Best Sedan Cars In India For 2016

HONDA CITY

► EXTERIOR : The revised sedan is not a completely new product and development has taken place in terms of a sporty and aggressive design. This is based on the carmaker’s ‘Exciting H Design’ philosophy which is expected to make its way to all the upcoming cars from Honda. The changes include the modifications to the front and rear profile of the vehicle. The revised front grille displays a singular broad horizontal slat laden with chrome. It tapers upwards at the edges and gets the Honda emblem in the centre. The grille extends down to the bumper which sees another thin horizontal slat before the air intakes. The double barrel headlamps are wider. The front bumper, which houses the circular fog lamps with honeycomb surrounds, gets redesigned air intakes. The bonnet has two vertical creases to channelize the air.

The side profile of the car also exhibits the creases meant to reduce the overall aerodynamic drag. Though the overall length of the vehicle is the same, the wheelbase is longer. The top end variant of the car stands tall on swept back design alloy wheels while the lower models get wheel caps with a similar shape. A slight change can be seen on the rear bumper but what is worth mentioning is the two-part layout of the tail lamps. The outer part of the tail light extends into the sides of the car, while the inner part is on the boot lid. The chrome strip running horizontally above the licence plate slot spreads across the rear linking the lamps. The car is tall from behind but the height is unrecognizable thanks to the horizontal lines added to the back.

► INTERIOR : The interiors of the new Honda City are very similar to the layout of the previous car. However, the plastic quality has improved. It now gets a beige and black colour scheme with leather upholstery on the top spec variants while the lower variants get a fabric trim. The steering wheel has been revised and is larger than the previous one. It gets more buttons on it for audio connectivity, phone controls and cruise control.

The instrument cluster has three circles with the one in centre for the speedometer, the left one for the tachometer and the one on the right side to display the other information like the trip metre, the fuel gauge and the instant fuel consumption. The speedo boasts of two colours for the backlight- blue and green. If you are driving efficiently, the blue light turns into green. For tuning the car to the best possible efficiency, the automatic car’s dashboard gets an ‘Eco’ button. A centre arm rest is also present.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The new Honda City is being offered with two sets of engines and gearbox options. The diesel engine is the 1.5-litre i-DTEC unit from the Amaze sedan that churns out 98bhp and 200Nm of torque while the petrol is the retuned version of the 1.5-litre i-VTEC unit which produces 119bhp and 145Nm of torque. The diesel is mated to a six –speed manual while the petrol gets an option of a five-speed manual CVT gearbox.

► PRICE : The new Honda City price range starts from Rs 8.25 lakhs to Rs 12.76 lakhs

MARUTI SUZUKI CIAZ

► EXTERIOR : The design of the Ciaz is based on the Suzuki Authentics concept which was showcased first at the 2014 Shanghai Motor Show in April and then shown in production form as the China-spec Alivio sedan. It gets an aggressive front fascia with a trapezoidal front grille that features ample amount of chrome. The sweptback headlights and the elongated hood further enhance its street presence. The side profile is a rather conservative affair but one that works for Maruti Suzuki. It features delicately flared wheel arches, chrome door handles and a strong shoulder line which works well with the forward leaning stance of the car.

At the rear, the Ciaz gets the standard wrap around tail lamps which lend the car a premium look. The rear bumper is large and includes integrated reflectors. There’s also a lip spoiler and chrome badges across all variants.

► INTERIOR : Inside, the Ciaz gets a simple and clutter-free design. The dashboard design is reminiscent of other Maruti models including the Ertiga and the Swift Dzire with its all-beige treatment. The car gets keyless entry and start, Aux-in, USB, Bluetooth streaming with telephony, automatic retract for the ORVMs, reversing camera and navigation system. It also gets a sunshade for the rear windscreen, which will be appreciated by occupants at the rear.

