Delhi

Sandip Aggarwal

•2w

I currently own a 5-year-old BS6 EcoSport diesel (earlier had a BS4 EcoSport diesel for 6 years). I now want to change my car but am unsure which one to buy. I am based in Delhi and drive around 9,000km per year, mostly in the city, with 3-4 highway trips annually. Budget: ₹17-19 lakh. Priorities: driving experience, double-digit real-world mileage, and overall product value. Test drives done: Creta, Elevate, Seltos petrol (NA) - did not feel very impressive. I am inclined towards the Alcazar, Creta Turbo, and XUV700, but I am open to suggestions.

Autocar India

•2w

Out of the cars you have shortlisted, all use turbo petrol engines, and achieving double-digit fuel efficiency in a congested city like Delhi will be difficult. Your best bet for good and consistent efficiency is to opt for a naturally aspirated petrol engine.

That said, whether you choose a naturally aspirated or turbo petrol, we would suggest going for the new Kia Seltos. It shares its engine options with the Creta and Alcazar, including both the 1.5 litre NA petrol and the 1.5 litre turbo petrol. Being the newer generation car, the Seltos is larger than the Creta, more spacious, better equipped, and also offers a bigger boot.

Between the Seltos and the Alcazar, choose the Hyundai Alcazar if you want the captain seat option, the ability to seat more than five people, and a larger boot with the third row folded.

We would not recommend the Mahindra XUV700, now called the XUV 7XO, for your usage. Within your budget, you would only get the lower variants, which are not as well-equipped as the others.

More importantly, fuel efficiency could be a concern. While the 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine delivers effortless performance, achieving double-digit mileage figures, even on the highway, would require very gentle driving.

Explore cars mentioned

Kia

Seltos

from ₹12.79 Lakh

Mahindra

XUV 7XO

from ₹15.87 Lakh

Mahindra

XUV700

from ₹15.86 Lakh

Hyundai

Creta

from ₹12.56 Lakh

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Tejas

•2w

Try the new renault duster

Manzoor Ashraf

•2w

Why not to Harrier petrol or Seira. Both are the best looking and loaded with features...

Rish

•2w

Please go for scorpion-n z4 automatic diesel it's around 16 Lacs on road. Great mileage, road presence and comfortable

Aadit Swain

•2w

I recommend u test drive Toyota Hyryder. It has enough power and also will give u two digit real world mileage. It's reliable enough like the ecosport and also has a great amount of features.

Dinesh

•2w

Actually we ford driven man has same problem we don't feel the same in others car.if u want to sel ecosport contact me.

Latest questions in the community

Soma Rahul Reddy Kallam

•6d

I have been using a Tata Harrier Manual Jet Edition for the last three years and am now planning to upgrade because I am not satisfied with Tata’s service experience. My budget is around Rs 25-30 lakh and my usage will be a mix of city and highway driving. Which car would you recommend in this price range?

Autocar India

•23h

If you prefer to stick with a 5-seater SUV format, the new Kia Seltos is a good option. In your budget, you can get the top-of-the-line X-Line diesel automatic. It is a proven engine mated to a slick automatic gearbox, and Kia's service is amongst the best in this segment.However, if you'd like to move to a bigger 7-seater SUV, then the new Mahindra XUV 7XO is worth considering. The AX7 trim with the diesel automatic fits in your budget and is a spacious, feature-packed, powerful SUV with superb ride quality. Mahindra service also generally has a better reputation than Tata. Before you make your choice, make sure you take a test drive of both vehicles.

Kia New Seltos

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Pradeep

•4d

What features will be upgraded in the Volkswagen Taigun? Will it have a 360-degree camera?

Autocar India

•2m

A 360-degree camera on the facelifted Volkswagen Taigun is highly unlikely. The recently revealed facelift of its sister model, the Skoda Kushaq, does not get a 360-degree camera either. Since both cars share the same platform and usually have almost identical feature sets, it is unlikely that Volkswagen will introduce that feature only on the Taigun.What the Taigun facelift is more likely to get are the same updates seen on the Kushaq. These could include features such as rear seat massage, a panoramic sunroof, Google Gemini integration in the infotainment system and a larger 10.1-inch digital instrument cluster.Apart from these feature additions, the core mechanical package with the 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre turbo petrol engines is expected to remain unchanged.

Volkswagen Taigun

Skoda Kushaq

Nitin

•6d

I drive around 178 km daily (approximately 46,000 km per year), mostly on highways and expressways. I am trying to decide between CNG and diesel for my next car. My main concern with CNG is long-term engine wear, as I have heard that some CNG engines may require major repairs after 1-1.3 lakh km. Since I plan to keep the car for at least 5+ years, durability is very important to me. My priorities are low NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness), smooth highway cruising, comfort, durability, and reliable long-term ownership. Considering my usage pattern and high annual mileage, which engine option would be better - CNG or diesel? Also, which car would you recommend?

Autocar India

•12h

For the kind of usage you describe, around 178km a day and roughly 46,000km a year - a diesel car makes far more sense than a CNG one.Firstly, diesel is much more widely available on highways and expressways, which is where you’ll be spending most of your time. With such high daily mileage, convenience matters, and diesel fuel stations are easy to find almost anywhere in the country.Secondly, diesel engines are better suited to long-distance cruising. Their strong low-end and mid-range torque make overtaking easier and allow the car to cruise at highway speeds with less effort. This also typically results in lower engine stress and more relaxed driving. It should suit your priorities of smooth cruising, good NVH and long-term durability.CNG cars, on the other hand, do have a few compromises. Performance is noticeably weaker than petrol versions, because CNG produces less energy. When the car is fully loaded or when you need quick overtakes on the highway, the lack of power becomes quite evident. Another practical issue is that the CNG cylinder takes up a large portion of the boot, which can be inconvenient if you are frequently travelling with luggage. From a mechanical perspective, modern factory-fitted CNG engines are much better engineered than earlier conversions. However, CNG is a dry gaseous fuel and doesn’t have the lubricating properties of liquid fuels, so over very high mileages, there can be slightly higher wear on valves and valve seats. For someone covering well over 40,000km a year, a diesel powertrain is generally the more robust long-term solution.Since you haven’t mentioned your exact budget, here are a few strong diesel options across segments. In the compact SUV class, the Hyundai Venue diesel is a good choice with a refined and proven 1.5-litre engine. If you want something larger and more comfortable for long highway drives, the Hyundai Creta diesel remains one of the best all-rounders with excellent refinement and efficiency. And if you are looking for something bigger and more premium, the Mahindra XUV7XO diesel offers strong performance, good highway manners and a very robust engine.Both Hyundai Motor India and Mahindra & Mahindra have well-proven diesel engines that are known to handle high mileage well when properly maintained. Given your driving pattern and ownership horizon of 5 years or more, diesel is clearly the more suitable and practical choice.

Hyundai Creta

Hyundai Venue

Mahindra XUV 7XO

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