Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i Car India

INDIA HAS ALWAYS HAD MORE THAN a connection with the automobile. For some, it’s a prized maruti 800; for many more, it’s a black and yellow taxi, while, for some, it’s a far more expensive and exclusive affair, the likes of a line-up of rolls-royce motor cars or a collection of rosso hue Ferrari supercars. In his latest book, eminent automobile personality Gautam sen has penned down an exhaustive piece on the journey through time of India and the automobile. and it’s not just one big take. It’s a collection of tales, nuggets and examples of cars that created history and stood the test of time. It gives the reader more than a taste of a myriad experiences that the nation has seen right from the late 1800s and the…

THERE ARE POSTER CARS AND THEN THERE ARE Lamborghinis. Poster cars, yes, but not some low, sleek concept models, no. Automobili Lamborghini have been creating a different breed of supercar since their inception. Jaw-dropping design and unhinged, raw, unfiltered performance seemed to be the norm. The Miura SV was unlike anything to come out at the time it did — in 1971. It had its roots in the Miura, which came about after the 350 GT — Lamborghini’s first passenger car in 1963. A front-engined grand touring car, the 350 GT packed a 3.5-litre V12. A 4.0-litre V12 arrived in the 400 GT three years later. Then came the Miura. The Miura was Lamborghini’s and, in fact, the world’s first definitive rear-mid-engined “supercar”. The 3.9-litre V12 was transversely mounted behind…

MEMORIES ARE A FUNNY THING. A fleeting thought occupying the mind space for a brief second can make one laugh out loud or tear up. Yet the power they hold is rather substantial. I have some history with the Audi S5 Sportback since the first time it was launched in India. Though that’s a story for another day, it still sends a little shiver down my spine. The new S5 Sportback is a facelift model and retains its creases and flowing eye-liner but now gets a more purposeful and meaner-looking daytime light strips across the top of the Matrix LED headlamp clusters. There are also a more aggressive looking lower air-dam and fog-light housings. The Singleframe grille gets a subtler aluminium matte finish but with those studs in the honeycomb,…

CROATIA’S LARGELY ASPHALT COURSE WAS the venue for the third round of the 2021 WRC. Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team) was the man to beat on Friday. He blitzed through four of the special stages in the morning, but was in for a lot of heat from Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team) in the afternoon when the stages were repeated. With such close competition, things began to get interesting. Both drivers had “close call” moments but managed to scrape through without major damage to man or machine. Meanwhile, Kalle Rovanperä drifted wide on a right-hander and ended up plunging down a bank, coming to rest against a tree. Significant damage to the car meant that the youngster could not restart the race even on…

All-new Škoda Fabia THE FABIA HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE ŠKODA PORTFOLIO FOR OVER 20 YEARS and embodies the core values of the Czech brand like no other model. The fourth-generation model has everything needed to build on its predecessors’ success: more space, updated connectivity, advanced assistance systems, and an emotive design. Built on the MQB-A0 platform, the Fabia gets a more spacious interior, practical design, excellent dynamics, and optimum aerodynamics. The styling is accentuated by strong lines and typically modern crystalline elements. Its length and width have increased but not its height, giving it a sportier appearance. Lengthwise, it’s 4,108 millimetres long, although the India model would be sub-four-metre. It’s 48 mm wider at 1,780 mm and has a wheelbase 94 mm longer at 2,564 mm. A…

Space for Everyone We are planning to buy a new car and our budget is Rs 35-40 lakh. We are a family of three and require a seven-seater only when we have guests, so it is not a priority. We have shortlisted the Ford Endeavour, Mercedes-Benz GLA, and Toyota Fortuner. Which of these should we go for? Manishq Bhatia, via social media Dear Manishq, Of the three cars you have listed, we believe the Ford Endeavour or the Toyota Fortuner will suit your needs best overall. Furthermore, they also seat seven, so no problem while entertaining your guests either. The Variant Conundrum A nice hatchback is what I have in mind for my next car and I have zeroed in on the Maruti Suzuki Ignis, but I am confused between…

What was the thought behind introducing a three-row version of the Creta in the market? What are your expectations with the Alcazar? Seon Seob Kim (SSK): The Alcazar was planned based on our focus and understanding of the future demand of the Indian market. Buyers are seeking larger, family-oriented vehicles in India which can accommodate more family members. From a planning perspective, we decided to develop a multi-passenger vehicle that is more premium than the five-seater version. In the six-seater version, we decided to introduce luxurious middle-row seats and overall a car that is packed with great technologies and features. In the market we already have over six lakh existing Creta customers and more than two-three lakh Verna customers who would be looking at upgrading to a bigger vehicle in…

The wider wing, the aggressive diffuser, and the fat twin-exit exhaust signal that this car means business JUST AS THE IMPALA instinctively knows exactly what to do when it spots a hungry lion on the prowl, traffic ahead seeks collective shelter in a move-over swarm reflex as soon as the silhouette of the winged 911 rises in the mirror. When we let our GT3 off the hook for the first time on the A33 that links Bielefeld and Brilon, where it meanders through horse-breeders’ paradise, not once is there a need to even wait, let alone flash the quad-beam LED headlights. Adding to the unreality is the speed with which you find yourself approaching your prey. The 510-hp 2021 model GT3 feels astonishingly quick, so it is a surprise to…

