Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2021 i Car India

AS WE ENTER THE 17TH YEAR OF OUR PUBLICATION, THE Indian economy is still recovering from the second wave of the pandemic. With the threat of a third wave looming large on the horizon, the outlook for the next six months is still cloudy. The automobile industry, often considered to be the barometer of the health of the economy, is also in a challenging situation. High fuel prices have made owning an automobile an expensive affair. As much as 70 per cent of the price of fuel is in the form of taxes and blaming the oil producing countries is a deliberate distraction. Over the last two years, the government has raked in over Rs 2 lakh crores by way of fuel taxes and it risks killing the goose that…

EVentual Purchase Recently, I booked a new Kia Sonet but after reading a few news reports and articles, what I have understood is that the automotive market will shift to fully electric within two years. Does it make sense for me to buy a brand-new car now? Or should I buy a used car now and a new electric one in a couple of years? Have I misunderstood anything and is my decision sound? Please advise me. Ratan Nanda, Lucknow Dear Ratan, You are partially correct. EV sales are picking up as we speak but widesoread adoption is certainly more than two years away because the infrastructure for supporting EVs in India is not growing fast enough. Besides, today's EV options are not long-distance cars and only suit drivers who…

HE SECOND EDITION OF OUR Renault Kiger adventures would see yours truly taking part in an activity I had never experienced yet but always wanted to: white-water rafting. Those videos of folk braving rapids across the world have enticed me for years and when the chance finally came my way, I jumped at it. I would be taking part in the said activity at Kolad, Maharashtra, which is a great place for the novice, the maximum grade of the rapids there being at level three. Our journey involving a three-and-a-half-hour drive to Kolad started from our base city, Pune, as we tucked ourselves into the Kiger and set off in the wee hours. My companion, the Renault Kiger, would also have its own indulgence as we would be traversing the…

ITY LIFE HAS GOTTEN TOUGH: CORONA, lockdowns, stuck at home or stuck in traffic. Sometimes you just need to get away from it all, and there’s nothing quite like a luxurious escape into the unknown. So, when Mercedes-Benz offered us their GLA for a 10-day adventure in the mountains, I packed my bags and caught a flight to Delhi post-haste. A spotless white GLA was waiting for us outside the airport terminal as we arrived and, without wasting time, the camera crew and myself jumped in, pointed the car due north and began our escape towards the Himalayas. Our journey began with a 550-kilometre dash into the mountain state of Himachal Pradesh and the day was spent getting to know the car better — first on the highways between Delhi…

THE PITTER-PATTER OF RAIN didn’t dull the thunder emanating from the striking blue and yellow winged bull standing low and staring menacingly at the open road ahead. A race car for the road is a special thing. Any time. Any place. Crowds gather. Phones aplenty make clicky sounds. And there’s no disputing it’s a jaw-dropper. No one asks about economy. The questions: ‘How much is it?’ and ‘What’s the duty like on this? Has to be imported...’ Yes. Kids sure know their stuff these days. So, the Huracán STO, or Super Trofeo Omologata, is the Super Trofeo racing series model homologated for road use. It is like, in Stuttgart cousin terms, the 911 GT3 RS of its range, but with more than 100 additional horsepower. In fact — and this…

FOR YEARS, WE’VE ALL SEEN THE Bolero ferry important people and their entourage deep into the Indian hinterlands. Thousands of influential Indians are Bolero owners and happy ones at that. The rugged and easy-to-maintain vehicle is a common sight at railway stations and consequential ceremonies. But the new crop demands more than utility… they seek comfort, style, and features without letting go of the low-maintenance virtues. And that’s why Mahindra have rebadged the new TUV300 as Bolero Neo. When we drove the first-gen TUV300, it did leave us impressed by its ability to tackle bad roads and overall ruggedness. But it wasn’t perfect. So, it wasn’t a big surprise when Mahindra didn’t upgrade the SUV with a BS6 engine and, in fact, took it off the market, albeit temporarily. The…

