Maruti Suzuki cars in India (20)

Autocar India

•1d

Go ahead and buy the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara or Hyryder now. Waiting for E85 or E100-ready cars does not make practical sense.The current reality is that E20 is the standard fuel in India, and cars like the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara are already engineered to run on it without any issues. That means from a fuel compatibility and regulatory standpoint, you are already covered for the foreseeable future.While there has been talk about E85 and even E100, that is more of a long-term direction than an immediate shift. These fuels require flex-fuel engines, changes in fuel infrastructure and wider manufacturer support. Even if policies are announced, it will take time before such cars are widely available, tested and practical for everyday use.More importantly, the market direction is also moving strongly towards hybrids and electrification, not just higher ethanol blends. In that sense, cars like the Hyryder and Grand Vitara hybrid are already aligned with where things are headed.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Autocar India

•19h

Vehicles designed to run on E20 fuel simply cannot run on E85. Fuel grades of E85 and above, require hardware changes and thus, whenever the government decides to introduce these fuels, it will have to ensure supply of lower ethanol blends too. From that point of view, it is safe to purchase a car today as the fuel to run it, will have to be supplied even after the introduction of E85 fuel. The Toyota Hyryder and the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara are essentially the same vehicle, thus pick the one that offers you a better deal.

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Autocar India

•1d

Check out the the Skoda Kushaq 1.0 TSI Signature. It will feel closer to your old Punto than the Fronx does. The steering has good weight and the car turns in eagerly, so it is easy to place in tight bends and hairpins. The suspension takes rough patches well without tossing you around, and the car feels steady at highway speeds. The 115hp turbo petrol has strong pull once spinning, so quick overtakes on climbs are simple, and with the manual, you have full control of gears on steep sections. It also has a solid safety record, which matters on hill roads.A couple of things to note. At very low revs, you may need a downshift to get going cleanly on an uphill, so keep it in the right gear. Also, Skoda’s service reach is not as wide as Maruti’s, so check dealer support in your town.Other alternatives include the Renault Duster Techno Plus 1.3 Turbo, which feels tough, comfortable and characterful, but not as nimble, and as it's a brand new product which means its reliability is yet to be proven. You could also check out the Citroen Basalt X 1.2 Turbo AT, which is excellent value for money, but its dealer network is even smaller than Skoda's, so that needs to be borne in mind.

Skoda Kushaq

Renault Duster

Citroen Basalt

Maruti Suzuki Fronx

Autocar India

•2d

You have already been using the car in the right way. Regular highway driving should prevent DPF problems, so repeated issues along with multiple turbo replacements point to something beyond normal wear and tear. While it may get resolved with further intervention, the frequency of visits and downtime understandably affects ownership confidence.A practical approach is to give the service centre one final, structured attempt to fix the issue properly, ideally with escalation to the manufacturer. If the problem repeats after that, it is sensible to move on rather than continue with uncertainty.If you do decide to change, a petrol automatic SUV like the Kia Seltos IVT or Hyundai Creta petrol CVT will feel familiar but far easier to live with, especially in mixed usage. They are smoother in daily driving and avoid diesel-related complications. If your running remains high and fuel cost is a concern, a strong hybrid is worth considering. Options like the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara or Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder offer excellent efficiency with petrol-like smoothness, making them a good middle ground between petrol and diesel.

Kia Seltos

Hyundai Creta

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder

Autocar India

•12m

Mostly city use with the odd highway run and Rs 10-12 lakh to spend points me to the Hyundai Exter HX10 AMT. The AMT here makes your daily drive easy, and in this top trim, you get one of the strongest safety feature sets in this price range.It fits your brief because its small size and high driving position make tight city roads and parking simple for you and your wife. It also rides over speed breakers and bad patches without scraping, which helps on daily commutes. For your safety focus, the Exter gets important items like electronic stability control and six airbags, so even though the official crash test score is not out yet, you still have strong protection features on board.Two trade-offs to know: like most AMTs, there can be a slight jerk when moving slowly or during gear changes in traffic. And on highways, overtaking will need some planning. If you would rather have more rear seat space and a calmer highway feel, the Maruti Baleno Alpha AMT is the other good pick in your list.If a 5-star rating is a priority, though, the facelifted Tata Punch is your best bet. Otherwise, for your usage and budget, the Exter AMT lines up best.

