Kia Syros

In this comparison, we would recommend the Kia Syros as you get more car for your money. The Syros gets the same powertrain as the Hyundai Venue but gets the DCT gearbox, as it makes driving in city traffic a lot easier. 

The Syros is also a bigger car overall with more space in the cabin, rear seat and also a bigger boot. You also get premium features like a panoramic sunroof and alloy wheels in the Syros. 

The one area where the Venue is ahead of the Syros is the ride comfort, but apart from that, in every aspect, the Syros is a better choice. The HTK+ with the DCT will fit in your budget and is our recommendation. 
 

For your budget of Rs 17 lakh, there isn’t a single SUV that ticks all your boxes. You’ll have to compromise somewhere. At this price, you can either get a spacious, powerful SUV that’s well-suited to rough-road trips but misses out on some premium features like ADAS and a 360-degree camera, or you can get a feature-loaded smaller SUV that won’t be as spacious or as strong mechanically. The third option, of course, is to stretch the budget, which honestly would make things much easier.

Given that you are five people travelling frequently on highways and broken roads, the Mahindra Thar Roxx 4x2 diesel makes the most sense from a core SUV perspective. It’s spacious enough for five, has a strong 2.2-litre diesel with 152hp and solid torque, and its ladder-frame chassis and suspension are built to take a beating on bad roads. Boot space is decent, and rear legroom is usable for long trips.

However, within Rs 17 lakh, you’ll only get the MX1 variant, which does not offer ADAS. To get Level 2 ADAS, you’ll need to stretch to the AX3 L variant at around Rs 20 lakh. Even then, it still won’t give you a 360-degree camera that’s reserved for the top AX7 L variant, which is closer to Rs 23 lakh.

If you are absolutely firm on ADAS Level 2, 360-degree camera and high-beam assist within Rs 17 lakh, you’ll have to step down to a smaller SUV like the Kia Syros HTX Plus (O). It offers the tech you want, but you’ll compromise on outright space and performance. The 1.0-litre turbo petrol makes 118hp and 172Nm, which is well short of your torque requirement, and while it’s among the roomier compact SUVs, it’s not in the same league as the Thar Roxx for five-adult road trips or rough-road durability.

Our advice? Stretch to the Thar Roxx AX3 L. You’ll get the space, toughness and performance that actually matter for the kind of usage you describe. A 360-degree camera can be added through a good aftermarket solution. 

Since you are a family of 5, we would recommend the Mahindra XUV3XO as it has a wide rear seat, which will allow for comfortable three-abreast seating. The 3XO also comes within the 4-meter mark and offers two petrol engine options. We would recommend the regular turbo MPFi unit and not the direct injection (TGDi) engine. It delivers more than enough performance for city driving and would be more efficient in real-world scenarios. With Mahindra, the maintenance costs will also not be very high. 

As an option, you can also consider the Kia Syros, which also has a spacious rear and feels more premium inside.    

The Maruti Suzuki Brezza is a good choice for your requirements. It is a spacious, practical, and compact SUV that is easy to drive in the city. The 1.5-litre petrol engine lacks punch and delivers mediocre performance. But it's smooth and refined and, coupled with a fairly responsive automatic gearbox, does the job for city driving quite well. 

More importantly, the Brezza is easy to get in and out of thanks to wide-opening doors and a comfortable step-in height. 

The Brezza is also a very reliable car, and Maruti's service network is very strong, so you won't go wrong there. The facelifted Brezza is expected to be launched later this year, though we are not aware of an exact timeline. 

The other alternative cars you could consider are the new Hyundai Venue, which is today the best overall compact SUV, or the Kia Syros, which is extremely spacious, especially in the back seat.