[blackwasp]

Datsun Redi-GO 1.0

What you'll like:

• 1.0L motor brings more power, more torque & better highway performance
• Value-for-money pricing. 23k premium over the 0.8L makes it a no-brainer choice
• Funky styling! Looks great for an entry-level hatchback
• Black interiors with high seating, decent space & a powerful air-conditioner
• 222 litre boot is more accommodating than the Alto's (177 litres)
• Suspension's behaviour is well-suited to a city hatchback. 185 mm of ground clearance too
• Warranty & service packages for up to 5 years
• Equipment in a budget car (driver's airbag, DRLs, full MID, ICE remote & more)

What you won't:

• The superior Renault Kwid is priced only slightly higher
• Nothing to visually differentiate it from the 0.8L variant
• Mediocre highway manners. Best driven <100 km/h
• Body-coloured metal inside the cabin looks really bad
• Missing essentials such as internally adjustable ORVMs & retractable rear seatbelts
• Cost cutting is evident in some areas (single wiper, 3 lugnut wheels, small 28L tank etc.)
• Skinny 155 mm tyres beg for an upgrade
• Nissan-Datsun's dealer & after-sales network is far weaker than that of Maruti or Hyundai

Link to Official Review (Datsun Redi-GO 1.0L : Official Review)

Renault Kwid 1.0

What you'll like:

• 1.0L engine makes the Kwid a true all-rounder. Priced merely 22k more than Kwid 800 RXT
• More power, more torque, better highway performance
• Distinctive styling! Looks swell for an A-segment hatchback
• Well-packaged cabin with good space, comfy seats & lots of storage
• Huge 300 liter boot. 2nd biggest among all hatchbacks!
• Suspension offers a comfortable ride with neutral handling. 180 mm of GC too
• Equipment in a budget car (driver's airbag, digital meter cluster, touchscreen ICE, navigation, full MID & more)

What you won't:

• Unlike Alto K10, no design changes to differentiate the 1.0 (except loud sticker job)
• Tyres & brakes should have been beefed up for the 1.0L variant
• Some essential features missing (internally adjustable ORVMs, retractable rear seatbelts etc.)
• 28 litre fuel tank is the smallest in the segment and its 5 meter turning radius the biggest
• Renault's dealer & after-sales network is far weaker than that of Maruti & Hyundai

Link to Official Review (Renault Kwid 1.0L : Official Review)

Maruti Alto K10

What you'll like:

• A much improved Alto K10 at the same price point
• Power-to-weight ratio of 91 BHP/ton makes this one peppy li'l hatchback
• More fuel-efficient than before. AMT variant is also an easy sipper @ 24.07 km/l
• Compliant low speed ride quality. Soft suspension is absorbent
• Convenient city car: Light, agile & easy to drive (especially the AMT variant)
• Driver-side airbag & factory fitted CNG kit available
• Maruti's excellent after-sales service & fuss free ownership experience

What you won't:

• Cramped rear bench. Also, the seatback is very short
• Sensitive steering & nervous handling at speed. Best driven <100 kph
• AMT lacks the refinement & shift-speed of conventional ATs
• No ABS on any variant
• Questionable structural strength. The car which it's based on (Alto 800) fared poorly in crash tests
• Skinny 155 mm tyres beg for an upgrade
• Flimsy build & economy grade quality. Poor NVH levels as well
• More accomplished WagonR & Celerio are priced not too far away

(Maruti Alto K10 : Official Review)Link to Official Review

Hyundai Eon

What you’ll like:

• Great looking, makes other budget cars look outdated
• Best-in-class interior quality, fit & finish. Excellent air-conditioner too
• Many segment first features (driver airbag, tilt steering, gear indicator etc.)
• Frugal 3 cylinder petrol engine delivers high fuel efficiency
• Big 215 liter boot has a practical layout
• Hyundai's excellent after-sales service

What you won’t:

• Shaky, vibrating gear lever at all speeds. Overall NVH is unimpressive
• Pricing is too close to other 4 cylinder hatchbacks
• Steering is too light & sensitive at highway speeds
• Hyundai's service costs are usually higher than that of the competition

Ownership review by:
• sidzzone (Ownership Review - Hyundai Eon 1.0)

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Hatchbacks Section. Thanks for sharing!

