I am looking for a sub-4-metre SUV with an automatic transmission and the best suspension to absorb speed breakers on highways, preferably petrol. Please advise.

Autocar India

•1d

You can consider the Maruti Suzuki Fronx or the Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor in their top turbo petrol manual variants. The engine, despite being turbocharged, has hardly any turbo lag and offers good punch. It also comes with a light clutch and a slick gearbox, which makes it easy to drive in the city. Even on an open road or around a ghat section, both these cars are surprisingly fun to drive, and over bad roads, the suspension delivers a comfortable ride as well. For a turbo petrol engine, efficiency is also quite impressive. Overall, there is actually not much to fault here.If you want something that feels a bit more premium, you can look at the Skoda Kylaq, the Signature+ MT variant. The Kylaq is a fun car to drive, but the clutch is heavier, and you will feel more turbo lag. It will also not be as efficient as the Fronx turbo petrol, and the peace of mind ownership experience may not be as strong.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor

Skoda Kylaq

Autocar India

•23h

It's a shame that the Skoda Kylaq's rear seat space is not quite up to the best in the segment, because otherwise it is a superb compact SUV that scores highly on most other counts. Of the other options, the Nissan Magnite, while capable and a great value for money, feels like a sub-segment lower in terms of quality, space and performance. The Mahindra XUV 3XO RevX should be your best bet because it offers both - performance and rear-seat space. In fact, it has one of the most spacious cabins in the segment, although the boot is a bit smaller than others. The RevX offers a good feature set as well, along with a few unique styling embellishments, and overall, we feel this is the one you should pick.

Nissan Magnite

Mahindra XUV 3XO

Skoda Kylaq

Autocar India

•58m

We would recommend you look at the Maruti Suzuki Celerio. Refinement from the 1.0 litre engine is much better than you would expect from a three-cylinder engine, and minimal vibrations filter into the cabin. The overall performance is smooth and easy for normal everyday driving, and at low city speeds, it even feels a bit eager, and it is thus quite enjoyable to drive. In terms of safety, the car is well equipped with safety features like 6 airbags, anti-locking brakes (ABS) and electronic stability program (ESP). It also scored a three-star crash safety rating in the GNCAP test. You can get cars with a better crash rating, like the Tata Tiago, for instance, but you will not find the engine as smooth.

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

Tata Tiago