What is a good seven-seat SUV?
Nishant, via email: I am looking for a seven-seat SUV that is fun to drive, has good steering feedback, a peppy engine, and an auto gearbox. It should also be spacious enough for a family and have good boot space as well. My budget is ₹40 lakh, but I can stretch it up to ₹75 lakh.
For your budget, the only seven-seaters are body-on-frame SUVs like the Fortuner, Endeavour, Alturas and now the MG Gloster. For sheer power, there is nothing to beat the Fortuner, though the Gloster is better overall, offering more space, a superb steering and a huge boot. All these cars will fit your ₹40 lakh budget. There are no other seven-seat SUVs in the ₹75 lakh bracket. Spacious seven-seat SUVs like the BMW X7 and Mercedes GLS will cost upwards of a crore.
Replacing the tyres
Ajay, Bengaluru: What are the replacement options for the tyres (235/55 R17) of my 2012 Audi Q3 2.0 TDI Quattro? I need them to be rugged, puncture-resistant on my farms and good for the occasional mild off-roading as well as on highways. What is your opinion on the Maxxis S-pro (V rated)? My existing tyres are Continental Sport Contact 2, which have run 70,000km already.
Both the Pirelli and the Maxxis are good choices as replacement tyres for the Continental. The Scorpion Verde are primarily for highway use, hence the off-road capabilities might suffer a bit. You can consider the Michelin Latitude Sport. The Maxxis S Sport seem to be more for highway use, with good grip in dry and wet conditions, while in off-road conditions, it may suffer with wear and grip.
Hormazd Sorabjee is the editor of Autocar India. Mail your feedback and queries to roadshow@thehindu.co.in
