![]() I found it manageable in heavy traffic and narrow lanes, though it was not easy to maneuver as my Swift. To put things in perspective, I drive 80 kms daily to and fro – Okhla to Gurgaon - 3.5 hours on road daily struggling my way out in heavy traffic. To keep all my apprehensions at bay I asked for another test drive, this time in crowded and congested South Ex and Masjid Mod area to see if I can handle the beast as my daily commute. All details on pricing, exchange, discounts along with a Test drive at desired location by instantly facilitated. October 2015 - My hunt for a 4x4 in Gurgaon ended only after getting valuable advice from iabhishekumar to call Concorde Motors in New Delhi. ![]() Many say that I had already made up my mind and the alternatives were considered only to find reasons to reject them. However, I could not completely be cured of 4WD bug and hence they were not considered in subsequent stages. We would have got Elantra as I simply adore the looks of this car. Honda City/Ciaz/Corolla/Elantra – They all were considered when I briefly gave up the idea of getting a 4WD vehicle. The major negatives for me were the length of the vehicle and mediocre rear bench and they became the deal breakers. ![]() I did not need 7 seats anyway but requirement of such a large loading bay was also not in my list. However, it felt bit under powered when I took a test drive. Isuzu D-Max V-cross- I was totally floored by the looks and anticipated price of V Cross at the Auto Expo. It was sold by the time I decided to go for it. A few years back I saw a very sweet deal on TBHP classified where someone was selling modified one with power steering, AC, 1.6 L engine and what not. But at 40, I needed air conditioning and power steering. Gypsy - I have loved Gypsy from the day it was launched and I still love it. Used Grand Vitara – Could not find a single good used GV in 8 months of search. Decision made.ĭuster AWD – Loved it! But my friends’ bad experiences at service center in Gurgaon were enough to keep me at the bay. The route was already tested by a Storme half an hour back and this one could not glide like the Storme did on those potholes (read craters). XUV 500 – Loaded features with leather seats, internal lighting, utilities and attractive interiors with all the bells and whistles made it agreeable for a test drive. S Cross – Delayed anticipated launch of AWD version was the only reason. No reason pinpointed but the interiors were not approved. Scorpio – The car was rejected as soon the door was opened for a test drive. Thar – It cannot be used as a family car, period. A Storme test drive for me but actually a scale/size test for her was the last exam that I cleared with barely passing marks. I had another challenge of proving my scale right for this car which was slightly difficult standing at 5 feet 7 inches from ground with a weight of 65kg and no abs or even muscles. This approval, however, came with a warning that the capabilities of a 4x4 vehicle were to be used to its best and this additional feature should not get ‘wasted’. I still do not know the reason but the only thing important for me was that everything was as per plan. Convincing her for Storme was easy as she could appreciate the design and form (we architects love to use these terms), agreement on 4x4 was a tough decision which took some time but was eventually approved. The only thing favorable for me was she understood my passion and knew that I was very close to waiving off my thirties. The worst part, my wife was also on the other side and convincing her was most difficult and at the same time most important. ![]() All my technical answers, even YouTube off roading videos, could not convince anyone. ‘Why Storme’ was everyone’s first question and few wondered why a 4X4 since most of them were oblivious of the difference. “Why a TATA brand when you have hell of options to choose from Mahindra, Toyota, Ford, Honda and what not?”Īll sort of disappointed and puzzled reactions were thrown towards me whenever I dared putting my thoughts across of getting a 4X4 Storme to my friends and family.barring a few like-minded friends. Though the first looks were slightly disappointing but the fact that there were over a 100 (claimed) improvements over the Safari Dicor authenticated by positive TBHP reviews, kept my inclinations intact towards this 4x4 SUV(for me SUV needs to be 4x4). Second owner of M800 in 2005 and graduated to Swift VXI in 2008, the only thing I could do was fancying myself driving a SUV, in fact a Safari, later a Safari Storme that was just launched after much hype over Merlin (if I remember correctly).
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