Mumbai

•29w

Hi, I am currently driving a 2021 VW Taigun 1.0 MT with annual running of ~10,000 KM (60% City, 40% Highway). The car is running fine, but it becomes a pain in heavy city traffic due to constant gear shifting & turbo lag. I am confused between 3 options: (1) Get the cheapest possible city automatic like an S-presso AGS and use it with Taigun, (2) Get a proper AT like Amaze/i20 CVT or Brezza AT and upgrade Taigun after a few years, or (3) Sell Taigun and upgrade to a proper AT SUV. Please suggest.

•29w

The Maruti Suzuki S-Presso AGS, which has an AMT thought convenient, doesn’t offer a smooth driving experience because of the way AMTs work - their main weakness is that annoying pause in between gear shifts, which feels quite jerky and causes ‘head nod’, a term that is synonymous with AMTs.

Upgrading to a proper AT leaves you with very few options; some of the ATs are diesels, and the only mid-size SUV petrol AT is the Tata Sierra. Your option of getting a city-centric car, keeping the Taigun for highway driving, and upgrading it later makes the most sense.

The Honda Amaze, with its CVT transmission, makes the most sense as a city car. It is smooth and comfortable, taking the stress out of city driving, whilst the manual 1.0 Taigun is a solid highway car. The Taigun is due for a facelift around February–March 2026, and other new midsize SUVs, including an all-new Creta, are expected around 2027. So yes, hang on to your Volkswagen Taigun and pick up an Amaze for your city chores.

Explore cars mentioned

Maruti Suzuki

S-Presso

from ₹4.05 Lakh

Tata

Sierra

from ₹13.56 Lakh

Honda

Amaze

from ₹8.68 Lakh

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•1d

I own a 2022 Hyundai Venue Diesel (base model), and I'm planning to upgrade to a new car. I'm looking for a vehicle that is more comfortable, more spacious, and offers good fuel efficiency. My monthly driving is around 700-800 km, with most of it in the city and only occasional highway trips.

•23h

Given your requirements, the Tata Sierra Turbo is a good option to consider, but it may not be the best fit for your usage pattern. Your monthly running of 700-800 km, mostly in the city with only occasional highway trips, means fuel efficiency and ease of driving are more important than outright performance. The Sierra Turbo is a spacious and comfortable SUV with a modern design and a premium feel, but its turbo petrol engine is more performance-oriented and may not deliver the best fuel efficiency in city conditions.A better fit for your needs would be the Kia Seltos with the 1.5 litre petrol engine and the CVT automatic gearbox. The powertrain is smooth and easy to drive and perfect of cities and even on the highway the performance and overtaking ability is adequate. With the new generation Seltos, Kia have improved cabin space - especially at the rear - and the ride quality too. These are not class best but good enough and something you should be happy with. Being a Kia reliability is also good and the service network is quite wide spread.

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•4d

I am planning to buy a petrol manual SUV with a budget of around Rs. 15 lakh. I am unable to decide between the Tata Sierra, Kia Seltos, and Hyundai Creta. Whichever car I choose will be a huge upgrade, as I currently drive a 2010 Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo that is 16 years old. My usage is very minimal, around 200 km per month. Which one would you recommend?

•2d

With just 200km a month and a 16-year-old Zen Estilo as your current car, the priority should be a comfortable, reliable and easy-to-live-with upgrade rather than chasing the biggest or most feature-rich SUV. The Kia Seltos petrol manual is the best fit here. It is a well-rounded SUV with a comfortable ride, good refinement and a proven ownership track record. It will feel like a huge step up from the Estilo in terms of space, safety and overall driving experience without being unnecessarily large or complex for your low running.The Tata Sierra is a more premium and spacious option, but with such minimal usage, the extra size and cost are difficult to justify. The Hyundai Creta is a solid alternative too, but it will be replaced by a new one next year. The Seltos also feels more premium and is the better value proposition in this price range. Go for the Seltos petrol manual and enjoy a simple, dependable upgrade that will serve you well for years.

Hello Autocar family, I am planning to buy a new car for me and my grandfather. I already have a Hyundai Santro at home, so this will be my second car. The mandatory requirements are a panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree camera, and decent mileage. My daily commute is around 30 km, including 20 km on the highway and 10 km in the city. The cars we are considering are the Kia Seltos GTX A, Mahindra XUV 7XO AX7T, Maruti Suzuki Victoris ZXI Plus (O), Hyundai Creta N Line, and Tata Sierra Adventure. I am also open to considering the Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq. We are both confused and haven't been able to agree on one option. Please help us out, guys!

