MPV cars in India (23)

I am looking for a 7-seater vehicle for my family. My main criterion is that the vehicle should be safe and sturdy. I live in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, and drive around 15,000 km a year. Kindly guide me in choosing the right vehicle.

I keep fixating on achieving a 5-star safety rating for both adult and child occupants. My family consists of four adults and one child. I currently drive a Tata Altroz MT and want to upgrade to an automatic car. My requirements are as follows: I cannot buy an SUV because an elderly family member finds it difficult to get in and out. I cannot buy another Tata or Mahindra. My budget is a maximum of Rs 20 lakh, which I plan to pay off over three years. I need a 7-seater. I need good ground clearance, but the car must also be easy for elderly people to get in and out of. A 5-star safety rating for both adult and child occupants is non-negotiable. Given these requirements, does a 5-star safety rating actually mean anything in real-world conditions, or is it just a marketing gimmick? Thanks!

I already have 2 cars including Celerio automatic and i20 diesel. My family needs a six-seater car and budget is not a problem but we want a car for driving within the city and in this case, parking is the problem. I drive less than 10,000 kilometer annually. I drive with all family members mostly within the city and my entire family is shorter than 5 feet 3 inches. I am thinking of having an i20 for highway riding as four of us usually go out. I am planning to buy Triber turbo for 6 family members within the city and for occasional highway trips rather than buying costly cars like Clavis or HyCross.

Regarding the Crysta option, I have found a 2024 Innova Crysta ZX manual with only 10,000 km on the odometer, available for sale at an authorised showroom. Is it wise to prefer this sparingly used Crysta over a brand-new GX or GX Plus variant? I find the deal quite attractive.

I’m quite confused about my next car upgrade and would really appreciate some advice from people who have experience travelling with large families and pets. We are a family of six: my wife, our child, my parents, our dog and me. Until now, I’ve been using a Tata Punch, which has served us reasonably well. However, with our little baby, things have become considerably more complicated. A five-seater no longer seems practical, especially when we travel with luggage and our dog. My usage is a mix of daily commuting (around 20 km a day) and family road trips. We usually undertake 3-4 long trips a year with approx 3-4k kms round trip. I’ve been considering three options: 1. Tata Sierra The idea here is to use all five seats for the family and create a padded, bed-like platform in the boot for our dog. I could use the space underneath the platform for luggage. The ROX edition’s roof carrier is another interesting option, although I’m unsure about the legal restrictions on roof-mounted luggage carriers and whether they could attract challans in states such as Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 2. Tata Safari The Safari offers the advantage of a third row. I’m wondering whether I could fold down half of the third row to accommodate luggage while keeping the other half for my dog. I’d probably need to install some sort of secure partition or cage to prevent luggage from shifting onto the dog or flying forward during sudden braking. However, I’m not sure how practical or safe this arrangement would be. 3. Toyota Innova Hycross (GXO) Given that my daily commute is relatively short, I’m not convinced that the hybrid’s additional cost would be justified by fuel savings alone. However, the Hycross’s cabin and luggage space are appealing. I’m wondering whether the third-row floor and boot could be configured to create a sufficiently large, flat and comfortable space for my dog while still accommodating our luggage. At this stage, these are just ideas, and I’m not sure how practical any of them would be in real-world conditions. I’d particularly appreciate advice from people who travel with their dogs, especially on long road trips. How do you manage luggage, ensure your pet’s safety and keep the cabin comfortable for everyone? Are there any other vehicles or practical modifications I should consider? One important consideration is that our baby is still very small, so we don’t have any major trips planned in the immediate future. I’m perfectly happy to postpone our next big road trip for a year or so. Consequently, I’m in no hurry to buy a car and am open to waiting for upcoming launches if something more suitable is on the horizon. I’d love to hear about your actual experiences, particularly with pet-friendly car setups, rather than just theoretical suggestions. Any advice on the choice of vehicle, safe modifications or alternative configurations would be greatly appreciated.