Mumbai

GIRISH CHOUDHRY

•5w

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

•5w

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.

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Kshitij BIsht

•5w

Good Suggestion

GIRISH CHOUDHRY

•5w

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply. Very useful. However, being a tall family, space is a major factor for us. What would you recommend in that case?

Aman

•5w

For your mostly city-based usage, I feel the Tata Sierra would suit better than the Tata Harrier, as the Harrier can feel a bit large in daily metro traffic. Since you’re upgrading from a Honda City, refinement and comfort should matter, so do check out the Hyundai Creta and Toyota Hyryder as well. A mid-spec variant would give the best balance of comfort, safety, and value

GIRISH CHOUDHRY

•5w

Thanks a lot for the detailed reply. Very useful. However, being a tall family, space is a major factor for us. What would you recommend in that case?

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More questions on similar cars

Kishore

•3d

Hi experts, I own a Baleno RS and am looking to upgrade to an SUV. My daily usage is around 20km, and I take a highway trip once every three months. On average, I drive around 8,000km a year. I recently tested the Duster and enjoyed the drive, but the rear-seat space was not up to the mark. I am also thinking of checking out the Sierra. With the current trend of rising petrol prices, I am confused about whether shifting to an EV is worthwhile or if a petrol vehicle would still be ideal for my usage.

Autocar India

•12h

Pick the Tata Sierra petrol. Your daily 20 km and rare highway runs do not justify the extra price and charging fuss of an electric car, and you already flagged rear space as a concern. The Sierra feels roomier and comfier in the back than the Renault Duster you tried.You enjoyed the Duster’s drive, and rightly so, as it feels more eager and easier to throw around. But for quarterly highway trips and family comfort, the Sierra’s wider cabin and more relaxed ride suit your upgrade better. With 8,000 km a year, the fuel savings from an EV will take a long time to catch up; unless you have easy home charging and plan to keep it for many years, petrol is the simpler, lower‑risk choice.One trade-off is that the Sierra will cost more and won’t feel as engaging to drive as the Duster. If you mostly drive with just one passenger and love that driving feel, the Duster still tempts, but for space and ease, the Sierra wins.

Tata Sierra

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Sahil

•2d

I am still confused between Victoris and Vitara. Please help me to buy a car

Autocar India

•1d

The Grand Vitara and Victoris are essentially the same car - they share the same platform, powertrain options, feature-set, and several other components. What differentiates them is their styling, both inside and out. The Victoris gets lighter interiors, while the Grand Vitara petrol gets a relatively darker cabin. Also, while the Grand Vitara is sold through the Nexa sales network, the Victoris is sold via the more widespread Arena channel. At the end of the day, pick the car whose design and interior colour appeals to you more. You could also consider the better deal and choose the one that's giving you more value for money. Whichever option you pick, you won't go wrong.

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Bhanu Kiran

•5d

My father is 58 years old and is going to buy a new CNG vehicle in Hyderabad. We are looking at Maruti, as we would like to use it for 10-15 years. We previously had a Verna 3rd gen. My dad's requirements are less maintenance and good mileage in the city and on highways, and this vehicle will be used mostly in the city and occasionally on highways with luggage and not exceeding 15k -20k kms annually. We are confused between Vitara and Victoris initial budget for Victoris was 12lacs on road, and my father is okay to stretch till 15lacs after visiting the showroom. Please suggest the best one, and is Grand Vitara good from the above 2 products and suggest what the add-on we should choose, which will help us in the long term, and can we add the add-on outside the showroom.

Autocar India

•2d

Pick the Maruti Victoris CNG over the Grand Vitara CNG. For your Rs. 15 lakh on-road budget and mostly city running, the Victoris VXi fits comfortably within budget, and it gets a dual underfloor CNG tank setup, which gives it a much more usable boot than the Grand Vitara.The downside is that the Victoris does not come with a spare tyre. However, you can buy one as a dealer accessory and carry it in the boot on longer journeys if needed.If you need other accessories, Maruti usually offers a long list of dealer-fit options. These are definitely preferable to aftermarket parts, which can sometimes affect your warranty coverage.

