Benchmarking

Vehicle Benchmarking:

• When a Product(vehicle) is designed or prepared for an upgrade, the team has to decide on adding on new features or update the older ones based on customer feedbacks.
• To decide on what features to add as per latest requirements and feedbacks, the term Benchmarking comes in picture.
• Benchmarking means to evaluate every aspect of the product and compare it with a standard product already in the market. 
• It is a form of Reverse Engineering, in which analysis is done with a huge amount of data collected from a competitor's car or a previous generation of the vehicle to be upgraded.
• Vehicle Benchmarking is the first step in a Vehicle Development Process which is done by the OEM or by a 3rd party company.
• The Benchmarking Process considers various attributes of the vehicle.
• The amaount of attributes or data is decided by the OEM beforehand.
• Some of the attributes are Performance of the vehicle, Driveability, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Sound / NVH, Real life fuel consumption, Pollutant emissions, Friction, Thermal, energy management, Vehicle dynamics, Handling and Ride Comfort.
• These attributes are collected from a similar segment vehicle in form of data and compared as per requirement of the OEM.
• The Required data is processed and updated in a new form to stand out in the eyes of the customer.
• After all this the vehicle development process is started with concept creation and design engineering of the new features and elements.
• Figure 1 shows the comparison of some features considered for Benchmarking.

Figure1: Some Attributes considered in Benchmarking process. Source:CarDekho comparison

Comparison of 4 Cars of same segment between 8-10 Lakh Rupees on road Bengaluru.

Chosen Segment: Compact SUV.

Car Names and Price: 

KIA Sonet HTK 1.2 - Rs. 9.37 lakhs

Nissan Magnite XV Turbo - Rs. 9.60 lakhs

Hyundai Venue 1.2 S - Rs. 9.39 lakhs

TATA Nexon XM -  Rs. 9.94 lakhs 

1.) KIA Sonet HTK 1.2:

GOOD POINTS: 

• Feature Loaded
• Nice to Drive
• Best in Class Boot Space
• Fresh Look both on outside and inside.

NOT SO GOOD POINTS:

• Rear Seat Space
• Lacks Driving Modes
• New Brand - less service network

Specifications:

FEATURES:

• Safety:

• 
• Other Highlighting features:
  • Day/Night IRVM
  • Speed sensing auto door lock
  • Impact Sensing Auto Door Unlock
  • Central Lock
  • Tilt adjustable steering
  • Electrically adjustable ORVM's
  • Front and Rear Power Windows
  • Front and Rear USB Charging ports
  • Rear AC Vents.
  • Audio system with Steering Mounted Controls
  • Height Adjustable Driver Seat
  • Semi Leatherate Upholstery
  • Styled 16'' Steel Wheels.
• Added Feature List:
• 

2.) Nissan Magnite XV Turbo:

GOOD POINTS: 

• Well Equiped with features
• Smooth Turbo Engine 

NOT SO GOOD POINTS:

• Build Quality
• Service network issue
• Stiff Ride

Specifications:

FEATURES:

• Safety:
  • Rear Parking Camera
  • LED Fog Lamps
  • Rear Defogger and Wiper
  • 
• Other Highlighting features:
  • Day/Night IRVM
  • Speed sensing auto door lock
  • Impact Sensing Auto Door Unlock
  • Remote Central Lock
  • Tilt adjustable steering
  • Electrically adjustable ORVM's
• Added Features:
• 

3.) Hyundai Venue 1.2 S:

GOOD POINTS: 

• High Quality Interiors
• Bold Looks

NOT SO GOOD POINTS:

• Rear Seat Space
• Rear Seat Leg Room

Specifications:

FEATURES:

• Safety:
  • 
  • Day/Night IRVM
  • Speed sensing auto door lock
  • Impact Sensing Auto Door Unlock
  • Central Lock
  • Rear Defogger
• Other Highlighting features:
  • Music System with Steering Mounted Audio Controls
  • All 4 power Windows
  • Rear AC vents
  • Electrically adjustable ORVM's
  • Cooled Glovebox
  • Front Arm Rest
  • Exterior: Roof Rails, Chrome front Grille
• Missing Features:
  • Height Adjustable Driver Seat
  • Rear Head Rest
• Added Features:
• 

4.) TATA Nexon XM:

GOOD POINTS: 

• Ride Quality
• Styling
• Rear Seat Space
• Best in class Ground Clearance

NOT SO GOOD POINTS:

• No Rear AC Vents
• Inconsistent Mileage

FEATURES:

• Safety:
  • 
  • Speed sensing auto door lock
  • Impact Sensing Auto Door Unlock
  • Central Lock
• Key Additional Safety Features:
• 
• Key Additional Features:
  • Multi Drive Modes
  • Tilt Steering
  • Digital Instrument Cluster
  • Flat Bottom Steering
  • LED DRL's
  • Harman Audio System
  • All Power Windows
  • Electrically adjustable and Foldable ORVM's
  • RooF Rails 
  • Wheel Covers
• 

• Missing Features:
  • Height Adjustable Driver Seat
  • Rear Head Rest
  • Steering Mounted Audio Controls
  • Day/Night IRVM
  • Rear Defogger
• Considering Upgrade toXM(s) Variant with an incremental cost of Rs.52,000 is worthy.
• Added Features in XMS variant: Auto Headlamps, Rain Sensing Wipers, Sunroof and Steering Mounted Audio Controls.

My Verdict: 

Since the Person wants to travel with his family and wants a big Car, TATA NEXON XM(S) is the best option as it is has the biggest overall dimensions when compared to Other 3.

Considering travelling to Madurai, the safety features on Nexon beats all the other options as it would be a priority while driving such long routes.

The Engine also comes equipped with a Turbocharger as standard in all variants to the Power and Torque figures are also pretty impressive in comparison to others.

My Rankings as per the person's Requirements:

1. TATA Nexon XM(S)
2. Nissan Magnite Turbo 1.0 SV Turbo
3. KIA Sonet HTK
4. Hyundai Venue 1.2 S