Hi, I'm an avid reader and viewer of yours from 2014. I’m planning to buy the Fronx Delta Plus AGS this month. This variant has six airbags, with a few on the sides of the front seats. I’m confused about seat covers. Maruti’s genuine ones cost 11k and have a sleeveless design, while aftermarket covers cost 7-8k but fully cover the seats. Will aftermarket full seat covers hamper side airbag deployment?

Autocar India

•1h

We would suggest you go for the Maruti Suzuki Fronx Delta+ AMT. The Fronx has a fuel-efficient 1.2-litre engine mated to an AMT gearbox that is well-tuned and smooth enough for daily driving. It is also fairly spacious, offers a large boot and a comfortable ride, which makes it an ideal companion for everyday city commutes and occasional highway drives.If you want something smaller and easier to manoeuvre, you can consider the Maruti Suzuki Swift AMT. It is a more compact car, which makes it even easier to drive and park in the city. However, the new Swift now comes with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine, which feels a bit less powerful compared to the Fronx’s four-cylinder engine. Because of this, the AMT gearbox also works better with the Fronx engine than it does with the Swift.Within your budget, you can also consider the Hyundai i20 IVT/CVT in the Magna variant. The CVT gearbox is very smooth, which elevates the overall driving experience and makes the car extremely easy to drive in traffic. The interiors of the i20 also feel quite premium. The only downside is that you will have to trade a bit of fuel efficiency for that smoothness, which is something to keep in mind since efficiency is an important factor for you.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Hyundai Venue

Autocar India

•21h

The Kia Seltos IVT is a great car for city use and occasional highway drives. However, for a long road trip like the one you are planning, we would recommend a more powerful engine. Within the Seltos range, there's the option of the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol with a DCT gearbox. The turbo-petrol engine is significantly more powerful than the naturally aspirated petrol (160hp vs 115hp), and the added power really counts for a lot on a long-distance trip. The IVT is smoother than the DCT in stop-start traffic, but as a package, the turbo-petrol-DCT is worth the extra spend for the enhanced performance it delivers.

Kia New Seltos

Autocar India

•2d

We would recommend you take a look at the Maruti Suzuki Fronx. Being a Maruti car, it will meet your requirements of being low on maintenance and generally tension-free. The car is also slightly higher off the ground compared to sedans and hatchbacks at this price, and thus, this will offer an easy entry and exit for your parents. Rear seat head and legroom are also good, and for two adults, the rear is very spacious and a comfortable place to be in.The Fronx fits within the 'small car' definition as it measures less than 4-meters in length, thus it is very manageable in crowded city conditions. For your few highway trips, too, you will find the handling secure, and the car remains planted at regular highway speeds.

Maruti Suzuki Fronx