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Small cars and hatchbacks form the most important segment of the Indian car market today. Moreover, the inclination towards diesel has become pronounced, too, considering the better efficiency and smaller carbon footprint on offer. A few months ago, we took all the new hatches in the market and pitted them against one another to find out who was the king. Now, we have an additional contender in the form of the Nissan Micra in the diesel version and to give this new player a fair chance to prove its mettle, we put it against the winner from the last battle, the Volkswagen Polo, and a car that managed to impress us one way or the other, the Ford Figo.
To make it fair and square, we have decided to compare the three cars based on the factors that would matter the most to the ordinary car buyer in the Indian market. Will the Polo be able to retain its crown? Will the new Micra slug it out against the German competitor? Or will the Ford give us a surprise? Let’s find out.

Design and Styling
The first thing that the consumer looks at, literally, is the design and styling of the car. The Nissan Micra is the newest of the lot and tries to be extremely different from everyone else. The rounds and curves of the Micra have given it a feminine feel for sure. As against that, the Figo has subtle yet defining looks that talk of Ford’s previous design philosophy. Come to the Polo and it’s serious business – sharp, decent and no-nonsense stuff. It probably doesn’t have anything striking, but that is the beauty of it. Without making a loud statement, the Polo makes itself worthy of an appreciative glance from the onlookers.
Get into the cars and the Micra once again disappoints with its round dials, round a-c controls and round audio system switches. The chrome door handles on the inside further put one off. Another issue with the Micra is the glove box that sits low in front of the passenger seat. If the driver wants to reach for it, s/he needs to stretch out quite a lot. The fit and finish are good, but not the best.
Get inside the Polo and everything is class apart. The dash is simple, yet top-notch quality. Solid fit and finish and build quality of the Polo have a European feel to it. The Figo has a well laid-out interior, but the red colour of the dash puts one off instantaneously.