Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2017 i Car India

Faraday Future FF91 A Los Angeles-based electric car start-up, Faraday Future showcased the FF91 electric car that will rival the Tesla Model X. The FF91 makes a claim of reaching 100 km/h in just 2.39 seconds. It produces the equivalent of 1,050 PS, packing a 130-kWh capacity battery, and a claimed range of 609 km. It’s loaded with various new tech, including a facial recognition system instead of a key and driver-less parking. Production won’t start until 2018. Chrysler Portal Concept Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) hosted their first-ever conference at CES, unveiling an electric mini-van concept, the Portal, which claims to be ‘by millennials, for millennials’. The Portal has a passenger-to-passenger intercom system, a selfie camera for group selfies, and vehicle-to-vehicle technology that enables the car to communicate with other…

BENTLEY MOTORS HAVE INTRODUCED A NEW Continental Supersports with more power and torque. It packs a redeveloped W12 that now makes 710 PS and 1,017 Nm of torque. The new 21-inch wheels and composite brakes reduce unsprung weight by 20 kg, with the optional titanium exhaust system lightening it by another five kg. All of that is enough to catapult this well-over-two-tonne behemoth from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3.5 seconds and head on up to 336 km/h. It also gets the torque vectoring system from the GT3-R along with more goodies to make it more dynamic than ever. To further personalise your ride and make it even more exclusive, Bentley are offering the ‘X-Specification’ that includes the titanium exhaust as standard, together with carbon-fibre door-mirrors, engine cover and…

I really enjoy reading your magazine and was hoping for your point of view on the matter of people driving at night with their lights on high-beam, which in my opinion is very distracting and rather dangerous as it blinds the driver. Now I have been travelling outside the country for a while and find it rather bothersome that when I return to my country and drive here people tend to drive with their lights on high-beam. Everywhere else in the world this action is a fine-able offence, in India it is common practice even among the police who are meant to enforce the law and protect the people. Just the other day when I was in a taxi traveling somewhere the driver was driving with his lights on high-beam…

Maruti Suzuki also have a potent Ignis diesel with the automatic box: the Zeta AGS. The 1,248-cc turbo-diesel engine continues unchanged and delivers 75 PS and 190 Nm, more than enough for this 960-kg hatch. Performance is brisk and effortless and the automated transmission, though quite lazy in its response, uses the torque to get a move on in an unhurried manner and that means drivability won’t get you into trouble. It’s quite progressive and more suited to fuel efficiency than anything else. Priced at Rs 7.64 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune), it does translate into a hefty price-tag, even by today’s standards. The top-spec Alpha is only available with a manual transmission, so you have to forgo the LED DRLs, projector headlamps, auto climate and touchscreen system. The diesel Ignis range…

FRIENDS WOULD laugh at you and talk behind your back, wondering why you’d denied yourself the clever electronic rear differential and magnetic active engine mounts. Those alone would mean you’d never be able to show face in public again, but if you opt for the non-S version of AMG’s new E 63 then you’d also have to settle for just 571 PS and a meagre 750 Nm of torque. So the E 63 S it is then, its 612 PS and 850 Nm far more satisfying, the standard E 63’s 3.5-second 0-100 km/h time so embarrassing slovenly the company didn’t even bring one along to the launch. The E 63 S knocks a tenth off that 0-100 km/h and adds a (as yet undisclosed) bump in price. Oh, and the…

THERE’S NO DENYING THAT the Mercedes-Benz CLA looks stunning. Being the smallest and most affordable Mercedes sedan in India, the CLA had to create a stir in the market with its launch... which it most definitely did. And the proof lies in the company’s recent sales record. The CLA, along with its compact-SUV sibling, the GLA, were the major contributors to help Mercedes-Benz achieve record sales in 2015-16. The firm sold an astounding 13,000 units in India in the aforesaid fiscal. The CLA’s beautiful flowing lines and coupé-like profile still command the wow factor, but like most car models that have lived way past their prime this too had to go under the knife for a makeover. So here we are driving the 2017 Mercedes-Benz CLA 200 facelift on the…

