Most car buyers do not research about a vehicle properly before buying. The decisions they make are mostly based on what their family or friends say or cars they have used. This, in turn, causes some great cars to go overlooked. These vehicles are often the best cars for the money spent. It is easy to go to your nearest Maruti dealership and book any of their most sought-after cars. But is the car the best value for your money? Not always. The price of any product will increase over time as it gains stature and its demand grows. This is when we should do our homework and look for better cars that offer more value for money than stick with the stereotypes and pay extra for the badge or brand.
There are examples of such products in every industry and market. Best examples would be the Bajaj Pulsar. Visit your nearest Bajaj dealership and you would know what I’m trying to explain. However, a little bit of research is always rewarding. For those who want the best value for their money, we are here to take a look at a few Overpriced Indian Cars and suggest better alternatives.
Hatch
Micra
Nissan Micra is priced between INR 5.99 Lakhs for the base and INR 6.99 Lakhs for top trims. The specs offered are far inferior compared to its rivals in the same price bracket. Maintenance is definitely a joke with a handful of service centres to look upon and it takes days to get your car back. Interestingly, even the base variant is pricier than the top trim of the Tiago.
Tiago
Tiago is definitely value for money as this fun to drive car packs a powerful 1.2L Revotron Engine compared to Micra’s In Line Petrol Engine. This car has a lot to offer including better equipment, mileage, power and lower maintenance costs. This car is competitively priced between INR 3.29 Lakhs and INR 5.03 Lakhs on its base and top trims. Maintenance isn’t an issue with hundreds of authorised service centres across India.
Micra XV CVT
Price: INR 6.99 Lakhs
Displacement: 1198 cc
Power: 75bhp@6000rpm
Mileage: 19.34
Tiago XZA
Price: INR 5.36 Lakhs
Displacement: 1199 cc
Power: 84bhp@6000rpm
Mileage: 23.84
Sedan
Ciaz
Ciaz has been tagged as a pricey car right from its launch in 2014. This car is priced between INR 8.15 Lakhs and INR 11.94 Lakhs for the top trim post GST. City, Rapid and Vento are a few cars which fall in that price range. Turbo lag in the diesel variant is evident and cannot match the performance of the rapid or Verna and its 1.4L petrol is the least powerful in the league. Despite looking premium, the car lacks the sturdiness of its rivals.
Etios
This practical, no nonsense car is definitely better value for money. Costing between INR 6.71 Lakhs and INR 8.68 Lakhs, it falls in the price bracket of premium hatchbacks, but is more of a full sized sedan. Both the 1.5L petrol and 1.4L diesel are butter smooth and provide the best in class ride quality to the passengers. Even the base variants of the car have dual airbags. However, if you looking for a silent enthusiastic drive, the Etios draws a short straw.
Ciaz
Price: INR 11.94 Lakhs
Displacement: 1248 CC
Power: 88.5bhp@4000rpm
Mileage : 28 Kmpl
Etios
Price: INR 8.68 Lakhs
Displacement: 1364 CC
Power: 67.04bhp@3800rpm
Mileage : 23 Kmpl
Mid-sized Sedan
Dzire
After doing away the swift, in the mid-sized family car segment, Dzire is the leader in this segment. It is nothing but a swift with a boot. And the price you would be paying for the top trim of this sedan will make you go bonkers. The base model starts from INR 6.15 Lakhs and goes up to INR 10.14 Lakhs for its top M/T trim.
Aspire
Aspire, Figo’s brother has been priced so well with its base model starting at INR 6.6 Lakhs and top M/T trim costing about INR 8.18 Lakhs which delivers more than the Desire in all aspects. These siblings from Ford have very well managed to take the game off rivals Suzuki and Hyundai’s hands by lowering the maintenance cost of the Figo and Aspire.
Why stick to the same old car when you can try something new, more exciting and less expensive. It is worth mentioning another contender who isn’t far behind in this segment when it comes to value for money. It is the Mahindra Verito. Verito’s top trim priced at 9.69 Lakhs and base at 7.41 Lakhs, just a little over Aspire’s A/T priced at 9.09 Lakhs.
Dzire
Price: INR 8.88 Lakhs
Displacement: 1248 cc
Power: 74bhp@3750rpm
Mileage: 25.2
Figo Aspire
Price: INR 8.18 Lakhs
Displacement: 1498 cc
Power: 99 bhp@4000rpm
Mileage: 25.83
Crossover
Creta
Hyundai has priced the Creta between INR 9.29 Lakhs for its base trim and INR 14.59 Lakhs for its top trim. Creta’s price demands features far ahead of its rivals, but it lacks in a few departments. To start with, the third row seats are missing, a sluggish AT and poor response compared to the Verna. Apart from these noticeable, Creta misses out on a few basic features such as speed sensing locks, child lock on the front doors, etc.
TUV300
This rugged off-roader is priced between INR 7.68 – 10.65 Lakhs against the likes of Creta, Nexon, Brezza and Duster. The TUV 300 added an automated manual transmission (AMT) to its line-up. Mahindra has ticked all the right boxes in this crossover capable of off-roading and ferrying the whole family. The third row jump seats come in handy from a practicality viewpoint. TUV300 derives power from the 1.5-liter turbocharged diesel engine capable of 85PS/230Nm.
Creta
Price: INR 14.59 Lakhs
Displacement: 1582 cc
Power: 126.2bhp@4000rpm
Mileage: 17.01
TUV300
Price: INR 10.62 Lakhs
Displacement: 1493 cc
Power: 100bhp@3750rpm
Mileage: 18.49
4X4s/AWDs
Endeavour
Ford hasn’t lost its tag of being pricey yet, Endeavour’s base price starts from INR 25.09 Lakhs extending up to INR 28.34 Lakhs on the 2.2 Litre top trim and stretches out to INR 31.70 Lakhs for 3.2 Litre engine top trim. It is interesting to note that, only the 3.2 Litre engine gets a 4X4 option! If you are looking for a more stylish, affordable AWD, there is something special just for you.
Mahindra XUV500
The difference between XUV500 and Endeavour on papers doesn’t seem to be a lot, it is almost negligible looking at the 2.2 Litre vehicles. But the power to weight ratio of the XUV500 definitely gives it an edge over the Endeavour. This AWD is just perfect and affordable both in terms of owning and maintaining. The best part is yet to come, this bundle of joy can be all yours for just Rs 16.62 Lakhs XUV500 is the perfect substitute for all the overpriced SUVs out there.
Endeavour
Price: INR. 28.34 Lakhs
Displacement: 2198 cc
Power: 157.7bhp@3200rpm
Mileage: 12.62
XUV500
Price: INR 16.62 Lakhs
Displacement: 2179 cc
Power: 140bhp@3750rpm
Mileage: 16
If you are inclined to extreme off-roading, you have the Thar, the one-of-a-kind off-road vehicle that is available in the market under INR 7 Lakhs. It can run on 2X4 and 4X4 modes as required. The base price of Thar is INR 6.92 Lakhs and the top trim costs INR 8.96 Lakhs. The other Jeep that can be compared to the Thar, is the Wrangler Unlimited. The Wrangler is priced between INR 57.30 Lakhs and INR 73.25 Lakhs for its two variants.
