I am a first-time car buyer with a budget of around Rs 10-12 lakh. I want a car with good ground clearance, a reliable engine and gearbox, and good mileage. My usage will be split roughly 50:50 between city and highway driving. Which car should I consider?

autocar.india

•21h

Go ahead with the Honda Elevate VX manual. At Rs 16 lakh, it is one of the most sensible long-term ownership choices in the segment. The naturally aspirated petrol engine is smooth, reliable and well-suited to both city and highway driving, while the manual gearbox is light and easy to use. Honda’s reputation for durability and low maintenance costs makes it a strong candidate for long-term ownership, and the Elevate’s simple, fuss-free nature is exactly what you want in a car you plan to keep for many years.The VX variant also strikes a good balance between features and value, giving you most of the essentials without stretching your budget. The only real drawback is that the rear seat is not the most spacious in the segment, but overall the Elevate is a well-rounded package that prioritises reliability and ease of ownership.If you are open to alternatives, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza is worth considering for its proven reliability and lower running costs, but it is smaller than the Elevate.

Honda Elevate

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

autocar.india

•13h

Go for the Mahindra XUV 3XO Rev X M(O). With low monthly running, petrol is the right choice, and the 3XO offers the most complete package in your budget. It has the most spacious cabin of the three, a nice premium interior feel and a strong feature set even in the M(O) variant. The Brezza VXi is also an option and the more sensible one in terms of long-term ownership experience. The Victoris and Grand Vitara base models are solid cars, but the base variants feel sparse, and you miss out on the features that make them feel premium. The 3XO also has a strong safety rating and a wide cabin, making it a genuinely comfortable five-seater. The only real drawback is that the boot is on the smaller side, but overall it is the best balance of interior quality, space and features in your budget.

Mahindra XUV 3XO

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Maruti Suzuki Victoris

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

autocar.india

•1d

Go for a petrol automatic with a torque converter gearbox. Your usage is low, mostly city with occasional highway trips, so petrol is the right choice and a torque converter automatic is the most reliable and stress-free option for city driving. The Hyundai dealer is incorrect – Hyundai cars use DCT gearboxes on turbo petrol engines and torque converter automatics on naturally aspirated petrol engines, and they are both completely different. DCTs can feel jerky in stop-start traffic and can throw up some issues, while torque converters are smoother and more reliable in the long run.The Maruti Suzuki Brezza automatic is the most sensible recommendation here. It uses a 6-speed torque converter automatic, is reliable, easy to drive in the city and has Maruti’s strong service network; the ride too is geared for plush low-speed city comfort, on highways though there is some float at higher speeds. On the EV side, your low running does not justify the higher upfront cost, and you do not have a clear financial case for it. On the fuel blending concern, modern petrol engines are engineered to handle E20, and there is no official roadmap beyond that, so it should not be a reason to avoid petrol. Furthermore, Maruti has said that they have built in a higher margin for material compliance to slightly higher ethanol blends, so on the material front you should be fine; mileage, though, would likely drop with higher ethanol blends, but this would be true across models. Thus, go for the Brezza automatic and you will have a hassle-free ownership experience.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza