2-seater cars in India (16)

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By 2027, you’ll have far more options to choose from, including (but not limited to) the Nissan Tekton (a Duster-equivalent), the next-gen Hyundai Creta, Honda’s new electric SUV, and several new-generation Mahindra SUVs. Do write in when you’re in the market for a new car with your exact requirements, and we’ll help solve your car-buying conundrum.

Nissan Tekton

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For a Maruti Suzuki Baleno with two people in the city, set 29 PSI in all four tyres, checked cold; for occasional highway runs with two onboard, use 30-31 PSI cold. Maruti’s placard (fuel-lid/door frame) for most Baleno trims lists 29 PSI for normal load, which balances ride comfort and steering feel in city speeds under 60 km/h. On highways, adding 1-2 PSI helps the tyre run cooler (due to less sidewall flex) at sustained 80-100 km/h and can improve straight-line feel slightly without making the ride harsh. In fact, a note, most people fearing high speed blowouts lower tyre pressure on highways, this is very dangerous and can actually lead to blowouts on older and weaker tyres, due to heat build up. This happens as with lower pressures, sidewalls flex a lot, leading to internal friction. Thus, raising pressure by 1 or 2 PSI is actually better. If you’re carrying 4-5 people or luggage over 50-80 kg in the boot, go to 32 PSI cold. Always set pressures cold (after the car has been parked for at least 3 hours or driven under 2 km), because heat can raise readings by 2-3 PSI; don’t bleed air from hot tyres.The one thing you give up by running 30-31 PSI on the highway is a touch of softness over small bumps; expect a firmer feel over sharp joints compared to 29 PSI.Once a month, use a digital gauge with ±1 PSI accuracy, check all four tyres and the spare, and rotate every 8,000-10,000 km to keep wear even and pressures consistent.

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

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Considering your monthly running of around 1,200 km with 90% city usage, it makes more sense to move to a petrol automatic.In heavy city driving, petrol cars are smoother, quieter and easier to live with, and you also avoid potential issues related to diesel emission systems that typically require longer, steadier drives. Since most of your usage is in stop-and-go traffic, a petrol will simply feel more refined and stress-free on a daily basis.For your budget of Rs 20-22 lakh, we would suggest looking at the Kia Seltos 1.5 NA petrol with IVT/CVT. The engine is very refined, and the CVT gearbox is silky smooth, which makes it ideal for city driving. It will also feel like a proper upgrade from your Kia Sonet in terms of space, comfort and overall driving experience.If you want something similar, you can also consider the Hyundai Creta 1.5 NA petrol IVT, which shares the same engine and gearbox and offers a similar smooth and easy driving experience.

Kia Seltos

Kia Sonet

Hyundai Creta

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The Citroen Aircross X is a comfortable car which will not tire you after a 60km highway drive every day. The ride quality is exceptional, and the punchy 1.2 turbo petrol makes overtaking quite easy. We assume you will be opting for the automatic variant, which is quite smooth and responsive.Our only concern is the Citroen’s dealer network, which is quite poor, so you will have to be careful of this. See how responsive and proactive your dealer is. If the dealer doesn’t get back to you in a timely way and needs constant follow ups to close the deal, walk away. A dealer who is not bothered to sell you a car will be less inclined to service it.

Citroen Aircross

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The Mahindra XUV700 is a good option to consider. It is spacious, has a large boot, and is available with a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and a 2.2-litre diesel engine.The petrol engine is smooth and refined, and while it is not as punchy as the diesel, it is quite tractable and will be more than adequate for your needs. The diesel engine, on the other hand, is quite punchy and will be better suited for highway drives.Both engines are available with a choice of a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The automatic is quite smooth and responsive, and it will make your daily commute quite hassle-free.The XUV700 is also quite feature-loaded, and it is available with a sunroof, so you can opt for that variant. The only downside of this Mahindra car is that it is not as fuel-efficient as its rivals, and you can expect a mileage of around 8-10kmpl in the city and 12-14kmpl on the highway.Do wait until next month, though, as a new version called the XUV 7XO will be launching.

Mahindra XUV 7XO