PREMIUM CHOICE

q: I’m planning to buy a luxury SUV between Rs 18 lakh and Rs 25 lakh. My daily running will be 40km to 50km, with occasional outstation trips. The car should be luxurious and powerful. I’ve narrowed down my choice to the Chevrolet Captiva, Honda CR-V, Nissan X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander and Volkswagen Tiguan. Please tell me about the launch dates and pricing of the Tiguan because I want the car by the end of the year. Is there any other SUV that will be launched soon? When will Nissan’s Infiniti SUV be available?

Abhishek Bansal

a: The Captiva is the best bet out of the vehicles you’ve short-listed. It has a diesel engine, which none of the others have. It’s coming soon and will have an automatic gearbox option. It is spacious, comfortable and seats seven. The Volkswagen Tiguan and the Infiniti won’t be launched here any time soon.

SPARK factor

q: I want to buy a small car for around Rs 3 lakh. I’ve short-listed two cars: the Maruti Alto for Rs 2,90,000 and the Chevrolet Spark for Rs 3,02,000 (on road, Pune). My main priorities are good resale value, mileage, good interiors, good ride and handling and also a powerful air-conditioner. What do you suggest?

Dhananjay R Mandhare

a: The Spark is the better car of the two. It has better interiors, more space and is more comfortable. It may not have the resale value of the Alto and may be slightly less fuel efficient, but as a package it still makes for a better choice.