Mumbai

•3h

I’m planning to buy a new car in a budget of Rs. 22-24 lakh. I currently own a Ciaz petrol that I am planning to retain. My shortlisted cars include Tata Sierra (EV/petrol), Kia Seltos, and am also considering whether I should wait for the next-gen Creta. My daily running is around 18-30 km, mostly within the city, with occasional long trips. Since I’ll be keeping the Ciaz, I’m also considering an EV. What would make more sense in my situation amongst Sierra EV, Sierra petrol, Seltos, or waiting for the new Creta?

•3m

Given your usage and the fact that you are retaining the Ciaz, the Tata Sierra EV is a sensible choice. Your daily running is well within the comfort zone of an EV and the Sierra EV offers a genuinely premium cabin, excellent ride comfort and a spacious, lounge-like rear seat, making it a very different ownership proposition from the Ciaz.

The Seltos is a strong all-rounder, but it does not offer a fundamentally different experience from the Ciaz, and you are essentially buying another petrol car for city use.

Waiting for the next-generation Creta is a valid option, and if you can comfortably wait, go ahead and do so as the Creta is also expected to offer a hybrid, but it is still some time away. The Sierra EV, on the other hand, gives you a clear use-case advantage today. The only caveat with the Sierra EV is Tata's long-term reliability track record, which is still evolving. If that is a concern, the Seltos remains the safer ownership bet. But given your usage pattern and the fact that you are keeping the Ciaz, the Sierra EV is a logical and differentiated choice.

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Does the Seltos DCT Clutch Slip When Rolling at 6-7kmph Without Throttle?

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•3h

Which petrol car is best under Rs. 17 lakh, considering that my priorities are comfort and technology?

•32m

Go for the Kia Seltos petrol automatic. It is the best fit for your priorities. The Seltos offers one of the more comfortable cabins in the segment, with well-cushioned seats, good ride quality and a premium interior feel. It is also one of the more feature-rich cars in this price bracket, with a modern infotainment system, connected car tech and a generally upmarket feel. The petrol engine is smooth and refined, and the automatic gearbox is well suited to both city and highway driving. It is also a car that is easy to live with over the long term, with good service reach and reasonable running costs.

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•21h

I'm getting a Seltos DCT delivered soon. If the turbo petrol were available with MT I would have bought that. I've heard all the stories and the do's and don'ts for dry clutch DCT. While living in India, one cannot fully avoid city traffic. My question is a bit technical. From a standstill, with the gear in D mode and autohold off, if I take my foot off the brake completely without giving any throttle input, the car rolls at 6-7kmph. In this scenario, will the clutch be slipping continuously like half clutching a manual or will it engage fully after a couple of seconds?

•3h

The Seltos DCT is a dry clutch DCT, so it does behave differently from a torque converter automatic. When you take your foot off the brake in D with auto hold off, Seltos will creep forward at low speed, but this is not the same as a torque converter automatic. At very low speeds, the clutch is partially engaged and there is some slip, similar to a manual car being feathered at low speed. Once you build a little speed and the ECU senses steady movement, the clutch will fully engage and slip will stop. So the clutch is not slipping continuously at 6-7 km/h, but it is slipping at the initial creep phase until the car is moving steadily. This is why DCTs do not like prolonged crawling in bumper-to-bumper traffic, because repeated clutch slip and heat build-up can eventually cause wear. The key is to avoid feathering the throttle at very low speeds and to let the car move in short bursts rather than holding it on the clutch. In normal city driving with sensible use, the clutch will engage fully and you will not be slipping continuously. The Seltos DCT is a good gearbox but a touch snappy from a start, but it does require a slightly different driving style compared to a torque converter automatic.

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•1d

With daily city driving of 25 km and occasional highway and hill trips, I'm planning for a 1.5 NA Hyundai Creta CVT over the Kushaq 1.5 DSG. Does it make sense in 2026 august?

•6h

Yes, that is a sensible decision. With a daily city commute of 25 km and only occasional highway and hill trips, the Hyundai Creta 1.5 naturally aspirated petrol with the IVT (CVT) is the more practical choice. The IVT is smooth, reliable and well-suited for stop-start city traffic, while the naturally aspirated engine is proven and easy to live with. This Hyundai car also offers a more comfortable ride and a more spacious cabin experience, which matters over a long ownership period.The Skoda Kushaq 1.5 TSI with the DSG is the enthusiast’s choice, with stronger performance and quicker shifts, but the DSG is not as well suited to heavy city traffic, and long-term ownership can be more expensive. Given your usage pattern, the Creta is the better fit.The only caveat is timing. If you are planning to buy in August 2026, it is worth noting that an all-new Creta is expected in 2027. If you can wait a few months, it may be worth holding off for the new generation. If not, the current Creta is still a very good choice.

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Popular discussions right now

•1w

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?

•6d

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 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.

•3d

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.

I have a 2013 Honda City automatic, which is now 13 years old. I wish to change my car and buy the Tata Punch EV 40kWh for my use. My monthly running is low, at around 500 km. Would you suggest this car for my usage?

•3d

With a monthly running of around 500km, the financial case for an EV is not particularly strong, but the Tata Punch EV 40kWh can still make sense if you are looking for a modern, low-maintenance city car. This Tata electric car is compact, easy to drive and well-suited to urban use, and the 40kWh battery offers a healthy real-world range that should comfortably cover your monthly usage with minimal charging stops. However, at this level of running, the fuel savings over a petrol car will take a long time to offset the higher upfront cost of the EV. If you have reliable home charging and are keen on the EV ownership experience, the Punch EV is a sensible upgrade from your ageing City. If your priority is purely financial efficiency, a small petrol automatic like the Honda Amaze or Maruti Suzuki Baleno would be the more cost-effective choice.

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