What else can you buy for the price of a 1.4-litre diesel Hyundai Verna?

Hyundai has launched two variants of the Verna that are powered by a 1.4-litre diesel engine. They are entry-level E and EX variants and are priced at Rs 9.29 lakhs and 9.99 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).

This diesel engine is a four-pot unit and is good for 89bhp/220Nm and is offered with a six speed manual gearbox. The pricing of these new entry-level models puts the Verna smack dab in the centre of the high end of the entire compact car set up in India. The idea of this, on the face of things, appears to be that the base model of the Verna might not be heavy on features as the compact cars but it is a full size car with a big boot and a decently powerful diesel engine.

We’ve decided to look at both cars in one breath as there’s only Rs 70,000 separating both models and in this part of the market, that is an acceptable amount to stretch a budget. The base E variant gets dual front airbags with ABS and EBD, power windows as standard and some exterior chrome trim as standard fitment.

The additional 70,000 that you shell out for the EX variant gets you auto head lamps, speed sensing door locks, chrome grille, touchscreen infotainment with 6.0-inch display, climate control and front and rear USB charge points. That’s nearly most of what is offered across the compact sedan and SUV category.

Compact sedans

In terms of compact sedans, you can have the Maruti Dzire in the ZDi or ZDi Plus AMT trims,  Honda Amaze in the VX or V AT as well as the Volkswagen Ameo in the  Diesel Highline Plus AT or the Diesel Highline Plus MT model. Finally, there’s also Hyundai’s very own Xcent in the SX CRDi (O) trim level.

Compact SUVs

In terms of the compact SUVs, one may consider the Maruti Vitara Brezza in the ZDi+ AGS and  ZDi+ trims,  Tata Nexon in the XZA Plus diesel duel tone, XZ Plus Diesel duel tone and XZA Plus diesel. Also, take a look at the Honda WR-V in the VX diesel and the Mahindra TUV300 in the T10 Dual Tone trim.

Premium hatchbacks

Finally, there’s also the top-of-the-line diesel models of the Hyundai Elite i20, Honda Jazz as well as the Volkswagen Polo to consider.