I want to purchase a family MPV. My budget is ₹15-17 lakh. My usage will be low, with occasional long journeys twice a month. What is the better option?

Autocar India

•1d

Since you will need a usable third row, the Kia Carens Clavis is a good fit for you. It is spacious, practical and comfortable across all three rows. However, it can only seat seven, so if you must travel with all nine members of the family, you will need a second car.The diesel automatic is available in the fully loaded HTK Plus trim and fits within your budget. The 116hp diesel is a tried-and-tested engine with superb cruising abilities. It is not particularly responsive or quick, but once it builds up speed on the highway, it can cruise all day comfortably without complaints. It may feel sluggish with a full load or while climbing steep inclines, but in regular driving, it works perfectly well.It is fuel-efficient, too. During our first drive, we regularly saw a MID-indicated 15-16kpl on the highway. Before you decide, visit the showroom with family members in tow to ensure everyone is comfortable and that the performance meets your needs.

Kia Carens Clavis

Autocar India

•4m

Sadly, there still isn’t a true replacement for your Skoda Octavia in the Rs 30-40 lakh bracket. The segment has thinned out, and nothing today quite blends that space, ride comfort and driver engagement the way the Octavia did.Yes, the new Skoda Octavia RS is finally here and, on paper, it’s everything you’d want: strong performance, sharp handling and that familiar RS edge. But at around Rs 60 lakh, on-road, it sits well outside your budget, and more importantly, it’s a bit too stiff and focused to be the ideal family long-distance car.Within your budget, the closest you’ll get to that familiar Octavia feel is the Skoda Kushaq 1.5 TSI. It’s obviously a couple of segments smaller, but it still carries that Skoda DNA. The 150hp turbo-petrol is punchy, the DSG transmission is quick and responsive, and it feels nicely planted at highway speeds. There’s a tightness and cohesion here that most SUVs in this class simply don’t have, which makes it genuinely enjoyable to drive on long runs.The compromise, however, is space. Compared to your Octavia, it feels narrower, and the rear seat, in particular, is quite tight. For occasional use, it’s fine, but for regular family trips, it will feel like a step down.If space, comfort and effortless cruising are higher on your priority list, the Mahindra XUV 7XO 2.2 diesel is a much stronger fit. It’s significantly more spacious, especially in the second row, and rides very well over broken roads. The diesel has plenty of torque, making highway driving relaxed and easy, and it’s a proper long-distance mile-muncher. It’s not as agile or as connected to drive as the Kushaq, but it’s far better suited to family duties.Another option is the Toyota Innova HyCross hybrid. This is actually the most sensible choice here if your usage is primarily family road trips. It’s supremely comfortable, especially at the rear, incredibly easy to drive, and the strong hybrid delivers excellent efficiency without compromising on refinement. Reliability is a given, and for long distances, very few cars in this price band come close in terms of stress-free usability.However, it is not fun to drive. It is competent, smooth and effortless, but lacks the driver engagement you may be used to from the Octavia.

Skoda Octavia RS

Skoda Kushaq

Toyota Innova HyCross

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Autocar India

•34m

There is a lot of concern about the future of diesel, and understandably so, given fearmongering on social media about impending bans and comments from politicians and even activists on why diesel should be banned. However, there is a realisation that modern diesels are quite clean and when we move to BS7 emissions regulations (which are based on Euro 7), the NOx limits for petrol and diesel cars will be the same, and hence diesels will be forced to meet petrol‑like targets for key pollutants, not the looser diesel limits of the past.Hence, we don’t feel diesel will be banned anytime soon and in fact has a pretty good future. Also, in the unlikely event that diesel is banned, it is unlikely to affect existing owners of BS 6.2 emission-compliant cars, which is what the new Kia Seltos diesel would be.In fact, the bigger and more practical issue for you as a Seltos diesel AT buyer is not policy risk but the diesel particulate filter (DPF). BS6 diesels rely on the DPF to keep particulate emissions under control, and this system needs regular regeneration to stay healthy. In predominantly short, stop‑start city driving, exhaust temperatures don’t stay high for long, and if active regeneration keeps getting interrupted, the DPF can clog faster, leading to warning lights or limp mode if ignored. That’s why it’s important to give the car a proper run now and then, at least a good 25-30 km drive at steady, higher speeds every couple of weeks, which helps the DPF complete its regeneration cycles cleanly.On your concern about E27 petrol, any new car today that is E20 compliant is unofficially E27 compliant as well, and manufacturers have built in enough margin for their fuel lines to cope with the corrosive effects of E27. Also, there is no plan to roll out E27 in a hurry, and it’s likely the industry will go straight to flex-fuel options, in which case the current E20 should remain the base fuel.Given the above, you can safely go ahead and buy the Seltos diesel AT you were looking at.

Kia Seltos