[saurabh041086]

Originally Posted by GTO

What's hot: Aston Martin-esque face looks very stylish! Peppy 95 BHP 3-cylinder petrol is much improved over the earlier lethargic 1.2L, powerful + fast + efficient 1.5L diesel, excellent driveability too, mature ride quality, 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 very fair for the package on offer

While i was scrolling down thinking why isn't Ford twins a part of the list, i was pleasantly surprised to see my car's pic featuring

[saurabh041086]

Originally Posted by Mr.Perera

Is it just me who thought the Honda City and the BMW 3 series look like Ramesh & Suresh

I feel the same, from the day this version of City launched. More so when i see both parked side by side in my apartment and owned by same guy

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by saurabh041086

I feel the same, from the day this version of City launched.

The 'inspiration' has been going on for three generations now.

[Mickey1986]

Originally Posted by GTO

There are cars and then, there are cars. As BHPians, we aren't looking at a mere mode of transportation from point A -> point B. To us, the journey is as important as the destination...be it that simple early morning drive in the city, or the pleasurable 1000 km road trip with our families.

Good thing is, the vibrant Indian market offers petrolheads a wide variety of fun-to-drive cars. BS6 norms & turbo-charged petrols have spiced up the game too. And if you thought you need to spend big bucks to have fun, think again. Excellent options are available at each & every price point.

Best part is, most of these rides will keep the driver as well as family man in you happy. After all, the car of a typical Indian household just has to be a multi-tasker (ghat cornering on Sunday, work on Monday, kids to football ground on Wednesday, late-night revving on Friday, visit in-laws on Saturday).

Listed below, in no particular order, are the best enthusiast cars on sale today. Only those with a price tag of ~50 lakhs have been included, to keep the line-up relevant & accessible to gearheads.

Each of these cars will bring a smile to your face (*guaranteed*) in their own special way, every time you head out for a drive ! What's more, if you wish to enhance the driving experience, they are modification-friendly too (related thread).

Nicely put in words and right choices all the way...

Wondering a missing name here - Ecosport - the car introduced the Sub 4 meter CSUV category in India.. It has been a cult and most of its owners are always in awe of this beauty and call it a beast

Although you covered Figo/Freestyle but the in my opinion Ecosport deserves a special mention.. not just because I own it though

[jbpanda]

It is a pity that our market compels cars like the Punto Abarth to be discontinued. I own one of the last ones which were available and in hindsight regret having not bought it earlier in my life. The smile that it brings each time I drive it is unmatched. I had also driven the Jeep Compass sometime last year and have been a big fan of the car for what it offers to an enthusiast, notwithstanding the fact that its overpriced. Amongst the list, I would love to have the Jeep Compass and BMW 330i Sport/ M-sport in my garage.

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by karanddd

Honestly it's a very sad line up. There's almost no affordable car in India that can do 0-100 in 8 seconds even, which is considered dog slow in most countries with a genuine enthusiast scene. And I cannot understand people mentioning cars like the Ecosport and Harrier here. They're people carriers and offer very little to nothing to an enthusiast. For most middle class Indians a proper fast car is near unattainable. But thank god for motorcycles.

It may be the unpopular opinion and but you called out the obvious fact that people may not accept.

The bar for being classified as an enthusiast's car keeps lowering every year so much that I might as well say that there's no bar now. If it were me I'll keep the standards high and keep a shorter list of cars than lower the standards to squeeze in more cars to the list.

I have owned the Ford Ikon, Fiesta (Classic) and the Figo Aspire. I really feel bad for people who love to drive when I read, "improved handling thanks to the fatter 195 mm tyres" for the Figo twins.

They handled like Marutis to begin with and now people have to be happy with the "improvement"? It's not even remotely close to the Ikon or the Fiesta.

[jbpanda]

Originally Posted by kiku007

It's not even remotely close to the Ikon or the Fiesta.

The Ikon was certainly iconic and a hoot to drive. We owned an Ikon Flair and the push back unto the seat when you floored the pedal and the stability on corners was next level and much ahead of its time.

[ShivrajG]

Nice thread GTO!
you pretty much covered all the cars which any enthusiast would want to get their hands on this year.

Call me old school but I really believe if the higher RPM doesn't make any sound you don't get that Adrenaline rush. The cars listed in the first page covers it all, I would have requested to add Punto but its discontinued now.

