Honda City Facelift: Benchmark Sedan | The Honda City and its hybrid variant stand out in the C2 segment with a lively 1.5L petrol engine, smooth gearbox, responsive steering, and comfortable ride quality. The spacious cabin, practical boot, impressive safety features, and noteworthy extras like a sunroof, Honda connect with Alexa, and cruise control add to its appeal. However, the rear can get bouncy at high speeds on uneven roads, and the chassis and suspension don’t match the potent engine beyond 120 km/h. Despite these drawbacks, the market response has been quite ordinary, with sales dropping since the launch of the Verna, Slavia, and Virtus.
Tata Nexon Facelift: Funky and Safe | The Tata Nexon Facelift, with its funky styling and 5-star NCAP safety rating, stands out from the crowd. Its spacious cabin, practical 382-litre boot, and impressive performance from the 1.5L diesel and 1.2L petrol engines make it a solid choice. However, the 3-cylinder petrol engine lags behind the 4-cylinder competition in NVH. There are also concerns over long-term reliability and Tata’s inconsistent after-sales experience. Despite these drawbacks, the Nexon has been a hit, averaging sales between 14,000 to 15,000 units per month.
Grand i10 Nios Facelift: Fun Hatchback | The Grand i10 Nios Facelift is a well-rounded, fun-to-drive hatchback with precise build quality, balanced road manners, and an array of features. However, it scored only two stars in the GNCAP crash tests, and its 175mm economy-oriented MRF tyres give up easily. The car’s narrow width makes it a four-seater, and its low-speed ride quality is firmer than expected. Despite these drawbacks, the Grand i10 Nios’s sales are quite average, falling behind competitors like the Wagon R, Altroz, and Tiago.
Aura Facelift: Compact All-Rounder | The Aura Facelift is an all-rounder compact sedan, well-priced for what it offers. It boasts precise build quality, balanced road manners, and a host of features, including a safety kit with six airbags, ABS, and ISOFIX child seat mounts. However, like its hatchback sibling, the Grand i10 Nios, it scored just two stars in the GNCAP crash test. Its narrow width makes it a four-seater, and its low-speed ride quality is firmer than expected. Despite these drawbacks, the Aura’s sales are quite average, falling behind the Dzire.
MG Hector Facelift: Big and Blingy | The MG Hector and Hector Plus facelift models offer big size and lots of bling for the money. The spacious cabin, massive 587-litre boot, Fiat-sourced 2.0L diesel engine, compliant ride quality, and lots of kit make these models a good choice. However, the awkward styling on the side and rear profiles, sloppy high-speed handling, noticeable body roll, and easy understeer are drawbacks. Additionally, the petrol engine is “adequate” at best, and there’s no Diesel AT option. Despite these issues, the market response has been pretty ordinary, but it sells quite well for a Chinese brand.
i20 Facelift: Premium Hatchback | The i20 Facelift stands out with its design, both inside and outside, especially the stunning black front grill and skid plates. It offers good interiors with a premium feel, a powerful turbo petrol engine option, and a great music system. However, it has a poor GNCAP safety rating with only three stars, and its outdated 1.2L petrol engine could have been better. Despite these drawbacks, it’s reasonably successful with an average of 5,000 units sold.
Kia Seltos Facelift: Stylish and Well-Priced | The Kia Seltos Facelift impresses with its handsome, contemporary styling and well-priced offerings. Its user-friendly interiors, 1.5L turbo-petrol and 1.5L diesel engines, and mature on-road behaviour make it a strong contender. However, it scored just 3 stars in the GNCAP crash tests, and its turbo-petrols are sensitive to driving style. The back seat’s width makes it better for 2 adults and a kid, rather than 3 adults. Despite these issues, the Seltos has been successful, outperforming its competitors with 7,000-11,000 units sold per month.