I am looking for a car in the Rs 12 to 14 lakh on-road range in Bangalore. My requirements include good ground clearance, good boot space, decent to good features, a petrol engine, and strong performance. I am not looking for a sedan, but rather a hatchback, compact SUV, or midsize SUV if the budget allows. Service costs should also be reasonable. Please suggest suitable options.

Autocar India

•4h

We would suggest you go for the Maruti Suzuki Fronx Delta+ AMT. The Fronx has a fuel-efficient 1.2-litre engine mated to an AMT gearbox that is well-tuned and smooth enough for daily driving. It is also fairly spacious, offers a large boot and a comfortable ride, which makes it an ideal companion for everyday city commutes and occasional highway drives.If you want something smaller and easier to manoeuvre, you can consider the Maruti Suzuki Swift AMT. It is a more compact car, which makes it even easier to drive and park in the city. However, the new Swift now comes with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine, which feels a bit less powerful compared to the Fronx’s four-cylinder engine. Because of this, the AMT gearbox also works better with the Fronx engine than it does with the Swift.Within your budget, you can also consider the Hyundai i20 IVT/CVT in the Magna variant. The CVT gearbox is very smooth, which elevates the overall driving experience and makes the car extremely easy to drive in traffic. The interiors of the i20 also feel quite premium. The only downside is that you will have to trade a bit of fuel efficiency for that smoothness, which is something to keep in mind since efficiency is an important factor for you.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Hyundai Venue

Autocar India

•19h

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

Autocar India

•3h

Hyundai has only introduced the HX8 variant of the Verna with the turbo-petrol-manual combination, and if the company sees substantial demand for the top-end, it could possibly be introduced down the line, but not in the near future.The good news is that even the HX8 variant is well-equipped, with a vast list of features including Level 2 ADAS. The only additional features the HX10 variant gets are 7-airbags, 360-degree camera, blind-view monitor, 4-way powered front passenger seat, powered boss mode for the front passenger seat and a 10.25-inch digital driver's display. If you can live without these features, the HX8 is a great option to consider.

Hyundai Verna