5 Most Affordable Diesel Cars You Can Buy Today
Even though the government is clamping down on diesel cars, there are still a lot of options in the market. So if you are someone who is in the market for an affordable diesel car under Rs 10 lakh, then you have come to the right spot. Here is the list of 5 of the most affordable diesel engine cars currently available on sale in India.
You'd be surprised to note that the cheapest new diesel vehicle which you can buy today in India is not a hatchback. Rather, it is the super popular and rugged SUV, the Bolero from Mahindra Automotive. The B4 base variant of the Bolero starts at Rs 7.99 lakh and comes equipped with a 1.5-litre diesel engine which makes 75 bhp and 210 Nm of torque.
It comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and offers a fuel efficiency of 16 kmpl. The Bolero B4 comes equipped with a manual AC, heater, power steering, gauge cluster with MID, and dual front airbags. The Bolero is one of the most popular SUVs in rural India.
Presently, the Tata Altroz is the only diesel hatchback in India. Back in the day, its main rivals were the Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Hyundai i20 diesels. However, they have now been discontinued. The Pure variant of the Altroz diesel is priced at Rs 8.09 lakh.
This premium hatchback comes equipped with a 1.2-litre Revotron diesel engine capable of producing 86 bhp and 115 Nm of torque and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. As for the mileage, it offers 18.5 kmpl.
Another Mahindra SUV in this list is the Bolero Neo diesel. The base N4 variant of the Bolero Neo diesel is priced at Rs 8.69 lakh. Powering this SUV is a 1.5-litre mHawk diesel engine which is capable of producing 100 bhp and 260 Nm of torque.
This SUV is only offered with a single gearbox option of 5-speed manual. As for the mileage, Mahindra claims that the Bolero Neo offers a mileage of 17.29 kmpl. Last year, Mahindra facelifted the Bolero Neo and the standard Bolero in India.
The first sub-compact SUV with the diesel engine which is priced under Rs 10 lakh is the Kia Sonet. The base diesel HTE (O) variant of the Kia Sonet is priced at Rs 8.98 lakh. Powering this variant is the time-rested Smartstream G 1.2-litre diesel engine which produces 82 bhp and 115 Nm of torque. It comes offered with both manual and automatic gearbox options (automatic only available with the top-of-the-line variant) and a realistic mileage of 23–24 kmpl.
Last but not least is one of the highest selling vehicles in India, the Tata Nexon sub-compact SUV. This sub-4m SUV's base variant with the diesel engine is the Smart Plus trim, which is priced at Rs 9 Lakh. Powering the Nexon diesel is the 1.2-litre, turbocharged Revotron engine. It is capable of producing 118 bhp and 170 Nm. As for the mileage, it offers 24 kmpl.