Hi, I live in Pune and often travel with my family in the ghat sections around Pune and also do road trips involving ghats. I want to upgrade from MT to AT and am looking for a car with an AT capable of handling those sections easily with 5 passengers. My preference is Creta CVT, Kushaq AT, or Elevate CVT. I am open to other options, too. Budget is max 17–18 lakhs.

Autocar India

•3h

Since your priority is a good ride for your EV, pick the Hyundai Creta Electric. The suspension is stiffer than the ICE version’s to support the extra weight, but remarkably, it doesn’t translate into a crashy or uncomfortable ride experience. You can feel some firmness at low speeds, but road shocks are still well in check, and what’s nice is that the stiffness has eliminated unnecessary (secondary) body movements, and even at highway speeds, the Creta Electric doesn’t lose its composure. If a pure cushy feel is your only goal, then the Citroen eC3 rides even softer, but it’s smaller, slower and not as settled at higher speeds as the Creta. As for your ICE vehicle, we would recommend you look at the Mahindra XUV 3XO, which offers very good damping, so it stays composed on craters and doesn’t float when you’re quick over bad patches. Steering and stability inspire more confidence than most small SUVs in this price. The trade-off is size - cabin and boot are smaller than your Creta.

Hyundai Creta Electric

Citroen eC3

Mahindra XUV 3XO

Autocar India

•4h

Based on the latest information available, the next generation Hyundai i20 is very likely to get an N Line version. Hyundai has not officially confirmed the details yet, but given that the current i20 is offered with an N Line variant and the brand continues to expand its N Line portfolio in India, it would be surprising if the next generation model did not follow the same path.As for timing, the next generation i20 is still under development and is expected to arrive around 2027 or possibly even 2028, rather than in the near future. So while an N Line version is highly likely, buyers may still have a fairly long wait before the all-new model reaches showrooms.

Hyundai i20

Autocar India

•6h

Its hard to recommend a specific car without knowing a few more specifics like importance of rear space, who will drive it, etc. However, if you are looking at an all rounder we would suggest the Kia Seltos. The new second generation car has grown larger and more room inside, including at the rear, where the previous car was not as spacious. Since your running does not seem very high we would recommend the 1.5 litre naturally aspirated petrol coupled to the automatic gearbox. The autobox is a CVT but is does not have a prominent 'rubber band effect' - where revs rise faster than the corresponding speed increase and in fact, it is quite enjoyable when driven at regular speeds in the city. On the highway too, its just fine and the handling at higher speeds is very secure and stable and the car tracks straight and level even on less-than-perfect surfaces. As typical of Kia, the Seltos is also very well equipped and at your budget, you would get a decently specced mid-level variant.

Kia Seltos