Everyone who’s anyone in the car business wants in on the diesel hatchback class. Among the most hotly contested segments in our market, diesel hatchbacks, despite the comeback of petrol, are still easy to sell and usually with a fat profit margin. And, fundamentally, there’s no denying the attraction of diesel. Fuel economy and running costs are generally stellar, and small diesel cars are getting more and more refined. The engines are now intrinsically smoother and less noisy, so fewer vibrations are making it through to the cabin.
The new entrant in this class is Ford’s exciting new Figo, a car that gets an all-new chassis, a new suspension and a big cabin. Ford, importantly, has also thoroughly updated its TDCi diesel. First introduced under the hood of the Fiesta, power for the Figo as a result is now up from 68bhp to a substantial 98.96bhp.
To keep this big, affordable diesel company, we’ve brought forward another large-on-the-inside and quite affordable diesel hatch – Tata’s Bolt. Possibly one of the most underrated cars in our market today, the fresh-looking Bolt comes with an attractive, well-appointed interior, a 74bhp version of Fiat’s 1.3 Multijet diesel and a distinctly un-Tata-like build. And the car is well kitted out, with features like a colour touchscreen and dual airbags.
The other car we’ve drawn into this comparison is Hyundai’s also-big-on-the-inside Grand i10. Built on a platform stretched especially for Indian customers, the Grand has a beautifully built interior and comes loaded with high-quality bits. It only gets a three-cylinder 1.1-litre diesel and that limits power to 70bhp – and what it loses out on in outright grunt, it makes up for in instant power delivery.
But which car has the edge among the three, and which is the best buy? Let’s get stuck right in.
Uday Singh
Lenny D'sa
Dipan Sur
Glenn Noronha
