I'm a Female, 5'1", small built, currently drive a Venue (Turbo) automatic, and a Wagon R. I'm looking for a mid size Petrol SUV, 1.5 L turbo, automatic for highway drives, safety (gncap) being my first priority (will retain venue for city driving). Some days I tend to drive 4-5 hrs without a break on Highways. 20-21L on road is my budget. ADAS 2, ambient lighting, illuminated buttons, hill assist, a great music system and seat and seatbelt height adjustments are a must too apart from all other features that I've got in my Venue. (My amazing Venue has never failed me, even in steep hilly terrains of HP and Uttarakhand or dry, scorching highways of Haryana, UP, 200-250 km nonstop with absolutely no engine heating, and that's what I expect from my new car too- never get me stranded ever; ) Love Harrier, hate tata dealerships; love xuv 7xo, hate Mahindra; Love Victoris, hate its rear styling; At present I'm left with Taigun, Seltos and Creta. Is there any SUV that fits my requirements? Thank you. P.S (some other cars I've driven long term are Indica, Indigo XL, Fiat Palio, Ford Figo, Grand Vitara 2010 (imported) etc.) No.of passengers-3- all small built.)

autocar.india

•2d

Yes, the Volkswagen Virtus 1.5 GT DSG is a very good upgrade from your 2015 Honda City petrol manual, especially given your usage pattern and preferences. Your daily commute of 40- 50 km combined with regular highway runs of 400- 500 km a month makes the Virtus 1.5 GT a strong fit. The 1.5 TSI engine is genuinely punchy, and the DSG gearbox delivers quick, crisp shifts, making both city driving and highway overtakes effortless. The Virtus also has a well-sorted chassis, a comfortable ride and a spacious cabin, which will make your daily commute and long drives more enjoyable.You could also consider the updated Skoda Slavia that's likely to be launched in a few weeks, or wait for the updated Virtus that'll launch towards the end of the year. These cars will have an upgraded air-con unit (like the Skoda Kushaq and VW Taigun) that you will surely appreciate.

Volkswagen Virtus

Honda City

Skoda Slavia

Skoda Kushaq

Volkswagen Taigun

autocar.india

•7h

Based on your usage, the Honda Elevate CVT is actually the best fit for your needs among your shortlist. With a 35-40 km commute in heavy Bangalore traffic, the CVT makes life easy; the engine is responsive enough to go for gaps in traffic, and the steering is light in the city. Importantly, this Honda car is not so large as to become cumbersome to drive in tight city traffic, which is important to you. The Tata Harrier and Mahindra XUV 7XO are both physically larger, making them slightly more cumbersome to drive in traffic. Their petrol powertrains are also quite thirsty in the city, while their diesel engines do not suit your city-heavy usage, likely requiring additional highway trips just to keep the DPF happy.If you want an alternative similar to the Elevate, the Kia Seltos is a strong choice. It has a 5-star safety rating, is very well equipped in terms of features, and its 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine paired with the IVT offers a smooth, relaxing drive in the city.

Honda Elevate

Tata Harrier

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Kia Seltos

autocar.india

•3h

Your concern about E20 is understandable, but it should not be a deal-breaker. All petrol cars sold new today are engineered to handle E20 and even tend to have material tolerances for higher blends like E25 or E27 engineered in, and the impact is largely limited to a drop in fuel efficiency. Worth noting, however, is that at Rs. 14 lakh, you only have access to the absolute start of the midsize SUV segment. This usually means just the base or second variant of each car, which typically miss out on a lot of features, are limited on colour options and look a bit barebones. If you're okay with this, we would recommend the Kia Seltos 1.5 petrol MT HTE(O). It's among the newest of the bunch, and this Kia car will provide you with a spacious, comfortable, efficient, and smooth engine and gearbox that's well suited to the city. We would recommend the smooth CVT automatic, but you would have to stretch your budget by around Rs 2 lakh for that.If you would prefer having more features, consider the Kia Syros. Though it is technically a compact SUV, its tall and boxy shape means it is far more spacious than others in the segment. And owing to its sub-four-metre size, its price is much lower than the Seltos, and you can have it in a high specification on your budget of Rs 14 lakh. Do note, however, its 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine is not quite as smooth and effortless as the Seltos's 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol.

Kia Seltos

Kia Syros