Which is the best car under Rs. 10 lakh for 90% city driving and 10% highway driving? I am confused between the Maruti Suzuki Dzire and the Tata Altroz Diesel.

autocar.india

•2d

Go for the Skoda Kylaq Signature automatic. It is the most complete package here, offering a higher seating position, better visibility and a more confidence-inspiring driving experience, which is especially helpful for a new driver. The Kylaq is also a genuinely safe car with a strong crash-test rating, and the 1.0 TSI engine, paired with the 6-speed torque-converter automatic, is smooth, reliable, and well-suited to both city and highway driving. The Signature trim is well-equipped, so you won't miss out on key features.Between a manual and an automatic car, go for the automatic. It removes the stress of clutch control in traffic and makes driving far easier, especially as you build confidence. The Kylaq’s automatic is a conventional torque converter, which is smooth and proven.The Honda Amaze VX and Maruti Dzire ZXi are both good value, reliable and comfortable, but they are smaller inside and do not offer the same level of driving experience as the Kylaq. The Baleno Zeta is spacious and feature-rich, but as a hatchback, it does not offer the same visibility or ground clearance as the Kylaq.Overall, the Kylaq Signature automatic is the best fit for your priorities of comfort, safety and value for money.

Skoda Kylaq

Honda Amaze

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

autocar.india

•13h

With your Maruti Suzuki Dzire K12N and 50km a week, stick with E20 petrol. The K12N is E20-compliant, so the car is engineered to run on it without any long-term reliability concerns. The only real downside is a slight drop in fuel efficiency compared to lower ethanol blends, but that is expected and not a cause for worry.Switching to XP100 will not give you any meaningful benefit. The K12N is not a high-compression performance engine, so it will not extract any extra power or efficiency from 100-octane fuel. In fact, you will simply be paying a much higher price per litre with no real-world gain. The only time XP100 makes sense is in high-performance turbocharged or high-compression engines that are tuned to take advantage of higher octane.The only scenario where premium fuel is worth considering is if you are experiencing persistent knocking or pinging under load, which is extremely unlikely in a healthy K12N running E20. In that case, a tank or two of premium fuel can help clean up deposits, but it is not a long-term solution.Overall, E20 is the right fuel for your Maruti Suzuki car, and XP100 is simply unnecessary for your engine.

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

autocar.india

•7h

Between your picks, the Skoda Kylaq and Honda Amaze are the best bets for your needs. The Amaze CVT is smooth, the car is compact and easy to manoeuvre, and Honda’s reliability and low maintenance costs make it a stress-free ownership experience. It is also a proper automatic gearbox, unlike the AMT in the Punch, which can feel jerky at low speeds.The Kylaq is more fun to drive and has the most premium feeling of the three. The 1.0 TSI engine also offers the most performance, which will be handy on the highway, but will also consume more fuel in the city. Its torque converter automatic is very smooth shifting and makes driving in the city very easy. What also helps is that you sit higher than the Amaze, which will give you a bit more confidence in tight city traffic. The downside is that Skoda’s service network is not as widespread as Honda’s, and upkeep can cost more. As for the variant, the Signature+ AT adds a couple of useful features like a reversing camera and a larger infotainment screen, but it is not worth paying Rs 2 lakh extra over the Signature AT. Between these two, the Amaze ZX CVT is the better fit for your requirements - easy to drive, reliable, comfortable and hassle-free to own.

Skoda Kylaq

Honda Amaze

Tata Punch