[tiagoatrix]

Ioniq 5 seems to be missing from the list.

Most practical car (not just in EV segment) around 50 L.
Powerful, efficient and spacious as well.

[Kashi053]

My pick would be
<25L = Virtus GT, Jimny
<50L = 330i msport (one or two years old)
<75L = M340i

Other cars I would consider
Seltos 1.5
Xuv700 AWD
330Li

[pepega]

My personal garage has two of these cars. The former is almost two years old, the latter is hardly a month old.

I20 N Line DCT

• Fantastic package: Can be a family car or a fast car, depending on mood or mode. Might bore you with its undramatic nature.
• Mile Muncher. Bring on the 6 hour, 8 hour, 12 hour driving days. I've done ~24,000 km in almost 2 years.
• Unsure reliability (of the DCT), but backed by a 7 year warranty. Car will be kept stock for this reason.

Maruti Suzuki Jimny

• Others can go fast, this can go anywhere.
• Unlimited modding potential. Manual transmission and sorted NA engine means that warranty isn't a huge concern.
• Eye-catching and smile-inducing happy nature. Bright yellow looks will stand out anywhere and everywhere.

Sometimes I wonder if one CSUV could have accomplished as one car what these two cars accomplish together in my garage. But the CSUV styling never appealed to me, and the driving dynamics of most of my test drives weren't that great either. Maybe in another life, I would have had a Jeep Compass or an Audi Q3.

[Rajain]

I would add Ford Endeavour and Fortuner both.

The Fortuner is now in a league of its own. Bullet proof reliability, great service network, sorted, niggle free product which has a wonderful engine. Performance like no other.

Whats good - the product, fit an finish, the engine, a strong 4x4 performance, massive 80 ltr fuel tank, service capability and its reliability

Whats not so good - The middle seat and the sound system.




The Ford Endeavour, particularly the 3.2 version has now a cult following. Super safe, wonderful engine, take me anywhere attitude, a cabin comfort (with that noise cancelling feature) - it is the vehicle to ride to your own funeral. Also has 80 ltr fuel tank.

Whats good - the engine, the suspension, the steering, the noise cancellation, the seriously safe ride and its 4x4 hardware

Whats not so good - the head unit (you can replace it), and now the dwindling service network.



From an expedition vehicle - I think nothing comes close to the Hilux from a performance standpoint. There are vehicles and then there are vehicles. Hilux feels like from another planet.



Cheers
Rajain

[Omkar]

Originally Posted by fhdowntheline

XUV7OO is missing here, especially the petrol variant. 200 horses pulling 380NM are too strong to ignore!

Hey fhdowntheline, on paper, yes, the numbers are impressive. However, as a package, people are buying it for its practicality and features. Even the multi-link rear suspension, allows more dynamic control over torsion beam of the Safari, but is still on the softer side and tuned for comfort. Hence not on the list.

Originally Posted by JunkyardHunter

Xc40 recharge is missing from the list. 400BHP and 600+ Nm in a hatchback makes for craaaazy results!

The C40 Recharge has been added to the list, which is more enthusiast focused with is coupe like body shape.

Originally Posted by gck_tourer

Hey Omkar, I agree with all your cars except Honda City in the list. It's one of the most boring cars to drive especially on ghats. I don't like the interiors of XUV 300 and XUV 400 although the engines are super refined.

The Honda City gets a lot of flak, but remember that it has the last of good naturally aspirated engines on sale. The BS6.2 has dulled its performance a tad bit, but it's still a revv happy NA engine. In comparison, the Hyundai 1.5 NA (Verna) is more for sedate driving and so are the smaller 1.2L engines.

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

Tata Tiago EV qualifies for this thread as well. Perfect city hatch which is like a point and shoot camera.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/electric-cars/260439-tata-tiago-electric-review.html

Yes, the Tiago EV is quick, but I'd say that it's still focused on maximizing range than performance.

Originally Posted by XDriver

Great list of cars in different segments. I would add the X3 M40i and Merc AMG C43 coupe. Truly fast and ferocious SUVs.

Hey XDriver, we've kept a cap of Rs. 75 lakh. The X3 M40i & C43 coupe are above that, hence not included.

Originally Posted by tiagoatrix

Ioniq 5 seems to be missing from the list.

Most practical car (not just in EV segment) around 50 L.
Powerful, efficient and spacious as well.

Since we included the Kia EV6, we decided on excluding the Ioniq 5. In comparison, the EV6 gets AWD and is quicker too.

Originally Posted by Zippy_wheels

The article should have been updated with current information. For example Virtus/Slavia are now available in other variants too with 1.5 l engine. Also electric driver seat adjustment is available now.

Thanks for pointing it out Zippy_wheels . Updated the article.

[Zippy_wheels]

Originally Posted by Omkar

missing some features such as a subwoofer, driving modes (sport), and 360-degree camera, turbo-petrols are very sensitive to driving style...

