Which SUV to buy?

I have shortlisted the Mahindra XUV500 and the Renault Duster as my next SUV to buy. In terms of ownership, comfort, after sales and resale value, which among the two is the better bet?

Capt. Sanjeev Chauhan, via email

AAA: The big advantage of the XUV500 is that it has seven seats, is spacious and loaded with equipment. It also looks quite striking and design is the reason why it has found a lot of takers. However, we feel the Duster is a better engineered product. The Renault SUV is nicer to drive, has a far better ride and in our view would be more reliable too. The XUV500 has earned a reputation for throwing up niggling faults which the company hasn't entirely sorted out as yet. In terms of resale value both these SUVs should command a good price in the used car market as there is a strong demand for them.