MUSIC. IT’S A SMALL, SIMPLE WORD. YET, THE DEPTHS OF ITS INFLUENCE are tremendous. The impact it can have, even more so. A crescendo like a tidal wave at its highest. Explosive emotions the likes of an erupting volcano are but a series of notes and a scale away. Emotion. That’s what rules many. And that’s what it seems has gone into the S-Class. What is the S-Class to you, dear reader? The best luxury car? The pinnacle of automotive technology? The flagship badge from one of the most revered automobile brands? The big one? Whatever it is to you, what it truly is is special. The S-Class embodies the promise of “das beste oder nichts” — the best or nothing — from the three-pointed star. In terms of song,…

EXOTIC MANSIONS. SPRAWLING GARDENS. WHITE marble flooring. Clean aqua-blue pools of water. Expansive porch views. Just some of the imagery that pops into my mind when I imagine the new Maybach GLS. Pristine surroundings are one thing but each Maybach is built to deliver its best regardless of its surroundings. And that’s the real challenge. The GLS 600 is the first Maybach SUV in India and the fourth global Maybach model. First came the S-Class limousine, then the S 650 Cabriolet, and their first SUV, the high-riding G 650 Landaulet. I always believed the GLS-Class — brilliant as it always was, balancing space and comfort with equipment and versatility — would make an excellent candidate for a double M (Maybach Motorenbau) job and the added super luxury appointments it brings.…

BALBIR SINGH DHILLON Head, Audi India DHILLON HAS BEEN LEADING AUDI India from the front for two years now and has been instrumental in Audi’s progress in the country. He has been around in the Audi family for years now and was the head of dealer development before taking up his current responsibility. He has more than two years of experience spread over different regions, including Audi Middle East, Porsche India, and Honda India. Over the past year, Audi India have brought a mix of volume and RS models to our shores to keep the buyers engaged and excited. Moreover, the German luxury car brand is aiming to be sustainable not just by focusing on sales but with “quality of sales”, which, in turn, will lead to happy customers and…

QUALIFYING SAW LEWIS Hamilton in his Mercedes-AMG, after a good first run, slow down at the pit-lane exit and deny both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the Red Bull Racing Hondas the chance of taking pole position. It rained on the Sunday before the race. Everyone was out on wets. At lights-out, Hamilton made a clean getaway with Max in tow until Valtteri Bottas, in the other Mercedes, locked up at the very first corner and hit the McLaren Mercedes of Lando Norris, who, in turn, went into Verstappen with Perez also taking a detour and Daniel Ricciardo in the other McLaren also spinning as a result. Verstappen and Ricciardo managed to get going; however, it was race over for Perez, Norris, and Bottas. Further down, Lance Stroll in…

IT HAD TO HAPPEN. LAMBORGHINI have introduced what will be the last series production naturally aspirated V12 supercars in their line-up, ever. And they’ve gone back to their previous nomenclature to sign them off. The new Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae, or longitudinal posterior 780 CV and four-wheel drive (longitudinally mounted engine in the rear with 780 hp), is the most powerful iteration of Lambo’s natural goodness in a V12 supercar; with 10 hp more than even the SVJ and Centenario special and just a bit down on the Sian FK-37 hybrid. Lamborghini’s unique, rigid, and lightweight carbon-fibre monocoque, with extensive use of carbon for the bodywork as well, contributes to a dry weight of just 1,550 kilograms. The coupé version weighs 25 kg less than the Aventador S and delivers a…

What is NEXA? A NUMBER OF MANUFACTURERS HAVE SEEN success over the years in India, becoming household names and playing their part in the expanse of the Indian automobile sector. However, there is one that sits above them all, a company that came in with a small 800-cc powered hatchback that started the automobile revolution in India. We are talking of none other than Maruti-Suzuki. With over 20 million cars produced, Maruti-Suzuki have revamped the Indian automobile space into one of the most successful motoring markets in the world. Known for their reliable and affordable vehicles, one may see a model on every street in the country, from the big metropolises to the most remote regions of India. It was in July 2015 that the company launched NEXA, a premium…

