The Indian car market is full of options, there are many popular cars but there are some capable mass segment cars that are overlooked. If you are looking to a buy a new car but don’t want to buy the conventional options, check out these top 5 underrated cars in India. The list includes options from car companies such as Mahindra, Tata Motors, Honda, Citroen.
If you are looking to buy a new car in India today, you will be spoiled with choices. There are many popular cars in the market which make up for quite obvious choices. But there are many other cars in the market that are often overlooked despite being quite capable. For this specific purpose we have compiled a list of 5 underrated mass segment cars in the Indian market for our Times Drive reader. So if you love an underdog these are the top cars to look out for while planning a new purchase.
Mahindra XUV300
This compact SUV from Mahindra ticks more boxes than most of its competitors. Mahindra introduced this SUV with several segment first features and it has a 5-star Global NCAP safety rating making it a feature rich safe car in the segment. Mahindra XUV300 is priced from Rs 8.41 to 14.07 lakh (ex-showroom). It is offered in three engine options, 1.5L turbo diesel engine producing 115.05 bhp and 300 Nm of torque, 1.2L Turbo petrol engine producing 108.63 bhp and 200 Nm of torque and the 1.2 mSTALLION TGDI engine producing 128.73 bhp and 230 nm of torque. The XUV300 is often overshadowed by competitors like Brezza, Nexon and Creta in the market.
Tata Altroz
Tata Motors introduced the Altroz with very high hopes but it hasn’t been turning out numbers like it should have. There is nothing off with this product apart from the time of its introduction. Tata Motors introduced this premium hatchback in the Indian market, when the craze for SUVs was stirring up and sub-compact SUVs ate into the market of premium hatchbacks. Had this car being introduced 5-7 years back it had the potential to rule the market. Nevertheless if you are still looking for a feature rich, stylish, well built, safe and premium hatchback the Tata Altroz makes a pretty strong case for itself. It is priced from Rs 6.45 to 10.40 lakh and competes with sub-4M sedans and SUVs along with premium hatchbacks in the Indian market.
Honda Amaze
Well this is a shocker as Amaze has been one of the most successful products from Honda in the Indian market. It is still the best seller for Honda in the Indian market. It does make one wonder if everything is going right here then why it is in this list? The primary reason for that is that it is not selling volumes like it once did, even with its best efforts Honda is slipping in the sales charts. Its direct competitor is the Maruti Suzuki Dzire which is among the best selling cars in India. Honda Amaze is a very fun and capable car while being economical and reliable. Honda Amaze is priced from Rs 6.89 to 9.48 lakh (ex-showroom). The Amaze should be doing better than this in the Indian market.
Citroen C3
Some would argue that it’s too early to include the Citroen C3 in this list but if you look at the company’s dealership/service network and their spread across the country you can understand why it will remain here. It will never sell big numbers like Maruti Suzuki or Hyundai despite being a very interesting proposition. The C3 is facing the fate of entering a market that is dominated by existing players. The Citroen C3 is priced from Rs 6.16 to 8.25 lakh (ex-showroom). If you are looking to buy a new hatchback that is different from usual market offerings the C3 is a great option.
Mahindra Bolero Neo
Mahindra Bolero Neo is the rebadged TUV300 but after the company rebadged this car it never took off. The Bolero Neo is among the most affordable ladder of frame, rear wheel drive old school SUVs available in the Indian market. It is priced from Rs 9.63 to 12.14 lakh (ex-showroom). Among the monocoque SUVs this ladder on frame SUV stands out. If you want a rugged SUV with modern aesthetics then this SUV is a great alternative to other options in the market.
