India's 20 most popular hatchbacks

If the multitude of choices that are available in the Indian small car and hatchback market have you in a tizzy, don't fret.

Just narrow down your search based on your budget and specific requirements.

Here is a list of 20 popular hatchbacks and some of their basic details that will assist you in making a decision.

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Tata Nano

The people's car is powered by a 35-horsepower engine and it is about 10 feet long, weighs approximately 1,300 pounds, has an all-sheet-metal body, a rear two-cylinder engine, small tubeless tires, a reinforced passenger compartment, crumple zones, seat belts and achieves a top speed of 106 kmph.

Tata Nano buyers in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka have reason to rejoice as Tata Motors has officially opened bookings of the Tata Nano in these states.

Customers who have not booked a Nano in these states can now purchase the Tata Nano directly from showrooms.

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The company has finance tie ups with Tata Motors Finance, ICICI Bank and State Bank of India.

Tata Motors has tied up with a total of 25 banks to offer loans for purchasing the Tata Nano at attractive rates of interest.

Tata Nano's price went up by 3-4 per cent last July due to an increase in the price of raw materials.

The hike was of Rs 3,700 to Rs 6,894 for different variants, based on ex-showroom, Delhi, prices.

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Maruti Alto

The bestseller model from Maruti got a new K series engine, coupled with a cosmetic overhaul.

The new Alto K10 would exist with the older version and it comes with a 1.0L, K10 engine capable of delivering 68PS of maximum power at 6200 rpm with 90Nm of maximum torque at 3200 rpm.

It would be available in two variants - Alto K10 LXI and Alto K10 VXI with a price tag of Rs 303,000 - 316,000 (ex showroom Delhi).

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Hyundai Santro Xing

The car credited for revolutionising the Indian hatchback market post Maruti 800 still has many takers.

Santro Xing comes with 1086cc engine and has a very good fuel economy.

Santro has an 'active intelligence' technology that improves engine performance.

The car has the basic McPherson Strut Suspension with a stabilizer bar in the front and a torsion beam axle with 3-link offset coil springs and hydraulic dampers that make it a good for Indian roads.

The car costs anything between Rs 274,186 - Rs 391,038 (ex-showroom, Delhi).

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Indica V2 Xeta

The car has a highly advanced MPFI engine and 32 bit microprocessor, sports 12 sensor, along with a knock control sensor for controlling damage from adulterated fuel, extra efficient torque advantage petrol engine delivering 12.4 kgm torque, instant pick-up and fewer gear changes has made its driving smoother and faster.

The car is priced between Rs 271,316 - 320,504 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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Indica Vista

A fine example of new age Tata products the car comes in a 1.3L, Quadra Jet, Common Rail direct Injection diesel engine capable of producing 71PS of power at 4500rpm and 190Nm of torque at 1750rpm and a 1.2L, Safire MPFI VVT petrol engine that generates 65PS power at 5500rpm and 96Nm torque at 3000rpm.

The Tata Indica Vista also comes in a 1.4L, TDI Turbo diesel engine that produces 71PS of power at 4500rpm.

This family car has a new grille with new striking pedal shaped headlamps, body coloured ORVMs, body coloured rub rails and body coloured bumpers with strong bonnet.

The Tata Indica Vista is available in eight variants in both petrol and diesel engines.

The car is priced in the range of Rs 339,000 - Rs 476,000 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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Maruti A Star

The automatic version of the car was launched in the market recently and it points out a new trend developing in the automatic hatchback space.

Maruti A Star is powered by the same KB series 998cc, three-cylinder, 12 valve, DOHC power-train that belts out a maximum power of 67 Ps at 6200 rpm and a top torque of 90 Nm at 3500 rpm.

The car is incorporated with 4 speed automatic transmission which promises higher acceleration and performance whereas other variants of the car come with manual five speed gearbox.

The KB10 engine of the Maruti A Star is designed to get more power value and nimble acceleration.

The car is priced between Rs 362,556 - Rs 441,800 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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Nissan Micra

Endorsed by nation's sweetheart Ranbir Kapoor, Nissan's first India specific hatchback Micra is still finding space for itself in the market.

It has been competitively priced between Rs 398,000 - 529,000 and it comes in three variants including XE (3.98 lakh), XL (Rs 469,000) and XV (Rs 529,000) (ex-showroom, Delhi).

It has a 1.2L petrol unit and the diesel unit is anticipated sometimes in the future. Nissan Micra's 3 cylinder DOHC 1198cc petrol engine is capable of producing 75 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 104 NM of torque at 4,000 rpm.

