Innehållsförteckning för November 2021 från Car India

MERCEDES-BENZ HAVE OPENED BOOKINGS IN EUROPE FOR THE new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) iteration of the C-Class saloon and estate. While the C-Class gets some styling tweaks, such as the star-studded grille, the C 300 e is the powertrain in the spotlight, pairing a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine, making 204 hp and 320 Nm, with a 95-kW electric motor good for 129 hp and 440 Nm. The net peak output in hybrid mode is 313 hp and 550 Nm, good enough for sprightly performance and good for a WLTP combined weighted rating of as low as 0.8-0.6 litres/100 km or a considerable 125.0-166.6 km/l with a corresponding 19-14 g/km of CO2. Pure electric range is rated at between 99 and 111 kilometres. The electric consumption was also rated between…

MG MOTOR HAVE UPDATED THE ZS EV IN THE UK MARKET AHEAD of the new year. The first and most noticeable change on the new ZS EV is the new fascia that eliminates the grille. The LED headlamps have the same hawk-eye design as the new Astor’s. Apart from this, the ZS EV also gets new wheels and a revised rear bumper adding to the brawny stance of the ZS EV. Inside, there’s a new iSMART connectivity system which brings state-of-the-art infotainment to the latest model. Underneath, there’s a new 72-kWh “Long Range” battery pack that can do 440 km on a single charge. The long-range battery pack takes about 10.5 hours to charge on a seven-kW home charger while the 100-kW rapid charge takes only 42 minutes to fully…

HYUNDAI OF INDONESIA HAVE REVEALED DESIGN SKETCHES OF the facelift Hyundai Creta that is expected to come to life sometime next month. The Creta has has its face completely redesigned in line with Hyundai’s premium mid-size SUV, the Tucson, with the “Parametric Dynamics” inspiration for the front end. While engine specs are still a mystery, we expect it to come with a pair of 1.5-litre motors. The interior will sport two all-digital displays — one for the instrument cluster and the other for the infotainment unit. We hope to see this iteration of the Creta make its way to India sooner or later albeit with a few more features and creature comforts.…

BMW 3 Series Gran Limousine Iconic Edition BMW India have launched the new 3 Series Gran Limousine Iconic Edition in the country in both 330Li petrol and 320Ld diesel guises, priced at Rs 53.50 lakh and Rs 54.90 lakh (ex-showroom) respectively. The new variant is being locally produced at the BMW Group Plant Chennai exclusively for the Indian market. The long-wheelbase “Gran Limousine” Iconic Edition is the longest, most spacious, and comfortable car in its segment and sets a new benchmark. Combining sportiness, comfort, and innovation, it includes the unique BMW Iconic Glow Kidney Grille, Exclusive Crystal Gear Shift Knob, Rear Seat Headrest Cushion, Panorama Glass Sunroof, Comfort Seats in the front, bespoke “Vernasca” leather upholstery, luxurious rear seat, Parking Assist with Reverse Assist, Ambient Lighting, BMW Live Cockpit Professional,…

ROAD TRIPS ARE, PERHAPS, THE BEST WAY TO create some beautiful memories. You foster a unique bond with people you travel with and meet and get to learn so much about different cultures and life skills. Thanks to our adventure-travel series with Hyundai cars, I’ve been lucky enough to go out there and create some wonderful moments that will remain with me all my life. Since the time I’ve had the key to the Alcazar, I’ve been itching to set out yet again. The efficient 1.5-litre diesel engine and a smooth automatic transmission promise to make the Hyundai an ideal road trip partner. Moreover, with comfy seating for six or seven people and good enough luggage space provided the opportunity to take my family along on this quick getaway. This…

TILL A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AUDI’S ‘Q’ or SUV range made for close to 45 per cent of their total sales and the Q5 was one of the strongest products. A huge chunk of the overall sales were their smooth and efficient diesel engines. But the Q range and the diesels were phased out during the BS6 emission norm switch as Audi focused on their petrol-powered sedans and sports cars. And then the pandemic delayed plans further. Finally, the Q5 facelift is here with improved styling, a revised petrol engine, and some new features. The octagonal grille is much bigger and immediately attracts your attention and announces that it’s an Audi even before you look at the four rings sitting in the centre. Now there are prominent vertical chrome…

