Top 3 Diesel Hatchbacks under Rs.

7 Lakh
There's no denying that the hatchback segment is the most competitive one. It is also the most
confusing for a buyer planning to purchase a new car in the small car space. So, to help our
readers choose the best if they are planning to buy a diesel hatchback in under Rs. 7 lakh, we list
three cars that make a strong - very strong - case for themselves. The parameters on which these
cars selected are design, power, mileage, ride quality and features
Hyundai Grand i10
First on our list is the Hyundai Grand i10 - the newest one of the three cars picked by us. The
Grand i10 has all what it takes to be an ideal hatchback as it not only looks good, but also offers
maximum features to its buyers, along with an impressive ride and handling and an impressive
mileage.

The Grand i10 is one of the best Hyundai cars out there when it comes to ride quality and
handling. In fact, it feels more stable than the Hyundai i20 on highways and handles rough city
roads quite well, though suspension is still more on the softer side, making it a little difficult to
handle pot holes. Powering the diesel version of the car is the new 1.1-litre U2 CRDi diesel
engine that churns out 70bhp and a good 160Nm of torque. The car doesn't feel noisy too inside
the cabin - quite unlike typical small diesel cars. What's also impressive is the transmission
system of the car, the gears are short and precise.
Like other Hyundai cars, the Grand i10, too, has taken its design inspiration from the company's
Fluidic sculpture. The car looks pleasing to the eye. Interior design is one thing that Hyundai has
mastered now. Just like other Hyundais, the Grand i10 too looks pretty with beige and black
plastic, brushed aluminium dials for the AC vents and well placed gearbox. The overall fit and
finish and the plastic quality of the interior is probably one of the best in its class. Key features
offered with the Grand i10 are first-in-class rear AC vents, steering mounted controls, keyless
entry, auto folding mirrors, multimedia system with USB, Aux-in and Bluetooth Support ad 1
GB internal memory space.
Pros:
Small efficient diesel engine
Spacious and Comfortable

Rich Interiors and features

Practicality
Efficiency and Value for money
Hyundai service network
Cons:
Almost None
Driving dynamics compared to Swift
Engine feels little underpowered
Claimed mileage: 24kmpl
Price (Diesel variants):Rs. 5.18 lakh - Rs. 6.32 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi)
Best model to buy: CRDi Magna

Maruti Suzuki Swift

Despite being an older car than both Hyundai Grand i10 and Ford Figo, the Swift has never lost
its charm, thanks to its impressive design, which, in part, looks inspired from the MINI Cooper,
especially the side profile. Overall performance has been another aspect, that gives the Swift an
edge over many of its rivals. The car has a well-balanced ride and handling and a well tuned
suspension. And more than the City drives, the Swift is a fun car on highways. The car feels
stable at high speeds and has a great throttle response.

Two major areas on which Maruti still needs to work are : braking system and features. NonABS variants of the Swift aren't very capable during sudden braking application. When it comes
to features, the Swift stands nowhere in front of the Grand i10, which offers its buyers more
features at a more competitive price.
Powering the Swift is the Fiat sourced 1.3-litre Multijet engine that churns out 74bhp and a
healthy 190Nm of torque, and makes it a more powerful vehicle than both Grand i10 and Ford
Figo.

Pros:
Decent Multi Jet peppy engine.
Fun to drive. Good ride and handling
Tried and tested car
Decent average mileage.
Low maintenance cost and reliable Maruti service network.
Cons:
Interiors are not roomy and have a small boot.
Pricey and less on features compared to Hyundai Grand i10
Need a facelift
Claimed Mileage: 22.9kmpl (ARAI certified)
Price (Diesel variants):Rs. 5.60 lakh - Rs. 6.85 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Best model to buy: VDi
Ford Figo
Ford Figo is another very good option if you are looking for an affordable, fuel efficient and and
a feature loaded hatchback. The Figo derives its power from a 1.4-litre diesel unit, capable of
churning out 68bhp and 160Nm. Though on papers, the Figo looks lesser powerful than the other
two - Grand i10 and Swift, the car outperforms both the Swift and Grand i10, when it comes to
ride and handling.