So IMHO EV's can never make it to an enthusiasts list, they will always be Point A to Point B commute vehicle only (and good to nature), now before EV guys kill me I have driven Nexon EV and some electric scooters for the reference so

I also believe Seltos and creta are not much fun to drive and the dynamics are not that awesome then again this is my opinion.

[NT56]

Thank you for this lovely thread!

Originally Posted by ShivrajG

I also believe Seltos and creta are not much fun to drive and the dynamics are not that awesome then again this is my opinion.

I agree, while they are fast in straights the handling isn't enthusiastic. I was surprised that the T-Roc didn't make it to the list. It's closest to the very enthusiastic Vw golf which India may never get.

[mohansrides]

Originally Posted by karanddd

Honestly it's a very sad line up. There's almost no affordable car in India that can do 0-100 in 8 seconds even, which is considered dog slow in most countries with a genuine enthusiast scene. And I cannot understand people mentioning cars like the Ecosport and Harrier here. They're people carriers and offer very little to nothing to an enthusiast. For most middle class Indians a proper fast car is near unattainable. But thank god for motorcycles.

I was going to type this note in Hindi (using the English alphabet) as it would have sounded better; but I didn’t want to get reported for something that trivial. So, English it is.

In any case, Mr. Newbie sir.... Please don’t speak so much truth. It is not very palatable here, or anywhere for that matter. By the way, welcome to the forum.

Cheers

[Jamsukh]

Originally Posted by adrena

I traded in my Linea TJet+ for an MG ZS ev and I must say that is this a fantastic enthusiast car. Not have to shift gears is absolutely amazing. 0 to 100 in 8.5secs is brilliant. With a sports mode making it all the more fun. 350+ nm of torque being thrown to the wheels instantly is addictive.
It's not the perfect car but a damn good one to drive around in.

Glad to see finally an EV making to the forum of Best Enthusiast Cars. While it may be no Tesla but still with a flat instant torque it should surely give pleasure for darting out from the stop light.

Look forward to the ownership review of the ZS EV. While I see a lot of industry participation by Tata Motors with the owners of the Nexon EV and the efforts taken to educate as well as take continuous feedback from customers and provide software updates to the Nexon EV, I have not come across a lot of action happening with MG for the ZS EV and Hyundai for the Kona.

[punto_]

Originally Posted by jbpanda

It is a pity that our market compels cars like the Punto Abarth to be discontinued. I own one of the last ones which were available and in hindsight regret having not bought it earlier in my life. The smile that it brings each time I drive it is unmatched. I had also driven the Jeep Compass sometime last year and have been a big fan of the car for what it offers to an enthusiast, notwithstanding the fact that its overpriced. Amongst the list, I would love to have the Jeep Compass and BMW 330i Sport/ M-sport in my garage.

I have been using Punto 1.3 multijet for almost 10 years and it's a great car. I got a excellent deal to pick a well maintained Punto Abarth, I let it go. Not one day goes I don't regret the decision. Someone around our area purchased it, I kick myself whenever I see it.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by sumeethaldankar

I do not believe there is anything such as an enthusiasts car. You can take any car and drive it enthusiastically.

Finally someone who thinks like I do.

All this "enthusiast cars" thingy is overrated. It's always the driver over the ride.

I have seen guys owning the sorted out cars like the Abarth Punto / polo GT / Fiesta , but manage to suck at driving. For an example, they just couldn't manage a corner at the same speed that a real "enthusiast" driver would do on a pathetic handling car like the old gen verna or a tall SUV.

All things said, a below average engine is always a bummer.

[SouravS]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

I think the situation is 2 steps forward and 1 step back.

Backward steps:
1. Toyota: No sweet Etios and Liva 1.5 P
2. Maruti Suzuki: No Baleno RS & S-Cross 1.6 D; Also, no car with the 1.4 boosterjet
3. Fiat has dropped it's entire range
4. Chevrolet: No Cruze
5. Honda: Messed up the powertrain offerings in the Civic & CR-V; No Jazz 1.5 & Brio either
6. Tata + JTP alliance is no more
7. Ford: Removed the old Fiestas, Endeavour 3.2
8. Maybe nitpicking, but some friends have complained that the new 1.5 D from Hyundai doesn't have the magic of the 1.6 D

Couldn't agree more - having driven the old Fiesta (before they started with the Classic) and currently driving the Endeavour 3.2... Hope Ford brings in a equally fun-to-drive sedan soon

[sagwal]

Volkswagen T-ROC and Skoda KAROQ can also be included in this list



1.5 TSI Evo engine with 7 Speed DSG is fun to drive and stability of the car is very good at high speed.