Automotive manufacturers in India have had a tough time keeping the customers glued to their products. Just when you thought Maruti Suzuki had it easy, the other manufacturers brought in some enticing cars with some great deals and the customer, quite obviously was wooed.
But then again there was stagnation and the manufacturers had to go back to the drawing board to come out with innovative ways to sell their cars. This meant moving out of the restricted segments of hatchbacks, sedans and SUVs. This led to the discovery of the word 'compact' and made it a part of the common tongue in the automotive world.
That word obviously had a huge impact on the way cars in India were marketed and eventually sold, but still hatchbacks hold fort and now this time around, it is their turn to shine. With a string of facelifts and new cars lined up in the premium hatchback segment, it is bound to get most of the attention. We bring together three such cars that will face the heat when they'll be launched - the new Hyundai i20, the Maruti Suzuki Swift and the new Honda Jazz and mind you all three will receive minor/major updates.
The king of this segment today is still the Maruti Suzuki Swift but the new Hyundai i20 will be out in a couple of months from now, which promises more features and a better looking car. However, it is Honda, who will have a trick up its sleeve with the Jazz (or called Fit in international markets), because it will come this time with a diesel variant.
The Jazz is the longest of the lot as it is 4105mm in length followed by the i20 at 3995mm and finally the Swift at 3805mm. This also has a significant impact on the wheelbase of the cars. Yet again, it is the Jazz that gets the maximum space with 2500mm followed by the i20 at 2525mm while the Swift comes in last at 2430mm. Maruti Suzuki has managed to keep the weight of the car in check and it weighs the least in this battle at 1080kgs, while the Jazz weighs in at 1125 kg and the i20 1515kg.
The engines that they come in also are interesting. While the Swift receives the 1.3-litre, 74bhp churning diesel powertrain, the i20 will get the 89bhp churning 1.4-litre CRDi. With, the Jazz, Honda will maintain the 1.5-litre diesel, which goes under the hood of the Amaze, which will churn out 98bhp or possibly more.
All these numbers suggest that the i20 and the Jazz could make for a decent choice but there is another problem; the word compact. The premium hatchback segment has come under severe attack from both the compact sedan and the entry-level sedan segment.
With cars like the Dzire, Xcent and even the new ones which will be launched soon (Tata Zest) show that the companies are targetting this segment very aggressively. Competitive pricing and an extensive feature list could be the unbecoming of the premium hatchback segment. Trends in the market show that the 'compact' segment will grow further, thus threatening these hatchbacks' existence. However, Honda, Hyundai and Maruti Suzuki are soldering on and we hope to see more manufacturers doing exactly that.
Also Check - Comparison: Honda Jazz vs Hyundai i20
