Hello sir, my name is Dr. Ashish Lashkari, and despite being in the healthcare industry, my passion for automobiles is no less than my profession. I currently drive a Jeep Compass Petrol Automatic, which I purchased in 2018 and have driven around 85,000 km since then. Now, I want to upgrade to something better, and my options are a used Mercedes, a BMW, or the new Mahindra XEV 9e. My usage is around 25% city driving and 75% highway driving with family. Petrol is no longer my preferred choice, as the poor fuel efficiency of the Jeep has been quite frustrating. Please suggest what would be the best option for me. Thank you so much in advance.

autocar.india

•2d

With a car under 30 Lakhs on-road budget, 20 km daily usage and only occasional long trips, you are actually in a very comfortable position to go electric. The key factor here is your home charging facility, which makes EV ownership far more convenient and cost-effective. With your usage pattern, the lower running costs of an EV will add up over time, and you will not be affected by E20 fuel concerns at all. For your budget, the Mahindra XEV 9S or 9e is the most sensible choice. Both cars have good real-world range, a comfortable cabin and a mature ownership experience. The only caveat is your occasional long trips. As long as you are comfortable planning charging stops on those journeys, an EV is the right choice. If you are not, then a petrol car like the Mahindra XUV 7XO is still the safer option. But given your usage and home charging, we would recommend going electric.

Mahindra XEV 9S

Mahindra XEV 9e

autocar.india

•7h

Go ahead with the Kia Seltos HTK IVT. The Seltos is a very well-rounded product, and the HTK IVT is a sweet spot in the range with a good balance of features and value. The bigger point is that the Seltos and Creta are fundamentally very similar cars underneath, sharing the same platform, engines and gearboxes. The ownership experience between Hyundai and Kia is also broadly similar in terms of maintenance costs, service reach, reliability and resale value. There is no clear advantage to waiting for the new Creta from that perspective.The only reason to wait would be if you are specifically interested in the new Creta’s design, interior or feature set. But that is an unknown at this stage, and there is no guarantee it will be meaningfully better than the Seltos. In fact, the Seltos is already one of the most complete cars in the segment, and the IVT gearbox is smooth and well-suited to city driving.Given you are planning to keep the car for 8-10 years, it makes more sense to buy a proven product now rather than wait for an unknown. The Seltos will serve you well over the long term, and you are unlikely to regret the decision.

Kia Seltos

Hyundai Creta

autocar.india

•8h

If your 2017 Hyundai Creta SX petrol has been consistently serviced at Hyundai and is running well, there is no reason you cannot confidently take it on an 1,800km road trip. Modern cars are designed to last well beyond 10 years with proper maintenance, and 35,000km is a very low mileage for a 9.5-year-old car. The key is to ensure the car is in good health: get a thorough pre-trip check-up, replace any ageing rubber components, check fluids, tyres and brakes, and you should be good to go. Be mindful of where you refuel, and stick to well-maintained fuel stations that see high customer turnover.On the E20 question, there is no need to replace a well-maintained car purely because of ethanol. Your Creta is likely E10-compliant, and should safely run on E20, albeit with a drop in fuel efficiency.The only reason to change would be if you are already feeling the itch for a new car or want a significant upgrade in safety, features or performance. Otherwise, keep the Creta, enjoy the road trip and revisit the replacement decision when the car genuinely starts to show its age.

Hyundai Creta