I would like to purchase a diesel car that will give me good mileage, has low maintenance costs and comes with an automatic transmission. My budget is between Rs 11 and Rs 17 lakh. I’m not very particular about any other aspects. Could you please recommend a car?
Vamsi Krishna, via email
While you haven’t really specified too many of your requirements, we are going to go ahead and recommend cars that we think will fit in your budget. The options that you have are the Hyundai Verna, Hyundai Elantra and the Chevrolet Cruze. While our choice would be the Hyundai Elantra, as it is the best car of the lot, we do recommend you take a test drive in all three and decide which one suits you the best.
Best in class
I need to buy a new car for my commute of 35 km per day. I am looking at buying either a petrol or a diesel, I haven’t made up my mind yet. I plan on using the car for at least five years and would like a sturdy vehicle that won’t give me too much trouble. My budget is between Rs 10 and Rs 11 lakh. Please suggest a car.
Deepak Chokhani, via email
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Among petrol cars, the Honda City is overall the best car. It is fun to drive, fuel efficient and spacious. Reliability is also excellent. And in terms of diesels, you have a choice: the Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid and the Hyundai Verna. The Verna is packed with features, is good looking and the engine is terrific. The Vento and Rapid are twins virtually — they have an excellent diesel engine, and the cars are good to drive and comfortable for rear passengers too. For your kind of commute, a petrol car should suffice. However, you could test drive the rest and see which one you like.
Game, set and hatch
I am planning to buy my first car — a hatchback — for my daily commute of 8 km. I would also make two trips a year of around 900 km, to my native place of Pauri Gharwal. We are a family of four and I have zeroed in on the Chevrolet Spark and the Hyundai Santro. I need the car to be stable on the highway, deliver good fuel economy and also have low maintenance costs.
Pankaj Badola, via email
Overall, the better car is the Hyundai Santro. The Santro is fuel efficient and is reliable too, so it won’t be a problem on long drives. The maintenance costs aren’t very high, and service ought to be good too. It is a proven small car, and we’d suggest you opt for this.
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