Which Is The Quickest Manual Turbo-petrol Subcompact SUV?
- by Ujjawal Agarwal
- Feb 19, 2024
- | Views: 2318
Want to have some fun on a budget that won’t empty your bank? These sub-4m SUVs can offer some cheap thrills!
The subcompact SUV space isn’t devoid of options. There are the likes of the Maruti Fronx, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet and Mahindra XUV300 that keep the segment on its toes. Most of them offer multiple powertrain options, including both petrol and diesel, but we know nothing beats the performance of a turbocharged engine.
So in this story, we compare the performance of manual turbo-petrol engines of the subcompact SUV segment, and find out which is the quickest to clock 100kmph from a standstill. But first, let’s have a look at their respective specifications:
Spec Check
Maruti Suzuki Fronx |
Renault Kiger/Nissan Magnite |
Kia Sonet |
Tata Nexon |
Mahindra XUV300 |
Hyundai Venue |
|
Engine |
1-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol with mild-hybrid tech |
1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol |
1-litre 3-cylinder turbo-petrol |
1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol |
1.2-litre turbo petrol |
1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol |
Power |
100PS |
100PS |
120 PS |
120PS |
110PS |
120PS |
Torque |
148Nm |
160 Nm |
172 Nm |
170Nm |
200Nm |
172 Nm |
Transmission Options |
5-speed MT / 6-speed AT |
5-speed MT / CVT |
6-speed iMT/ 7-speed DCT |
6-speed MT/ 7-speed DCT |
6-speed MT/ 6-speed AMT |
6-speed MT/ 7-speed DCT |
The Kia Sonet , Hyundai Venue and Tata Nexon are tied in terms of horsepower, but the Mahindra XUV300 takes the win for the highest torque on offer. The Maruti Fronx is the least powerful of the lot. Do note that the XUV300 also gets a more powerful 130 PS / up-to-250 Nm turbo-petrol engine, but that hasn’t been put to a real-world test by us just yet.
Cheap Thrills
Maruti Fronx MT |
Renault Kiger/Nissan Magnite MT |
*Kia Sonet iMT |
*Tata Nexon MT |
Mahindra XUV300 MT |
Hyundai Venue MT |
|
0-100kmph |
10.38 seconds |
11.01 (wet) seconds |
11.35 seconds |
13.33 seconds |
11.49 seconds |
11.58s |
Quarter Mile |
17.31 seconds @ 129.14kmph |
18.44s @ 120.91kmph |
17.65s @126.22kmph |
18.96s @122.22kmph |
18.47s@122.63kmph |
18.09s @ 129.00kmph |
*Tata Nexon and Kia Sonet tested were pre-facelift units. But engine specifications are the same for the facelift.
Also Read: Tata Curvv: 5 Things You Need To Know Ahead Of Its Launch
Despite being down on both power and torque, the Maruti Fronx is the clear winner in this performance test. It is the quickest to accelerate from 0-100kmph and also the quickest in the quarter mile time.
The Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite come in second for the 0-100kmph time, but the Kia Sonet iMT is the next closest car to the Maruti Fronx in the quarter mile time.
The results do come in as a surprise, especially considering that the Maruti Fronx was the lowest in terms of output in the spec check. Yet, it goes beyond the numbers on a paper, and claims victory as the quickest manual turbo-petrol subcompact SUV.