25-30L SUV battle: 2023 Tata Harrier vs Seltos vs Compass vs others

Had it not been the facelifted Harrier with the updated ADAS, it would have been the facelifted Seltos. With top rated safety and styling, the Harrier has become a strong contender.

Tata Harrier facelift

Review Link

Kia Seltos

Review Link

Hyundai Creta

What you’ll like:

• A superbly engineered all-rounder that delivers a premium experience
• We find the Hyundai Creta to be well-priced for what it offers
• User-friendly interiors with sufficient space & good-quality parts
• Loved the 1.5L diesel. Will soon get the fast 1.5L turbo petrol too
• Smooth & competent automatic gearboxes available
• Sorted road manners & handling for a Hyundai, including on the highway. You will be surprised!
• The Creta’s safety package includes 6 airbags, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes, TPMS etc.
• Impressive kit (panoramic sunroof, paddle shifters, Bose sound system, cooled seats, cabin air purifier & loads more)
• Hyundai’s competent after-sales service, fuss-free ownership & up to 5-years standard warranty

What you won’t:

• Scored just 3 stars in the GNCAP crash tests
• Oddball love-it-or hate-it styling. We find the Creta’s exterior design to be too weird & futuristic
• Firmer suspension isn’t as cushy as the 1st-gen Creta
• Back seat’s width makes it better for 2 adults and a kid, rather than 3 adults
• Some misses (no auto wipers, 360-degree camera, illuminated window buttons, full-size spare tyre on top trims)
• Diesel’s 113 BHP & 250 Nm – although adequate – is the lowest in the segment
• You get bigger SUVs and crossovers for the same money (e.g. Hector, Harrier)

Review Link

Mahindra XUV700

What you’ll like:

• Handsome styling matched to solid build quality. Has street presence, feels robust
• Very spacious interiors with comfy seats and sorted ergonomics. 6-footer passengers welcome!
• 182 BHP turbo-diesel & 197 BHP turbo-petrol make for a potent line-up
• Smooth 6-speed torque converter Automatics available with both engines
• Sorted suspension with good road manners & high-speed stability
• AWD is available for the adventurous, unlike most FWD crossovers in the segment
• Loaded with features like radar-based driver assistance system, pop-out door handles, panoramic sunroof, driver memory seat, 360-degree camera, 10.25″ infotainment & instrument cluster etc.
• The 12-speaker Sony audio system is fantastic! You’ll enjoy its sound quality
• Safety features include 7 airbags, ESP, all-wheel disc brakes, hill hold, hill descent control, driver drowsiness detection, TPMS, ISOFIX…

What you won’t:

• Negligible boot space with the 3rd-row seat up. Either 5 on-board or 7 with a roof-top carrier
• Cramped 3rd-row seat is best suited to children only. A sliding middle row is sorely missed
• Petrol AT is thirsty due to its hefty weight, 197 BHP & torque-converter AT
• Some cabin plastics & a few rough areas don’t feel premium in an otherwise loaded SUV
• Missing features such as an auto-dimming IRVM, ventilated seats, paddle shifters, full-size spare wheel, ambient lighting, rear sunblinds…
• Concerns over niggles & bugs in a freshly baked, complex Mahindra. We saw 2!
• Mahindra’s after-sales service is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• AWD is available just with the Diesel AT, and not the MT or petrol motor

Link to Review

MG Hector

Review Link

Jeep Compass

What you’ll like:

• Handsome Cherokee-inspired styling & loads of character
• Solid build. Feels very robust, just as a Jeep should
• Powerful 2.0L diesel. Good driveability in the city, fast on the open road
• Mature suspension setup, nicely-tuned EPS & rock-solid stability
• Capable AWD available (unlike some competitors)
• City-friendly: Compact size, higher seating, smooth gearshift, soft clutch & low NVH
• Topnotch safety: Strong all-disc brakes, a plethora of electronic aids & 6 airbags
• We think the Compass is well-priced for what it offers. The driving experience & overall package feel premium

What you won’t:

• Small size for the price! A sentiment echoed by most people who saw it in person
• Suitable for 4 adults, not 5. The boot is small too
• Inexplicably, only the AWD Diesel gets 6 airbags! All other variants have 2
• Tiny dealership network. Plus, after-sales quality & long-term reliability are unknown factors
• AWD’s premium is over 2 lakh rupees on the road. Includes 4 extra airbags, but is still too much
• A turning radius of 5.65m is wide. Also, the 17º approach angle is too low

Link to Review

Jeep Compass 4×2 AT First Drive & Preview

Link to Report – The Trailhawk

Here’s what BHPian Buzzy_Boy had to say on the matter:

Voted for the Seltos. The XUV 700 is not bug free yet. Over 23 years of car ownership, and over 14 lakh KMs, this is our only mainstream vehicle that has failed to start (multiple times). This is also the first vehicle where I’ve gotten a check engine light (also multiple times)

This is some achievement as we also owned the infamous Indica, Indigo twins at some point.

I suspect that the Harrier would also not be niggle free. Peace of mind is an important feature of car ownership.

Here’s what BHPian gauravdgr8 had to say on the matter:

Had it not been the facelifted Harrier with the updated ADAS, it would have been the facelifted Seltos. With top rated safety and styling, it’s gotta be the Harrier.

Why not the XUV700. Simply because I don’t need the third row, and the AX5 skimps on features.

Compass, Creta – no features

Hector – Too much buzz around the company’s viability in India till JSW finalizes buying a stake

Here’s what BHPian Gupts007 had to say on the matter:

As much as the home grown brands have improved over the years and worked hard to give us vehicles that we would have never dreamt a few years ago that they would be able to deliver to us one day, I am still circumspect when buying any of the Tata and/or Mahindra vehicles. Their cars look good and with a generous dose of gimmicky features thrown in. However when you look deeper under the skin, a lot of it looks like makeup to me. Makeup that will come off one day during the long term vehicle ownership. A lot of them have tacky stuff and ergonomic oversights which I feel should have never overlooked in the first place.

For the lack of a better word, I feel they lack the ‘finesse’ that the Japanese and their Korean counterparts provide.

For these reasons, I will stick with a Toyota, Maruti and in the 2nd rung with a Kia, Hyundai or lastly a Jeep.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

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