Why Did Indians Reject These SUVs?

Nowadays, each SUV is more feature-rich than the other, and choosing one comes down to personal preference. Honda, Kia, Hyundai, Mahindra, Tata, MG, Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Renault, Ford and even Renault have tasted success in the segment. But these brands also faced adversity and had a few flops of their own. Today, we will look at some of these failed SUVs and see whether they could have succeeded if launched today.

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Hyundai Santa Fe

The Santa Fe was launched in 2010, when sedans were the most desirable. It looked handsome and had the trademark SUV stance. It wasn’t boxy as such but had a more rounded overall design. Inside the cabin, it felt premium and spacious. It got all the features you would expect in 2010- cruise control, AUX-in, 6-way powered front seats, and a 6-CD music system. You get the 2.2L CRDi diesel engine as standard, and the power figures range from 150 to 200 horsepower, depending on the variant you choose. It was also available as a 4WD. On paper, it sounds like the perfect deal.

7-seater, great looks, plush interiors, feature-loaded, is basically describing the XUV500 of that time. And yet, the Santa Fe failed. The Santa Fe started at more than 22 lakh rupees (on-road, Mumbai) since it was a CBU unit. You could get the top-end XUV500 for that price, which had all the features of the Santa Fe.

Hyundai tried again with the 2nd-gen Santa Fe. This was arguably, and still is, the best-looking Hyundai SUV. Hyundai added more features, refreshed the cabin and hoped for a better outcome this time. Despite being a CKD (built in India) unit, the Santa Fe costs almost 30 lakh rupees. The price was absurd, especially considering that you could get a Pajero, Endeavour and Fortuner for much cheaper.

If the Santa Fe were released today, it would fare better since the market has become more SUV-friendly. The Alcazar seems to be the replacement for it, and it has seemed to do well. Had Hyundai priced it better, it would still be a popular name in the market.

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Tata Aria

Before the Hexas, the Harriers, and the Safaris (the latest one), there was the Tata Aria. Tata already sold 7-seater SUVs like the Safari Storme, Safari Dicor, Sumo, and Spacio as rugged SUVs that catered mainly to rural areas. They had now decided to make a more premium one for the cities. The Tata Aria was their attempt to get a taste of the soon-to-bloom crossover SUV market.

The Aria was a long car. At almost 4.8m, it was longer than the Toyota Innova. It may have had road presence, but it wasn’t particularly beautiful. The Aria looked ungainly, and with its large proportions, like an MPV rather than an SUV. As for the powertrain, you got a 2.2L diesel as standard. The power figures weren’t staggering as such. What’s more interesting is that you could get it with 4WD.

The interiors were a revelation compared to those of other Tata models at the time. The dashboard had a slight resemblance to a Land Rover’s. With the Aria, you got dual-tone cabins, 10 total AC vents, lumbar support for the driver, seven overhead bins, a cooled glovebox, a reverse parking camera, steering-integrated controls and Bluetooth connectivity. Also worth mentioning is that the cabin was built better than any other Tata car at the time. The interiors were spacious, and you still had enough cabin space even with the 3rd row in place.

The pricing wasn’t necessarily bad either. 13 lakh (on-road, Mumbai) doesn’t seem like a bad introductory price for a car with such a feature list. The reason for its failures comes down to the looks and competition. Back then, Tata wasn’t the automobile force that it is now. Its rival, the Toyota Innova, cost less. Even though you got fewer features on the Innova, people preferred the Toyota brand. Furthermore, the MPV-like looks didn’t help.

Nissan Kicks / Renault Captur

These cars are relatively new when compared to the above-mentioned cars. Both the Kicks and Captur used the same platform and were built at the same plant. Both vehicles looked quirky in their own ways, but were identical underneath. The 1.5L petrol or the 1.5L diesel was found in both these cars. Performance figures weren’t monstrous as such, but were just enough for regular city and highway drives. The 1.6 of the Creta was more potent than these 2.

The interiors were feature-rich. It stood its own ground in terms of features against the Creta. The Kicks and Captur were both cheaper than the Creta, and yet failed to record as many sales. Nissan and Renault’s after-sales service was poor back then, and public perception of both brands wasn’t great either. People would rather buy the more expensive Creta or the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. The other cars seemed like the safer choice, causing the Kicks and Captur sales to tank.

Overall, the products were solid and had all the recipes to work, but the execution of these cars was poor. Had Nissan and Renault advertised it more effectively or offered a stronger sales network, it could have been a success. And after the BS6 Phase 2 norms, both companies felt that discontinuing the cars was the best option.

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Ssangyong Rexton

Mahindra has experimented a lot over the years. The SsangYong Rexton is one such example. Mahindra bought the South Korean brand, SsangYong, in partnership with Daewoo and SAIC Motors (a Chinese car manufacturer). Mahindra tried to position SsangYong as its premium brand (like Lexus and Toyota), but failed.

The Rexton looked elegant, even though it was bigger than the Fortuner and the Pajero. But despite the dimensions, it lacked the road presence of the other 2. The cabin was more premium than competitors’, with high-quality materials, automatic wipers, cruise control, 3-memory settings, and an 8-way power driver’s seat, a Kenwood music system and an adequately sized touchscreen. It came with a 2.7L 5-cylinder diesel that had great punch and offered 4WD.

Overall, the Rexton was a decent product, but the public never seemed to catch onto the SsangYong name. Paying almost 30 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai) for an unknown brand seemed illogical. You could get the reliable Fortuner or the established Pajero for that price. The Rexton also suffered from reliability issues, spare part availability and a poor after-sales network, which led to its discontinuation.

Mahindra tried again with the Rexton but decided to rebrand it as the Alturas G4. They also ditched the SsangYong badge and sold it as a Mahindra. But it was too late since the Fortuner and Endeavour had gained a significant share of the segment, and it stood no chance against them.

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Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

We are talking about the original Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and not the hybrid. The Grand Vitara was the pioneer of this mid-size SUV movement. It looked like a proper off-roader with the spare wheel on the tailgate and butchy stance. Moreover, the interiors were spacious and plush. This was quite shocking from a Maruti Suzuki car.

It was also feature-loaded for a car from the 2000s. The build quality was miles above the quality of its other models. Furthermore, its 2.0L petrol engine was punchy and was offered with 4WD. In hindsight, it seems like the perfect deal.

But here is where things go wrong. At the end of the day, it was still a Maruti Suzuki. The brand image of Maruti as an affordable brand was established, and people refrained from spending heavily on a Maruti. The Kizashi faced the same fate, failing due to the brand name. Maruti is trying to change that rep to this day.

To make things worse, the Grand Vitara was a CBU unit, which means that it was expensive and cost almost 20 lakh rupees (on-road, Mumbai). Overall, the car was superb, and if it had been released at a lower price, it could have been the Creta before the Creta.

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