Compact SUV on a 19L budget: The Kia/Hyundai twins or the Elevate?

Elevate lacks in terms of features while others offer a good pack of features at an affordable price.

BHPian Petrolhead717 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi my fellow members and bhpians,

In recent days I was in a research of a suv under 19L(on road),

My requirements are:

• 1.5L Petrol or diesel mated with a manual transmission
• Sunroof
• Alloy wheels
• Automatic climate control
• Front and rear armrest (rear armrest must bcoz this play huge role in decision making)
• It should last for 10 years+

In my head I have the

• Honda Elevate ZX
• Hyundai Creta S(O) P
• Kia Seltos HTX P
• Kia Sonet HTX+ D

Currently we have a 2018 Honda Amaze V Petrol MT done 69k, Honda is reliable, I VTEC is good and in comfort too.

My usage is going to church on Sunday, weekend shopping, weekly once going to the office. Yearly usage is more or less around 12k Kms.

Elevate lacks in terms of features while others offer a good pack of features at an affordable price.

My dear members, please share your opinion and thoughts which will be right one for my requirements.

Here's what BHPian model-T had to say on the matter:

My dad picked up a Kia Seltos HTK+(P) in March. The car drives well, has 6 airbags and almost all the bells and whistles. The new HTK+ also has a SunRoof which was missing in his car.

Your use case is 12K a year so does not warrant a Diesel. Petrol should work perfectly.

He picked up a 5 years warranty and service plan as well which I think was not very expensive (45XX I think, but will check).

This car makes the most sense according to me. You can also check the Hyundai Creta which is an almost identical car but the feature sets may/may not be the same. All the best for your search.

Here's what BHPian SoumenD had to say on the matter:

If sunroof is a must, Seltos/Creta or even Hyryder/GrandVitara makes more sense as they get the panoramic sunroof.

Rest reading about your existing car and other requirements, ELEVATE seems like a logical upgrade in every sense

Here's what BHPian 07CR had to say on the matter:

All the cars in your list will easily last 10+ years since they are from brands known for reliability.

My pick would be the Seltos HTK+ turbo iMT, if you have large adults in family. I have a DCT seltos facelift and the punch offered by 160 PS motor is very addictive. It's also fuel efficient and delivers around 12-13 in Pune traffic, which is similar to NA engine seltos.

But HTK+ misses out on the rear armrest and few more goodies compared to HTX. So you should consider if you want the added convenience of a clutchless manual and exhilirating performance of 160 PS motor or the more equipment friendly HTX 1.5 MT.

If you have relatively small size adults, you could also consider the Sonet HTX+ turbo iMT. It offers little more equipment than Seltos HTX and HTK+ and would save you around 2.3L or more.

I would avoid Elevate, since it lacks the premium experience and many missing features compared to other two options. Would also avoid Creta, since it's basically a Seltos with slightly softer suspension tune (at the cost of handling), and lesser equipment compared to Seltos.

I own a Sonet turbo iMT and Seltos DCT facelift. Will be happy to share more insights on either cars.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.