JOINING OUR TEAM FOR THE SPORTS CAR Giant Test 2021 is reigning W Series champion and Williams F1 development driver Jamie Chadwick. She is here because, apart from having the talent to hot-lap each car on the limit and to pass the kind of unflinching judgement only a hard-nosed pro racing driver can, she also has a limitless enthusiasm for driving and appreciates what makes a well-rounded road car as well as an uncompromising track car. Since Jamie last joined us to co-judge our Track Car of the Year 2020 test, she has returned to defend her title in W Series, the international single-seater championship for woman drivers on the F1 support bill. Following the round in the USA, she has successfully done just that, winning the 2021 championship. Jamie…

THE NEW-AGE “SUVS” are exactly like society is. Everything is based on perception and the look is what everything is based on. It’s like a monkey in a suit is considered a businessman and a genius wearing flip-flops is perceived as the village idiot. The popular SUVs today have evolved from hatches into… well, big hatches with a little more ground clearance and bigger wheels. No four-wheel drive, no locking differentials — in fact, no rear differential at all because they’re front-wheel-driven and the focus is more on connectivity and features rather than outright off-road ability. This works. Why? Primarily, it’s because there are almost road-like surfaces— a semi-beaten path — everywhere and that necessitates all-road capability, which high ground clearance and good tyres duly take care of. Secondly, no…

MAX VERSTAPPEN hoped to make a big impact on the championship as he started the United States Grand Prix from pole position with his championship rival, Lewis Hamilton, starting alongside him in second. Sergio Perez, in the other Red Bull Racing Honda with Acura branding, was just behind him on the next row. At the start, it was advantage Hamilton as the Mercedes-AMG powered away to take the lead into the first corner and hold his position as he forced Max in the Red Bull wide. It wasn’t until the first pit-stop on lap 11, where Red Bull got the undercut on Mercedes, that the lead changed hands. Outside the points, however, a battle was brewing as Fernando Alonso in the Alpine and Antonio Giovinazzi in the Alfa Romeo got…

THE EV6 IS KIA’S FIRST FULL BATTERY ELECTRIC VEHICLE (BEV) BASED ON THE NEW Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) and marks a huge step forward in their electric journey. It is first of the 11 all-new BEVs that Kia plan to launch by 2026. The Kia EV6 is the result of a collaborative effort among all three studios in Kia’s global design network in Namyang (Korea), Frankfurt (Germany), and Irvine (California, USA). It gets characteristic daytime running lights with a sleek, modern “digital tiger face”; a design progression for the electrified era; air channels under the car’s flat floor and a swept-back windscreen, with the bold rear haunches. It will be offered with a choice of two variants, a 229-hp single motor with rear-wheel drive or a more powerful dual-motor variant…

LONDON’S ICONIC TAXI IS FINALLY MAKING ITS WAY TO INDIA. THE London Electric Vehicles Company (LEVC), a Geely group company, has partnered with Delhi-based Exclusive Motors to set up a dealership in New Delhi. They will be bringing the TX to India as their very first offering. The TX is essentially a range-extended electric vehicle. It is primarily powered by an electric motor capable of 100 km on a single charge, while also packing a Volvo 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine that acts as a generator for the batteries and allows a range of over 500 km. Design-wise, the TX shares the iconic styling of the London Taxi with a retro-boxy silhouette. Inside, the TX features a rather spacious cabin with room for six passengers, wheelchair accessibility, and a partition to…

BUILT AROUND THE MQB-A0-IN PLATFORM AND A €1-BILLION (Rs 8700 CRORE) INVESTMENT, Škoda will soon launch another model in India, the Slavia, a new sedan to replace the Rapid. The Slavia, a 4.54-metre-long premium sedan by the Czech car-makers, will sit above where the Rapid was, being longer than even the first-gen Octavia. As with the Kushaq, the new Slavia will be available with a choice of two TSI turbo-petrol motors: the 1.0-litre three-pot that churns out 115 hp and 178 Nm or the 1.5 with 150 hp and 250 Nm. Both of them will have a choice of manual or automatic transmissions. Škoda have been praised for their build, ride quality, and handling and, after driving the Slavia, we can safely say that the story continues. What the Slavia…

Manual or Automatic Punch? The Tata Punch is going to be my first car, but I am confused about which transmission option I should go for. What would you recommend? My use is mostly limited to daily commuting and I rarely drive fast. Sreedhar V, via social media Dear Sreedhar, From your requirements, it appears that you will be happiest with the AMT. It is easy to use and shifts smoothly when driven conservatively. Furthermore, please note that the “Traction Pro” mode is available only with the AMT. To know more about this feature, check out our first drive review in this issue. Second-row Comfort After some thought, I have decided that my next new car will be an MUV. I am torn between the Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and the…

