Autocar India
•6h

Hi, I currently drive a Hyundai Elite i20, but I have found it quite tiring on long journeys. On trips exceeding 300 km in a day, I often experience body aches and severe fatigue. I am now looking to buy a new car with a budget of up to Rs. 50 lakh. My goal is to travel extensively and cover the entire country within a year, so long-distance comfort is my top priority. Could you please suggest the most comfortable car for a family of four within this budget?

Verified
•7m

For your requirements, the Toyota Innova HyCross Hybrid ZX(O) would be the recommendation. If the goal is to comfortably cover thousands of kilometres across the country with a family of four, few cars can match the HyCross. The hybrid powertrain is smooth, quiet and extremely fuel efficient on long journeys, while the ride quality is excellent. The standout feature for your use case is the ottoman second-row seats, which allow rear passengers to travel in near business-class comfort. It is also spacious, easy to drive and backed by Toyota's vast service network, which is a major advantage when travelling across India.The Skoda Kodiaq would be the alternative if you enjoy driving and want a more premium, European feel. It offers excellent ride comfort, strong performance and a beautifully finished cabin. However, it cannot match the HyCross for second-row comfort, fuel efficiency or nationwide service support.

VehicleToyota Innova HyCross
VehicleSkoda Kodiaq
Toyota Innova HyCross
Toyota Innova HyCross
•3h

I currently own a Hyundai Verna (2019, manual transmission). My wife would prefer an automatic vehicle, and it will be her first car. I am also planning to upgrade to a luxury vehicle in the future. However, instead of purchasing two vehicles immediately, I am considering buying one car for my wife first, allowing her to get comfortable with it for about a year, and then purchasing another vehicle later. My plan is to sell the Verna, buy a new car for her, and share the same vehicle for some time. I am considering Volkswagen Taigun, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, Renault Duster, Kia Seltos and Kia Sonet. Among these, I am looking at the automatic variants. My budget is up to Rs. 20 lakh, although I can stretch it to Rs. 25 lakh if the car is particularly compelling. The primary use case will be daily office commutes of around 8-15 km, including dropping off my son on the way, so ISOFIX child-seat mounts are essential. We also take occasional highway trips, typically once every three months. Considering these requirements, which option would you recommend?

Verified
•38m

The Kia Seltos 1.5 Petrol IVT would be the recommendation here. Since this will be your wife's first automatic car and you'll both be sharing it for some time, ease of driving should be a key consideration. The Seltos' naturally aspirated petrol engine and IVT automatic combination is exceptionally smooth in city traffic, making it very beginner-friendly. It is also spacious, comfortable on long drives, comes with ISOFIX mounts and feels premium enough that you won't feel the need to upgrade immediately.The Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Mild Hybrid Automatic is another strong option. Its naturally aspirated petrol engine and torque-converter automatic are smooth and dependable, while Toyota's ownership experience is among the best in the business. However, it doesn't feel quite as premium or feature-rich as the Seltos.The Renault Duster Turbo DCT is appealing if you enjoy driving. It offers strong performance, a solid feel and excellent road manners. However, the DCT transmission is not as smooth in stop-start city traffic as the Seltos' IVT, which is an important consideration for a first-time automatic driver. It is also likely to be less fuel efficient than the Seltos in everyday use.The Volkswagen Taigun remains a great driver's car, but for your specific use case, the Seltos is the more rounded family package. The Sonet is a good SUV, but it feels a size smaller than the others on your shortlist.

VehicleKia Seltos
VehicleRenault Duster
VehicleVolkswagen Taigun
VehicleKia Sonet
VehicleToyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder
•6h

I am currently driving a Honda Amaze (2022 model), and I really like its engine and CVT automatic transmission. However, I have been disappointed by its low ground clearance, which once resulted in the oil sump getting damaged. Another concern has been shock absorbers, as I had to replace it twice in four years. I also feel that the ride quality is not very smooth on pothole-ridden and rough roads. I am now looking to buy a new sedan or SUV that offers the strengths of Amaze, but with better ground clearance, a more comfortable ride on rough roads, and a 4 or 5-star safety rating. My budget is between Rs. 15 lakh and Rs. 18 lakh. Which models would you recommend?

Verified
•1h

The Kia Seltos 1.5 Petrol IVT would be the recommendation here. Since you've enjoyed the refinement and smoothness of the Amaze's petrol engine and CVT, the Seltos feels like a natural upgrade. The IVT automatic is smooth in city traffic, the cabin feels significantly more premium and the higher ground clearance means you won't have to worry about scraping the underbody or damaging the oil sump on rough roads. It also offers a comfortable ride and a much more feature-rich cabin than your current car.If you'd prefer to stay within the Honda family, the Honda Elevate CVT is also worth considering. It offers excellent ground clearance, a comfortable ride and Honda's reputation for reliability. However, compared to the Kia car, the engine and transmission combination doesn't feel quite as refined, and the cabin lacks the premium feel and feature-rich experience of the Seltos.

