1. Hyundai Santro
Launched in 2018, Hyundai brought back the ‘Santro’ nameplate which dominated the early 2000’s with a completely new design that features Hyundai’s signature large cascading grille, with halogen headlamps and neatly integrated fog lamps underneath them. It also sports a new rear-end with a faux diffuser, rear washer with wiper and new tail-light design along with 14-inch steel wheels with no option for alloys. The interior of the new ‘Santro’ has been heavily revised with a plethora of features such as a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, rear-AC vents, steering mounted controls for audio, bluetooth calling & voice recognition, rear parking sensors with a reversing camera and 2 airbags.
Boot Space
Fuel Economy
Ground Clearance
Price
235 Litres
P – 20kmpl (Manual & Automatic)
CNG- 30km/kg
165 mm
Rs 4.86 – 6.44 lakh
2. Renault Kwid
Renault’s ‘Kwid’ was truly a game-changer in many ways for the entire budget hatchback segment when it was launched back in 2015. It was the only car in its class to feature a touchscreen infotainment system & had one of the biggest boot spaces as well. The current ‘Kwid’ on sale today which was launched in 2019 has been completely re-styled & some of its exterior highlights include a new front bumper, split headlamp setup, LED DRLs, new front grille with a chrome insert, contrast coloured ORVMs, C-shaped LED light guides, 14-inch steel wheels with alloys being optional and an integrated roof spoiler. The interior of the new ‘Kwid’ has notable features such as a new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, voice recognition, fully digital LED instrument cluster and reverse parking sensors along with front ones as optional extras and a parking camera.
Boot Space
Fuel Economy
Ground Clearance
Price
279 Litres
P (0.8) – 25kmpl (Manual)
P (1.0) – 23kmpl (Manual)
P (1.0) – 22kmpl (Automatic)
184 mm
Rs 4.24 – 5.70 lakh
3. Maruti Suzuki Alto
Making its debut in the year 2000, the ‘Alto’ has completed two decades on Indian roads and in case you didn’t know already, “Maruti-Suzuki” has sold over 38 lakh units of the hatchback along with being India’s first entry-level car to become BS6 compliant. The exterior design, though updated over the years since 2012, remains to be simple yet fresh and likeable to some. The front single slat grille along with its compact design and 12-inch steel wheels make the ‘Alto’ look smart and winsome. The interior cabin has been heavily updated with the addition of some noteworthy features such as an elegant two-tone dashboard with the centre stacked 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, reverse parking sensors, voice recognition, front and rear bottle holder, power windows, remote keyless entry and front dual airbags.
Boot Space
Fuel Economy
Ground Clearance
Price
177 Litres
P – 22.05kmpl (Manual)
CNG – 31.59km/kg (Manual)
160 mm
Rs 3.25 – 4.95 lakh
4. Maruti Suzuki S-Presso
The ‘S-Presso’ is, in all intents and purposes, Maruti-Suzuki’s attempt at creating a budget mini-SUV for the masses. The company boasts of its SUV-like characteristics with its high upright stance, decent ground clearance and bold design. The fascia appears to be inspired by the Vitara Brezza, as it gets squared headlights and a slim grille with chrome inserts. The vehicle also features a muscular dual-tone bumper for an SUV-ish stance, 14-inch steel wheels with no option for alloys and the rear section features rectangular tail lamps, with a dual-tone bumper and integrated reflectors. Looks are subjective of course, but the ‘S-Presso’ definitely isn’t the prettiest car on the list by a long shot. The interior on the other hand is quite quirky as the whole cabin has been trimmed out in black with orange inserts on the dashboard and side AC vents. Some of the key notable features on the ‘S-Presso’ include a centrally mounted digital instrument cluster, a 7-inch touchscreen system with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, Maruti’s Smart Play studio, dual front airbags, reverse parking sensors and steering mounted controls.
Boot Space
Fuel Economy
Ground Clearance
Price
270 Litres
P – 21.6kmpl (Manual & Automatic)
CNG – 31.2km/kg (Manual)
180 mm
Rs 3.85 – 5.56 lakh
5. Datsun Redi-GO
Finally, we have the ‘redi-GO’ which has been completely redesigned and reworked for the 2021 model year. With this move, Datsun has managed to bring the design language of the ‘redi-GO’ in line with its parent company Nissan’s line of products. The exterior now features a brand new fascia which includes a stylish set of LED DRLs, re-styled headlamps, LED taillamps, body-coloured door handles & ORVMs, coupled with new 14-inch steel wheels with no option for alloys. Unlike the previous redi-Go’s interior which was criticized for its very apparent cost-cutting measures, the new one has been completely revamped making it far more contemporary and premium than the original. There are new key notable features too such as a new 8.0-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth connectivity & USB input, front power windows, dual airbags, reverse parking sensors with parking camera, premium fabric upholstery and piano black centre console finish.
Boot Space
Fuel Economy
Ground Clearance
Price
222 Litres
P (0.8) – 20.71kmpl (Manual)
P (1.0) – 21.7kmpl (Manual)
P (1.0) – 22kmpl (Automatic)
187 mm
Rs 3.83 – 4.95 lakh
6. Tata Tiago
Launched in 2016, the ‘Tiago’ was a welcome return to form for “Tata Motors” as it had finally managed to crack the formula of creating an affordable hatchback that no longer had any resemblance to its predecessor, the ‘Indica’. Thanks to this, the ‘Tiago’ has become a hit amongst the masses and has received its second update in 2020 since its launch in India. The hatchback now gets a new front bumper, redesigned head-lamps with fog lamps and a new grille which has really uplifted the face of the car as compared to the outgoing model. Additionally, the vehicle gets new 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, a black roof and black electrically foldable ORVMs with turn indicators. It is also the only car on this list to score a truly impressive 4 stars in the Global NCAP crash safety test despite having 2 front airbags.
Boot Space
Fuel Economy
Ground Clearance
Price
242 Litres
P – 23.84kmpl (Automatic)
P – 19.8kmpl (Manual)
170 mm
Rs 5.19 – 7.64 lakh
7. Maruti Suzuki Wagon R
The ‘WagonR’ has been a fan favourite among the masses ever since its debut in the early 2000s and till today after many updates & facelifts, it still runs strong in the Indian market with over 24 lakh of them in terms of sales. The current-gen ‘WagonR’ in India is in its 3rd generation and was launched in 2019 on the “HEARTECT” platform which ‘Maruti’ shares with its other products like the ‘Ignis’, ‘Baleno’ and the ‘Swift’. Thanks to this, the car is noticeably longer, wider and taller than its predecessor and can now seat 5 passengers with ease. Exterior highlights of the new ‘Wagon R’ include new dual-split headlamps with front fog lights, new front grille, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, redesigned tail lamps, rear wiper with washer and 14-inch steel wheels with full wheel covers with no option for alloys.
Boot Space
Fuel Economy
Ground Clearance
Price
341 Litres
P (0.8) – 21.79kmpl (Manual & Automatic)
P (1.2) – 20.52kmpl (Manual & Automatic)
CNG – 32.52km/kg (Manual)
165 mm
Rs 5.18 – 6.58 lakh
