Citroen Basalt X AT vs Skoda Slavia AT: Real world mileage compared

Due to the Citroen Basalt X's price points and body style, it can be considered as an alternative to midsize SUVs like the Tata Curvv (another coupe-SUV), the Hyundai Creta and Maruti Victoris, and similar-sized sedans like the Skoda Slavia. In fact, the Citroen and the Skoda (and by extension the Volkswagen Virtus) not only have comparable ground clearances of 180mm and 179mm, respectively, the Basalt X Turbo and the Slavia 1.0 Turbo variants share the same Aisin-sourced 6-speed automatic gearbox and have near-identical ARAI efficiency figures. We find out which turbo-petrol engine and automatic gearbox combination is more fuel efficient in the real world with our exhaustive mileage tests.

Citroen Basalt X vs Skoda Slavia automatic specifications and price

Slavia’s 1.0-litre mill makes more power, but the Basalt’s bigger motor produces more torque.

While both are powered by turbo-petrol engines, the Basalt X's bigger 1.2-litre unit produces 27Nm more, while Skoda's 1.0-litre unit produces 5hp more. This is also reflected in their (approximate) torque-to-weight figures – tips in favour of the Citroen – and the power-to-weight, where the Skoda gains back lost ground. Despite being slightly lighter than the Slavia 1.0 AT, the Basalt X automatic’s ARAI-claimed mileage is 0.3kpl lower. In terms of price, the Basalt X's Turbo-AT variants – even if specced with the optional 360-degree camera that costs Rs 25,000 – cost up to Rs 2.8 lakh less than Slavia 1.0 AT trims.

Citroen Basalt X AT vs Skoda Slavia AT real world mileage tests

The Basalt X automatic’s real-world mileage is slightly higher than the Slavia's.

Based on our city and highway test runs, the Skoda Slavia averaged 11.95kpl, helping it achieve a real-world range of around 538km on a single tank of petrol. The Basalt X Turbo managed an average of 12.44kpl, just 0.49kpl higher than the Skoda. What is more noticeable here is the difference in the real-world mileage achieved by these two cars, which isn't as insignificant as their ARAI-claimed figures. Meanwhile, the Citroen's similar-sized tank means that it could go about 560km on a full tank, which is 22km more than the Slavia 1.0.

Autocar India’s fuel efficiency testing

Before our real-world fuel efficiency tests, we fill our test cars’ tanks to the brim and maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. These cars are driven in fixed city and highway loops in and around Navi Mumbai, and we maintain certain average speeds. Throughout the tests, there is only one person in each car, running the aircon and other electricals, such as the audio system, indicators and wipers, when required, just like a regular user would. Periodic driver swaps further neutralise variations in driver patterns. At the end of each cycle, we calculate efficiency by filling the tanks to full again.