Five most under rated cars in India

Tata Nano

The Tata Nano attracted more global press, both negative and positive to it than any other car in the history of India. Though most of us automotive journalists love this basic go-anywhere-do-anything automobile and although the Nano saw ridiculous sales figures in the early days of its existence, the ‘one lakh car’ or ‘cheap car’ tag soon started to hurt it as much as it had promoted it pre launch. With a rear engine and spacious cabin combined with easy driving and good overall interior design, the Nano, now it is second avatar has never really attracted the audiences that it deserves making it one of the most under rated cars in India. Hopefully, now with a new look and an opening tailgate, the new Nano will do better. Click here to read our review of the new Tata GenX Nano.

Fiat Punto

Another all-time favorite of the automotive journalists and the automotive enthusiasts alike, the Fiat Punto was originally and is today the best looking hatchback you can buy in India today. In fact, the beautiful exterior combined with the equally beautiful interior makes it a rather tempting package. And it handles really well too. So why does it not sell as much as it should? Well, mainly because of the fact that both the petrol and diesel engine are a little lethargic and of course, the biggest problem - the Fiat badge. In fact, even though Fiat’s history in India has been chequered with some of the best products India has seen, issues like sales and service are the main reason why people do not prefer considering them when in the market for a new car. That said, with the new Fiat Punto T-Jet around the corner, the enthusiast might soon flock back towards this historic Italian brand with some renewed interest. Click here to read our review of the Fiat Punto

Ford Fiesta

The Ford Fiesta has always been a personal favorite with the ZigWheels team. In fact, in every single long term test report, we kept harping on how the Fiesta is one of the most under rated cars in India and deserves much more praise and of course sales than it gets today. With handling that is second to none and a well designed exterior and interior, the Fiesta ticks all the right boxes. Strangely though, although cars like the Ecosport do really well for Ford, the Fiesta has always struggled to sell. The Fiesta also has one of the best audio systems for any sub 20-lakh car and of course, one of the best set of seats we have ever placed our butts in. Click here to read our review of the Ford Fiesta.

Hyundai Elantra

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We recently drove the new facelifted Hyundai Elantra and came out quite impressed with how balanced it felt. But sadly, sales of the Elantra have always been negligible even though cars like the Verna and the i20 sell well. This is mainly due to the fact that Indian audiences still find it difficult to pay over 15 lakh for a budget brand like Hyundai, especially when they have more premium brand like Volkswagen and Skoda. That said, with both a diesel and petrol engine available and with both a manual and automatic gearbox, the Elantra is a very genuine contender for the best car in its class. And of course, it gets a cooled seats – a feature for which alone we would consider buying the car.

Skoda Yeti

The Skoda Yeti is the type of car you need to live with to fall in love with. Most auto journalists would tell you how they would have a Skoda Yeti in an instance if they had the chance (or the money) to buy one. Powered by both a petrol and diesel engine and a choice of gearboxes mated to a well made interior and a very classy exterior, the Yeti is a car for all occasions and all circumstances indeed. With its SUVesque profile combined sedan levels of comfort and no real competition, the Yeti has always struggled to sell in India due to Skoda’s reputation for bad after sales service. Click here to read our review of the Skoda Yeti.