Hello Autocar Team, I am planning to buy a new car and would appreciate your advice. In my family, we are four adults and one child, and we usually travel around 1,000 km round-trip once a month or once every two months. City driving is very minimal. Sometimes we also travel with five adults and two kids, which is why I am considering a 7-seater. However, I am confused whether it would be better to buy a 5-seater or a 7-seater, considering that such full-capacity trips happen only occasionally. My budget is around ₹15 lakh, and I am currently considering the Kia Carens Clavis. Would this be the right choice for my usage pattern and family size? If yes, which variant would you recommend within my budget? Alternatively, should I wait for the upcoming three-row version of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara from Nexa? Would that be a better long-term option compared to buying now?

Autocar India

•2d

The Kia Carens Clavis would be a good option for you. The insides and comfy, and the third row is spacious for two adults and has AC vents as well as type C ports for charging. With three rows up, there's also a fairly useable 216-litres of boot space, and there is some more space under the boot floor too.Kia cars have proven to be quite reliable, and this would serve you well since you plan to keep it for a long time. The car is well-equipped with a host of safety features that are standard, and since mileage is also your priority, we would suggest you opt for the diesel or the naturally aspirated (non-turbo) 1.5-litre petrol engine.

Kia Carens Clavis

Autocar India

•1h

Auto parking might not solve your problem if your parking space is too narrow to open the doors. The summon feature that the Tata Harrier EV gets could be of some use, but it won’t fit your requirements if you need a three-row vehicle like the Toyota Innova Hycross.Instead, we suggest you take a look at the Kia Carens Clavis. It is narrower than the Hycross by about 45-50mm and is roughly the same width as your Nexon, so it should fit in your parking space. In terms of interior volume, while it is not as spacious as the Hycross, it offers plenty of room in the second row and a genuinely usable third row.

Tata Harrier EV

Toyota Innova HyCross

Kia Carens Clavis

Autocar India

•30m

In your budget, the Hyundai Venue and the Kia Syros are good options. Both come with the 1.0-litre engine and DCT gearbox, which should be a good fit for your usage. The engine offers good performance, and the DCT is generally quite smooth, with only occasional hesitation.In terms of safety, both come very well equipped, with six airbags as standard, and a 360-degree camera and ADAS available on the top variants. The Syros has also scored five stars in the Bharat NCAP crash tests, and while the Venue is yet to be officially tested, it is based on the same platform as the Syros.

Hyundai Venue

Kia Syros