The integrated audio system is a touch screen unit – a segment first. The steering gets controls for the audio system and telephony controls on the left unlike the competition that has buttons spread on either sides. The faux-wood and aluminium inserts, light colour of the upholstery and plastics lend a bright and airy feel to the interior. In terms of safety, all but the base variant get ABS-EBD and front airbags. The base variant on the other hand has to make do with driver-side airbag.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The petrol versions of the Ciaz continue to use 1.4-litre K-series petrol engine producing 94bhp and 134Nm of torque. While there is no difference in the diesel engine either, it now gets Integrated Starter Generator (ISG), larger battery and braking energy recuperation. The larger battery is charged by the brakes, which help in engine start-stop, also the battery assists the crank in developing torque and takes some load of the engine. The Ciaz hybrid has ARAI rated efficiency of 28.09kmpl, making it the most efficient car in the country. The petrol model continues to return 20.79kmpl. The diesel engine comes coupled with the five-speed manual gearbox, the petrol on the other hand is available with a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmission.

► PRICE : The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz price range starts from Rs 7.75 lakhs to Rs 10.73 lakhs

HYUNDAI VERNA

► EXTERIOR :  Hyundai had infused some freshness into the car in 2015 with the Fluidic version 2.0 design philosophy, increasing the car’s resemblance to its elder sibling, the Sonata. The car retained its predecessor’s silhouette. The creases along the side profile and on the bonnet have been revised, giving the car a fresh look. The front grille has been revised with two chrome slats while the headlamps get an edgier swept-back design. The rear of the Verna continues the understated look with redesigned tail lamps, a two-tone rear bumper and a concealed exhaust.

► INTERIOR : Hyundai’s ‘Fluidic’ design philosophy not only influences the car’s exteriors, but the interior too. Hyundai cars rank high on the value for money scale when it comes to features and quality, and the same can be said about the Verna. The car offers a plush look and feel and the beige and black interior with faux wood inserts help brighten things up. The instrument panel is backlit in blue and displays a host of information, which can be controlled through the steering mounted controls. The centre console features the controls for climate control and the audio player with 1GB internal memory and multiple connectivity options. While the Verna does miss out on rear air conditioner vents and a few other creature comforts, it’s the only car in the segment to offer six airbags.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The powertrain options of the new Verna have been carried over from the previous car. The base petrol variants are available with a 1.4-litre VTVT engine which produces 106bhp and 135Nm of torque while the high-end variants get a 1.6-litre VTVT unit churning out 121bhp and 155Nm of torque. The diesel variants also get the option of either a 1.4-litre CRDi unit producing 89bhp and 220Nm of torque or a 1.6-litre CRDi unit which is good for 126bhp and 259Nm of torque. While the petrol variants come with a five-speed manual gearbox, the diesels are offered with a six-speed manual stick. A four-speed automatic gearbox is also available in the top-end petrol and diesel variants.

► PRICE : The Hyundai Verna price range starts from Rs 8.02 lakhs to  Rs 13.33 lakhs

VOLKSWAGEN VENTO

► EXTERIOR : Design wise, not much has been changed in terms of the layout of body panels. The Vento continues to exude typical Volkswagen design cues with its neatly designed front/rear end, taut shoulder lines and a compact profile.

The Vento now gets a re-profiled bonnet with deeper creases and new front grille with triple chrome slats. There’s also a new front air dam and front fog lamps with integrated cornering lights. Move onto the rear and you will notice the old layout of the taillights albeit with revised internals, a thin chrome strip on the boot lid and a restyled rear bumper with chrome inserts and reflectors.

► INTERIOR :The design of the interior remains the same as before, but Volkswagen has introduced new colour themes and updated the equipment list according to the trim level. The Vento gets cruise control, cooled glove box and a dead pedal as all-new equipment. Standard features, meanwhile, include climate control, rear parking sensors, electrically adjustable rear view mirrors, ABS, twin airbags and a rather good sounding audio system with Bluetooth connectivity.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The diesel-powered models feature a 1.5-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that produces 103bhp of power @4400rpm and 250Nm of torque @1550rpm. This TDI unit makes peak power at 2,000rpm and redlines at nearly 6,000rpm. The petrol powered models, on the other hand, come with either the 1.6-litre MPI or the 1.2-litre turbocharged TSI engine. The latter produces 105bhp of power and 175Nm of torque, while the 1.6 MPI engine produces 105bhp of power and 153Nm of torque. Volkswagen is offering a 5-speed manual and 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox, depending on the version.

