I want to purchase an automatic 6- or 7-seater for city and highway use. I currently own a Kia Sonet, but it struggled on steep inclines - I don’t want to face that again. Please suggest reliable automatic SUVs with strong hill-climbing ability and good passenger space.

Autocar India

•14h

For your requirements, the Kia Carens Clavis diesel manual would be our first recommendation. Since your priority is long highway comfort, strong fuel efficiency and long-term ownership without regret, this fits exceptionally well. The diesel engine is efficient and well-suited to highway cruising, the ride comfort is good, the cabin is practical for family use and importantly, the third row is genuinely usable, unlike many so-called 7-seaters. If most of your driving is highway-based, living with a manual should not be a problem, and it will reward you with much better efficiency than the automatic alternatives.If your highway runs are not extremely long, charging infrastructure on your regular routes is dependable, and you are open to going electric, the Kia Carens Clavis EV is also a genuinely strong option. It gives you much lower running costs, excellent comfort and the same practical seven-seat layout. The only caveat is that for truly long road trips, you need to be comfortable planning around charging stops.

Kia Carens Clavis

Kia Carens Clavis EV

Autocar India

•13h

If comfortable seven-seat usability matters, we would recommend the Kia Carens Clavis turbo petrol manual. The third row is better than what you are used to in the Maruti XL6, and overall it will feel like a meaningful upgrade in interior fit and finish, features, comfort and overall premiumness. The turbo petrol manual also gives you a proper step up in performance, so it will not just feel like a nicer XL6, but a genuinely more capable family car.If the third row is more of an occasional backup and you are effectively happy with a spacious five-seater most of the time, then the Mahindra XUV 7XO petrol is the stronger pick. It has a powerful petrol engine, feels more premium, is genuinely comfortable, drives very well and overall feels like the more substantial SUV upgrade. The only caveat is that its third row is nowhere near as practical as the Carens if you actually plan to use all seven seats regularly.

Kia Carens Clavis

Maruti Suzuki XL6

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Autocar India

•22h

If 6 people are going to sit in the vehicle, you should get a 6/7-seater. Among your choices, the Kia Carens Clavis lines up best. Even though it doesn't have an official crash test rating, it is much better than having one extra unbelted occupant in a 5-seater. As standard, it comes with 6 airbags, ABS, 4-wheel disc brakes, rear parking sensors, 3-point seat belts with reminder, and ISOFIX mounts. It isn't very large, so it doesn’t become cumbersome to drive and park in the city, and the light steering helps in tight spaces. It also has a very usable third row that can seat adults comfortably.Your Rs. 20 lakh budget will get you the HTK Plus with the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol DCT combo. It is a refined powertrain with enough performance for quick overtakes even with a full load. The XL6’s torque-converter auto will feel slightly smoother in traffic, but overall, the Clavis is the better choice.

Kia Carens Clavis

Maruti Suzuki XL6