Benchmarking
BENCHMARKING 1:
Mr . D.S. Pughazhyendhii's family requires what Safe Car yet the value which offers an Equilibrium strike of Mileage, Maintenance with Good space, Features and a Social Status too of not to be owning a car which is of entry segment but one which offers Value.
With Transformation happening in Mindsets - Safety along with Good Interiors, Features are also making an important buying aspect.
Mr . D.S. Pughazhyendhii\'s major requirements in a car are:
- 5-7 seats for his family members.
- Budget: Rs. 8-10 Lakhs/-, on road price
- Good Mileage
- Good car for easy commuting within city and long drive as well.
- He is also fond of big cars.
Based on top selling cars in 2022-23 and keeping Mr . D.S. Pughazhyendhii\'s requiremnts in a car, I recommend following cars (mostly SUVs and sedan) to him:
- Maruti Ertiga (MPV)
- Ford Ecosport (SUV)
- Tata Nexon (SUV)
- Maruti Brezza (SUV)
- Hyundai Venue (SUV)
- Maruti Baleno (SUV)
- Honda WRV (SUV)
- Hyundai Verna (Sedan)
1. Maruti Ertiga (Petrol):
On Road Price in Bangalore: ₹ 9 Lakh
Specifiactions Summary:
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 18 Kmpl to 26 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | 6 Speed |
| Fuel Type: | Petrol / Diesel / CNG |
| Transmission: | Manual / Automatic |
| Length Width Height: | 4395*1735*1690 |
| Seating Capacity: | 7 |
| Boot Space: | 209 litres |
| Power: | 93.87bhp@4000rpm |
| Torque: | 225Nm@1500-2500rpm |
| Engine Displacement: | 1248 CC / 1498 CC |
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 14 Kmpl to 23 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | 5 Speed |
| Fuel Type: | Petrol / Diesel |
| Transmission: | Manual / Automatic |
| Length Width Height: | 3998*1765*1647 |
| Seating Capacity: | 5 |
| Rear Shoulder Room: | 1225mm |
| Boot Space: | 352-litres |
| Power: | 98.96bhp@3750rpm |
| Torque: | 205Nm@1750-3250rpm |
| Engine Displacement: | 999 CC / 1498 CC |
Upside: Nicely loaded lineup, great engine options and great handling.
Downside: Second row can get a little bumpy, there\'s no diesel automatic variant and loaded variants get a little pricey.
Verdict: The success of the Ford EcoSport can be attributed to its packaging. It offers great engines, good interiors with an appealing design and that very likeable SUVish stance.
3. Tata Nexon (Petrol):
On Road Price in Bangalore: ₹ 8.47 Lakh
Specifiactions Summary:
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 17 Kmpl to 21 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | 6 Speed |
| Fuel Type: | Petrol / Diesel |
| Transmission: | Manual / Automatic |
| Length Width Height: | 3994*1811*1607 |
| Seating Capacity: | 5 |
| Boot Space: | 350 |
| Power: | 108.5bhp@3750rpm |
| Torque: | 260Nm@1500-2750rpm |
| Engine Displacement: | 1198 CC / 1497 CC |
Upside: Funky looks grab a lot of attention: elements such as the dual-tone roof and the large 16-inch alloys stand out, Harman-tuned 8-speaker music system is a delight; easily the best in class, Practicality isn\'t compromised on - the cabin, as well as the boot, is spacious, Punchy diesel engine offers a nice blend of fun and frugality.
Downside: 1.2-litre turbo-petrol is noisy; feels uninvolving to drive, Few rough edges inside-out need ironing out.
Verdict: The Nexon brings a dose of freshness to the compact-SUV game. There\'s a lot to like including the design, features and the diesel engine. But, there are a few gremlins Tata needs to address with respect to fit and finish, so do keep an eye out for that.
4. Maruti Vitera Brezza (Ldi) (Deisel):
On Road Price in Bangalore: ₹ 9.62 Lakh
Specifiactions Summary:
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 24 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | 5 Speed |
| Fuel Type: | Diesel |
| Transmission: | Manual / Automatic |
| Length Width Height: | 3995*1790*1640 |
| Seating Capacity: | 5 |
| Rear Shoulder Room: | 1400mm |
| Boot Space: | 328-litres |
| Power: | 88.5bhp@4000rpm |
| Torque: | 200Nm@1750rpm |
| Engine Displacement: | 1248 CC |
Upside: Exterior design, interior design, features, road dynamics, Price.
Downside: Overall interior quality, less powerful engine.
Verdict: The new compact SUV, the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is a no-nonsense car for someone that wants to buy a reliable, stylish and yet, very well-equipped SUV with adequate performance.
5. Hyundai Venue:
On Road Price in Bangalore for following Variants:
| Variants | On Road Price (in Laks) |
| E (Petrol) | 8.07 |
| S (Petrol) | 8.91 |
| E (Deisel) | 9.58 |
Specifiactions Summary:
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 17 Kmpl to 23 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | 7-Speed |
| Fuel Type: | Petrol / Diesel |
| Transmission: | Manual / Automatic |
| Length Width Height: | 3995*1770*1605 |
| Seating Capacity: | 5 |
| Boot Space: | 350 L |
| Power: | 118bhp@6000rpm |
| Torque: | 172 Nm |
| Engine Displacement: | 998 CC / 1396 CC |
Upside: Attractive pricing (introductory), Youthful exterior design, Easy ingress/egress, Spot-on ergonomics, First-in-segment e-SIM tech, Peppy and smooth 3-cylinder petrol, Comfort-oriented suspension setup.
