Hi everyone, I am considering buying either the Renault Duster Techno Plus Turbo Petrol or the Kia Seltos HTX CVT Automatic. My usage will be around 60% city and 40% highway driving. My main priorities are reliability, low maintenance, good after-sales service, comfort, and overall ownership experience. Which one would you recommend and why? Owners' feedback on long-term reliability, service quality, and maintenance costs would be greatly appreciated.

Autocar India

•8h

Yes, that combination actually makes a lot of sense if the roles are clearly defined. For the Seltos, the 1.5 naturally aspirated petrol is perfectly adequate if it is going to be your city car. It is smooth, refined, easy to drive in traffic and ownership costs are reasonable. You do not really need the turbo petrol if the car's primary duty is urban commuting. The NA petrol may not feel particularly exciting, but for city use it will feel relaxed and effortless. Even in its lower variants, the Seltos is surprisingly well equipped, so it does not feel bare bones.As for the Thar 3-door, if it is purely a weekend fun vehicle, the base model can make sense from a value perspective. However, it is worth remembering that the Rs. 9.99 lakh ex-showroom variant is a 4x2 model, so you do not get the full off-road capability that most people associate with the Thar. If your idea of enjoyment is primarily the lifestyle, road presence and occasional beach or trail drives, it will still do the job. However, if you genuinely want to explore tougher trails and off-road terrain, it is worth stretching to a 4x4 variant.

Mahindra Thar

Kia Seltos

Autocar India

•8h

If your priority is a combination of driving enjoyment and passenger comfort, we would lean towards the Duster 1.3 Turbo DCT.The new Renault Duster has a more absorbent suspension setup and simply feels more comfortable over broken roads. It has that traditional Duster trait of shrugging off bad surfaces without unsettling passengers, which makes it particularly enjoyable on long drives. The wet clutch DCT is another advantage, especially in Indian conditions, as it feels smoother and more natural in traffic than the dry clutch DCT used in the Seltos.The Kia Seltos 1.5 Turbo Petrol is the quicker and more polished-feeling car. The engine is strong, the cabin feels more premium and feature-rich, and overall refinement is excellent. It is also a very comfortable SUV, but its suspension is tuned more towards ride comfort than driving thrill.So if the emphasis is on ride quality, comfort and an engaging driving experience, the Duster gets our vote. The only real drawback is that the rear seat is not as spacious as the Seltos, which remains the better choice if rear passenger room and cabin premiumness are higher priorities.

Renault Duster

Kia Seltos

Autocar India

•54m

Pick the Kia Seltos HTK(O) IVT. With 40 km of city use every day, it is the easiest to live with - the CVT automatic is smooth in traffic, steering is light, the ride is comfy, and it will likely use less fuel than a Tata Harrier petrol. For your 600 km runs every 2-3 months, it cruises quietly, feels relaxed, and the back seat is spacious too.The Hyundai Creta S(O) automatic comes close, but it isn't as well-equipped or as new as the Seltos. The Harrier petrol Pure X manual is the wrong fit here. It is larger and heavier, the manual will tire you in stop-and-go traffic, and it also takes more effort to park in tight city spots.One trade-off with the Seltos IVT - it does not have the performance of the Harrier petrol or the turbo petrol version of the Seltos.

Kia Seltos

Tata Harrier

Hyundai Creta