I have a 2011 BMW 5 Series and am planning to upgrade to a performance sedan. I am interested in the BMW M340i, but am not sure if it will last another 10 years because of E20 fuel, and my budget is ₹1 crore - which car should I choose?

All new cars sold after April 2025 are engineered to run on E20, so you do not need to worry about long‑term reliability on that front. With that concern out of the way, you can confidently go ahead with the BMW M340i. It is a fantastic everyday performance sedan and will put a big smile on your face every time you drive it.

Considering your long daily commuting distance, we will keep comfort and fuel economy as the highest priorities. Since you haven't specified whether you want to stay in the same performance spectrum or not, we'll give you options from both sectors. The Hero Xpulse 210 will give you great comfort and fuel economy while giving you similiar sort of performance as your TVS Apache RTR 200 and is well within your budget. If you want something a little more retro, you could take a look at the Royal Enfield Bullet / Classic 350 models, as both have a comfortable ride and will deliver decent fuel economy if ridden sensibly. In a similar vein, the Honda CB350 trio can also be considered for the same reason. Last but not least, you could also opt for the TVS Apache RTX 300, which will give you the most performance and a very spacious and comfortable riding position. Given its displacement, you should see decent fuel efficiency if ridden sensibly, although we haven't been able to test it for ourselves just yet. We recommend a thorough test ride of all the options you shortlist before you decide to put your money down.

Both cars you selected have 1.5 naturally aspirated (NA) engines, and the Honda car engine mated to a CVT is clearly the better option for several reasons. Firstly, Honda makes the best small-capacity naturally aspirated engines, and for Mumbai traffic, the CVT is a much smoother automatic than the twin-clutch DCA in the Tata. Also, the Tata engine, which develops a mere 106hp, is nowhere near as powerful as the Honda engine (121hp). Hence, Honda Elevate is better than the Tata Sierra DCA, which comes with this 1.5 NA engine.

Indeed, the Tata Nexon doesn’t have the best reputation for reliability. However, the quality and service have improved recently, especially for Nexons made at the Sanand plant, which formerly belonged to Ford. But it's not just reliability, but the fact that the Hyundai Venue DCT is a quicker shifting and smoother transmission than the Tata DCA or dual clutch automatic. Besides the Venue, which has recently been updated, feels a lot more premium and plush, and is definitely the better option.