Four-ward movement

I want to buy a car that costs around Rs 4 lakh. My daily usage will be 15 km and once in a month, I will go on a 400 km-long drive as well. Should I go for a diesel or a petrol variant?

B Ashok Reddy, via email

Your driving does not warrant a diesel engine and a petrol car should do fine. You have a lot of choice nowadays in the Rs 3 to 4 lakh bracket. Among these, the Chevrolet Beat is refreshing inside-out. Otherwise, there are versions of the Ford Figo that will fit in your budget. Either of these cars is good and should serve you well.

Automatic choice

I have been following your suggestions and I appreciate your genuine reviews as well. I am looking for a car with automatic transmission within the price range of Rs 11 lakh. My average daily driving is around 50 km within the city and in rural areas. What could be the possible options?

Nitesh Agarwala, via email

We would have recommended the Honda City automatic, which is a good car for urban driving, or the new Volkswagen Vento, which comes with an automatic gearbox in the petrol version. However, instead of these two, the car that suits you best is the Maruti Suzuki SX4 automatic. It is a tall car with large wheels and excellent ground clearance — so driving on rural roads shouldn’t be an issue. The engine is powerful and the gearshifts are well engineered for city roads. Besides, it’s excellent value for money as well.

City beat

I would like to buy a car that is low on maintenance, high on mileage and offers good value for money. I need to carry four people and the car will be used for the usual rounds within the city. I expect to be doing about 500 km a month in the car and may also go on a 900-1,000-km drive every two or three months. I have short-listed the Maruti Suzuki Wagon R, Hyundai i10 and the Tata Indigo. What would you recommend and why?

S Sreekumar, via email

You can go for the Wagon R or the i10; both suit your needs well. If you are willing to wait for about one month or so, Hyundai will be launching the facelifted version of the i10. If you’re not willing to wait, you can go for the Wagon R. Both cars have adequate space for four, are reliable, fuel-efficient and good value for money.

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