THE PSYCHEDELIC CAMOUFLAGE WORN BY the Škoda Slavia pre-production cars was to trick the viewer’s eyes. Our mission was to drive in these disguised cars, across varying terrain, and switch from car to car at regular intervals to get a taste of the things to come. The new sedan is based on the MQB A0 IN platform, which is the backbone of the “India 2.0 Project”. Volkswagen have promised to invest €1 billion in this and have given Škoda the charge to make this mission successful. Following hard on the heels of the Kushaq SUV/crossover, the Slavia pays homage to the first cycle the company ever made in 1897, a year after the company was founded. Needless to say, there is an important role that this new sedan has to…

E EEK! FOURTH GEAR THROUGH ANGLESEY circuit’s dare-you-quick first corner and the BMW M4’s boot-lid makes a sudden bid to overtake its infamous nose. Whoa! Banked hairpin behind us, the rear wheels are still spinning down the straight, revs soaring. Ulp. Over the kerb into the blind-entry hilltop left-hander, the M4 slews sideways under power and its fat wheel begins racking itself towards the lock-stops. With the 10-step traction control system turned almost all the way down, M Division’s super-coupé is a bit of a handful. Maybe, BMW had second thoughts about the grille after sign-off and asked the chassis engineers to ensure that the car only ever comes into view side-on. One important caveat, however: at this moment, Anglesey is wet. On a clear day, this clifftop track perched…

THE 24TH EDITION OF THE JK TYRE NATIONAL Racing Championship (NRC) 2021 got under way on 21 October. The experienced racers took on one another in the open-wheel LGB race cars while the novice drivers were placed in a separate class, piloting the same machinery. LGB FORMULA 4 At the end of the qualifying session, Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) topped the charts with a time of 1:14.453, claiming pole position for the first race ahead of Arya Singh (Dark Don Racing) and Sandeep Kumar A (Dark Don Racing) in second and third places respectively. Race One Singh made the most of the start and took the lead from Rangasamy. Then it was a fight to the finish because both drivers were evenly matched. In the end, Singh crossed the line first…

RALLYRACC - RALLY DE España was the penultimate round of the 2021 WRC championship and the previous race winner, Elfyn Evans (Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team), was the initial race leader. Evans was the only driver who could challenge for the championship this year and he powered through the speed tests to gain as much pace as possible. Meanwhile, Thierry Neuville (Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team) struggled with handling issues during the first half of the day but bounced back to claim some victories of his own and the lead as well. Evans had no response to that and, after avoiding a fatal crash, eased off to settle for second place while Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team) rounded off the day in third position. Saturday’s…

THE MERCEDES SL NAME GOES back to 1954. It is an iconic badge in the automotive sphere and one that has always been a part of the Mercedes portfolio since it first arrived on the sports car scene. With the new-generation SL, the legendary nameplate is back like never before. This is the first SL to be made by the high-performance arm, AMG, in Affalterbach, after the SLS and the GT line of models. As such, there are only V8 choices on offer, starting with the returning SL 55 and the indomitable SL 63. There will be an electrified version with even more power, expected to be the 843-hp plug-in hybrid SL 73e, which will also be a V8. The SL has gained 4MATIC+ all-wheel drive as well as rear-wheel…

THE NEW “MANUFAKTUR” LABEL FROM Mercedes-Benz addresses their customers’ ever-increasing desire for greater individuality and personalized finishes for their cars. Under the new “Manufaktur” label Mercedes are enhancing their existing product portfolio with additional exclusivity and luxury by offering patrons a choice of selected materials which are predominantly processed by hand, exclusive paint finishes, and high-quality embellishments for the interior, apart from a wide range of options for a more individual and highly personalized finish. The programme is not new to the Stuttgart major, having had a corresponding programme for the G-Class available for several years; “G manufaktur” offers its own selection of materials and colours especially adapted to the unique vehicle’s architecture. With the introduction of the new label, Mercedes now also offer this unique customization programme for other…

AFTER MUCH TEASING, LAND ROVER HAVE REVEALED THE FIFTH-generation Range Rover and the new model has received a complete overhaul, inside and out. The new Range Rover will come with several powertrain options, including the D300 and D350 mild-hybrid six-cylinder diesels, P440e and P510e plug-in hybrid six-cylinder petrols, P360 and P400 mild-hybrid six-cylinder petrol, and, finally, the flagship P530 4.4-litre, twin-turbo V8 with 530 hp and 750 Nm, sourced from BMW. An all-electric version will arrive by 2024. Design-wise, the 2022 Range Rover’s silhouette remains familiar, with an ascending shoulder-line, clamshell-like bonnet, and short overhangs. Noteworthy differences include the revised headlights and front bumper, while the rear gets an all-new lightbar that runs across the boot-lid, with vertical tail-lamps. This new Range Rover is available in a standard wheelbase with…

