[Aditya]

Tata Altroz

What you'll like:

• Looks absolutely stunning! Solid build too
• Nice interior with good quality parts & adequate space
• Accommodating 345-litre boot is among the biggest of the segment
• Competent turbo-diesel engine. Good driveability, punchy & fuel-efficient
• Mature on-road behaviour, including at highway speeds
• 5-star NCAP safety rating! Safety package includes dual airbags, CSC, break reminder etc.
• Enjoyable Harman 6-speaker ICE. One of the better systems in this segment
• Impressive kit (auto headlamps & wipers, cruise control, ambient lighting, adjustable armrest...)
• Factory-fitted customisation packs available

What you won't:

• Under-powered, lame & noisy 3-cylinder 1.2L petrol engine
• Suspension has a firm edge at low speeds (16" rim variants). Bad roads will bother you
• Diesel variant carries an insane premium! Works out to almost Rs. 2 lakhs on the road
• Service visit every 6 months / 7,500 km (1 year / 10,000 km is the norm today)
• Some missing features (auto-dimming IRVM, thinner spare tyre on top trims, split-folding rear seat...)
• No automatic variant in a market that loves its ATs
• Tata's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss. Remains a gamble
• Concerns over niggles in a freshly-baked Tata product

Review Link

Maruti Baleno

What you'll like:

• A well-priced, smart looking hatchback
• User-friendly cabin with loads of space! Can easily seat 5 tall adults
• Accommodating 339 liter boot. The 2nd biggest among hatchbacks (after the Jazz)
• Peppy petrol engine & smooth automatic
• Comfortable ride quality matched to neutral handling
• Dual Airbags & ABS with EBD are standard across all variants!
• Maruti's excellent after-sales service & fuss-free ownership experience
• Loaded with features such as UV-cut glass, projector headlamps + DRLs, reversing camera, Apple CarPlay, navigation, electrically-foldable ORVMs and more

What you won't:

• Ordinary interior quality is Swift-like. Several budget grade parts in here
• Rear seat headroom & under-thigh support are limited for tall passengers
• Light build quality (weighs merely 865 kilos). Lacks the solidity of its rivals
• CVT Automatic suffers from rubber-band effect on the highway
• More substantial & premium Elite i20 is priced Rs. 5,000 - 67,000 above
• No diesel engine option available post the implementation of BS6 emission norms

Review Link

Hyundai Elite i20

What you'll like:

• All-rounded package in a sharp design. Improved over the 1st-gen i20 in nearly every way
• Spacious interiors with outstanding quality, fit and finish. Practical 285 liter boot too
• Mature suspension offers a comfortable ride and neutral handling characteristics
• Hyundai's fuss-free ownership experience & excellent after-sales-service
• Loaded with features & gizmos (16" rims, keyless entry & go, 8-speaker stereo, rake & reach steering, rear air-con, reversing cam, cooled glovebox and lots more)

What you won't:

• Missing equipment vis-a-vis old i20: Rear disc brakes, side & curtain airbags, sunroof, auto-wipers & DRLs
• 1.2L petrol is has mediocre highway performance for a premium hatchback
• Anyone over 5'11" will find rear headroom to be insufficient. Sloping roof eats into cabin height at the back
• Dynamics & steering aren't to an enthusiast's tastes. Swift, Polo etc. are more fun to drive
• No diesel or automatic options post the implementation of BS6 emission norms
• Rear wiper only on the top Asta trim! No fuel-efficiency indicator, auto-locking doors or height-adjustable seatbelts on any variant

Review Link

Hyundai Grand i10

What you'll like:

• All-rounded package in a contemporary design. Improved over the old i10 in nearly every way
• Interiors have best-in-class fit, finish & quality. Increased cabin space & boot capacity
• Fuel-efficient, practical diesel & peppy petrol. Smooth gearbox too
• Loaded with features (keyless start & go, electric folding ORVMs, rear air-con, cooled glovebox etc.)
• Comfortable ride quality and predictable handling. No bumpiness
• Hyundai's fussfree ownership experience & excellent after-sales service
• Priced lower than chief competitor, the Maruti Swift

