The demand for diesel vehicles have sprang up in the recent past owing to continuous hike in petrol prices. Though costlier than petrol ones, diesel cars offer both impressive fuel economy and plenty of power. This might be another reason for this increased demand. More and more auto makers have come up with diesel engines to meet the rising demand.

Tata Indica eV2 available at Rs 4.2 lakhs is one of the cheapest diesel cars in the market now. The extremely frugal diesel engine produces maximum power of 69 bhp with 140 Nm torque. It yields a healthy mileage of 25 kmpl on highways. Safety features like remote central locking, fog lamps, collapsible steering column etc. are also seen in here.

One of the best looking cars in its segment, Chevrolet Beat makes it to the second position. It is powered by a dynamic 1.0 XSDE SMARTECH Engine that gives it 58.5 PS of power output and 150 Nm of torque. It also yields an equally good mileage of around 25.44 kmpl. Beat diesel is available at a price of Rs 4.83 lakhs.

At the same price, one can also go for the base model of Ford Figo. Figo is a 1.4-litre diesel unitcapable of churning out 68bhp of power and 160Nm torque. It gives slightly lesser mileage compared to the above two. Handling and drivability are two areas where Figo impresses the user. The high end costs Rs 6 lakhs.

If looking in the sedan segment, Maruti Swift Dzire is a good option. The diesel variant of Maruti Dzire is powered by 1.3-litre DDiS 1248cc engine with a combination of a turbocharger and intercooler which gives a mileage of 22 kmpl. It is available at Rs 5.79 lakhs.

Again at Rs 5.79 lakhs, Tata Indigo Manza is also a good option. Its 1.3-litre CRDi motor churns out a good 90 PS of maximum power along with a peak torque of 200 Nm. The overall fuel economy is 17-18 kmpl. It is a larger sedan with more space and features than Dzire.

In the big car segment, Mahindra offers many affordable diesel vehicles. Mahindra Thar is the cheapest in the price range of Rs 4.82-7.37 lakhs. Bolero comes next in the range of Rs 5-7.6 lakhs. Mahindra Scorpio, the segment leader is priced between Rs 7.91 and 12.46 lakhs.            

Maruti Ertiga is also a trendy MPV with a 1.3 litre DDiS turbo engine which can generate a maximum power of 88.8 bhp and a peak torque of 200 Nm. Ertiga provides high mileage at 20 kmpl. Ertiga is available in many variants at a reasonable price range of Rs 6 to 8 lakhs.