Latest questions
Asked by: Anand I own a V-Strom 650 with about 50,000 km since 2022. The bike is great, but it has a buzz and vibrations around 100 km/h that disappear after 120 km/h, yet I typically cruise around 100 km/h. I want to upgrade to a 1000cc+ bike for highway touring with a seat height under 835 mm. I am considering the Kawasaki Versys 1100 (2026), BMW XR, and the BMW R 1300 GSA. My priorities are long-term ownership, riding comfort on Indian roads (including routes like Spiti), ease of maintenance, and strong road presence. Please advise. Between the three options you've considered, we'd advise picking between the Kawasaki Versys 1100 and the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure. These are powerful, comfortable, refined long-distance touring machines which will serve you well, although neither is going to be affordable to maintain. The BMW S 1000 XR is a sportbike on stilts, and the 1000cc four-cylinder engine from BMW isn't the smoothest motor, so we'd advise you to look elsewhere. If you're open to looking outside the ADV bike spectrum, the Ninja 1100SX makes a solid case as a road-going touring bike as long as you're mindful of the ground clearance over bad roads. And if you're not hung up on having a '1000cc+' bike only, the Honda XL750 Transalp is a wonderful road-touring machine. It is friendly, approachable, refined and will be by far the most affordable to buy (even if you put the Africa Twin's tubeless rims, extra luggage and protective accessories) and maintain of the lot. Try to take test rides of all the bikes listed here before making a decision. Asked by: Jishnu Pranav I have very little experience with manual motorcycles and have only ridden scooters. I need a bike that I can handle easily, with low maintenance costs. I am considering the Hunter 350, Honda CB350 H'ness, Triumph Speed 400, and Yamaha XSR 155, but I’m open to other options that look good and ride well. I ride about 10-20 km per day with occasional long trips. Is it worth waiting for the upcoming Triumph 350? All the options you're looking at are really credible ones, but between them all, the Yamaha XSR155 makes the most sense. Since you have had little experience riding a geared motorcycle, something light, friendly, and easy to manage, like the XSR, is a safe choice. And because it shares a lot of its hardware with the proven Yamaha YZF R15 V4 and Yamaha MT-15 V2, it is bound to be reliable like its sportier siblings. Asked by: Devang Mehta I am planning to buy a luxury EV and am confused between the EQS 450, BMW iX xDrive 50, Macan Electric, and Audi e-tron SUV. This car will be for my wife, who is constantly on the move and meets HNIs regularly. The car will be chauffeur-driven. My priorities are: 1. Image 2. Range 3. Resale 4. Comfort 5. Tech Please suggest which one to buy. All are excellent choices in this price range, but we can narrow it down. All of them pack large batteries and have good range, so that is the least of your worries.The Porsche Macan EV is high on image value, but as a primarily chauffeur-driven car, it's not great, with ride comfort and back seat space not as good as the rest.The Audi Q8 e-tron has arguably the best back seat and ride comfort of the lot, but it is dated now and is the lowest on flash value, and looks understated like a regular Audi SUV, and isn't packing the latest tech.The BMW iX xDrive 50 EV is an excellent all-rounder that's powerful and great to drive, but while quirky and interesting, it doesn't quite have the presence to make a strong statement.The Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV 450, then, should be your pick. It offers good space and comfort in the second row, excellent range, great image and presence, and loads of tech, including Mercedes' much vaunted 'hyperscreen' dashboard. Resale value is still a question mark with EVs, but Mercedes is trying to change that perception with buyback schemes on its electric cars, so be sure to check those out. Asked by: Shashank I have a Skoda Octavia 2019 petrol, which clocked 43k in 6 years. The monthly run is less than 100km with some occasional highway trips. Considering the age of the vehicle and E20 norms, should I consider switching to any new car within the same budget of 30-35 lakh, or should I keep it running? I am afraid of any big expense that usually arises in German cars after 6-7 years. We’d recommend holding on to your Skoda Octavia. With just 43,000 km on the clock, it still has plenty of life left in it. The Octavia is one of those rare cars that’s hard to replace because there's simply nothing quite like it today. Even though it’s been discontinued, it remains the benchmark for premium sedans even today. It would have made sense to trade in your current Octavia for a new one, but Skoda’s plans to launch the new Octavia have been put on hold.Running a 2019 petrol Octavia on E20 fuel, you might eventually see some premature wear on fuel hoses and plastic components, but this is unlikely to happen for several years. Even if it does, the affected parts are generally easy to source and inexpensive to replace. The bigger worry is the possibility of other issues cropping up over time, which could be costlier to fix.However, since you use the car very little and it’s been running smoothly so far, fingers crossed, it will remain glitch free. We suggest you keep your Octavia and have many more miles of enjoyable motoring. It’s a car you’d likely regret selling, and as long as it keeps performing well, there’s no urgent need to switch. Asked by: Arghadeep Biswas Hi, I am planning to buy a pre-owned sedan (yes, we still exist). I have shortlisted a 2021 Hyundai Elantra (VTVT, manual, 32,000 km) and a 2018 Audi A4 (automatic, 65,000 km), both priced at around ₹13 lakh. Which one would you recommend? Purpose: daily driver with around 1,000 miles of highway driving per month. The Audi A4 is a very nice sedan, and between the two, purely going on product merits, we would recommend it over the Hyundai Elantra. It delivers a comfy ride and enough space and comfort, the interiors are well built and have a quality feel to them, and the engine too is very refined and delivers a strong performance.However, buying them used means you must bear in mind that the A4 is an older car and with the higher mileage too, plus being a segment above the Elantra, expect to have to spend more on service costs. Can’t decide which car to buy? Ask our experts and get answers to all your car related queries. Ask experts 
