3 cylinder turbo or 4 cylinder NA engine – which is more reliable in a compact SUV?

I want to purchase an SUV and have a budget of around Rs 12 lakh. Should I go in for three-cylinder turbocharged SUVs like the XUV300 and the Tata Nexon, or four-cylinder SUVs like the Brezza and Urban Cruiser. Which engine is more reliable?

Savan Lakhia, Ahmedabad

Autocar India says: The number of cylinders shouldn’t be a big factor in your choice and it’s more important to look at the overall power and performance of the SUV. Both Maruti Suzuki Brezza and Toyota Urban Cruiser have a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine – the former getting the updated K15C engine – which is tuned for relaxed driving. If your usage is mainly in the city and in a low-speed environment, this engine does the job. The Brezza and the Urban Cruiser are both spacious and practical cars, but the latter does not have much wow factor.

As for your turbo-petrol picks, the Nexon is appealing thanks to its design and good ride and handling balance, however, the 1.2 turbo-petrol isn’t particularly exciting. The performance of the XUV300 is definitely better, and with Mahindra planning to launch a more powerful and improved version with 131hp, if you want a strong engine, this would be your best bet.

Also See:

Mahindra XUV300 review, road test

Tata Nexon review, test drive

Toyota Urban Cruiser review, test drive

Maruti Suzuki Brezza review: Topped up with new tech