Real-world tested mileage of the top petrol AT compact SUVs

• Tested mileage revealed
• Priced between Rs. 7-19 lakh on-road

The most hot-selling cars apart from the ones in the mass market segment are the ones trending in the compact SUV segment. To be specific, this includes the Mahindra XUV 3XO, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, Renault Kiger, and the Nissan Magnite. We have tested all these cars by driving them on the same predefined route to evaluate their real-world mileage.

Mahindra XUV 3XO

The 3XO is based on the outgoing XUV300 and gets petrol and diesel engine options. We are focusing on the 1.2-litre turbocharged mStallion TGDi petrol mill that comes mated to a six-speed automatic. Its power output is rated at 128bhp and 250Nm in this automatic as against the 230Nm in the manual.

The ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency is 18.2kmpl, while in our tests the SUV returned 9.61kmpl in the city and 18.08kmpl on the highway. These are good figures despite the car weighing 1,420kg, the heaviest in this comparison.

Hyundai Venue

The Hyundai Venue gets the high-tech 1.0-litre three-cylinder direct-injection turbo-petrol engine that puts out 118bhp and 172Nm of torque. This is the more powerful 1.0-litre turbo-petrol offered with a seven-speed dual-clutch auto with paddle shifters. It has an ARAI-claimed fuel efficiency of 18.3kmpl.

The Venue has one of the most silent and refined petrol engines. Despite weighing 1.2 tonnes, it returned 12.58kmpl in the city and 18.8kmpl on the highway. These are impressive figures with a quick and smooth DCT.

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Then comes the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, the oldest of the lot but still updated with modern features. Its 1.5-litre engine produces 102bhp and 136Nm of torque. It has proved to be sufficient for city speeds and even out on the highway with a potent six-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. The latter gets the job done with the paddle shifters being surprisingly responsive. Again, despite weighing 1,230kg, it still managed to be the most fuel-efficient by returning 13.1kmpl in the city and 18.63kmpl on the highway.

Tata Nexon

Moving to another updated compact SUV from Tata Motors, the Nexon, its 1.2-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine churns out 118bhp and 170Nm of torque. Interestingly, the SUV gets a proper seven-speed DCA gearbox that masks the low-end drag of the turbo-petrol when not on boost. At 1,310kg, the Nexon is heavy, affecting its fuel efficiency which turned out to be 9.1kmpl in the city and 16.6kmpl out on the highway.

Kia Sonet

The Kia Sonet was also updated this year with cosmetic changes, ADAS, and much more. Like the Venue, it gets a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol with either a six-speed iMT or a seven-speed DCT. This Smartstream G 1.0 T-GDi petrol is a silent and refined engine that produces 120bhp and 172Nm of torque. It has been tuned for good throttle response and mid-range, so you don't have to constantly floor it to get ahead. The ARAI-rated mileage is 19.2kmpl while it returned 9.84kmpl in the city and 17.72kmpl on the highway.

Renault Kiger

This compact SUV gets a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 99bhp of power and 160Nm of torque. This three-cylinder mill isn't one of the most refined engines but is fairly silent, in any driving mode. The CVT gearbox feels smooth with its shift quality and the throttle feels well-calibrated too. Its city real-world mileage stood at 10.38kmpl and highway at 17.38kmpl.

Nissan Magnite

If a small car with turbo power excites you for a peppy performance and a smooth and effortless driving experience, you will like the turbo Magnite. With 1,039kg kerb weight and 100bhp at its disposal, it is powerful and offers a good mileage of 12.74kmpl in the city and 18.24kmpl on the highway.