[07CR]

Originally Posted by aabhimanyu04

Ford Ecosport Petrol - For the heavy body it has, the torque was just not enough. The car screams hard but does not go anywhere.

I guess this for the old lethargic Ford petrol engine? The new one has fantastic response across the rev range. I felt it to be even better than the ecoboost (which itself is very good)

I would like to add TATA Tigor to this list. It's good and spacious for four. But the engines were the weakest point of the car, and therefore, imo, it is the most boring compact sedan currently.

[bharatbits]

Surprised nobody mentioned the Linea Classic Plus MJD in its 76 BHP guise. Thats the car i currently drive.

[Ismail2512]

I was wondering why this was never discussed before. Its such a shame to see good products marred by weak hearts. Aditya's list is spot on! (except for maybe Esteem - its a little harsh to bring in a legend from the 90s into context here. It was more than sufficient for its time). My additions below:

1) Hyundai Elantra Diesel - this does not deserve the 1.6/1.5 when the same engine is just par on Verna. Elantra is an extremely well balanced car with build quality akin to the Germans as well as the interiors.

2) VW Ameo - came with a joke of 1L 3 cyl which also is pointed out the on Polo

3) Hyundai Verna Turbo - maybe an unpopular opinion - but if Hyundai had to pick just 1 variant of Verna with a "turbo" - they should have gone with the 1.4 instead of the 1.0. Verna 1.0 Turbo at 16+ lacs OTR is just pointless. You can get the same engine in a Venue and now Sonet for nearly 40% less.

[sridhu]

I own the Jazz & boy is it under powered! Does not like being hurried at all. And if you push it beyond 90 kmph, the mileage, which is the presumed reason for the 1.2 lt engine, drops like a stone. I get 10-11 kmpl on Bangalore-Madras runs!

I was seriously thinking of sourcing a City engine and stuffing it into the bay but not sure if the CVT can handle it. Or even the ECU.

I would even say that most of Honda's offerings in India are under-geared, if not under powered. I had the previous generation Honda City - nice car; comfortable etc. But the thing wont move! Realized what I was missing when I drove a Ford Icon of the same vintage.

[giri1.8]

Of all the cars I have owned, Tigor takes the cake. Alto k10 will feel like an missile on wheels compared to this. Specs are not bad on paper for the Tigor, but gearing feels way too tall and car feels dead slow beyond 80.

Lowend was quite good though.

[Stribog]

It has already been listed, but happened to drive a friend's Corolla Altis in Feb and was shocked at just how horribly anaemic the engine was. More so given that it costs upwards of 20 big ones.

[tejas.negandhi]

Well I owned one of such cars. Hyundai I20 with a puny 1.2 litre engine. The car was extremely sluggish.

I couldn't believe how I couldn't figure this during my test drive. I was so frustrated, I even went to the showroom and drove the same test vehicle again. The showroom guys fill the tyres @ 35psi plus they use the base model which is like 100kgs lighter, remove the spare wheel, etc.

[Hemantteen]

Well I own Honda Amaze at with 1.2 engine. Feels very sluggish especially with cvt. Sudden Overtaking is not an option.

[Lowflyer23]

The Honda CR-V diesel is an apt addition by the mods, I think it should be number one on this list for the price it comes. I used to drool over the car since it was launched but once I drove a college senior's CR-V, I never looked back at that car. Forget 35 big ones, the engine offered nothing substantial even when compared to a 23 lakh rupees Harrier The only saving grace was the auto transmission.
When my senior asked that if I liked his "powerful" car I had to say yes bhaiya (elder brother) it goes like a rocket

P.S. - No offence to the owners and admirers of CR-V diesel.

[zing007]

In my view the Ford Figo (2015 onwards) had a too puny engine. The 1.2L 4cylinder TiVCT, while its counterpart 1.5 diesel is a rocket, lacks the punch. While Ford tried the 3 cylinder variant in the freestyle and the new Figo, however, probably the only engine that could have created a comparable performance was the 1.0L EcoBoost. While Ford never introduced the EcoBoost with Figo, such a combination would have provided a true 'Dragon' rocket.

[jasjotbains]

I had the "pleasure" of driving my friends' Punto and Amaze (both diesels). Coming from a Figo and Swift (diesel), I must have aged an year or so waiting for the turbo boost. It felt like driving the car with my feet aka Fred Flintstones

[SS-Traveller]

Good cars with bad engines, before most folks here learnt to spell C-A-R:

• Ambassador 1.5L petrol, and more so the diesel
• Contessa 1.5L
• Standard 2000
• Sipani Badal / Dolphin / Montana

As is obvious from this thread, underpowered cars still rule the roost on Indian roads. It's a matter of pride for us to declare our cars win the race in theoretical fuel efficiency, powered by puny sub-1.2L engines that the government insists we must use if we want not to be taxed heavily. But did it really benefit us? (10 years of the Small Car rule (<4-metre, <1.2L petrol, <1.5L diesel) : Has India benefitted?).

[vishwasvr]

I used to own the first gen 2010 VW Polo 1.2 TDI, and I always loathed the 3 pot cylinder (I owned the mid-variant comfortline). While the fuel economy and city lugging capabilities were acceptable, highway drives weren't the best experiences.

I had installed the DieselTronics in 2015 and it made a huge difference on the highway.

Sadly had to part with the Polo and bought a used Laura 1.8 TSI.

[PrasunBannerjee]

Here's my list starting with the biggest disappointing engine in modern times:

-Tata Tigor: Great on looks, ride and handling, let down by the engines
-Altroz Petrol
-Corolla 1.3D
-New Elantra 1.5D
-New Honda Civic
-New Honda CR-V
-Honda WR-V Petrol
-Honda Jazz Petrol

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by sv97

Specially, after crossing 100 km/h the engine used to become so vocal it had to be slowed down so as to prevent the engine noise coming inside the cabin.

That did not stop the Toyota Innova from flying off shelves though, unlike some other cars listed here.

Yes; the engine was audible above the ton but most folks drove an Innova below that speed so it was non intrusive. The engine was tractable too.

I remember taking the Innova for a test drive and was mighty impressed with the initial pull of the car. The torque made up for the lack of power. As a passenger, seated in those rear captain seats, yes there was some engine noise but not to the extent that it would tire you from it.

The only other car from the Innova's generation that had a good diesel engine was the Hyundai Elantra Crdi. This car introduced us to the concept of "Fast & refined" diesels.

Originally Posted by Samba

Beat this!

True but you did have the option of a nice Isuzu 2l turbo diesel. Made the Ambassador quite fun (and scary) to drive and introduced a level of refinement that was impossible with the 1.5l engine.