I want to buy a car for my office commute and occasional short road trips around Bangalore. I am considering an EV and am confused between waiting for the Kia Syros EV or going ahead with the Tata Punch EV Facelift. Which option would you recommend?

autocar.india

•2d

The on-road price of the base Clavis HTE petrol might be a bit more than Rs 13 lakhs. However, as a family car, it beats all the other options. It is more spacious and gives you the flexibility of a third row of seats, which you can also fold down and make use of a huge boot space. Purely as a sensible, practical option, it is hard to beat the Clavis' proposition.Alternatively, Syros is an excellent, well-packaged car that's surprisingly spacious despite its sub-4-metre footprint. While its design isn't universally appealing, if you don't mind its styling, this is an excellent choice. You will get a well-equipped HTK+ turbo-petrol manual version.The Seltos and Tekton belong to a segment above and are larger cars. Only their entry-level variants will fall within your Rs 13 lakh budget. So you need to decide whether you need a seven-seater, a well-equipped sub-4-meter car, or an entry-level five-seater mid-size SUV from a segment above.

Kia Carens Clavis

Kia Seltos

Kia Syros

Nissan Tekton

autocar.india

•4h

Go for the MG Windsor Exclusive. At Rs 14 lakh, it offers the best ownership experience of the three. The Windsor is a genuinely spacious family car with a comfortable ride, a premium cabin and a strong feature set. It feels like a proper step up from your 2018 Nexon, with a more mature driving experience and a much more spacious rear seat. The Nexon Empowered 45 is a good car, but it is essentially an evolution of what you already own, and the Windsor simply feels like a bigger upgrade for the money. The Punch Empowered S40 is a solid value proposition, but it is a smaller car and does not feel as premium or as spacious as the Windsor. The only real drawback with the Windsor is that MG's service network is not as extensive as Tata's, but it is still a well-supported product in most major cities. Overall, the Windsor Exclusive is the best fit for your budget and your upgrade expectations.

MG Windsor

Tata Nexon

Tata Punch

autocar.india

•1d

We would recommend the Tata Nexon Diesel over the Punch if you regularly drive in the hills. The diesel engine's strong low end torque makes climbing steep inclines much easier, especially with a full load of passengers or luggage. It also requires fewer gear changes on winding roads and feels much more relaxed than the Punch's naturally aspirated petrol engine.The Nexon is also the better all round vehicle. It has a more planted feel at highway speeds, a larger cabin, a bigger boot and better long distance comfort. If your hill trips are frequent or you live in a hilly area, the diesel suits this usage very well. Just ensure you also undertake regular longer drives, as modern diesels are happiest when they get enough running to keep the emissions system healthy.The Punch is a good choice if your driving is almost entirely in the city and you want a smaller, easier to park SUV. However, for hill driving, especially with family or luggage, it can feel underpowered compared to the Nexon diesel.

Tata Nexon

Tata Punch