Looking For A Family Mover That Doesn’t Break The Bank? Here Are The Top 5 Most Affordable 7-Seaters In India

Road-trips in India are often a sense of occasion, and we Indians really love travelling in large groups! And to do that, a 7-seater is a no-brainer given the extra space and flexibility that it affords. However, while car prices keep rising, there are still a few cars that seat 7 in relative comfort without punching a hole through your wallet. Curious? Here is a list of the top 5 affordable 7-seaters to consider if you have a large family:

1. Nissan Gravite 

Price: Rs 5.65 Lakh to Rs 8.93 Lakh (ex-showroom)

Based on the Renault Triber, the Gravite gets extensive styling changes to give it a bolder personality. Up front, there is a new gloss-black grille and silver ‘C-shaped’ highlights on the bumper. The side profile remains almost identical to the Triber, but the Gravite features new stylised wheel covers for its 15-inch steel wheels. The rear-end too gets blacked-out casing for the taillamps, ‘C-shaped’ silver highlights and a flat tailgate.

On the feature front, the Gravite comes equipped with a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlamps and a 6-speaker sound system. It also gets safety features such as 6 airbags, tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control, hill hold assist, front and rear parking sensors and a rear view camera.

Under the hood, it gets powered by a 1-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine with manual and AMT gearbox options. Here are its detailed specifications:

2. Renault Triber

Price: Rs 5.76 Lakh - Rs 8.39 Lakh (ex-showroom)

Next-up is the Gravite’s cross-badged twin, the Renault Triber which has seen a successful run in its almost 7-year life till now. To make it feel fresher, the carmaker gave it a major facelift last year which brings a more sophisticated styling package. This includes a slim grille upfront and prominent faux silver skid plate. The side profile consists of roof rails and stylized wheel covers and 15-inch steel wheels, while the rear-end features chunky cladding, clear-lens taillamps and a black roof spoiler. 

Key feature highlights of the Triber include a 7-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless charger, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, cruise control, keyless entry, 6-speaker sound system and auto headlamps. Safety is taken care of by 6 airbags, electronic stability control, hill hold assist, tyre pressure monitoring system, front and rear parking sensors and a rear view camera.

The Triber shares its 1-litre NA petrol engine and manual and automatic transmission options with the Gravite. Here are the detailed specifications:

3. Mahindra Bolero & Bolero Neo

Price (Bolero): Rs 7.99 Lakh - Rs 9.80 Lakh (ex-showroom)

Price (Bolero Neo): Rs 8.69 Lakh - Rs 10.49 Lakh (ex-showroom) 

A favourite of the hinterlands, the Mahindra Bolero is a true workhorse, that focuses on the absolute basics, which is a formula that has worked for more than two decades now. With its flat and boxy panels, strictly functional and utilitarian nature and an indestructible feel, it continues to be a steady volume-puller. Mahindra also gave it another facelift last year, which brought some more style with an updated grille, 16-inch dual-tone alloy wheels and new colour options. 

The rugged character of the Bolero is complimented by its basic feature-list that includes a semi-digital instrument cluster, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system, steering-mounted audio controls, manual AC, USB Type-C charging ports and leatherette seats. Safety features have been kept at a minimum with dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and seatbelt reminders.

It gets powered by a 1.5-litre diesel engine, which comes mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. Here are its detailed specifications:

If a refined Bolero with some more niceties is what you desire, Mahindra will also sell you the Bolero Neo, which continues with the utilitarian theme but in a more usable, modern avatar. The latest facelift of the Bolero Neo brought a new chrome-studded grille, squared-off headlamps, an upright side profile with black alloy wheels and a tailgate-mounted spare wheel for a true-blue SUV feel.

The Bolero Neo gets features such as a 9-inch touchscreen, cruise control, height-adjustable driver seat, 6-speaker sound system, USB Type-C charging ports, power-adjustable ORVMs and tilt-adjust for the steering wheel. Its safety suite includes dual airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, reverse parking sensors, rear view camera and seatbelt reminders.

It gets powered by the same 1.5-litre diesel as the standard Bolero, albeit tuned to deliver more power and torque. Here are its specifications:

4. Maruti Suzuki Ertiga/Toyota Rumion

Price (Ertiga): Rs 8.80 Lakh - Rs 12.94 Lakh (ex-showroom) 

Price (Rumion): Rs 9.56 Lakh - Rs 13.86 Lakh (ex-showroom)

The Maruti Ertiga has become pretty much the standard template of family-oriented MPVs in India. Seeing immense success across two generations, Toyota also decided it wanted to sell its own cross-badged version of the MPV as the Rumion. 

Both the cars continue to remain very popular both among private and commercial buyers owing to the spacious, fuel-efficient and practical personalities. Styling-wise, both cars feature an inoffensive design with details such as 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, slim headlamp clusters, a stretched out side profile and the tall LED taillamp clusters.

Feature highlights for the Rumion and Ertiga include 7-inch touchscreen infotainment, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 6-speaker ARKAMYS sound system, auto headlamps, automatic climate control, cruise control, rain-sensing wipers and connected car technology.

Safety features onboard include 6 airbags, reverse parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring system, electronic stability control and hill hold assist.

Both cars come powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine mated to manual and automatic gearbox options. They also get a bi-fuel CNG-powered version of the same powertrain, but with an MT only. Here are their detailed specifications:

*When using CNG

5. Kia Carens 

Price: Rs 10.99 Lakh - Rs 12.77 lakh (ex-showroom)

Kia’s Carens has turned out to be a runaway success for the carmaker with its large footprint, very spacious interior and an overall sophisticated feel not found in rivals. And while it also has the facelifted and more premium Carens Clavis on sale as well, it is the standard Carens which remains a great affordable 7-seater option. The Carens has a stylish look to it with a tall and flat bonnet, connected taillamp cluster, thick cladding all around and a faux silver skid plate on the bumpers.  

The Carens comes well-loaded with features like 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, height-adjustable driver seat, rear window sunshades, steering-mounted audio controls, semi-digital instrument cluster, keyless entry and a 6-speaker sound system. It gets safety features such as 6 airbags, electronic stability control, rear view camera, all-wheel disc brakes, reverse parking sensors, hill start assist, tyre pressure monitoring system and reverse parking sensors.

The Carens is available with 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engine options, which are mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Here are their detailed specifications:

ZigSays.. 

Not many years back, buyers looking to get an affordable 7-seater faced a lot of compromises with few options to choose from. However, since then, we now have a much wider choice to choose from at every price point, with all kinds of packages on offer. Furthermore, the cars too are much better themselves with a great deal of comfort, space, practicality and even fuel efficiency on offer that makes them sensible choices against other 5-seater cars in the same price bracket.

Which one of these 7-seaters would you pick and why? Let us know in the comments below!