The Volkswagen Tayron R-Line is shaping up to be an interesting SUV. It is nicely loaded with features - more so than the imported Tiguan R-Line - and features sporty looks and a powerful engine. As for the DSG gearbox, yes, dual-clutch gearboxes have been known to experience greater wear than torque-converters or CVTs, but that is only if they're not handled with care, and mostly in stop-and-go conditions.Best practices like shifting out of D at a standstill, rolling off smoothly will greatly prolong the life of the gearbox, and of course not skimping on recommended maintenance. Moreover, these issues were more prominent in older iterations of the DSG used on smaller cars, like the Polo's DQ200, things have been greatly improved in newer iterations and on larger cars with more powerful engines; the Tayron uses a newer DQ381-7A. As for VFM, we do not know the price as yet, though the hope is that local assembly will at least make it competitive. However, later this year, Volkswagen will launch a standard version of the Tayron, without the R-Line specification, that will miss the body kit and some features, and that could be the one to pick.

Thank you for your kind words, and glad you enjoy our work! Given your budget and your requirements, the best option from your shortlist is the Mahindra XUV 3XO. It is the best to drive and offers a choice of punch turbo petrol and diesel engines. Besides this, it has very comfortable suspension too, which should serve you well on long highway journeys. While the petrol version is not the most fuel efficient, since you're looking at the diesel manual, so you should be fine on mileage. The only downside really is that it has a relatively small boot, and it's missing two of the features you are looking for - powered and ventilated front seats - but our advice is to still stick with it, as the rest of the benefits are too good to pass up, for your kind of usage. As for your other choices, with the Kia Seltos, at your budget, you won't get those features either, and in fact, the specification will be quite basic. The Renault Duster could be a good choice, but until its launch in March, it remains an unknown quantity. We will only know at a later stage how it is to drive, how comfortable it is, and what its price will be.

You haven't mentioned which variant of the MG Hector Plus you're considering - the turbo-petrol-automatic is refined and smooth, although it isn't efficient, and won't feel effortless on the highway; the diesel, on the other hand, feels much stronger and more suited for highway drives, but it is only available with a manual gearbox. The Hector Plus also impresses when it comes to low-speed ride comfort, but its suspension doesn't feel as settled as the HyCross's at highway speed.Additionally, the HyCross is the more spacious car, and is easily the better pick if you generally travel with six or seven passengers and luggage. Its hybrid powertrain feels surprisingly peppy, it is quite refined, and it is also likely to return around 16kpl on the highway, which is quite good. Between the two, the Toyota Innova HyCross is a bit pricier, but it comes across as the more sensible pick.

Between the Honda CB350, Royal Enfield Meteor 350 and Triumph Speed T4, the best all-rounder would be the Triumph. It offers more performance than the two air-cooled 350s and has a sportier chassis, too. You should also see comparable fuel economy figures on all three if ridden sensibly.That being said, take a test ride of all 3 to see which one suits you best before making a decision.