Cars under 9 lakhs price range are the most popular for the first time buyers and middle-class people in India. In order to fulfil our requirements, the Indian automobile market is fully packed with options to choose from. In this article, we are going to check out the top 5 cars under 9 lakhs in India. This review is purely based on its style, performance, quality, sales, and safety. Please don’t consider the number as positions as they are just for the count.
No.1 – TATA Altroz
Altroz is the latest and the first premium hatchback model launched by TATA Motors on January 22, 2020. It is indeed premium looking and one of my favourites in the hatchback models. The name Altroz was inspired from the bird Albatross. It is built on their all-new ALFA (for Agile, Light, Flexible, Advanced) architecture and Altroz is the first model to be built on this platform.
It is coming in both petrol and Diesel engine options: 1.2-litre petrol with 86PS/113Nm and 1.5-litre Diesel with 90PS/200Nm. On the outside, it gets halogen projected headlamps, LED DRLs, fog lamps, wipers and with 16-inch alloys. Inside, it is equipped with a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple Carplay and Android Auto support, voice commands, part digital cluster, ambient lights, front armrest, climate control, rear AC vents and cruise control along with some safety features like 2 Airbags with ABS and EBD, ISOFIX mounts, adjustable rear headrests, auto headlamps/wipers and parking sensors on both front and rear.
As mentioned earlier, Altroz is one of my favourites, since it has scored good points in style, performance, quality and safety. In fact, the Tata Altroz is country’s second Made-in-India car to secure 5 stars in the adult occupant protection after the Tata Nexon. The price for Altroz starts at Rs. 5.29 lakhs and goes up to Rs. 9.34 lakhs. I know it is more than our price range, but the extra money you spend on this model is totally worth.
I have already posted an article about TATA Altroz in detail. ( If you haven’t read it kindly click here to know more about TATA Altroz ).
No.2 – Hyundai Elite i20
The Elite i20 is Hyundai’s popular premium hatchback model. The Elite i20 is available in 1.2-litre petrol-manual (83PS/114Nm), a new 1.0-litre petrol-CVT auto (120PS/173Nm) and a 1.5-litre diesel-manual engine options. A couple of weeks ago, Hyundai officially released the first design sketches of the next-gen. Elite i20 hatchback and now the production-spec model images are leaked online, ahead of its official debut at the Geneva Motor Show and going viral over the internet.
On the outside, the new leaked images confirmed that next-gen. 2020 model will be in a sporty design with an aggressive look in the front with LED DRL-lined headlights and the large diamond finish grille and new dual-tone alloy wheels. The taillights come with angular Z-shaped LED elements, a faux diffuser and dual-tone black roof.
Inside, the 2020 Elite i20 model is expected to have a completely redesigned dashboard, featuring an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system and their own-house BlueLink connected-car technology. It will also get features like wireless smartphone charging, automatic climate control with rear AC vents, push-button start-stop, six airbags and a new steering wheel. The prices for Elite i20 starts at Rs. 5.59 lakhs and goes up to Rs. 9.41 lakhs and we can expect the next-gen. sometime in mid-2020.
I have already posted an article about the upcoming Hyundai Elite i20 model in detail. ( If you haven’t read it kindly click here to know more about Hyundai Elite i20 ).
No.3 – Maruti Suzuki Swift
Maruti Suzuki has got a massive fan following after launching its sporty hatchback model, the Swift. In fact, it is the only car with all the generations have always been best-sellers. It comes with both diesel and petrol engines with both manual and AMT gearbox.
Talking about the design, the new Swift is 110kg lighter than the old-gen. models. Also, the sleek looking front with a cute grille, a rising window line, and sharp tail-lamps gives a sporty look. Overall, the design indeed looks swiftly.
Inside, it is equipped with auto climate control and a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink. Apart from the overall quality is to be good but not great. Even the plastics in TATA Altroz looks more premium than the Swift. The 268-litre boot is fair enough to carry a good amount of luggage and even the rear seats can be foldable to take more.
Talking about safety, Swift scores 2 stars out of 5 stars for adult occupancy in NCAP Rating which is really shocking for the best-seller in India. In fact Suzuki’s Senior Executive Director, CV Raman confirmed that Suzuki won’t be sending their vehicles to be tested by Global-NCAP which is clearly showing that Suzuki is not focusing on consumers safety.
The prices for Swift starts at Rs. 5.19 lakhs and goes up to Rs. 8.94 lakhs.
No.4 – Maruti Suzuki Baleno
Baleno is the premium and the largest hatchback model from Maruti Suzuki. It retails from Maruti’s premium Nexa outlets. It comes with both diesel and petrol engines and also a petrol-electric engine with both manual and AMT gearbox. The Baleno is known for its spacious cabin with one of the modern-looking cars from Maruti Suzuki.
Inside, the 7-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which sits nice and high in the V-shaped centre console gives a good sight to the driver. As I mentioned earlier, the rear seats come with a good amount of legroom space. The 339-litre boot is fair enough to carry a good amount of luggage and even the rear seats can be foldable to take more.
Safety features like two airbags, ABS and EBS come as standard on all the variants. However, the NCAP rating of 3.5 stars for driver and 1 star for child seat clearly shows that Maruti Suzuki is not doing their homework when it comes to safety.
The prices for Baleno starts at Rs. 5.07 lakhs and goes up to Rs. 9.03 lakhs.
No.5 Renault Triber
Last, but not the least. The Renault Triber is again one of my favourites, because of its performance, quality and proposition. It is under 4 meters in length which is even 5 millimetres smaller than Maruti Suzuki Baleno in length. The Triber’s 7-seater idea was inspired from sub-4-meter Kwid with an SUV touch. It is available only in petrol engine option with a manual gearbox and an AMT auto.
Outside, the short bonnet, large wheel arches, roof rails give an SUV look. The chrome treatment on the grille adding a bold look to it. Inside, the cabin quality is fairly good with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system in the centre. Apart from this, it gets a part-digital instrument cluster and the multi-fabric finish on the seats give a premium look.
Well, the whole point of this 7-seater model under 4 meters is to accommodate as many people in a small car. And the Triber covered it perfectly in a unique way. With all the 7 seats in place, the Triber has a luggage capacity of 84 litres which is just enough to carry 2 small bags. However, the rear-most seats are foldable and even removable too. So removing both the rear seats will give us a capacity of 625 litres, which is clearly the largest space for any car of this size.
The price for the Renault Triber starts at Rs. 4.95 lakhs to Rs. 6.63 lakhs. If you have a big family and you want to get a 7-seater SUV under 7 lakhs, then the Renault Triber is the best option available in the Indian market.
Apart from the above list, there are some good cars too like the Ford Freestyle, Toyota Glanza (which is just the replica of Suzuki’s Baleno), Honda Amaze etc..
What do you think about Maruti Suzuki’s safety measures?
What am I missing here?
Is there any other car available under 9 lakhs with better features than the above models? Let me know in the comments section so that I can add it in.
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