Benchmarking

BENCHMARKING -

Benchmarking is the process of standard comparision of mutiple similar products/services on a given set of performance factors. In Automotive Industry, there are different levels of Benchmarking namely, Benchmarking I & Benchmarking II.

Benchmarking I -

This type of Benchmarking is a more generic mode of comparision as in the performance factors considered are more general and non-technical. The presence or absence of a Sunroof in the cars being compared could considered a generic comparision. Because, this is a more aesthetic & non-technical component and this doesn't affect the performance of the car in any sense. And, overall this Benchmarking focusses on the entire car for comparision.

Benchmarking II -

This type of Benchmarking is a more technical comparision. And this is a part by part comparision as in we only compare one major part of a car in a lot of detail, in this method of comparision. In a way, this is more or less a detailed Report of "Benchmarking I". A good example of this type of Benchmarking would be that of comparing the engine performance of multiple cars. The performace factors within this broad Benchmarking can be Max. Torque, Max. Power & Engine Capacity etc., We could also consider the material used, the total weight of the engine setup etc.,

We basically select a single component and study every single element that it comprises and everything it does.

BENCHMARKING REPORT

Before we start with the comparision, we need to setup a few important performance parameters to make our comparision. And, based on the lifestyle and personal interests of Mr. Pughazhyendhii, we consider the following as the performance parameters -

1. Size of car (Length) - We know that he loves big cars and for the budget he has, we can suggest him sub-4 meter SUVs & Crossovers.
2. Mileage - This is an important factor for almost every car buyer, so this also has been considered as a performance factor.
3. Safety - This is an important aspect for any buyer, but more important here because, he plans on making Long trips once every month which means going on State and National Highways. These roads are very dangerous because of Heavy vehicles and High speeds.
4. Storage Capacity (Boot space) - This is an important performance parameter for him because, he has a family of 5 and 4 out of those 5 are adults. This directly makes for more luggage and so, boot space is important.
5. Infotainment System - This is an important feature. The reason being that he lives in Bangalore which is a big city and there is need for GPS to avoid traffic jams and to to get home sooner or the like. And of course, they can take calls hands-free thus making it more safer on the roads.

So, we'll be making a Benchmarking Report based on these parameters.

RENAULT KIGER

Renault Kiger marks the entrance of Renault into the sub-4 meter (Compact) SUV segment of the Indian Market. It's been launched very recently (Mid-May 2021). Renault is known for it's easy handling. Because of it's late entry into the market, Renault has decided to go with very competitive prices and features to boost their sales. The price starts from 5.65 Lakhs and goes upto 10.60 Lakhs. So, this is one of the few "big" cars in the market that Mr. Pughazhyendhii can get a high-end variant of, with his budget. The variant we can suggest him to get is - RXT 1.0 Turbo MT Dual Tone (9.82 Lakhs). Renault is known for it's peppy and responsive engines.

POSITIVES -

• It is a much safer car compared to a lot of it's competitors. It has a 4 Star NCAP Safety Rating. It also is the only car with 4 Airbags in it's segment.
• It also has the largest boot among it's competitors with a whopping 405 Liters.
• It also has good mileage, which is also an important parameter for us. They claim that it gives a combined of 20 Kmpl.(Only next to Kia Sonet)
• This is the only car within the budget that offers a Touch Infotainment System.(with Apple Car Play and Android Auto)

NEGATIVES -

• The shoulder room in the rear seats is not great.
• The trend of Cheap Plastic interiors from the previous generations of Renault-Nissan Cars continues in this car too.
• Renault-Nissan servicing network isn't the best.

EXTRAS -

• Only car in the budget with a rear camera.
• It has rear AC Vents.
• Has the best-in-class Ground Clearance.