► PRICE :The VW Vento price range starts from Rs 8.26 lakhs to Rs 12.71 lakhs

VOLKSWAGEN AMEO

► EXTERIOR : In terms of looks, the Ameo will follow the traditional VW design which is subtle yet elegant. The front fascia of the Ameo is very similar to that of the Polo with the twin slat grille and a chrome underline and rectangular fog lamps. The profile is identical to the Polo till the C-pillar. The Ameo’s C-pillar has been thinned out with a quarter-glass added to make it feel roomy. The stubby boot fits the four-metre bill, but doesn’t gel with the overall flow of the design. The tail lamps are similar to the Vento but with a kink on the inner side.

► INTERIOR :The interior has been carried over straight from the Polo. The top of the dashboard is black, while rest of the trim is beige to make the cabin look roomier. The Ameo gets rear AC vents from the Vento, but that apart, the feature list has been taken over form the Polo. The top spec car gets cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, a touch-screen infotainment system, all four power windows and electrically adjustable wing mirrors. Like all VWs in India, airbags are standard on all variants, while the middle and top spec trims will get ABS-EBD.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The Ameo had been launched with the petrol engine only. It started with the 1.2-litre three-cylinder MPI engine tuned to produce 108bhp and 250Nm powers the compact sedan and mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. Volkswagen has also started offering their 1.5-litre diesel engine on the Ameo. The four cylinder turbo-diesel develops 89bhp of power and 230Nm of torque. It is offered with the five-speed manual as well as the dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox. We also expect VW to offer the 1.2-litre TSI with the seven-speed automatic with the Ameo just like the Polo GT TSI.

► PRICE : The VW Ameo price range starts from Rs 5.38 lakhs to Rs 9.55 lakhs

TOYOTA ETIOS

► EXTERIOR :  The Etios was originally called the EFC, or the Entry Family Car. Etios means Spirit and Principle which Toyota intends to give to its customers in India. More than 2,000 engineers in India and Japan have worked in close collaboration for four years to ensure that the perfect blend of local design sensibilities and unmatched global quality standards is integrated into the Etios.

The facelifted car in 2014 came in a new premium pearl white colour apart from the standard colours like symphony silver, serene bluish silver, celestial black, harmony beige, vermillion red and white. While the facelifted vehicle gets a revised front grille, the fascia is in line with Toyota's new design language which was first seen on the new Corolla. The silhouette and rear of the car remains unchanged, nonetheless, the vehicle gets a new 12-spoke design for the alloys. It also gets electrically adjustable mirrors.

► INTERIOR :Coming to the cabin, the most welcome change that the company got in 2014 is dual airbags across all its variants as a standardised safety measure. The Japanese carmaker focused on safety and equipped all the models with driver and passenger SRS airbags. The Etios sedan gets reverse parking sensors and a buzzer warning for seatbelt, doors open and headlights on. The car comes packed with features like steering mounted audio controls, wood finish armrest, chrome door handles, new seat fabric with height adjustable seats for driver, combimeter with new LCD display and digital clock and a cooled glove box. The Etios now gets two new rear speakers in addition to the speakers in the front. The infotainment system is a 2-DIN audio player with Bluetooth, USB Aux –in and a remote.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : Toyota has powered the diesel Etios sedan with the 1.4-litre diesel engine which produces 67bhp of power and 170Nm of torque. The petrol version of the sedan is powered by the 1.5-litre petrol DOHC mill that churns out 88bhp of power and 132Nm of torque. In both these models the engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox

► PRICE : The Toyota Etios price range starts from Rs 7.1 lakhs to Rs 9.14 lakhs

MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT DZIRE

► EXTERIOR : On the outside, the new DZire sports a new bumper design, headlamps with a black tinge, fog lamps bezel with chrome accents. The additional chrome elements and the restyled bumper give the car a more elegant appearance. Further improving the looks are the new alloy wheels. However, when viewed from the rear, this new model looks pretty similar to the old model with the same wraparound taillights and the stubby boot lid.

