What is the major difference in driving feel between the WagonR 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre engines? The car will be used mostly in the city with an occasional monthly highway trip. I am also considering the Tata Tiago - any suggestions would be helpful. Thank you.

Autocar India

•4h

Given your mostly city use, opt for the Kia Seltos over the Maruti Suzuki Victoris. For a base model, the Seltos HTE is rather well equipped and generally feels more premium than the Victoris LXI.The Seltos might be slightly more expensive, but it feels more modern and comes with more standard features than the Victoris. In terms of ease of use, the Seltos is just as friendly to drive, with light controls and good drivability from the engine. Maruti’s service reach in Punjab is generally wider than Kia’s, but if you have a Kia dealer and service centre nearby, the ownership experience should be comparable.The downside is that the Seltos may cross your Rs 12 lakh budget. If you can stretch a bit, though, the Seltos is a good choice for your needs.

Kia Seltos

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Autocar India

•2h

With 90% highway use and an Rs. 18 lakh cap, the Tata Nexon Creative diesel is the best fit from your list. On long runs, it uses less fuel than the Hyundai Creta petrol, and the diesel pulls strongly in higher gears. So, overtaking is easy even with family and luggage. Coming from a Polo, you will like how steady it feels at speed and how it smooths out rough patches. Tata’s service costs are reasonable, and the diesel’s range means fewer fuel stops.Two things to note. Tata service quality can vary by city, so pick a well-rated workshop near you. Also, the Nexon’s cabin and boot are smaller than the Creta, which you may feel on big trips.If low maintenance and a larger, calmer cabin matter more than top mileage, the Hyundai Creta S(O) is the safer alternative. It will be smoother and easier to own, but it will use more fuel on the highway than the Nexon diesel and may sit close to your budget on-road.

Tata Nexon

Hyundai Creta

Autocar India

•7h

For a ten-year ownership period with strong reliability, mostly short city runs with the occasional highway trip, the Honda Elevate CVT is a good fit. Given your usage is fairly low and largely limited to the city, a petrol would be a better choice than a diesel. Being naturally aspirated, it won’t have the same grunt as the Nexon’s turbo-petrol, but among naturally aspirated midsize SUVs, it feels one of the most energetic.Test drive it to see if the performance feels adequate, but if you miss that turbo punch, then consider the Skoda Kushaq 1.0 TSI AT instead. It comes with an 8-speed torque-converter automatic, which avoids your DCT concerns, though overall upkeep cost will be higher than Honda’s.If you want the least hassle with many short city trips, pick the Honda Elevate.

Honda Elevate

Skoda Kushaq