THE LAST THING I WANT TO do is open a hybrid car story with a Nikola Tesla quote, but, “The day science begins to study non-physical phenomena, it will make more progress in one decade than in all the previous centuries of its existence.” Of course, no one really pushes for progress until circumstances demand it. Only when cities choke and suffer from unclean air will the focus shift to attempting a clean-up. Thankfully, not every mind lies idle waiting for the situation to demand its action, and there are those who assess potential threats before they devour our ideal reality and turn it into a wasteland. The first of several steps has been to reduce engine size and adopt blowers to force more from less, yet, several years ago,…

THE JAPANESE ARE CHALLENGING THE Americans once again and this time the battle will be fought on Indian tarmac and off it. Let us witness an epic duel between two giants of the Indian SUV scene. They are butch, muscular and, most importantly, highly intimidating in stance. The new Ford Endeavour has been in the market for a year now but the newcomer, the Toyota Fortuner, has challenged it for SUV supremacy. Let the battle begin. Being just a year old, the Endeavour already looks a bit dated as compared to its counterpart from Japan, the Fortuner. Both these SUVs boast of massive proportions; however, it’s the sharp and striking design of the Fortuner that gives it a more contemporary look. Toyota’s new design language speaks volumes about the brand’s…

NEW THIS MONTH MARUTI SUZUKI IGNIS The latest compact urban vehicle from the Nexa stable is the Ignis. Available in petrol and diesel, MT and AT TATA HEXA Flagship all-rounder from Tata is a force to be reckoned with. Auto, manual and 4x4 choices are on offer from Rs 12.09 lakh LEGENDS PRICES On the road, Pune (subject to change) BO: Available only By Order * : Ex-showroom price listed NA: Price not available FEATURES F: Front only D: Driver airbag only O: Optional equipment ASTON MARTIN BENTLEY BENTLEY FERRARI FERRARI GENERAL MOTORS GENERAL MOTORS HYUNDAI HYUNDAI LAMBORGHINI LAMBORGHINI MAHINDRA MARUTI SUZUKI MASERATI MASERATI MERCEDES-BENZ MINI RENAULT RENAULT TATA MOTORS TATA MOTORS VOLKSWAGEN…

FORD ECOSPORT PLATINUM EDITION Ford have launched a new range-topping EcoSport Platinum Edition. While there are no mechanical changes, it gets 17-inch alloy wheels with wider tyres, dual-tone colour scheme choices for the body as well as a blacked-out roof. Inside, there is an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system built-in with satellite-navigation and reversing camera. Available with two powertrain options, the Platinum Edition 1.5-litre diesel variant is priced at Rs 10.69 lakh, with the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol variant priced at Rs 10.39 lakh, both prices ex-showroom, Delhi. MARUTI SUZUKI IGNIS The latest car from Maruti Suzuki’s premium Nexa channel is the Ignis: an urban compact car aimed at the millennials that provides every feature needed on the move, plus a slew of customisation options. It’s available with an 83-PS 1.2-litre petrol…

Q. As someone who builds amazing structures that are both robust and beautiful, what inspires you in your creative process of designing buildings? A: Nature inspires me more than anything else. One can learn a lot from the almost endless variety of the forms of her creations. The IT Park Infosys, Mangalore, inspired by terrace farming, is one of the many vivid expressions of my inspiration. Nature is brimming with ultimate creations which make you question its multi-fold beauty and concepts. When you analyse it, you find the rules of nature and create something special. Q. What are the core values that you follow when it comes to your designs in terms of balancing integrity with visual appeal? A: For me, an architect can maintain the integrity of the profession…

