I am looking to purchase a new SUV in exchange for my Ciaz Diesel. We are a family of five, and my usage is low and mostly within the city (350-400 km monthly) with a quarterly outstation trip (500-600 km). My main requirements are a car that has good mileage/range, a good audio system, a large boot space and high acceleration (I like quick acceleration but not necessarily at very high speeds). The Ciaz seemed perfect so far, but now it's 11 years old, and I would like to change to an SUV for better ground clearance. I prefer not to have to spend often (for cars with low upfront cost but less mileage). My preferred budget is up to ₹20 lakh. So far, I liked the Mahindra XUV 7XO and Mahindra XEV 9S for their overall drivability. However, since they both are nearly ₹30 lakh on-road in Bangalore, I was trying to look for other alternatives at a slightly cheaper cost. I have heard horror stories of Tata service and hence would prefer to avoid Tata cars (even though I loved driving the Harrier as well).

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Autocar India team · Accepted Answer

That's a tricky requirement as strong acceleration and good fuel economy tend to be at odds with one another. A diesel engine would be good for mileage, but none of the engines in this price range is particularly quick at accelerating. Thus, we'd recommend going for a Turbo Petrol engine, which, if driven carefully, can return a good amount of kilometres for every litre.Your best option, given your requirements, is the new Kia Seltos. It's spacious, comfortable, reliable and reasonably priced in terms of maintenance. Within your budget of Rs 20 lakh, you should be able to get the HTX T-GDi DCT variant, which also includes the excellent-sounding 8-speaker Bose premium audio system. There's also a sizeable 447-litre boot that's well-shaped and good for swallowing up a sizeable amount of luggage.

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