Hi, I currently own two cars - a 10-year-old Honda City VDi and a Maruti Ertiga VDi. Now, I want to buy a small car for daily commuting in Kolkata traffic. I’m looking for something reliable, easy to drive, and fuel-efficient. Which model(s) would you recommend and why?

Autocar India

•1d

We would recommend sticking to the Maruti family and upgrading to the new Swift. The Swift, in its ZXI AMT guise, will fit in your budget and deliver your requirements. It is compact, which makes it easy to handle, and has enough power at 82hp for the city and the highway from the 1.2-litre engine.In terms of efficiency, the AMT version returns 12.7kpl in the city and 19.7kpl on the highway. The AMT is one of the nicer versions in the segment and makes light work of city driving. The ride comfort is good too, and the Swift is tuned for bumpy Indian roads. The ZXI will also get you a good kit like 15-inch alloy wheels, touchscreen infotainment with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging and rear AC vents.

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Autocar India

•19h

The Swift's 1.2L 3-cylinder petrol engine is very drivable and is likely to deliver slightly better fuel efficiency compared to the Baleno's/Glanza's 1.2L 4-cylinder unit. The Maruti Suzuki Swift is quite peppy up to 60kph of speed, after which you will find performance to be a bit lacklustre. And since you've mentioned you want a car for city and highway usage both, we recommend you opt for the Baleno or Glanza instead, for its more effortless performance.There's little to choose between the Baleno and Toyota Glanza, as both are nearly identical. Though the Glanza's beige-black interior colour scheme looks a touch more upmarket than the Maruti's.

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

Toyota Glanza

Autocar India

•11h

The Kia Carens Clavis would be a good option for you. The insides and comfy, and the third row is spacious for two adults and has AC vents as well as type C ports for charging. With three rows up, there's also a fairly useable 216-litres of boot space, and there is some more space under the boot floor too.Kia cars have proven to be quite reliable, and this would serve you well since you plan to keep it for a long time. The car is well-equipped with a host of safety features that are standard, and since mileage is also your priority, we would suggest you opt for the diesel or the naturally aspirated (non-turbo) 1.5-litre petrol engine.

Kia Carens Clavis