FORGET EVERYTHING YOU know about Lexus. It’s easily done as the LC500, the company’s new V8-powered 2+2 coupé, blips its throttle with a lycanthropic howl, as you lift to slow for a corner and the 10-speed automatic transmission downshifts, keeping the engine bang in its mid-range sweet spot. Line up the delicate steering — light-ish, precise — to carve yet another sweeping curve in Spain’s verdant Huelvan foothills. Press the throttle and start amping up the torque to the rear axle, which on range-topping Sports+ models features rear-wheel steering and a limited-slip differential. The LC feels distinctly rear-driven, feeding the power to the outer wheel to pivot the car into a bend. The revs climb, the red-tinged digital speedo flickers past 90, 100, 120 km/h, the lateral loads are harsh…

WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT, Land Rover are in the business of building icons. The wait for their re-interpretation of Defender has been long, uncomfortable and peppered with unconvincing concepts — and the purgatory isn’t over yet. By contrast the L405 fourth-generation Range Rover left no one in any doubt as to modern Land Rover’s ability to both understand their cars and to comprehensively yet sensitively evolve them. And now there’s a new Land Rover Discovery. Discoverys 3 and 4 were accidental icons, born of necessity, thrust on to the front-line of some of the toughest theatres of war in which a car can be expected to serve — messy livestock transport mainly, human and otherwise — and since celebrated for their combination of rugged good looks, space, family…

Pricing has always been a pain point when it comes to used vehicle transactions – is the vehicle really a steal, or are you paying too much? There’s always a lot of guesswork. Droom’s Orange Book Value app solves this with its data driven and objective approach. In the brief period since its introduction, it has really caught the fancy of auto buyers and sellers, and is one of the top apps in Android and iOS app stores. Now OBV has evolved to the next level with the launch or a Premium Valuation Report. Being the first and only algorithmic pricing engine for used vehicles in India, Orange Book Value suggests the fair market value of any used vehicle through the OBV Basic Report which contains information like current value…

THE FULL NAME OF THE NEW 2016 Mustang launched here in India last year is the Ford Mustang GT Fastback. GT of course stands for Grand Touring, or Gran Turismo if you eat pasta, drink Cappuccino, use exaggerated hand gestures while talking, and either are in or have connections with the mob. Anyway, the GT badge adorned so prominently on the Mustang indicates that Ford envision this 5.0-litre powered V8 as a bit of a cross-country wanderer. An image that Ford India were hoping to cultivate further, and one that I was hoping to test the veracity of, making this the perfect opportunity for both parties to achieve their goals. So off we went, leaving Car India’s HQ in Pune at the crack of dawn with a meaty growl of…

JEHAN MADE HIS WAY INTO THE history books after he successfully defended the prestigious Lady Wigram Trophy. By doing so, he became the first racer since 1993 to defend the title. Earlier in the day, Jehan did not have a great start and it cost him three positions as he dropped down from fifth to eighth in the second race. Overtaking proved to be difficult and Jehan was constantly denied the opportunity to make up for lost time. The race only got worse when the racer behind him made contact on the penultimate lap, resulting in extensive damage to his right front wheel, forcing him to retire from the 15-lap race. Subsequently, the race was won by Thomas Randle of Australia. The Lady Wigram Trophy was the third and the…

NOT EVERY CARMAKER ENJOYS A reputation for affordable quality and solidity the likes of Škoda, and, with the new Octavia, the Czech brigade’s best-seller for 20 years, it’s a fresh challenge issued in the global market. The Škoda Octavia is a more modern, streamlined design highlighted by new LED headlamps and a new approach to the front face that makes it look more mature. The new design is complemented by a state-of-the-art, typically well-put-together interior that houses quality material and the latest solutions for driver assistance, entertainment, and connectivity, including Škoda Connect. The interior also boasts of optional colour-controllable LED ambient lighting as well as several new features to make life easier on the move. Whether as a hatchback or an estate car (overseas), the compact model is offered with…