BLACK SCREAMS CLASS BUT what is classier? Tata have defined that with new shades of black for their new #Dark models, with new equipment, too. These paint jobs are a few tones darker than the regular shades we are used to seeing on our roads, making these cars quite the eye candy. The new #Dark models from Tata come with a blacked-out exterior and interior along with a distinguishable “#DARK” badge. We drove the Harrier, Nexon, and Altroz #Dark and they definitely exude class and style. Harrier #Dark THE HARRIER #DARK, DEVELOPED ON LAND Rover’s acclaimed D8 platform, is unsurprisingly stylish and brawny and, though adapted to a two-wheel-drive format, the big SUV pulls away with gusto. The large 18-inch Blackstone alloys of the Harrier #Dark prove a sporty tweak…

VOLKSWAGEN’S INDIA 2.0 Project gave birth to MQB A0 IN, a platform specifically developed for India which is a cost-effective derivative of the popular MQB A0. It also underpins the new Taigun and we pretty much know what to expect from this, since we’ve got a taste of the recently launched Škoda Kushaq which is based on the same platform. Sticking to the traditional family design isn’t a bad thing, after all, and Volkswagen have just done that with the Taigun. Even at a glance, it’ll remind you of the brand’s global sport utility vehicles (SUV) like the Tiguan or the T-Roc. The understated design with bold lines and a distinctly Volkswagen fascia is an easy giveaway. The narrow front grille gets a honeycomb mesh pattern with triple chrome slats,…

1 Find a hydrogen pump! According to UK H2 Mobility, there are only 11 hydrogen refuelling stations open to private motorists in the UK. Others are reserved for commercial vehicles and a few more are planned, but they are so expensive to build that they will remain scarce for a while yet. 2 Swipe your card Our Mirai already had an account set up with ITM Power so we merely had to insert our access card, enter a PIN, and we were set to refuel. Hydrogen is not that much cheaper than unleaded, at £12 (Rs 1,225) per kilogram. 3 Open fuel flap, doors to manual Pull a conventional fuel-filler lever in the cabin and the flap opens on the nearside to reveal a metal nozzle where…

THE FIRST THING YOU want to know about the Rimac Nevera is how it feels to launch-control an electric hypercar with twice the power of a modern Formula 1 car. I wondered that too and casually decimating the Bugatti Chiron’s world production-car standing-quarter record was very nearly the first thing I did in a Nevera. I was given mine on the runway of a quiet provincial Croat airport, its nose already pointing down the strip towards the cones that marked the end of the quarter-mile. Mate Rimac was there and quite happy for me to knock out a new world record with my first push of the throttle, so confident was he of the ease and safety with which his car will do it. That might have made for a…

Advanced assistance systems can make a huge difference in everyday traffic and can relieve driver stress when required by adapting the vehicle speed, controlling distance, steering, and lane-changing. This allows the driver to stay alert for longer and reach the destination more safely and comfortably. The S-Class needs figurative eyes and ears to perform all these tasks — a suite of sensors — and the S has all of these on board with the standard Driving Assistance package: Front multi-mode radar: two radar sensors with a 130° aperture angle Front long-range radar: one radar sensor with a range of 9° to 90° Front stereo multi-purpose camera: one camera with a 70° aperture angle Rear multi-mode radar: two radar sensors with a 130° aperture angle 360° camera (close range): four cameras…

LITTLE CARS ARE AN ABSOLUTE JOY TO DRIVE. MORE SO WHEN they pack big power. A small car is particularly more usable in the city and modern urban conditions — and that applies four-fold here in India. Chaotic traffic and negligence with regard to all traffic rules by almost all road-users here means a compact car with decent power is a boon in all conditions. We’d only just driven the Cooper S Convertible last month and fresh off that excitement came this 3-Door fixed-head hatch; complete with racing stripes. The new Cooper S 3-Door hatch, the F56 LCI, has undergone a facelift that brings in some exciting new bits and a lot more tech. The Mini Cooper, celebrating its 60th anniversary of the collaboration with John Cooper, gets better and…

