Entry Level Diesel Sedan Rivals

20 Aug 2009

Tata Indigo TDI

The Indigo's 1405 cc indirect injection turbocharged unit makes 70PS@4000rpm and a maximum torque of 140Nm@1800rpm. The Indigo feels lazy off the mark but once the turbo spools up post 2000 rpm, it comes into its element. The drivability is pretty decent around town as well. The engine though is on the noisier side and chasing revs creates quite a bit of racket. The Indigo sports McPherson struts upfront and an independent 3 link McPherson strut at the rear giving the Indigo an excellent ride quality. Spacious, practical and big on value, makes the Indigo a strong contender in the diesel sedan entry level segment. But once again lack of reliability as well as engine refinement and lack of comfort make put the Indigo behind the D'zire.

Renault Logan

The most spacious of the lot, the Renault Logan is a well-engineered product from the French car-maker. The edgy design of the Logan is unconventional and stands out from the rather curvy designs seen on most of the modern-day cars. Built over the wide-body platform, the Logan not only gets phenomenal cabin space, especially for the rear passengers, but also equally remarkable handing too. The 1.5 dCi diesel unit is definitely a more sensible buy over its petrol variant as it is more frugal and also more driveable. With a power output of 66PS @ 4000 rpm, the figures may seem low on paper but are quite adequate in the real world. Torque figures from the 1461cc diesel engine stand at 160Nm at a lowly 2000rpm - perfect for the rev range that the Logan will be operating in most of the time. However, the Logan's interiors still feel primitive when compared to the contemporary interiors of the Swift D'Zire. Not to mention the D'Zire's amazing quality to strike the perfect balance between performance and fuel efficiency, where the Logan stumbles.

Ford Ikon TDCi

The Ikon always had very sharp and spot on handling characteristics and the new car carries forward the same legacy. The 1399 cc Duratorq motor pumps out 68 PS @ 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of a 160 Nm @ 2000 rpm. The high tech third generation common-rail unit generates rail pressures of 1500bar and employs piezo-electric injectors for maximum efficiency. The engine is peppy and returns decent fuel efficiency too. The interiors though are not much to talk about and the space offered by the Ikon isn't too great either. However, the fully loaded Ikon diesel costs around 30 grand cheaper than the base Swift D'zire and more than 60 grand cheaper than the base diesel Logan. But then, again lack of space, dated looks, poor after sales service from its maker and average performance work against it to a large extent.