I am planning to buy a new car within a budget of Rs. 12 lakh. My final choices are the Kia Sonet and the Hyundai Venue. I am a little confused about which one to choose, as I plan to make the purchase within the next 30 days. The car will be used primarily for highway driving, and good fuel efficiency is one of my key requirements. Safety and build quality are also important factors for me. Which one would you recommend?

Autocar India

•2d

Go ahead and buy the Kia Sonet HTX diesel automatic now. Your Pune-Goa runs need an effortless, efficient cruiser, and this 1.5 diesel with the automatic sits relaxed on the highway, pulls cleanly for overtakes, and will save fuel on those 12,000-18,000 km you’ll rack up in six months. Waiting till 2027 for the new Sonet is a gamble, as there may be unforeseen delays. As you mentioned, leasing/subscription is expensive, and a used car might not be as reliable as you'd want on these longer journeys.The current Sonet is also easy to live with in a new city - compact to park, has cruise control and enough features in HTX to keep long drives calm. One honest catch: the rear seat is not great for three adults on very long stints, and the ride can feel a bit firm on broken patches.Given you like diesels and have real highway use coming up, this is exactly the kind of usage modern diesels are happy with. Buy it now and enjoy the trips.

Kia Sonet

Autocar India

•23h

Consider the Kia Seltos HTK 1.5 petrol, manual. It suits your use because you already have the Tata Tiago EV for 100 km daily runs, so a simple petrol makes more sense than a costly diesel. The Kia Seltos is well-equipped on the lower trims and will feel like a significant upgrade over your Brezza, gives decent highway economy, and Kia service has a good reputation.For family drives, it’s roomy, the ride is comfy, the cabin feels airy, and you get a big, useful boot. On the odd office run, the manual is light and easy to use, but alternatively, the IVT will make city driving even more effortless.One thing to note is that with a full load and luggage, it feels just “enough” for quick overtakes.If you don't need something quite as big, the Hyundai Venue is a solid choice too.

Tata Tiago EV

Kia Seltos

Hyundai Venue

Autocar India

•1d

Of your three shortlisted SUVs, the Hyundai Venue 1.0 T-GDi makes the most sense as it's the best all-rounder in the segment. It's got a good blend of performance and efficiency, maintenance is relatively cheap and hassle-free, and there are loads of features on offer, even in mid-level variants. It offers a good mix of rear-seat space and boot volume, which are both big improvements on the last-gen Venue. If there's a downside, it's that its DCT automatic can be jerky in low-speed traffic, and needs to be driven with this in mind. The manual, meanwhile, has a light and smooth clutch and gearshift action, so consider it as well.The Mahindra XUV 3XO scores high on performance, with the strongest engine in the class, and it has great space inside the cabin. Its downside, however, is that boot space is not so great, and neither is fuel economy. The Tata Nexon is also a decent all-rounder, but in most areas, it can't quite keep up with the newer and more polished Venue. Overall, the Venue is the one we think you should go for.Diesel is certainly a feasible option if you plan to keep the car for 5 years, and the mileage will certainly be better. But these engines are nowhere near as refined or punchy as their petrol counterparts, and thanks to newer emissions mitigation technology, they're far more expensive to buy, and require extra maintenance to run. Thus, for your usage, and for a first car, we would stick to petrol.

Hyundai Venue

Mahindra XUV 3XO

Tata Nexon