Benchmarking

Buying a Car is a big Decision & can be overwhelming with so many Models of different OEMs available in the market. But if we follow a step-by-step process, the task can become a bit easy.

Firstly we need to decide whether to go for Petrol or a Diesel Variant. Let’s see the Pros & Cons of each :

Pricing: The price of a Diesel Variant of a car is more than the Petrol Variant. The Ex-Showroom cost can vary between 1.0 to 1.5 Lakhs & the On-Road Price will be even more since registration cost of Diesel Vehicle is more. For Ex. The Ex-Showroom cost of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza VXi (Petrol Variant) in Bangalore City is Rs.8,35,000 & that of Diesel Variant is Rs.9,55,000.

Mileage: The Mileage of Diesel car is more than that of Petrol car. Also the cost of Diesel (₹64.41 Per Lt.) is less than Petrol (₹72.40 Per Lt.). But since the initial cost of Diesel car is more than 1.5 Lakhs as compared to Petrol car, the time require to recover this extra cost will be significant. Plus the price gap between the costs of Petrol & Diesel is decreasing day by day. One should take in account all these factors before making a decision.

Maintenance Cost: The Maintenance cost of Diesel car is more than Petrol car. Thus for every servicing of the car, it will cost 1k to 2k more on a Diesel car.

Driving Experience: Diesel Engines are more powerful than Petrol Engines, with higher Torque and smoother driving experience. Although, Diesel Engine also have high NVH (Noise, Vibration & Harshness) compared to Petrol Engines.

Considering the above points & Mr. Pughazhyendhii requirements, I would recommend a Petrol Engine Variant of the car for its low price & low maintenance cost.

Now in step 2 we have to select the type of car body that would suit Mr. Pughazhyendhii requirements. As Mr. Pughazhyendhii budgets falls between Rs.8 to Rs.10 Lakhs & since he is fond of Big cars, I would suggest that he should go for a Compact SUV.

Now let’s take a look at some of the Most Popular & best selling Compact SUV’s under 10 Lakhs price segment.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza VXi (Ex-Showroom Price : Rs 8.35 Lakh):

The No. 1 selling car in its segment, the Vitara Brezza has recently been launched with a BS 6 - Compliant K15B 1.5-litre Petrol Engine. It has a 5-Speed Manual Transmission & the Engine is capable to generate 105HP Power @ 6000rpm and 138N-m of Torque @4,400rpm. It has mileage of 17.03Km/Lt. It comes with Dual Front Airbags & ABS as standard features across the variant. With a Ground Clearance of 198mm, traveling on rough Indian roads is easy. A unique feature of the Vitara Brezza includes a Cockpit-style instrument cluster with mood lighting that can change the backlight of the speedometer and other relevant controls in the cluster unit.

The Good :

• Infotainment System with Apple Carplay & Sat-Nav.
• Great Bootspace : 328Lt.
• Spacious Cabin & Legroom.
• Excellent After-Sales Service & low overall Maintenance cost.
• Rated 4 Stars on Adult Protection by Global NCAP.

The Bad:

• Low quality of Dashboard Plastic.

Ford EcoSport 1.5Lt. Petrol Trend MT(Ex-Showroom Price : Rs 8.84 Lakh):

The Ford EcoSport from the legendary automaker is a 1.5-litre three-cylinder, Petrol Engine compact SUV with a 5-speed Manual Transmission. The Engine is capable of producing 123 HP of Power @6,500rpm and 150 N-m of Torque @4,500rpm. It has mileage of 16.5Km/Lt.. It has Dual Front Airbags, an ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) with EBD (Electronic Brakeforce Distribution) as standard on all variant. The Compact SUV exudes a Sporty appeal with its two tone Interior theme.

The Good :

• Sporty Dual Tone Interior Theme.
• High on Value for Money.
• Powerful, Fuel Efficient Engine.
• Rated 4 star by Euro NCAP
• Great Bootspace : 352lt.

The Bad :

• Though largest, the Bootspace is Tall & Shallow, requiring to stack things vertically.
• Thick A-Pillars obstruct visibility.
• Back seat not spacious.

Mahindra XUV300 W6 Petrol (Ex-Showroom Price : Rs 9.15 Lakh):

The Mahindra XUV300 is one of the Best Selling Compact SUV from the Homegrown Automaker. It has 1.2 Lt. 3-cylinders Petrol Engine which is capable of producing 109HP Power @5000rpm & 200N-m Torque @3500rpm. The Engine is BS 6-Compliant and has 6-Speed Manual Transmission. It comes equipped with 2-Front Airbags, ABS with EBD & Disc Brakes in all four wheels.It has mileage of 17Km/Lt.

The Good:

• 5-star rating for Adult Safety & India’s first and only car to have a 4-star rating for Child safety from Global NCAP.
• Powerful engine with Best in segment Torque.
• Spacious Cabin & Legroom.

The Bad :

• Boot space is one of the lowest at 257lt.
• No Android auto or Apple Carplay support in this model.

Conclusion :

All things considered, I would recommend Mr. Pughazhyendhii to go for Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza VXi. It’s a great Family Car with Decent Looks, Good Mileage & Great After-Sales Service of Maruti-Suzuki.

The Mahindra XUV300 is also a great option with top class Safety Features but due to its low Boot space is not ideal for Travelling with family, which Mr. Pughazhyendhii often goes to. But if Low Boot space can be ignored, it’s a Great Car, although a bit expensive than the Vitara Brezza.