The entry-level hatchback space has one of the most competitive segments in the Indian automotive car market. The segment is purely driven by volumes and majority of the customers are either first time car buyers or the ones looking for a secondary mode of transport. The key deciding factors for the buyers here are affordability, fuel efficiency and practicality. As the competition in the space is very brutal, the carmakers are now offering several comfort and convenience features to lure the buyers with their affordable cars. Here's a list of top 5 cars that you can buy under Rs. 4 lakhs (ex-showroom).
Price: Rs. 2.99 Lakh to Rs. 5.12 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Renault Kwid was a true game changer for the French carmaker in India. The Kwid continues to be the most attractive one in our books and also the most feature-rich in its segment. Touted as the 'Baby Duster' the Kwid comes with a crossover-like design with under body cladding, high ground clearance and an aggressive stance. While most of its SUV-like styling its superficial you do get some practical usage out of the car like the high 180 mm ground clearance and class-leading boot space of 300-litre along with a cabin that can fairly accommodate 5 average-sized adults thanks to its smart design.
(Renault Kwid is the best looking and most feature rich entry-level hatchback)
The Kwid also offers some exciting features like a touchscreen infotainment system with radio, CD, USB, Aux and Bluetooth compatibility, four speakers, a nicely laid-out cabin with piano black centre console, well-designed upholstery, digital instrument cluster and chrome accented AC vents. Moreover the company also offers a range of optional equipment and lifestyle decals as well. Under the hood the Kwid is powered by a 799cc, three-cylinder petrol engine that churns out 53.2bhp and 72Nm of peak torque, which mated to 5-speed manual gearbox. There is also a more powerful 1.0-litre petrol engine that makes 67 bhp and 91 Nm of peak torque. Along with the 5-speed manual, you also get an AMT unit as an option.
Price: Rs. 2.83 Lakh to Rs. 4.77 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
(Datsun redi-GO is based on the same platform as the Renault Kwid)
The redi-GO is to Datsun what the Kwid is the Renault. Based on the same CMF-A platform as the popular Renault Kwid, Datsun's redi-GO makes things a bit more interesting with its bolder design, tall-boy stance and insanely attractive price tag. Datsun says the car has been designed for the younger buyers and the styling of the car has been designed in accordance to that. Yes, Datsun has cut some corners here and there to make the car both attractive and affordable, which we have spoken about in you review and you can read it here. The redi-GO even surpasses the Kwid to offer the highest ground clearance in the segment - an impressive 185 mm.
Under the hood, the car carries the same 800cc, three-cylinder engine that develops 58 bhp and 60 Nm of peak torque while the 1.0-litre engine offers 67 bhp and 91 Nm of peak torque. The transmission options include a 5-speed manual gearbox and an options 5-speed AMT unit.
Price: Rs. 2.95 Lakh to Rs. 4.36 Lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
It is clearly the most popular entry level car in the country and the bestselling as well. Moreover the Alto 800 has also recently received a decent facelift that now checks the boxes when it comes to styling and features. Coming out of its comfort zone Maruti has even gone ahead and launched two new vibrant colour options - Mojito Green and Cerulean Blue. The car now even gets a newly designed front profile that features redesigned headlamps, new front bumper, restyled radiator grille and provision for fog lamps.
(The Alto 800 Comes in Six Vibrant Colour Options)
Although the base variant of the car sees no new feature additions, Maruti has added a number of new features to the top-of-the-line variant. Some of the new features that you'll be seeing in the new Alto 800 for the first time will include - new cabin trim, keyless entry, door trim fabric, rear seat head rest, passenger side ORVM as standard, remote fuel lid and back door opener, integrated audio system with USB, AUX In & Radio. The Alto 800 facelift continues to offers driver side airbag as an option from base variant along with other features like central locking, tubeless tyres, and rear door child lock. The new Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 is powered by the same 800cc three-cylinder petrol engine tuned to produce 47 bhp and develops 69 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are continued to be handled by a 5-speed manual gearbox.
Price: Rs. 3.7 lakh to Rs. 5.13 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
The Indo-Japanese carmaker launched the BS6 Maruti S-Presso in India last year in September. Dubbed as a mini SUV, the S-Presso is based on carmaker's Future S concept, which was unveiled at the 2018 Auto Expo. Maruti's new mini SUV gets an upright stance with decent ground clearance and bold design that helps the car to stand out of the crowd in the hatchback space. It is built on Maruti Suzuki's Heartect platform, which also underpins the WagonR, Swift, Baleno and few other models in its line-up.
(The bold design on the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso makes it distinctive on the road)
Under the hood, there is a same 1.0-litre petrol engine that also powers the Alto K10 hatchback. The engine makes 67 bhp of maximum power at 5,500 rpm and 90 Nm of peak torque at 3,500 rpm. The engine is offered with a 5-speed manual gearbox along with an AMT option as well.
Price: Rs. 3.99 lakh to Rs. 6.45 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)
Datsun India launched the BS6 iteration of the Go hatchback earlier this year in May. The hatchback was launched in the country alongside the BS6 7-seater Go+ MPV. The car gets the same hexagonal grille upfront accompanied by hawk-eye headlamps and LED DRLs. It continues to get body-coloured bumpers, ORVMs and door handles. There are 14-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels on offer. On the inside, the carmaker is offering a 7-inch smart touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
The car gets a best-in-class ground clearance of 180 mm.
It is powered by the same 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder BS6 compliant petrol engine, mated to a 5-speed manual or an optional CVT automatic transmission. The manual version makes 67 bhp at 5000 rpm and 104 Nm of peak torque at 4000 rpm. The CVT automatic version, on the other hand, makes more power at 76 bhp at 6000 rpm, while developing the same peak torque of 104 Nm, but at 4400 rpm.
You might also be interested to see the price of the best cars in India:
Renault Kwid, Honda City, Maruti Swift, Hyundai Elite i20, Maruti Baleno, Alto 800, Renault Duster, Maruti Wagon R, Maruti Swift Dzire, Mahindra Scorpio, Mahindra XUV500
