Diesel cars have been a forte for heavy vehicles in the country for ages. Personal car users have always frowned upon the idea of driving a diesel car because of high cost of ownership and not-so-impressive performance. Things have changed for better owing to improved technology and better performance from diesel powered vehicles. Some of interesting cars across segments that are expected to outshine in 2014 are..
Hyundai Verna has been around for a while. The new car comes with a complete overhaul featuring a bigger and sportier stance than before. The new car came to be known as the Verna Fluidic and is available in 1.4 litre and 1.6 litre option. The 1.6-liter CRDi engine generates about 126bhp of maximum power and 259Nm of top torque. Cabin space in the Hyundai Verna Fluidic has an elegant and refreshing feel to it. On the exterior front the car features prominent curves that flow through the entire body. Hyundai Verna 1.4 liter delivers a fuel efficiency of 23.50kmpl, whereas the 1.6 litre diesel variant delivers 22.32kmpl.
Honda City has been in the country for a while, but this is the first time that the company has decided to launch a diesel version of its top-selling sedan. The car features a 1.5 litre –DTECH engine that powers the car with an output of 100 PS at 3600 rpm and 200 Nm of Torque at 1750 rpm. The car is mated with a 6-speed manual transmission engine. As per ARAI certification, the Honda City delivers an impressive mileage of 26 kmpl. The car is available in five manual transmission diesel variants like E, S, SV, V and VX. The new City is said to be based on “Exciting H” design philosophy that features smooth flowing curves through its sides. The sedan's front fascia is now bolder-looking with headlights flowing onto its sides.
The Hyundai Grand i10 has earned the country's highest automotive award in the most competitive and rapidly growing automobile Indian market. The hatchback is powered by 1.1 Liter U2 engine that has imbibed the 2nd generation CRDi technology in diesel that offers improved operating pressure, low compression ratio, light weight engine block and an enhanced atomization of fuel. A combined effort from all these ensures more performance, more efficiency with lower running costs, lower NVH and lesser emissions. Gear ratio has been attained with perfection to enable the driver to avoid frequent gear-shifts, thus making it ideal for city commute.
The latest version of Chevrolet Beat was unveiled at Auto Expo 2014 has received some interesting cosmetic upgrades whereas the basic engine configurations have been retained. Along with the regular petrol variant the hatchback is also available in 1.0 Liter diesel variant that has been mated to a 5 speed manual transmission. The diesel version features an efficient XSDE SMARTECH Common Rail diesel engine that generates about 57.6 bhp of maximum power with 150 Nm of top torque. The car returns an impressive mileage of 25.44 kmpl.
Renault Duster is considered to be a good off-roader with the comfort like that of a sedan. The compact SUV is available in two diesel variants. One of the diesel version is powered by 1461cc engine that generates about 85PS of power at 3750 rpm with 200 Nm of torque at 1900 rpm, whereas another diesel version is also powered by 1461cc engine but generates a little extra power of 110 PS at 3900 rpm with 248 Nm of torque at 2250 rpm. The powerful diesel version is mated to a six speed manual transmission, whereas the other two are mated to a five speed manual transmission. The compact SUV has been tuned for off-roading as well as regular stretches with the Independent McPherson Strut with Coil Springs and Anti-Roll Bar suspension for the front, and the rear wheels get Torsion Beam Axle with Coil Springs and Anti-Roll Bar. For complete control the car gets Hydraulic Power Assisted steering. As per SIAM test rating, the 85Ps diesel variant delivers about 20.45kmpl, and the 110Ps variant delivers about 19.01 kmpl.
