I am planning to buy a car in the ₹20-21 lakh range. My priorities are safety, performance, and decent mileage. My daily driving varies a lot, ranging from around 10 km to 100 km per day. I was considering waiting for MG Motor to launch a plug-in hybrid. How long do you think it might take for MG to launch such a car, and would it be worth waiting for it? Or should I go ahead and buy an ICE vehicle instead? I do not need the car immediately and can wait for around 6-8 months. What do you think would be the best option for me?

Autocar India

•2m

If you are keen on a hybrid and can wait for 6 to 8 months, then we would recommend you do so. MG, JSW Motor and Renault will all be launching either strong and/or plug-in hybrids this year.

As for the driving pattern, it doesn't make much of a difference if your daily runs vary, as you have indicated, from 10 to 100 km. An important factor when considering a hybrid is simply how many kilometres you would drive in its time with you.

If you are going to keep the car for a long time, like 4 years and would on average have a running of about 1800km per month. In the case of something like a Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, a strong hybrid over the regular engine makes sense. As for plug-in hybrids, you'll have to wait to see the pricing difference and figure out if it works for you.

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Maruti Suzuki

Grand Vitara

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MKT

•2w

which among Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid and Hyryder Strong Hybrid have better relase value and what might be the eventual replacement cost of the hybrid battery that goes into these vehicles

Autocar India

•6h

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Strong Hybrid and the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder Strong Hybrid are still relatively new in the Indian market, so there isn’t enough real-world data yet to say definitively which one will have better resale value. What we can go by for now is brand perception and past trends: Toyotas typically enjoy very strong resale because of their reputation for reliability and low running costs, so it is reasonable to expect the Hyryder to hold its value slightly better over time, all else being equal. That said, the Grand Vitara shares the same Toyota-sourced hybrid powertrain and battery tech, and Maruti’s wide service network and lower maintenance costs also work in its favour, so the gap in resale may not be huge in the real world.On the hybrid battery side, both the Grand Vitara and the Hyryder Strong Hybrid come with an 8-year or 1,60,000 km warranty on the lithium-ion hybrid battery pack, which is now fairly standard for Toyota’s self-charging hybrids and has been extended to the Maruti-Toyota joint products as well. This long warranty is significant because it effectively covers the period when most owners would worry about a big-ticket failure. The battery in these cars is relatively small (around 0.7–0.8 kWh) and is designed to cycle gently between partial states of charge, which greatly improves its life compared to a full EV battery that is regularly fast-charged and deep-cycled.As for eventual replacement cost, there is no official India-specific figure published for the Grand Vitara/Hyryder hybrid pack yet, but looking at typical Toyota hybrid battery pricing abroad and early dealer-level indications, a rough ballpark of around Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for a full pack replacement is a reasonable estimate in today’s terms, excluding any future inflation. Actual cost will depend on the exact part price at the time, taxes, and whether you go through the authorised network or a specialist workshop once the car is much older. It is also worth noting that Toyota hybrids globally have a very strong track record for battery longevity, with many running well past 10 years and high mileages without needing a pack replacement, and India gets the same basic technology. So while you should be aware of the potential cost, for most owners the battery is unlikely to be a recurring expense within the normal ownership window.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

P Kumar

•6d

I am planning to buy the Kia Seltos HTX (A) with the 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and automatic transmission. What are your thoughts on this variant? Is it a good choice, or would you recommend any other cars in the same segment?

Autocar India

•2h

The Kia Seltos with the 1.5 NA petrol engine is a nice pick if you are not necessarily looking for exciting performance. Power delivery is smooth, refinement is good, and there's enough performance for average city driving. There is enough power for gentle cruising on the highway, too. You will miss the punch from the engine when you want a fast overtake, though. The 1.5 NA petrol engine works particularly well with the IVT auto gearbox. If it's a punchy performance you are looking for, the Seltos with the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine is worth a look. Alternatives include Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun, whose 1.0-litre/ 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engines feel strong and exciting.

Yuvraj Shrivastava

I am planning to buy a car around ₹11 lakhs. I prefer top-end variants with automatic transmission. I tried Hyundai AMT, which I didn't like at all because of the jerks in gear shifts. Currently, I have a 2022 Venue Top End, so coming from DCT, AMT seems so sluggish. Please suggest some good options.

Autocar India

•2h

The Honda Amaze CVT is a good pick for you. Its CVT gearbox is smooth and delivers a pleasant driving experience, superior to what you'd get with AMTs in the same price band. The Amaze CVT in fully-loaded VX form fits your budget and is worth a look. You could also look at the Tata Altroz DCT in Accomplished S trim. It's well equipped and, while performance is unexciting, the gearbox is very smooth. Other options we'd recommend considering include the Nissan Magnite CVT, Renault Kiger CVT and Hyundai i20 CVT. Do note, their top-end versions are pricier than Rs 11 lakh.

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