[Amity]

I am surprised no one has mentioned Hyundai 1.6 diesel.

A powerful yet frugal diesel engine. You push the accelerator and it just goes ballistic. Consistently returning fuel efficiency of more than 15 km/l in bumper to bumper city traffic. On highways, nothing less than 18 km/l.

Gem of an engine.

[NiInJa]

The one oddball car that is real fun to drive in city, in its own eccentric way:

My dad's S-Presso

This car won't lick the road, will toss you around inside, won't give you a great steering feedback or reach insanely high speeds... yet, it is loads of fun weaving in and out, working the gears to get out of a slow moving cluster of vehicles and be the first one to leave the signal. Heck, it does a wheelspin in 2nd gear as well. I rip my dad's car whenever I lay my hands on it, and I haven't seen the fuel consumption drop below 18 kmpl. This car is basically explains the meaning of 'cheap thrills' succinctly.

I've not driven the new Alto, but I am guessing that is going to be fun car as well.

[CentreOfGravity]

The 5th gen Honda City i-VTEC MT. It has a dual personality. Drive it sanely and you get 11-14 km/l in the city and 16-18 km/l on the highway; life is good and all is well. But, the moment you whack open the throttle, all hell breaks loose and the motor really pulls, going all the way till 7200 rpm making you hold your breath, without breaking a sweat. It burns your adrenaline, not a hole in your pocket.

[TorqMaster]

Renault Fluence- extremely stable car at high speeds. A full tank of 60 litres can take you well past 1400 kms if driven sanely. Drive it past speed limits you may still do 1000 kms per tank.

Fun to drive in the highway, easy on the pocket, very comfortable and is our family’s keeper despite running 2.4 lakh kms.

[Livnletcarsliv]

We all know who is the winner here even before the game starts - "Turbo Diesels". While I am sure all the appropriate diesel options in the history of Indian automotive will be mentioned here, I would like to mentioned some exceptional petrol models in no order and not limited to
1. Swift 1.3 NA
2. Getz 1.3 NA (though not as fun as the Swift)
3. Polo/Vento 1.6 NA
4. City 1.5 Vtec
5. Civic 1.8 NA
6. Punto 1.2 NA
7. Ecosport 1.5 NA
8. Fiesta 1.6 NA
9. Ikon 1.3/1.6 NA
10. Zen 1.2 NA
11. Baleno 1.6 NA (old gen)

[apache_aayush]

Originally Posted by Nifty.Nishy

Skoda Rapid 1.0 Tsi

Absolute hoot to drive, but if you hold your horses especially on the highway, you will be rewarded with amazing FE figures (~20 kmpl on Highways @90-100 kph)

Having driven it for almost 3 years, I absolutely love the vehicle for its dual capabilities.

You just stole my words. This car has dual personality, you can drive it like a maniac and she will make you grin. You can also drive it gently to enjoy superb fuel efficiency especially on highways.

[IshaanIan]

• Laura 1.8tsi manual surprisingly good fuel economy on the highway
• Any K series Maruti unlike NA hyundai petrols, these engines love being taken on a trip across the rev range and don't mind holding any particular revs inbetween. Coupled with the lightweight of most Marutis this makes for near supreme levels of inertial control.
• 1.2 diesel Fabia obviously a diesel will be efficient but this is the only one on my list because the Fabia was such a well balancedyet easily flickable car and it handled the extra weight of a diesel motor on its nose, better than most.

[lina]

Erm.. my ZS EV? can easily give 6 or 7 km per kWh. Even at 120 kmph, it will give 4.5 km per kWh. Accelerates faster than any ICE car <60L. For comparison, 1L of petrol has about 9kWh and 1L of diesel has about 10kWh.

Agreed, its probably not the most agile car but its a super fun city car and overtaking/climbing hills on the highways is a breeze. All the while being way way more efficient than ICE cars.

