As follow up to my original review from 19 months ago, wish to state the following:
- Almost done 20000 kms. This IS one hell of a workhorse. And I stand by it.
2.Not a single major complaint. Minor niggles-YES-3 of them.
3.Driving in slow HEAVY traffic was NOT easy initial few months.
- LONG DRIVES on HIGHWAYS- **excellent
*5.Dealer Service CAN get better
- Mileage without AC-15 to 16 on highways & 12 with AC. 10 in city traffic with AC.
am happy with my original decision and enjoying my overall experience
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shortened notes from my original review in March 08
1. I have my male ego to take care of. Yeah, so what if I am close to 40?. So I wanted a nice looking(not an ostentatiously dressed up) SUV.
2. I dislike audacity- whether it is expressed in the forms of words or through an overtly expensive vehicle or house or whatever way one can be audacious. Therefore some of the outlandish models with hefty price tags were ruled out instantly - even though I could afford one( thank you sweet lord for being kind to me).
3. I wanted space for everyone in my family- a SUV which can seat 6-8 people max- without having to push and shovel for space.
4. I wanted a robust, well designed, comfortable SUV priced under 10 lakhs.
5. I did not want it to be a gas guzzling beast. I think every one of us buying a new vehicle, irrespective of how much money we can throw at vehicles, must consider this factor.
These were among few other important factors.( cant afford to type all of it!).
And, I waited for my utopian dream of getting an SUV which would meet all of my requirements.
Then AutoExpo happened. I spot the Grande. Yours truly is impressed. Well, now that the looks department was taken care of. I waited to test drive. The dealer called me the day it arrived. I liked it after a long satisfying test drive.
I dont know about others but how on earth can some of us get put off by PLASTICS?! I dont know if I really stare at the plastics when I drive! I dont know if I even touch them when I drive! Why is there such a furore on plastics?! Who on earth would one want to worry about plastics when you pay around 8Lakhs for a 2.2 litre SUV that offers a lot of good things?! I dont. And thank you god for not turning me into a fussy animal who whines about every single object on mother earth. If someone wants better plastics, why dont they go buy expensive toys elsewhere especially if they want to spend more spend and they have it!
This vehicle HAS a lot of fancy contraptions and gizmos attached to it, which, till recently was never accessible to most Indians.
And, please, parabolic leaf springs are just fine for the kind of driving we do. And, who in his right mind is going to drive too rash and too fast if you have kids and parents to worry about? So if you are not a fast, rash and irresponsible driver, why the fuss about no airbags? And, pray, since when did we indians worry about driving a vehicle which come with no ABS? Then there is a sanctimonious outpouring of absolute rubbish such as'D Pillar is bland'.seats could have been above bonnet, four rows would have been better, no DVD player under the wheels.the whinings go on and on. which la la land are we in?
Dear Lord, what have you done to us minions in a developing country who have become maniacally fussy about high snob value contraptions?
Anyway, I am now the proud owner of an Indian built SUV backed by an$8billion Indian company which is not going anywhere but global!
It has the best third row seating, AC for everyone in all three rows, 8 seat belts, cup holders,
six speakers, alpine system, lights under the doors, It can comfortably seat 8 people and it has all the stuff you need to travel without much of a compromise.
It is already doing a little more than 13 kms per liter of diesel.I am sure this will go further up after the first service.Max speed of 140kmph( who wants that kind of speed anyway?). It has the latest Safari engine( who wants that much power anyway?) and tuned to produce 118 bhp( more than enough for a family in India?!).This vehicle is tall-the view from the driver's seat is awesome.The turning radius is designed to accomodate family drivers.
I have had a good experience with the dealer too!( but, darn, he could have thrown in a freebie or two:-)
What SUMO lacked was a classy design and a pitch to attract young, upwardly mobile double income/single income urban families with kid(s). How many SUVs are there in India which meets just that? So they built a new plant after telling their UV engineers - go get the DINKS and DISK familiies in the large/small metros and suburbs and turn the SUMO into a family friendly SUV. And they did just that.( and remember this is just the beginning of the GRANDE)
It the end, it is so refreshing to hear that it will already take over two months to get your grande in some cities in India( yes, this is actually pleasant news). Why? coz that means there are a whole lot of us indians( and am sure they form the majority) who are less fussy about little things in life.such as plastics and cup holders( HA!).
Look for the robust engine, the overall built, the engineering and the design. AUTOCAR rates GRANDE at 7/10. Pay more than double the money for one of those other expensive models which is rated.er.almost the same by AUTOCAR.
So folks who want to spend responsibly on a decent, reliable, value for money SUV which can meet your needs and your family's needs without the fuel bills and EMIs burning your pocket, go for the GRANDE.
So who should notbuy the grande?
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1.Folks who like perfectly finished interiors- the linings, the curves, the beadings etc etc which most of us common drivers actually dont lose sleep over.
Those who want more power than 120 bhp( there are more powerful SUVs in the market at higher pricer points)
Folks not tolerant of sticky gears.
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