Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Tata Aria.
CarDekho.com

It's raining Sports Utility Vehicles and crossovers in the country right now.

First the Hyundai Santa Fe then Tata Aria and now Skoda Yeti, the Indian car buyers got three brand new utility vehicles in quick succession.

Let's take a cursory glance at each of the brawny beauties we are soon going to see dominating the roads.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Engine of Tata Aria.

Engine

Tata Aria

The Tata Aria is an eight-seater luxurious crossover build on the roadster concept and is powered by a 2.2L, Direct Injection Common Rail (DICOR) engine that does duty in the much loved Tata Safari.

The 2.2L mill is capable of producing 140bhp max power at 4000rpm with 320Nm torque at 1700-2700rpm.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Skoda Yeti.

Skoda Yeti

The Skoda Yeti has a 2.0 TDI common rail diesel engine under the hood, which also powers two of its siblings - Superb and Laura.

The engine generates 140 bhp of max power and 32.4 kgm of peak torque at 1750 rpm.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Santa Fe.

Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai Santa Fe comes with a Common Rail Direct Injection (CRDI), Euro V, four-cylinders, 16 valve Double Over Head Camshafts (DOHC) 2.2L engine.

Mated with a six-speed manual transmission gearbox the engine pumps 197 PS peak power at 3800 rpm and 420Nm of torque between 1800-2500 rpm.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: The dashboard of Tata Aria.

Features

Tata Aria

The Tata Aria has three rows and it can accommodate seven passengers though the third row has less leg room.

The car also has aircon vents for all three rows and a thick C-pillar.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Interior view of Tata Aria.

Its interiors include leather covered steering wheel, gear shift knob and leather seats, headrest mounted LCD screen, power and tilt steering, power windows at all four doors, automatic climate control AC, keyless entry, advanced CD/MP3 audio system, cup holders on floor console, cigarette lighter and ash-tray in front console, rear wash and wiper, electrical glass demister, digital outside temperature indicator, etc.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Tata Aria.

Tata Aria also has high-tech multimedia features like the advanced CD player, USB/Bluetooth connectivity, 3D sound etc.

It is also loaded with GPS navigation system form mapmyindia and six-speaker audio system.

A sun-roof is also one of the options available to customers.

Handle bars are fitted at the both end for passengers for firm sitting and comfort.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Tata Aria front AC controls picture.

On the outside the Tata Aria is aggressive looking with large sporty wheels and muscular wheel arches.

The car also comes with front turn indicators placed on automatically adjustable ORVMs (Outside Rear View Mirrors).

The body-coloured door handles, five-spoke alloy wheels with tubeless radial tyres add to the sporty feel.

The chrome finished exhaust pipe, high mounted large tail lamps and a third stop lamp make up for the cluster on the rear.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Interior view of Yeti.

Skoda Yeti

The Skoda Yeti seats five passengers and has unique looks.

It has an aggressive looking grille surrounded by sporty headlamps that sweep to the sides.

The Yeti's interiors have been inspired by the Laura and the built quality is very good.

The crossover comes with leather upholstery and Varioflex seating.

Front door has storage space for one litre bottle and there are drink holders on the central console.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Skoda Yeti side AC control pic.

It has a headrest mounted foldable tray, sunglass compartment in the roof panel and an extendable dividing net that separating luggage and passenger space.

The crossover comes with a 12 speaker audio system with a digital equaliser and an MDI to connect an external device.

The crossover has dual air conditioning system with HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and AC) with an air quality sensor.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: Santa Fe interior.

Hyundai Santa Fe

The all new Hyundai Santa Fe comes in two-tone beige interiors with colour-coded wood and aluminium trim.

It also includes power windows, keyless entry, A/C, CD/MP3 player, alloy wheels, ABS (Antilock Braking System), electronic stability control, and side airbags (dual front, front side and side curtain), automatic headlights, leather seats, dual-zone surround automatic climate control and several other things.

The car also has additional features like XM Nav traffic, Bluetooth connectivity, iPod/USB auxiliary inputs for MP3 players and audio controls on the steering in all models.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: The engine of Santa Fe.

Santa Fe has attractive bumpers, body moldings, sporty wheels, sleek grille and fog lights for a complete look.

The material used for the interiors is good and seats are well cushioned with quality leather upholstery.

The car has features like Eco-Indicator and a touch screen navigator with rear view camera.

On the safety front the SUV has features like airbags, ABS (Anti lock Braking System), EBD and brake assists, ESP, traction control, driver convenience, body-coloured reverse parking sensors, cruise control, PAS, remote fuel cap release, tailgate open warning light and trip computer.

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Yeti, Aria and Santa Fe. Which is the best buy?

Image: The engine of Santa Fe.

Price

The three vehicles fall in different price brackets with Tata Aria falling in the range of Rs 12,86,034 - Rs 15,45,128 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

Skoda Yeti comes with a price tag of Rs 15,40,000 (ex-showroom, New Delhi), and Hyundai Santa Fe is the most expensive of the lot with a price tag of Rs 20.95 lakh upwards.

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