Hi, I have booked Toyota Innova Hycross VX (O) in February and hopefully the company will deliver the vehicle in November. As per news, the facelift is under pipeline. Should I wait for the facelift or go with the current version?

I’m quite confused about my next car upgrade and would really appreciate some advice from people who have experience travelling with large families and pets. We are a family of six: my wife, our child, my parents, our dog and me. Until now, I’ve been using a Tata Punch, which has served us reasonably well. However, with our little baby, things have become considerably more complicated. A five-seater no longer seems practical, especially when we travel with luggage and our dog. My usage is a mix of daily commuting (around 20 km a day) and family road trips. We usually undertake 3-4 long trips a year with approx 3-4k kms round trip. I’ve been considering three options: 1. Tata Sierra The idea here is to use all five seats for the family and create a padded, bed-like platform in the boot for our dog. I could use the space underneath the platform for luggage. The ROX edition’s roof carrier is another interesting option, although I’m unsure about the legal restrictions on roof-mounted luggage carriers and whether they could attract challans in states such as Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. 2. Tata Safari The Safari offers the advantage of a third row. I’m wondering whether I could fold down half of the third row to accommodate luggage while keeping the other half for my dog. I’d probably need to install some sort of secure partition or cage to prevent luggage from shifting onto the dog or flying forward during sudden braking. However, I’m not sure how practical or safe this arrangement would be. 3. Toyota Innova Hycross (GXO) Given that my daily commute is relatively short, I’m not convinced that the hybrid’s additional cost would be justified by fuel savings alone. However, the Hycross’s cabin and luggage space are appealing. I’m wondering whether the third-row floor and boot could be configured to create a sufficiently large, flat and comfortable space for my dog while still accommodating our luggage. At this stage, these are just ideas, and I’m not sure how practical any of them would be in real-world conditions. I’d particularly appreciate advice from people who travel with their dogs, especially on long road trips. How do you manage luggage, ensure your pet’s safety and keep the cabin comfortable for everyone? Are there any other vehicles or practical modifications I should consider? One important consideration is that our baby is still very small, so we don’t have any major trips planned in the immediate future. I’m perfectly happy to postpone our next big road trip for a year or so. Consequently, I’m in no hurry to buy a car and am open to waiting for upcoming launches if something more suitable is on the horizon. I’d love to hear about your actual experiences, particularly with pet-friendly car setups, rather than just theoretical suggestions. Any advice on the choice of vehicle, safe modifications or alternative configurations would be greatly appreciated.

I currently own a Tata Manza Diesel, and our car has been amazing so far, (clocked in 2L+ km) but we are planning to buy a new one under a budget of Rs. 25 lakh that is a step up from Manza in all areas. We are a family of four, but occasionally 5 passengers travel in the car. So, we want a car with a comfortable 2nd row that fits three occupants. We want a car with 600L+ big boot space (preferably) measured by depth instead of height. Our daily running is mostly within the city, but we like to drive, so occasional highway trips are always going to be on the cards. Between the powertrains, we prefer diesel, but are open to electric as well since we have a parking spot where we can easily install a charging point. Our shortlisted cars so far include XEV 9e and Kia Seltos.

I am 6 feet 3 inches tall and I’ve been struggling to fit in a car in which I can sit comfortably without the steering wheel hitting my knees. I drove a Tata Zest for 11 years and have recently sold it. With a tight budget of Rs. 18 - 20 lakh (on-road) , I need a good car for my everyday office drive with good fuel efficiency. I drive around 20 km up and down everyday mostly within the city. Please suggest a good car that I can try out.