Mumbai

•13h

I am from Kerala and looking to buy a 7-seater car to replace my old Hyundai Eon. My options are the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga, XL6, and Kia Carens Clavis. The Clavis offers many options, including naturally aspirated and turbocharged petrol engines. Which car would be the most suitable for travelling with seven people? My maximum budget is Rs 16 lakh. Also, from a mileage point-of-view, which is better: turbo or naturally aspirated with a manual transmission?

•5m

Go for the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. It is the most sensible and reliable choice for your requirement. The Ertiga is a proven 7-seater with a comfortable third row, low running costs and Maruti's strong service network, which is important coming from a Hyundai Eon.

The Maruti XL6 is essentially the same car with a more premium interior and captain seats in the middle row, but that reduces seating capacity to six, which does not suit your need for seven people.

The Kia Carens Clavis is a good alternative with a more premium feel, but is positioned slightly higher, and on your budget of Rs 16 lakh, you will only get a low-spec model with fewer features. Between turbo and naturally aspirated petrol engines, the naturally aspirated engine is generally more fuel-efficient in real-world conditions, especially with a manual transmission.

The Maruti Ertiga also fits comfortably within your Rs 16 lakh budget, letting you get the fully-loaded variant with more features. Overall, the Ertiga is the most practical and hassle-free 7-seater for family use.

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Maruti Suzuki

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•1d

Is it worth buying Nissan Gravite? I currently own a 2015 Grand i10 Magna and am planning to buy a new car. Instead of a 5-seater, I am planning to buy a 7-seater within a fixed budget. However, I am confused whether I will enjoy 1 litre engine or not ?

•19h

The Nissan Gravite is a sensible upgrade from your 2015 Grand i10 Magna, especially if you need a 7-seater on a budget. The 1.0-litre petrol engine is however down on power and delivers decent performance in city driving if driven in a sedate and relaxed manner. Also with a full load of passengers and luggage, it can feel strained on highways and overtaking requires more planning. So look at it as a relaxed daily commuter and it should be fine. The Gravite's biggest strength is its value proposition as it offers genuine 7-seat practicality at a very accessible price point. However, if you regularly do long highway trips with a full family, you will notice the engine's limitations and you might want to consider upping your budget for something like the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga. Overall, the Gravite is a good budget-friendly 7-seater, but be realistic about your expectations from the 1.0-litre engine.

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•4d

I am confused between the Innova Crysta VX, Innova HyCross VX, and Kia Carens Clavis Diesel AT. The car will mainly be used by my aged parents, replacing our 2011 Ritz diesel. It will be driven 99% of the time by our regular driver, and occasionally by me. It will mostly be used as a 5-seater, with occasional use as a 7-seater.

•1d

Go for the Toyota Innova HyCross VX. Your usage is mostly chauffeur-driven with elderly parents, and the car is primarily a 5-seater with occasional 7-seater use. The Toyota HyCross is the best fit here because it offers a much more comfortable and refined experience than the Crysta, especially for rear-seat passengers. The hybrid powertrain is smooth, quiet and efficient, which makes a big difference in daily city driving, and the automatic gearbox is seamless.The Crysta VX is still a great car, but it is more utilitarian and not as refined or comfortable as the HyCross.The Kia Carens Clavis Diesel AT is a great value alternative and offers a very comfortable and practical interior. If it is going to be used primarily in the city, diesel won't be the right choice, though. Overall, the HyCross VX strikes the right balance between comfort, efficiency and Toyota's proven reliability, making it the best choice for your requirements.

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•1d

Hi Autocar Team, I am confused between the Kia Carens and Carens Clavis. Please suggest which would be the better choice in this segment, with a budget of under Rs. 17 lakh.

•1d

The Kia Carens Clavis is essentially a more modern, updated and better-equipped version of the Carens. Also, with the Clavis, you have a lot more options as far as variants and powertrain options go. The Carens is essentially a more affordable, stripped-down pre-updated version of the Clavis, and while it offers good value, it does not feel as premium as the Clavis.We would have recommended the Kia Carens had you been on a really tight budget, because both Clavis and Carens are the same car underneath the skin. They both share their 1.5 NA Petrol and Diesel engines; both are identical as far as cabin space and comfort go, and the service experience and costs are likely to be identical as well. However, since you have a healthy Rs 17 lakh budget, we'd advise you to get a well-equipped variant of the Clavis instead.

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Popular discussions right now

•2d

I am a lady driver and drive around 65 km every day on the expressway. Twice a month, I also drive in the city and traffic. I am currently driving a Celerio, but it is 9 years old, so I am looking for a change. My budget is Rs. 10-12 lakh.

•1d

For your usage, the Skoda Kylaq is a good upgrade. Your 65 km daily expressway run means you need a car that is stable at speed and comfortable over long distances. The Kylaq delivers that very well. At your budget, you could get a lower-spec automatic, which would make it easy to drive in city traffic, which matters for your twice-a-month urban runs. The automatic gearbox is a torque converter, so its shifts are very smooth and it is very reliable too. The only possible downside is that fuel efficiency is not going to be very high, and given your high daily running, this is something that might bother you. If so, opt for the Maruti Suzuki Fronx 1.2L, which is also good at higher speeds and would be more fuel efficient. The auto box in this case is an AMT, which would not be as smooth, but this would only be a bit of a bother in city traffic and not on steady highway cruising.

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•4d

I have been using Honda City manual for the last 21 years. Now, I want a car with automatic transmission for city running mostly. My average running is around 1000km a month. Can you suggest whether I should buy Seltos, Creta, Kushaq or Elevate?

•1d

Given your usage of around 1,000 km a month, mostly in the city, the priority should be a smooth and reliable automatic transmission, good ride comfort and ease of ownership. The Kia Seltos IVT is the most natural recommendation here. The IVT gearbox is also very smooth, and the Seltos feels more premium and feature-rich than the competition. Alternatively, consider the Honda Elevate. The CVT is exceptionally smooth in stop-start traffic, Honda’s ownership experience is proven, and the car is simple, reliable and easy to live with.The Skoda Kushaq is the driver’s choice, with a more engaging driving experience, but in city running, that doesn't matter much. The Hyundai Creta is a good all-rounder, but it is due for a full model change in 2027, which makes the Seltos and Elevate stronger recommendations at this point.

Hey, We are planning to buy a sub-4-metre SUV, and our main requirement is good suspension for Bengaluru’s pothole-filled roads, especially as my wife is pregnant. We have shortlisted the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Mahindra XUV 3XO, and Tata Nexon. Which one would you recommend for our requirements? I was also considering a larger SUV like the Honda Elevate, but a well-equipped variant costs around Rs. 18 lakh on-road, which is beyond my budget. Could you suggest some good options in both categories? I can stretch my budget up to around Rs. 15 lakh on-road if required.

•2d

Given your priorities, the Mahindra XUV 3XO is the best fit. It has the most comfortable ride in the segment, with a suspension that deals with broken roads and potholes better than the Brezza or Nexon. The wide rear seat and good cabin space will also make a difference for your wife and family. The Brezza is the more reliable long-term ownership proposition, but its ride is not as plush as the 3XO. The Nexon is a good all-rounder, but the 3XO has the edge on ride comfort and rear seat space.On the Honda Elevate, it is a solid, reliable SUV with a comfortable ride, but at Rs 18 lakh on-road for the well-equipped variants, it is not worth stretching your budget for. The 3XO gives you a better ride and more features for less money.Overall, the 3XO is the best balance of ride comfort, space and value for your requirements. Go for the petrol automatic variant for the smoothest city driving experience.

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