Double oh!

I am planning to buy an SUV within a budget of Rs 11 to 13 lakh. I am considering the Toyota Innova and Mahindra XUV500. Given the fact that I require a vehicle mainly for off-roading and I have a commute of 1,000 km a month, which would be the better buy?

Ranganath, Bangalore

If you will have some degree of off-road use, we think the Mahindra XUV500 will be a better choice. It is more powerful and better suited for light to medium off-road applications than an Innova. What’s more, if the situation does get tricky (say, you need to climb a steep slope) then it does offer hill descent and hold control. If you can stretch your budget and buy an AWD version, that would do you a lot of good.

GO FIGO

I need to buy a diesel car for my commute of 2,000 to 3,000 km per month. I also need the car to have boot space for two or three mid-sized bags, and, since I will be making long trips, I would like the car to offer good grip and be safe too. If the car delivers fuel efficiency of 22 to 25 kmpl, it will be great! Any suggestions?

Gautam Kothari, Vadodara

Looking at all aspects, including comfort, space, mileage and practicality, we suggest the Ford Figo diesel for you. An average of 22-25 kpl is tough to achieve, but you should get about 18-20 kpl on the highway with a light foot in any of the cars you are looking at within your budget. The Figo is dynamically quite good and it has good ride quality too. Go in for the Titanium version which has all the necessary safety kit and features.

BEAT THIS!

We are a retired couple who require a car between the two of us for a commute of 70 km a day. We currently own a Maruti Alto, but we now want to move to a diesel car. Nothing too expensive — we want a car that is good value. Which would you suggest among the Ford Figo, Maruti Ritz, Chevrolet Beat and Tata Indica Vista ?

Tanmay Datta, Kolkata

We recommend the Chevrolet Beat diesel for the simple reason that it is very frugal, has decent driveability in the city and the controls are light and it’s easy to park. It’s also decently engineered and is good value for the price it commands. GM India’s service is not bad either and the cost of spare parts won’t be too high. On the odd occasion if you are to drive the car yourself, you will find it compact and easy to manoeuvre. All in all, we think it’s what you should be considering.

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