Delhi

Devansh Rautela

•6w

Which car would be more suitable for city use and occasional highway driving: the Swift or the Ignis? My budget is around Rs 8 lakh, which can be stretched. Or should I look at lower variants of the Sonet or 3XO?

Autocar India

•6w

In your budget, you can get the Swift VXI (O) and the Ignis Alpha petrol manual. Between the two, we would suggest going for the Maruti Suzuki Swift as it is the newer car of the two and has a more modern cabin with better interiors.

The one distinct advantage the Maruti Ignis has over the Swift, however, is that it still uses the older 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine, which is smoother and feels more peppy compared to the new three-cylinder engine in the Swift. On the upside, the Swift will prove to be more efficient.

If you are going to be driving more often on the highway, we would also suggest considering the Mahindra 3XO or the Skoda Kylaq. We would not recommend the absolute base variants, though, and suggest the REVX M in case of the 3XO and the newly launched Classic Plus in case of the Kylaq, as they offer the basic features you would want without feeling too stripped out.

The advantage of the 3XO and the Kylaq is their turbo petrol engines, which make them more versatile as the added power helps them handle both city and highway duties better. They are also five-star rated in Bharat NCAP, which adds an extra layer of safety.

We would not recommend the Kia Sonet right now as it is due for an update soon, and the lower variants come with a 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine, similar to the Swift and Ignis.

Explore cars mentioned

Maruti Suzuki

Swift

from ₹6.44 Lakh

Maruti Suzuki

Ignis

from ₹5.96 Lakh

Kia

Sonet

from ₹8.30 Lakh

Mahindra

XUV 3XO

from ₹8.37 Lakh

Skoda

Kylaq

from ₹8.62 Lakh

Was this helpful? Ask a follow-up

Got a suggestion for Devansh?

Add a Comment

Recommended questions for you

Sunny

•1d

I am thinking of buying the Sonet HTK Optional DCT turbo petrol, which is around ₹12 lakh, and at the same time, the Venue HX5 turbo DCT petrol is coming at ₹13.5 lakh on-road in Bangalore. Which should I pick? Second, are heating issues still a thing to consider in both these DCT models?

Autocar India

•6h

Between the two, we would suggest going for the Kia Sonet HTK (O) DCT. The Sonet and the Venue share the same 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine paired with the DCT gearbox, so performance and the overall driving experience will be very similar. In terms of equipment as well, both these variants are quite similarly equipped, but the Sonet is around Rs 1.5 lakh cheaper, which makes it an excellent value for money.That said, the Hyundai Venue is the newer car and offers slightly better rear seat space. So if rear seat comfort is an important factor for you, that is something to keep in mind.On the topic of DCT overheating, it can happen in very heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic where the car is constantly crawling forward. However, this gearbox has been around for quite some time and has seen improvements over the years. In normal usage, it is not a major concern, and there are safety systems built in to alert you if the gearbox temperature rises too much.

Kia Sonet

Hyundai Venue

M Goutham Krishna

•1d

My office is located 10km from my house, with mixed city and highway driving. I am planning to buy a car which is automatic and fuel-efficient. Budget around ₹10 lakh. Could you please suggest a car that will be relevant for up to 15 years?

Autocar India

•4h

We would suggest you go for the Maruti Suzuki Fronx Delta+ AMT. The Fronx has a fuel-efficient 1.2-litre engine mated to an AMT gearbox that is well-tuned and smooth enough for daily driving. It is also fairly spacious, offers a large boot and a comfortable ride, which makes it an ideal companion for everyday city commutes and occasional highway drives.If you want something smaller and easier to manoeuvre, you can consider the Maruti Suzuki Swift AMT. It is a more compact car, which makes it even easier to drive and park in the city. However, the new Swift now comes with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine, which feels a bit less powerful compared to the Fronx’s four-cylinder engine. Because of this, the AMT gearbox also works better with the Fronx engine than it does with the Swift.Within your budget, you can also consider the Hyundai i20 IVT/CVT in the Magna variant. The CVT gearbox is very smooth, which elevates the overall driving experience and makes the car extremely easy to drive in traffic. The interiors of the i20 also feel quite premium. The only downside is that you will have to trade a bit of fuel efficiency for that smoothness, which is something to keep in mind since efficiency is an important factor for you.

Deepesh

I am a first-time car buyer and also a new driver. I am planning to buy a car for long-term ownership with a budget of around ₹11–12 lakh (on-road). My family has five members, and the car will be used mostly for city driving in Hyderabad, with occasional highway trips maybe once a month. I prefer an automatic transmission since it will be easier to drive in city traffic. Currently, I am considering the Mahindra XUV 3XO MX2 Pro Petrol AMT and the Tata Nexon Pure Plus S AMT Petrol. I am looking for a car that offers good safety, reliability, comfort for family use, and reasonable maintenance for long-term ownership. Between these two options, which one would you recommend? Also, are there any other better options in this price range that I should consider?

Autocar India

•1d

First, a small correction. The Mahindra XUV 3XO does not use an AMT gearbox. It comes with a proper torque converter automatic, which offers a much smoother and more refined driving experience compared to AMTs. This makes it easier to drive in city traffic and overall more comfortable for daily use.Because of this, the XUV 3XO MX2 Pro automatic becomes the better choice between the two cars you shortlisted. The wider cabin also makes it more comfortable for a family of five and the ride quality is well suited for both city drives and occasional highway trips.The Tata Nexon does offer a DCA/DCT automatic option with the turbo-petrol engine, but that variant is significantly more expensive and would go well beyond your ₹11–12 lakh budget. The Nexon AMT variants therefore do not match the smoothness of the torque converter automatic offered in the 3XO.For your requirements of ease of driving, comfort and a better automatic gearbox, the Mahindra XUV 3XO automatic would be the better option over the Nexon in your budget.

Mahindra XUV 3XO

Tata Nexon

View all Posts