KENT MAGIC CAR AIR PURIFIER Air pollution is on the rise, especially in metropolitan areas, and the need to have clean air is on the rise. Delhi has made headlines as have Mumbai and Pune, among several others. Pune, once considered an escape from the metros, has now almost become one. The air quality is seeing a downfall and the amount of toxic gases like carbon monoxide (CO) together with unburnt fuel and soot emissions from yet-to-be-decommissioned ancient public transport buses raises the need for a solution. Kent RO Systems have created the Magic car air purifier that attempts to take care of the problem; especially useful for someone who has a long commute on a daily basis. Equipped with an HEPA (high-efficiency particulate arrestance) filter, it assists the car’s…

I’VE ONLY JUST PUT AWAY MY COPY OF Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, having gone through a few pages on the flight to Chennai. Thought-provoking as the book is, what was piquing my interest was that Maruti Suzuki have launched a fourth car with the same choice of petrol and diesel engines, and the second one under their Nexa umbrella. This one brings back a popular name, and not just because it sold a lot. It also went rallying in the JWRC a decade ago. ‘Ignis’ means ‘fire’ in Latin, and that’s just what the company hopes it will do: set the segment on fire. A new Maruti Suzuki car — any new Maruti Suzuki car — sees success. How do they do it? I’m not going to…

MR LOGIC IS A CHARACTER born of the twisted minds behind the comic Viz. A pimply nerd with limitless knowledge espoused in a reasoned, florid and humourless manner, Mr Logic finds himself talking down to fellow citizens in everyday situations, until he eventually provokes them into violent retribution. The Škoda Kodiaq is a seven-seat SUV born of the rational minds at Volkswagen’s Czech outpost Škoda. Perspicaciously, it’s based on the group’s MQB architecture, which means it shares its MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension, transverse four-cylinder internal combustion engines and other components with sister SUVs, the Seat Ateca and Volkswagen Tiguan, generating useful economies of scale. Sensibly, the Kodiaq is differentiated by being the most elongated, which enables Škoda to offer a seven-seat option, costing £1,000 (Rs 85,000) more…

Once we crossed over into Rajasthan the A6 stretched its legs and came into its element THE WORKLOAD HAPPENED TO be a little light during the Christmas week, so I decided to take a couple of days off from work and go to Rajasthan. Once again I asked Audi if they could provide me a car for the drive and they obliged by giving me the A6. Since I had a function to attend in Mumbai, I thought it would be a good idea to spend the night in Mumbai and leave early the next morning from that metropolis. Driving out of Mumbai at four o’clock in the morning was a breeze. The first couple of toll plazas en route were not too bad but the one at Charoti proved…

LONG-BODIED, STATELY ELEGANT, low, and curvaceously wide: the F-Pace is only half of those things that have made Jaguars what they’re known to be. Names like ‘XK120’ and ‘E-Type’ come to mind and the F-Pace reminds me of none of those. What it does remind me of is an elegant, prettied-up Land Rover. Which it isn’t, of course. What it is, is a beautiful iteration of what Jaguar think the luxury SUV should be. And they’re sure on to something. The F-Pace, then, is a mash-up of ideas and philosophies no one in the West Midlands probably ever imagined would see the light of day. No, it isn’t a sport utility vehicle trying to be a sports coupé while juggling four doors and a slanting roof-line, trying to appeal to…

THIS YEAR THE DAKAR started off on a fabulous note as there was no cancellation at the beginning like last year. The car entries were full of WRC stars, including former rally star Carlos Sainz and nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb. Dakar legend Stéphane Peterhansel and five-time Dakar (bike) winner Cyril Despres were also among the top names at this year’s event. Dakar 2017 was kicked off in the Paraguayan capital city of Asunción and in the first stage itself it was Qatari rally ace and Toyota man Nasser Al-Attiyah who claimed the initial victory. Al-Attiyah completed the 39-kilometre timed section on the first stage in just 25 minutes and 41 seconds. He did face trouble, however, once he won as his Toyota Hilux caught fire and he was seen…