Top 5 performance hatchbacks

India’s hatchback market is quite crowded with over 40 different models available in both petrol and diesel engine choices. If you are looking for a car with the best performance among hatchbacks and premium hatchbacks, it is quite difficult to pick one.

CarToq simplifies the choice for you by looking at cars with the best performance on offer among all the hatchbacks and premium hatchbacks in India. We have ranked all the cars based on their power-to-weight ratio.

Here are the results (see table).

Top 5 performance petrol hatchbacks

Hyundai i20 Petrol automatic

Maruti Alto K10 VXI

Toyota Etios Liva VX

Maruti Swift ZXI

Honda Jazz X

Top 5 performance diesel hatchbacks

Hyundai i20 Asta CRDI

Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP

Maruti Swift ZDI

Tata Vista ZX Quadrajet

Toyota Etios Liva GD

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Hyundai i20 1.4 Petrol automatic

Among petrol hatchbacks and premium hatchbacks in India, the car with the best performance (going by power-to-weight ratio) is the Hyundai i20 petrol automatic, with a 1.4 litre petrol engine that puts out 100 bhp of power with a kerb weight of 1110 Kg, giving it an overall power-to-weight ratio of 90.1 bhp per ton. The car has a 4-speed automatic transmission and is fairly expensive at Rs. 8.2 lakh ex-showroom.

 

Maruti Alto K10 VXI

The Maruti Alto K10 VXI is the car with the most bang for your buck. The vehicle has an extremely light body, weighing only 765 Kg, with a 1-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine that puts out 67 bhp of power, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 87.6 bhp per ton, beating even some other premium hatchbacks in the power stakes. It is also relatively cheap, priced at Rs. 3.3 lakh ex-showroom.

 

Toyota Liva VX

The third place among the most powerful hatchbacks in India goes to an unlikely contender, the Toyota Etios Liva VX .This car has a 1.2 litre petrol engine that puts out just 79 bhp of power. However, it also has a fairly light body (the result of all the cost-saving engineering), weighing just 920 Kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 85.9 bhp per ton, just slightly ahead of the Swift ZXi on paper. The Toyota Etios Liva VX is priced at Rs. 6.10 lakh ex-showroom.

Maruti Swift ZXI

The Maruti Swift ZXI is the most popular premium hatchback and is known to be a driver’s car. It has a very peppy 1.2 litre engine that puts out 86 bhp of power with a kerb weight of 1010 Kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 85.1 bhp per ton, almost at a par with its engine’s rated power output. The Swift ZXI is priced at Rs. 5.7 lakh ex-showroom. Also read: Best performing mid-size sedans in India

Honda Jazz X

“The fifth spot goes to the Honda Jazz X, which has the most powerful engine among cars with a 1.2 litre petrol engine. The Jazz X puts out 89 bhp of power but is slightly heavier than the Swift at 1060 Kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 84 bhp per ton. This car is spacious and sporty to drive. The Jazz X is priced at Rs. 6.1 lakh ex-showroom.

Hyundai i20 Asta CRDi

Among the diesel hatchbacks and premium hatchbacks in India, the Hyundai i20 Asta CRDI emerges as the hatchback with the most power-to-weight ratio. It is powered by a 1.4 litre diesel engine that puts out 94 bhp of power with a kerb-weight of 1065 Kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 84.5 bhp per ton. The car is fairly expensive at Rs. 7.5 lakh ex-showroom.

Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP

The Fiat Grande Punto 90 HP closely follows the Hyundai I20 in the power stakes among diesel premium hatchbacks. The Fiat Punto has the most power output among diesel premium hatches, but is penalized because of a heavier body. It puts out 92 bhp of power from its 1.3 litre diesel engine, but has a kerb weight of 1130 Kg, giving it a power to weight ratio of 81.5 bhp per ton. It is one of the most value-for-money premium hatches when you consider the power output as well, priced at Rs. 6.9 lakh. Also read: Best performing SUVs in India below Rs. 15 lakh

Maruti Swift ZDI

The third car that makes it to the list of most powerful diesel premium hatchbacks in India is the Maruti Swift ZDI. It is powered by a 1.3 litre diesel engine that puts out 74 bhp of power and it has a kerb weight of 1080 Kg, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 68.5 bhp per ton. This is significantly lower than the Fiat Punto and the Hyundai i20. The Swift ZDI is priced at Rs. 6.5 lakh ex-showroom.

Tata Vista Quadrajet VX

The Vista Quadrajet is exactly at par in the power stakes with the Maruti Swift, tying for third place. It has the same engine as the Swift and is also about the same kerb weight, being marginally heavier variant for variant on the lower variants, but at the same in the top-end variant. The Vista is more value for money at Rs. 6.15 lakh ex-showroom.

Toyota Etios Liva GD

The fifth contender for the diesel premium hatchback with the most power-to-weight is the Toyota LIva GD. It has a power to weight ratio of 68.4 bhp per ton owing to its fairly light kerb weight of under a ton. This also accounts for why the Liva is a very fuel efficient diesel premium hatchback. It is slightly premium at Rs. 5.7 lakh ex-showroom, compared to the features it offers. Also read: Best performance SUVs in India between Rs. 15 lakh – Rs. 25 lakh

Share your thoughts on this ranking of India’s hatchbacks and premium hatchbacks on power-to-weight ratio.