8 enthusiast cars under 20 lakh rupees

There are a handful of “warm” if not hot hatchbacks and sedans in the Indian car market priced at under 20 lakh rupees. These cars, when given the stick, have enough poke to make your everyday commute more exciting. We run you through 8 of them.

Honda Brio

The Honda Brio is a pocket sized powerhouse with a 1.2 liter i-VTEC petrol engine that outputs 88 Bhp-110 Nm. The engine comes with a 5 speed manual gearbox. With a kerb weight of 920 kilograms, the Brio’s near 100 Bhp/Ton power-to-weight ratio and sure footed handling give it the feel of a go-kart. Top end variants of the Brio come with ABS+EBD and twin airbags. The Honda Brio’s manual gearbox equipped variants are priced between 4-5 lakh rupees.

Also read:

Honda Brio road test

Honda Brio video review

Toyota Etios Liva TRD Sportivo

The Etios Liva TRD Sportivo model borrows the Etios sedan’s 1.5 liter petrol engine that’s good for 89 Bhp-135 Nm. With 925 kilograms to pull around, this engine has enough pep to propel the Liva to 100 Kph from standstill in under 12 seconds. Toyota hasn’t worked on the suspension bits to make the Liva sporty enough for hot hatch credentials. A body kit comes standard. So, you end up with a sharper looking Liva, with an engine that’s best used for short spurts of manic acceleration. The Liva TRD Sportivo edition is priced a tad above 6 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Delhi.

Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP

90 Bhp-209 Nm outputted by the Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP’s 1.3 liter turbo diesel motor is just enough to get this heavy hatchback to good speeds. However, it is the excellent ride and handling package of the Grande Punto that makes you want to attack each corner that you encounter. The build is solid and so is the way the Punto simply dispatches potholes and other road irregularities. The Grande Punto 90 HP gets ABS+EBD and twin airbags as standard while other creature comforts such as an automatic climate control and Bluetooth equipped stereo are a part of the package.

Fiat Linea T-Jet

The Fiat Linea T-Jet, like the Grande Punto, is a heavy car.  The weight is well taken care of by the 1.4 liter turbo petrol engine that outputs 114 Bhp-207 Nm. A 5 speed manual gearbox, a solid build and a fantastic handling package are also a part of the equation.  The T-Jet’s pricing of 7.6 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Delhi, takes the cake. In a nutshell, the Linea T-Jet is one of the well priced driving machines that car enthusiasts simply love.

Volkswagen Polo GT TSI

A well rounded package that balances out sportiness and comfort, the Polo GT TSI is equipped with a 1.2 liter turbo petrol engine that pumps out 104 Bhp-175 Nm. The engine is mated to a 7 speed dual shift automatic gearbox that isn’t just convenient but is also quick shifting. The Polo GT TSI continues to retain traditional traits of the Polo range which include good build quality and sure footed handling. The car is priced at a little over 8 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Delhi and represents the top end variant in the petrol powered Polo range, featuring ABS+EBD and twin airbags.

Volkswagen Polo GT 1.6 TDI

The Volkswagen Polo GT 1.6 TDI is the most powerful hatchback sold in India, this side of 20 lakh rupees. The car is powered by a 1.6 liter TDI turbo diesel engine that outputs 104 Bhp-250 Nm while transmission duties are handled by a 5 speed manual gearbox. The Polo GT 1.6 TDI is priced at 8.1 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Delhi. The GT TDI’s positives include those mentioned for the GT TSI, while going a step further with a high fuel efficiency” figure being a major addition to this list.

Chevrolet Cruze

The Chevrolet Cruze features a lusty. 2 liter turbo diesel engine that outputs 164 Bhp-380 Nm. These outputs ensure that the Cruze is at the very top of the heap in the Indian D-segment car space. The Cruze can be specified with manual and automatic gearbox options, both six speed units. Like the Etios Liva TRD Sportivo, the Cruze is better suited to spirited acceleration sprints rather than hard cornering. The car is priced at a little under 14 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Delhi.

Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI

The Octavia 1.8 TSI is a latest addition to the enthusiast car brigade in India. The 1.8 TSI turbo petrol motor of the Octavia outputs 175 Bhp-250 Nm, to make for some spirited performance. A 7 speed DSG dual clutch automatic gearbox is standard. The bigger story around the 2013 Octavia 1.8 TSI revolves around its suspension, which with an independent layout at the rear, makes the car a sure footed handler. A car starts at 16.85 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Mumbai.