India’s Fastest Accelerating Mass Market Hatchbacks

Snapshot – Want to know which are the five fastest accelerating mass market hatchbacks in the Indian car market? Look no further, as CarToq rounds up the fast and the furious machines that will simply thrill you with the sheer acceleration that they offer.

Volkswagen Polo GT TSI

A powerful turbo diesel hatchback with its massive torque would have been expected to rule this segment. But no, it’s petrol power that comes to the fore, with a generous helping of a turbocharger and direct injection of course. Before we forget, the lightning quick gear changes effected by the 7 speed twin clutch DSG gearbox ensures that 175 Nm of torque is deployed better than 250 Nm. Well, this is the story of the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI, which sprints from 0-100 Kph in just 9.7 seconds. This timing makes it the fastest mass market hatchback in the country. The car uses a 1.2 liter TSI turbo petrol motor with 103 Bhp-175 Nm outputs.

Volkswagen Polo GT TDI

10 seconds is all its takes for the Volkswagen Polo GT TDI to hurtle from standstill to 100 Kph. The car’s 250 Nm torque comes to the fore, delivering blistering acceleration when the right foot is stomped. The Polo GT TDI uses a 1.5 liter turbo diesel engine with 103 Bhp-250 Nm outputs. The engine is mated to a five speed manual gearbox. A twin clutch automatic gearbox would have made the car faster though. As things stand today, the Polo GT TDI is the quickest accelerating, mass market diesel hatchback in the country.  The diesel engine also makes it quite a frugal operator.

Hyundai Elite i20 Diesel

Hyundai has nearly eliminated turbo lag in the hot selling i20 Elite Diesel hatchback, whose 1.4 liter CRDI U2 variable geometry turbocharger equipped engine puts out 89 Bhp-220 Nm. One of the most powerful, mass market diesel hatchbacks in the country, the car uses a 6 speed manual transmission to send torque to its front wheels. The o-100 Kph acceleration timing of the i20 Diesel is impressive, at 12 seconds. The sixth gear also allows the car to cruise sedately on highways, maximizing fuel efficiency. On the whole, the i20 Elite Diesel is a good mix of performance and fuel economy. It’s a pity that the car’s handling can’t match the diesel engine’s performance though.

Honda Brio

Pocket rocket. This sums up the Honda Brio, which is a compact hatchback that sprints from 0-100 Kph in just 12.5 seconds. The car is powered by a 1.2 liter i-VTEC naturally aspirated petrol engine that makes 87 Bhp of peak power and 110 Nm of peak torque. A VTEC unit from Honda, this engine is rev happy, and screams through the five gears of the manual transmission. The Brio’s light kerb weight of 920 kilograms works to the car’s favour as far as acceleration is concerned. The compact size allows it to be tucked into the tightest of spaces in urban traffic. The steering could do with more feel though.

Maruti Suzuki Swift Petrol

With a 13 second timing in the 0-100 Kph run, the Maruti Suzuki Swift Petrol manages to land up in the five fastest accelerating mass market hatchback list. The car’s 1.2 liter K-Series petrol motor, a naturally aspirated super smooth unit, really needs to be revved to bring out its best. With 86 Bhp-112 Nm on tap, the Swift isn’t very powerful. However, the 960 kilogram kerb weight and the short gearing of the five speed manual gearbox works to the car’s favour while hot footing. In terms of handling, the Swift is one of the sportier hatchbacks around. However, a tyre upgrade is a must if you buy the lower variants, and want to enjoy the able chassis balance of the car