My driving requirements are approximately 75–80% city driving, 15% highway driving and 5–10% hill driving. My budget is Rs 10 lakh, but I am also looking out for offers in December and January on previous-year manufactured cars, so I can stretch it to Rs 11.5 lakh if a good deal is available. I need a car that can comfortably accommodate three adults in the rear seat, even if it feels a little cramped. It should also be capable of handling Chennai's traffic, potholes and road bumps. My priorities, in order, are safety, fuel efficiency, engine and gearbox performance, and finally, features, if the budget permits. My current preferences are: 1. Tata Altroz Creative S AMT 2. Mahindra XUV 3XO RevX M (O) 3. Skoda Kylaq Signature Manual 4. Kia Sonet HTK (O) 1.0-litre iMT Please suggest which of these cars would be the best overall choice for my requirements and rank them in order of preference, considering all the factors mentioned above.

autocar.india

•3h

The best replacement for a 2009 Maruti Wagon R will be a 2024 Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, for its tall stance, great visibility, ease of driving and affordabilty. For less than Rs 8 lakhs on-road, you should get the top-spec petrol-AMT version. The only downside being, its rear seat isn't wide enough to accommodate three adults.An automatic car with great visibility under Rs 12 lakh on-road with a backseat wide enough for three adults is the Mahindra XUV 3XO RevX M (O) turbo-petrol-automatic. Performance is strong for highway use, its gearbox is smooth for daily use, and overall, it'll feel like a huge step up over your outgoing car.

autocar.india

•3d

The decision for an automatic or manual really comes down to your driving conditions. It its a lot of traffic that you have in and around your area then go with an automatic and save yourself the hassle. If however this isn't the case opt for a manual as this will enable you to get a higher variant and thus more convenience features at your budget. The Tata Nexon would suit you just fine and the Pure Plus variant of the diesel automatic would fit nicely within your budget. If you do want more in terms of power and space then opt for the Mahindra XUV 3XO instead, as it has a wider rear seat and a slighly more powerful and refined engine too.

autocar.india

•3d

Do keep in mind that real-world efficiency will drop significantly in hilly regions, so factor the worst-case range of around 200- 220 km before making a decision. Despite that, if your daily commute is around 70- 80 km, and if you have a home charger, the Mahindra XUV 3XO EV could still be a good option. Not only will running costs be much lower than the XUV 3XO diesel-AMT version, but even the drive experience will be much smoother and far more seamless.