My father is planning to buy a new car and, after extensive research, he has finalized the Honda Elevate ADV DT (automatic). However, we are wondering if it would be worth waiting for the new Renault Duster before making the final decision. We are based in Nagpur and currently drive a 2011 Swift diesel. Our running is not very high, so we are now preferring a petrol automatic for better ease of driving and convenience. We test drove the Honda Elevate, Kia Seltos, and Hyundai Creta, and he liked the Elevate the most. He especially appreciated the seating stance and felt it offered a proper SUV-like driving position and commanding feel, whereas the others, although feature-rich, didn’t give him the same SUV feel. Our priorities are comfort, reliability, ease of driving in city traffic, and a strong SUV-like feel. Would it be worth waiting for the new Renault Duster, or is the Elevate CVT a good choice to proceed with?

Autocar India

•21h

Among your three choices, the Hyundai Creta is in high demand in the used market and therefore holds its value the best. The current Kia Seltos is too new to accurately predict its resale value, but going by the resale values of the last generation, we expect it to be only slightly behind the Creta. Interestingly, the Elevate, despite Honda's good reputation, will likely see the most depreciation of the three, but in the V CVT variant you've chosen, it is also the cheapest to buy, and Honda dealers regularly offer sizeable discounts on it.The Creta is the safest bet if you want the best value for money and strong resale value. It is good to drive, well-equipped, the engine is smooth and refined, and the IVT works seamlessly. However, do take a test drive of the Elevate as well. It offers better acceleration than the Creta, the seats are very comfortable, and the suspension feels more robust. If you can negotiate a good deal, it can represent very good value for money.

Hyundai Creta

Honda Elevate

Kia New Seltos

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Autocar India

•24m

Both these are very compelling SUVs that score high on desirability and road presence, as well as on interior space, but also do things very differently from one another. The Thar Roxx has the larger and more powerful engines which, combined with its aggressively calibrated automatic gearboxes, delivery strong and instantaneous performance. The downside, however, is that fuel economy takes a huge nosedive, which might be an annoyance on your long highway journeys. Moreover, the engines are not very refined and can feel a little too highly strung when you aren't driving quickly. And finally, while it is fun to drive in off-road and perhaps dirt-road conditions, it feels relatively large and cumbersome on tarmac, thanks in part to its ladder-frame construction. The Tata Sierra T-GDi, then, proves to be the better choice for you overall, as its monocoque chassis and sharper steering make it a lot more fun on the road. While not quite as powerful as the Mahindra, its 160hp turbo-petrol has more than enough punch and its 6-speed automatic is smooth too. It's also the more comfortable and fuel-efficient of the two by far, which should help on your highway drives.

Tata Sierra

Mahindra Thar Roxx

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Autocar India

•48m

Before you go ahead with the purchase, please keep in mind that the Tata Safari is a heavy vehicle and in its petrol-automatic guise, expecting double digit city fuel efficiency will be a bit ambitious. Yes, on the open roads, at constant speeds and light throttle inputs, the turbo-petrol could deliver good fuel efficiency, but in bumper-to-bumper traffic and stop-go conditions, fuel efficiency will be low. As a family car though, the Safari is a good option, on account of its spacious cabin, and impressive ride comfort. Tata's service experience can be a hit or a miss, and it isn't the best in terms of reliability either, occasionally throwing up a glitch or two. The Mahindra XUV 7XO is slightly better in that regard, however space isn't as good as in the Tata, especially in the third row. Also, the XUV's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol-automatic will fare worse (if not equally) as far as efficiency goes.Hence, if you want a fuel-efficient family car, the Maruti Invicto or the Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid are the ones to get. Of course, these are very expensive, and as you've rightly pointed out, unless your usage is very high, it will take a long time to benefit from its lower running costs after breaking even. But as far as reliability, peace of mind and a trouble-free ownership experience goes the Maruti and Toyota are still the ones to beat.

Tata Safari

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Toyota Innova HyCross

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