What Are The Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021?

Last year, the implementation of the new BSVI emission norms has led to the mass discontinuation of diesel models in the Indian market. Some car brands made it clear that they would stop the production of diesel models entirely due to the high cost of BSVI updates. Maruti Suzuki, the number one car manufacturer has led the trend of abandoning the oil burner versions on their range.

One year after the emission regulation updates, things have changed significantly. Despite the diminishing supply, the demand for diesel cars still exist. At one point, Maruti Suzuki has announced that they will bring back the diesel engine to its range of vehicles. In the following, IndianAuto will list out the best diesel automatic cars in India in 2021.

Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021 - SUVs

For a long time, diesel-powered models had dominated the SUV market. Even though the new emission norms has a certain impact on the presence of diesel cars in the SUV space. That being said, many car brands still hold on to their diesel SUVs. Moreover, the highly competitive nature of this segment also motivates the car manufactures to diversify their range of powertrain options. For those reasons, customers can find a plenty of diesel-automatic cars in the SUV segment.

Tata Nexon

Price: Rs 9.92 - 12.79 lakh

The first car on our list of the Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021 is the Tata Nexon, which has been on sale with a wide range of options. About the powertrain, it basically gets all the essential options, including a 1.5-litre turbo diesel-6-speed AMT combination. The turbo-diesel unit of the Nexon is powerful enough to put out 110PS and 260Nm. In accordance with a large number of variant options, the Nexon also offers the diesel-automatic combination in various variants with prices ranging from Rs 9.92 lakh to Rs 12.79 lakh.

Kia Sonet

Price: Rs 10.59 - 13.19 lakh

Kia Sonet is the latest launch of Kia Motors in the sub-four-meter SUV segment. The SUV shares the same engine options with the Kia Seltos. It comes with the same 1.5-litre diesel- 6-speed torque converter transmission. The diesel-automatic gearbox is also available in two trims, HTK Plus, and GTX Plus. Prices for these variants are Rs 10.59 lakh and Rs 13.09 lakh, respectively. Even though the SUV was just launched earlier, Kia still decides to cut off the diesel-automatic gearbox of the Sonet.

Mahindra XUV300

Price: Rs 10.62 - 12.70 lakh

Mahindra XUV300 is another strong competitor in our list of Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021. The SUV is offering one diesel engine. The 1.5-litre diesel unit offers an impressive output of 117 PS and 300 Nm. When mated to the 6-speed AMT, the diesel engine can deliver a refined performance. This combination is now on offer in the W6, W8, and W8 Optional trims. Prices of these variants start at Rs 10.62 lakh and can go up to Rs 12.70 lakh.

Kia Seltos

Price: Rs 13.79 - 17.45 lakh

Kia Seltos is the first product of Kia Motors in India. At launch, Kia Seltos is available with various powertrain options. The only diesel engine is a 1.5-litre diesel unit with a top power of 115 PS and a maximum torque of 250 Nm. Besides the standard 5-speed manual gearbox, Kia Seltos also offers a 6-speed torque convertor unit for the Seltos. Now Kia Seltos is offering this powertrain option in the HTK Plus, HTX Plus, and GTX Plus trim at the price of Rs 13.79 lakh, Rs 16.59 lakh and Rs 17.45 lakh, respectively. However, according to the recent report, due to the low demand, Kia is set to discontinue the diesel automatic option of the model. It is is possibly the last chance for you to buy the diesel-automatic Kia Seltos.

Mahindra Thar

Price: Rs 14.05 - 14.15 lakh

Launched last year, new-gen Mahindra Thar was one of the most important SUVs in our list of Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021. The introduction of the new-gen Thar also marks the first time this model comes with a petrol engine. At the moment, Mahindra Thar is available with two choices of engines, a 2.0-litre turbo petrol and a 2.2-litre diesel unit. The diesel engine is good for 130 PS and 300 Nm. It is mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. There is only one diesel-automatic variant of the Mahindra Thar, LX 4-Seater (hard top and convertible top version).

Along with the engine updates, Mahindra Thar also gets many comprehensive updates in terms of features and design. These changes have effectively enhanced the appeal of Thar and are well-received by the Indian customers.

Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021 - Sedans

Unlike the SUV space where diesel models remains a strong presence regardless of the market shift, other segments like sedan and hatchback saw a clear decline of diesel-powered models. In the mass market, there are only three sedans with diesel-automatic gearbox, namely, Hyundai Verna, Hyundai Aura, and Honda Amaze. In this list, IndianAuto will only mention the Hyundai Verna and Honda Amaze - two popular diesel automatic sedans in India 2021.

Honda Amaze

Price: Rs 9.15 lakh – Rs 9.99 lakh

Honda Amaze made its debut in the Indian market in 2013. The compact sedan has attracted a stable following in the market. However, it is not until 2018 did the Amaze have its break and become the number one in its class. Honda Amaze is available with two choices of engines including a 1.5-litre diesel unit. When mated to the CVT gearbox, the diesel engine is capable of making 80 PS and 160 Nm, which is less powerful than the manual version. Honda only offers the diesel-automatic combination across the range. The prices for the diesel-automatic gearbox start from Rs 9.15 lakh and go up to Rs 9.99 lakh.

Hyundai Verna

Price: Rs 13.30 - 15.19 lakh

Hyundai Verna is the leading model in the mid-size sedan segment. Last year, Hyundai launched the facelift version of the Verna with some essential exterior updates, feature adds-on as well as new powertrain options. The Verna is on offer with a petrol and a diesel engine. Powering the diesel range is a 1.5-litre diesel unit that develops 115 Ps and 250 Nm. It is available with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed AT. However, the diesel-automatic combination is only available on the top-spec variants, SX and SX Opt. The SX Diesel AT is priced at Rs 13.30 lakh while the SX Opt At is priced at Rs 15.19 lakh. The latest Verna is indeed one of the Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021.

Hatchback

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios

Price: Rs 8.26 lakh

In the hatchback, there is only a few car models that comes with diesel engines. The diesel-automatic combo is even more uncommon. At the moment, there is only one hatchback with diesel-automatic powertrain in the entire the market. It’s the Hyundai Grand i10 Nios. The diesel engine on the Grand i10 Nios is powerful enough to generate 75PS/190Nm. It is mated to either a 5-speed MT or a 5-speed AMT. Hyundai Grand i10 Nios is the only variant to come with diesel-automatic combination. This variant is priced at Rs 8.26 lakh.

Best Diesel Automatic Cars in India 2021 - MPVs

Toyota Innova Crysta

Price: Rs 19.64 - 24.59 lakh

For the MUV segment, we picked the Toyota Innova Crysta as the best diesel automatic cars in 2021 in India. Along with the Innova Crysta, there are the Kia Carnival and Mercedes Benz V Class that are on sale with this powertrain combination. However, both of these options are positioned as premium and luxury MPV. In that sense, Toyota Innova Crysta is the most price-sensitive. It is also the best-selling MPV in the Indian market.

Toyota Innova Crysta gets a 2.4-litre diesel that is powerful enough to put out 150 PS and 360 Nm. It is mated to either a 5-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed torque convertor unit. This combo is available in both 7-seater and 8-seater versions. The Innova Crysta with diesel-automatic transmission is priced from Rs 19.69 lakh to Rs 24.59 lakh.