Top Hatchback Cars in India For 2016

►Edited by : Shahen Tharammal

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MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT

► REVIEW : India’s hottest hatchback has been on sale since 2005 and received a facelift in 2014, which is the current avatar of the car sold now. Yes, we are talking about the Maruti Suzuki Swift which got a host of cosmetic updates in Europe and Japan in mid-2013 and made its way to India by the end of 2014. Suzuki has stuck with the formula of continuity and has not changed anything in terms of overall design but has added a few elements both inside and outside to give the car a fresh appeal.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The Maruti Suzuki Swift continues to employ the 1.2-litre petrol mill and the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine. The former produces 85bhp/114Nm while the latter does 74bhp/190Nm. Both engines are mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Maruti Suzuki is expected to offer an AT transmission for the Swift in 2015 making it a highly competitive offering in the segment.

► PRICE : The Maruti Suzuki Swift is priced in the range of Rs 4.42 lakh to Rs 6.95 lakh

HYUNDAI ELITE i20

► REVIEW :Hyundai launched the i20 in our market as a premium hatchback and it has been on sale since 2008. It was one of the first cars to feature Hyundai’s fluidic design in India. The car was feature rich and was available in both petrol and diesel variants. Hyundai has now given a major styling makeover to the car and revised the interiors calling it the Elite i20

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The Elite i20 gets the same petrol and diesel engines from the previous car. The petrol is a four-cylinder 1.2-litre Kappa engine producing 83bhp and 113Nm of torque mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The diesel variant is powered by the 1.4-litre CRDI mill churning out 89bhp and 219Nm of torque mated to a six-speed manual gearbox.

► PRICE : The Hyundai Elite i20 is priced in the range of Rs 5.68 lakhs to 9.18 lakhs

MARUTI SUZUKI BALENO

► REVIEW : The Baleno is the new B+ segment hatchback from Maruti Suzuki. The compact car is positioned above the Swift in the Maruti Suzuki range, making it their most premium hatchback in India. Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2015, the Baleno is a global product that is solely made in India for the domestic as well as global markets.The Baleno is based on an all-new platform and despite being bigger than the Swift in dimensions, the car is actually close to 100kg lighter.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The petrol versions of the Baleno are powered by the 1.2-litre K-Series VVT engine developing 83bhp and 115Nm of torque. The fuel efficiency of the engine is officially rated at 21.4kmpl and it is available with a choice of a five-speed manual or the CVT automatic transmission. The diesel engine is the same 1.3-litre multijet from the Swift producing 75bhp and 190Nm of torque. It uses the five-speed manual gearbox and has a claimed fuel efficiency of 27.39kmpl.

► PRICE : The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is priced in the range of Rs 5.34 lakhs to Rs 8.54 lakhs

VOLKSWAGEN POLO

► REVIEW :Volkswagen launched the Polo in 2010 to compete with the Hyundai i20 in the premium hatchback segment. The German manufacturer has been tweaking the Polo regularly with cosmetic and equipment upgrades to stay abreast with the competition. Volkswagen also tinkered with idea of hot hatches with Polo GT series.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The Polo is offered with three engine options and three gearbox options. The 1.2-litre three cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine comes mated to a five-speed manual gearbox and develops 74bhp of power at 5400 rpm and 110Nm of torque. The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol, the TSi, powers the Polo GT TSI and develops 103bhp of power at 5000rpm and 175Nm of torque from 1500rpm. The GT TSi gets a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox which drives the front wheels. The diesel engine is the 1.5-litre four cylinder turbo-diesel and is offered in two states of tune – 89bhp for the standard Polo and 103bhp for the Polo GT. Even the torque developed in the GT is 20Nm more than the 230Nm available in the standard state of tune. The diesel is mated to five-speed manual gearbox.

► PRICE : The Volkswagen Polo is priced in the range of Rs 5.52 lakhs to 9.17 lakhs

HONDA JAZZ

► REVIEW : Honda first introduced the Jazz in India in 2009 when the car was in its second generation globally. Back then, the brand was running a petrol-only brigade and as a result, the Jazz featured a 1.2-litre i-VTEC petrol engine. Now in its third generation, the all-new Honda Jazz is available with both petrol and diesel power to take on the growing premium hatchback segment.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : Unlike the old model, the new Jazz is available with both petrol and diesel engine options. Honda is offering the popular 1.2-litrei-VTEC petrol and the new 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel motor. While the former is available with either a 5-speed manual or a CVT automatic, the diesel car gets a 6-speed manual similar to that of the new City.

While the petrol-powered Jazz makes 90bhp of power and 110Nm of torque, the diesel model pushes out 100bhp of power and a meaty 200Nm of torque.

► PRICE : The new Jazz range starts off at Rs 5.30 lakhs to 9.10 lakhs

TOYOTA ETIOS LIVA

► REVIEW : Toyota gained immense consideration after the launch of Etios sedan in December 2010, which also marked the turning point for the Japanese car maker in the Indian market. In the following year, Toyota Etios Liva was introduced and it helped Toyota establish itself in the numbers game as well. The Liva was built on the same platform and looked identical except for the missing boot. Like its sedan sibling, the Liva also has undergone many changes, the latest being in September 2016.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : Toyota Etios Liva is one of the most power-packed hatchbacks of its kind. The petrol version of Etios comes equipped with a 1.2-litre engine that produces a maximum power output of 79bhp with peak torque of 104Nm. The diesel variant of Liva gets the same 1.4-litre diesel engine from the Etios, rolling out a maximum power of 67bhp with 170Nm of peak torque. Both engine come mated to a five-speed manual transmission.

► PRICE :The new Etios Liva range starts off at Rs 5.76 lakhs to 7.62 lakhs

TATA BOLT

► REVIEW :The Tata Bolt is the Pune-based automaker’s new hatchback for the Indian market. Based on their X1 platform which underpins the Indica Vista hatchback, the Bolt too features an all too familiar silhouette but is a whole new animal in terms of features and overall design philosophy. It was unveiled at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo and is Tata's first launch for 2015 in the Indian automobile market.

The Bolt is an important product for Tata Motors and is a part of their business plan of launching new products till 2020. The manufacturer expects the hatchback to revamp the carmaker’s brand image and also help increase its market share in the Indian market.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The Tata Bolt is available in both petrol and diesel engine options. The Revotron 1.2-litre turbocharged Multi-point Fuel Injection (MPFi) petrol engine produces 90bhp of power and 140Nm of torque. It features three multi-drive options that include Sport, City and Eco modes. The oil-burner is a 1.3-litre Quadrajet mill that churns out 75bhp of power and 190Nm of torque. We can expect the diesel AMT to arrive at a later date, but currently only the five-speed manual gearbox is offered on both the petrol and diesel models.

► PRICE : The Tata Bolt range starts off at Rs 4.69 lakhs to Rs 7.40 lakhs

FIAT PUNTO EVO

► REVIEW :The Fiat Punto is the Italian automaker’s premium hatchback and has been on sale in the Indian market since 2009 with both petrol and diesel engines. The 2014 Punto Evo gets significant external changes as well as brand new interiors which it shares with the Linea sedan.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The facelifted Fiat Punto gets the same set of engines as the previous car- there are two petrol engines- a 1.2-litre unit that produces 67bhp/96Nm and a 1.4-litre unit that produces 89bhp/115Nm. The diesel unit is the 1.3-litre Multijet that exists in two states of tune- 75bhp/197Nm and 90bhp/209Nm. All variants have been mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

► PRICE : The Fiat Punto Evo range starts off at Rs 6.01 lakhs to Rs 8.10 lakhs

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►Edited by : Shahen Tharammal

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