► INTERIOR : inside, the dashboard and the overall layout of all the controls remain the same although Maruti has added quite a few new features as standard to keep up with the modern trend in car technology. Thanks to the updated feature list, the top-spec trims now come with engine start/stop button, new upholstery, front and rear charging socket, electrically foldable rear view mirrors, audio and Bluetooth control on the steering wheel, reverse parking sensors and much more as standard.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The new Dzire comes powered by either the 1248cc DDiS diesel engine or the 1197cc, K-series VVT petrol engine. While the former develops 75bhp of power and 190Nm of torque, the petrol delivers 85bhp of power and 115Nm of torque. Maruti says it has made several changes in the engine hardware leading to improved thermal efficiency and reduced frictional losses.

The new Dzire, as a result, returns a claimed fuel efficiency of 26.59kmpl for diesel, up by around 13 per cent over the outgoing model. Meanwhile, the petrol-powered model comes with a fuel efficiency of 20.85kmpl, marking an improvement of over 9 per cent.

► PRICE : Swift dzire price range starts from Rs 5.39 lakhs to Rs 8.69 lakhs

HONDA AMAZE

► EXTERIOR :  The new thick horizontally slatted grille is typical of all new Honda cars. The front bumper has been completely redone and looks sporty with split air dam. The overall body-shell remains the same as the older Amaze and so does the side profile, except for the new design of alloy wheels. The tail lamps have been reworked and give a fresh lease of life to the busy tail design.

► INTERIOR :The Brio-like dashboard of the older Amaze has been replaced with the more stylish version resembling the Honda City. The black-top dash gets silver accents around the rectangular AC vents along with a brand new centre console. It still misses out on the display screen for the infotainment system but gets a 2-DIN music system with Bluetooth, USB and AUX connectivity. Steering mounted audio controls and automatic climate control are present. The beige interior makes the Amaze look roomy.

The 400-litre boot of the Amaze is largest in the segment – it is quite commendable considering the car is under four-meters in length. The only complaint that we have about the interiors is that the rear seats don’t split or fold. On the safety front, the petrol continues to miss out on ABS for the lower variants unlike the diesel which has ABS and EBD standard. The higher-spec trims get dual front airbags.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : The Honda Amaze petrol is powered by refined 1.2-litre i-VTEC producing 88bhp of power and 109Nm of torque, the same unit that powers the Brio, with the ARAI fuel economy of 17.8kmpl. The sub-four metre sedan also gets a CVT automatic petrol variant with an ARAI fuel efficiency of 18.1kmpl. The Honda Amaze diesel sedan is powered by a turbocharged 1.5-litre i-DTEC oil burner that produces 98bhp of power at 3600rpm and 200Nm of torque at 1750rpm of which the latter is completely flat and does not drop until we get near the redline. The diesel versions have an ARAI fuel efficiency of 25.8kmpl.

► PRICE : The Honda Amaze price range starts from Rs 5.64 lakhs to Rs 8.58 lakhs

TATA ZEST

► EXTERIOR : The Tata Zest follows the same principle as that of the Bolt hatchback in terms of design and overall appearance. The side profile remains the same up to the C-Pillar but thanks to the boot has a different appearance. At the back, the lights have a similar design to that of the hatchback with a stubby boot lid. All variants are being offered with alloy wheels, body coloured bumpers and chrome inserts on the outside, the final being added for premium appeal.

Above the base XE variant, projector head lamps, chrome weather strips on windows and OVRMs with LED indicators are standard. The top-spec XT variant also gets chrome garnish on the fog lamps, LED daytime running lights and LED guide rings on the head lamps.

► INTERIOR :The interiors are exactly the same as the hatchback including the overall layout, features and upholstery. The list includes Harman touch screen music system, gauges behind the steering wheel and two-tone upholstery across all variants.

The feature list is exhaustive with the top-spec XT (petrol and diesel) getting a touch screen infotainment system developed by Harman for Tata, climate control, power windows, electrically adjustable OVRMs, rear parking sensors, dual-tone interiors, door-coordinated cabin lights and day night adjustable rear-view mirror.

► ENGINE & GEARBOX : In terms of engines, Tata will offer this compact sedan with the 1.2-litre Revotron engine which is petrol powered and produces 84bhp/140Nm. The diesel engine on the other hand is the 1.3-litre Quadrajet diesel. Transmission options include the five-speed manual as well as an AMT which is a first for Tata especially in this segment.

► PRICE : Tata Zest price range starts from Rs 5.21 lakhs to Rs 8.70 lakhs

►Edited by : Shahen Tharammal

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