MINI INDIA HAVE OPENED BOOKINGS FOR THE ALL-ELECTRIC COOPER SE 3-DOOR HATCH. THIS will be the first all-electric offering not just from Mini, but the BMW Group in India. The styling is unmistakable and the Mini looks every bit as iconic. With a 135-kW electric motor good for 184 hp and 270 Nm, the electric Mini sprints from 0 to 100 km in 7.3 seconds. Power comes from a 32.6-kWh battery and it offers a driving range of up to 270 km. The model-specific high-voltage battery has been located in the central tunnel and configured in the subfloor. Thus, the storage volume of between 211 and 731 litres in the boot has been retained. The Cooper SE gets four unique colours: White Silver, Midnight Black, Moonwalk Grey, and British Racing…

THE URBAN JUNGLE IS the place most of us Homo sapiens call home. We spend over 90 per cent of our lives within the city and its hustle and bustle. While there was a time when walking or bicycling was the predominant mode of transport, the quickest way to move through the urban jungle nowadays is your own vehicle. When I was handed the key to the Volkswagen Taigun 1.0 TSI AT by the Ed, I sat pondering what the best place would be to put it to the test. We had already taken it into the wilderness last month. So, I thought why not take the Taigun into the city, a place where it would spend most of its life, and see how it fares? Thus, on a busy…

SOME SAY THAT FORTUNE FAVOURS the bold. The Tata Punch could become a great example of that. What began as the HBX concept car has become the Punch SUV. No, mini SUV… no, micro SUV. Let me clear that up. The Punch is a sub-four-metre (3.8-metre) car and it is placed in a segment below the Nexon. This little SUV has driven itself into a space where it has no direct rivals. So, when the competition does arrive, they will be sizing up their cars to handle the swing and reach of the Punch. To check out the car’s potential, we drove it primarily in an urban environment with some highway time and a stint off the road as well. Head on, the Tata Punch retains all the familiar elements…

PORSCHE 911 GT3 Walking the tightrope between track prowess and road usability is not easy, but Porsche’s latest GT3 would appear to have both covered. Still with a shrieking naturally aspirated flat-six and, here, still with a manual gearbox too. Hopelessly outgunned by the turbocharged, battery-boosted hybrid SF90? Price: £123,100 (Rs 1.23 crore) (£137,709 = Rs 1.38 crore as tested) Powertrain: 3,996 cc 24v flat-six, six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive Performance: 510 hp at 8,400 rpm, 470 Nm at 6,100 rpm, 3.9 seconds 0-100 km/h, 320 km/h, 8.1 km/l, 294 g/km CO2 Weight: 1,418 kg ALFA ROMEO GIULIA GTAm The GTA is the Alfa we did not know we needed. Take one Giulia QF, rip out 100 kilos, fit a titanium exhaust, race-spec splitter and wing, boost power. This GTAm version…

DO NOT ADJUST YOUR PAGE (OR IPHONE). You are right: something about this feels awfully familiar. Three years ago, when only polite Japanese on tube trains wore masks, the 2018 Sports Car Giant Test grand finale pitted Porsche’s 911 GT2 RS against the Ferrari 488 Pista. On that occasion, the Ferrari prevailed and this SF90 is 280 hp more powerful than the Pista. It is got to be a shoe-in, surely. To find out, we are leaving the track and keeping our shoe in as much as we dare, heading south-west into Snowdonia. Much as we like melting away hours and tyres on track, for our hypothetical money even circuit-focused supercars need to be able to entertain on real roads far below the grip limits you can explore around playgrounds…

WITH LEWIS Hamilton slapped with a 10-place grid penalty for getting a new V6 combustion engine outside his allocation, his storming lap to pole position meant little as his Mercedes-AMG Petronas teammate, Valtteri Bottas, placed his car at the head of the order come race day, with Lewis’s championship rival, Max Verstappen, in the special red-and-white livery Red Bull Racing Honda alongside him on the front row. Bottas took over the lead of the race straight away from pole with Verstappen right behind him. Hamilton was charging up the order and, by lap 11, he was already up into the top five. The stops rapidly progressed with Lando Norris in the McLaren being the first to choose new intermediates, Verstappen following on lap 37 from P2, and Bottas pitting from…