•2d

Go for the Kia Seltos GTX A. It is the most balanced choice for your requirements. Your daily usage of 30 km, with a mix of highway and city driving, does not justify a diesel, so a strong turbo-petrol with a reliable automatic gearbox is the better choice.This Kia car offers the panoramic sunroof and 360-degree camera you want, along with a well-rounded ownership experience, a wide service network, and a comfortable ride for your grandfather. The Mahindra XUV 7XO AX7 T is also a good option, but it is a much larger vehicle and not as easy to live with in the city.The Maruti Suzuki Victoris ZXI Plus (O) is a strong value-for-money proposition, but the Seltos feels more premium and better finished. The Hyundai Creta N Line is a good alternative if you prefer Hyundai, but the Seltos feels like the more complete package. The Tata Sierra Adventure is interesting, but its turbo-petrol engine still needs a longer ownership track record.The Volkswagen Taigun and Skoda Kushaq are excellent driver's cars, but the Seltos offers a better overall ownership experience. Overall, the Kia Seltos GTX A is the car you are most likely to be happiest with over the next five years.

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Popular discussions right now

•5d

I want to buy a low-maintenance car for my father, who is 65 years old. My budget is around 15 lakh. His daily commute is around 30-40km, and he also visits our farm 7-8 times a month. Which car would you recommend?

•4d

For your father, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza petrol automatic is the most sensible recommendation. At 65, ease of use, reliability and low maintenance are far more important than outright performance or flashy features. The Brezza’s naturally aspirated petrol engine is simple, proven and well-suited to a 30-40 km daily commute, while the automatic gearbox makes city driving effortless. Maruti’s service network is the best in the country, which means low running costs and peace of mind over the long term.This Maruti Suzuki car also has enough ground clearance and a robust suspension setup to handle occasional farm visits without any fuss. It is not the most exciting car in the segment, but it is comfortable, easy to drive and built for hassle-free ownership. At Rs 15 lakh, it is one of the most dependable choices you can make for your father. Since the Brezza facelift is just around the corner, you can wait for that or try to get a good deal on the outgoing model.

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•1d

I am confused between the Toyota Innova Crysta and the Mahindra XUV 7XO. I am looking for a comfortable 7-seater with good luggage space and a premium interior, including a high-quality music system. My usage will be mostly on highways, with occasional city driving. Which one would you recommend?

•20h

Go for the Toyota Innova Crysta. Your usage is highway-heavy with occasional city runs, and you want a proper 7-seater with good luggage space and a premium feel. The Crysta is still the benchmark for this kind of requirement. It is genuinely spacious in all three rows, has a large and usable boot even with all seats up, and is built for long-distance comfort and reliability. The diesel engine is strong, refined and well-suited to highway cruising, and Toyota’s ownership experience and long-term reliability are hard to beat. The Mahindra XUV 7XO is the more modern product with a more premium-looking interior and a better sound system, but it does not match the Crysta for outright space, practicality or long-term peace of mind. If your priority is a proper 7-seater that will serve you well for years, the Crysta is the safer and more sensible choice. If you want a more premium cabin and a richer feature set, the XUV 7XO is the alternative, but it is not as practical as the Crysta.

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•1w

I'm planning to buy a small automatic car for my wife, who is 5'1" tall. The car will be used mostly in the city, with occasional highway trips. Which would be the best option?

•6d

For your wife, consider the Hyundai Exter. At 5'1", she will benefit from its good all-round visibility, light steering and compact dimensions, which make it very easy to manoeuvre in city traffic and tight parking spaces. This Hyundai car also gets driver's seat height adjustment from the base trim, which will be very handy for your wife. The AMT gearbox is smooth enough for daily commuting, and the car is very easy to drive. Fuel efficiency is decent; expect 9 to 10kpl in the city and 15kpl on the highway.If you want something a bit more efficient, consider the Maruti Suzuki Swift. In our testing we managed 12.7kpl in the city and 19kpl on the highway with the AGS. However, height adjustment for the driver's seat is only available on the ZXi trim onwards.Overall, the Hyundai Exter AMT is the better fit for your requirements. It is simple, reliable, easy to drive and well-suited to both city use and occasional highway trips.

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Posted on: 27 Dec 2025

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