SUVs are a great tool for weekenders/travelers who like getting away from the busy city life and enjoy some action off the tarmac. But driving a burly SUV on crowded city streets can sometimes become a grueling task. And that’s where the crossovers step in. Compact in size for ease of use in crowded cities but relatively more capable of handling the adrenaline filled adventure drives reserved for the weekend, the crossover market has found a large audience base in the Indian as well as in the global market.
While the existing players such as the Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport have been clocking good sales numbers for their respective manufacturers, the arrival of the new Maruti Suzuki S-Cross, Hyundai Creta and the Mahindra TUV100 has expanded the options for the Indian audience willing to buy a compact SUV/crossover. This crossover technical specification comparison will be a face-off between the existing products and new models along with two full fledged SUVs that are available at nearly the same (or slightly higher) price as the crossovers/compact SUVs in the Indian market.
First up is the comparison of the diesel powered vehicles.
| Models | Suzuki S-Cross | Renault Duster | Hyundai Creta | Nissan Terrano | Ford EcoSport | Mahindra XUV | Tata Safari Storme | Mahindra TUV300 |
|
Engine |
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| Displacement | 1598cc/1248cc | 1461cc | 1396cc/1591cc | 1461cc | 1498cc | 2179cc | 2179cc | 1493cc |
| Power (PS) | 1598cc: 120/ 1248cc: 90 | 85/110 | 1396cc: 90/ 1591cc: 123 | 85/110 | 91 | 142 | 150 | 82/85 |
| Torque (Nm) | 1598cc: 320/ 1248cc: 200 | 200/245 | 1396cc: 220/ 1591cc: 260 | 200/248 | 204 | 330 | 320 | 230 |
| Transmission | 1598cc: 6 MT/ 1248cc: 5 MT | 5 MT/6 MT | 1396cc: 6 MT/ 1591cc: 6 AT | 5 MT/6 MT | 5 MT | 6 MT | 5 MT | 5 MT/5 AT |
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Dimensions |
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| Length (mm) | 4300 | 4315 | 4270 | 4331 | 3999 | 4585 | 4655 | 3995 |
| Width (mm) | 1765 | 1822 | 1780 | 1822 | 1765 | 1890 | 1965 | 1835 |
| Height (mm) | 1590 | 1695 | 1630 | 1671 | 1708 | 1785 | 1922 | 1839 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2600 | 2673 | 2590 | 2673 | 2520 | 2700 | 2650 | 2680 |
| Ground Clearance (mm) | 180 | 205-210 (AWD) | 200 | 205 | 200 | 200/160 (with stone guard) | 200 | 182 |
| Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres) | 48 | 50 | 55 | 50 | 52 | 70 | 63 | 60 |
| Turning Radius (m) | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.35 |
| Price in lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi) | Rs 8.34-10.75 | Rs 9.12-13.62 | Rs 9.46-13.60 | Rs 10.13-12.91 | Rs 7.88-10.20 | Rs 11.29-16.19 | Rs 9.99-14.36 | Rs 6.90-9.12 (ex-showroom Pune) |
The Tata Safari Storme and the Mahindra XUV500 being full fledged SUVs with larger displacement engines have a slight power advantage over the crossovers/compact SUVs. The Tata Safari Storme and Mahindra XUV500, with their 2179cc diesel powered engines, deliver 150PS and 142PS respectively. Comparing only the crossovers and the compact SUVs, the Hyundai Creta is the most powerful product with power output of 123 PS from its 1591cc engine followed closely by the Suzuki S-Cross with 120PS.
The Nissan Terrano and Renault share the same engine and hence deliver identical power output figures. The EcoSport is at the second spot from the bottom of the chart in terms of power with only 91PS on tap. Then again, the Ecosport is the smallest and (likely) cheapest of the lot here. Also, 204 Nm of torque is good enough for a vehicle the EcoSport’s size for a heady shove. Bring into the picture the compact crossover’s amazing handling, and you really don’t have much to complain about. The bottom place, in terms of power output and sharing the space with the lower spec Renault Duster and Nissan Terrano, is now occupied by the new Mahindra TUV300 that delivers 85 PS of power.
However, the Mahindra TUV300 grabs attention for one particular reason – Price. Stealing the title of being the most affordable compact SUV/crossover from the Ford EcoSport is the new Mahindra TUV300 with prices starting from Rs 6.90 lakh (ex-showroom Pune) for the base variant. Compare that to the former most affordable vehicle in this comparison and the new TUV300 undercuts the EcoSport by nearly Rs 1 lakh. In fact, when compared to the low engine-spec models of the Suzuki S-Cross, Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Nissan Terrano and the Ford EcoSport, the new Mahindra TUV300 stands apart with the highest torque output of 230Nm.
Next up, petrol powered variants.
| Models | Renault Duster | Hyundai Creta | Nissan Terrano | Ford EcoSport |
| Engine | ||||
| Displacement | 1598cc | 1591 cc | 1598cc | 1499cc/ 999cc Ecoboost |
| Power (PS) | 102 | 123 | 104 | 1499cc: 112/ 999cc: 125 |
| Torque (Nm) | 145 | 151 | 145 | 1499cc: 140/ 999cc: 170 |
| Transmission | 5 MT | 6 MT | 5 MT | 5 MT |
| Dimensions | ||||
| Length (mm) | 4315 | 4270 | 4331 | 3999 |
| Width (mm) | 1822 | 1780 | 1822 | 1765 |
| Height (mm) | 1695 | 1630 | 1671 | 1708 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2673 | 2590 | 2673 | 2520 |
| Ground Clearance (mm) | 205 | 200 | 205 | 200 |
| Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres) | 50 | 55 | 50 | 52 |
| Turning Radius (m) | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| Price in lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi) | Rs 8.35-9.69 | Rs 8.59-11.19 | Rs 10.14 | Rs 6.75-9.72 |
The Suzuki S-Cross and the Mahindra TUV300 will not be available in a petrol variant in the foreseeable future but you can select between the Renault Duster, Hyundai Creta, Nissan Terrano and Ford EcoSport. Yet again, it is the Ford EcoSport that impresses in the performance and pricing department. The Ford EcoSport comes with two engine options and with 125 PS of power is the most powerful crossover among the four. The pricing of the product does not disappoint either with ex-showroom Delhi prices starting from at Rs 6.75 lakh.
The Hyundai Creta delivers marginally less power than the Ford EcoSport with output figures standing at 123 PS. The Nissan Terrano and Renault Duster, yet again, share the same engine and hence deliver same power output figures but the petrol powered Terrano is available only in one variant while the Duster comes in different trim levels.
The crossover market looks promising and with new products ready to arrive at the Indian market, we expect to see some really tough competition among the manufacturers to lure customers towards their respective products. Which product works for you? Would you be waiting for new products to arrive in the Indian market or would you write off a cheque for one of the existing products? Share your views with us through the comments section below.