In a country like India where consumers generally prefer to buy hatchbacks, the one segment that has challenged this trend is of sedans. Over the recent past, such type of cars have become increasingly popular and are silently eating off a sizeable market share of hatchbacks. Major car makers like Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen, Skoda have introduced more than one model in the mid-size and executive sedan segment. Some of the sedans are performing so well that they have carved their own niche for themselves, besides setting benchmarks for the entire auto industry. To quickly assess some of the best petrol sedans available in the country at present, a look up is as follows.
A car manufactured by the country's most cherished auto brand, Swift DZire is a compact sedan that has won several accolades for its superlative performance. It has been a long time for Swift DZire winning the tag of being the best selling sedan for the company and, interestingly, the compact sedan still continues to lead its charge. From the sales point of view, the model has sold more than any other sedan of Maruti Suzuki. The model has been offered in both petrol and diesel engine options. In the petrol variant, the K-Series unit with VVT technology is known for offering superlative performance and being fuel efficient at the same time. This engine displaces 1197 cc, churning out a maximum power output of 86 bhp and up to 114 Nm of torque. The car is available in both manual and automatic transmissions under different trim levels.
In India almost everyone would be aware of the success story of Honda City model that was launched a long time back. Although the sales of Honda City have registered a slight drop in the recent time, but still it is one of the best petrol sedans available in the country at present. The car is provided with a 1.5-litre i-VTEC engine that has a displacement of 1497 cc, giving away a respectable mileage of 16.8, as per ARAI standards. Honda City is available in both manual and automatic transmission options, in order to cater diversified needs of India buyers. The ex-showroom price for the base variant is Rs. 7.29 lakh, which further goes up till Rs. 10.62 lakh for top-end version.
Hyundai Verna also features on the list of best petrol sedans offered in the country at present. The petrol version of Verna is comes in two different engine options, namely a 1.4-litre VTVT and 1.6-litre VTV. Both of these are available in manual and automatic transmission options, having 5-speed manual and 4-speed automatic gearbox. The exterior appearance of the car is largely based on the company's Fluidic Design Scripture, which is adopted on almost every car of the company as of now.
Toyota Corolla Altis
Toyota has a long reputation of manufacturing formidable vehicles that are high on power and class. In particular, the Corolla Altis have been making some serious inroads in the sedan segment. The petrol variant of Corolla Altis is provided with a DOHC Dual VVT-i engine that has a displacement of 1798 cc. The power generated by this engine stands at 138 bhp and it reaches a maximum torque of 173 Nm. In terms of transmission, Toyota Corolla Altis is provided in a 7-speed sequential shiftmatic gearbox apart from the 6-speed manual one. Altis is available in three different trim levels namely 1.8 JS, 1.8 G and 1.8 V. Talking about the price of the car, it is offered from Rs. 11.74 lakh to 15.9 lakh.
