I am planning to buy a BMW M340i for long-distance trips into wildlife reserves, as I have a strong interest in wildlife. I have two concerns, one is the E20 petrol. The M340i engine is a high-compression engine and needs high-octane fuel. With E20 petrol now available across the country, will this cause any issues for my engine? The other worry is the low tyre profile on bad roads, which may lead to punctures. Do give me your best advice.

autocar.india

•2d

That fuel efficiency figure does sound a little on the lower side for the Hyundai Verna naturally aspirated petrol automatic, but it is not necessarily abnormal depending on your driving conditions. In dense city traffic with the AC running, frequent stop-start driving and short trips, it is not uncommon for fuel efficiency to drop into the 7-9 km/l range. The Verna’s naturally aspirated petrol engine is smooth and refined, but it is not the most fuel-efficient unit in heavy urban conditions, especially when paired with an automatic gearbox.At 3,500 km, the engine is still relatively new and may improve slightly as it loosens up, but do not expect a dramatic change. If your driving is predominantly bumper-to-bumper city traffic with the AC on, this figure is within the expected range. If you start seeing figures below 7 km/l consistently, or if this Hyundai car feels sluggish or rough, it would be worth having the car checked by the service centre. Otherwise, this is largely a reflection of the driving conditions rather than a problem with the car.

Hyundai Verna

autocar.india

•5d

With your Maruti Suzuki Dzire K12N and 50km a week, stick with E20 petrol. The K12N is E20-compliant, so the car is engineered to run on it without any long-term reliability concerns. The only real downside is a slight drop in fuel efficiency compared to lower ethanol blends, but that is expected and not a cause for worry.Switching to XP100 will not give you any meaningful benefit. The K12N is not a high-compression performance engine, so it will not extract any extra power or efficiency from 100-octane fuel. In fact, you will simply be paying a much higher price per litre with no real-world gain. The only time XP100 makes sense is in high-performance turbocharged or high-compression engines that are tuned to take advantage of higher octane.The only scenario where premium fuel is worth considering is if you are experiencing persistent knocking or pinging under load, which is extremely unlikely in a healthy K12N running E20. In that case, a tank or two of premium fuel can help clean up deposits, but it is not a long-term solution.Overall, E20 is the right fuel for your Maruti Suzuki car, and XP100 is simply unnecessary for your engine.

Maruti Suzuki Dzire

autocar.india

•8m

Take delivery of the Hycross GX(O) petrol in August and do not wait for the facelift. The 2027 update will bring cosmetic changes and likely some interior tweaks, but it is unlikely to fundamentally change the ownership experience of the GX(O) petrol. Toyota typically reserves ADAS and more advanced safety tech for higher trims, and there is no strong indication that the GX(O) petrol will suddenly gain those features with the facelift. More importantly, the Hycross is already a fundamentally strong product with a proven powertrain, excellent reliability and a reputation for long-term durability, which is exactly what matters for a 15-20 year ownership plan.On the fuel front, your concerns are understandable but largely overblown. This petrol car is E20-compliant, and there is no official roadmap beyond E20 at this stage. Even if higher ethanol blends are introduced in the future, manufacturers typically engineer a margin of tolerance into their engines, and the impact is usually limited to a slight drop in fuel economy rather than any catastrophic mechanical issue. At 4,000 km a year, the difference is negligible over two decades. Resale value is driven far more by the Hycross’s reputation for reliability than by marginal changes in ethanol compliance.The only reason to wait would be if you are genuinely unhappy with the current GX(O) specification and are hoping for a major feature upgrade. Otherwise, you are better off taking delivery now and enjoying a car that is already one of the most dependable long-term ownership propositions on the market.

Toyota Innova HyCross