Indian roads are not the smoothest in the world. Most car buyers look for ground clearance to negotiate such bad roads and it is a pretty important factor while deciding a new vehicle. Here are ten best hatchbacks and sedans from India with highest ground clearance.
Entry level hatchback
Datsun redi-GO
Ground Clearance – 185mm
The redi-GO is an urban entry-level car based on the Datsun Go platform. The hatchback boasts of as much of 185mm of ground clearance. Datsun offers the 0.8-litre petrol engine and the more powerful 1.0-litre engine with the redi-Go.
Renault Kwid
Ground Clearance: 180mm
The best selling car from the Renault is known for its SUV stance. The popular hatchback comes with a high ground clearance of 180mm, which is similar or more than many SUVs. The Kwid can take on the rough roads quite easily and it shows in its sales figures.
Mid-Level hatchback
Maruti Ignis
Ground Clearance: 180mm
The Ignis is the premium entry-level hatchback targetted at the youths. The Kei car design of the Ignis is unique and attracts a lot of attention. Apart from the looks, the Ignis can also take on bad surfaces very well due to its high ground clearance.
Premium Hatchback
Fiat Punto EVO
Ground Clearance: 195mm
With a towering ground clearance of 195mm, the Punto EVO gets the highest clearance in the premium hatchback segment. Fiat bumped up the ground clearance of the Punto EVO after initial complaints of underbody scrapping but the 2,510mm of ground clearance remains the same.
Ford Figo/Figo Aspire
Ground Clearance: 174mm
The Ford Figo and the sedan Figo Aspire get a maximum ground clearance of 174mm. This makes both the vehicles very compatible to the urban and rural conditions. The Figo and the Figo Aspire are based on the same platform and boast of the same wheelbase too.
Crossover hatchback
Toyota Etios Cross
Ground Clearance: 174 mm
The Etios Cross is based on the Etios hatchback. Toyota has also increased the ground clearance of the model so that it can ride easily on the rough surfaces. The wheelbase remains same as the hatchback version, which is 2,460mm. The extended ground clearance helps the Etios Cross to negotiate rough surfaces easily and live up to its name.
Fiat Avventura / Urban Cross
Ground Clearance: 205mm
Both the Avventura and the Urban Cross are based on the Fiat Punto EVO. Fiat has made both the vehicles a crossover version of the hatchback and hence, the increase in the ground clearance. With the high ground clearance of 205mm, both the vehicles can put many SUVs to shame.
Hyundai Active i20
Ground Clearance: 190mm
Hyundai increased the ground clearance of the Active i20, a crossover version of the Elite i20. The Active i20 also gets stiffer suspension set-up and increased ground clearance of 190mm. This gives the Active i20 an advantage on the rough roads over the regular Elite i20.
Mid-size sedan
Fiat Linea
Ground Clearance: 185mm
Fiat increased the ground clearance of the Linea to 185mm, which makes it the best in the segment. The car can roll over the speed breakers without the fear of scrapping the underbody. The wheelbase of the linea measures at 2,603mm, which is not too long to make the driver worry about bad patches.
C-Segment Sedan
Toyota Corolla Altis
Ground Clearance: 176mm
The sedans in the premium segment do not offer such a high ground clearance to give a better stance. However, the Toyota Corolla Altis wins the segment with its high ground clearance of 176mm. The car comes with a wheelbase of 2,700mm, which is adequately long but the high ground clearance saves the vehicle from scrapping on the rough patches.