Compact SUVs of the future: Renault Captur, Honda HR-V and the Skoda Yeti

We usually capture some popular battles but this is a bit more than that. We are just trying to bring to you a situation that might possibly be the most talked about point in the near future. As car manufacturers enter into the niche segments for want of more cars and catering to the larger audience, we are seeing a constant change in the way cars are built. They are no longer just small cars or sedans or SUV's, but segments that are hybrids and combine the two or more worlds, to give the end user a chance to select what s/he wants.

The SUV segment has seen a lot of interest recently with manufacturers coming out with products one after another. The Mahindra XUV500, the Renault Duster, the Nissan Terrano are just a few names that have shot to fame in the recent past, but there is more to come. There is a lone hero in a segment above this one - the Skoda Yeti - and it too is going to receive company from two more manufacturers.

The Yeti has been in a segment where the sales continue to dip as the years pass, but Skoda clearly hasn't given up and this is the reason why there are others who we will soon see in this segment. Car manufacturers like Renault and Honda might bring a few products to India and we feel that the customers are going to have quite a feast.

We put together three cars - the Skoda Yeti, the Honda HR-V and the Renault Captur - which will most likely be available at a similar price bracket covering 10-15 lakhs. The Yeti has been around for a long time now and is due for a facelift, which Skoda will eventually bring out. There is no doubting the capability of the Yeti. Available in both 4x2 and 4x4 versions, the 2.0-litre TDI engine punches out a generous 108bhp and 250Nm of toques. Transmission duties are handled by a 5-speed Manual and hence the performance of this car is staggering.

But then again there are others in line. If Renault plans to bring the Captur to India, the Yeti has a staunch rival. The Captur is a hep and hearty deal and youngsters are bound to fall in love with it. It comes in a 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel guise. The petrol version churns out 120bhp while the diesel gets a mild dosage of 90bhp comes packed with features which suit ones active lifestyle.

Now the most recent of them all was Honda's HR-V. Based on the Fit platform, it will be share the platform with the Honda City and with it may be its powertrains. It is not clear yet, if the car will come to India but we are sure, it is in Honda's big plans for the country. The HR-V might not only be a competitor of the Captur and the Yeti but even for cars like the Mahindra XUV500 or the Ssangyong Rexton.

All of these cars, the Honda HR-V, the Renault Captur and the Skoda Yeti are 5-seater SUVs and this does carve a niche in this very competitive market. We don't know how open Renault is in bringing the Captur to India but we can tell you it will be a sweet deal. However, we can completely imagine Honda bringing the HR-V here and it is very likely they will because it makes a lot of sense for the Indian market.

The compact SUVs are now going to be the most wanted cars on the list and car manufacturers like Honda, Renault and Skoda know it too well. We hope to see a healthy sense of competition soon in this segment.