Price comparison: 2018 Tata Nexon AMT vs Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza AGS vs Ford EcoSport S

The sub-4m compact SUV segment has seen a series of updates in the last couple of weeks. Tata Motors launched the AMT equipped Nexon SUV while Maruti Suzuki launched the Vitara Brezza AGS. Both these SUVs have been clocking positive sales for their respective companies. And now Ford has launched the EcoSport S, which is a more feature loaded and a more premium looking version of the SUV. Everything boils down to one simple question. Which one should you consider taking home?

What does the Tata Nexon AMT offer?

The Tata Nexon's 1198cc, three-cylinder petrol motor puts out 110PS and 170Nm while the 1498cc, four-cylinder diesel engine is rated at 110PS and 260Nm

Stylised as HyprDrive, we have already driven the Tata Nexon AMT. It comes with a crawl mode, so it can move forward in congested traffic without much footwork from the driver. Nexon HyprDrive also features smart hill-assist which prevents the car from rolling backwards on inclines. Along with the AMT option, the Nexon also receives a new paint option, Etna Orange with Sonic Silver dual tone roof. Tata Motors claims that the Nexon is the first car in India with AMT to have multi-drive modes - Eco, City, and Sport. Initially, the AMT option will only be available on the top XZA+ variant. Engine-wise, the Nexon remains unchanged. The Tata Nexon's 1198cc, three-cylinder petrol motor puts out 110PS and 170Nm while the 1498cc, four-cylinder diesel engine is rated at 110PS and 260Nm. More details on the Tata Nexon AMT here.

Price:

Tata Motors has launched the Tata Nexon AMT at a starting price of INR. 9.41 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi, for the petrol variant and at INR. 10.3 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi, for the diesel variant.

What does the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza AGS offer?

The changes are too minimal to call it a mid-life makeover, however, the 2018 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza gets an important mechanical update - the automated manual transmission (AMT) or Auto Gear Shift (AGS) in Suzuki speak. The AGS can be specified with all but the base trim levels of the 2018 Vitara Brezza viz. VDi, ZDi, ZDi+ and ZDi+ Dual Tone. safety features like ABS with EBD, driver / front passenger airbags, Isofix child seat mounts, and reverse parking sensors are now offered as a standard fitment across all trims and variants. Maruti Suzuki is also offering the range-topping trims with gloss-black alloys, while the chrome garnish for the front grille and the tailgate appliqué is now a standard fit. More details on the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza here.

The 2018 Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza gets gloss black wheels on the range topping trims

Price:

The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza AGS is priced between Rs. 8.54 lakh, ex-showroom for the VDi model and Rs 10.49 lakh for the ZDi+ dual-tone model. Unlike the Tata Nexon, that Vitara Brezza is available only in diesel.

What does the Ford EcoSport S offer?

The EcoSport S receives smoked HID headlamps, smoked 17-inch alloy wheels and fog lamps. The roof and roof rails are now painted black and the front grille gets a darker finish as well. Inside, the S variant now has a 4.2-inch analogue instrumentation cluster, orange highlights on the seats as well as door trim, S badging and a new satin orange paint shade with colour-coordinated interior trim will be available. Ford's Sync3 8-inch infotainment system and a new powerslide sunroof is also available. There is also a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) on the S and a new orange paint option. Engine options for the Ecosport S are the reintroduced 1.0-litre Ecoboost turbo petrol putting out 125PS and 170Nm and the 1.5-litre Dragon diesel motor which outputs 100 PS. Both will be mated to a six-speed manual. Fuel efficiency figures stand at 18.1 kmpl for the petrol and 23 kmpl for the diesel.

There is a Signature option pack that sits above the Titanium+ trim level and gets a host of features to move the SUV upmarket. It features a more imposing grille with chrome surround and Diamond cut 17" alloys, black fog-lamp bezel along with all-round graphics, rear spoiler and roof rails. Its interiors will have subtle use of blue accents on seat stitching, centre console and instrument panel to add to its overall appeal. The Signature edition gets the same 1.5-litre diesel engine as the other Ecosport cars but unlike the S is equipped with the 1.5-litre TiVCt petrol motor which puts out 123PS. Fuel efficiency is 17 kmpl. More details on the Ford EcoSport S here.

Price:

The Ford EcoSport S was launched at Rs 11.37 lakh for petrol variant and Rs 11.89 lakh for the diesel variant. The signature pack is available at Rs 10.40 lakh for petrol and Rs 10.99 lakh for diesel. If you want to opt for an automatic like the Tata Nexon and the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, the Ford EcoSport Trend AT is priced at Rs 9.75 lakh and goes all the way up to Rs 11.35 lakh for the Titanium variant.

Also see: Mahindra XUV300 v Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Tata Nexon & Ford EcoSport Comparison Test Video