[agambhandari]

Going by the recent safety tests and their results, personally I wouldn't buy any of the cars in this segment, not in 2017. None of these gets Dual airbags and ABS( which is actually very little in terms of safety features). Anybody looking at this segment, do try to up the segment and look at something like a Celerio/WagonR/Tiago where you can get those minimum safety features.

If I must choose out of these, I'll pick the Kwid simply because of its good interior space and striking design.

P.S. I have a 2010 Chevy spark that cost 3L back then and has a 1 liter engine. Its sad to see that the segment has lost stuff like 4 cylinder engines and hasn't gained any useful features and just gimmicks like Touchscreen systems etc. Look at the premium hatches just a lac above and you'll see how much more you can get for the same price as 7-8 years ago.

[libranof1987]

Personally, I wouldn't buy any of these cars. Fortunately, I wouldn't have to look in this segment for my primary car but slight chance I may for the secondary car: or the slightly larger i10 type segment.

Safety and build of these cars is the primary reason; I can live with the small size and negligible comfort/convenience features but not with a tin can build and lack of safety equipment.

Not in today's times.

But I do understand who the target audience for this segment is, and it is a tricky debate: making it an affordable car vs. a safe, sturdy car with a higher price.

I'd then chose the Eon, with Alto a close second.

[Rajeevraj]

My pick would be the Kwid. Among all, has the best presence, is spacious, good amount of features and drives pretty well. On the down side, the lack of any kind of manual control on the AMT is a downside. Overall safety consideration is also a downside, but that is pretty much same across all the options.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

What you'll like:
• A much improved Alto K10 at the same price point
• The cheapest automatic car available in India. VXI AMT starts at merely Rs. 3.80 lakhs

This needs to be updated, the Alto is not the cheapest automatic available. The Nano is cheaper and I think the Kwid is also cheaper than the Alto.

[arindambasu13]

Renault Kwid all the way for me.

The Alto and Eon are dated designs, and notwithstanding the legendary Maruti reliability, the Kwid trumps the Alto as an overall package. The Datsun is too obscure and not really a serious contender in my view, given the volumes that the other three consistently generate.

Coming to the Kwid and why my vote goes for it. Clean yet contemporary look, superb power to weight ratio for the segment in which it plays, and fairly robust mechanicals. Couple that with best in class boot space, an comfortable interiors, as well as fun to drive character, and it is indeed a no brainer pick out of the four 1.0 liter players. Safety equipment concerns are present in most of the cars in this segment- not an ideal situation, but it is what it is. Hope this changes at the earliest!

[GTO]

Smart move by Datsun in getting the 1.0. I don't think it will take away sales from the Kwid as much as it will expand the group's sales. It's styling will be a draw for some.

If the need is for a personal city car, I'd pick the Alto K10. It's the oldest, yet the most fun-to-drive. An Alto K10 with light mods is the perfect pocket rocket for 4 lakhs.

On the other hand, if it was going to be a family hatchback, I'd pick the Kwid 1.0. Main reason being a far more usable backseat. The Alto is way too cramped.

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Going by the recent safety tests and their results, personally I wouldn't buy any of the cars in this segment

Cars from a segment above might be a little safer (unproven), but are still not safe. If you want safety for 4 lakhs, buy used .

[abhishek46]

My vote goes to the Alto K10.

It has every thing which a buyer at this price point wants:
1. Excellent fuel efficiency
2. Good refinement & performance
3. Simple and no-nonsense styling
4. Reasonable Interiors with no glaring cost cutting
5. MSIL's excellent service standards

It is the perfect all-rounder!

[aaggoswami]

Voted for Alto K10.
Has probably the best engine out of all the cars mentioned, that's the primary reason at given price point. Highway performance is reasonably quick for its class with an engine that is happy at higher rpms too. Its fuel efficient, Maruti Service Network (my confidence in this parameter seems to be shaking, but Maruti is by far the best), somehow feels that cost wasn't the only parameter while the car was in development stage and hence cost cutting is not as obvious as in rivals, especially Datsun Redi-go which just feels inferior.

What I really dont like in Kwid and Redi-Go is wheel mounting on three wheel studs and not usual 4. This is way too much cost cutting in my books.

Eon is not that good as a value proposition as Alto K10 IMO.

Added bonus in case of Alto K10 is that its reasonably fun to drive.

However, if I were to buy a car for family that would see highway duties for family, a new Wagon R Lxi or used Swift would be my preference.