Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara

The Hyundai Creta King is a good choice. It is a well-rounded SUV that offers a comfortable ride, a spacious cabin, and a refined petrol engine. The IVT (automatic) is smooth and responsive. Being a popular model, you can expect good resale value in the future. 

The Grand Vitara is also a good option, but it is not as spacious as the Creta. Hence, long distance comfort could be hampered.

The top-spec Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara Alpha Plus is well-equipped, and the extremely efficient hybrid powertrain will be ideal for your usage. The asking price of Rs 16 lakh for a 2022 model with 66,000km on the odometer is on the higher side. We would recommend you negotiate the price down to around Rs 14 lakh. 

Also, you need to factor in an additional Rs 30,000-40,000 (depending on the brand you opt for) for a new set of tyres. Since your usage is primarily on the highway, we'd advise you to replace the tyres immediately after taking delivery.

Since your annual driving isn't all that high, it would be sensible to buy a petrol SUV. A diesel, or strong hybrid, makes sense if you end up driving a lot more to save on fuel cost and offset the premium you pay during purchase. 

The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara would be a good option to consider since it will tick the boxes you want. It is easy to drive and comfortable over Indian roads, has a good boot, and the 1.5-litre petrol engine with mild-hybrid tech is efficient too. 

In comparison to its rivals, the Grand Vitara returns better fuel efficiency. Being a Maruti, it has a good reach of service centres and spares available at an affordable cost, and if you do end up on tricky roads often, there is also the AllGrip version that gets AWD for better traction and grip. 

If not, the Alpha (O) trim is the top-spec and is generous with features and equipment. 

The Hyundai Creta IVT is the best pick of the three models on your shortlist. It's got the smoothest gearbox, and engine performance is also significantly better than the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara AT and Victoris AT. Fuel economy is decent too, and should not pinch over your 5000-6000km of annual usage.

What also strengthens the Creta's case is that it's more spacious than the Maruti Suzuki models.

However, we'd also recommend checking the Kia Seltos IVT. As you may know, the Seltos and Creta are closely related products. The recently-launched second-gen Seltos is built on the Hyundai Group's latest platform (the Creta continues on the last-gen platform). IIt comes with better tech as well as the promise of better safety. The new Seltos is also roomier than the Creta, making it better suited to family use.   

1 lakh kilometres is significant mileage and speaks volumes about the durability of the Fiat-sourced MultiJet diesel in your Maruti Suzuki S-Cross. It also reflects Maruti Suzuki’s reputation for reliability. That said, once the odometer crosses 100,000km, you are entering a phase where wear-and-tear components, suspension, clutch, injectors, turbo, etc., start demanding attention. 

Also, since the S-Cross is now discontinued and was never a high-volume model, sourcing certain parts in the long term could become more time-consuming or expensive. On balance, this is a reasonable time to consider switching.

Given your positive ownership experience, staying with Maruti makes sense. The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara is a strong option. The strong-hybrid variant, around the Rs 20 lakh mark, will deliver very low running costs. It is possibly even better in city use than your current diesel, which suits your 60 per cent urban driving pattern. It should also give you the same easy ownership experience you’re used to.

If you prefer sticking with diesel for highway efficiency and torque, the Hyundai Creta diesel is a very good alternative. It offers a more spacious rear seat than the Grand Vitara and a more usable boot, since the Grand Vitara's hybrid battery slightly eats into luggage space. For a family of four with a mix of city and highway use, both are sensible upgrades within your Rs 20 lakh budget.

Since your running is quite high and that too in the city, a strong hybrid powertrain would be a good option to consider. The Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara or the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder are mid-size SUVs with a strong hybrid powertrain and are excellent in the city. The battery and motor provide enough power for everyday driving, and they offer good ride comfort too. 

That said, if you do not prefer a strong-hybrid SUV, the new updated Skoda Kushaq will be launching soon. It gets the same engine as before, but the 1.0-litre TSI motor will not get an 8-speed automatic instead. If you are a keen driver and enjoy getting behind the wheel, the Kushaq would be a better choice. 

We would recommend that you wait for the launch. The Tata Harrier just got a new petrol engine, which is refined, but it's a bit too big for the city and isn't as polished as the Kushaq. 

If you like the Skoda Kylaq AT, go ahead. It’s a very good car to drive, feels solid, and is the most engaging of the three. Low running will naturally minimise wear and tear, and modern turbo-petrol engines are perfectly fine for city use as long as they’re maintained properly. Don’t overthink the naturally aspirated vs turbo debate purely from a reliability standpoint - upkeep matters more.
The Honda Elevate CVT and Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara are bigger and more spacious, and both are sensible, comfortable choices. The Elevate’s naturally aspirated engine is smooth and predictable, and the Grand Vitara scores well on efficiency. However, neither feels as enjoyable or as tight to drive as the Kylaq.
Given your priorities - long-term ownership, decent safety, good NVH and low running - the Kylaq fits well if driving feel matters to you. If space and a more relaxed nature matter more, then the Elevate would be the calmer choice. But purely from the heart-and-head balance, the Kylaq is the one we would pick.