I am planning to buy a new car with a budget of around ₹12 lakh. I am confused between choosing a subcompact SUV like the Skoda Kylaq and Kia Sonet, or just going with the base model of the new Kia Seltos. Suggestions are also welcome, excluding the cars I have mentioned.

Autocar India

•1d

For your usage, we would recommend the Kia Seltos diesel manual. Since your driving is primarily long distance and you plan to keep the car for the long term, the diesel makes complete sense, and the Seltos is a very easy car to recommend in this budget. It feels like a significant upgrade from your old Dzire in every way, with a far more premium cabin, much better comfort and stronger highway performance.The new Seltos is also larger than the Hyundai Creta, and offers more cabin space, a bigger boot and overall feels more premium. Kia has also improved the ride quality over the previous generation, so it feels more comfortable and settled on long journeys while still being easy to drive.The Creta diesel manual remains a strong alternative because it uses the same dependable diesel powertrain, but the current Creta is now the older product and due for a generational replacement in roughly the next year or so.

Hyundai Creta

Autocar India

•1h

For your requirements, the Kia Carens Clavis diesel manual would be our first recommendation. Since your priority is long highway comfort, strong fuel efficiency and long-term ownership without regret, this fits exceptionally well. The diesel engine is efficient and well-suited to highway cruising, the ride comfort is good, the cabin is practical for family use and importantly, the third row is genuinely usable, unlike many so-called 7-seaters. If most of your driving is highway-based, living with a manual should not be a problem, and it will reward you with much better efficiency than the automatic alternatives.If your highway runs are not extremely long, charging infrastructure on your regular routes is dependable, and you are open to going electric, the Kia Carens Clavis EV is also a genuinely strong option. It gives you much lower running costs, excellent comfort and the same practical seven-seat layout. The only caveat is that for truly long road trips, you need to be comfortable planning around charging stops.

Kia Carens Clavis

Kia Carens Clavis EV

Autocar India

•6h

If the Baleno fits in your parking space, it would actually be one of the strongest recommendations here. Coming from a Swift, it will feel like a proper upgrade without becoming difficult to live with. You get noticeably better cabin space, a more comfortable ride and a more premium interior, while still keeping dimensions that are city friendly.The current Baleno also uses a more refined 4 cylinder petrol engine, which feels smoother and stronger than your older Swift’s motor, making it a nicer everyday car for both city and highway use. Maruti’s service reach and relatively low maintenance costs also make it a sensible long term ownership choice if you are planning to keep the car for 10 years.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

Maruti Suzuki Swift