Under the Rs.10 lakh(ex-showroom) bracket, you mostly have hatchbacks, sedans and a few Compact SUVs. Of course, each segment has its advantages and disadvantages, and we always request you to make a list of your priorities first and then decide on which car to buy. Just in case you have decided on a sedan, you have landed in the perfect spot as we list out the sedans you can buy for under 10 lakh.
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Volkswagen Vento
The Volkswagen Vento comes in the list of sedans under 10 lakh by a whisker. The base model starts at Rs.9.99 lakh ex-showroom and for that price, you get the best turbo-petrol engine and with that slick 6-speed gearbox, it gives you a very engaging drive experience. The 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine puts out 108.6 bhp@5000-5500rpm and a peak torque of 175 Nm@1750-4000rpm. The 6-speed gearbox slots well into each gear and the tall 6th gear is very useful on highways which makes sure you are doing triple-digit speeds and at the same time being fuel-efficient. With a lightfoot, you can achieve mileage figures of about 16-17 kmpl on the highways but in the city, you get around 10-12 kmpl and even that will start reducing if you put your foot down hard.
The total boot space is a whopping 494 litres and you can probably travel with a month’s luggage in this boot. Although this is a base trim in terms of its variants, we feel this is more than enough as its list of features includes automatic climate control, cooled glove box, cruise control, height-adjustable driver seat, powered ORVMs, height-adjustable seatbelts, rear AC vents, rear-seat headrests, leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel, centre armrests at the front and the back, dual-tone alloy wheels, cornering lights, ABD with EBD and 2 airbags. We believe this list contains all your requirements and some more that even we didn’t expect to come for an entry-level variant.
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Honda City 4th Gen
This is one of the most reliable sedans from the past two decades and is still living up to its expectations. If you’re looking for a comfortable sedan, then your search ends here and we go a step ahead to even claim that it is definitely more comfortable than many of the Compact SUVs as well. Its wheelbase of 2600mm makes sure you have ample legroom, gives a very spacious cabin and the comfortable seats only add up to the luxury quotient. The 4th gen Honda City comes with only one engine option which is a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol motor that churns out 118 bhp@6600rpm and a peak torque of 145 Nm@4600rpm. Although it has a bigger engine, it is tuned for fuel efficiency and hence gives an ARAI rated overall mileage of 17.4 kmpl. But don’t you for a second think that this is a slow coach, as it still accelerates from 0-100 kmph in under 10 seconds.
Even if it is a base variant coming in at a price of Rs.9.29 lakh ex-showroom, it still gets many features like tilt and telescopic steering, all 4 power windows, automatic climate control, rear-seat headrests, rear AC vents, cruise control, rear parking sensors, centre armrest with storage, alloy wheels, ABS with EBD, and speed sensing door locks. This car also comes with an unimaginable boot space of 510 litres, probably larger than some 1bhk apartments in Mumbai. The only downside of this sedan is ground clearance when it has 4 passengers and luggage or 5 passengers. Now it is definitely not a deal-breaker if you are an intermediate or expert driver but if you are a beginner, then you might be facing some problems. And yet, this is one of the most complete package of a car that is worth its money and all the Honda City owners will know what we are talking about.
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Skoda Rapid
The Skoda Rapid is nothing but the rebadged version of the Volkswagen Vento with a few changes made here and there. Of course, the changes include the design as well and it is pretty evident. While the Vento looks formal and has a decent styling, the Rapid goes all swanky and stylish. It shares the same potent 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine from the Vento and puts put the same power and torque figures too. Even the fuel efficiency of the Rapid is similar to that of the Vento. It gets the tilt and telescopic steering column, lesser boot space of 460 litres compared to 494 litres of the Vento, all 4 power windows, automatic climate control, rear-seat headrests, rear AC vents, rear parking sensors, and height-adjustable front seatbelts. The Rapid in order to justify the lower price of Rs.7.8 lakh, misses out on cruise control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped gear lever, glove box cooling, height-adjustable driver seat, fog lights, and alloy wheels. Even then it is a very good value-for-money proposition when you compare all the sedans under 10 lakh and apart from alloy wheels and height-adjustable driver seat, there’s not much that you would really miss. One test drive in this car and you will immediately realise its potential.
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Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
The Maruti Suzuki Ciaz in our books is the jack of all trades in the Indian sedan segment. It’s like you won’t go wrong with a Ciaz as it offers the least compromise in this list. We believe the only shortcoming of this beautiful sedan is its performance which is not bad but just adequate when compared to its competition. It is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine and has a peak power of 103 bhp@6000rpm and a peak torque of 138 Nm@4400rpm. Where it lacks in performance it covers it up with fuel efficiency and it is one of the most frugal cars in its segment. It has a pretty big boot with a total of 510 litres similar to that of the Honda City 4th gen, but has a longer wheelbase than the City and hence feels very spacious and has almost the same if not more legroom compared to the Honda City.
