Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i Car India

Volkswagen Virtus EVERAL CARS TODAY FEEL LIKE THEY have a lot but still have that nagging feeling like something’s missing; like the last piece or few pieces of the puzzle simply aren’t there. The new Volkswagen Virtus manages to cover all the bases while excelling at the one thing most forget to remember—a car was meant to be driven. The new Virtus has come at a crucial time. A time when the car industry is apparently on the brink of a transition en masse to an electric ecosystem which will change how the car fits into society. Yet, the enthusiast—the one who wants to drive, unlike those who simply need to commute and lack access to clean and dependable public transport—wants to feel what it is like to drive a…

COVER STORY Citroën C3 ROOF-RAILS FINISHED IN BLACK. FRONT AND REAR embedded skid-plates. A high 180 millimetres of ground clearance. Thick and high-profile 195/65 rubber on 15-inch wheels. And that butch stance. Clearly Citroën are aware of what they have. And they are targeting the youth who want more in less. More of everything in less of everything. More space. Less size. More tech. Less price. More quality. Less quantity? Well. Citroën India have been here for some time, slowly but surely expanding their presence while communicating their USP of prioritising comfort all round. The C5 Aircross was their spearhead of choice, but it is a more premium offering and comes with a potent diesel engine. Citroën see no market for a compact car with a diesel engine owing to…

IN TODAY’S DAY AND AGE NO AUTOMOTIVE manufacture can rest on their laurels in the highly competitive SUV market. Mahindra have finally unveiled the next-generation Scorpio-N, albeit after years and years of work. We have been waiting for quite a while now for this new generation Scorpio. There are no repurposed parts from the previous Scorpio in the all-new Scorpio-N was built entirely from scratch. This makes it possible for the all-new Scorpio-N to surpass current segment benchmarks in all key areas, including performance, capability, technology, sophistication, ride and handling, NVH, interiors, and design. But, let’s take a moment to reflect upon the legacy of the Scorpio and what it has done for the Indian auto maker. Mahindra and Mahindra have been producing the Scorpio, a mid-size SUV, since 2002.…

FOLLOWING THE DECIDEDLY MIXED response to the BMW iX’s exterior styling, you might think that the company’s M division would have prioritised an aesthetic overhaul when it came to the flagship 619-hp M60 version. After all, there is nothing that a carbon diffuser and a set of bulging wheel-arches cannot fix, right? Not so. BMW have barely touched the design for this £112k (Rs 1.12 crore) performance range-topper. Instead, the performance is left to speak for itself. Along with that 619-hp headline figure, there is also a scarcely believable 1,100 Nm of torque that hits home like an F/A-18 launching off the USS Ronald Reagan. They have achieved this 115-hp increase over the xDrive50 model by sticking with the same 111.5-kWh battery but tweaking the six-phase motors. The 0-100 km/h…

THE MAN ON POLE, championship contender Charles Leclerc in his Ferrari, didn’t have the best opening lap as he lost the lead as the lights went out when Sergio Perez in the Red Bull launched off and tore through the inside of Leclerc, who locked up going into the Turn One left-hander. Leclerc was then sandwiched between the two Red Bulls. It was soon double despair for Ferrari as Carlos Sainz stopped with a hydraulic failure on lap nine bringing out the Virtual Safety Car. Leclerc stopped for hard tyres but suffered a slower stop to come out in third. He only took the lead after Verstappen, in the leading Red Bull Racing car, pitted on lap 19. Only one tour of Baku later the sole-surviving Ferrari had a smoky…

Car India (CI): The C3 looks spectacular. It’s different. More of an SUV than a hatchback from the stance of the car, isn’t it? Roland Bouchara (RB): We are glad you say that. It is the USP we wanted to give it in terms of design of the car. CI: Why is there no automatic option? RB: Not yet. (laughs) CI: There’s enough room for the 2.0-litre diesel under the bonnet, isn’t there? Saurabh Vatsa (SV): (laughs) Diesels we will not be putting right now. You know what it is with diesels. With Euro 6.2d coming in, the prices of the vehicles will shoot up tremendously. CI: What about hybrids? Are you considering hybrids at all? SV: We’ve already said that with the C-Cubed we will have an EV next…

