We have an AMT car that we drove around 20,000 km in the last 3 years. In May 2025, we replaced the battery after it failed to start, and last week, on a road trip, the car broke down. At the service centre, we were told the alternator needed replacement due to a wiring issue, which caused it to wear out. Can you tell me if this is a common problem with the Nexon and whether we should look for an alternate car? Maintenance costs have become heavy. Could you suggest a better alternative SUV?

Autocar India

•1d

It is quite common for dealerships to offer early delivery even if the originally promised waiting period was longer. This usually happens because a car that was allocated to another customer gets cancelled or becomes available earlier than expected.In many cases, the exact same car you booked may have already reached the dealer’s stockyard or was originally allotted to another customer who cancelled their booking. When that happens, the dealer typically offers that vehicle to the next customer in line. This is a normal practice and does not necessarily mean the car is faulty or rejected.If you are still doubtful, you can ask the dealer if you can inspect the car in the stockyard before the registration process begins. Once the car is registered in your name, there is very little that can be done if you later find something you are unhappy with.

Autocar India

•21h

Given your requirements, the Skoda Slavia would be a good option to consider. Within the Slavia range, we would recommend the 1.5-litre TSI engine with the DSG gearbox. This will give you the enthusiastic driving dynamics you want, which frankly, no mid-size SUV can offer. It also has fantastic handling manners and is extremely stable on the highways. The bootspace at 521 litres is massive, and it has a good ground clearance to clear most of our badly built roads.In the city, the Slavia also gets cylinder deactivation that helps save fuel, and it is light and breezy to manoeuvre. Also, the music system in the Slavia is one of the best stock systems out there. It is punchy, clear and feels properly high-end. If you're an audiophile, you will enjoy it compared to any other car or SUV south of Rs 30 lakh.

Skoda Slavia

Autocar India

•22h

Since you prefer diesels, the Tata Nexon would be a good choice for your needs. It gets a frugal 1.5-litre diesel engine with a 6-speed manual gearbox. It is rated 5 stars for crash test safety in BNCAP and has a confident ride on the highway. The braking performance is good too, and in your budget, you can get the Pure + S variant that gets you a decent kit like LED headlamps, sunroof, reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers, etc.The Nexon returns an impressive 16.5kpl in the city and an even more impressive 19.4kpl on the highway. It is a well-rounded SUV for your needs and hence our top recommendation.

Tata Nexon