I want to purchase a car within a budget of 12 to 13 lakh. My running is about 50km every day during office hours in Mumbai. I am open to a hatchback or SUV. My requirement is a 5-star safety, reliability, low maintenance, spacious, and a good-feel cabin. Presently, I own a Tata Altroz. Please suggest a suitable car.

Autocar India

•23h

For your requirements of a 5-member family, long-term ownership, low maintenance and good all-round ability, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza VXi manual is the best fit among your shortlist. It offers the most space here, especially at the rear, which makes it more comfortable for three passengers. The suspension handles bad roads and potholes well, and the overall ride is well-suited for both city use and highway trips, including ghat sections.The 1.5-litre petrol engine is simple, proven and reliable, which is important if you are planning to keep the car for 10-15 years. It also pulls well with a full load on slight inclines, which matches your requirement. Maruti’s wide service network and lower maintenance costs further add to long-term peace of mind.The main compromise is that the VXi variant misses out on some features, including a better music system, and compared to smaller engines, fuel efficiency in heavy city traffic may not be the best, though it remains reasonable overall.The Hyundai Venue and Hyundai Exter are easy to drive, but both feel smaller inside and are not as strong on hills with a full load due to their smaller 1.2-litre engines. You can also look at the Maruti Suzuki Fronx or Toyota Taisor turbo manual as options. The 1.0-litre turbo engine is more punchy than the Brezza’s engine and, despite being a small 3-cylinder unit, it has very little turbo lag and is fairly refined. Both cars are spacious, have good ride quality and offer a bigger boot than the Brezza. The only downside is that while the rear seat is spacious, it does not feel as wide as the Brezza.So overall, for a balance of space, comfort, reliability and long-term ownership, the Brezza VXi is the most sensible choice.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Hyundai Exter

Hyundai Venue

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Autocar India

•23h

Pick the Tata Nexon Creative petrol (MT). For your 1,000 km/month and Rs 12 lakh budget, it gives you five-star safety, a comfortable ride, and a useful 382-litre boot.For your usage, petrol makes more sense than diesel; you avoid DPF hassles with frequent short trips under 10-15km, as well as the higher diesel purchase cost. The Nexon’s suspension keeps the cabin composed over speed breakers and broken patches better than most in this price band. You still get practical space for a family, with a 382-litre boot that can handle two large suitcases, and real-world efficiency of around 16kpl on the highway.If you prefer a simpler, naturally aspirated engine, then consider the Hyundai Venue 1.2 MT, but note that you will be giving up some cabin space.On the test drive, check rear-seat comfort over rough patches and highway cabin noise at 80kph.

Tata Nexon

Hyundai Venue

Autocar India

•1d

Consider the Hyundai Venue 1.2-litre MT in the HX6 trim. It has recently received a full five-star safety rating from Bharat NCAP and comes with six airbags, ABS with EBD, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. The naturally aspirated 1.2-litre petrol offers sufficient performance, along with good refinement and efficiency. The official claimed fuel efficiency is 18kpl, and you should get reasonably close to that on a steady highway cruise.Alternatively, if you are looking for a larger car, consider the Kia Seltos HTE with the 1.5-litre NA engine and manual combination, which also offers good efficiency for its size.On the test drive, check if the pick-up from the engine is satisfactory and whether the cabin feels comfortable for longer journeys.

Hyundai Venue

Kia Seltos