The choice of diesel, petrol or electric really comes down to your requirements and preferences. If your daily running is very high and you have access to charging at your home or place of work then an EV makes sense, if not relying solely on public charges isn't really feasible. A diesel makes sense if you drive a lot and long distance too, this helps with lower fuel bills and saves you from stops to charge. In terms of driving pleasure they all differ too. In general, an EV delivers a very strong acceleration which is fun but it is very linear and thus detracts from driving character. the torquey nature of a diesel delivers a effortless drive while a petrol - that is powerful - will deliver quick acceleration. Since you are an enthusiast we would rule out the Tata Sierra DCT as it is paired to the naturally aspirated petrol engine which is down on power and delivers an very underwhelming performance. We would recommend the turbo direct injection petrol instead which is paired with an Aisin sourced 6-speed torque convertor auto and delivers much better on the performance front.

An EV can be used on highways but on longer runs or drives that involve long ghat sections you will drain more of your battery. While there are chargers on major highways you still have to plan the stop, find a free and working one and wait for a while for it to charge. Thus since you already have an EV for the city and are looking for a vehicle for your highway drives we would recommend a petrol. You could consider the Kia Seltos as its a mid-size SUV and would nicely complement your smaller Tata Punch. It's also a very good all rounder and it ride is comfort oriented without sacrificing handling balance and at highway speeds it remains stable and planted. You could opt for naturally aspirated 1.5 L petrol which delivers sufficient performance but if you want a stronger highway performance opt for the turbo-petrol instead.

Since you are a new driver, we would recommend you look at a compact SUV. The sub 4-meter length will be easy to manage initially, and in our crowded streets. Since you drive a lot we would recommend a diesel. The diesel Tata Nexon is very fuel efficient in the city and on the highway too, it delivered 16.5kpl in the city and 19.4kpl on the highway in our standard test cycle. The Nexon is also a safe car with many active and passive safety features and has secured a 5-star rating in both the GNCAP and BNCAP safety tests. If you would prefer something newer, then consider the Hyundai Venue. We are yet to put the car through our standard fuel efficiency testing and it is yet to go through an NCAP test. However in both cases it should perform quite well.

Since your priorities are comfort and luxury we would recommend the Tata Safari. The interiors have a more luxurious feel and space and comfort is very good. The front seats are large and comfy and as is the second row too. Since you are specifically looking for a 7 seater we assume the third row seats would be important as well and here the Safari pips the Mahindra XUV 7XO with a slightly better third row. Access to it is straightforward via the flip-down seat and once back there, knee room is fairly good and you can slide the second row forward to adjust space between both rows. Third row passengers also get a set of dedicated AC vents with their own blower controls.