Maruti Suzuki cars in India (19)

The Maruti Suzuki Victoris is not only newer but being larger too, has the more upmarket image versus a Brezza. However, if that is not a concern you will actually find great value in opting for the Brezza. 

For one, it uses the same 1.5-litre petrol engine as the Victoris. Secondly, the well packaged Brezza offers similar cabin space to the larger Victoris. The Brezza ZXI is also reasonably well specced packing in features like a sunroof and LED headlights that you don't get on a Victoris VXI. 

The Brezza is due for an update soon. The facelift could address your concern about styling. Our advice would be to wait a couple of weeks for the Brezza facelift. 

Given how much you drive, you'd be happiest with the Honda Amaze CVT. It's got the most sophisticated gearbox and its smoothness will have a big bearing on your drive experience. The Amaze offers ample safety features and its reassuring to know that its a 5 star Bharat NCAP-rated model. Hondas are easy to maintain, very reliable and will not give trouble for years. 

Do note, the Amaze CVT is decent on fuel economy but won't be as fuel efficient as the other two that use simpler AMT gearboxes. If fuel economy is a key priority, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno AGS is your best bet.  

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.   

Before you go ahead with the purchase, please keep in mind that the Tata Safari is a heavy vehicle and in its petrol-automatic guise, expecting double digit city fuel efficiency will be a bit ambitious. Yes, on the open roads, at constant speeds and light throttle inputs, the turbo-petrol could deliver good fuel efficiency, but in bumper-to-bumper traffic and stop-go conditions, fuel efficiency will be low. As a family car though, the Safari is a good option, on account of its spacious cabin, and impressive ride comfort. Tata's service experience can be a hit or a miss, and it isn't the best in terms of reliability either, occasionally throwing up a glitch or two. The Mahindra XUV 7XO is slightly better in that regard, however space isn't as good as in the Tata, especially in the third row. Also, the XUV's 2.0-litre turbo-petrol-automatic will fare worse (if not equally) as far as efficiency goes.

Hence, if you want a fuel-efficient family car, the Maruti Invicto or the Toyota Innova Hycross hybrid are the ones to get. Of course, these are very expensive, and as you've rightly pointed out, unless your usage is very high, it will take a long time to benefit from its lower running costs after breaking even. But as far as reliability, peace of mind and a trouble-free ownership experience goes the Maruti and Toyota are still the ones to beat.

There are a couple of options that you can consider. We've listed the highlights for each.

1) Skoda Kylaq: Punchy engine, fun handling. Rear seat space is tight, though

2) Mahindra XUV 3XO petrol: Strong engine, good ride comfort. Boot space is limited

3) Maruti Suzuki Fronx Turbo/ Toyota Taisor Turbo: Strong engine. Reliability and hassle-free ownership experience 

4) Citroen C3: Strong engine. Feels a bit basic, and the service network isn't very large.

For your needs, the Maruti Suzuki Brezza CNG is a good fit. However, a facelift of the Brezza is expected later this year, and spy shots suggest it may get an underbody CNG tank like the Dzire.

As boot space and new features are not priorities for you, you could go for the current Brezza, but also consider the Fronx CNG or its Toyota counterpart, the Taisor CNG. All three offer good ride quality and sufficient ground clearance to tackle rural roads, while remaining stable and comfortable on the highway. Being Marutis, reliability is also very good.

Before making a decision, do take a test drive of all three. In the case of the Taisor and Fronx, visit both showrooms to see who can offer you the better deal, as under the skin they are essentially the same car.