The gearbox too feels quite smooth and has short and precise gearing, which helps the car
perform so well both on highway and city. With robust build and construction and a very capable
suspension system, the car handles rough roads and pot holes quite well. Steering response is
another impressive aspect of the car, which helps the car handle well both on city roads and
highways. What goes against the Figo is the poor after-sales service of the car, and its
conventional design.

Pros:
Finest Ride and Handling.
Truly value for money.
Ideal for city drive.
Cons:
Lacks outright performance
High Maintenance Cost compared to Maruti and Tata/Fiat Siblings
Claimed Mileage:20kmpl (ARAI certified)
Price (Diesel variants):Rs. 4.85 lakh - Rs. 6.06 lakh (Ex-showroom, Delhi)
Best model to buy: ZXi

Tata Zest
Tata has finally been able to develop a good product that It's called, Zest.

The grille is that typically smiling affair and the large head-lamps (which have projector lamps,
mind you) somehow remind you, vaguely, of the Indigo Manza. The front part of the car, when
viewed in profile, is long and sharp, but the rear section is a bit too stumpy and doesn't come
across as a very cohesive design. Relax - it still looks more complete and better rounded than any
other offering in this segment. The rear is defined by a well-designed lamp cluster, sculpted
bumper and a chrome strip that runs almost the entire length of the boot deck. The ugly duckling
is still the Dzire - or is it? The Xcent's rear-end treatment is abysmal, but the front end borrowed
from the Grand does the trick to make it look slightly edgier. If I were a photographer, I'd tell
you that the best angle to view the Zest the is front three-quarter. I love the fact that the Zest gets
15-inch wheels - they occupy the wheel cavities very well and lend a very balanced look overall.
both exterior and interior - of a car. It's a very subjective issue and what would be great, it
definitely feels a lot more upmarket than any Tata product before this and the quality has gone
up quite a few notches. The dual-tone colour scheme works well and though

The cabin gets a new-age infotainment system that has been developed by - wait for it - Harman
Kardon! The top-end trims get a 5-inch touch screen panel that controls the audio system and

AC. I found the touch response to be a bit slow while checking out the AC controls - but you can
blame my large-ish hands and fingers for that, perhaps. So I guess, I'd stick to using the voice
command. But then, I'll have to memorize each syntax exactly how the system has been
programmed to comprehend them, else the system will not register it, and will give me a
message that would translate as 'what the hell are you going on about, idiot?' in my mind. I was
quite bad in mugging up things even in school, so I figure I'm at a disadvantage here as well.
Bummer! The diesel powered Zest I was driving had manual controls and I should point out here
that the knobs and buttons felt a shade down on quality and fit-and-finish. Overall, though the
interior has seen a sea of change for the better, there are still a handful of areas where Tata could
do better in terms of quality of materials used.
That said, it is commendable that Tata has gone the extra mile, pushed the envelope and worked
with Harman Kardon to create a unique offering that'll be a first in the segment. Was it needed?
No. But then who doesn't like a bit of spice for added flavour? This touch-sensitive, voicecontrolled infotainment system is going to be the X-factor in sales talk at dealerships.
Now I'll come to the main bits - performance and dynamics. Right, the diesel that I drove had an
automated-manual transmission, or AMT as it is famously known now. It's not an automatic
transmission, except that it is. I shall do the explaining now. An automated-manual transmission
is, in essence, a manual gearbox with an electro-hydraulic mechanism that makes it act like an
automatic. The hydraulic system, together with an electronic control unit, manages the use of
clutch and shifting through the cogs.
The driver can depend completely on the AMT to shift all the time, or shift sequentially when in
the manual mode. The three hydraulic actuators, that are controlled by hydraulic electro valves,
make the gearbox work exactly like a driver would operate a manual transmission; they open and
close the clutch, engage and disengage the gears and manage the gearbox, mapping the
transmission mode (automatic or sequential) to the system. But let's not get too carried away
with the technicalities. Let's just say that there's an intelligent little bloke, albeit invisible, doing
the opening and closing of the clutch and shifting gears for you.

