Mumbai

•36w

I’m looking to buy a new or used car with a monthly running of about 2,000 km (mostly city with a few Mumbai-Pune trips). The car will be mostly chauffeur-driven, so rear-seat comfort and smooth low-speed performance are important. Daily use will be for 2-3 passengers, but I need occasional seating for six. I prefer Hybrid, Diesel, or Electric. My priorities are comfort, reliability, low running costs, and strong service support. My budget is around 25 lakh. Please suggest 3-5 options and include used choices if suitable.

•36w

With your extensive usage, we cannot recommend an EV, as you would have to charge it frequently, and that is not good for battery health. In your budget of Rs 25 lakh, there aren't any 6-seater hybrids, either; your only option there is to move up to the Rs 30-lakh-plus Toyota Innova Hycross or Maruti Suzuki Invicto - both of which are excellent choices.

In your budget, the best option is the Kia Carens Clavis diesel. It's well equipped, comfortable and surprisingly spacious for its size. Plus, there are both six and seven-seat versions, so you can choose which configuration suits you best.

Explore cars mentioned

Maruti Suzuki

Invicto

from ₹29.85 Lakh

Toyota

Innova HyCross

from ₹22.07 Lakh

Kia

Carens Clavis

from ₹13.30 Lakh

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•4d

Hi Team, I have a Kiger Turbo CVT RXZ, the top model, which I bought in 2023. I’m now planning to move to a 7-seater by next year. My usage is quite low, around 100 km per week. However, I also take long family trips of around 600-800 km one way once every quarter. Which car should I consider waiting for, given that my priorities are long-distance comfort and decent fuel economy? I also wanted to know whether I should sell my Kiger or keep it as a secondary car for temporary or short-distance use. Or would it make more sense to sell the Kiger and buy a new 7-seater? Please suggest. Thanks!

•1d

With your usage pattern of around 100 km a week and quarterly long trips of 600-800 km one way, a petrol 7-seater is the right direction. The Kia Carens Clavis 1.5 turbo petrol automatic is the best fit for your needs. This Kia car offers a comfortable ride, strong performance and a spacious cabin, making it well suited for long family trips. The petrol engine is also a better fit for your running than diesel, given your relatively low annual mileage.On the Renault Kiger, it makes sense to sell it and put the money towards the new 7-seater. Keeping two cars for your usage pattern is not financially efficient, and this Renault car is still relatively new, so you will get a better resale value now than if you wait another year or two. The Carens Clavis is also relatively compact and can comfortably handle both your city and highway needs, so there is no strong case for keeping the Kiger as a secondary car.Go for the Carens Clavis petrol now and sell the Kiger. It is the most sensible and hassle-free solution for your usage.

Kia Carens Clavis

Renault Kiger

•5d

Hi, I own a Hyundai Venue petrol Turbo DCT SX(O) top model, June 2022 facelift, 2nd gen. I now want to upgrade to a 7-seater. I go on long road trips every year, around two or three times, covering 3,000-7,000 km, for which I need good boot space with the third row folded. The usual number of passengers is four, and never more than five. I want a top-end automatic turbo-petrol car. I have test-driven the Kia Carens Clavis, MG Hector Plus and Hyundai Alcazar. I liked all of them and can't make up my mind. Please help unconfuse me and point me towards the right car. Budget is not a worry. Among these three, which would be the best? If not, and you can suggest something else, I am game. I won't buy a Tata or Mahindra product due to too many ownership niggles.

•1d

Go for the Kia Carens Clavis turbo petrol automatic. It is the most practical and well-rounded choice for your needs. This Kia car offers a genuinely usable third row that folds flat to create a large, flexible boot, which is exactly what you need for long road trips with four to five passengers and lots of luggage. The turbo petrol engine paired with the DCT delivers strong performance and a familiar driving experience coming from your Hyundai Venue, while the ride quality is comfortable and the cabin is spacious and well-appointed.The MG Hector Plus is a good car with a comfortable ride and a premium feel, but the third row is less usable and the boot space with the third row folded is not as generous or as flexible as the Carens Clavis. The Hyundai Alcazar is a solid option with a refined turbo petrol engine and a premium cabin, but the third row is tighter and the overall space utilization is not as good as the Carens Clavis.Since you have ruled out Tata and Mahindra, the Carens Clavis is the best fit. It offers the right balance of space, comfort, performance and practicality for long-distance touring with your family.

