6. Ford Freestyle
The newest member of Ford India's line-up, the all-new Freestyle is the first crossover car from the company and is based on the Figo hatchback. Priced in the range of ₹ 5.09 lakh to ₹ 7.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the entire range of the new Freestyle is priced under ₹ 8 lakh. The car also has good road presence and is equipped with smart features like a dash-top touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the company's SYNC3 connectivity system on offer. The car also gets reverse parking system, dual airbags and ABS as standard. The car also comes with an all-new 1.2-litre petrol engine and the tried and tested 1.5-litre diesel motor mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
7. Honda Amaze
The Honda Amaze also received a generation upgrade this year, and it's wouldn't be an overstatement to call it an all-new car. The car is based on a new-generation platform and comes with all-new design and styling in line with Honda's latest design language. Priced in the range of ₹ 5.6 lakh to ₹ 8.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the entire petrol line up is priced under ₹ 8 lakh, while the entry and mid-variant of the diesel trim are also under that price point. While the car does miss out on the likes of LED headlamps or even projector headlamps, which are pretty common even in entry-level cars, but the Amaze does come with a nice road presence and CVT automatic option for both petrol and diesel variants. The engines, however, remain unchanged as the car gets the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel and the fuel efficiency rating for the former is 19.5 kmpl (MT) and 19 kmpl (CVT), while the diesel version offers 27.4 kmpl (MT) and 23.8 kmpl (CVT).
8. Maruti Suzuki Dzire:
The new Maruti Suzuki Dzire offers the best fuel efficiency
The new-gen Maruti Suzuki not only dropped the 'Swift' from its name but also a lot of weight making it over 100 kg lighter than the older model. This is courtesy of the new HEARTEC design platform, which also underpins the upcoming next-gen Swift hatchback. The new Dzire makes a lot of sense in this price segment considering the car comes with a host of new and premium features along with impressive design and styling. Safety features like airbags and ABS come as standard across trim levels and considering the base variant starts at ₹ 5.56 lakh there are many options to choose from the variant list, which tops out at ₹ 9.43 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Only top-end model gets projector headlights and LED DRLs for which you'll need to cough up a couple of lakhs more. However the AMT option is available even in the mid variants - VXI an VDI, which are in fact a very decent pick. Engine options remain unchanged as you get the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard and AMT unit as option. The new Dzire also offers the best fuel efficiency be it among petrol models or diesel, returning an ARAI claimed mileage of 22 kmpl and 28.4 kmpl respectively.
9. Tata Tigor:
Like most other hatchback and sedan duos, the Tigor too, is essentially a compact sedan version of the Tiago. While the front end of the Tigor resembles that of the Tiago, the rear is where the style quotient comes into play. Tata managed to give the Tigor a coupe-like look from the rear, making it rather pleasing to the eye as compared to other sub 4-metre sedans which do not quite cut it as far as the rear design is considered. The Tigor too gets a host of features such as a touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink, climate control and colour-coded AC vents. It gets the same engine and transmission options as the Tiago, which is not a bad thing. The claimed fuel efficiency on the Tigor is 22 kmpl for the petrol variant and 26 kmpl for the diesel variant. The prices for the Tigor start from ₹ 4.84 lakh for the XE Revotron variant and goes up till ₹ 7.19 lakh for the XZ (O) variant.
10. Volkswagen Ameo:
The Volkswagen Ameo is also worth product
Like all other manufacturers, Volkswagen too couldn't resist the lure of manufacturing a sub 4-metre compact sedan. The Ameo is to the Polo what the Tigor is to Tiago, the Aspire is to the Figo, and the Xcent is to the Grand i10 and so on. While the overall design might not be as pleasing as some of the others in this list, VW has done well to load the Ameo with a whole lot of features such as rain-sensing wipers, cornering lights, rear-view camera, touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink, climate control and even a cruise control. All variants of the Ameo get ABS and dual airbags as standard. The Polo drew a lot of flak for not getting enough features but with the Ameo, VW has rectified the same. The Ameo gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 1.5-litre diesel engine which can be specified with either a 5-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG automatic unit. The Ameo is one of the more expensive cars on our list but it is a practical subcompact sedan loaded with features and a solid engine as well. The prices start from ₹ 5.62 lakh and go up all the way to ₹ 9.99 lakh.
Special Mention: While they might not be the absolute best buys under ₹ 8 lakh, we thought it would be a good idea to at least mention them here. You could also buy the base trims of the Vitara Brezza, Ciaz, EcoSport and the TUV300 as well. But we would rather not consider these as the best buys.
