The Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) segment is fast emerging, which has been one of the significant drivers of the Indian auto industry. The penchant for SUVs has been increasing among the domestic buyers, which is actually causing a shift in demand. It must be noted that a number of compact SUVs are present in the market, among which a number of models have received an overwhelming response. Earlier, it was said that the price sensitive Indian buyers prefer hatchbacks, but now change in preference can be easily seen. Renault Duster tops the chart as it has gained much prominence among buyers.
The French auto maker has offered three engine options with its Duster, namely 1.5-litre dCi K9K with 84 bhp power, 1.5-litre dCi K9K with 108 bhp and 1.6-litre K4M with 103 bhp. Since its launch, Duster has stirred up the competition in compact SUV segment and came up as the segment defining model. In order to efficiently square off against the likes of Renault Duster, the American auto maker Ford brought its EcoSport, which generated tremendous buzz in the Indian market.
The model was launched somewhere in June 2013 and after just a couple of months, the auto maker had to stop taking bookings for the model, owing to a very high demand. EcoSport has been offered in three different engine options, namely 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol, 1.5-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel. All these engines are performance oriented and churns out a maximum power of 123 bhp, 110 bhp and 89 bhp, respectively.
Following the league, Mahindra Quanto appears with a powerful engine of 1493 cc. The maximum power churned out by the engine of this car stands at 100 bhp along with a peak torque of 240 Nm at a low 1600-2800 rpm. Quanto is said to be the sibling of Mahindra Xylo, which has also performed really well in the Indian auto market. Although the model has been provided with a boxy look, it received a brilliant response from the domestic buyers.
