Car Reviews

The sub 4-metre subcompact SUV segment is the fastest growing and possibly most popular automotive segment in the country. With players like the Ford Ecosport, Mahindra TUV 300 and the Honda WR-V making a mark in the segment, the highest selling and most popular of the lot is the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza. Having won the likes of the Subcompact SUV of the Year and the Viewer's choice segments at the 2017 NDTV Car And Bike Awards, the Vitara Brezza sells nearly eight to ten thousand units a month! Now though, there is a new SUV that is vying to take some of that market share away and make itself the new benchmark of the segment, the new 2017 Tata Nexon.

The new 2017 Volkswagen eGolf is based on the MQB platform that was originally always meant for internal combustion engines. Volkswagen though has found space underneath the floor to fit the battery pack. The battery pack is made of 24 cells in total, with each cell weighing about 12 kilograms each. The whole pack though, which also contains the battery cell controller, the battery junction box, the management system, housing and insulation weighs a total of 350 kg and consists of 2500 individual parts! Incidentally, the battery cells, which were originally sourced from Panasonic, are now sourced from Samsung. The whole battery pack makes 35.8 kWh of power.

Two years after its launch, the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross finally gets a facelift. To give the car a new lease on life, Maruti has decided to give the S-Cross a facelift both on the outside and on the inside! Read on to know more

The Renault Captur is the latest car in the Compact SUV segment in India. It is available in 1.5 litre diesel and petrol. The oil burner is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox while the petrol comes with a 5-speed.

When you compare prices outright, the Kwid AMT ranges from Rs 3.78-4.49 lakh(ex-showroom) and is available in four variants. The Tiago on the other hand is priced between Rs 4.79-5.39 lakh (ex-showroom) and is available only in two variants. The Tiago gets a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder Revotron unit that makes 84 bhp and 114 Nm of torque - which when compared to the Kwid is 17 more horsepower and 23 more newton metres of torque. And the difference is almost immediately obvious. Under the bonnet, the Kwid gets a buzzy little 1-litre three cylinder motor that makes 67 bhp and 91 Nm. The gearbox is a 5-speed AMT unit that has been mated to a rather unconventional shifter knob instead of a normal lever between the front seats. While the Tiago offers a much better put together interior in terms of plastic quality, fit and finish and overall appeal, the Kwid offers features galore. The Tiago does not get a touchscreen infotainment system and navigation like the Kwid does and in 2017, features like those do actually make the difference for the average buyer. In terms of space though, both are about evenly matched.

The new 2017 Hyundai Verna arrives well in time to catch the festive season across India, and in typical Hyundai fashion its looks to be another blockbuster. But I have good news for you that is not simply because the new Verna is priced super aggressively its more so because it is, in fact, a great little package of excellent features and good overall performance. Read on to know more!

The Mercedes-AMG GT R might not be a super limited sports car/supercar like the SLS AMG Black Series that it spiritually succeeds but that is actually a good thing. Priced at Rs 2.23 Crore (ex-showroom) without personalisation, the AMG GT R can actually be enjoyed by a lot more people than just a select few. The AMG GT R is actually great value for money when you compare it to some of the other cars in the range that just seem a little too common. That said, with the average age of an AMG customer in India pegged at 37, we expect the AMG GT R customer to be a mix of young and young at heart individuals who just want a roaring loud (and loud to look at) V8 powered car! So, would I buy one? Well, if I had the money, I most certainly would but maybe in a different and more sinister colour!

It was in August last year, that we first got a chance to see and drive the GLC Coupe SUV and that one caught our attention. In fact, we were told by the folks at Mercedes-Benz that the GLC Coupe will come to India with one more variant. Sadly though we only get the AMG and even though I began this sentence with 'sadly', I am not the one to complain.