I have been driving a Maruti Suzuki Ciaz diesel manual for 10 years. It offers comfort, stability, elegance, and more. My monthly commute includes 40% city driving and weekly highway drives on bad roads. The only issue with sedans in India is their low ground clearance. For my elderly parents, which vehicle should I choose that offers a comfortable ride with minimal undulations as the top priority? My budget is ₹18-20 lakhs, but I can extend it if my criteria are met. Also, we travel with a lot of luggage (Ciaz has a 510-litre boot space).

Autocar India

•2h

If you're after a sedan alone, go for the Volkswagen Virtus. With the comfort of a sedan and ground clearance of 179mm, you get the best of both worlds here. Moreover, it has a 521-litre boot, so transporting all your stuff should not be an issue either. They've tuned the Virtus's suspension very well, so while it retains Volkswagen's typically sharp handling, it's incredibly comfortable as well. It remains flat and composed over a variety of surfaces, more so as speeds rise.

Sadly, no sedan in this segment offers diesel anymore, but VW's TSI turbo petrols can be fuel-efficient if driven carefully. If you'd prefer an SUV, check out the Kia Seltos, which is spacious too and has a supple ride quality. Plus, it's got sufficient ground clearance, while not being so high off the ground as to make ingress and egress difficult for your elderly parents.

Explore cars mentioned

Volkswagen

Virtus

from ₹12.44 Lakh

Lhendup

•1s

Best car to buy within 11 lakhs

Related questions you may find helpful

HDesai

•5d

I’m planning to buy a new fully automatic car for a family of four. About 90% of the driving will be in Bangalore city. The driver is 6’1”, and the budget is around ₹15-20 lakh.

Autocar India

•22h

Among the automatic options in your budget, here's a shortlist of models well-suited to Bangalore city driving, as well as a tall driver. 1) Kia Seltos IVT - Very smooth engine and gearbox, roomy cabin, high-quality interior2) Tata Sierra 1.5 NA DCT - Smooth gearbox, most spacious interior, great ride comfort. Performance is dull, though3) Renault Duster 1.3 DCT - Smooth gearbox, punchy engine, great ride comfort. Not as spacious as rivals4) Kia Syros 1.0 DCT - Spacious interior, feature-packed. Negatives include firm ride comfort, and the gearbox can feel jerky at times

Kathit Goyal

I want to buy an automatic car for daily use. My budget is around ₹12 lakh. Which one should I buy?

Autocar India

•36m

It's hard to recommend a car without knowing more of your specific needs, rear seat space, importance of headroom, mileage, driving pattern, etc. However, since you state daily use, we assume you mean mostly city driving, thus we would recommend the Skoda Kylaq. The auto gearbox is a torque convertor unit, which is the smoothest type of autobox to have. In city conditions, its smooth and seamless shifting is something you would really appreciate. At around your budget of Rs 12 lakh, you would also get the Signature trim, which comes fairly well equipped with features like a height adjustable drivers seat. A sunroof and a touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.

Skoda Kylaq

Rudra

•1d

I am a first-time buyer and was confused about which car to choose (budget under ₹10 lakh). I don’t want to go for the top variant; a variant with decent features would be sufficient. I visited Tata dealerships and checked out the Altroz and Punch. In the Altroz, there was very little headroom left (just about 3-4 fingers), so I moved to the Punch, which gave me more confidence. I am planning to purchase in the next 2-3 months. Are there any suggestions other than the Punch?

Autocar India

•1h

The Tata Punch is a good option, and as you have stated, it does indeed offer more headroom than the Tata Altroz. Since it appears that this is of priority to you, another option would be the Hyundai Exter. The tall stance liberates a lot of interior headroom, and like the Tata Punch, the Exter too has a compact overall footprint. The Exter would also fit well within your Rs 10 lakh budget, especially a mid-level variant, which you have said that you are open to and would prefer instead of a top model.

Tata Punch

Tata Altroz

Hyundai Exter

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