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Tanvir

•1w

Hi, I currently own a Virtus GT 1.5 DSG, which I bought around three years back. I am looking to buy an SUV in the next few months, and under ₹20 lakh. My running is a maximum of 200km in a month. 90% of my travel is within the city.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•1w
For your limited usage, most of which is in the city, a petrol automatic SUV makes the most sense. There are several options within your budget, but the new Kia Seltos and the Tata Sierra stand out.
The Kia Seltos HTX with 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and DCT combination sits within your price range and comes with features like ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, a power-adjustable driver’s seat and a Bose sound system.
The Tata Sierra Adventure+ with the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and automatic is an alternative, though it is slightly more expensive than the Seltos. It comes with features like a panoramic sunroof, a 360-degree camera and a reclining rear seat.
Do take a test drive of both before you decide.
Kia Seltos

Kia Seltos

Explore cars mentioned

Kia Seltos

Kia

Seltos

from ₹12.79 Lakh

Tata Sierra

Tata

Sierra

from ₹13.37 Lakh

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SM

S Mohan Kumar

•4d

Hi, 15days back I have owned Kia Seltos 2026 diesel driving comfort and cabien space is ok but car is shaking much...

RB

Rajat batra

•5d

you won’t like the Driving dynamics of any thing else other than a GERMAN SUV AFTER DRIVING VIRTUS 1.5

PR

Pritam

•5d

Correct,I’m driving the taigun gt plus after the taigun 1lt manual topline,which I drove for 2and a half years,believe me wanted to go for the creta N line but after driving the gt plus dsg,couldn’t care for the features the creta was offering.vw/Skoda driving dynamics are unparalleled.

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VA

Vaibhav

•4d

Hello Sir, I am looking to purchase an SUV within a budget of ₹15 lakh (on-road). Initially, the Tata Sierra was one of my preferred options, but after watching your video, I became a bit uncertain about it. Since then, I have also started considering the base petrol variant of the Harrier. I do not drive a car on a daily basis. My average monthly travel is around 400 km, and my annual usage is approximately 6,000-7,000 km. My driving is usually less in the city and more on highways. I frequently travel through the ghat sections of Pune and the Konkan region with five passengers and a significant amount of luggage. Therefore, I am looking for a car that is safe, fuel-efficient, and has relatively low maintenance costs. I would really appreciate your suggestion on which option would be the best choice for my requirements. Thank you.

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•3h

The Tata Harrier Smart turbo-petrol MT (base) should be close to your Rs 15 lakh budget (on-road). It is a spacious 5-seater with a large boot, and its turbo-petrol has ample performance to effortlessly drive through the ghat sections with a full-load of passengers and luggage. Do keep in mind that the Harrier is a heavy car, and turbo-petrol engines are very sensitive to your driving style, so we'd advise you to keep your fuel efficiency expectations low.Alternatively, you can consider the Kia Seltos HTE(O) Turbo-petrol iMT. It is spacious, and performance is adequate, too. And being lighter, fuel efficiency is likely to be a bit better.

VehicleKia Seltos
VehicleTata Harrier
PO

pooja

•2d

I am planning to buy a new petrol car with a manual gearbox. My budget is around ₹13 lakh. My usage will be 70% city and 30% highway. Could you please suggest SUV options within this budget?

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•22h

With a daily running of around 50 to 60 km, a diesel automatic makes good sense as your monthly usage will easily justify the better fuel efficiency and relaxed nature of a diesel engine.Between the two options, the Kia Seltos diesel automatic is the better choice overall. The diesel engine is refined, and the 6-speed torque converter automatic is smooth and well-suited for normal city traffic as well as highway drives.The Tata Sierra is also a strong Midsize SUV with more cabin space. But its diesel engine is noticeably noisier and less refined than the Hyundai-Kia diesel. It is also over a lakh more expensive in comparable automatic variants.For your usage and preference for an automatic, the Seltos diesel automatic is the more balanced and sensible option thanks to its refinement, smooth gearbox and lower price.

VehicleKia Seltos
VehicleTata Sierra
RI

Ritz

•2d

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).

Autocar India team

Autocar India

Verified
•5h

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.

VehicleKia Seltos

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Posted on: 6 Mar 2026