Challenge

Benchmarking

AAnkita Ekka1 Aug 2022

1. Tata Tiago

Let us start the list with one of the most impressive family offerings from Tata, the Tiago. This hatchback comes in six colour varieties, each with its own appeal.

The BS-VI variant of this car is equipped with a 5-speed gearbox and is capable of achieving power of 84bhp and peak torque of 113Nm.

This small vehicle boasts of a 242-litre boot space, which should be sufficient for all your luggage-carrying needs.

Engine Displacement – 1199cc
Mileage – 23kmpl
Ex-showroom Price in Delhi – Starting from Rs.4.60 lakh.
Awards – Declared Compact Car of the Year at the 2017 BBC Top Gear Awards.

2.Mahindra Bolero

Mahindra’s sub 4m SUV gives fierce competition to the Hyundai Venue, Tata Nexon and the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza.

The Bolero is available in three shades, namely, Diamond White, Lake Side Brown and Mist Silver. Performance-wise you can expect powers of up to 74.96bhp and 210Nm of torque.

However, this family car has no petroleum model, instead only available in its diesel variant.

Engine Displacement – 1498cc
Mileage – 16.5kmpl
Ex-showroom Price in Delhi – Starts from Rs.7.98 lakh.

3. Hyundai Elite i20

Hyundai offers fierce competition to the Maruti Swift with its Elite i20 hatchback. This 5-speed family vehicle comes with decent 285-litre boot space.

The 1.2-litre Kappa petroleum engine can generate up to 81.86bhp power and 117Nm torque. Hyundai further ups the ante by offering nine colour options, from a Fiery Red to Mariana Blue.

Engine Displacement – 1197cc
Mileage – 17kmpl
Ex-showroom Price in Delhi – From Rs.5.60 lakh.
Awards – Winner of the prestigious ICOTY Award in 2014.

4.Maruti Suzuki Swift

Equipped with a 1.2-litre Dualjet petrol engine, the BS-VI model of this popular family vehicle is only present in one variant.

Although a diesel model was earlier present, the car manufacturer discontinued its production rather than upgrading to the latest emission rating.

The petrol variant impresses with its performance, producing power of 81.80bhp and 113Nm torque.

Engine Displacement – 1197cc
Mileage – 21kmpl
Ex-showroom Price in Delhi – Rs.5.19 lakh.
Awards – Named Indian Car of the Year or ICOTY in 2019.

NAME	PETROL/DIESEL	ENGINE DISPLACEMENT	MILEAGE	PRICE
Tata Tiago	PETROL	1199cc	23kmpl	Rs.4.60 lakh
Mahindra Bolero	DIESEL	1498cc	16.5kmpl	Rs.7.98 lakh
Hyundai Elite i20	PETROL	1197cc	17kmpl	Rs.5.60 lakh.
Maruti Suzuki Swift	PETROL	1197cc	21kmpl	Rs.5.19 lakh.

These are just some of the best family cars in India 2020. You can look into other options as well, depending on how much you can stretch your budget.

Keep in mind not to neglect safety features when buying such a car for a family outing, even if you need to shell out a bit more money.

AUTOMOTIVE BENCHMARKING

Benchmarking is the process of comparison of similar products on some dimensions of performance.

In other words, it is the process of analyzing the choices of similar products based on the selection factor and deducing it to final conclusion.

CASE

Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii is a married man who lives in Bangalore which is a highly crowded city. His Family comprises five members including his wife, five-year-old boy, his father, and his mother. He visits his native place Madurai which is 500kms away from Bangalore once in a month. Also, he will be using his car to commute to his office. His budget falls between 8 to 10 lakhs on road. Please suggest to him with options so that he will buy a good car for his family.

Note: Pughazhyendhii is fond of big cars

REPORT

The above case of Mr. Pughazhyendhii leads to following filters. They are

The number of commuters is five including a child and hence the vehicle should be spacious with enough leg room
He uses his car for Daily office commute and a monthly trip to his native .This would give a total estimate of more than 2500km/month and 20000km/year.
The budget is from 8-10 Lakhs and he is also fond of big cars
Based on these underpinning factors the suggestion would be a choice of MAHINDRA BALERO Vehicle and
Considering the long run of the vehicle the viable option would be Diesel variant which helps to save fuel costs and other upfront maintenance and also has better mileage.
In a crowded city like Bengaluru Automatic Gear transmission would be best suited but due to budget constraints and fuel efficiency Manual Transmission is preferred

Based on these requirements a detailed benchmarking is done to compare the specifications, advantages and other considerable parameters.

Comparison Parameters of the Car Models

PERFORMANCE

TATA TIAGO and HYUNDAI ELITE i20 are the front runners but MARUTI SUZUKI SWIFT offers much stable performance both on the city traffic and highway with multi drive modes.
Tata TIAGO has Linear Power Delivery system and has better Engine power and torque only faling behind Maxindra BALERO.
The Reported ARAI Mileage shows TAIGO and i20 are far better and Mahindra falls behind because of its power to weight ratio.

INTERIOR

TATA TIAGO is the best among the group because of its spacious Cabin Interior with more Leg room for the rear passengers and suits best for the family drive by giving best seating for the fifth passenger.
The Glove Box and Rear HVAC Vent are the standout features of TATA TIAGO and also has improved sunvision and Instrument Panel Clusters with added utiliy holders along the side doors.
TIAGO'S Infotainment touch screen has sub par performance compared to MAHINDRA BALERO and Hyundai Elite i20.
Maxindra Balero has a better Plastic Interior trim quality and Dual tone variant of Hyundai Elite i20 and material looks better whereas the Quality of BM VI variant Tiago is not superior compared to other models
The Blue link connectivity App with smarphone from Hyundai Elite i20 gives additional scoring for i20 among others .

EXTERIOR

TATA Tiago is a standout in this category and offers the maximum bootspace of 242 litres falling just behind Hyundai Elitebi20 but Maruti Suzuki Swift provide way better ground clearence of 209mm which will be well suited for the Indian Roads
The Facelift, Headlight and Tail Light are stylish in Tata Tiago and gives a land rover discovery like front with beefy and bulky front end.
The Lagged out ABC Pillars of TATA Tiago offers better head room among the other models.

SAFETY and COMFORT

Almost all the models has same safety features of Dual Airbags, ABS with EBD, parking sensors, corner stability control but TIAGO offers Dead pedal which comes very handy in the case of Pughazhyendhii for his frequent long drive.
Apart from that Automatic Rain Sensing Wipers, Tyre pressure monitoring system are available in TATA TIAGO 1.5XM within the price range .
TATA Nexon is the first Indian Model to recieve 5star NCAP Rating for its safety and crash test. Mahindra BALERO also has a 5 star rating.

Img1) NCAP Report

The Fortified Cabin with High strength steel structure absorbs impact and protects the passengers duing unfostunate collision

Img2) HSS of TATA Nexon

VERDICT

TATA TIAGO is better model suited to Pughazhyendhii based on the benchmarking report done above. It offers much better stability in performance and spacious compared to other model and falls under the budget of 10 lakhs with top spec model. Hyundai Venue also provides better features but lags Nexon on the Rear Passenger comfort along with XUV and Eco Sport.