Hyundai Aura
What you'll like:
An all-rounder of a compact sedan. Very well-priced for what it offers
Precise build & quality (
including interiors) are easily the segment best
Turbo-petrol engine is fantastic! The top choice for a Petrol MT compact sedan
Economical & practical BS6 diesel available. With an AMT automatic too
Balanced road manners & easy-to-drive nature
Features such as cruise control, wireless phone charging, rear view monitor & more
Dual airbags, ABS & ISOFIX child seat mounts are standard across all variants
Hyundai's competent after-sales, fuss-free ownership experiences & customisable warranty
What you won't:
Overdone styling - particularly at the rear - is polarising (
it grew on us though)
Narrow width makes it a 4-seater. Some competitors offer more spacious cabins
1.2L diesel has the lowest power & torque figures in the segment. Merely 74 BHP!
Tasty 1.0L turbo-petrol doesnt get the DCT Automatic seen in the Venue
Low speed ride quality is firmer than what one expects in a Hyundai. Bad roads are felt
Some misses (
auto-dimming IRVM, thinner spare tyre, non-adjustable neck restraints)
Ordinary stereo. Hyundais ICE hasnt kept up with the times (sound quality = 6/10)
175 mm economy-oriented MRF tyres give up easily. An upgrade is
mandatory Review Link Maruti Dzire
What you'll like:
A great looking Dzire
and an all-rounder too
Smart packaging! Spacious, stylish & practical cabin. Boot has grown to 378 litres
Sweet petrol. AMT available for just 47k extra
Suspension offers a compliant ride & neutral on-road behaviour
Impressively equipped (
LED headlamps + DRLs, reversing camera, Apple & Android touchscreen ICE
)
Dual airbags, ABS & ISOFIX child seat mounts are standard across all variants
Maruti's widespread service network, excellent after-sales support & fuss-free ownership experiences
What you won't:
Z trims are pricey. The top-end & automatics cost a million bucks!
AMT, although improved, cant match conventional ATs on smoothness & speed. Still gets jerky
You can buy proper ATs (
e.g. torque-converter or DCT) for the same $$$ as the Dzire AMT
163 mm of ground clearance & small 37-liter fuel tank do raise concerns
Some misses (
auto-dimming IRVM, skinny 165 mm tyres on L & V variants, smaller spare tyre on the Z trims...)
Waiting periods have already begun. They currently stretch up to 3 months
Review Link Honda Amaze
What you'll like:
An all-rounded compact sedan & one that's well-priced too
Spacious, practical interiors. Ambience is far better than the outgoing car's cheap cabin
Diesel + CVT combination is unbeatable! Indisputably the segment best
Suspension offers comfortable ride quality with neutral on-road behaviour
Features such as cruise control, paddle shifts (petrol AT), touchscreen ICE with Android & iOS, reversing camera
Dual airbags, ABS, rear parking sensors & ISOFIX are standard across the range
3-year unlimited km warranty, extendable to 5-years &
unlimited km What you won't:
Tall rear passengers will find headroom to be insufficient & the fixed headrests useless
Diesel's NVH, although improved, is far from class-leading. Not high-rpm friendly either
Petrol CVT is fair within the city, but rather mediocre on the highway
Automatics are unavailable in the top VX variant. Period
Dzire offers more 'bling' & features (LED projector headlamps, auto-headlamps, flat-bottom steering, rear air-con, nicer ICE
)
Look closely and you'll find a few faults in part quality, fit and finish (
uncool for a Honda)
The 175 mm tyres are too thin & the 35-liter fuel tank too small
Review Link Ford Aspire
What you'll like:
A very well-priced car, undercuts the competition
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
Airbags and ABS + EBD across the range. Titanium+ variant gets 6 airbags, while the 1.5 AT has ESP
Features such as that awesome touchscreen HU, auto headlamps & wipers, reversing camera etc.
5 year / 1 lakh km warranty with transparent + reasonable service costs
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 handsome face) feels old & bland compared to the newer compact sedans
Cabin width makes the Aspire suited to 4 adults, not 5
359-liter boot is among the smaller ones of the segment. Many others offer 400+ liter boots
Automatic doesn't come in the top variant with 6 airbags
Lighter build is a departure from the usual Ford sturdiness
Some missing essentials (
dead pedal, full-size spare tyre) & some deleted (
leather seats, height-adjustable seatbelts)
Review Link Tata Tigor
What youll like:
Great styling. A chic-looking compact sedan. Solid build too
Tata has put in a lot of effort on quality and it shows
Well-priced for what it offers; undercuts all the direct competitors
High quality, nicely designed cabin. Lots of storage and a segment best 419-litre boot
Good driveability, a compliant ride & neutral road manners
Amazing 8-speaker
Harman entertainment system. Sounds top class!
Feature list with 2 driving modes, parking sensors, cooled glovebox, touchscreen ICE etc.
What you won't:
Mediocre 3-cylinder engine. It lags behind the competition in performance & refinement
Concerns over long-term reliability, more so of the freshly developed engines
6-month service interval is too frequent! A 1 year interval is the segment norm
A rare Tata car that cannot seat 5 (
best for 4 adults)
Tata's after-sales experience remains a gamble. Service quality is far from that of Maruti & Hyundai
Review Link Hyundai Xcent
What you'll like:
All-rounded package in a contemporary design
Interiors have
best-in-class fit, finish & quality. Accommodating 407 liter boot too
Fuel-efficient, practical diesel & peppy petrol. Smooth gearbox
Loaded with features (
keyless start & go, reversing camera, rear air-con, cooled glovebox etc.)
Comfortable ride quality and predictable handling
Hyundai's fuss free ownership experience & excellent after-sales service
What you won't:
Steering & dynamics aren't to an enthusiast's tastes
Narrow width makes it more suited as a 4 seater, rather than 5
Boot aside, the
premium i20 is closely priced with more power, space, equipment & refinement
Adjustable front neck restraints, seat-belt height adjustment, full MID, auto-locking doors & dead pedal missing
Review Link