One of the striking features of the car that sets it apart from the rest is the fact that it has driver airbags as standard.

It also has a drive computer and tilt adjustable steering as standard features.

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Maruti Ritz

Known as Suzuki Splash in the western market this car is available in both petrol and diesel version in India.

The petrol version of the car is packed with 1.2 L, 1197 cc K-12 series engine.

The K-12 series engine is packed with a five speed manual transmission gearbox and is compatible with BS IV emission standrads.

The engine offers a maximum power of 85 PS at 6000 rpm and a torque of 113 Nm at 4500 rpm.

The diesel version has a 1.3L, 1248 cc DDiS engine with five speed manual transmission gearbox that offers greater mileage and acceleration to the car.

This DDiS engine is fuel efficient and offers 75 PS power at 4000 rpm and a torque of 190 Nm at 2000 rpm.

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Chevrolet Spark

This is General Motors first hatchback for the Indian market and it has a 995cc, 8valve engine that gives a maximum power of 48.5KW and a maximum torque of 87.3Nm.

The Spark has peppy looks, decent space and quality interiors with a comparatively lower price tag.

It is built on the old Matiz format but unlike the Matiz the Spark has a well-defined bonnet V, pointy headlights, tiny slit for a bonnet intake, centrally-mounted instrument console and large front door pockets.

The car is claimed to give a mileage of 16.9kpl and has a top speed of 156Km/hr.

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The car has an aggressive front grille with large headlamps and fog lamps, 17inch alloy wheels, body coloured bumpers, gate handles and tail gate handle bar.

It also has full wheel covers for steel wheels, tinted glasses, both sides OVRMs, rear spoiler, satin silver roof rails, body side moulding, front windshield with top band, mudguards, body side mouldings and much more.

The car comes with a price tag of Rs 317,808 - Rs 424,353 ex-showroom, Delhi.

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Maruti Wagon R

Launched as the blue eyed boy the new Wagon R 2010 is powered by a K10B engine producing 68PS of power and 90Nm of torque.

Maruti has priced the Wagon R at a price of Rs 328,000 - Rs 381,000 in India.

The new Maruti Suzuki Wagon R 2010 model has a more contemporary feel and has features like a new grille, striking headlights and bumpers.

The rear has also been redone and restyled tail lamps and rear window glass give the new Maruti Suzuki Wagon R a better look and feel.

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The car also has a rear wash and wipe and an optional ABS and Airbags in the higher end VXi model.

The dashboard has a new central console which comes with integrated stereo AUX-In for ipod connectivity and larger circular control for the Aircon.

The steering is also new and has been lifted from Maruti Swift and the car also comes with a seatbelt alarm as standard.

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Zen Estilo

The Maruti Zen Estilo is available in four variants priced between Rs 320,201 - Rs 406,997.

Zen Estilo is roomier than the previous model Zen and sports 1.0L, 998cc, KB Series petrol engine.

Zen Estilo is longer and offers more boot space and superior air conditioning.

It delivers 64 bhp and its low-end torque makes it ideal for Indian city conditions.

Maruti Zen Estilo has a 998cc, three-cylinder engine and five-speed manual gearbox combo.

It gives a peak power of 68bhp at 6,200 rpm and maximum torque of 90Nm at 3,500 rpm.

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Hyundai i10

The car took the baton from Hyundai's extremely successful hatchback model - Santro.

It is the first car by Hyundai in the 'i' series and it is currently the company's bestseller.

The i10 comes with two different capacity petrol engines options - 1.1L, 1086cc, IRDE petrol engine is capable of producing 66.7PS power at 5500rpm and 10.1kgm torque at 2500rpm and the 1.2L, 1197cc, Kappa engine generates 80PS power at 5200rpm and 11.4kgm torque at 4000rpm.

The car's performance, cost of owning and hassle free maintenance is what makes it a darling of the crowd.

The i10 has features like front power windows, air conditioner with heater, rear wiper, rear power windows and defogger in i10 magna family.

The car is priced between Rs 341,274 - 5,34,981 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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Ford Figo

Ford hit the bull's eye with this model in India and started a cola-like price war by launching the Figo at a very competitive price.

Right now the car is available at a price of Rs 360,485 - Rs 541,595. (ex-showroom, Delhi).

The car comes in both the petrol and diesel version.

The 1.2L petrol engine is capable of producing 71PS of maximum power and 102 Nm of peak torque while the 1.4L, Duratorq diesel engine that currently powers Ford Ikon and Ford Fiesta produces 69PS of maximum power and 160 Nm of top torque.