| Variants | On Road Price (in Lakhs) |
| Sigma (Petrol) | 7.36 |
| Delta (Petrol) | 8.36 |
| Sigma (Diesel) | 8.81 |
| Zeta (Petrol) | 9.06 |
| DualJet Delta (Petrol) | 9.5 |
| Delta (Diesel) | 9.81 |
| Alpha (Petrol) | 9.84 |
| Delta CVT (Petrol) | 9.99 |
Specifiactions Summary:
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 21 Kmpl to 27 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | CVT |
| Fuel Type: | Petrol / Diesel |
| Transmission: | Manual / Automatic |
| Length Width Height: | 3995*1745*1510 |
| Seating Capacity: | 5 |
| Boot Space: | 339-litres |
| Power: | 83.1bhp@6000rpm |
| Torque: | 115Nm@4000rpm |
| Engine Displacement: | 1197 CC / 1248 CC |
Upside: The cabin space of the Baleno is good and five adults can easily sit and not get cramped like the Swift. Even the boot can swallow a good 339 litre, which is second best in the segment, coming after the Honda Jazz
Downside: Since the hatchback is positioned as a premium car, the Baleno lacks the best or the premium touch in its interiors. The quality is good, however, it could have been better considering Maruti positioning it as a premium product. The feel and quality of the Hyundai Elite i20 are comparatively better, well, some of you might differ.
Verdict: The advantages of the Maruti Baleno outweighs its disadvantages because its features and the kind of money you are putting into the hatchback. It might not be the best looking car, certainly, it\'s not a bad looking car at all. In fact, it brings out a sense of a bold and muscular looking car.
7. Honda WRV:
On Road Price in Bangalore: ₹ 9.75 Lakh
Specifiactions Summary:
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 17 Kmpl to 25 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | 6 Speed |
| Fuel Type: | Petrol / Diesel |
| Transmission: | Manual |
| Length Width Height: | 3999*1734*1601 |
| Seating Capacity: | 5 |
| Rear Shoulder Room: | 1270mm |
| Boot Space: | 363 Litres |
| Power: | 98.6bhp@3600rpm |
| Torque: | 200Nm@1750rpm |
| Engine Displacement: | 1199 CC / 1498 CC |
Upside: Sunroof! Looks sportier than Jazz, Large 363-litre boot, Great view out makes city driving easy, Efficient diesel engine.
Downside: Touch controls for A/C annoying, Suspension gets very bouncy above 100 kmph.
Verdict: The WR-V has the ingredients to make it the best crossover hatchback in the segment but falls short because of a soft suspension and poorly designed rear seats.
8. Hyundai Verna VTVT 1.4 E (Petrol):
On Road Price in Bangalore: ₹ 9.97 Lakh
Specifiactions Summary:
| Mileage (ARAI) kmpl: | 17 Kmpl to 24 Kmpl |
| Gear Box: | 6 Speed |
| Fuel Type: | Petrol / Diesel |
| Transmission: | Automatic / Manual |
| Length Width Height: | 4440*1729*1475 |
| Seating Capacity: | 5 |
| Rear Shoulder Room: | 1315mm |
| Boot Space: | 480 |
| Power: | 126.2bhp@4000rpm |
| Torque: | 259.87nm@1500-3000rpm |
| Engine Displacement: | 1368 CC / 1591 CC |
Upside: Refreshed styling, Engine options, improved dynamics, refinement.
Downside: For all that it’s worth the Verna lacks safety equipment on the lower end variants, which can be a let down. Its suspension setup is soft and unless you can live with that body roll it’s not a good choice. That also makes it a complete no-no for enthusiastic drivers. More so because it’s handling is not up to the mark especially if you want to take sharp turns or drive fast. Another downside to the Verna is its rear seats which are a bit too low for comfort.
Verdict: It offers good mileage, in both its diesel and petrol avatars. Its pricing too is attractive and the wide array of variants makes it even more lucrative for buyers with specific budgets and needs. To top it all the Verna by virtue of being a popular Hyundai sedan also has good resale value, if you ever decide to part with one!
BENCHMARKING 2:
Since Mr . D.S. Pughazhyendhii is fond of big car and goes for a long drive once in a month, Ertiga could be a best choice. But won\'t be suitable enough for commuting in crowded city like Bangalore. So Ertiga won't be my first choice.
Though Ecosport is sturdy and well known for SUV, rear seats are not comfortable enough for 3 passengers but might have to squeeze in. Engine is also much noisy compared to other cars mentioned in the list.
The Tata Nexon does have a powerful engine under the hood and is way more powerful than some of its competitors like Honda WR-V and Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. However, when it comes to rear seat comfortness for 3 passengers and adding punchiness to the drive, the Nexon bows down. A good suspension is not equally supported by some good steering dynamics.
As of now, the Brezza comes only in the diesel engine, but not in petrol. Not all brakes are disc as compared with S cross. The Brezza has got the lowest in segment boot space of 328 litres which could really trouble you while you are travelling with friends and family.
Since the hatchback is positioned as a premium car, the Baleno lacks the best or the premium touch in its interiors. Its uncomfortable for tall people.
Rear seats of Verna are a bit too low for comfort which is unacceptable for aged people. Its suspension setup is soft and unless you can live with that body roll it’s not a good choice. That also makes it a complete no-no for enthusiastic drivers.
Since Mr . D.S. Pughazhyendhii travels both in city and long distance I would like to recommend him a better SUV. Honda WRV would be my first choice, as it offers awesome bootspace with 363 ltrs and good spacious cabin for 3 passengers at rear seat. Cruise control in Diesel model gives definitely great driving relaxation. It also comes with great features like 2 power outlets, 2 usb points, Front center console armrest and high quality music system. Honda WRV is definitly worth its price compared to other SUVs with similar price and I strongly believe Mr . D.S. Pughazhyendhii will have a great experience with Honda WRV.