IN THIS DAY AND AGE, unpredictability and unruly behaviour go hand in hand, more so out there on the streets. Traffic has become a bane of our existence and having a record of proceedings can be of immense help sometimes. Having a dash cam is not a mandate, but if ever there is a situation where you find yourself in a predicament, it can be a huge relief. The Safe Cams Y3S we received has some distinct advantages. It’s compact and has a clear recording quality with a good memory capacity. There are two cameras, one mounted behind the inside mirror and one on the inside of the rear windscreen, each with an ultra-wide-angle lens as compared to a mobile phone’s lens. These can capture up to four lanes of…

THE THIRD RACE OF THE TRIPLE-HEADER AND the second successive round in Austria saw a similar result — a strong win for Max Verstappen and more distance created between himself and the defending world champion, Lewis Hamilton. In a race that will be remembered for the penalties doled out by the stewards — a five-second penalty for Antonio Giovinazzi of Alfa Romeo for overtaking under the Safety Car, a five-second penalty for Lando Norris in the McLaren Mercedes for “forcing” Sergio Perez of Red Bull Racing Honda off the track, two five-second penalties for Perez for “forcing a driver off the track” which, in both cases, were for incidents with the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, a five-second penalty for Yuki Tsunoda in the AlphaTauri Honda for crossing the line at…

PERFORMANCE IS WITHOUT DOUBT the most popular topic of discussion among car enthusiasts or should I say it used to be? Of late, soaring fuel prices have given rise to another subject: fuel efficiency. ‘How much does your car return to the litre?’, ‘Do you think I should pay the premium and opt for a diesel car because it offers better mileage?’, and ‘Maybe, I should drive with the air-conditioner off…’ are a few familiar phrases often heard on this budding forum. We decided to contribute to the discussion by undertaking a challenge. Could we pull off a sight-seeing trip from Mumbai to Vadodara using just one tank of petrol without compromising on comfort, safety or entertainment? To extract the maximum mileage from a litre of fuel, a small engine…

PICTURE A WFH SITUATION. YOU stare at the computer screen, gulp down black coffee, munch some goodies, scroll down your phone, and stretch. Pause. And then repeat. This has been the working pattern for most of us in this pandemic. And we’ve all come to realise that it is life’s simple things that matter the most — and our focus should be on looking after our mental and physical health. To quote from the American journalist-author Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, Eat, Pray, Love, “Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel around the world looking for it.” So, being a car enthusiast, driving around has always been therapeutic for me, almost like attaining the elusive happiness. But I…

The mid-size SUV segment has many strong offerings. How do Volkswagen India plan to attract customers with the new Taigun? With the Polo and the Vento, we have been very successful in the Indian market. Even today, for a car like Polo, the demand far outstrips the supply. From that perspective, I would say that our product offering, the features, and unique DNA that Volkswagen offer is very well understood by the customers; be it in terms of build quality, safety, and the confidence that a car-buyer gets from a Volkswagen. Our cars offer that fun-to-drive element and sense of security which differentiate us from the rest of the market. These exact virtues are being carried forward into the Taigun, which is the fundamental DNA of being a Volkswagen. There…

The last one was a front-drive four-seater, whereas Mirai II: The HydroSequel seats five and drives the rear ROAD TRIPPING IN A hydrogen fuel-cell car adds fresh piquancy to the range anxiety that blights all EVs. The UK’s H2 refuelling infrastructure is not so much patchy as bald, with just 11 facilities open to private motorists, concentrated around London, Swindon, Sheffield, and Aberdeen. So, when we were handed the keys to the new Toyota Mirai in Surrey for a 483-km excursion, we could have played it safe and headed up the M1, but instead headed due south. Why? Because we wanted a mini adventure, not 10 pages touring Britain’s industrial hotspots. We reckoned Crawley to Fawley would let us stress-test the fuel-cell technology, take in a mix of town and…

