Latest questions answered by experts

vishal

I am thinking of booking the Hyundai Creta S(O) Petrol Manual. My monthly running will not be very high, and the car will mostly be used for city drives, with only occasional highway trips.

Autocar India

•10m

Mostly city use, low monthly running, and only rare highway trips - in that case the Hyundai Creta S(O) petrol manual is a sound pick and you can go ahead with it. The 1.5 petrol feels smooth and quiet at low speeds, so it suits stop-start city driving, and it pulls cleanly from slow speeds without you having to shift gears all the time. The steering is light and the view out is good, which makes tight lanes and parking easier. Since your running is low, petrol is the right fuel too, so you avoid the higher buy price and upkeep of a diesel.Keep a couple of things to keep in mind for your use. If your daily route has heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic, working the clutch and gear lever can get tiring after a while. In that case, the S(O) IVT automatic is an automatic that feels very smooth in the city and is worth a look if it fits your budget. Also, on the few highway runs that you do, the manual is steady and comfortable at normal speeds, but quick overtakes will need a downshift.Overall, for mainly city roams and light annual use, the Creta S(O) petrol manual fits your brief well. Pick the IVT only if you want an easier, no-shift drive every day.

Hyundai Creta

Chethan Kumar

•4d

I am from Bangalore and planning to buy a new car. My usage will be around 70% on highways, and I am confused between the new Seltos Diesel Manual and the Sierra Diesel Manual. I have already booked the Seltos HTX, but now I am wondering whether I should go for the Sierra Adventure+ instead or continue with the Seltos.

Autocar India

•40m

With 70% highway use from Bengaluru and a booking already on the Seltos HTX diesel manual, we would stay with the Seltos HTX rather than switch to the Sierra Adventure+ diesel manual. For long runs, the Kia’s diesel feels strong in higher gears, it is refined, and it stays steady and fairly quiet at cruising speeds. The HTX is also well equipped, and its size is easy to live with in the city.Pick the Sierra Adventure+ only if you truly need more rear cabin space and value extra features, and if you are okay with a bigger car to park and likely a higher on-road price. Given your highway-heavy use and the booking in hand, the Seltos HTX diesel manual lines up best right now for strong cruising, easy overtakes and simpler day-to-day use in the city.

Kia Seltos

Tata Sierra

Dr Ashish lashkari

•1d

Hello sir, my name is Dr. Ashish Lashkari, and despite being in the healthcare industry, my passion for automobiles is no less than my profession. I currently drive a Jeep Compass Petrol Automatic, which I purchased in 2018 and have driven around 85,000 km since then. Now, I want to upgrade to something better, and my options are a used Mercedes, a BMW, or the new Mahindra XEV 9e. My usage is around 25% city driving and 75% highway driving with family. Petrol is no longer my preferred choice, as the poor fuel efficiency of the Jeep has been quite frustrating. Please suggest what would be the best option for me. Thank you so much in advance.

Autocar India

•1h

If you are looking for a good used luxury car, check out the Mercedes GLA or the BMW X1. Stick with the current generation models and look for the one that is around 4 to 5 years old. You can consider buying from organized pre owned car sellers like Spinny. You may pay a bit more than the open market but you will get cars that are thoroughly checked and with warranty too. If you are looking at the Mahindra XEV 9E, make sure you have a provision to charge it at home or your place of work as relying solely on the public network isn't really feasible. Also, if your highway runs are more than 350 odd kms and involve mountain roads, you might have to stop for a charge too. So make sure your route has plenty of charging options.

GIRISH CHOUDHRY

Dear Autocar, I am looking for a comfortable 5-seater SUV primarily for metro city driving (around 25-30 km per day) with very little highway usage. My current car is a Honda City. Please help me choose between the Tata Sierra and Tata Harrier, and also suggest any other models that would suit my requirements. Additionally, kindly recommend the most suitable variant based on fuel economy, safety, and comfort.

Autocar India

•1h

Between the two Tata cars that you've shortlisted, go for the Sierra. Considering you will be using the SUV in the city, it's relatively more compact and easier to drive, with lighter controls, yet doesn't give up too much in terms of space. It also has more features than the Harrier, including a three-screen setup on the dashboard in top trims. Both cars have 5-star crash test ratings from Bharat NCAP, since safety is a concern for you. The Sierra also has an edge on comfort, with the softer, more compliant suspension setup, while the Harrier feels firm, comparatively.However, being large and heavy SUVs, neither is particularly good on fuel economy, especially if you drive mostly in the city. Tata's new 1.5-litre petrol engine feels smooth and powerful in both SUVs, but in our real-world tests, returned poor figures in the Sierra. The diesel might be the better choice if fuel economy is a criterion, though beware of the additional maintenance required, such as DPF regeneration.With mostly metro-city use at 25-30 km a day and rare highway runs, a strong-hybrid like the Maruti Suzuki Victoris might make more sense. It uses far less fuel in stop-go traffic, it is very quiet and smooth at low speeds, and it is easier to park than bigger SUVs. Coming from a Honda City, you will like how calm and smooth it feels, and the ride is comfortable over broken roads. Moreover, it too has received a 5-star crash test rating from Bharat NCAP. The trade-off is space, which isn't as much as you'll find in the Harrier or Sierra, and performance, which compared to the turbo-petrol engine, isn't as strong. For your usage though, we would recommend the Victoris strong hybrid.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Tata Harrier

Tata Sierra

Ashish

•1d

I want to buy an electric or hybrid car under ₹20 lakh on-road. Please suggest the best options.

Autocar India

•2h

At your budget, there aren't many hybrid options. You could consider the Maruti Suzuki Victoris, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara or its sister model the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder. The top variants of all these cars would come at ₹20 lakh (on road) mark. There's really not much difference between the Grand Vitara and Hyryder, so pick the one that you prefer in terms of style or on which one you are getting a better deal. If you want a few more features, opt for the Victoris as you would get features like a larger touchscreen and instrument panel, a branded audio system and level-2 ADAS. However, do bear in mind that rear headroom is a bit tighter in the Victoris. Technically, it shares its platform and powertrain with the other two hybrids, so it is also powered by the 1.5 litre 3 cylinder petrol hybrid unit.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Wasi

•21h

I live in Delhi, and my daily travel is only around 20 km, with two road trips of about 1,000 km each every year. I am confused between the Punch CNG Adventure AMT, Kylaq Signature, and XUV 3XO Diesel. I need a value-for-money and rugged car that I can keep for the next 10 years.

Autocar India

•2h

Go for the Skoda Kylaq Signature. For your usage, it is simply the most sensible long term choice as your running is quite limited, so a petrol makes far more sense than a diesel today, especially with mostly city driving in Delhi. The Kylaq gives you a more premium and involving driving experience than the Tata Punch CNG AMT, with a smoother petrol engine, better highway manners and a cabin that feels more solid and mature overall. It will also feel more comfortable and refined on longer trips, while still being compact enough for daily city use.The Punch CNG AMT is definitely the cheaper to run option and it is rugged enough for bad roads, but compared to the Kylaq, it does not feel as polished, as engaging to drive or as premium inside. The Mahindra XUV 3XO diesel, meanwhile, is not the right fit for your usage because modern BS6 diesels and your kind of low city running can lead to DPF related issues over time, especially without regular long highway runs.

Skoda Kylaq

Tata Punch

Mahindra XUV 3XO