Which is the most comfortable 5 or 6 seater with the best ride quality and good reclining rear seats? Budget is not a limitation.

If budget is not a limitation, then the best 5-6 seater will have to be a three-row luxury MPV, as luxury sedans are fundamentally designed for four people, and three-row luxury SUVs have compromised third row comfort.For 5-6 people, the Toyota Velfire is the most comfortable, as even the third row has good space all around and comfy seats that are almost on par with the second row. You get lots of features and storage space, which makes it like a lounge on wheels. But at Rs. 1.58 to 1.7 crore (on-road Mumbai), it is very expensive.

The best option is the newly launched Mahindra XEV 9S, which is superbly priced and fits your budget well. You can go for the 70kWh battery option, which is a good sweet spot between a very aggressive price of Rs 25 lakh (ex-showroom) and a decent range.The reason why the XEV 9S trumps other cars is because of the spacious back seat, which slides back and forth and reclines, making it the most comfortable car at this price. The ride is also very plush, though there is a bit of up-and-down body movement because Mahindra has tuned the suspension on the softer side. We don’t see any better option coming in the next 4-6 months, and feel this is the best replacement for your Ciaz.

We would rule out a used Skoda Octavia because, for your budget, you are likely to get only a third-gen 2016-2018 model, depending on the condition and the kilometres clocked. Octavias are expensive to maintain and can be expensive too, so you could end up with a white elephant paying lots of workshop bills.As you said, the Honda Civic is slow, but also with a CVT, it's not a great driver’s car, though the engine is smooth and free-revving.Your best bet is to go for a new Skoda Slavia 1.5 with the DSG transmission, which is a fantastic driver’s car and, in fact, will match an old generation Octavia for thrills. SUVs don’t offer the same driving pleasure as a sedan, and since you are an enthusiast, it's best you stick to a sedan.

If 70% of your driving is on the highway, it's best to stay away from an electric car, as the public charging infrastructure in India is still hit or miss, and that can be stressful on a highway drive. Since in your Xcent you averaged just 10,000km a year, you can stick to petrol.We suggest you go for the Hyundai Creta 1.5 CVT, which is a popular and proven SUV offering decent highway performance and a smooth drive in the city thanks to a top-notch CVT auto transmission. Also, being an Xcent owner, you are familiar with the Hyundai brand, which is a plus.