AT A GLANCE, OUR TEST CARS LOOK LIKE a pair of generic 4 Series Gran Coupés wearing prototype disguise. But look closer: there are no exhaust pipes in the rear diffuser. And listen: no diesel grumble, no petrol snarl, no appetite-whetting vibes of the old-fashioned kind. Inside, you get the same disconcerting feeling of the familiar knocked slightly off-kilter. The gear selector still squats where you expect it, but where are the shift paddles? The digital speedometer is bracketed by two upright Technicolor columns, but what exactly do they stand for? Press the starter button and there are no vibrations and no engine noises — either real or fake. Instead, a new alien noise fills the air. Electronic, wavy, and richly textured, it reflects driver inputs like throttle action and…

THE MOCKING LAUGHTER FADED away years ago, but there was a lingering suspicion that Škoda were still under team orders to keep the styling a bit dowdy and the cabin materials a bit tacky. Former Chief Executive Bernhard Maier may have lost his job in the course of trying to buck the hierarchy, but it looks like he has won the war. The Enyaq iV, a car developed on his watch, is in some ways superior to the Volkswagen-badged product it most closely resembles, the ID.4. In fairness, Škoda have also benefited from the nine-month lag between VW’s launch of the first member of its bespoke EV family, the ID.3. That gave the Czech operation time to learn from that car’s mixed reception and adjust the details accordingly. So, the…

Hyundai haven’t held back even in the base variant which makes buying one decent value AFTER EVERY ISSUE, OUR INBOX IS bombarded with dozens of reader queries. Some make it to our Letter’s section and others inspire new stories altogether. Like this Hyundai Alcazar seven-seater diesel manual review, which many of you requested for after reading our first drive report of its six-seater petrol automatic sibling. The biggest apprehension has been if the 1.5-litre diesel, which till now had been powering the five-seaters, would have enough grunt to ferry seven people and their paraphernalia. Can the three rows actually accommodate seven grown-ups? Also, one of the oft-repeated queries people usually come up with is whether the Alcazar is overpriced. To be honest, cars in general have become a lot more…

Ken Miles 1 November 1918 - 17 August 1966 THE MAN BEHIND THE SUCCESS of the Ford GT in its historic string of victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Kenneth Henry Miles was always on the fast side of the car. Leaving school early, he worked his way through an apprenticeship to technical school and began racing motorcycles before serving in World War II, following which he raced cars before moving from England and settling in the USA as a service manager in 1952. In 1953, he won 14 straight victories in SCCA racing in an MG-based special of his own design and construction. In 1955, Miles designed, constructed, and ran another special based on MG components, known as the “Flying Shingle”, which was very successful in the…

A SEA OF FANS GREETED the drivers as they arrived at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. This would also be the first time the qualifying sessions were scheduled for Friday. They determined the grid for the Sprint race on Saturday which, in turn, decided the grid for the race on Sunday. The changes? The top three in the 100-kilometres-plus-one-lap Sprint race would take home championship points — three, two, and one, respectively — making for exciting changes, or advantages, in the championship standings. The Sprint race saw Max Verstappen in the Red Bull Racing Honda get the better of the Mercedes-AMG of Lewis Hamilton, who qualified on pole a mere 0.075 of a second ahead. Verstappen piled on the pace in the 17-lap race and took top honours, with…

KALLE ROVANPERä (TOYOTA GAZOO RACING World Rally Team) was the man to watch on the first day of Rally Estonia. He blitzed past competition and finished in the lead on Friday with an 8.5-second advantage over Craig Breen (Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team). Both drivers were yet to win a race in WRC and their determination to outdo each other was as clear as day but it was Rovanperä who won six of the eight special stages that day. They raced along the blindingly fast gravel roads, leaving experienced drivers adrift by over a minute. Right behind the leaders were Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team) and Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team). Both fought for third place and although it looked like things were…