The sub-4 meter SUV segment is one of the biggest and fastest growing segments in the country. In fact, the compact SUVs recorded the highest year-on-year growth (95%) in February 2021 and outnumbered India’s biggest compact hatchback segment. In the past 7-8 months, the competition has become fiercer with some new launches including Renault Kiger, Nissan Magnite, Kia Sonet and Toyota Urban Cruiser. Compared to the manual models, the automatic variants are high in demand. Here, we have listed India’s top 6 subcompact automatic SUVs, which are priced below Rs 10 lakh, ex-showroom.
Renault Kiger – Rs 6.59 lakh – Rs 7.05 lakh
Launched in February 2021, the Renault Kiger is available in four trims and four engine and gearbox combinations. The compact SUV comes with the 72bhp, 1.0L naturally aspirated petrol and 100bhp, 1.0L turbo-petrol engine options. Buyers have three gearboxes to chose from – 5-speed manual (standard), 5-speed AMT (NA petrol only) and 5-speed CVT automatic (turbo-petrol only). The model lineup includes three AMT variants – RxL, RxT and RxZ – priced at Rs 6.59 lakh, Rs 7.05 lakh and Rs 8.00 lakh respectively. The RxT turbo-petrol CVT is available at Rs 8.60 lakh and the top-end RxZ turbo-petrol CVT costs Rs 9.55 lakh.
| Variant | Ex-showroom |
| RxL AMT | Rs 6.59 lakh |
| RxT AMT | Rs 7.05 lakh |
| RxZ AMT | Rs 8.00 lakh |
| RxT Turbo CVT | Rs 8.60 lakh |
| RxZ Turbo CVT | Rs 9.55 lakh |
Nissan Magnite – Rs 8.19 lakh – Rs 9.75 lakh
The newly-launched Nissan Magnite and Kiger share their platform and engine setup. Similar to the Kiger, the new Nissan subcompact SUV is available with 1.0L NA petrol and 1.0L turbo petrol motors delivering 72bhp and 100bhp respectively. A CVT automatic gearbox is reserved for the turbo-petrol variants. The carmaker recently increased prices of its turbo-petrol CVT automatic variants by up to Rs 30,000. After the price hike, the Magnite XL CVT, XV CVT, XV Premium CVT and XV Premium (O) CVT variants cost Rs 8.19 lakh, Rs 8.88 lakh, Rs 9.65 lakh and Rs 9.75 lakh respectively.
| Variant | Ex-showroom |
| XL Turbo CVT | Rs 8.19 lakh |
| XV Turbo CVT | Rs 8.88 lakh |
| XV Premium Turbo CVT | Rs 9.65 lakh |
| XV Premium (O) Turbo CVT | Rs 9.75 lakh |
Tata Nexon – Rs 8.59 lakh – Rs 9.92 lakh
Tata Nexon is the fourth top-selling subcompact SUV in the country. The model is currently available in 5 trims – XE, XM, XZ, XZ+ and XZ+ (O) – with XM, XZ+ and XZ+ (O) with an optional AMT gearbox. It can be had with either a 1.2L turbo petrol or a 1.5L diesel engine. Both motors offer power worth 110bhp with 170Nm and 260Nm respectively. As mentioned above, the model lineup has three AMT automatic variants XMA petrol, XMA S petrol and XMA diesel, which are priced at Rs 8.59 lakh, Rs 9.11 lakh and Rs 9.92 lakh respectively.
| Variant | Ex-showroom |
| XMA Petrol | Rs 8.59 lakh |
| XMA S Petrol | Rs 9.11 lakh |
| XMA Diesel | Rs 9.92 lakh |
Hyundai Venue (S Turbo) – Rs 9.68 lakh
At present, the Hyundai Venue model lineup is available in a total of 19 variants – 6 diesel and 13 petrol. There are three engine options – 1.0 turbo petrol (120bhp/172Nm), 1.2L naturally aspirated petrol (83bhp/115Nm) and 1.5L turbo diesel (90bhp/220Nm). While the turbo-petrol comes with 6-speed manual, iMT (clutchless manual transmission) and 7-speed DCT automatic gearboxes, the 1.2L petrol and 1.5L diesel can be had with a 5-speed manual and a 6-speed manual gearbox respectively. It’s only Venue S turbo DCT petrol variant that has been priced below Rs 10 lakh, while SX+ turbo DCT and SX+ Sport DCT variants are available at Rs 11.49 lakh and Rs 11.66 lakh respectively.
| Variant | Ex-showroom |
| S Turbo DCT | Rs 9.68 lakh |
| SX+ Turbo DCT | Rs 11.49 lakh |
| SX+ Sport DCT | Rs 11.66 lakh |
Maruti Vitara Brezza VXi – Rs 9.85 lakh
Maruti Vitara Brezza, India top-selling subcompact SUV, has been offered with a 1.5L K15B petrol engine that’s good enough for Rs 105bhp and 138Nm. The gasoline motor comes with the 5-speed manual and a 4-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. The latter gets Suzuki’s SHVS mild hybrid system. There are five trims spread across five petrol manual and four petrol automatic variants. Save for the VXi automatic, the rest three (ZXi, ZXi+ and ZXi+ dual-tone) cost above Rs 10 lakh. The Vitara Brezza VXi petrol automatic comes with a price tag of Rs 9.85 lakh.
| Variant | Ex-showroom |
| ZXi AT | Rs 9.85 lakh |
| ZXi+ AT | Rs 10.60 lakh |
| ZXi Dual-tone AT | Rs 11.20 lakh |
Toyota Urban Cruiser (Mid) – Rs 9.90 lakh
Launched in September 2020, the Toyota Urban Cruiser is available in three trims (Mid, High and Premium) and two powertrain options. Under the hood, the compact SUV features a 1.5L naturally aspirated petrol engine making power worth 105bhp and 138Nm of torque. Power is delivered to the front wheels via either a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 4-speed torque convertor automatic. While the Mid automatic variant has been offered at Rs 9.90 lakh, the High and Premium automatic models cost Rs 10.75 lakh and Rs 11.35 lakh respectively.
| Variant | Ex-showroom |
| Mid AT | Rs 9.90 lakh |
| High AT | Rs 10.75 lakh |
| Premium AT | Rs 11.35 lakh |
