Going by the current trends of the Indian automotive scene, SUVs are among the most popular segments that people are looking to buy. Another trend that is not quite old yet is the bias towards buying an automatic transmission equipped car rather than its manual counterpart. But if we combine both these trends, almost every SUV with an automatic box costs more than Rs. 10 lakh. However, if you still want to buy an SUV that comes with an automatic gearbox and doesn’t cross the Rs. 10 lakh price mark, here are a few options that can be considered.
Tata Nexon
Base auto variant price: Rs. 7.94 lakh
Starting off the list is the Tata Nexon, which is among the most affordable sub-4 meter SUVs in India. The stylish SUV from Tata offers an AMT gearbox on both petrol and diesel variants under Rs. 10 lakh. Prices for the base petrol automatic variant of the Nexon start from Rs. 7.94 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), making it the most affordable automatic SUV in the country. The petrol engine on the Nexon is a 1.2-litre unit churning out 108 Bhp-170 Nm while the diesel is a 1.5-litre unit that churns out 160 Bhp-260 Nm.
Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza
Base auto variant price: Rs. 8.69 lakh
Next up is the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza which has been the best selling sub-4 meter SUV in India for long. Though it is only available with a diesel engine, Maruti paid attention to customer feedback and launched the AMT gearbox equipped model long ago. The base automatic variant, which is the VDi AGS, is priced at Rs. 8.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and you can have the better equipped ZDi AGS variant priced at Rs. 9.47 lakh. Powring the Vitara Brezza is a 1.5-litre diesel mill that churns out 89 Bhp of power along with 200 Nm of torque.
Hyundai Venue
Base auto variant price: Rs. 9.35 lakh
The newest entrant in the sub-4 meter SUV segment, the Hyundai Venue comes with several engines and gearbox combinations in a bid to offer something for everyone. It is also the most powerful SUV in the market right now that comes with an automatic box under Rs. 10 lakh. The base automatic variant of the Venue is the S1.0 AT which is priced at Rs. 9.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Also, it is the only SUV here to offer a DCT gearbox as the rest of the competition either offer AMT or CVT boxes. Powering this variant of the Venue is a three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol unit that pumps out a healthy 118 Bhp of power along with 172 Nm of torque.
Mahindra Nuvosport
Base auto variant price: Rs. 9.72 lakh
The Mahindra Nuvosport is a sub-4 meter SUV based on the now-discontinued Quanto which in turn was a shortened version of the Xylo. The Nuvosport does not make a compelling case for itself in front of the current crop of sub-4 meter SUVs but it does offer an automatic transmission under Rs. 10 lakh. The N6 AMT variant of the is priced at Rs. 9.72 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) and is powered by a three-cylinder 1.5-litre diesel motor. This engine pumps out 100 Bhp of power along with 240 Nm of torque.
Renault Duster
Base auto variant price: Rs. 9.99 lakh
Renault recently launched the facelifted version of the Duster in the market. It gets a few tweaks on the design front which includes a bigger grille, new alloys and slightly altered design of the headlamps and tail lamps among other changes. You can buy the automatic gearbox equipped variant of the Duster just shy of Rs. 10 lakh. The Duster comes equipped with a CVT type box that is paired to a 1.5-litre petrol engine. This engine pumps out a decent 105 Bhp of power along with 142 Nm of torque
Also Read: Renault Duster Facelift vs Hyundai Creta: 0-100 Kph acceleration and 100-0 Kph braking tests [Video]