Hi, I am looking to buy a 7-seater automatic between a budget of 13-15 Lakhs, mainly for city driving. What would experts suggest?

Autocar India

•1d

There aren't many 7 seater automatics in your budget. Your best bet would be the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. It is spacious enough, and even the third row is quite usable, with its own blower controls and air vents. At your budget, you would also get the top variant and thus have features like an automatic AC, a PM2.5 cabin air filter and a touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

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Autocar India

•1d

Since you've been a Maruti loyalist and don't want to consider the excellent Kia Carens Clavis at all, the only options you have are to either get another Maruti Suzuki Ertiga or opt for the Maruti XL6, which is essentially a 6-seater Ertiga with black interiors, some added features and a body cladding to visually give it a rugged look. Unfortunately, there are no other car-like, spacious 7-seaters in the market that price point.

Maruti Suzuki Ertiga

Maruti Suzuki XL6

Kia Carens Clavis

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Autocar India

•31m

There are quite a few diesel options within your budget, especially from the compact SUV segment. The list of contenders includes the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet, Kia Syros, Mahindra XUV 3XO and Tata Nexon. Which one suits you best depends on your key requirements. The Hyundai Venue is a great all-rounder offering good refinement, new-age features, reasonable rear seat space and a large boot. The Kia Sonet has many of the same strengths but loses out on rear seat space. If cabin space is a key requirement, the Kia Syros is the ideal pick. It's the roomiest compact SUV and cabin quality is also very good. However, the design is not to everyone's liking. The Mahindra XUV 3X0 has a good engine, feels tough and offers enough space for three to sit in comfort at the back. Boot space isn't as generous as the others, though. Tata's Nexon diesel feels peppy and the suspension is well suited to our bad roads but the package isn't as refined or polished as alternatives. If it's an automatic transmission you're keen on, the Hyundai and Kia are the one's to consider. Their torque converter automatic transmissions work superbly with the 1.5-litre diesel engines to deliver a truly upmarket experience. The Sonet diesel-AT in HTX trim is great value. You could also get diesel versions of the Hyundai Creta, Tata Sierra or Kia Seltos for the same money. While these options are more spacious, you will have to settle for a low-spec trim without many features.

Kia Sonet

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