Hi, I am looking to travel across India by road. I am looking for a bigger, spacious, reliable, fuel-efficient (maybe hybrid) vehicle for 5 people. I would like it to have ADAS Level 2 and good suspension for rural roads and highways. The budget is approximately 8-9 lakhs. Please suggest.

Autocar India

•11w

At your budget of Rs 8-9 lakh, there are not many cars that meet your requirements. For a start, there are no hybrids at this price point. At this price, you will only get compact cars, so fitting 5 people (presumably with luggage) over long distances will not be comfortable. Plus, ADAS features are also not available at this price point.

Your best option is a large hatchback, such as the Maruti Suzuki Baleno, which offers a fuel-efficient petrol engine and can fit 5 people. You can also consider the Tata Altroz, which is available with a diesel engine option and has tough suspension.

There are some compact SUVs available in your budget, but only the base models. You could also consider buying a used car, in which case you will get a larger vehicle in your budget, but it won't have the latest tech like a hybrid powertrain or ADAS. Check out Spinny for vetted and verified used vehicles.

Explore cars mentioned

Maruti Suzuki

Baleno

from ₹6.65 Lakh

Tata

Altroz

from ₹7.18 Lakh

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Yogesh Gautam Kamble

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I need a car for my daily commute, and my travel will be around 50-60 km every day. Most of my driving will be within the city, along with occasional highway drives on weekends. My budget should allow for an EMI of less than ₹20,000 per month. Considering my usage, should I go for a diesel or a CNG car, and which option would you recommend?

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With your daily running of around 50-60 km, your monthly usage will easily cross 1,500 km, so choosing a fuel with low running costs makes sense. In this case, CNG is generally a better fit than diesel, especially since most of your driving is in the city.One of the better options to consider is the Tata Nexon CNG. Unlike most CNG cars, the Nexon uses a turbo-petrol engine, which means it still feels reasonably strong and comfortable even on the highway. The turbo engine produces good torque, which helps maintain performance despite running on CNG. This makes the Nexon CNG a good balance between low running costs for the city and decent highway performance for weekend drives.Another practical option is the Maruti Suzuki Brezza CNG, particularly the LXi or VXi variants. The Brezza uses a 1.5-litre engine with factory-fitted CNG. It is known for being smooth and reliable while still offering good mileage and reasonable performance.

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I am planning to buy a petrol SUV with a budget of ₹15 lakh. My driving will be mostly in the city, and my main priorities are good mileage and strong safety. Which SUV would be the best option in this budget?

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We would recommend you look at the new upcoming Skoda Kushaq. It sits above the compact SUV segment but is still not too large and is among the smaller of the mid-size SUVs, thus it remains quite easy and manageable in the city. The Kushaq is well equipped with many standard safety features and has scored a 5-star crash rating in the GNCAP tests, thus it meets your priority of safety too. Since you are driving in the city and looking for fuel efficiency too, we would suggest the 1.0 litre engine, which will launch with an 8-speed torque convertor automatic transmission. Torque convertors are the smoothest type of automatic transmission around, which you will appreciate in the city stop-and-go traffic. Being an 8-speed (earlier was a 6-speed unit), mileage should also improve over the previous car. It returned a figure of 8.5kpl in the city, 12.4 kpl on the highway, in our standard test cycle. Stay tuned to our channel as we will be driving the car shortly.

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Tarun

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I am confused between the Hyundai Venue SX(O) Petrol 1.0-litre Turbo Automatic (DCT), Mahindra XUV 3XO AX5 Petrol 1.2-litre Turbo Automatic (Torque Converter), and Hyundai Venue SX(O) Diesel 1.5-litre Automatic (Torque Converter). Which of these would be better in terms of hassle-free ownership, reliability, and long-term peace of mind? I plan to keep the car for many years for my family, so comfort and reliability are very important to me.

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If your priority is long-term reliability and hassle-free ownership, the powertrain choice and brand service experience will matter more than outright performance.Between the three options, the Hyundai Venue petrol turbo with the DCT automatic is the safer choice in terms of ownership experience. Hyundai has a strong reputation for reliability and service support, and the Venue is a well-proven product. It also offers a comfortable ride and a well-finished cabin, which makes it suitable for long-term family use.The Mahindra XUV 3XO petrol automatic is a very good car to drive and offers strong performance thanks to its larger 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine. It also has a spacious cabin and good ride quality. However, Mahindra’s ownership experience and service consistency can vary depending on location.The Venue diesel automatic can make sense if your running is high and you regularly do highway drives. However, for typical mixed usage, the petrol automatic will generally be the simpler option to live with.

Hyundai Venue

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