Tata Punch or Maruti Ignis or Mahindra KUV100: Which micro SUV to pick?

With the popularity of SUVs on the rise for years, manufacturers have become creative to launch small-size SUV design inspired vehicles to attract customers. Tata recently joined the club with the all-new Tata Punch. The all-new Punch will take on other micro SUVs like Maruti Suzuki Ignis and the Mahindra KUV100 in the market but which one of these three is the best? Here is our answer.

Road Presence

SUVs have a dominating road presence. Out of the three – the Tata Punch offers an unmissable road presence. It has the largest footprint, which means it is the biggest car in the segment. The Tata Punch is longer, wider and taller than the Maruti Suzuki Ignis but is slightly shorter than the KUV100 NXT.

The Punch gets the longest wheelbase too. The dominating road presence of the Tata Punch also shows in the ground clearance of 187mm, which is the highest in the segment.

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Being the biggest car in the segment, the Tata Punch definitely has the most imposing road presence. It gets the signature Tata SUV design with sleek LED DRLs and the main headlamp cluster located down in the bumper.

Even the Ignis and the KUV100 get DRLs but the body cladding surrounding the Tata Punch definitely add the butch look that the other vehicles like Ignis and KUV100 miss out on.

Cabin space

The Punch and KUV100 NXT are head to head in it. The Tata Punch offers an almost flat floor in the rear that gives more space for the third passenger. Also, there are no rear AC vents that open the rear space in the Punch. The KUV100 NXT offers a good amount of rear space, shoulder room and legroom too.

However, since the KUV100 NXT offers a boot space of only 243 litres compared to 366 litres of the Punch, we will give the top spot to the Punch. The Ignis gets less shoulder room, legroom and a boot space of 260 litres. The rear seats of the Ignis are quite comfortable though.

Engine options

In the past, most SUVs came exclusively powered by diesel engines. However, that trend has changed in recent times. None of these three vehicles gets a diesel engine. The Tata Punch gets the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that generates a maximum power of 86 PS and peak torque of 113 Nm. The engine gets both manual and AMT.

The Mahindra KUV100 NXT also gets a three-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol engine that generates a maximum power of 83 PS and a peak torque of 115 Nm. Mahindra only offers a five-speed manual transmission with the KUV100 NXT.

The Maruti Suzuki Ignis is the only car in the segment that gets a 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine. It generates a maximum power of 83 PS and peak torque of 113 Nm. Maruti Suzuki provides manual and AMT options.

Out of the three, the Maruti Suzuki Ignis’s engine is the smoothest as it gets four-cylinder. Tata has added a feature to improve the low-end torque of the vehicle and that surely helps when countering an obstacle.

Features

The all-new Tata Punch gets a dual-tone dashboard. The top-end variant gets a semi-digital instrument cluster like the Altroz. There is Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity as well. The vehicle also gets Tata’s iRA connectivity feature. Other than that, you get a flat-bottom steering wheel, engine start-stop button, automatic climate control system, powered auto-folding mirrors, cruise control, 90-degree opening doors, cooled glove box, automatic headlamps, rain-sensing wipers and more. The car also gets industry-first brake sway control.

The Ignis also gets a dual-tone black and light beige cabin. It gets a touchscreen infotainment system with SmartPlay Studio 2.0. The Ignis also offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto infotainment system. Safety-wise, the Ignis is loaded with dual airbags, ABS, EBD, ISOFIX seats, seatbelt pre-tensioners and reversing parking camera with guiding lines.

The KUV100 NXT is the least loaded of the three. It gets carbon-fibre inspired texture on the top of the dashboard. There is a 7.0-inch infotainment system with rear parking camera. Mahindra also offers a cooled glovebox, rear parking sensors and dual airbags.

Price

The Tata Punch is available in 14 variants including the manual and the AMT. The entry-level Punch Pure is priced at Rs 5.49 lakh while the top-end variant gets a price tag of Rs 9.39 lakh. The Maruti Suzuki Ignis is priced between Rs 5.10 lakh and Rs 7.47 lakh. The KUV100 NXT is priced between Rs 6.13 and Rs 7.84 lakh, ex-showroom.

Conclusion

The Tata Punch definitely wins in the department of looks, features and capabilities. It has got an imposing stance that makes it look like a true-blue SUV on the roads. The Punch can also cross difficult obstacles without much of a problem. With the highest approach angle, departure angle and breakover angle, the Punch can do a lot more than the other two when you go off the road.

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