What you won't:

• 1.2L petrol is has mediocre highway performance
• Missing climate control, adjustable front neck restraints and dead pedal
• The Swift is more fun to drive. Grand i10's steering & dynamics aren't to an enthusiast's tastes
• Rear defogger, ABS & Airbags only on Asta trim level. Should have been optional with the middle variant
• More suited as a 4 seater, rather than 5
• No diesel or automatic options post the implementation of BS6 emission norms

Review Link

Volkswagen Polo

What you'll like:

• A well-built solid European hatchback
• Clean and contemporary styling. Absolutely no quirkiness
• "Big car like" ride quality. Suspension setup ideal for Indian roads
• Neutral handling & mature road behaviour
• Fuel efficient range of engine

What you won't:

• Commuter 3-cylinder engine. No diesel or automatic options post the implementation of BS6 emission norms
• Some niceties missing. Climate control, USB / AUX audio input, electric ORVMs etc.
• Ordinary rear bench legroom
• Thin dealership network
• VW's cost of ownership is high compared to the competition

Review Link

Ford Figo

What you'll like:

• Aston Martin-esque face still looks very stylish!
• Peppy 95 BHP 3-cylinder petrol is much improved over the earlier lethargic 1.2L
• Powerful & efficient 1.5L diesel. Excellent driveability too
• Mature ride quality. Also, improved handling thanks to the fatter 195 mm tyres
• Well-packaged cabin offers good legroom, lots of features and a chilling air-con
• Titanium+ variant gets 6 airbags
• 5 year / 1 lakh km warranty with transparent + reasonable service costs
• We feel the pricing is fair for the package on offer

What you won't:

• 1.2L is good for a 3-cylinder engine, but the 4-cylinder 1.2s from Maruti, Hyundai & gang are superior
• Overall design (other than the face) feels old & bland compared to newer hatchbacks
• Some missing essentials (e.g. dead pedal) & some deletions (e.g. SYNC3, height-adjustable seatbelts)
• Lighter build is a departure from the usual Ford sturdiness
• Cabin width makes the Figo suited to 4 adults, not 5
• Automatic transmission not available
• Rear headroom is limited. Headliner brushes the heads of taller passengers
• A bit uncertain of how the long-term after-sales will be, with the Mahindra-Ford JV

Review Link

The 2019 Facelift

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios

Link to launch thread

[GTO]

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

Petrol = The Elite i20, which is saying a lot for an outgoing model. Am sure the next-generation car which is coming this year will take things up a notch. Love the quality, all-roundedness & refinement of the Hyundai.

Diesel = Figo. Superb to drive, lovely diesel engine and quite an all-rounder. Main disadvantage is the car's age. It feels very outdated now, but I'll compromise on that for the driving experience.

The Altroz diesel is nice; however, it's not worth the heavy premium over the Figo. At a significantly lower price, the Figo gives me more power, 6 airbags etc. The Figo also has amazing discounts (typical for an old + flop model) which makes the price gap a lot more than the excel sheet indicates.

[Eddy]

I am not buying a manual car so the Altroz is out of contention. Even if it were available, I would have thought long and hard before buying a Tata V1 car.

The i20 is the best bet from the cars in the poll, otherwise, I would settle with the Amaze CVT. It is the most VFM car around in that budget.

[ashis89]

Voted for Others. While the exterior is simply stunning, I didn't quite like the interiors of the Altroz.

If I need a diesel, I would choose the Freestyle TDCi (and not the Figo) as I appreciate all that extra that Freestyle provides over the Figo.

If my running is mostly within the city then I will pick the i10 Nios. Or the Tiago petrol.

[SoumenD]

Voted for Other.