The diesel engine - all 1.3-litres worth of it - is the same Fiat-sourced unit that serves its purpose
in a range of other cars across vehicle segments. In the Zest, it produces 89bhp and 200Nm.
Now, the spec sheet says that all of the rotating force is delivered between 1,750-3,000rpm. That
may be true from an engineering point of view, but in real-world driving scenario, it's a
completely different experience. If you're in regular automatic mode and drive with a relatively
light footed approach, the gearbox shifts at around 2000 revs which is a bit annoying because
when it shifts up and the revs fall, there's this drag that you have to suffer before the boost really
kicks in and picks the momentum up. A bit aggressive on the throttle and the response gets
slightly better, but the car has very little to offer below 2,500rpm and the engine redlines at
around 4,000rpm. So you don't quite have a great spectrum of revs to exploit the engine's
performance.

Also, though the engine noise doesn't intrude into the cabin when going at ease, it does start
making a lot of noise - and not the right sort - when you shift it into manual and bury the throttle
to get a sense of swiftness. I shouldn't have used the term 'swiftness' - sorry, quickness.
Basically, the AMT can lead to embarrassing moments on the road, when the situation might
need you to get a move on in a very rapid way. I didn't get to drive the manual, but I am pretty
sure that it'll be as quick as your own speed to shift through the cogs - which will be faster than
this drama-queen of a gearbox anyway. Stick to the manual then.
The 1.2-litre 'Revotron' petrol engine; now a lot has been said and presented about this engine. It
is, apparently, 'designed to deliver superior performance, power, torque and mileage'. Nice! Then
again, isn't every other engine designed to do the same? It's the natural progression in technology
- to be better with each step, that is.

Anyway, I'm being a moron nitpicking on such stuff. This engine isn't really that bad. It's a 89bhp, 140Nm
work unit and, quite like in the diesel, the torque is said to be produced between 1,750-3,000rpm. It's
not as bad as the diesel, but this 1.2, too, suffers from initial turbo-lag till about 2,000rpm, beyond
which, it pulls cleanly. The mid-range is reasonably good, and between 3,000-4,500rpm is where you'd
like to be. There's just a hint of a flat-spot at around 3,200, but it's not something that'll make you pull
your hair on end. There are three driving modes - City, Economy and Sports. The 'City' mode is good for
exactly what its name suggests - city driving conditions. 'Economy' is given to gauge the amount of time
it takes you to lose your sanity - tolerance level, in essence. I lost mine pretty much the moment I
pressed the button. The 'Sport' mode is good and does make noticeable difference in the character of
the car - it gets a bit, er, zesty.

The gearshift is progressive and involving - surprising for a Tata product. Also surprising is the
way this thing dances around the bends. Tata has done some really good suspension units on its
passenger cars, but handling was always a bit wayward on most of them. With the Zest though,
the engineers at Tata have gone one better. The front gets all-new dual-path independent
McPherson struts with anti-roll bar and the rears carry semi-independent twist beam
configuration. The ride is extremely sorted and comfortable, and even when cornering hard over
broken surfaces, the car tracks very robustly on the intended line. But the shock element is

delivered by the steering - what a great thing that round bit has become! The steering wheel is
small in size and is great to hold. Not just that, it also offers very good feel, which helps when
you put on your comic face on and drive like a lunatic around bends! You shouldn't drive like a
lunatic though.
The Tata Zest is not just a very likeable 'Tata' product; it is a very likeable product, period. There
are some rough edges in the cabin and the quality of plastics could be a shade or two better. The
AMT in the diesel - well, that leaves a lot to be desired, while the petrol is rather solid and a
pleasant thing to drive. However, where Tata has scored the most is in throwing a list - a big one
- of equipment into the Zest. There's a lot of engineering done on the car and it shows. It shows
that Tata is walking the right path now and the future looks promising. Time to work on
shedding the inhibition in peoples' minds about the brand image, then!
Specs:
Tata Zest (1.3-litre diesel)
Engine: 1.3-litre, 89bhp, 200Nm
Gearbox: 5-speed manual / AMT
Length x Width x Height (in mm): 3,995 x 1,695 x 1,570
Kerb weight: 1,106 Kg
Brakes (Front/Rear): Disc / Drum