ROUGH road ready hatchbacks of India: Renault Kwid to Hyundai i20 Active

India has a lot of things that are world renowned and make us proud. Roads, however, are not among them. The state of our roads is getting better with the passage of times but they are still far from being termed as good. True that we have some real smooth stretches of roads across the country but still most of our roads are riddled with potholes and uneven surfaces among other features. For the same, having a car with good ground clearance is a boon. This is one of the major factors why more and more people are now going after SUVs. However, if you want to buy a hatchback that has ‘Indian-road’ proof ground clearance, here are eight of them with 180 mm of ground clearance or more.

Datsun RediGo

Ground Clearance – 185 mm

Starting off the list the Datsun RediGo, which is among the most affordable cars one can buy in India right now. The pint-sized car, however, has a great ground clearance of 185 mm. This makes it the perfect small car for city usage. It comes with two petrol engine options with different power outputs. One is a 0.8-litre petrol unit producing 53.6 BHp and 75 Nm of torque/ The other is a larger 1.0-litre powerplant cranks out 67 Bhp and 71 Nm of torque.

Renault Kwid

Ground Clearance – 180 mm

The Renault Kwid was a strong seller in its segment once and still is the best selling car from the French carmaker in India. It is also the first hatchback in its segment to have an SUV inspired body design. Due to the same reason, it has a commendable 180 mm of ground clearance on offer. Renault offers the Kwid with two petrol engine options. The smaller engine is a 0.8-litre unit with 53 Bhp and 72 Nm of torque on tap and larger 1.0-litre engine that produces 67 bhp and 91 Nm of torque.

Tata Tiago NRG

Ground Clearance – 180 mm

Third on the list is the Tata Tiago NRG, a hatchback crossover based on the Tiago hatchback. It gets a makeover that makes it look more rugged and suited for the role it portrays in the image above. that is, to conquer the urban jungle. It has a ground clearance of 180 mm, which is on par with most of the cars here. The Tiago NRG is available with two engine options, a 1.2-litre petrol unit and a 1.1-litre diesel unit.

Maruti Suzuki Ignis

Ground Clearance – 180 mm

The Maruti Suzuki Ignis is the most affordable car you can buy at a Nexa showroom. The tall boy hatchback also stands tall on its feet, unlike Maruti’s other tall boy hatchback – the WagonR. The Ignis has an impressive ground clearance of 180 mm ground clearance. This allows it to be driven in the city without any worry of the car kissing the ground during bad stretches. Internationally, it comes with an All-Grip variant that has all its wheels powered and also gets a differential.

Ford Freestyle

Ground Clearance – 190 mm

The Ford Freestyle makes for a great value for money deal at its price range, which starts at Rs. 5.64 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is also a handsome looking car and gets a body kit treatment to make it different from the regular Figo. The ground clearance of this car stands at 190 mm, which is just 100 mm short of Ford’s sub-4 meter Ecosport SUV. The Ford Freestyle is offered in multiple trim levels and gets two engine options, a 1.2-litre petrol engine or a 1.5 litre diesel unit.

Hyundai i20 Active

Ground Clearance – 190 mm

Hyundai’s answer to the likes of the Ford Freestyle and Fiat Punto Evo is the i20 Active. Based on its premium hatchback counterpart, it gets all the goodies that the regular i20 has along with a good 190 mm of ground clearance. This is the same as the Hyundai Creta, which is a compact SUV. Hyundai has given a rough and tough looking treatment to the car in the form of black body cladding, a silver bash plate along with roof rails among other things. Powering it is a 1.2-litre petrol engine or a 1.4-litre diesel unit.

Fiat Punto Evo

Ground Clearance – 185-195 mm

Next in line is the Fiat Punto Evo which gets two different ground clearance figures depending on the engines. While the petrol variants have a ground clearance of 185 mm, the diesel variant takes it further up by 10 mm to 195 mm. The Punto Evo is offered with both petrol and diesel engine options. The petrol engine is a 1.2-litre unit that churns out 67 Bhp and 96 Nm of torque. The diesel engine, on the other hand, is a 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine that generates 75 Bhp and 197 Nm of torque.

Fiat Avventura

Ground Clearance – 205 mm

The Fiat Avventura has the highest ground clearance among all the cars listed here. It comes with an SUV beating 205 mm of ground clearance. To put things in a better perspective, the Tata Harrier has the same amount of GC while the Mahindra XUV500 has an even lower figure of 200 mm. The Fiat Avventura is powered by a 1.3-litre diesel motor that churns out 92 Bhp of power along with 209 Nm of torque. A mad 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol unit is also available on with this car. This engine churns out 138 Bhp of power along with 210 Nm of torque.