Thanks to bangalore traffic am an AT convert now. And among the options none ticked the boxes for me like the Jazz last year this time. It's the most spacious, has decent build quality, adequately feature loaded(cruise control, paddle shifters, AC/AA, electric mirrors & 2020 BS VI model is coming with LED lights as well), is respectably frugal, has a super smooth & reliable CVT gearbox-engine combo and was cheaper than both Baleno & i20(thanks to discounts). Had it come with the 1.5L iVtec from City, would have been awesome but alas. Still, for daily city & occasional highway need of a petrol AT, no other vehicle in the segment ticked the boxes like Jazz for me. So voted for it with my wallet. Been 1 year & 10k kms of smooth ownership

Altroz would have been the pick for its great looks and solid build but it doesn't have an AT. A non-AT petrol variant in this segment is criminal in 2020. TATA is just re-doing a Harrier all over again. When will they learn?

P.S: For diesel requirement things will get really confusing and all of them(except Baleno) have awesome diesel engines.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

I'm voting for the Altroz diesel as my pick of the segment, but I personally wouldn't buy any of the above.

Some of the competitors can be eliminated without a second thought. Maruti Baleno and Hyundai Elite i20 are both too late in their life cycles to excite me, have average engines (Both 1.2 NA motors may be excellent, but I prefer a punchy turbo petrol / diesel) and frankly - I don't trust their safety aspect.

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios 1.0 TGDi is interesting. I loved the engine in the new Aura and would have liked a closer look at the Nios TGDi, but then - my parent's 25k kms run Xcent broke down when we needed it the most (for hospital runs during the lockdown. Details here) and has the dreaded ABS sensor issues. Hyundai ownership has given me a feeling of being a delicate product, does not give me confidence to buy it as a mile-muncher and coupled with the extremely poor safety rating they achieved last time with the Grand i10 - I'll skip this as well.

Volkswagen Polo 1.0 TSi and Ford Figo 1.5 TDCi are very interesting prospects. Both cars are old now (Polo especially), but have respectable safety ratings (Polo especially, again), and still, looks timeless in the market (Polo especially, once again). I'm yet to drive the 1.0 TSi but the figures look impressive and there is no more worry about DSG issues - whereas the 1.5 TDCi has always been a nice impressive car. But once again, both these products are at the end of their lifecycle, and that somehow ruins the excitement for me.

Which brings me to the TATA Altroz. Although the petrol is lame, I did quite liked the diesel. Doesn't have the full outright punch of the Figo, but both these cars felt very familiar otherwise - both punchy and driveable 1.5 turbo diesels and good suspension setup on both the cars. Altroz looks fresh and modern and also packs a 5-star safety rating - which surely makes it the car I would recommend here.

Personally though - I'll not buy it because it just reminds me too much of my current car (Punto). Good looks, heavy build, a sea of grey interiors, ill-fitting glovebox, 90hp diesel engine (though the Altroz feels more refined and a lot more driveable) and questionable service reputation. No automatic to choose from either - makes it a very similar car. This is only a personal situation though! Unless Altroz comes out with Nexon spec engines, Hyundai comes in with a next generation i20 TGDi with Verna-spec power and proven safety OR some other manufacturers launch a product which is very different from the existing formula - I'll rather choose from Nexon / XUV 3OO segment where manufacturers seem to be trying harder.

[turbo]

Voted for the Baleno, although I'd probably get a swift instead.

I'm an engine above everything else kind of guy, and K12 just owns everything here.

[AYP]

This is a tricky time for a poll on these cars.

1. The segment best, torquey Polo 1.5 Diesel just got discontinued(would have been my pick).

2. The i20 diesel just got discontinued(would have been my pick after the Polo).

3. The Altroz diesel is yet to be sold to customers.

4. The Polo now comes with a 1.0 TSI in the Highline Plus, though there are no reviews of the same.

5. Hyundai has just introduced the 1.0 Turbo in their B segment cars which perhaps has finally dethroned the K12 as the most enthusiastic engine in the segment(not counting the erstwhile 1.2 TSI).

6. The BS-6 Jazz is going to be launched with feature additions such as LED headlamps among others.


A few months back, it would have been a fairly easy choice- Baleno in the petrol guise and the Polo in the diesel guise.

