Yes, you would call me a sedan lover after this. But somewhere or the other, as impartial as I would like to be, the sedans in this list are just so damn good that you will want to buy one after looking at them and driving them. But, time has forgotten them and they did not get the sales numbers that they deserved, so they weren’t that successful, so to speak. But, they were damn good cars, and if you want to do a classic car auction of your car in the future, one of these has the potential to be a future classic and appreciate in value. If you can buy any of them in the used car market, and maintain them despite our strict regulations, go ahead, and you will be surprised at how good they really are.
1. Mitsubishi Lancer/Cedia-Okay these are old, but old is gold, isn’t it? These cars are based on the legendary Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution platform, and they have the rallying in their blood, something you will realize when you drive them. They look damn good, and some tasteful mods will just enhance the appearance tenfold. But, they do drive as well as they look. This car didn’t sell as much, because it was overshadowed by the Honda City back then, because the V-TEC engine was much better than this car’s engine, so the City left this car behind in a drag race. However, this car has independent rear suspension, and so it handled much better than the City. This car was designed for rallying, so many people rallied them, and won! Since it was designed to go fast on gravel roads, it’s ride quality was brilliant, and almost as good as that of the S-Class back then, or so journalists have said. This JDM nugget was something special. Now, it spends it’s time in the used car market at a steal of a price, waiting for someone to unleash it on the road.
2. Ford Fiesta/Fiesta S-The first generation of the Fiesta was a drivers delight. With a 1.6-liter naturally aspirated petrol engine that revved to the moon and back and sounded like a rally car, because you could hear the sweet induction noise while sitting on the driver’s seat, this car was something special. With a feel-some hydraulic steering like the Lancer, and amazing handling, it, was too overshadowed by the Honda City, but it too, handled better than it. These cars are also available for a bargain in the used car market, the strict regulations making it difficult for enthusiasts to buy and maintain them, not to mention that they aren’t exactly E-20 compliant like the Lancer. I really love the Fiesta S, which was a limited edition that came in a sweet blue color and with modified suspension for better handling. The next generation of the Fiesta is also worth mentioning because it is also a driver’s delight, and a touch more modern and practical than the first.
3. Fiat Linea-The Linea is the epitome of Italian driving nirvana. This thing drives, literally, like a dream. Known for its feel-some hydraulic steering, amazing driving dynamics, and luxury-car like ride-quality, this thing is a legend. It also had a diesel which gave good fuel economy and decent performance. But the one to get is the 1.4-turbo-petrol, the T-Jet. This thing will come alive with aftermarket mods, and it is really enjoyable stock as well. Sad these things didn’t sell.
4. Tata Zest-This cute little compact sedan, was just amazing. With two amazing engines, a 1.2-liter turbo petrol, and Fiat’s venerable 1.3 Multijet diesel, luxurious feeling interior, a huge list of features, decent driving dynamics, amazing ride quality, good stability on the highway, this thing was a jack-of-all-trades. The problem, however, was Tata’s reputation for niggles, unreliability, and rude service personnel. So, this thing didn’t sell the numbers that it deserved to. If you are looking for a used one, be cautious, and you must know your Tata dealership well, so that you can get spares easily. Other than that, brilliant and underrated car.
5. 2019(Gen 2) Honda Civic-This is a sad one, for I don’t need to even tell you how damn good the Civic is. After the first generation, it just didn’t get much traction. People this time, didn’t like the polarizing design, and were irritated by the fact that the petrol only got a CVT automatic and the diesel got a manual only, whereas it should have been the opposite. Honda had to discontinue it because it just wasn’t selling. If you are looking for one used, this is not a bad deal, because this car is quite recent, and nothing should be going wrong with it. However, be careful, for maintenance costs can be high.
6. Renault Logan/Mahindra Verito-If you were alive in the late 2000s and early 2010s, you might know this car as a workhorse, as a Meru Cab, or basically, an airport cab in Mumbai. However, this car did it’s job really well. It’s plain-jane interiors might bore someone, but it’s workhorse reliability, classy looks, strong and economical diesel engine, and good ride quality made it quite a no-nonsense capable car. It is still used, however, it’s modified to be an EV.
7. Indigo XL/eCS-The Indigo XL and eCS really were amazing cars back then, they were just looked away from. The XL was known for it’s space, comfort, and powerful petrol engine (100 horsepower was a lot back then), and luxurious looks. The ecs however, was known because it was a workhorse. It was used as a taxi.
8. Ford Ikon-Known as the “Josh Machine”, this thing was known for it’s amazing high-revving 1.6 petrol and 1.4 diesel engine, which gave performance and fuel economy as well. This thing handled like a go-kart, had a comfortable ride, and had it’s own charm and personality. It was also known for it’s tank-like build-quality. Ford’s reputation for charging high maintenance bills made it a hard sell.
9. Ford Mondeo-This was made to compete against the Accord. This D-segment sedan was known for it’s luxurious interior, beautiful looks, timeless design, amazing ride, and amazing driving dynamics.
10. Suzuki Kizashi- This sedan was just amazing. It was a worthy rival to the Accord. It was safe, reliable, well-built, luxurious, and drove like a dream. It had a 2.4-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine that revved to the moon and made you smile, with a CVT if you preferred relaxed driving and a manual if you wanted fun. It didn’t sell because no one wanted to pay ridiculous amounts of money for a Maruti. It was a CBU from Japan, that’s why the price and the quality.