Jeep now have to navigate pollution regs that make traversing the Rubicon Trail look simple THE VOICEOVER BOOMS OUT A QUESTION that you can’t help but feel contains heavy hints at the preferred answer: ‘Were you born to follow a path or were you born free?’ It accompanies images of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee fording a river and cresting a granite slab. I’m watching the commercial through a letterbox squint because the television is in front of a huge glass wall, backlit by the Texas sun. But even with eyes tight shut, references to freedom in Jeep’s marketing for the fifth-generation Grand Cherokee would be hard to miss. Freedom from what? Ten years ago, it would’ve been from the nine-to-five and city streets. Buying a Jeep meant buying an…

BETTERING A BESTSELLER IS NOT EASY JOB, yet with the new Maruti Suzuki Brezza, India’s number one automobile brand has dug deep to improve upon what was already a wholesome package, by addressing the needs of the most crucial sect—the buyers’. I remember when the first Brezza came to the office, an inquisitive bystander immediately asked me two questions, “How much is it?” and “Does it have a sunroof?”, because “he has to get a car with a sunroof as the kids won’t have it any other way.” Okay, then. So the car was highly practical, smart-looking, fuel-efficient, reliable, safe and easy to drive but, over the years, it seemed that some the new-age option boxes were unavailable; not unchecked. And those are exactly what Maruti Suzuki have taken care…

A FEW DAYS BEFORE WRITING this review, I posted a picture of the VW ID.5’s interior on Twitter, commenting only on the price. At the time of writing, there are 118 comments, all but three lamenting the lack of colour, interest or perceived quality. And those reactions more or less mirror my own feelings about the car as a whole. Not that it is a bad model; in fact, there is much practical stuff to like. All ID.5s come with a huge 77-kWh battery pack, so even the range-topping twin-motor GTX achieves an official 476-kilometre range. The entry-level Pro can go for 503 km. And it is not like it is an unpleasant feeling going that distance. It is just dull and at no point do you feel as though…

TRICKY CONDITIONS ON Saturday paved the way for many surprises during the qualifying sessions for the Canadian GP. Tyre gamble and some mistakes produced some unlikely results. Sure, Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing claiming pole position may not be groundbreaking news but Fernando Alonso in the Alpine Renault claimed second—his first front-row start in 10 years. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz put his Ferrari in third after holding off an attack from a determined Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes. Fortunately, the weather cleared up on Sunday. Verstappen took off to a good start and led into the first corner. Hamilton had a side-by-side moment with the Haas of Kevin Magnussen during which the latter sustained some damage to the front wing that sent him into the pits for a replacement. Back…

NEW THIS MONTH MARUTI SUZUKI BREZZA The refreshed Brezza brings bold styling and a new automatic transmission choice, now from Rs 7.99 lakh (ex) VOLKSWAGEN VIRTUS The premium sedan is set alight with a sporty yet balanced package. The range starts from Rs 11.22 lakh (ex) INDEX 93 ASTON MARTIN, AUDI 94 BENTLEY 95 BMW 96 CITROËN, FERRARI 97 FORCE MOTORS, HONDA 98 HYUNDAI 99 ISUZU, JAGUAR 100 JEEP, KIA 101 LAMBORGHINI, LAND ROVER 102 LEXUS, MAHINDRA 104 MARUTI SUZUKI 105 MASERATI, McLAREN 106 MERCEDES-BENZ 107 MINI, MORRIS GARAGES 108 NISSAN, PORSCHE 109 RENAULT 110 ROLLS-ROYCE, ŠKODA 111 TATA MOTORS 112 TOYOTA 114 VOLKSWAGEN, VOLVO LEGENDS PRICES Ex-showroom, Pune (subject to change) BO: Available only by order NA: Price not available FEATURES F: Front only D: Driver airbag only O:…