Where the Ciaz gains a considerable lead with respect to the others is in the maintenance department and since it is Maruti Suzuki, the cost of service and the spare parts are low. When it comes to safety, we understand that everyone has their conceptions about a Maruti Suzuki car but surprisingly the Ciaz has scored a 4-star rating in the ASEAN safety rating and it is actually a safe car. The suspension is tuned for comfort and absorbs bad roads very well without much jitters being transferred to the passengers and still is very stable in high speeds and has very good highway manners. It is not the most engaging to drive in a set of corners but it does not make you nervous as well, and we rate it above average. The base model comes in at Rs.8.72 lakh ex-showroom and for that price, it is the best all-round package.
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Toyota Yaris
The Toyota Yaris is an affordable sedan under 10 lakh from the Japanese manufacturer and it starts at a base price of Rs.9.16 lakh ex-showroom. It comes with a naturally aspirated 1.5-litre petrol engine and the power figures are eerily similar to that of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, which is 105 bhp@6000rpm of power and 140 Nm@4200rpm of peak torque. So this is to say that the performance figures of the Toyota Yaris too is adequate but definitely feels let down when compared to the competition. It at least comes with a 6-speed gearbox though when compared to the 5-speed unit on the Ciaz. the base model Yaris comes with all 4 power windows, rear-seat headrests, rear parking sensors, 60:40 split foldable rear seat, glove box cooling, height-adjustable driver seat, powered ORVM, projector headlights, 3 airbags, and also comes with ABS and EBD. It might not be a looker but is decent in design, frugal, and comfortable interiors. The interiors are comfortable but not spacious when compared to its competition. But in its higher trims, it is the only car that has roof-mounted AC vents that give uniform and quick cooling of the cabin.
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Hyundai Verna
If you’re a person who likes an extra oomph when it comes to performance and handling and looking for a well-engineered sedan, then there is nothing better than the Hyundai Verna. Take long test drives in all the available engine options and you will acknowledge this fact and you will want to own all of them. Its design is very stylish and the DRL is probably one of the best looking in its segment. The Hyundai Verna too, just like the Honda City, has been in the market for a very long time and has aged very well. Thankfully, Hyundai has introduced a new base model for the Hyundai Verna, E model, and it comes at a price of Rs.9.28 lakh ex-showroom and makes it into the list of sedans under 10 lakh, and it is definitely not bad considering the equipment it has on offer on top of an already good looking car.
The base model is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that churns out a healthy 115 bhp@6300rpm of peak power and 144 Nm@4500rpm of peak torque. The torque figures might be low but Hyundai has tuned the power and torque delivery very well and if driven correctly in its sweet spot, you won’t feel the need for more torque at all. When it comes to features even the base model gets all 4 power windows, rear-seat headrests, rear AC vents, rear parking sensors, dead pedal, dual-tone dashboard, ABS with EBD, and speed sensing auto door lock. It misses out on automatic climate control which we feel should have been added for a sedan of this price. Nevertheless, if you want performance, then Hyundai Verna is the car for you. The diesel and turbo-petrol versions of the Hyundai Verna are costlier but are even more enjoyable to drive and offer next-level performance. We feel the only drawback of the Verna is in the interior space. It has comfortable seats with good under-thigh support but does not feel spacious especially when compared to its competition like the Ciaz or City.
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Hyundai Aura
We now enter the space of the compact sedans and just like a typical Hyundai, the Aura is the most tech-laden car in its segment. It comes with 3 engine options, which are, NA Petrol, Turbo Petrol, CNG and Diesel. All of them come under the 10 lakh bracket and you can take your own time to choose from them. The list of features includes power windows, automatic climate control, rear-seat headrests, rear AC vents, seat lumbar support, rear parking sensors, built-in navigation system, keyless entry, glove box cooling, voice control, leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, projector headlamps, projector fog lamps, ABS with EBD, 8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, and wireless charging.
The Hyundai Aura comes with a 1.2-litre diesel engine with the power and torque figures of 74 bhp@4000rpm and 190 Nm@1750-2250rpm respectively. The numbers might not be impressive at first glance but considering the lightweight architecture of the car, it is very peppy and fun to drive. The naturally aspirated petrol engine is a 1.2-litre engine that pushes out 81 bhp of peak power and 113 Nm of peak torque and the turbo petrol unit has an impressive 100 bhp of power and 171 Nm of torque and this is definitely our choice in the engine segment as it feels very peppy among the other engine options and delivers a strong mid-range punch which urges you to push for more. That being said, all is not well for the Hyundai Aura as the i10 Nios on which it is based on scored a very poor 2-star rating in the Global NCAP crash tests. So if you want a compact sedan with a laundry list of features, then there is a Hyundai Aura waiting for you in your nearest Hyundai showroom.
