Best Lifestyle SUVs for Weekend Adventures in India (2026)

For weekends that are mostly highway with a dirt road, a wet hill climb or a beach track at the end, the best lifestyle SUV in India right now is the Maruti Victoris AllGrip at Rs 18,68,900: all-wheel drive with Snow and Lock modes, roof rails, a gesture-powered tailgate and a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating (31.66 of 32 adult) that covers the AllGrip trims. The Maruti Grand Vitara AllGrip does the same job for Rs 18,04,700 but has no crash rating. If the trail matters more than the drive there, the Mahindra Thar Roxx 4x4 (from Rs 19,56,000) and the Maruti Jimny (from Rs 12,59,000) bring low-range gearboxes. The Renault Duster (from Rs 10,49,000, 212 mm of ground clearance) and the Mahindra XUV 3XO (from Rs 7.79 lakh, 201 mm) are the front-wheel-drive picks for buyers who want the look and the clearance without paying for all-wheel drive.

That is the short answer. The longer one depends on a question most buyers skip: how much of your weekend is actually off the road? This list is for people who spend 95 percent of the trip on tarmac. If your weekends are about rock steps and river crossings, our off-roading and adventure trips list and the compact 4x4 ranking are the better read.

Lifestyle SUVs compared

SUV	Price of the trim you would buy (ex-showroom)	Drive	Ground clearance (maker's figure)	Boot (maker's figure)	Bharat NCAP adult / child
Maruti Victoris AllGrip ZXI+	Rs 18,68,900	AWD, 6AT	Not published	Not published	31.66/32, 43/49
Maruti Grand Vitara Alpha AllGrip	Rs 18,04,700	4WD (AllGrip Select), 6AT	Not published	Not published	No published result
Mahindra Thar Roxx MX5 diesel 4WD	Rs 19,56,000	Part-time 4x4 with low range	Not printed in brochure	Not printed in brochure	31.09/32, 45/49
Maruti Jimny Zeta	Rs 12,59,000	4WD with low range	210 mm	211 to 332 litres	No published result
Renault Duster	From Rs 10,49,000	Front-wheel drive	212 mm	518 litres to the parcel shelf	30.49/32, 45/49
Mahindra XUV 3XO	From Rs 7.79 lakh	Front-wheel drive	201 mm	364 litres	29.36/32, 43/49

Prices were checked October 2026 on each maker's own site: Maruti's ex-showroom price feed and NEXA and Arena price pages, Mahindra's variant cards and Renault's model listing. Maruti prices are single-tone Delhi figures. Dual-tone paint adds Rs 15,400 on the Victoris AllGrip, Grand Vitara AllGrip and Jimny Alpha trims, so the Victoris AllGrip ZXI+ is Rs 18,84,300 in dual tone and the NEXA page's Rs 18,20,100 for the Grand Vitara Alpha AllGrip is the dual-tone price. Maruti prints no ground clearance or boot volume for the Victoris or Grand Vitara, and Mahindra's Thar Roxx brochure prints neither, so those cells stay empty rather than borrowing a magazine's figure.

What a lifestyle SUV actually needs

Four things, in roughly this order.

All-wheel drive, or at least the clearance to do without it. AWD helps on wet grass, loose gravel and muddy hill roads. It does not turn a crossover into an off-roader, because none of the AWD cars here has a low-range gear.

A published ground clearance. This is the number that decides whether you scrape on a rutted campsite track. Only three of the six cars have one in the maker's brochure.

Gear space you can use: roof rails for a carrier or bikes, a split rear seat, a power socket in the boot.

A crash rating that covers the variant you buy. Bharat NCAP ratings apply to a grid of engines and trims, and that grid is not always the whole range.

1. Maruti Victoris AllGrip: the best all-rounder

The Victoris is the only car here that combines all-wheel drive, a 5-star Bharat NCAP result and a monocoque body that rides like a normal SUV on the highway. The AllGrip Select system pairs the 1.5-litre K15C mild-hybrid petrol (103.06 PS, 139 Nm) with a 6-speed automatic and adds Snow, Sport, Lock and Auto terrain modes plus hill descent control. Certified efficiency on the AllGrip automatic is 19.07 km/l, which on the 45-litre tank works out to about 858 km between fills.

Maruti sells AllGrip on two trims only: ZXI+ at Rs 18,68,900 and ZXI+(O) at Rs 19,26,900, the latter adding the panoramic sunroof. The brochure puts roof rails on every trim from the VXI, the smart powered tailgate with gesture control from the ZXI, and a luggage-room accessory socket from the VXI. Level 2 ADAS is listed on ZXI+ automatics, and the AllGrip cars are automatics.

The rating is the reason it tops this list. Bharat NCAP tested the strong hybrid and the 6AT and scored it 31.66 of 32 for adults and 43 of 49 for children in August 2025, and the applicability grid names the ZXI+ 4WD and ZXI+(O) 4WD. It does not cover the S-CNG, which is irrelevant here because CNG is front-wheel drive only.

The catches: 103 PS is not much for a loaded car on a ghat road, AllGrip is petrol automatic only, and Maruti publishes no ground clearance or boot figure, so you cannot compare those on paper.

2. Maruti Grand Vitara AllGrip: the same hardware for less

Mechanically the Grand Vitara AllGrip is very close to the Victoris: the same 103.06 PS K15C petrol, a 6-speed automatic, AllGrip Select with Auto, Sport, Snow and Lock, and hill descent control, which the brochure lists on the AllGrip cars only. It is certified at 19.20 km/l, slightly better than the Victoris.

It is also cheaper. The Alpha AllGrip is Rs 18,04,700 and the Alpha(O) AllGrip, with the panoramic sunroof, Rs 18,62,600. Roof rails start on the Delta, and the Alpha trims add an 8-way powered driver's seat.

What you give up is evidence. The Grand Vitara has no Bharat NCAP result, and it has no ADAS on any variant. Six airbags are standard. If the Rs 64,200 gap to the Victoris ZXI+ matters, the Grand Vitara is a sound buy. If you want a crash score behind the purchase, it is not the one.

3. Mahindra Thar Roxx 4x4: when the trail matters

The Roxx is a different kind of car: a ladder-frame SUV with a part-time 4x4 system, high and low reduction gears and an electric locking differential, and five doors that make it usable as a family car. Mahindra's brochure gives a 41.7-degree approach angle, 36.1-degree departure, 23.9-degree ramp-over, 650 mm water-wading depth and a 2,850 mm wheelbase. The 4XPLOR terrain modes (Snow, Sand, Mud) come on diesel 4x4 versions.

4x4 is diesel only, and the cheapest is the MX5 diesel manual 4WD at Rs 19,56,000. The automatic 4x4 starts with the AX5L at Rs 21,67,000. Bharat NCAP gave the Roxx 31.09 of 32 and 45 of 49 in October 2024, and the grid covers the diesel 4WD trims.

It is heavier, thirstier and taller than the crossovers above, and Mahindra prints neither ground clearance nor boot volume in the brochure. Buy it if your weekend has a real trail in it.

4. Maruti Jimny: the smallest, most capable choice

The Jimny is the cheapest car in India with low range on every variant. The brochure lists 210 mm of unladen ground clearance, 36-degree approach, 24-degree breakover and 46-degree departure angles, ALLGRIP PRO four-wheel drive with a low-range transfer gear, a brake limited-slip differential and hill descent control. Six airbags are standard.

As a lifestyle car it is the most compromised here. It seats four, and the boot holds 211 to 219 litres with the rear seat up and 332 litres folded. The 1.5-litre K15B makes 104.8 PS and 134.2 Nm and returns 16.94 km/l (manual) or 16.39 km/l (automatic), so a 40-litre tank gives roughly 650 to 680 km. There is no Bharat NCAP result.

Prices run from Rs 12,59,000 for the Zeta manual to Rs 14,51,700 for the Alpha automatic in single tone. For a couple who camp, it makes sense. For a family of four with luggage, it does not. Our weekend camping list goes deeper on that trade.

5. Renault Duster: clearance and boot without AWD

The Duster has no all-wheel drive in Renault's Indian brochure, and it still earns a place. Renault quotes 212 mm of ground clearance, a 26.9-degree approach angle and 34.7-degree departure, and a boot of 518 litres to the parcel shelf (700 litres to the roof). Those are the best published clearance and boot figures on this list.

Engines are a 1.0-litre turbo with 100 PS and 166 Nm and a 1.3-litre turbo with 163 PS and 280 Nm, the 1.3 offered with a 6-speed manual or DCT. Hill descent control is listed on the DCT. Bharat NCAP scored it 30.49 of 32 and 45 of 49 in March 2026, covering every 1.0 and 1.3 trim on the grid. Renault lists the Duster from Rs 10,49,000. It publishes no certified mileage in the brochure.

6. Mahindra XUV 3XO: the budget pick

The XUV 3XO is for buyers who want the stance for less money. Mahindra lists 201 mm of ground clearance, a 364-litre boot, a 2,600 mm wheelbase and roof rails from the RevX M(O) trim, and prices it from Rs 7.79 lakh to Rs 15.04 lakh. It is front-wheel drive only. Bharat NCAP gave it 29.36 of 32 and 43 of 49 in October 2024, covering the petrol and diesel families. It is smaller inside than everything above it, and fine for two adults and two children with soft bags.

How we built this list, and what we could not verify

We started from the draft's seven SUVs and moved the hard-core 4x4s (Mahindra Thar, Force Gurkha, Scorpio N) out, because three live articles on this site already rank them for trail use. In their place we added front-wheel-drive crossovers with published ground clearance. Specs come from each car's current brochure: Maruti's Victoris (August 2026), Grand Vitara and Jimny brochures, Renault's Duster brochure, and Mahindra's Thar Roxx and XUV 3XO brochures. Crash scores come from each car's page on bncap.in, including the ratings applicability grid.

Not verified, and not printed: ground clearance and boot volume for the Victoris, Grand Vitara and Thar Roxx; certified mileage for the Thar Roxx, Duster and XUV 3XO. Toyota's May 2026 Urban Cruiser Hyryder brochure still describes an all-wheel-drive manual, but Toyota's own Delhi price list in October 2026 shows only 2WD Hyryders, so we left it out. The Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos are capable family SUVs, but neither offers AWD in India and neither brochure prints a ground clearance, so they appear in our mid-size SUV comparison instead.

Which one to buy

Mostly highway, family of four, the odd wet hill road: the Victoris AllGrip, or the Grand Vitara AllGrip if the budget is tighter and the missing crash score does not bother you.

Real trails at least once a month: the Thar Roxx 4x4 for a family, the Jimny for two.

Gravel and campsite tracks but no budget for AWD: the Duster, with the XUV 3XO as the cheaper alternative.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best lifestyle SUV for weekend trips in India?

For mostly-tarmac weekends with some loose surfaces, the Maruti Victoris AllGrip ZXI+ at Rs 18,68,900. It has all-wheel drive with terrain modes, roof rails, a powered tailgate and a 5-star Bharat NCAP rating that explicitly covers the AllGrip trims.

Do the Victoris and Grand Vitara AllGrip have low range?

No. AllGrip Select is an all-wheel-drive system with Auto, Sport, Snow and Lock modes and hill descent control. Neither car has a low-range gear, which the Jimny and Thar Roxx 4x4 do.

What is the cheapest SUV with all-wheel drive in India?

Of the cars here, the Maruti Jimny at Rs 12,59,000, which has four-wheel drive and low range on every variant. The cheapest five-seat AWD crossover is the Grand Vitara Alpha AllGrip at Rs 18,04,700.

Which lifestyle SUV has the most ground clearance?

Of the figures makers publish, the Renault Duster at 212 mm, then the Maruti Jimny at 210 mm and the Mahindra XUV 3XO at 201 mm. Maruti does not publish one for the Victoris or Grand Vitara.

Is the Victoris AllGrip covered by its 5-star Bharat NCAP rating?

Yes. The ratings applicability grid on bncap.in lists the ZXI+ 4WD and ZXI+(O) 4WD. Only the S-CNG versions are outside the rating, and they are front-wheel drive anyway.

Does dual-tone paint change these prices?

On the Victoris AllGrip, Grand Vitara AllGrip and Jimny Alpha, dual tone adds Rs 15,400. The prices in this article are single tone.