HYBRID. IT’S A WORD THAT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN SHUNNED MY MANY mass manufacturers yet it presents a very real case for itself when we consider the real-world implications of a paradigm shift and the anticipated movement it represents. While full electric vehicles would seem like a jump forward, one must also consider that electricity is generated vastly from coal, in many cases to the tune of over 70 per cent. Thankfully, both Toyota and Maruti Suzuki seem to agree, and the “self-charging electric vehicle” philosophy is being spread thicker and wider than ever before. And the result of that new-found revitalised approach is the all-new, made-in-India-for-the-world mid-size SUV, the 4.4-metre long Urban Cruiser Hyryder, which will be offered with a mild-hybrid petrol with manual, automatic and manual-all-wheel-drive, as well…

TRAVELOGUE Hyundai Verna in Odisha ROAD-TRIP VACATIONS ARE WITHOUT A doubt one of the most effective ways to feel refreshed and calm. Simply get in your automobile and see where the road leads. The majority of road excursions are planned, but unplanned road trips with friends are always enjoyable. Travelling by car is a fantastic way to see new locations. For our journey this time we explore the hidden gem of a state that is Odisha—one of India’s major tourist destinations, featuring wildlife reserves, beaches, temples, monuments, the arts, and festivals among the many tourist attractions. Just a glance at the Odisha Tourism tagline “India’s Best Kept Secret” will tell you that you are in for a real adventure while you explore this state. Hyundai India have provided us with…

THIS IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN: LAMBORGHINI’S SANT’AGATA FACTORY, birthplace of the mid-engined V12 supercar (and countless bedroom wall posters since). Starting point, too, for many a legendary drive story, whether Miura, Countach, Diablo or Murcielago. Now we are nosing out of the gates in the last Aventador and something of a full stop for that line as a whole. The good news is that there will be an Aventador successor and, we understand, it will still be powered by a naturally aspirated V12, with assistance from a high-energy hybrid system. So it is not quite the end of this most fabled of automotive fairy tales, but it is the last chapter of pure combustion power without electrical assistance. And what combustion power. The 6.5-litre 60° V12 sounds a little…

A REFRESHING CHANGE IS ALWAYS WELCOME, especially when it has been some time the grind has been carrying on and on. The party has now moved to a new venue. The new Venue. The Hyundai Venue is a compact crossover SUV that has been doing rather well for itself and the company. Even though it has aged, a mid-life update, heart-transplant, and refreshed transmissions helped keep the momentum going. Now, though, Hyundai have made some even bigger changes, inside and out, and under the skin. The new Venue looks sharp and drives even sharper than before, and packs some very usable tech advancements and convenience features inside the cabin. We got our hands on the Venue Turbo SX(O) DCT, the top-spec turbo-petrol with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, for this review.…

WITH COVID-19 STILL LOOMING large, Putin’s war raging, and the global economy in the doldrums, AMG could not have picked a worse time to launch this ultrahigh-performance, ultra-thirsty four-door coupé. And yet… The overtly aggressive AMG GT 63 S E-Performance is a plug-in hybrid that uses its electric motor to provide a power boost, not to take the edge off its thirst. With 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 and e-motor in full effect, it is the most powerful production AMG to date and stirs more emotions than the greenest 1,000 hp-plus electric supercar. It hits our sweet spot like a drug. Starting the engine summons a mechanical cacophony, but soon you identify individual elements: the turbo and wastegate, the intake, and the blat-blat and wah-wah of the exhaust. It is spine-tingling,…

SEBASTIEN BUEMI, BRENDON HARTLEY, and rookie Ryo Hirakawa of the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing team won the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans with ease, and the sister #7 Toyota squad finished second to give the Japanese manufacturer a historic 1-2 finish. The Toyota team, which began in the front two rows and finished in first and second place, dominated the race. The #8 squad distinguished themselves from their sister team by essentially controlling the race from start to finish, with the #7 crew only sometimes managing to take the lead. The Glickenhaus combination, running in numbers #709 and #708, finished third and fourth after the Toyota team. Despite their excellent finish, the American team was unable to match the Toyotas’ domination and was forced to compete in a middle…