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Jayvir Deol

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I want to buy an SUV, and my budget is around 20 lakh. I have seen the MG Hector, the Mahindra XUV and the Tharr Rox. Which car should I buy, and given the current scenarios on the govt policies, should I go for petrol or diesel?

Autocar India

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Pick the Mahindra XUV 7XO. At around Rs. 20 lakh, it gives you the best mix of space, strong performance and safety, and it is far easier to live with every day than the Thar Roxx while being a better value than a low or mid Hector variant. You also get both petrol and diesel choices, so you can match it to your running.Fuel choice is simple. Go petrol if most of your use is in the city or your running is under about 1,200 km a month. It is quieter, has fewer policy worries, and resale stays safe even if some cities tighten diesel rules. Pick diesel only if you drive long highway distances often, want a longer tank range, or haul a full family with luggage regularly.The only real downside with the XUV 7XO is that the fanciest features push you beyond Rs. 20 lakh, and there may be a wait period. If you mainly want a rugged toy, the Thar Roxx is great, but for family life, the XUV 7XO fits better.

Abhishek Das

I am planning to purchase a new automatic car and am confused between the Honda Amaze ZX CVT and the Skoda Kylaq Signature Plus AT. My usage will be around 90% city driving, primarily for office commuting between Dwarka, Delhi and my office near IFFCO Chowk, Gurugram (approximately 25 km one way). However, I will not be driving daily, as I often use the Metro as well. The car will also be driven by my 69-year-old father, so ease of driving, comfort, visibility, ingress/egress, and reliability are important considerations. Our previous car was an Alto K10 Manual, so this will be our first automatic car and a significant upgrade. Considering my usage pattern, family profile and the fact that we intend to keep the car for a long period for around 10 years, which of these two would you recommend?

Autocar India

•6d

Based on your requirement, we would recommend the Honda Amaze ZX CVT over the Skoda Kylaq Signature+ AT. The reason is that your priorities are not outright performance or driving excitement. You are looking for a car that will spend 90% of its life in city traffic, will also be driven by your 69-year-old father, and is expected to stay with the family for around 10 years. In that context, Amaze's strengths line up perfectly with your requirements. The CVT is smoother than the Kylaq's torque converter automatic in stop-and-go traffic, visibility is excellent, the car is easy to place on the road, ingress and egress are straightforward, and Honda's long-term reliability record is hard to fault. Coming from an Alto K10, it will already feel like a substantial upgrade in comfort, refinement and features.The Kylaq Signature Plus AT is the more desirable car from an enthusiast's perspective. The 1.0 TSI turbo petrol has more punch, the higher seating position is nice, and the overall package feels more substantial. However, it is also a larger vehicle to manoeuvre, and while the automatic is good, it is not quite as seamless in everyday traffic as Honda's CVT.Another point in Amaze's favour is that the ZX variant gets Honda Sensing ADAS, which adds useful safety features without making the car complicated to operate. Since your father will also be driving it, that extra layer of safety is a nice bonus.

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Skoda Kylaq

•2d

I am confused between buying Skoda Kylaq and Kia Seltos. Please suggest.

Autocar India

•2d

Buy the Kia Seltos. It is simply easier to live with for most buyers, thanks to a much wider service network and many more variant and powertrain choices, including good automatics across a wider price range. For daily city runs with the odd highway trip, the Seltos will feel like the more complete package and it has a more spacious and premium cabin. The Skoda Kylaq will suit you only if you really enjoy driving. It feels tighter and more confidence inspiring on the move, and the steering has more feel. If you plan long, frequent road trips and care more about how it drives than gadgets, that’s where the Kylaq shines. The flip side is fewer dealers and fewer variant choices.

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