if he'll be able to pitch in 30k more.

Cars such as maruti vitara brezza, Ertiga, Fiat Avventura, Urban cross, Chevrolet Enjoy and many more cars have failed to come under my recommendation lists due to one or two reasons but mainly due to the lack of ISOFIX mounts and due to budget constraints. The above cars listed are the only cars that offer the primary considerations taken by me within the 10L price bracket.

So, My suggestion to Mr. Pughazhyendhii is to take test drives of the cars recommended and go ahead with whatever car he likes best out of them.

Note: All of these claims made by me remain true to my knowledge, being an avid fan of the indian automotive scene. These facts have been extracted from a number of sites such as TeamBHP, TheAutomotiveIndia, Carwale, Cardekho, gaadi to name a few.