VehicleKia Seltos
VehicleHonda Amaze
VehicleHonda Elevate
•5h

I am a first-time car buyer. My regular commute will be around 20 days a month, primarily on highways, with a round-trip distance of approximately 130 km per day. I have shortlisted the Renault Duster Techno 1.3 Turbo and would like to know whether it would be a good choice for my requirements. I am also open to other recommendations. Additionally, could you please suggest some good diesel cars within a similar budget?

Verified
•1h

The Renault Duster 1.3 Turbo is a good choice, especially if you enjoy driving. The turbo-petrol engine offers strong performance, effortless overtaking ability and makes long highway commutes far more enjoyable than most naturally aspirated rivals.However, your usage pattern is quite demanding. A daily round trip of around 130km for 20 days a month works out to nearly 3,000km every month. In our real-world fuel efficiency tests, the Duster 1.3 Turbo DCT returned 7.47kpl in the city and 13.47kpl on the highway. While those figures are acceptable for a performance-oriented turbo-petrol SUV, your monthly fuel bills will be fairly substantial given the distances you cover.For that reason, it may be worth waiting for the Duster Hybrid, which should offer significantly lower running costs while retaining much of the Duster's practicality and appeal.You should also consider the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Hybrid and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Hybrid. They may not be as engaging to drive as the Duster, but they are exceptionally efficient and are likely to save you a considerable amount in fuel costs over the years.If you'd prefer a diesel, the Kia Seltos Diesel Automatic and upcoming Tata Sierra Diesel Automatic are worth looking at. Both should be considerably more fuel efficient than the Duster petrol and are well suited to high-mileage highway use.

VehicleRenault Duster
VehicleToyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder
VehicleKia Seltos
VehicleMaruti Suzuki Grand Vitara
VehicleTata Sierra
Renault Duster
Renault Duster
•4h

I own a BS4 Ford Endeavour Diesel, registered in Gurgaon in 2017. I recently came across the supreme court's revised ruling regarding the end-of-life policy for BS4 diesel vehicles. As I understand it, BS4 diesel vehicles in the NCR can continue to be used beyond 10 years, subject to passing the required fitness tests. However, my understanding is that during GRAP Stage 4 restrictions, such vehicles would not be allowed to operate. In short, am I correct in understanding that I can continue using my vehicle beyond 10 years, provided it has a valid fitness certificate and no restrictions such as GRAP Stage 4 are in force?

Verified
•2h

Your understanding is mostly right, but it has two major real-world catches. First, the Supreme Court explicitly protected BS-IV and newer vehicles from automatic age-based seizures, meaning your 2017 Endeavour is legally safe to run past its 10th birthday in 2027, subject to passing routine fitness and emission tests. This provides great relief, but it only applies on regular days. The bigger immediate hurdle is that you cannot wait until GRAP Stage 4 to park your car. Under current regulations, BS-IV diesel private cars are banned from plying starting right from GRAP Stage 3. Because Delhi-NCR regularly hits Stage 3 during the winter months, your SUV will be legally grounded for long stretches of the season, and if caught driving, it will face a hefty Rs. 20,000 fine. In short, you can absolutely enjoy your Endeavour past 10 years on clear days, but you will definitely need a backup vehicle for the winter smog.

•6d

I'm seeing a couple of mid-SUV drag races on the autocar India YouTube channel, and I have a very confusing question that needs answering. Every single auto-journo in this country lauded the VWAG's 1.5TSI + 7-speed DSG combination, raving about its snappy responses and performance-oriented calibration. Yet, after watching the latest drag race between the Tata Sierra and Skoda Kushaq, it's clear that the Kushaq lags, owing to the slow off-the-line response of the 7-speed DSG. If it is lagging behind a homegrown torque converter automatic, why is it still considered the best twin clutch gearbox out there?

Verified
•3h

It’s still the quickest, most engaging auto in this class once the car is moving, but the 1.5 TSI DSG is deliberately soft off the line. The twin clutches hate heat and abuse, so VW-Skoda programs a gentle first bite to protect them. In a drag, that pause plus a hint of turbo lag can bog the launch. A torque converter can “brake‑torque” and multiply torque at zero speed, so it leaps ahead even if it shifts slower later.Reviewers praise the DSG for what you feel 95 percent of the time - razor‑quick upshifts, near‑instant downshifts, and strong in‑gear pull for overtakes. From 20-120kph, it keeps the engine on boost and swaps ratios faster than any torque converter here. That’s why it feels eager and “snappy” on the road, even if a standing start looks lazy.Two honest catches. The 1.5’s DQ200 doesn’t have an aggressive launch like bigger Euro DSGs, and in heavy crawl, it can feel hesitant compared with a smooth torque converter. So if you care about hard launches and bumper‑to‑bumper smoothness, a torque converter suits you. If you want the fastest shifts and mid‑range shove, the DSG remains the benchmark.