The car is available in four variants in both petrol and diesel engine - Lxi, Exi, Zxi and Titanium. Thus the total variants for diesel and petrol are 8.

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Chevrolet Beat

This is a peppy looking model by the American company General Motors.

The car is a decent performer but has a very good fuel economy rate.

It comes with a 1.2L 4 cylinder petrol engine powers the Chevrolet Beat.

This 1199cc 16v DOHC engine offers 79 BHP at 6,200 rpm and 108 NM torque at 4,400 rpm.

The engine refinement is of a very high level and that makes the car very quite. It is a good city car and can be handled easily in traffic congestions.

The cars light clutch with a short pedal range and power steering keep the driving effortless.

The car falls in the price bracket of Rs 357,168 - Rs 419,877(ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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Maruti Swift

Details regarding the next generation Swift 2011 are out and they look really promising.

As for the current model, it still has a waiting period of about three months.

Currently, the Swift comes in both petrol and diesel version. The 1.2 L, 1197 cc K series petrol engine and 1.3L, 1248 cc DDiS diesel engine.

The K series engine has a 5 speed manual transmission gearbox and it is BS IV compatible.

The diesel version has a multi point common rail fuel injection system which offers better combustion and fuel efficiency.

The car has been on the list of top sellers every since its launch and despite competition it refuses to budge from its spot.

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Fiat Punto

The Fiat Punto 1.3 liter Multijet diesel engine comes only with an ordinary turbocharger and produces 76 hp.

But with the alterations on the new Fiat Punto the 1.3 liter Multi-jet engine, which will have a VGT (Variable Geometry Turbocharger) from the Fiat Linea, will generate 90bhp as against 76 bhp of the other version.

However this version is not under Rs 500,000 category. Some models of the car are priced between Rs 430,430 - 491,924 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen Polo is available in both petrol and diesel options.

It has a three-cylinder 1.2L (1198 cc) petrol offers 74 BHP (5,400 rpms) and 110 NM of torque (3,750 rpms).

The 1.2L 3-cylinder diesel offers 74 BHP (4,200 rpms) and 180 NM of torque (2,000 rpms). Polo has features like remote keyless central locking that includes remote window up/down on the highline.

The Volkswagen Polo is available between Rs 434,000 - Rs 700,000 and Skoda Fabia comes for Rs 502,037 - Rs 784,202 (prices ex-showroom, Delhi).

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Hyundai i20

Hyundai i20 comes in both petrol and diesel options with a 5 and 6 Speed Manual Transmission Gearbox.

It has a 1.4 L CRDI engine producing 90 PS, the 1.2 L Kappa engine produces 80 PS and the 1.4 L Gamma engine with 4 Speed automatic transmission gearbox offers a power of 100 PS.

The car is a premium product and is priced between Rs 460,863 - Rs 800,978 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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Honda Jazz

The car is available with three variants and all its three variants are powered by the same 1.2L, 1198cc, 4-cylinder, i-VTEC petrol engine with 5-speed manual gearbox.

Its 1.2L, 1198cc power-plant produces 90bhp power at 6200rpm and 110Nm torque at 4800rpm.

The car's new version was spotted on Indian roads and the spy shots were published by an auto magazine.

The face-lifted Jazz is likely to have new bumpers, grille and headlamps.

The rear might get new tail-lamps with LED bulbs thought the car in the spy shots has the same rear as the existing Jazz.

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The car is likely to have the same 1.2-liter unit tweaked to be more fuel efficient.

Honda is likely to retune the suspension and introduce a new steering set up to improve the ride and handling.

Jazz comes with a CVT transmission in other markets. It is likely that Honda might think of bringing the CVT-equipped Jazz to the country.

The new face lifted Jazz might come to Indian shores later next year.

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Chevrolet Aveo UVA

The car is equipped with 1.2 L, 1150 cc petrol engine that come with Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection System, which makes the car very economical to run.

The engine of Chevrolet Aveo U-Va is packed with 5 Speed manual transmission gearbox teamed to an in-line 4 cylinders SOCH valve configuration capable of delivering 76 PS power at 5500 rpm and a maximum torque of 110 Nm at 4400 rpm.

It offers an impressive mileage of 11.9 kmpl in the urban city roads and 14.7 kmpl on the highways.

The car comes with a price tag of Rs Rs 407,579 - Rs 501,768 (ex-showroom, New Delhi).

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