VERDICT - SHORTLIST (4 STAR)

KIA SONET

Kia is a sister company to Korean Automotive Giant - Hyundai. Sonet is the sub-4 meter car from Kia. All over the world, Kia is known for their sharp and mean looking designs. And they don't let us down with the design of the Sonet. it is one of the best looking cars in this segment. Kia is also knowm for giving a large selection of variants for their users. They keep the trend going for this car as well. The price ranges from 8.68 Lakhs to 16.50 Lakhs. The variant that Mr. Pughazhyendhii can afford is HTE 1.5 Diesel Manual.

POSITIVES -

• Highest Mileage Claim among all the cars compared, because of it's diesel engine. It claims an combined average of 24 Kmpl.
• Second best Boot space among competitors of 392 Liters.
• Comes with the standard 2 Airbags.

NEGATIVES -

• Not NCAP tested. It doesn't have a Star Rating.
• It doesn't come with an infotainment system as a standard in this variant.
• No barke assists.
• Second row isn't very spacious because of the big boot and it being the shortest among it's competitors.

EXTRAS -

• Has Rear AC Vents.
• Good interior Styling.

VERDICT - CONSIDER (3 STAR)

HYUNDAI VENUE

Hyundai is the parent company to Kia and Venue is the Hyundai equivalent of the Kia Sonet. Both these cars share the same platform. They also share the same engines. Even the design idealogy is pretty similar. Only the lighting design and the interiors change from car to car. And public opinion is that Kia styles it's cars better than Hyundai does. The on-road prices range from 8.40 Lakhs to 14.50 Lakhs. The variant our client can afford is S 1.2 Petrol.

POSITIVES -

• Hyundai is very well established in the Indian market and is known to deliver standard cars.
• Has the third best boot space among the competitors of 350 Liters.
• Offers an above-average mileage of 17.52 Kmpl.
• The servicing network of Hyundai is very good.

NEGATIVES -

• No NCAP test rating.
• Can get more features with the same price from it's sister company Kia even though they're pretty much the same cars.
• No brake assists available.

EXTRAS -

• Has an infotainment system. Not a lot of the competitors have one.

VERDICT - AVOID (2 STAR)

TATA NEXON

Tata Nexon is the entry for the Compact SUV segment. Tata is an indigenous company and is very well known for it's reliability and customer outreach. Since it's acqusition of JLR a few years ago, it's design language has changed. It's been trying to incorporate the JLR designs into it's cars and that coupled with it's longknown saftey makes it an exciting prospect. The prices too are competitive. The range starts from 8.79 Lakhs and goes upto 16.59 Lakhs. The variant our client can afford is XM Petrol Manual.

POSITIVES -

• Very safe car. Has an NCAP Crash Test Rating of 5 Stars.
• A wide variety of Brake assists available.
• Third best Boot space in the segment of 350 Liters.
• Claims an average combined mileage of 17.4 Kmpl.
• Highest ground clearance of the class of 209 mm.

NEGATIVES -

• No AC vents in the rear.
• Tata engines aren't particularly known for being peppy.
• No touch infotainment system.

EXTRAS -

• The safest car in the Indian market right now.
• Only car with as many driving assists in it's class.
• Sporty looking.(Thanks to JLR)

VERDICT - SHORTLIST (4 STAR)

MARUTI SUZUKI ERTIGA

Maruti Suzuki is the most successful Automotive brand in India. Primarily, because of their affordable prices and very efficient engines. Ertiga lives upto those trends. This is the only above-4 meter car in the Indian market in this budget range. The price starts from 9.37 Lakhs and goes upto 13.13 Lakhs. The variant our client can afford is the base Petrol variant - LXi.

POSITIVES -

• The longest car within our price range. It's 4395 mm long.
• It has a very efficient engine. Although it's longer and heavier than our other competitors, it claims to give a combined average mileage of 19.01 Kmpl.(Happens to be the third highest among the cars compared)
• Very cheap maintanance because of the extremely good servicing network and indigenous parts used.
• Only 7-seater in the choices available.

