I currently own a 2015 Hyundai i10 (1.1 iRDE2) and am planning to upgrade next year. My budget is around ₹10 lakh. My usage will be approximately 40% city and 60% highway, including occasional trips to the hills with my family. I am looking for a car that offers good stability, adequate space, and comfortable seating for four passengers. My expectations include fuel efficiency similar to my current i10 (around 12-14 km/l in the city and 17–19 km/l on highways), minimal cabin and road noise, rear AC vents, and a boot space of around 250-300 litres. Cruise control would be an added advantage, even if available as an aftermarket OEM fitment. Could you please suggest the best options that meet these requirements?

Autocar India

•6m

It will be hard for a larger car to match the fuel efficiency you get from your i10, but the new Maruti Suzuki Swift with the Z-series engine does a very good job. In our real-world tests, we managed 14kpl in the city and 19kpl on the highway with the manual gearbox. The AMT is only marginally less efficient, and you also get the same engine in the new Maruti Suzuki Dzire, which will fit your budget.

The Swift and the Dzire get cruise control in the higher trims and also feature rear AC vents. The cabins of both cars are more spacious than before, with comfortable seating for four and decent refinement. The Swift’s boot is 265 litres, and if you need more space, the Dzire is the better choice.

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Maruti Suzuki

Dzire

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Prateek Batra

•1d

Suggest a car under ₹10 lakh. My requirements are at least 350 litres of boot space, comfort for all passengers, rear AC vents, cruise control, awesome stability on highways, and low outside noise in the cabin. My running is 40% city and 60% highway, including hills. I am planning to upgrade from an i10 1.1 iRDE2, which delivers around 12-14kpl fuel efficiency in the city and 17-19kpl on highways. So fuel efficiency should be more or less similar. I am not prepared for a major drop.

Autocar India

•1d

We would recommend you look at the Maruti Suzuki Dzire. You will need to opt for the top-end ZXi Plus model, which is right around your budget and will come equipped with the features you want, such as cruise control and rear AC vents. The car is also fairly spacious at the front or the rear, though taller folks - those nearer to 6 feet, will fit headroom tight. The Dzire's fuel efficiency is very good, in our standard tests, the manual car returned 14.5kpl in the city and 20kpl in our highway cycle, while the automatic returned 11.6kpl in the city and 19.22kpl on the highway.Thus, your requirement for fuel efficiency will also be met. Ride and stability at highway speeds are also good, and boot space stands at 382 litres, which is more than your stated requirement, though the wheel wells do intrude a fair bit, and the rear seats do not fold down; thus, examine this closely to see if it meets your requirements.

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

Azhar

•1d

Hi Autocar Team, I currently own a 2012 Hyundai Verna Fluidic diesel manual and have clocked around 2.2 lakh km. I am now planning to buy an additional car as an upgrade. I have shortlisted the Mahindra XUV700 AX7 diesel manual and the Renault Duster 1.3 turbo petrol manual. I recently test-drove the XUV700 diesel automatic and was impressed with its cabin space and ride quality. I intend to keep the new car for around 15 years and am specifically looking for a driver-focused car as an upgrade from my Verna. Could you please suggest which of these would be the better choice for my needs?

Autocar India

•22h

We would suggest going for the Mahindra XUV 7XO diesel manual. The biggest reason is that it feels like a proper upgrade in every sense. It is a larger, more spacious car, with a more premium cabin and a very comfortable ride, which you have already experienced in your test drive.More importantly, the diesel engine suits what you are used to with your Verna. It offers strong low-end torque and relaxed cruising, which makes it feel effortless on highways and more satisfying to drive over long distances. Over a long ownership period, diesel also tends to be more efficient for regular highway use.The Renault Duster 1.3 turbo petrol, on the other hand, is a good driver’s car. It will feel lighter and easier to drive, especially in tighter city conditions. However, while the turbo petrol is enjoyable, it won’t give you the same sense of punch as the Mahindra larger 2 litre diesel, or the same space and long-distance comfort as the XUV 7XO.We would still urge you to test drive the new Duster before taking a final call, but as an overall upgrade, the XUV 7XO is the stronger choice.

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Renault Duster

AMLAN PANDA

•5d

I was initially planning to buy the Maruti Suzuki Dzire VXI, but after reconsidering my priorities, mainly ground clearance, I’m now leaning towards the Maruti Suzuki Brezza LXI with the Urbano kit (~₹10k). My budget is very tight, capped at around ₹9 lakh on-road. However, I’ve recently heard about an upcoming Brezza facelift. Since I’ve already been waiting for a month due to Dzire delivery delays, should I continue waiting for the facelift or go ahead with the current model? Also, my key priorities are good mileage, low maintenance cost, and long-term reliability, so which option would make more practical sense?

Autocar India

•1d

Given your priorities and a tight Rs 9 lakh on-road cap, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza LXi (current model) is the sensible choice right now. With 198 mm of ground clearance, it’s far better suited to bad roads, tall speed breakers and occasional rough use than the Dzire, which has about 163 mm of clearance. There is a Brezza facelift on the way, but updates are expected to be mainly cosmetic and feature-related, with the possibility of a price increase when it launches. So, to avoid further delay and likely price hikes, it’s better to buy the current Brezza now; with the facelift around the corner, you can even negotiate harder on the outgoing car as dealers will gradually be looking to clear stock.With your Rs 9 lakh on-road ceiling, the Brezza LXi is right on the edge but still realistically achievable in many cities, especially if you push for discounts. Just confirm the exact on-road price and the cost of the Urbano kit (~Rs 10k) with your local dealer. Compared with the Maruti Suzuki Dzire VXi, you gain roughly 30-35 mm of extra ground clearance (around 163 mm vs 198 mm), which directly addresses your main concern of scraping on speed breakers and broken roads. Maintenance remains straightforward for both cars, with typical Maruti service intervals of 10,000 km or 12 months, and parts and labour are among the most affordable in the segment. In terms of fuel efficiency, you can expect the Brezza 1.5 MT to deliver around 13-15 km/l in the city and 17-19 km/l on the highway in real-world use. The lighter Dzire is more efficient overall, but the Brezza still offers a good balance of mileage, robustness and long-term reliability.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

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