Latest questions answered by experts

Jesu Alfred K J

Hey Autocar, We're looking into sedans. Shortlisted Verna and City. Spoke with a guy, and he gave advice not to choose the City due to its rusting issue. I did a test drive, and the city was my primary choice. But, thinking about this statement he made. Also, enquired with the dealer. But, they denied it, stating their new cars are galvanised properly. I don't know what to do. Please advise.

Autocar India

•3m

Modern cars from both Honda and Hyundai have significantly improved corrosion protection, and under normal ownership conditions, rust should not be a major concern.If the Honda City was your preferred choice after the test drive, there is little reason to change that decision based on a single comment. The City remains one of the most well-rounded sedans in the segment, offering excellent ride comfort, rear-seat space, visibility and a proven naturally aspirated petrol engine that is smooth, refined and reliable.The Hyundai Verna offers a more modern interior, a stronger feature list and a wider powertrain choice. While the turbo-petrol version grabs most of the attention, the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol paired with the CVT is also a very smooth and relaxed combination. It is easy to drive in traffic and suits buyers looking for comfort and refinement rather than outright performance.

Honda City

Hyundai Verna

•4h

I am confused between buying Skoda Kylaq and Kia Seltos. Please suggest.

Autocar India

•35m

Buy the Kia Seltos. It is simply easier to live with for most buyers, thanks to a much wider service network and many more variant and powertrain choices, including good automatics across a wider price range. For daily city runs with the odd highway trip, the Seltos will feel like the more complete package and it has a more spacious and premium cabin. The Skoda Kylaq will suit you only if you really enjoy driving. It feels tighter and more confidence inspiring on the move, and the steering has more feel. If you plan long, frequent road trips and care more about how it drives than gadgets, that’s where the Kylaq shines. The flip side is fewer dealers and fewer variant choices.

Kia Seltos

Skoda Kylaq

Rallapalli sree harsha

•12h

Hi, please suggest an EV car under 10 lakh. My daily city driving is of around 50 km and I require a Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) option. Which EV would be the best choice for my needs?

Autocar India

•1h

The answer depends on whether this will be your only car or a second car in the family. If this will be your only car, the Tata Tiago EV is the better choice. It is a proper hatchback with enough space for a small family, a usable boot and the ability to handle occasional highway trips comfortably. Your daily 50km commute is well within its capabilities, and it offers greater flexibility if your usage changes in the future. The Tiago EV is also available with Battery as a Service (BaaS).If you already have another car at home for longer journeys, then the MG Comet EV is worth considering. Its compact size makes it ideal for city driving, it is extremely easy to park and manoeuvre, and it is also available with BaaS schemes that lower the initial purchase price.

Tata Tiago EV

MG Comet

Kartik Pancholy

•1d

I own a Skoda Slavia 1.5 and a Nissan Kicks Turbo but am planning to sell the Nissan Kicks and replace it with either an electric car or a hybrid. Our budget is around Rs. 40 lakh. My daily commute is approximately 60 km. We are a family of four adults, a baby, and a puppy. Which car would be the best fit for our requirements?

Autocar India

•1h

Pick the Toyota Innova HyCross hybrid. With four adults, a baby and a puppy, it is the one that effortlessly takes people, pram, diaper bag and a dog together, and still feels easy to drive in the city. Your 60 km daily run suits its strong hybrid well - expect real city mileage in the mid teens, so fuel costs drop sharply without any charging hassle, and long trips are a breeze.It also complements your Slavia 1.5 nicely. Keep the Slavia for the fun drives, let the HyCross do family duty with a quiet, smooth automatic and a big, usable boot. Fold the third row and you get a flat, huge space for a dog bed or crate plus luggage.

Toyota Innova HyCross

Skoda Slavia

Capt Jun

•5h

I am planning to downsize from my four-year-old Mahindra XUV 700 AX7 L Petrol. I love all the features and technology it offers, but I am now considering a midsize SUV or even the Honda City Hybrid. My wife and I are retirees, and we regularly drive to the hills. While I do enjoy the extra performance and effortless cruising on highways, I would also appreciate better fuel efficiency. What would you suggest? Additionally, after four years of driving on Indian highways, I am wondering whether ADAS is truly necessary. That said, I do value features such as emergency braking, auto hold, and hill descent control. Over to you, Autocar experts.

Autocar India

•2h

Go for the Maruti Suzuki Victoris strong hybrid. It keeps the SUV ground clearance that's beneficial on hill trips, yet gives real 20-plus-kpl economy and an smooth, refined automatic driving experience. As retirees you will like the relaxed drive, light controls and the long features list - ventilated seats, 360 camera, EPB with auto hold, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay - so you still get your bells and whistles without the size and thirst of your XUV700. And though the Victoris gets ADAS features, they aren't offered on the strong hybrid, but you do get cruise control, which should be helpful on long drives.While the Honda City Hybrid is an excellent option, and possibly more fuel efficient than even the Maruti Suzuki car, but its sedan shape works against it. Ground clearance is nowhere near as good, and ingress and egress could be an issue. Plus, as its hybrid system isn't localised like Maruti and Toyota's, the City Hybrid is very expensive. While the electric assist helps, as you've noted, hybrids in general are not as quick as a powerful turbocharged car like your XUV700, and the engine can sound strained when wrung out, such as on steep climbs. Also, the hybrid variant does not get AWD or hill descent. If you truly need extra grip in slush, the AWD mild-hybrid manual exists, but you will lose the auto hold feature.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Honda City

Lingesh

•7h

Hi, I am based in Chennai, and my monthly running is around 1,000 km, mostly on the outskirts of the city. I also make four trips a year to my hometown, which is about 400 km away. I am planning to buy a Hyundai Creta Automatic. Kindly suggest whether it would be the right choice for my usage.

Autocar India

•2h

Pick the Hyundai Creta 1.5 diesel automatic - it is the one that best suits your 1,000km a month usage. On Chennai’s outskirts and your 400km trips to your native place, the diesel’s readily available torque at low revs makes highway cruising and overtaking effortless. Hilly sections are also taken with ease even with family and luggage, and it cruises at low revs, so fuel use on the highway will still be low. The 6‑speed automatic is smooth and well suited to the engine, and the suspension is a great mix of softness and stability.However, the diesel variants cost more and the engine is a bit noisier than the petrol engine. Plus, Hyundai's 1.5-litre diesel engine is not as punchy or exciting as its 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine. Do also note that a new-gen Hyundai Creta is going to be launched next year, in case you are able to wait for that. Another alternative you can buy now is the Kia Seltos, which is a new-gen model, with similar strengths as the Creta and a more spacious cabin.If budget allows, choose a mid or top variant with all safety kit and ADAS functions, including adaptive cruise control - both will help on your long highway drives. If your budget is tight, maybe consider the diesel manual, rather than the automatic, which is also smooth and easy to drive.

Hyundai Creta

Kia Seltos