Benchmarking

Aim: To benchmark vehicles based on their features and cost and suggest a suitable car for Mr D.S. Pughazhyendhii to suit his needs.

Benchmarking is the process of comparing the products’ features with the competitor and identify the improvements which can be done to make the new product better than the previous product. Benchmarking is done prior to the designing of the new product.

In this case, we will use a similar strategy to benchmark a car from different cars to suit the needs of Mr Pughazhyendhii. Following requirements are to be considered to suggest him a suitable car.

1. The car should accommodate 5 people easily.
2. The car would be used for daily use in crowded city.
3. The car would be used to travel long distance frequently.

Based on the needs of Mr Pughazhyendhii, we shortlisted following cars.

Mahindra XUV 300, Ford Ecosport, Tata Nexon and Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.

The above cars fare good in the sub-4 meter segment and give a good feel when driving on the varying conditions of the sub-continent. Let us see how they fare against each other.

	Mahindra XUV 300	Ford Ecosport	Tata Nexon	Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
Length	3995mm	3998mm	3994mm	3995mm
Width	1821mm	1765mm	1811mm	1790mm
Height	1627mm	1647mm	1607mm	1640mm
Wheelbase	2600mm	2519mm	2498mm	2500mm
Fuel Capacity	42 litres	52 litres	44 litres	48 litres
Ground Clearance	180mm	200mm	209mm	198mm
Kerb Weight	1405 kg	1304 kg	1285 kg	1195 kg
Tyre Size	215/55 R17	205/50 R17	215/60 R16	215/60 R16
Engine	1497cc, 4-Cyl Turbo Diesel	1498cc, 4-Cyl Turbo Diesel	1497cc, 4-Cyl Turbo Diesel	1248cc, 4-Cyl Turbo Diesel
Power/ Torque	117hp/300Nm	100hp/205Nm	110hp/260Nm	90hp/200Nm
Transmission	6-Speed Manual	5-Speed Manual	6-Speed Manual	5-Speed Manual
Boot Space	257 litres	352 litres	350 litres	328 litres
Touch Screen	7-inch	8-inch	7-inch	7-inch
Android Auto	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Satellite Navigation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Automatic Headlamps	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Automatic Wipers	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Projector Headlamps	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Cruise Control	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Airbags	7	6	2	2
Parking Sensors	Front+Rear	Rear	Rear	Rear
Tyre Pressure monitor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
ABS with EBD	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Rear Disc Brakes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Fuel Efficiency (City)	14.4 kmpl	13.3 kmpl	14.00 kmpl	15.3 kmpl
Fuel Efficiency (Highway)	17.9 kmpl	18.6 kmpl	18.00 kmpl	17.9 kmpl
Prices	10.5 lakh	10.6 lakh	9.88 lakh	9.92 lakh

Since Mr Pughazhyendhii loves big cars, the sub-4 meter SUV category would suit his liking for sure. From the above details, it is clear that all the cars have neck to neck features and performance. We would recommend him to buy a Tata Nexon for following aspects:

1. It can accommodate 5 people easily and they can sit in a comfortable position for long hours.
2. Leg room and head room are adequate as compared to other cars.
3. It also has a big boot to keep the luggage during Mr Pughazhyendhii’s travel to his native place every month. Also, cruise control adds to comfort of long drives.
4. The torque produced by the Tata Nexon is sufficient to pull the load in the back of the car.
5. The 1.5 litre Turbo Diesel Engine has soft clutch and is easier to control while moving in the traffic.
6. It also comes with USB charging ports as well as rear AC vents.
7. It has safety features such as airbags and ABS with EBD and also scores a 4-star rating in the global NCAP ratings.
8. Finally, it is available within the budget Mr Pughazhyendhii.

Conclusion: Mr Pughazhyendhii should buy a Tata Nexon to suit his needs.

Fig. : Tata Nexon Styling

Fig. : Tata Nexon Interior. The driver dosent need to hassle around to operate features while driving.

Fig. : Tata Nexon rear seats. There is plenty of space at rear for 3 people to sit comfortably.