Hi, my current vehicle is a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, which we bought in 2019, and now we are planning to buy a new car. The budget is around Rs. 50 lakh, and our priorities are comfort, regular city use, highway and road trips, reliability, low maintenance and good mileage. We are open to both 5-seater and 7-seater options. The cars we have shortlisted are the Toyota Camry and Skoda Kodiaq, but please let us know if there are better options or whether we should continue with one of these.

autocar.india

•12h

Pick the Skoda Kodiaq. Your usage is mostly in Bengaluru city, and the Kodiaq is the best all-rounder of this lot. It's spacious, comfortable, refined and well equipped, but also comes with AWD and enough ground clearance to handle bad roads and the odd trail without fuss. It rides and handles far better than ladder-frame SUVs like the Fortuner, feels properly premium inside, and is far less tiring in traffic.The Fortuner is unstoppable off-road, but in the city, it is big, bouncy and heavy to drive, and you will pay more for less comfort. The next-gen Fortuner is unlikely to go on sale this year. The BMW X1 is great for city use, but it is not very powerful, and FWD, which isn't great for off-road use; also, the space is tighter than the others. The Innova Hycross hybrid is the most spacious and practical, with the best mileage of the lot, but it lacks that SUV road presence and status.Overall, the Kodiaq is the best choice, but bear in mind petrol costs in heavy traffic will be higher than the HyCross, and the third row is best for kids only.

Skoda Kodiaq

BMW X1

Toyota Innova HyCross

autocar.india

•10h

Get the Jeep Compass diesel automatic, ideally the 4x4, because it stays easy in the city yet feels rock solid on highways and can handle desert sand, and hill climbs without stress. You are coming from a Vento, so you will like the Compass’s tight body control, strong mid-range pull, and the calm way it cruises. The 4x4 brings real traction for soft sand and steep trails, plus good ground clearance, but it still parks like a midsize SUV, not a barge.With 10,000 km a year, diesel is fine if you do a decent weekly run to keep the system happy. If your budget is strict at Rs. 35 lakh on-road, the 4x2 automatic will fit and is still great for bad roads and long trips, just not deep sand.As an alternative, you can also look at the AWD Mahindra XUV 7XO, off-road it will not be as accomplished as the Compass, but it will be more than enough for basic trails and light off-roading.

Jeep Compass

Mahindra XUV 7XO

autocar.india

•10h

Yes, the Victoris CNG is a sensible swap from your Swift if your daily running is high and you have easy CNG access. You get the SUV stance and higher seating, which makes city bumps and bad roads easier than in the Swift, and running costs will drop sharply with CNG. Maintenance should stay low too, since it is a simple Maruti setup and the service network is everywhere.Two checks before you sign. Make sure you are getting the factory CNG and not a dealer kit, and that there are enough CNG pumps on your routes. CNG brings a few compromises. Performance is softer than petrol, so with the AC on and four people, quick overtakes need planning, and climbs will feel slow. With the Victoris, however, this is quite minimal and driven in an everyday fashion; it will feel just fine.

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Maruti Suzuki Swift