I’m planning to buy a new car for my wife. She currently uses a 2019 Celerio automatic and drives about 30 km daily (≈600 km monthly). I’m looking for an automatic around ₹10 lakh and am torn between the Fronx and the Tiago EV. I plan to use the car for 10 years - would the Tiago EV be a good option? Please advise.

Autocar India

•23h

The Tata Tiago EV is a good option if most of your usage is within city limits and you have the option to install a charger at your home or workplace. Range is comfortable for intra-city commutes, but it's not the ideal long-distance car.You'll find the Tiago EV far superior to your current Tiago in performance, smoothness and refinement. At the same time, the EV retains the easy-to-drive nature, tough build and comfortable ride of the Tiago petrol.

Tata Tiago EV

Autocar India

•1d

You can consider the Maruti Suzuki Fronx or the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor in their top turbo petrol manual variants. The engine, despite being turbocharged, has hardly any turbo lag and offers good punch. It also comes with a light clutch and a slick gearbox, which makes it easy to drive in the city. Even on an open road or around a ghat section, both these cars are surprisingly fun to drive, and over bad roads, the suspension delivers a comfortable ride as well. For a turbo petrol engine, efficiency is also quite impressive. Overall, there is actually not much to fault here.If you want something that feels a bit more premium, you can look at the Skoda Kylaq, the Signature+ MT variant. The Kylaq is a fun car to drive, but the clutch is heavier, and you will feel more turbo lag. It will also not be as efficient as the Fronx turbo petrol, and the peace of mind ownership experience may not be as strong.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor

Skoda Kylaq

Autocar India

•21h

Given your requirements, the Skoda Slavia would be a good option to consider. Within the Slavia range, we would recommend the 1.5-litre TSI engine with the DSG gearbox. This will give you the enthusiastic driving dynamics you want, which frankly, no mid-size SUV can offer. It also has fantastic handling manners and is extremely stable on the highways. The bootspace at 521 litres is massive, and it has a good ground clearance to clear most of our badly built roads.In the city, the Slavia also gets cylinder deactivation that helps save fuel, and it is light and breezy to manoeuvre. Also, the music system in the Slavia is one of the best stock systems out there. It is punchy, clear and feels properly high-end. If you're an audiophile, you will enjoy it compared to any other car or SUV south of Rs 30 lakh.

Skoda Slavia