NEGATIVES -

• Because of the extra row of seating, only 209 Liters of boot space available.
• Has an average NCAP test rating of 3 Stars.
• Even though it's 4395 mm long, it doesn't have rear AC vents.
• No infotainment system at all.
• Entry level/ Base variant.

EXTRAS -

• Only car with a smart-hybrid engine in this price range.
• Biggest car in the price range.

VERDICT - CONSIDER (3 STAR)

FORD ECOSPORT

Ford is a pioneer in Automotive Manufacturing and is known for it's reliable and safe cars. Ecosport is no different. It is packed with very good features. The build quality is significantly better than the other cars we've seen during this comparision. The reason being that this is one of the few cars in this list that gets exported to different foreign markets. So, they manufacture this car keeping in mind those countries' build standards. The pricing thus goes up relatively. The range starts from 9.93 Lakhs and goes upto 14.60 Lakhs. So, naturally, we get a base variant of this car for our budget. The variant affordable by our client is Ambiente 1.5L Ti-VCT.

POSITIVES -

• International Build Quality.
• Boot space of 352 Liters.
• Good interior styling.

NEGATIVES -

• No NCAP Crash test rating.
• Is very pricey, considering we can get an almost high-end variant from Renault for the same money.
• Low mileage.
• No rear AC vents.

EXTRAS -

• An export quality car. Only such car in this range.
• From a very prestigious company.

VERDICT - CONSIDER (3 STAR)

MAHINDRA XUV300

Mahindra & Mahindra is an indigenous company and is a well-liked company. XUV 300 is their answer to the boom in Compact SUVs market in India. It sports the legendary mHawk Engine from Mahindra. It is an Indian-made engine and is very well known to Automotive enthusiasts in India. It is popular for it's response and performance. It also is a very safe car. It is a competively priced car. The range starts from 9.69 Lakhs and it goes upto 16.52 Lakhs. The variant our client can afford is a base variant - 1.2 W4 Petrol Manual.

POSITIVES -

• A very good powerful engine.
• A very safe car with NCAP crash rating of 5 Stars.
• Roomy rear seats with good leg room.
• Decent mileage of 17 Kmpl.

NEGATIVES -

• Base variant available.
• Small boot of 257 Liters because of the room rear bench.
• No infotainment system.
• The plastics inside aren't top-class.

EXTRAS -

• One of the best engines in the segment in terms of performance.

VERDICT - CONSIDER (3 STAR)

FINAL VERDICT

From the comparions made above, we can narrow it down to two cars as we can from the Star Rating system used. The two cars with the highest rating are -

1. RENAULT KIGER - The reasons for this have already been mentioned during the comparision. But a quick recap from Mr. Pughazhyendhii's perspective -

• Best-in-class Boot space for his monthly trips to Madhurai.
• Better mileage claim compared to the other 4 star rated car(Nexon).
• It is a big car just like Mr. Pughazhyendhii likes it.
• It has a 4 Star NCAP Crash test rating.
• It has a touch infotainment system.

2. TATA NEXON - The reasons we are considering this are -

• Safest car in the Indian Market.
• Good mileage.
• Good boot space.
• Has a lot of driving assists.

But all things considered, I suggest TATA NEXON. Because, TATA is a trusted brand and has been on the rise recently. In the first half of 2021, Nexon was the most sold Compact SUV in the country. This shows that it is a good car. Besides, it is the safest car in the Indian Market today. It offers a lot of driving assists that no other car in this segment offers. It has Hill-climb assist, Brake assist, Traction Control System, Electronic Brake-force Reduction. This naturally makes it a much safer car to drive around. On the contrary, even though Kiger has a lot of features, Renault cars have a history of unreliability(atleast in the Indian market). We can witness it in the Renault Kwid. And Renault Kiger has only been launched recently, so there isn't a lot of data to go off of. So, the final suggestion would be to go for the TATA NEXON.