Currently, I am using a Swift VXi petrol and planning to upgrade. My annual running is around 11,000-13,000 km, 80% of which is in the city, with occasional highway trips. Although I don't consistently drive at triple-digit speeds on highways, I really value good acceleration and overtaking capability in my new car. Driving dynamics are also important to me, and since some of my family members, including myself, are prone to motion sickness, I am okay with less body roll and a slightly stiffer suspension. I have capped my budget at Rs 20 lakh maximum on-road, and an automatic transmission is a must. I will be exchanging my Swift, which is expected to fetch around Rs 2-2.5 lakh here in Kerala. I have shortlisted the VW twins with the 1.0-litre AT as well as the 1.5-litre DSG. I am also considering the Seltos IVT and DCT. The XUV 7XO Diesel AT is another option under consideration. I have ruled out the Duster because the rear-seat experience feels like a step back. I am also getting offers for the Hycross GX petrol through a corporate tie-up with my company. I am completely confused among these options. My family wants a smaller car, but I want something that I can comfortably keep and use for at least 5-7 years.

•1d

Go for the Skoda Kushaq 1.5 TSI DSG. It is the best fit for your requirements. You want strong acceleration and confident overtaking, and the 1.5 TSI delivers exactly that. This Skoda car is a genuinely quick car with a strong mid-range, which makes highway overtakes effortless without needing to push the car hard. The Kushaq also has a well-sorted chassis with controlled body roll and a slightly firmer suspension setup, which helps with motion sickness by reducing the floaty feeling on undulating roads. At the same time, it is not uncomfortable in the city. The Kushaq is also compact enough to be easy to live with in urban conditions, which addresses your family's preference for a smaller car. The Kia Seltos IVT is smooth and easy to drive, but it does not offer the same level of performance or driving engagement. The Seltos DCT is quick, but the gearbox can feel a bit jerky in stop-start traffic. The Mahindra XUV 7XO diesel is a strong product, but it is a much larger car and does not align with your family's preference for a smaller vehicle. The Toyota Innova HyCross GX is a great family car, but it is not the right fit for your usage pattern and driving preferences. The Kushaq 1.5 TSI DSG strikes the right balance between performance, dynamics, size and long-term usability. It is a car you will enjoy driving for the next 5-7 years.

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•6d

I want to purchase a 7-seater SUV. My options are the Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV 7XO, and Scorpio N, and I am considering installing an aftermarket CNG kit for better fuel economy. Could you please suggest which one would be better suited for CNG?

•5d

We would strongly advise against installing aftermarket CNG on any of these SUVs. All three – the Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV 7XO and Scorpio N - are large, heavy vehicles with powerful turbocharged petrol engines. Fitting CNG to such engines is not recommended, as it can lead to drivability issues, increased wear and potential reliability concerns over time. More importantly, these SUVs are not designed with CNG in mind, and the installation can compromise safety and performance.If fuel economy is a top priority, opt for their diesel versions instead. The Mahindra and Tata offer strong torque, excellent highway efficiency and are well-suited to long-distance touring. If you are set on CNG, it is better to look at smaller, naturally aspirated petrol cars that are either factory-fitted or specifically designed for CNG use.Between the three, the XUV 7XO diesel would be our recommendation. It offers a more modern package, better ride comfort and a more premium cabin than the Scorpio N, while the Safari diesel is also a strong contender if you prefer Tata's design and feature set. But CNG should not be the deciding factor here.

I am a first-time buyer. My salary is Rs 4.2 lakh per year (CTC). Which company and which model would suit me?

•5d

With a CTC of Rs 4.2 lakh per year, the key is to keep the purchase affordable and running costs low. The Maruti Suzuki Alto K10 is the most sensible starting point. It is reliable, easy to maintain and has excellent service reach, which is exactly what you want as a first-time buyer. The 1.0-litre petrol engine in this Maruti Suzuki car is efficient, and the car is easy to drive in the city.If you need a bit more space, the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R is a good alternative with its tall-boy design and larger boot. If you are open to a slightly higher budget, the Tata Tiago is worth considering for its stronger build and more premium feel, but Maruti's service network and lower maintenance costs make it the safer long-term choice at this budget. The Alto K10 is the most practical and financially sensible first car.

Maruti Suzuki Alto K10

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•3d

I currently use a Skoda Slavia Ambition 1.0 automatic since last 4 years. Now, I am thinking of switching the car but I am confused between Honda Elevate V CVT petrol and Kia Seltos HTK iVT petrol.

•2d

Given that you are coming from a Skoda Slavia 1.0 TSI automatic, the Kia Seltos HTK IVT petrol is the more natural upgrade. The Seltos offers a noticeably larger and more premium cabin, better rear seat space and a more substantial feel overall. The IVT gearbox is smooth and well-suited to city driving, and the car feels like a genuine step up from the Slavia in terms of comfort and overall ownership experience.The Honda Elevate V CVT petrol is a solid and reliable choice, but it does not feel like as much of an upgrade from the Slavia. The cabin is not as spacious or as premium as the Seltos, and the overall ownership experience is more about simplicity and reliability than about feeling like a significant step up.The only caveat with the Seltos HTK is that it is not the most feature-rich variant in the lineup. If you can stretch to a higher variant, the Seltos becomes an even stronger recommendation. If not, it is still the better choice over the Elevate because it offers a more substantial upgrade from your current car.

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