Diesel vs hybrid crossovers in India: Which one to buy

Maruti Grand Vitara or Toyota Hyryder strong hybrid variants cost almost similar to what the new Hyundai Creta or Kia Seltos top variant diesel or 1.5L turbo ask for.

BHPian Carpainter recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Before I begin, NO, I’m not in the market now to buy a new car. I just want to start this discussion to understand what bhpians would prefer or suggest to someone in this dilemma. Especially after the facelift launch of the most successful car in this segment, the almighty Creta. Even the most hideous-looking design couldn’t quell its sales numbers. In fact, not just Creta but most of the recent launches like the Seltos or even the Elevate didn’t come with a hybrid. Everyone expected Honda to put the City’s hybrid powertrain in the Elevate to differentiate it from the Koreans and attain scale of production but they decided to go full electric only in the future.

In this market scenario, setting aside the rumours that the Government may offer tax exemptions to hybrids in the future, would you choose a hybrid over a similarly priced diesel/ turbo petrol? For example, MS Grand Vitara or Toyota Hyryder strong hybrid variants cost almost similar to what the new Creta or Seltos top variant diesel or 1.5L turbo ask for. Here, I’m keeping the 1.5L turbo out of the equation because the target audience of that engine is totally different from that of either diesel or hybrid.

For someone whose usage is below 1000-1200kms a month, buying an NA petrol (or turbo petrol for fun to drive) would be the best choice as has been discussed many times in this forum. Question is for someone whose usage is over 1500kms a month, what would you suggest?

Diesel had been the de facto choice for these customers but does the hybrid offer anything better today? After BS6 phase 2, even Toyota diesels are not as reliable as they were and many people are afraid to plonk big money in diesel fearing govt. regulations to hit in the coming years. Still, there are people who love the torquey diesel over boring and linear hybrids. But hybrids offer better future-proofing and greener footprint for those who care. Companies are offering 8 8-year warranty on hybrid batteries to sweeten the deal.

So was it a miss by Hyundai, Kia or Honda not to offer hybrids in their latest offerings or do we still have a long way to go before hybrids can become a mainstream choice? Also, if hybrid is the future that will bridge the gap before we go full-on EV (I like the idea of hydrogen fuel more than EV) as some industry experts say, then who are the target customers for their diesel options now?

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

Hybrids are very new in mainstream cars at accessible price points. They still have a long way to go:

• The customer mindspace is already occupied with EVs and there are so many electric cars! It's very tough for hybrids to compete with this.
• We need better pricing. Honda brought a fabulous City Hybrid, but they overpriced it. In Mumbai, the City ZX CVT is 19.xx lakhs OTR, while the ZX Hybrid is 24.xx lakhs.
• Toyota's hybrid in the Innova Hycross & Camry is damn good, but their choice of hybrid powertrain in the Grand Vitara / Hyryder is average at best. Noisy, 3-cylinder engine, runs out of steam beyond 110 kmph. In comparison, the Diesel AT crossovers are top-class.
• We need the technology in a wider range of cars and at better prices.
• Hybrid tech needs to come down to the 10-15 lakh segments. Let's start off with premium hatchbacks.
• We need more customer education on hybrids and their benefits (especially FE).

As things stand, I would pick a Hybrid or Diesel depending on the car. Among the 20-lakh crossovers, the Diesel AT of Hyundai-Kia is almost flawless. Big SUVs, the XUV700 & Safari have superb Diesel ATs. For hybrid, I'd get the City, Innova Hycross & Camry.

Here's what BHPian nutcracker had to say about the matter:

I just booked 2 diesel cars after much discussion and contemplation: the Altroz and the Jeep Compass. I am located in NCR, yet I made this decision.

My running is close to 20,000 kms per year, per car.

Yes, it was a big miss by Hyundai and Kia to not offer hybrid, I was expecting much more. And dishing about 18-22L on a 1.5L diesel engine makes no financial sense to me. (the Altroz is offering a punchy 1.5L diesel at about 10L).

I contemplated the idea of going EV, but the numbers didn't make sense.

So I guess I'm the target audience for diesel engines?

Here's what BHPian 07CR had to say about the matter:

I recently let go of a BS4 Ecosport S TDCI and purchased a Seltos GT LINE DCT. My monthly running is 1000 kms between my two turbo petrol cars (Sonet T GDI and Seltos T GDI).

Would I have purchased a hybrid Seltos if it was available?

Maybe. I had considered even a Hyryder, but was disappointed with the interior quality and NVH levels. The interior quality and NVH of Seltos, but with a hybrid would have been the ideal bet for me (even despite the performance negative). The turbo petrol of Seltos is very very powerful! I would have missed that power. But what I have seen is that Seltos is even more than adequate in Eco mode for me. So that kind of power in a hybrid would have been ideal.

Strict NO for diesel now. Not only because of the uncertainty of diesel but also because of the BS6 diesel DPF issues.

Here's what BHPian ABHI_1512 had to say about the matter:

After the BS6.1 and BS6.2 update, Diesels are almost as clean as petrols. This vilification of diesels is so unfortunate. Diesels offer more power and provide better mileage figures any day. Using diesel means you are burning less fuel than petrol and also getting more mileage which in turn means we are importing less as well. Given a choice as of today, I would steer clear of EVs and not hybrids as such but still go for a diesel car provided running is high and petrol if running is less!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.