I am a first-time car buyer, and am confused between Victoris ZXI+(O) AT and new Kia Seltos HTX(A) IVT. My driving is mostly in the city with occasional long trips for vacation. Kindly advise.

Autocar India

•6h

We can totally understand why your heart is saying, Tata Sierra. It looks fantastic, has loads of road presence and, as you’ve rightly picked up, the rear seat is one of its biggest strengths with great space and comfort for the family. For your mostly highway usage with under 10,000km a year, that relaxed, big‑car feel and rear seat comfort are genuine positives.However, it’s also true that the Sierra 1.5 NA is objectively a very slow car, and that’s not social media gossip but borne out in our tests. The 1.5 NA petrol‑manual takes about 17.34sec for 0-100kph, and an even more telling 18.38sec for 20-80kph in third gear, which is where you really feel it for overtakes. The automatic is slower still to 100kph. By contrast, a Seltos 1.5 NA does 0-100kph in roughly the 12-13sec band, depending on gearbox, which is a full class quicker and feels it on the road. So yes, the Sierra NA is genuinely underpowered for the segment; it is one of the slowest midsize SUVs on sale.​That said, “underpowered” doesn’t mean undriveable, especially at the kind of steady‑state highway cruising you’re talking about. The Sierra NA’s torque comes in reasonably low, so it will sit at 90-100kph in a relaxed way and feel perfectly fine as a family cruiser. Where you will pay the price is every time you need a quick overtake or have to accelerate decisively uphill or with a full load. You will need more planning, more downshifts and a lot more patience than in the Kia Seltos. It’s not dangerous if you drive to its limits, but it is hard work, and you will always be aware that the engine is the weak link.In short, don’t let the Sierra’s 1.5 NA engine be a deal breaker, but instead learn to live with its lack of power, especially if your heart says Sierra.

Tata Sierra

Kia Seltos

Autocar India

•5h

There is a lot of concern about the future of diesel, and understandably so, given fearmongering on social media about impending bans and comments from politicians and even activists on why diesel should be banned. However, there is a realisation that modern diesels are quite clean and when we move to BS7 emissions regulations (which are based on Euro 7), the NOx limits for petrol and diesel cars will be the same, and hence diesels will be forced to meet petrol‑like targets for key pollutants, not the looser diesel limits of the past.Hence, we don’t feel diesel will be banned anytime soon and in fact has a pretty good future. Also, in the unlikely event that diesel is banned, it is unlikely to affect existing owners of BS 6.2 emission-compliant cars, which is what the new Kia Seltos diesel would be.In fact, the bigger and more practical issue for you as a Seltos diesel AT buyer is not policy risk but the diesel particulate filter (DPF). BS6 diesels rely on the DPF to keep particulate emissions under control, and this system needs regular regeneration to stay healthy. In predominantly short, stop‑start city driving, exhaust temperatures don’t stay high for long, and if active regeneration keeps getting interrupted, the DPF can clog faster, leading to warning lights or limp mode if ignored. That’s why it’s important to give the car a proper run now and then, at least a good 25-30 km drive at steady, higher speeds every couple of weeks, which helps the DPF complete its regeneration cycles cleanly.On your concern about E27 petrol, any new car today that is E20 compliant is unofficially E27 compliant as well, and manufacturers have built in enough margin for their fuel lines to cope with the corrosive effects of E27. Also, there is no plan to roll out E27 in a hurry, and it’s likely the industry will go straight to flex-fuel options, in which case the current E20 should remain the base fuel.Given the above, you can safely go ahead and buy the Seltos diesel AT you were looking at.

Kia Seltos

Autocar India

•2d

The Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos are closely related products. While they are completely different in look and interior, they do share platforms, engines and many other key components.However, the new Kia Seltos, launched in January 2026, is based on a new-gen platform, while the current Hyundai Creta, which has been on sale since 2020, continues on an older-gen platform. The new-gen platform delivers better refinement, more tech and also comes with the promise of enhanced crash protection, giving Seltos clear advantages over the Creta.Further, the new Seltos is also longer, making it roomier and more comfortable than the Creta. Another area where the new Seltos is better than the Creta is in ride comfort.It's worth noting that the Hyundai Creta is lighter than the new Seltos, and offers slightly better performance from the same 1.5-litre diesel engine. The all-new Creta that will be launched in 2027 will move to the new-gen platform and will be a closer match for the Seltos.

Kia Seltos

Hyundai Creta