India’s Best All-Rounder Cars Below Rs 25 Lakhs: Hyundai Creta To Toyota Hyryder
India’s automotive landscape has evolved significantly in the past few years. Certain segments have surged in acceptance, mostly defined by price points. Today, Rs 25 lakh is an ideal price point to maximise options. For that money, there are a lot of options to choose from- mostly mid-size SUVs. This list is for anyone who is trying to pick the best all-rounder from these. An all-rounder may not be the most powerful, fastest or tech-heavy product. It will essentially be the one that ticks the most number of boxes with the least number of compromises. It will be comfortable, practical, reliable, suitable for Indian conditions and will have an engine that wouldn’t disappoint.
Here, we are considering only the automatic variants. EVs are exempted, as charging infrastructure and ownership hurdles associated with them continue to induce compromises.
The Creta has a clear dominance in its segment, and not without a reason. It packs great value for the price and ticks the most number of boxes. It looks good, comes well-packaged, has a comfortable cabin and a strong set of engines.
The Creta is offered with both petrol and diesel engines- 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol, 1.5L turbocharged petrol and 1.5L diesel. These have been around for years and are all considered reliable and hassle-free.
And for transmissions, the naturally aspirated petrol comes with the choice of an iVT gearbox, the turbo-petrol offers the choice of a DCT and the diesel can be had with a torque converter. Interestingly, all variants are priced under Rs 25 lakh, ex-showroom.
The outgoing Creta is underpinned by Hyundai’s second-generation K2 platform. It delivers excellent ride comfort. The suspension setup is very forgiving. Yes, you experience some amount of body roll, but not as much to be a deal breaker.
Resale value remains one of the key strengths of the Creta. It reportedly has the lowest depreciation in its segment. Data reveals that a Creta typically retains around 60% of its value even after five years. It also benefits from Hyundai’s widespread dealer and touchpoint network and offers peace of mind to the owner.
The Seltos is essentially Kia’s version of the Creta. The two used to share their platforms and engines with each other. In January this year, Kia launched the second-generation Seltos in India. It sits on an all-new platform- K3.
This third-generation platform promises significant improvements in ride quality and has a better ride-handling balance. Ride comfort had been one of the major drawbacks of the previous-generation Seltos. The new generation has a more comfortable setup. It feels more balanced and better-suited for Indian roads.
The Seltos uses the same engine and transmission options as the Creta. The reliability factor remains the same. Like the Hyundai, all variants of the new Seltos are also priced under Rs 25 lakh.
Thanks to the new platform, the new Seltos is bigger than the model it replaced. It offers more room inside and comes better-equipped.
So what pushed the Seltos to the second spot in this list? Ideally, it should have shared the top-spot with its Hyundai cousin. There are two reasons. One, Kia doesn’t have a touchpoint network that is as big as Hyundai’s. Two, the resale value of the Seltos is slightly lower than that of the Creta. Users have typically reported retention of approximately 55% of vehicle value after 5 years.
The Alcazar is for anyone specifically seeking a seven-seater. It is underpinned by the Creta’s K2 platform and uses the same 1.5 turbocharged petrol and 1.5L diesel engines as the five-seater. In other words, it is as reliable as a Creta. It also needs to be mentioned that these engines aren’t as powerful as those of seven-seat rivals like the XUV 7XO or Tata Safari.
The facelift launched in 2024 brought more features to the vehicle and elevated the overall cabin experience. This, in a way, made the product even more compelling. The new Alcazar offers good ride quality. There is a sharp focus on comfort but without upsetting the handling much. It has been reported that the Alcazar loses its value faster than the Creta. Overall, it still manages to emerge an all-rounder worth buying.
The XUV 7XO has a large, feature-packed cabin, an imposing road presence, and a strong set of engines- 2.2L turbocharged diesel and 2.0L turbo-petrol. These are both reliable powertrains, used in multiple Mahindra models.
Most variants are priced under Rs 25 lakh, ex-showroom. The 7XO particularly excels with its suspension setup. It uses Davinci dampers and is claimed to deliver a fine balance between ride quality and handling.
Mahindra has a widespread touchpoint network in India and the XUV 700 ( pre-facelift version of the XUV 7XO) holds its value well in the used car market. Data from various pre-owned car marketplaces show that the 700 typically retains around 60-65 percent of its original value even after five years.
The Scorpio-N is for people who wish to buy a rugged, off-road capable SUV. All variants of the outgoing Scorpio-N are priced under 25 lakh rupees. The Scorpio-N comes with two engine options- 2.2L turbo-diesel and 2.0L turbo-petrol. Both 4x2 and 4x4 configurations are available.
The Scorpio-N has a large, roomy and well-equipped cabin. The suspension here is not as sharp or well-balanced as that of the 7XO. The Scorpio-N puts a sharper focus on off-road ability. The Scorpio is a well-accepted nameplate in India. The Scorpio-N, in fact, strongly holds its value and has a depreciation rate similar to the XUV 7XO.
Toyota has the Urban Cruiser Hyryder on sale in the mid-size SUV space. It is available with 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol, CNG and strong hybrid petrol engines. Maruti Suzuki sells a rebadged version- the Grand Vitara. Even the better-equipped Victoris comes with the same set of engines.
Let’s start with the Hyryder. The Strong hybrid variant particularly is a great all-rounder. The e-CVT transmission makes it easy to live with. The Hyryder excels with its reliability and fuel efficiency. It has good ground clearance and is quite practical. Being a Toyota, it holds its value strongly. Real-world data shows that effective depreciation of a Hyryder roughly equals that of the Creta.
There are, however, some drawbacks as well. The cabin isn’t as roomy as those of its rivals. Kit levels are adequate. Likewise, the engine performance would suffice, but won’t excite you.
The Grand Vitara and Victoris further benefit from Maruti Suzuki’s widespread touchpoint network and low ownership costs.
The new, third-generation Renault Duster is another strong product. It has a roomy, tech-heavy cabin that can seat four comfortably, a strong turbo-petrol engine (1.3L TCe 160) and well-engineered suspension. The Duster is fun-to-drive, offers good ride quality and has sharp handling and mature road manners. However, it is still a brand-new product and something that Renault has come up with, after a hiatus. The product will have to prove its long-term dependability and value retention before we can add it to this list.
Another product that almost made it to this list is the Maruti Ertiga. It ticks a lot of boxes- roomy cabin, decent array of features, comfortable ride, and a decent powertrain. It is powered by the 1.5-liter K15C Smart Hybrid petrol engine that makes around 100hp and 137Nm. Yes, it gets the job done in most cases, but fails to excite. 100hp is sufficient but not adequate enough to push the Ertiga into this list. That doesn’t, however, mean that it is a bad choice. The Ertiga is in fact, one of the most value-packed offerings in the price range.
In the closing remarks, we would like to reiterate that ‘the best all-rounder’ can be a subjective definition. This list has been compiled based on the parameters mentioned in the beginning. In that regard, the Creta remains a clear winner.