With multiple diesel engine discontinuations and debut of new turbo petrol engines by VW and Hyundai, the equation has changed a lot.

I would go ahead and pick the Polo 1.0 TSI as I trust that the 1.0 would continue to be the best in the segment(just like the 1.2 TSI) and not to forget the excellent build quality, elegant looks and taut handling.

This would be followed by the Jazz 1.5 Diesel, then the Hyundai Grand i10(due to the 1.0 GDi), followed by the Altroz diesel.

The Figo(and the i10) is a segment below but with its potent 1.5 diesel engine, would be my next choice followed by the Baleno petrol. The i20 petrol feels very lethargic to drive.


With the rumoured launch of the next gen i20 with the slightly detuned 1.5 CRDi(and the 1.0 GDi as well), I have a fair idea of what my choice is going to be in the next poll.

[ninjatalli]

Suggestion - both petrol and diesel options should be considered against each other as separate choice options. I believe the fuelprice-difference-means-kms-difference logic is outdated. Yes, the diesel fuel will always be relatively cheaper. But things overall are same for today's buyer; even with the above list a buyer is going to look at all 8 options together as equal (/relative) choices.

I voted Figo for the diesel avatar primarily. Honestly, any day I'd vote for the Polo 1.6 tdi (or the more recent 1.5 tdi) if it was in this list.

[AlphaKilo]

voted for Others and my choice is the Honda Jazz. The cab forward design gives so much space and being on the taller side of build, I prefer the Jazz merely for the feeling of space it offers. The boot is great although I
miss the magic seats at the back and a 1.5 L iVtec in the front!

[Reinhard]

I'm an oil burner to the core. So its a straight forward choice for me. Tata Altroz Diesel!

1. Rock solid build - heck even a European thud when closing the doors.
2. A Very sporty and engaging driving position. Love the rake of the front windshield.
3. 5 Star safety rating. Yep - I have a kid.
4. Excellent driving dynamics. A driver's car at high speeds.
5. Good practically usable space.

If I was opting for a petrol - None of the above. Each one compromises on one item or the other. And the compromises are not excusable. Here's what I find in all of these. One or the other in each car!

1. Poor build & compromised occupant safety.
2. Excessively high price for what's on offer.
3. Unrefined engine.
4. Lack of space.
5. Poor quality interiors.
6. High long term service and ownership costs.
7. Too old or Lack of convenience features.

So nope. No petrol premium hatchback for me. I'd drop a segment below, buy a Tiago XZ+ with all bells and whistles & save enough money for a large stash of petrol!

P.S. - I believe the Grand i10 really doesn't belong in this segment as such. I guess its an option to see if people drop others and pick a lower segment car instead?

[Sujoy76]

My Vote is for TATA Altroz Diesel

It's like a fresh air into the hatchback segment. The beautiful exterior is suitably complemented by well laid out and practical interior. Five star safety rating is just the icing on the cake. It has got enough power to surprise you on highways. To sum it up, it's one step ahead from the rest.

[Flyer]

For me its only diesels. Pre BS6 my vote would have been for Polo TDI, and 2nd option will be Altroz. Since VW have decided to discontinue the diesels and Altroz is expected to get the diesel auto in the future I voted for Altroz.

The Figo Freestyle Diesel will be my next option.

[PrideRed]

A poll that I found difficult to choose 1 car. I have slowly started looking for compact car to replace my Kwid which is used only for city errands. If petrol, I would go with Polo AT and if diesel I would go with Figo. I would have preferred a diesel AT but its not an option. Wild card entry for me here is Amaze CVT(petrol or diesel). Since my running is lower and need a petrol AT my final contenders at the moment are Polo and Amaze. I am sad that Ford axed the wonderful Figo AT, hope this soon makes a comeback.

[zaphodb]

Petrol -- Altroz. Although I'd love to have something with the build quality of Altroz and the performance of a 4-cylinder K12.

Diesel -- Figo