Beat the fuel price hike with these beauties

Not too long ago, if you wanted to drive a dieselcar, then you would be stuck with something spewing willows of black smoke that said "Horn OK Please".Chances are that your Gucci loafers or Bally Waffry driving shoes could get

the diesel slick on them while parfum

de diesel would assault your olfactory senses. Not anymore. Today's diesel cars are fast, luxurious and pretty reasonable to maintain, whilst being quite fuel efficient.

There is an array of small diesel cars which could suit you if you are looking for a bit of a bargain in the wake of the recent fuel price hikes. First off the block would definitely have to be the Suzuki Swift, which has rewritten the rules of the game in 'hot' diesel hatchbacks. While hot hatches are quite

popular in Europe, they have only caught on recently in India. With excellent straight line performance — a 0-100 kmph in a shade over 12 seconds, a 18-20kpl of fuel efficiency and cheap spares, the Swift is the darling of the set that likes to buy a car for `4 lakh and spend another `4 lakhs accessorising it.

The Swift has a more glamourous cousin in the Ritz. The spacious car has distinctly European looks, and has made quite a splash in the West. But in India, it is the Swift which gets the popularity votes. The Ritz has been a draw mostly with retired babus.

Design-wise, Fiat's Grande Punto is probably the best looking car of the lot. It is also one of the few cars in its segment to offer goodies like a Bluetooth kit and a USB drive slot as standard in some of its models. The Fiat Grande Punto is comfortable and spacious. The best bit? A suspension that gives it an excellent ride quality. What doesn't work for the car is the fact that the Maruti twins perform better in comparison. Also, Tata's service quality can be a little iffy.

We must mention the Tata Indica Vista here, which has the same diesel engine as all the cars mentioned above. But its fit, finish and interiors have a distinctly desi look. Then, there is the Hyundai i20. This may be a shade expensive, but it has all the bells and whistles of a premium car. You don't just get good looks with an i20, but also fuel efficiency and reasonably priced spare parts.

Not to be left behind is the Volkswagen Polo which has caught public imagination with its headturning European good looks. Its engine, though, is a tepid 3- pot mill — as interesting as eating lauki. The last car on our list is the brilliant Ford Figo. Developed in India for the world, the Figo is spacious, has an ultrasmooth( and docile) diesel engine which is also very fuel efficient and excellent air-conditioning.

So there you have it — seven cars which can be yours at a little less than six lakh rupees and that give you a great driving experience without making you sweat about the rising prices.