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Asked by: Ahmed Saad I have been driving a manual Celerio for the past 10 years. The biggest benefit has been its very low maintenance, and I have never faced any electrical or mechanical issues. I am now planning to buy a new car next year, but I am confused about the budget. Initially, I was considering up to Rs 10 lakh, but now I feel I can stretch it to Rs 12 lakh. My main requirements are good city mileage, decent performance, and very low maintenance. Around 90% of my driving will be in the city, with a daily running of 30 to 40 km, and I also plan to do mountain trips about three times a year. With a Rs 12 lakh budget you can get multiple body styles, including hatchbacks, compact sedans, or even SUVs. Since you've had a pleasant ownership experience, you could consider sticking to the Maruti brand itself, and shortlist Maruti Brezza, Dzire and Fronx.If you're open to the sedan body style, get the Dzire for its space, comfort, efficiency and overall premium feel. For your mountain trips, though, the Fronx turbo will feel the most effortless to drive. That said, all the listed cars will fall within your budget, are likely to be efficient and low maintenance, and will feel like a big upgrade over your Maruti Suzuki Celerio. Asked by: Yuvraj I am looking to buy an SUV with a budget of up to Rs 22 to 23 lakh. My must-haves are a minimum 3-star safety rating, excellent suspension, at least 13 kmpl fuel efficiency with a 60% city and 40% highway usage pattern, the ability to pre-cool or pre-heat the car before entering it, and a fuss-free ownership experience. The Maruti Suzuki Victoris hybrid seems to fit the bill. It has been awarded 5 stars by BNCAP for its crashworthiness. Ride comfort is excellent, and it handles well, too. And with the hybrid powertrain, you can expect excellent fuel efficiency, significantly higher than 13kpl (average).It also gets an option to pre-cool or pre-heat the vehicle, and being a Maruti Suzuki car, the ownership experience is likely to be fuss-free. Alternatively, you may consider the Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder hybrid or Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara hybrid, which share the same platform and boast of similar strengths. Asked by: Himanshu Singhal My wife doesn’t like the comfort of the Jimny - the seats hurt her back and neck, and she dislikes the bouncy ride on highways. She wants to sell it and get something like a Creta or an Innova for comfort in the city and smooth highway drives. I want a vehicle that can handle 4x4 duties (winter Spiti trips) and take a beating. Is there a car that can strike that balance, ideally under ₹25 lakh? We drive in the city about 75% of the time and take highway trips 25% of the time. Yes, the Maruti Suzuki Jimny is very adept off-road, thanks to Suzuki's All-Grip Pro 4X4 system, which also features a low ratio. However, it does feel bouncy on regular roads - just like most 4X4s. Thus, we would recommend you look at the all-wheel-drive (AWD) versions of the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara / Toyota Hyryder or the Maruti Suzuki Victoris. These SUVs use Suzuki All-Grip Select, which does not have a low ratio but has a Snow mode and also allow you to lock AWD. For the winter Spiti trails, this should suffice. Moreover, these SUVs will be far better in terms of ride comfort in the city and on the highway. Asked by: Dr Anchal kotwal We own two cars: a 2024 top-line manual Taigun and a 2025 GT Line VW. My daily city run is about 70 km and my wife’s is about 40 km. Should we buy an EV given our usage, and should we consider selling one of the cars? We are doctors and both cars are great to drive, so we are unsure what makes the most sense. Yes, the Volkswagen Taigun is a lot of fun to drive, however if you are open to going electric, you could sell one and get an EV. That way, you will still have an internal combustion car for any occasional highway trips. Since both you and your wife's daily drive is within the city, either of you could use the EV, and range would not be an issue. Also, besides the lower running costs, you could also benefit from things like toll and parking fee waivers for EVs in certain cities. Consider the Hyundai Creta EV, which is a no-nonsense and practical car. However, if you do want a fun-to-drive electric, check out the Mahindra XEV 9S, or even the Mahindra BE6, which is very exciting to drive but has quite a few ergonomic issues. Asked by: Rajadurai S Hi Autocar. I am looking for a comfortable car with good driving dynamics. I am deciding between the Toyota Innova Hycross VX (Optional) and the Tata Harrier EV. I like the Harrier’s driving feel, whereas the Hycross excels in rear-seat comfort. What’s your take on this? My budget is under ₹35 lakh. As you rightly said, the Toyota Innova HyCross is better from the rear seat, while the Tata Harrier EV is more enjoyable from the front. It's up to you to decide where your priority lies. When it comes to performance and dynamics, the Harrier EV ticks more boxes, as it has a much stronger and more responsive powertrain, sharper steering, tighter dynamics and a pretty comfortable ride in isolation too. However, its shortcoming is that of all EVs - the limitation of range and dependency on charging. Plus, the Harrier EV has shown signs of electronic glitches, at least on early cars. If these are things you can work with, the Harrier EV seems like the better choice for you. The Innova, meanwhile, is the better all-rounder. It's more spacious and comfortable, with rock-solid reliability and a seamless service experience. Can’t decide which car to buy? 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