autocar-logo
Delhi
NI

Nishan

•10w

Hi. I have owned a Swift Dzire petrol for the last 10 years and I love sedans. I plan to upgrade with a budget of around ₹20 lakh. I mostly do mixed driving in the city and on highways. Which car should I buy?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•10w

There is minimal choice in the sedan market today, and your best options are the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus, which have strong petrol engines, excellent ride and handling and a comfortable cabin. 

They are ideal for your mix of city and highway drives and come with a high level of safety, too. If you are a regular driver and don’t want extra performance, then the 1.0 versions paired to the 6-speed automatic will work well for you. 

Both the Slavia and Virtus are identical except for the design and a few feature differences across the variants. So the one to choose depends on your comfort with the dealer,  the design, your affinity with the brand and the best deals you get. 

Skoda Slavia

Skoda Slavia

Explore cars mentioned

Skoda Slavia

Skoda

Slavia

from ₹11.30 Lakh

Volkswagen Virtus

Volkswagen

Virtus

from ₹12.23 Lakh

Was this helpful? Ask a follow-up

Got a suggestion for Nishan?

Add a Comment

More questions on similar cars

DE

Deen

•2d

Hi Autocar, I own a 2021 Nexon XZA+S Petrol and am now looking for a replacement. My annual running is around 15,000 km, mostly in the city, with decent highway runs every alternate month. We’re a couple with two children under 10. My requirements are an automatic gearbox, family comfort, great driving dynamics, good boot space, and a good music system for long drives. My budget is a maximum of ₹30 lakh OTR in Gurgaon.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•23h

Given your requirements, the Skoda Slavia would be a good option to consider. Within the Slavia range, we would recommend the 1.5-litre TSI engine with the DSG gearbox. This will give you the enthusiastic driving dynamics you want, which frankly, no mid-size SUV can offer. It also has fantastic handling manners and is extremely stable on the highways. The bootspace at 521 litres is massive, and it has a good ground clearance to clear most of our badly built roads.In the city, the Slavia also gets cylinder deactivation that helps save fuel, and it is light and breezy to manoeuvre. Also, the music system in the Slavia is one of the best stock systems out there. It is punchy, clear and feels properly high-end. If you're an audiophile, you will enjoy it compared to any other car or SUV south of Rs 30 lakh.

VehicleSkoda Slavia
BU

Bumba

•23h

I want to upgrade from Baleno. Please suggest a safe, reliable and compact SUV. Budget is ₹15 lakh. Running will be 1000 km per month. Transmission should be automatic. I want to keep it for 8-10 years.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•1h

Given your requirements, you should consider the Maruti Suzuki Brezza. It's a compact SUV that's powered by a refined 103hp, 1.5-litre petrol engine. It comes with a smooth, 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox and has a claimed mileage of 19.8kpl.Being a Maruti car, it will be reliable for you for 8-10 years, and it's backed up by the brand's widespread service network, which should give you added peace of mind. The Brezza also has a comfy and spacious cabin, and it comes well-equipped with features.As for safety, the Brezza has not been crash-tested yet, but it does come with 6 airbags, traction control and more. Maruti Brezza petrol-AT prices range from Rs 10.60 lakh to Rs 12.86 lakh (ex-showroom).

VehicleMaruti Suzuki Brezza
DG

Dr G A Rahi

•2d

Hi, currently I have been driving a Honda Amaze diesel top model since 2019. Now I want to upgrade my car to an SUV. My daily running is 45 km and monthly up to 1300 km, with 20% in the city and 80% on the highway. Please suggest a fuel-efficient and safety-loaded SUV under an ₹11-12 lakh budget. Please suggest.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•1d

Since you prefer diesels, the Tata Nexon would be a good choice for your needs. It gets a frugal 1.5-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox. It is rated 5 stars for crash test safety in BNCAP and has a confident ride on the highway. The braking performance is good too, and in your budget, you can get the Pure + S variant that gets you a decent kit like LED headlamps, sunroof, reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers, etc.The Nexon returns an impressive 16.5kpl in the city and an even more impressive 19.4kpl on the highway. It is a well-rounded SUV for your needs and hence our top recommendation.

VehicleTata Nexon

View all Posts

Posted on: 28 Dec 2025