If you are out in the market looking to buy a seven-seater vehicle, you may be spoilt for choices.
At the forefront of the seven-seater segment are Toyota Innova, Mahindra Scorpio and Tata’s Aria and Sumo. These vehicles have powerful engines, strong chassis and can handle almost all terrains that jeeps can.
Then there are vehicles that are essentially built on car platforms, but whose bodies are extended to accommodate a third row of seats. These include Maruti Ertiga, Datson Go Plus, and Honda Mobilio.
The next group of seven-seaters includes Chevrolet Enjoy, Nissan Evalia and its twin brother Ashok Leyland Stile. Now that the Evalia and Stile have been withdrawn from the market for technical reasons, the only remaining player in the group is Chevrolet Enjoy.
Pros and Cons
While the premium segment that includes Innova has powerful engines with more than 2000-cc of displacement, but with seven passengers on board there will be no room for luggage and hence a rooftop carrier will have to be fitted for the purpose. The third row occupants in these vehicles will find the approach difficult in vehicles that don’t have captain seats in their second row. The drawback of having a higher capacity engine is that the fuel efficiency is limited to sub-10 kilometres per litre.
The mid-segment, that includes Ertiga, Mobilio and others, consists of nothing but elongated cars. Since these vehicles still have their car DNAs intact, they are easier to drive and also to manoeuvre in tight parking lots. The engine capacity is below 1500 cc and the fuel efficiency can be up to 25 kilometres per litre. Pricing is also a plus point. For example, the on-road price of Datson Go Plus petrol model is only under Rs 5 lakh. These vehicles are low on maintenance as well. But their main drawback is that reaching the third row is not easy as the second row seats have to be folded to make way for the passengers and yet the last row is not roomy enough to accommodate three adults. However, children do fit in comfortably in the third row. To carry luggage, a rooftop carrier will have to be fitted.
Advantages of Enjoy
Best of both the worlds come together in Chevrolet’s Enjoy. It is as spacious as the premium segment vehicles, comes with captain seats in both the first and second rows and the third row can be easily reached. Its third row can accommodate three adults comfortably. The Enjoy comes with a 1300 cc engine that delivers a mileage of more than 18 kilometres per litre of fuel. Diesel model starts at Rs 7.70 lakh ex-showroom. Maintenance is free of cost for the first 40,000 kilometres or three years. The luggage room is as spacious as that of its bigger seven-seater cousins. Still, the need of a rooftop carrier will be felt when the vehicle is fully occupied.
Interior and looks
Enjoy’s latest model is both beautiful and compact like a car. While the roof railings and alloy wheels are newly designed, beautiful Chevrolet grills and headlamps adorn the front end. In short, it has the elegance to be used as a private vehicle in place of a car. The fit and finish of the plastics and the seats have improved in the new model. With black theme also making its presence felt inside the cabin along with the good old beige, Enjoy now looks more like a car from within. The new black steering wheel comes with controls mounted on it. Seats are big and comfortable. Dual air conditioning vents, charging sockets in the rear row, airbags and ABS are some of the attractive features.
Behind the wheel
The driving position is pretty high and is certainly better than it is in cars. The Fiat engine that has been doing its duty in Swift Dzire, Ciaz and Punto needs no introduction. The same 75-bhp engine that belts out 172.5 nm of torque mated to a 5-speed gearbox is at the heart of Chevrolet Enjoy. The vehicle is a breeze to drive and park in tight spots.
Even with seven adult passengers and the air conditioner running on full blast, the Enjoy can cruise effortlessly without any perceivable drop in power.
Why Enjoy?
This is the only vehicle that combines the qualities of cars and multi-utility vehicles. Low maintenance expenditure, reasonable pricing and high fuel efficiency apart from in-cabin space comparable to those of bigger MPVs make the Enjoy a great package. If the monthly usage of the vehicle is going to be low, opting for a petrol version would be wiser.
Fuel efficiency: 13.7 kmpl
Warranty: Up to five years or 1.5 lakh kilometres.
Ex-showroom price for diesel models: Rs 7.70 lakh, Rs 8.19 lakh, Rs 8.94 lakh.
Test Drive: 9020936685