Hyundai Exter

Maruti Suzuki Baleno

Tata Punch

Autocar India

•2d

First, set your budget correctly. With a Rs 92,000 monthly salary, your safe car budget should be Rs 6-8 lakh on-road, and you should avoid stretching beyond ₹9 lakh. This keeps your finances comfortable and avoids unnecessary EMI pressure. The Maruti Suzuki Wagon R fits perfectly here, with on-road prices roughly starting around Rs 6 lakh and going up to about Rs 8 lakh depending on the variant.Now coming to EMI. If you take a typical loan with around Rs 1-1.5 lakh down payment, your EMI will roughly be in the ₹9,000-₹12,000 per month range depending on tenure, variant and interest rate. That is a healthy level for your salary and leaves room for other expenses.The Maruti Celerio fits your requirements well. It is compact, easy to drive for a beginner and extremely fuel-efficient, which keeps running costs low. In fact, it is among the most efficient cars in this segment, which directly benefits your monthly expenses . It is also reliable and inexpensive to maintain, which matters most at this stage of ownership.The Wagon R is the better choice if your height and comfort are a priority. At 6 ft, you will appreciate its tall-boy design, which offers better headroom and a more upright seating position. It also feels more spacious overall, especially for daily usability. If you want a crossover or an SUV, the Tata Punch in the lower variants will fit your budget. However, it is not as spacious as the Maruti options, and choosing a lower variant means you will miss out on features. It is also not as fuel-efficient as the Celerio or the Wagon R.

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R

Maruti Suzuki Celerio

Autocar India

•1d

Your observations are correct, and for your budget, the Kia Seltos HTK(O) Petrol CVT is the best fit for you. The IVT or CVT is among the smoother automatic gearboxes that work best at low speeds, so it feels best in traffic. You already like the Seltos for features and the rich cabin, and this trim gives you that premium feel without jumping past your budget. The boot is not the biggest here, but it is shaped well and will take daily bags and a couple of suitcases without fuss, so for city life it works.Keep in mind, a few high-end features sit on pricier trims, so if you chase every extra, you could stretch your budget. From your list, the other strong city choice is the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Though the strong hybrid variant would have been ideal, it won't fit in your budget, so you'll have to settle for the mild-hybrid petrol Alpha variant. It's not bad, and uses a torque-converter automatic, which is just as smooth as the Kia's CVT, but it feels down on power, and its rear seat isn't as spacious. And yes, while the Honda Elevate is a good all-rounder, it feels a bit too ordinary in this company.

Kia Seltos

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Honda Elevate

Autocar India

•2d

Go for the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara CNG. It is still the most sensible choice for your priorities, especially safety, low maintenance and running cost.Your thinking is already on the right track. The Grand Vitara CNG keeps running costs very low and, more importantly, Maruti’s ownership experience is its biggest strength. Service reach is wide, parts are affordable and long-term reliability is proven, which makes it a stress-free first car. It is also comfortable, practical for family use and covers all the essential features well. The CNG tank is neatly integrated under the boot floor, so boot space remains usable.If you want to look at alternatives, you can also consider the Maruti Suzuki Brezza. It is more affordable, uses the same engine and is more compact and easier to drive. However, the Grand Vitara feels like the more modern and complete package, and a Brezza update is also due soon.

Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Autocar India

•1d

The Hyundai Venue turbo still fits your requirements well. You already felt that the 1.2 NA is underpowered, and in heavy traffic, that will only get more tiring over time. The turbo engine solves that with better low-end response and fewer gear changes, making daily driving easier. The trade-off is clear, though. In dense city traffic, fuel efficiency will be on the lower side, especially if you are not very light on the throttle.Now, this is where the Maruti Brezza manual becomes a very strong alternative for your usage. It may come across as a bit boring on paper, but it fits your real-world needs better than most options here. The larger naturally aspirated engine does not feel underpowered like the smaller NA units in the Venue or Kia Sonet. It has good low-end torque, which makes it easy to drive in traffic without constant gear changes. The clutch is light, and the gearbox is slick, so daily usability is excellent.Fuel efficiency is another advantage. Because it is naturally aspirated, it is not as sensitive to throttle inputs as turbo petrol engines, so in real city conditions it tends to deliver more consistent mileage. That matters for your 98% city usage. On top of that, ownership experience, service reach and long-term reliability are among the best in the segment, which adds peace of mind.Compared to the Tata Nexon, you avoid the heavy clutch issue you already noticed. Compared to the Venue turbo, you give up some punch, but gain consistency, ease and efficiency.

Hyundai Venue

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Autocar India

•3h

From your requirements, we feel the Hyundai Venue HX5 diesel will suit you better than the Maruti Suzuki Victoris CNG. It fits because diesel pulls stronger at low speeds and on open roads, so overtakes are easier even with family and luggage, and you will not have to plan trips around CNG pumps, which can be fewer and have queues in smaller towns. The new Venue is also compact and easy to park on narrow streets. This Hyundai car feels steady on rough patches common around small towns in Rajasthan, and Hyundai’s service network is wide.It also looks modern inside and out, which is what you are after. Even in the HX5 trim, the quality levels are high and there are modern design flourishes inside and out that keep the Venue from looking too basic or cheap. For instance, you still get a dual screen layout which looks crisp and high tech, as well as projector headlamps and LED DRLs on the outside. The Victoris, in comparison, looks a lot more conservative in its design, even though it is a larger vehicle. What's more, even though the Victoris has a larger boot than the Venue, its rear seat space is quite similar.

Hyundai Venue

Maruti Suzuki Victoris