Hi. I have been driving a Ford Figo for the last 13-15 years, and it has done only about 65,000 km, which shows how little I drive. This is mostly city driving. I am not a driving enthusiast and drive only because I have to. My family says it’s time to change and get a new car. We have been test-driving a few in the ₹15 lakh on-road price range. The ones we have shortlisted are the Kia Syros DCT and Hyundai Venue DCT. We also checked the Honda Bassalt and Skoda Kylaq.

autocar.india

•8h

The on-road price of the base Clavis HTE petrol might be a bit more than Rs 13 lakhs. However, as a family car, it beats all the other options. It is more spacious and gives you the flexibility of a third row of seats, which you can also fold down and make use of a huge boot space. Purely as a sensible, practical option, it is hard to beat the Clavis' proposition.Alternatively, Syros is an excellent, well-packaged car that's surprisingly spacious despite its sub-4-metre footprint. While its design isn't universally appealing, if you don't mind its styling, this is an excellent choice. You will get a well-equipped HTK+ turbo-petrol manual version.The Seltos and Tekton belong to a segment above and are larger cars. Only their entry-level variants will fall within your Rs 13 lakh budget. So you need to decide whether you need a seven-seater, a well-equipped sub-4-meter car, or an entry-level five-seater mid-size SUV from a segment above.

Kia Carens Clavis

Kia Seltos

Kia Syros

Nissan Tekton

autocar.india

•5h

Go for the Brezza, but wait for the new model as it's just a few weeks away. The Brezza is easy to drive in traffic, rides well over broken roads and speed breakers, and the automatic is smooth and stress-free. The cabin is airy, the visibility is good, and Maruti service reach in the city makes ownership simple. For the odd Pune or Panchgani run, it feels stable enough if driven in a relaxed manner. A point to consider if you often go up the ghats with four people and luggage: the 1.5 petrol is smooth but not very strong, so overtakes need a little planning.If that bothers you, the Skoda Kylaq with the automatic is the better alternative. It feels quicker in the hills and in gaps, and the gearbox responds a bit faster, which helps both on the ghats and in stop-go Mumbai traffic. You will trade a slightly firmer ride and a lower city mileage for that extra shove.For mostly city use, though, buying the Brezza is the sensible call.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Skoda Kylaq

autocar.india

•13h

Pick the Skoda Kylaq. For mostly city runs, it is the easiest to live with, thanks to its compact dimensions and smooth auto gearbox and for the few highway runs you will find it also cruises calmly and feels secure at typical highway speeds. Fuel efficiency is not class leading, expect 8-9kpl in the city and about 14kpl on highway runs but with your 750 km a month running this will not pinch you. As an option you can also consider the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, it too has a smooth gearbox and its city ride is nice and plush, but wait for just a month as an update is right around the corner.

Skoda Kylaq

Maruti Suzuki Brezza