Thanks for updating the article Omkar! I had a couple of doubts/ questions.
1) It appears subwoofer is also provided now. I have an older model that did not come with it, so I am not sure if subwoofer is available across all models or not.
2) There is a sports mode available. I dont know if there is a major difference between true sports mode available on other cars since I have not used it on other cars. If you know - can you please clarify on the difference between the sports mode available on Slavia/Virtus vs sports mode in other cars?

[Omkar]

Originally Posted by Zippy_wheels

Thanks for updating the article Omkar! I had a couple of doubts/ questions.
1) It appears subwoofer is also provided now. I have an older model that did not come with it, so I am not sure if subwoofer is available across all models or not.

Yes, the Virtus and Taigun still don't get a subwoofer. In Kushaq and Slavia, it's available in the top-end variants with sunroof.

2) There is a sports mode available. I dont know if there is a major difference between true sports mode available on other cars since I have not used it on other cars. If you know - can you please clarify on the difference between the sports mode available on Slavia/Virtus vs sports mode in other cars?

The Sport mode in the Slavia / Virtus is of the gearbox, but not of the engine map. That's the major difference. With the Gearbox 'S' mode, it holds the gears for slightly longer and the shifts are a bit more aggressive.

With the drive modes like say in the new Hyundai Verna, you get 3 engine maps - Eco, Normal and Sport. This allows you the flexibility of either extracting maximum efficiency or performance based on your needs.

[vredesbyrd]

Surprised to see Fortuner (that 2.8L is something) and Scorpio N (unreal handling from a BoF) missing here while Marutis and Venue are added

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Zippy_wheels

...can you please clarify on the difference between the sports mode available on Slavia/Virtus vs sports mode in other cars?

I'll give you an apples to apples comparison.

Drove the i20 N-Line pre-facelift and facelift back-to-back. Pre-facelift had a Sport mode on the gearbox, but Hyundai took it off the facelift (only D & M on the gearbox now), and added Eco-Normal-Sport engine drive modes instead.

It solves two issues people had with the pre-facelift:

1. When you want to potter around town and don't care about lag because you're not getting anywhere in a hurry, Eco-Normal works great to mute throttle response and remove the turbo-lag induced low-speed, mid-rev jerkiness. It's slow(er) and smooth(er), perfect for traffic and avoiding PDA with the car ahead of you.

2. Sport drive mode actually makes the motor more responsive lower down; combine that with a proper M mode, you can really have some fun around twisties and B-roads. It's not a night & day difference, but you can tell the peppier drive mode is more fun that just the gearbox holding revs and delaying upshifts.

I was skeptical going in and not a fan of removing things, but I prefer the newer setup.

Friendly BHP-ian ChiragM's pre-facelift N-Line on some fantastic B-roads along the Arkavathi river near Ramanagara. Small packages can be fun with the right bits!


Windows down, tap the paddles, give it the beans and hear the exhaust pop and crackle as you throw it around a road barely a car wide!

[jithin23]

In the pre-worshipped market, The EcoSport Diesel, Polo TDI , Jetta TDI and the Polo GT has a mad fan following till date. Holds good value. Even the Figo 1.5 AT is an absolute sleeper but a unicorn! Even the Chevy Cruze is a fun car in a budget!

[SmilesPerGallon]

Originally Posted by Omkar

Yes, the Virtus and Taigun still don't get a subwoofer. In Kushaq and Slavia, it's available in the top-end variants with sunroof.

The Taigun (Topline and GT+) and Virtus GT got a subwoofer and amplifier recently as mentioned in their website.

Originally Posted by Omkar

148 BHP engine makes the Taigun / Kushaq one of the most fun-to-drive crossovers in the segment, sporty 1.5L turbo-petrol is mated to slick 6-speed MT & quick DSG, sorted suspension offers a balanced ride & handling package

Since Taigun is more of a jacked-up hatchback (which is actually good for handling), how would the i20 N-Line (now a proper manual is available), Taigun, Virtus will compare in terms of handling? The Taigun feels almost as good as Virtus to me due to 17 inch wheels and only 9mm extra ground clearance.

[myavu]

I believe we can add Honda Elevate 1.5 MT VX or ZX to this list.

Definitely it's an Enthusiast Car for it's stance, NA peppiness, better (than expected) ride and handling, etc.

[fhdowntheline]

Originally Posted by myavu

I believe we can add Honda Elevate 1.5 MT VX or ZX to this list.

Definitely it's an Enthusiast Car for it's stance, NA peppiness, better (than expected) ride and handling, etc.

Taigun, Elevate - are we pushing the i20 N Line up or pulling CSUVs down? The CSUVs do have an equivalent competitor - Venue N Line.

The i20 N Line stands alone in the current scheme of things. Too bad VW lost faith in the Polo. Even a sticker edition "Rallye" Polo 1.0 TSI would have put up a great competition.

[vivekgk]

I feel that the Scorpio N deserves to be on this list for its performance and pure muscle car appeal. The 2WD models are the closest thing that you can get to a real muscle car with the torquey engines and RWD. Even the handling is fun when you consider the dimensions and weight of the thing. I may be biased as I own one though..

May be it's time to induct the BE6 in this list as well.