[Deamon0508]

Subjective as the subject is, I think both my cars deserve an entry into this thread

1. 2013 Honda Brio - Absolute gem of a car, and it needs to be treated like a momentum car. I can't even begin to explain the fun I've had with it just rowing through gears in ghats, blipping the throttle at downshifts, easing the weight transfer, all the while staying much below the car's limits. I usually feathered it in Bangalore traffic and cruised at 130-ish on the highways, I usually got anywhere between 17-19 kmpl for different proportions of city and highway. If it wasn't for the need of a more spacious car, or the limits of having a one car garage, I'd probably still have it.
2. 2018 Ford Ecosport S TDCi - Well, before eventually moving on to hybrids and being tethered to petrol, I wanted to have a last hurrah with a diesel, and of course it had to be a Ford, even if they had shut shop. Most of the people here would accurately anticipate what I'd say for the car's handling, the engine's pull and efficiency. For me personally, the change in character with something as simple as lowering the height of the seat was mind blowing. Although I've not had as much fun with it as I had with Brio, I still have many more journeys to get to know it better.

[VivekCherian]

Originally Posted by Nifty.Nishy

Skoda Rapid 1.0 Tsi

Absolute hoot to drive, but if you hold your horses especially on the highway, you will be rewarded with amazing FE figures (~20 kmpl on Highways @90-100 kph)

Completely agree with you. We have 2 cars powered the 1.0 TSi engine and 1 car powered by the 1.8 TSi engine in our garage. I have found that both these engines can return fantastic highway mileage, if driven decently.


Our Octavia 1.8 TSi DSG. During this specific drive, I was a bit frugal. However it has consistently returned above 17 KMPL on 4 lane highways for my driving style over the last 3.5 years.


Our Polo 1.0 TSi MT manages to consistently return above 18 KMPL on the highway. I have seen figures from 18.5 KMPL all the way till 23.5 KMPL on multiple highway drives over the last 2.75 years.

[Avikbrio]

Well I am having a blast with my Stage 1 Remapped Polo 1.5 TDI. Light on the throttle returns 18-20 kmpl without a sweat. And when you put your foot down then its "All aboard the Torque Train!", while still returning 14-15 kmpl.

[facelyft]

My 2017 X3-Xdrive-20D is a perfect example of "best of both worlds. Gives me 15 KMPL in all sorts of traffic and with that rock solid Steptronic-7-speed AT, it is a breeze driving her through B2B traffic. On highways, cruise mode gives me more than 20 KMPL effortlessly. 26 KMPL has been the record efficiency I've achieved so far; Hyderabad outer ring road with cruise control set at 90 KMPH. "Efficiency records" that's another kind of fun

[theabstractmind]

Three cars in my family (all sold now) which fill both criteria:

1. Tata Nano. Serious fun when driven in City.
2. Figo 1st Gen 1.4 TDCi - a Go Kart with a Diesel Heart. Great Visibility all round.
3. Punto 1.3 MJD - more fun on highways and twisties. Rock Solid straight line stability under hard braking, great high speed ride. City driving was a bit of bane in stop go conditions with turbo lag in low gearing. Slightly faster conditions and it was in its elements.

The one which missed the bus - Ameo 1.5 TDi DSG. Loses out due to slightly harsh ride and average handling. Was pretty solid overall but after driving the Ford and the Fiat, it just had no chance.

Another worthy mention (my friend's car) - Tata Bolt Quadrajet. It surely brought smile on face.

[DR Manabendra S]

Originally Posted by HighRevving

? You should dig out their 0-100 timing and compare it to your Santro timing to understand why they are not being ricer-like whereas your driver is trying to prove a point for no reason by being aggressive in city traffic.

I guess you know what strong mid range is. And lets state it clearly, with their low ground clearance especially Lamborghini 's,and low slung seats, make them, difficult to maneuver within the cities, like Kolkata, where you have yellow taxis, cutting from the left, cabbies from right, autos from front , and kamikaze bikers from back., tell me how you will maneuver it. And also, regarding 0-100 times I have a nice idea of them, and also if you've ever came to Kolkata, you'll know why it's important to be agressive at traffic signal, or you will be blocked by those slow Ambassador with engines from 1950's etc etc.
And regarding traffic rules, well he is mindful of that.

[adityasiera]

Nexon Diesel. Never fails to bring a smile, holds the line steady and is a blast to drive on the highways. The worst we have ever got was 15.5 km/l, when we had to rush out of UP late afternoon and reach punjab by midnight. Otherwise we get a consistent 23-25 kmpl driving between 80-110.