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Honda Amaze
The Honda Amaze has come a long way and the design has matured a lot when compared to how it looked during its debut. It comes with both diesel and petrol options along with a choice of manual or CVT automatic transmission. Both the engines are tuned for fuel efficiency and hence they cannot be tested for performance but they do exactly what they were designed to do and that is transport people from point A to point B comfortably. The Amaze is definitely comfortable and it is more spacious than sedans in the next segment as well. The seats offer good support to your backs and are comfortable for long journeys too.
The boxy design may not be a sedan’s characteristic but it looks unique when compared to its competition. It has got a very big boot with a capacity of 420 litres. It comes with a list of features that includes automatic climate control, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system that comes with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, ABS with EBD as standard, speed sensing auto door lock, hill start assist, hill descent control, 2 airbags, LED DRLs and LED headlights, rear window wiper and defogger, keyless entry, cruise control, and automatic climate control.
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Maruti Suzuki Dzire
The Maruti Suzuki Dzire is the most ideal car if you are on a tight budget and do not want to spend more on maintenance. We all know how cheap Maruti cars are to maintain and the same continues with the Dzire as well. Unfortunately, Maruti Suzuki took a bad decision to stop manufacturing its diesel engines and the 1.3-litre Fiat-sourced engine was the last one seen on the Dzire. It was India’s favourite diesel engine and was the most frugal one that introduced the ideology of, fill it, shut it and forget it among cars. Anyways now it comes with the 90 bhp, 1.2-litre naturally aspirated engine and puts out a peak torque of 113 Nm@4400 rpm. Of course, the power figures are not impressive as it was designed for fuel efficiency and not for performance. On the outside, the new design is a hit and it looks very neat, they have pushed the seats a little towards the back of the car resulting in a reduced boot space of 378 litres but the advantage lies in the space available for the legroom of the rear passengers.
On the inside, it gets a new touchscreen unit with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, automatic climate control, rear-seat headrests, rear AC vents, cruise control, a built-in navigation system, keyless entry, voice control, leather-wrapped flat-bottom steering wheel with wooden inserts, height-adjustable driver seat, and projector headlamps with DRL. It’s not all sunshine with the Dzire too as the Swift that this car is based on scored a miserable 0-star rating and hence its safety is something that can definitely be questioned. But of course, this is one of the highest selling cars in India and has continuously posted good figures on the charts majorly due to its easy and economical maintenance.
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Tata Tigor
The Tata Tigor is one of the safest sedans in India and you can buy one under 10 lakh. We are not exaggerating this point but the peace of mind one can have after knowing that you are driving a safe car and to be sure that your loved ones will be safe even in case of a mishap, is really something else. We(Indians) should start giving safety, a high priority as an accident can happen at any point in time. Coming back to the Tata Tigor, it is available with only one engine option which is a 1.2-litre petrol unit that spits out 85 bhp@6000rpm of power and 113 Nm@3300rpm of torque. These figures are more than enough when compared to the compact dimension of the car and the Tigor surprisingly handles very well. It is one of the most fuel-efficient petrol cars as well. The Tata Tigor comes equipped with automatic climate control, rear-seat headrests, lumbar support, rear parking sensors, keyless entry, cooled glove box, height-adjustable driver seat, projector headlamps, ABD with EBD, corner stability control, rear parking camera, and a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Carplay.
The cars that are listed above each have their own set of advantages and disadvantages and there is no perfect car in the world. Even when it comes to listing out your requirements, there is no way that only one car checks all the boxes, and that is the reason we give you the facts of all the cars and it is our duty to make sure that you make the right purchase. We understand that there is nothing worse than regret and we don’t want you to regret your purchase especially after investing lakhs together on a vehicle that is already a depreciating asset.
But when you make the right purchase, the wide evil grin on your face that prevails every time you start your car is priceless and the value of that car as an asset is immeasurable. That peace of mind that you have when you know your not compromising on your requirements is priceless. The smile of your loved ones and friends, when they are having a great time while travelling to various places in your car is priceless. So it doesn’t matter if you keep jumping from one car to another before making the purchase as you need to have a detailed look and feel of every car, but once you buy a car, you should never regret that decision.
Now go ahead, make your list again, check your list of requirements and fix your budget and in case you’re having a tough time deciding, we are always here to help you.