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Asked by: Muthu kumaran I want to buy a new car. I am a first-time buyer and need a car with good build quality, decent mileage, and strong safety features. Most of my travel will be on highways. My budget is ₹9 lakh, and I can stretch it by another ₹1 lakh. Can you suggest the best options for me? The Maruti Suzuki Fronx would suit your requirements nicely. On your mostly highway drives, the ride will feel nicely planted and secure, and the 1.2-litre naturally aspirated petrol delivers a good enough performance for the highway.We would have suggested the 1.0-liter turbo petrol unit, as that would deliver better on the performance front; however, turbo petrols are very sensitive to driving style, and often the real-world efficiency is much lower than claimed. In terms of safety as well, this Maruti car handles well and is well equipped with features like six airbags, ABS, and ESP. Asked by: Saravanan I have been driving a Zest diesel for the past 9 years, and earlier drove a Vista diesel and an Indica diesel. I now want to buy the Sierra. My usage is around 1,500-2,000 km per month, both in the city and on highways. Should I opt for a petrol or diesel version, given my usage? Kindly advise. Since you have been using diesels for a long time, you are obviously happy with a diesel car’s characteristics of good efficiency, strong torque and are used to the higher noise levels as well. It would be logical for you to buy the diesel version of the Tata Sierra, which, though a touch noisy by class standards, has enough performance to make city and highway driving easy. We would suggest you opt for the smooth-shifting automatic transmission if your budget allows. Asked by: Ram I am a first-time driver planning to buy my own car. I really like the Skoda brand, so I am considering the Skoda Kushaq Signature Automatic. My city usage will be very minimal, and I need a suggestion on whether I am choosing the right car. I am 43 years old and want to know what is better for a first-time driver: a manual car or an automatic transmission. I am more concerned about safety and reliability, and my budget is ₹12 lakh. What is the best car, as per expert suggestion? The Skoda Kylaq is one of the better compact SUVs in the market, so if you are inclined towards it is certainly worth buying. Being an SUV, the elevated seating position, which gives you good visibility of the road, is useful for first-time car buyers like yourself. We would advise you to opt for an automatic transmission because it will make your life behind the wheel a lot easier. The Kylaq’s 6-speed automatic is quite smooth and responsive, and paired to the 1.0 litre TSI engine, performance is effortless too. In terms of reliability, the Skoda doesn’t have the best reputation for service, but we don’t think that should be a deal breaker. With its 5-star crash rating, the Kylaq is very safe and known for its tough build. Asked by: Asif I own a 2013 Swift VDI that has done 80,000 km. I recently switched jobs, and my monthly usage has increased to roughly 1,500 km, with 65% highway usage. I am planning to upgrade to an SUV, but due to parking constraints, I can only consider a sub-4-metre SUV. Should I go for a diesel again or opt for a turbo-petrol, since I have not had to worry about DPF issues so far? Also, which car and variant below ₹15 lakh would suit me? Please exclude Tata and Mahindra. Given your increased usage of 1500km per month, you should definitely stick with a diesel car. Yes, DPF is a new consideration you will have to make, but given your usage, a lot of which is on the highway, the regeneration process should happen naturally. And even that aside, it's not too much of a hassle if you look after your vehicle properly.As for the SUV itself, the only diesel compact SUVs that aren't made by Tata or Mahindra are the Hyundai Venue, Kia Sonet and Kia Syros - which use the same 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine. Of the three, while the Sonet is relatively affordable, the Venue feels like a slightly better value, as it has newer tech, more space and better comfort overall, so it is the one we recommend. Can’t decide which car to buy? Ask our experts and get answers to all your car related queries. Ask experts 
