Maruti Swift Vs Hyundai Grand i10 Nios Vs Ford Figo: Which Is The Quickest Diesel-MT Hatchback?

Hyundai recently launched the Grand i10 Nios at Rs 4.99 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) to take on the likes of the Maruti Swift, Maruti Ignis, Ford Figo and the Nissan Micra. While the demand for diesel cars are projected to fall once BS6 emission norms take effect, there continues to be buyers out there who prefer their frugal nature. So, we set out to compare the diesel-manual variant of the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios against the Maruti Swift and Ford Figo.

But before we find which of these cars is the quickest, let’s take a quick look at their engine specifications:

The Ford Figo has the biggest engine and it is also the most powerful of the lot. In terms of torque too, Figo comes out on top as it offers 25Nm more than the Swift and Grand i10 Nios. The Nios’ diesel engine is a bit smaller than the Swift’s but offers the exact same output. As the Figo has a bigger engine, its kerb weight is the maximum among the three and the Swift weighs the least.

Here are the real-world performance figures of these hatchbacks:

Performance Test:

As the Figo has the most power and torque, it is also the quickest to reach the 100kmph mark. It takes 10.69s to achieve this feat, making it 1.69s quicker than the Swift. Meanwhile, the Grand i10 Nios with the smallest engine here is the slowest to reach the 100kmph figure, taking over 13 seconds to complete the task.

In the quarter mile run, the Figo tops the charts yet again followed by the Swift and the Grand i10 Nios. The Ford was also 8kmph faster than the Swift by the end of the quarter mile.

When it comes to in-gear acceleration however, biggest isn’t always the best. The Swift is the quickest to accelerate in third gear, ahead of the Figo and Grand i10 Nios. However, when accelerating from 40kmph to 100kmph in fourth gear, it’s the Hyundai that does it the quickest, a whole 1.29s faster than the Figo with the Swift in the middle.

Braking Test:

The Ford Figo covers the shortest distance to halt from 100kmph, while the Swift ranks second and the Grand i10 Nios comes third. However, when stopping from 80kmph, the Grand i10 Nios is the first to come to a halt . The Figo and the Swft take the second and third spot respectively.

Source: cardekho.com