Sub-4m SUVs With Best Ground Clearance

The most affordable among its peers, the Tata Nexon is the only made in India to have received a 5 star safety rating from the Global NCAP. The Nexon also offers the highest ground clearance among its peers at 209mm making it adept at taking the rough roads well. Its available with a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine. Both of which are available with a 5-speed manual and an optional AMT. 

The EcoSport kickstarted the sub-4m segment back in 2013 and it hasn’t looked back. It might be perched at the top of the price chain but offers multiple options loaded with features and creature comforts. It comes second on the list with a 200mm ground clearance. Engine options on the EcoSport comprise of a 1.5-litre, 3 cylinder petrol, 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol and a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel unit. 

The Vitara Brezza doesn’t seem to need any introduction as it usually keeps featuring among the top 10 best selling cars of the month. The Vitara Brezza is backed by Maruti’s vast service network so there are lesser chances of getting stranded on some remote location when you go on the less beaten path. The Vitara Brezza is just slightly lower than the EcoSport offering a 198mm ground clearance. The Vitara Brezza is the only diesel-only offering in this bunch and runs on a 1.3-litre, 4-cylinder but is set to receive a petrol engine by April, 2020.

The latest of the lot, Hyundai Venue gets the first-in-segment internet-based Bluelink technology which adds up to its safety and convenience features arsenal. The Hyundai Venue offers 190mm of ground clearance which is actually similar to the i20 Active. It offers a 1.2-litre, 4-cylinder petrol along with 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine while diesel duties are handled by a 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder unit. Its worth noting that the Venue is the only offering here which brings an optional 7-speed DCT to the table.

Its quite a surprise that a Mahindra is at the bottom of the ground clearance list since the brand has an inherent specialisation in building SUVs. The Mahindra XUV300 comes sits 180mm off the ground which should be enough for daily bad road driving just don’t take it through serious off road trails. The Mahindra XUV300 receives segment-first safety tech like 7 airbags, front parking sensors and more. Powering the XUV300 are choices of a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine along with a 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine.