Top 3 hatchbacks reviewed in February 2020

Attribute it to its practicality, affordability, flexibility or good fuel economy, the hatchbacks have always received a preference from Indian buyers. No wonder then, this segment has seen a significant growth over the years, and still continues to see a strong demand despite the change in taste of buyers. Here are the top three hatchbacks we drove not too long ago to find out how these cater to the varying needs of a buyer.

The Grand i10 Nios is the latest hatchback offering from the Korean brand. It comes with a fresh design, updated features and is packed with quite a lot of new equipment. It's offered with BS6-compliant engines and available as both petrol and diesel models in India. We not only assessed its pros and cons, but also conducted a comprehensive road test review of this car.

We Indians are smitten by the SUV concept so much that Maruti Suzuki considered offering a hatchback with SUVs traits. Enter the S-Presso. It was launched in September 2019 and grabbed a lot of attention for its high ground clearance and sturdy build. Though it's offered only as a petrol model, buyers have the choice of an automatic version as well. Our long term report gives a fair idea behind the inception of this hatchback and the practicality of this so called mini-SUV.

Entry-level affordable hatchbacks used to be the choice of many budget-conscious buyers in the earlier days in our country. However, customers are now also opting for premium and a little trendier performance-oriented hatchbacks. Case in point, the Maruti Suzuki Baleno that attracted many buyers with its stylish design, premium design and much more. Toyota is also banking on this with the Glanza, which is based on the same Maruti hatchback. Apart from the road test, we also considered all the pros and cons of this premium hatchback in recent times.