Hi, I am planning to buy a Kia Seltos petrol automatic and am confused between the IVT and the turbo petrol DCT. My usage is about 60% city and 40% highway, and I plan to keep the car for 8-10 years. I feel the IVT is underpowered on highways, and I am concerned about long-term maintenance of the DCT. Please suggest the best automatic transmission so I won’t regret my choice.

Autocar India

•1m

"IVT or DCT?" is a common question from potential Kia Seltos buyers. For your requirements, the Seltos Turbo-DCT is the better choice. The Turbo's added 45hp of power counts for a lot and makes highway drives more effortless. There's also a sporty side to the Seltos Turbo-DCT that's missing on the IVT, and something you'll appreciate on the open road.

Were your driving predominantly in city confines, the IVT would have been the wiser pick. The IVT delivers a seamless experience in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

We do not expect the Seltos DCT to be any harder or more expensive to maintain in the long run, so long as manufacturer-recommended precautions are adhered to.

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Nikhil Renuse

•3d

With talks about mandating ADAS in all new commercial vehicles and subsequently in passenger cars, should one buy an ADAS-equipped car or a non-ADAS car today, especially if one intends to keep it for as long as possible and tour extensively? With recent rules such as E20 that affect older cars, would the ADAS rule affect existing cars in any way other than decreasing resale value? Would express highways become ADAS only? Thanks!

Autocar India

•1d

ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) is a set of safety features that can help prevent accidents. These include features like lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking.While the government is considering making ADAS mandatory for all new cars, there is no clarity on when this will happen. And even if a regulation mandating ADAS were enacted, cars without it would not be affected or banned. There is nothing like an 'ADAS-only' highway being considered. Future highways will be designed and constructed to optimise ADAS performance, but even cars without ADAS can still use them. We always recommend buying a car with ADAS if you can afford it because it is an important piece of active safety that could be a life-saver in certain emergencies.

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Sid Sen

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What is the best upgrade for me - a Grand Vitara, a Creta, or a Seltos? I am 67 years old and mostly drive locally, but I recently completed a long drive of 600 km in my Baleno without any problems.

Autocar India

•1d

It's hard to recommend a car without knowing a bit more about your requirements, like mileage, rear space, etc. However, as an all-rounder, we would recommend the Kia Seltos over the other two in your shortlist. The Seltos has smooth and refined engines, the car is well-specced, has good interior space, which has increased over the previous Seltos, while the ride too is now tuned more towards comfort. Furthermore, the Seltos is also the newest of the lot and thus would stay fresher while the other two are due for an update / new generation in about a year.

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Prateek

•6d

I currently own a Creta 1.4 diesel, and after nearly 10 years of reliable performance, I am planning to upgrade to a car with better road presence and visibility. My budget is up to ₹25 lakh. However, with the government expected to implement CAFE-III norms from April 2027 and stricter BS-VIII emission standards around 2026–27, it feels risky to go for a diesel vehicle as the resale value may drop in the future. Because of this, I am considering the petrol version of the Tata Harrier. Would it be a worthwhile choice? Can I realistically expect a fuel efficiency of around 12–14 km/l? Is it a prudent decision to go for the Harrier petrol, or would you suggest other options within this budget?

Autocar India

•1d

If you're uncertain about buying another diesel car, that's okay, as there are plenty of great petrol options available these days. The Tata Harrier is certainly big on presence and visibility, and its new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine is smooth with more than enough performance. However, fuel economy won't be great as this is a big and heavy car, and while 12-14kpl might be possible on the highway, in the city, expect that to drop to single digits. You could consider the Tata Sierra, which uses the same turbo petrol engine but is a slightly smaller and lighter SUV. The fuel efficiency gains may be marginal, but you will see some improvement, and the Sierra is big on road presence, too. You could also consider the new Kia Seltos or even the Hyundai Alcazar, both of which have potent yet relatively efficient 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines, and good road presence.

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