I am considering the Skoda Kushaq, but am confused between the 1.0 and 1.5 variants. Around 80% of my driving is within the city, with occasional highway trips. I also want to know how effective the air conditioning is in the facelifted model, both in the 1.0 and 1.5 variants.

autocar.india

•1d

Pick the Kushaq 1.0, ideally the automatic, for your 80% city use. It’s smaller to place than the cars you find bulky, the motor wakes up early in the revs so it pulls cleanly from low speeds, and the automatic is smoother in crawl-stop traffic than the bigger engine’s DSG. You won’t miss performance in town; gaps are easy, and it cruises at 100-110 without stress. The 1.5 is lovely on open roads, but in heavy traffic, it can feel a touch fidgety at very low speeds, and you’ll pay more for performance you’ll rarely use.One honest trade-off with the 1.0 is that you will hear and feel a bit more thrum at idle, and with five on board on a steep flyover, it may need a downshift. If you do frequent long highway runs with a full load, the 1.5 is a worthwhile upgrade.About the AC: early Kushaqs were iffy, but the updated car’s system is now up to the job. It cools the cabin quickly, rear vents help, and in our AC torture test, it was no longer a worry.

Skoda Kushaq

autocar.india

•2h

Yes, the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder entry NeoDrive is a sensible buy if the strong-hybrid is out of reach, but go in with the right expectations. You still get the same cabin space, ride comfort and ground clearance as the pricier versions, and Toyota’s easy ownership. The 1.5 petrol with mild-hybrid assist is smooth and fine for daily use, especially in the city, but don’t expect hybrid-like mileage or quick overtakes. In the real world, expect 11-12kpl in the city and 15-16kpl on the highway, which is respectable in this category. The base E trim is very basic inside, and you miss a lot of everyday conveniences. The base E also cannot be had with the automatic, which would be very useful if you drive a lot in the city. If you plan to keep it for years, a small stretch to the S trim usually makes life easier with more useful features and better resale.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

autocar.india

•4d

Pick the Kia Seltos HTK petrol automatic. Your use is mostly city and only 10,000 km a year, so the smooth, quiet petrol suits you better, and the fuel cost gap to diesel will be small at that running. For similar money, the HTK gives you more useful kit than the lower HTE(O) diesel variant, so day-to-day it will feel like the nicer car to live with.The diesel automatic is great for long highway hauls and heavy loads, and will sip less on trips, but short city runs can be hard on modern diesels, and you’ll add urea top-ups and slightly higher service costs. It only starts to make sense if you do a lot more highway or cross 15,000 km a year.If you’re open to others around this budget, look at Honda Elevate with the automatic for a very easy city drive and simple ownership, or Skoda Kushaq 1.0 automatic if you want a stronger engine and a more fun feel. Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara automatic is another easy-going, efficient city pick, just not very quick.

Kia Seltos

Skoda Kushaq

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Honda Elevate