6. Ford Freestyle
The newest member of Ford India's line-up, the all-new Freestyle is the first crossover car from the company and is based on the Figo hatchback. Priced in the range of ₹ 5.09 lakh to ₹ 7.89 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the entire range of the new Freestyle is priced under ₹ 8 lakh. The car also has good road presence and is equipped with smart features like a dash-top touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the company's SYNC3 connectivity system on offer. The car also gets reverse parking system, dual airbags and ABS as standard. The car also comes with an all-new 1.2-litre petrol engine and the tried and tested 1.5-litre diesel motor mated to a 5-speed gearbox.
7. Honda Amaze
The Honda Amaze also received a generation upgrade this year, and it's wouldn't be an overstatement to call it an all-new car. The car is based on a new-generation platform and comes with all-new design and styling in line with Honda's latest design language. Priced in the range of ₹ 5.6 lakh to ₹ 8.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the entire petrol line up is priced under ₹ 8 lakh, while the entry and mid-variant of the diesel trim are also under that price point. While the car does miss out on the likes of LED headlamps or even projector headlamps, which are pretty common even in entry-level cars, but the Amaze does come with a nice road presence and CVT automatic option for both petrol and diesel variants. The engines, however, remain unchanged as the car gets the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel and the fuel efficiency rating for the former is 19.5 kmpl (MT) and 19 kmpl (CVT), while the diesel version offers 27.4 kmpl (MT) and 23.8 kmpl (CVT).
8. Maruti Suzuki Dzire:
The new Maruti Suzuki Dzire offers the best fuel efficiency
The new-gen Maruti Suzuki not only dropped the 'Swift' from its name but also a lot of weight making it over 100 kg lighter than the older model. This is courtesy of the new HEARTEC design platform, which also underpins the upcoming next-gen Swift hatchback. The new Dzire makes a lot of sense in this price segment considering the car comes with a host of new and premium features along with impressive design and styling. Safety features like airbags and ABS come as standard across trim levels and considering the base variant starts at ₹ 5.56 lakh there are many options to choose from the variant list, which tops out at ₹ 9.43 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Only top-end model gets projector headlights and LED DRLs for which you'll need to cough up a couple of lakhs more. However the AMT option is available even in the mid variants - VXI an VDI, which are in fact a very decent pick. Engine options remain unchanged as you get the same 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard and AMT unit as option. The new Dzire also offers the best fuel efficiency be it among petrol models or diesel, returning an ARAI claimed mileage of 22 kmpl and 28.4 kmpl respectively.
9. Tata Tigor:
Like most other hatchback and sedan duos, the Tigor too, is essentially a compact sedan version of the Tiago. While the front end of the Tigor resembles that of the Tiago, the rear is where the style quotient comes into play. Tata managed to give the Tigor a coupe-like look from the rear, making it rather pleasing to the eye as compared to other sub 4-metre sedans which do not quite cut it as far as the rear design is considered. The Tigor too gets a host of features such as a touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink, climate control and colour-coded AC vents. It gets the same engine and transmission options as the Tiago, which is not a bad thing. The claimed fuel efficiency on the Tigor is 22 kmpl for the petrol variant and 26 kmpl for the diesel variant. The prices for the Tigor start from ₹ 4.84 lakh for the XE Revotron variant and goes up till ₹ 7.19 lakh for the XZ (O) variant.
10. Volkswagen Ameo:
The Volkswagen Ameo is also worth product
Like all other manufacturers, Volkswagen too couldn't resist the lure of manufacturing a sub 4-metre compact sedan. The Ameo is to the Polo what the Tigor is to Tiago, the Aspire is to the Figo, and the Xcent is to the Grand i10 and so on. While the overall design might not be as pleasing as some of the others in this list, VW has done well to load the Ameo with a whole lot of features such as rain-sensing wipers, cornering lights, rear-view camera, touchscreen infotainment system with MirrorLink, climate control and even a cruise control. All variants of the Ameo get ABS and dual airbags as standard. The Polo drew a lot of flak for not getting enough features but with the Ameo, VW has rectified the same. The Ameo gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox and a 1.5-litre diesel engine which can be specified with either a 5-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG automatic unit. The Ameo is one of the more expensive cars on our list but it is a practical subcompact sedan loaded with features and a solid engine as well. The prices start from ₹ 5.62 lakh and go up all the way to ₹ 9.99 lakh.
Special Mention: While they might not be the absolute best buys under ₹ 8 lakh, we thought it would be a good idea to at least mention them here. You could also buy the base trims of the Vitara Brezza, Ciaz, EcoSport and the TUV300 as well. But we would rather not consider these as the best buys.