Hi, I own a Wagon R 2015 model and now wish to upgrade to a new car. My priorities are a big boot and a powerful engine, with a monthly drive of around 500 km. The car should be under ₹15 lakh on road - kindly guide me on which car I should go for.

The car that best suits your budget and requirements is actually the Kia Sonet. It has the biggest boot in this price bracket of compact SUVs, and the wide boot opening and good depth make it best for loading luggage. The 1.0 Turbo-petrol engine packs 120hp and is mated to a 7-speed twin-clutch gearbox, which provides good performance and is quite powerful. The HTX variant will easily fit your budget and comes with essential features. But if you can stretch your budget to the GTX variant, which is around Rs 16 lakh, you get useful features like ADAS and a 360-degree camera.

Since you have been happy with the Hondas in your family, why not consider the 5th-generation Honda City, currently on sale? It features a very flexible and strong 1.5-litre engine mated to a CVT automatic transmission, which is both jerk-free and smooth. Also, it will give you the same trouble-free experience you have enjoyed with your current Hondas.If you are looking for a change, you could consider the 1.0 AT variants of the Skoda Slavia or Volkswagen Virtus, both of which have a smooth torque converter auto transmission, which is much smoother than the AMTs you want to avoid.

The Citroen C3 X base model is a good first vehicle to own. Mechanically, C3X is a very sorted car, the 1.2litre turbocharged engine is solid and performs well. Its suspension is one of the best in the segment and will make your office journey enjoyable. You can go for it.

The MG Windsor Pro EV is a good car for city use, spacious and comfortable. Our preliminary observations indicate an efficiency of 7.13 km/kWh, suggesting a real-world range of 377 km, thanks to its larger battery, which is ideal for your type of usage.