SIR LEWIS HAMILTON LINED UP HIS Mercedes-AMG on the front row of the grid at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalonia on pole position — an unmatched 100th career pole — as he sought to extend his advantage in the drivers’ championship. It was not an easy qualifying, though, as the field was the closest it had been for a long time. Max Verstappen lined up in his Red Bull Racing Honda alongside, a few feet adrift, in second. It was the young Flying Dutchman who got the better start and made his way past Hamilton off the line and into Turn One. The rest of the field closed in as well. However, bad luck for young Japanese driver, Yuki Tsunoda in the AlphaTauri Honda, saw a loss of power bring him to…

ON THE FIRST DAY OF VODAFONE RALLY de Portugal, Dani Sordo (Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team) took advantage of a low starting position because the roads had begun drying by then and won two of the three opening stages. Later in the day, Sordo stalled his car’s engine in the penultimate speed test and lost the lead to his teammate, Ott Tänak. Elfyn Evans (Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team) did well to finish in second place while Sordo clung on to third place. Things were almost perfect for Tänak the following day as well but it all came undone in the penultimate speed test. One stage after he claimed his 250th fastest time in the championship, Tänak had to retire. Until then, the Hyundai man was performing rather…

THE ELECTRIC HIGH-PERFORMANCE future is getting clearer. Mercedes-AMG have revealed their new E Performance underpinnings with greater potential on tap in four-cylinder and eight-cylinder plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and full-electric guises. Mercedes-AMG’s new E Performance systems allow for significantly increased output and fuel savings. A compact 400-volt, 6.1-kWh battery pack will power one or more of the new AMG-specific 150-kW motors with 204 hp and 320 Nm. The motor won’t be a part of the new 9MCT (nine-speed multi-clutch) automatic transmission, as it is in the EQ Power models, but will sit on the rear axle with its own two-speed transmission for optimal performance. Four-cylinder 63? The four-cylinder PHEV pairing, first expected to be seen in the new AMG C-Class, will have the new M139 in-line four taken to…

Isuzu D-Max Isuzu Motors India finally introduced the much-anticipated D-Max line-up in India in BS6 that has expanded to include four driveline choices. The D-Max lifestyle pick-up truck created waves when it arrived and generated a credible fan following thanks to its build quality, features, and reliability. The updated model is available as an entry Hi-Lander model as well as more premium V-Cross set of variants. It continues with the familiar styling but gets new features, including rear parking sensors, a reverse camera, and new powertrain choices to go with the BS6 engine. The 1.9-litre four-cylinder, turbo-diesel now makes 163 hp at 3,600 rpm and 360 Nm of peak torque between 2,000 and 2,500 rpm. Updated emission clean-up tech includes a lean NOx trap and selective catalytic reduction. There is…

WE HAVE BEEN GRAPPLING WITH A DEADLY pandemic for more than a year, but it is thanks to the frontline workers that the world is gradually healing. So, when Tucson, known as the “Drive of the Driven”, decided to do a special feature, it was an obvious choice to introduce someone who has not really been at the forefront, but has been making a difference by bringing together a workforce to vaccinate thousands of people in Pune. Meet Dr Snehal Porwal, an alumnus of the prestigious B J Medical College, who, along with her husband, surgeon Dr Ashwin Porwal, is helping vaccinate people because, as Dr Snehal puts it, ‘The urge to fight this pandemic on a war footing was what compelled me to join hands with my husband and…

THE FIRST-GENERATION Škoda Octavia gave us our first taste of a European sedan at a reasonable price back in 2001 and it was an instant hit, with a strong cult following to this day. The second-gen Octy, badged the Laura in India, raised the stakes in terms of performance, comfort, and features, while the rebooted third-generation car arrived in 2013 and saw a stylish facelift in 2017, only to be discontinued early last year as it wasn’t updated for BS6 compliance. While we have missed the ever-popular Octavia badge from the company’s Indian line-up since, Škoda have been busy planning a comeback and that brings us to the 2021 Octavia splashed across these pages. The new Octy, like its predecessors, is an attractive car at first sight. Clean, uncluttered lines,…

LEWIS HAMILTON LINED UP IN HIS Mercedes-AMG in pole position on the grid, the 99th of his career, ahead of a very determined Sergio Perez in the Red Bull Racing Honda who was confident of good race pace. However, a passing shower had drenched the track and that threw a spanner in the works for strategists. When the lights went out in Imola, it was Max Verstappen in the other Red Bull car who actually got off well and went from third into the lead with a second-gear launch. Nicolas Latifi in the Williams was the first crash and brought out the Safety Car. When racing resumed, it was Hamilton who briefly led after Verstappen made his stop first for medium slicks on Lap 27. One lap later, Hamilton made…