5 Game Changing Cars

The Indian market has evolved massively in the past few years. From the time of limited options to having a multitude of segments across price ranges, the Indian automobile industry has come a long way. Every now and then, there has been a car which has caused a game-changing effect. Today we discuss about 5 game changing cars that revolutionised the Indian auto market.

Hyundai Santro

Small cars meant Maruti until Hyundai launched the Santro in 1998 which brought the concept of a tall-boy hatchback to India. The Santro was also loaded with a ton of features which were unseen in small cars back then, like a power steering and power windows. It also established Hyundai in India which has gone to become the second-largest car seller in the country and a force to reckon with.

Fun Fact: Hyundai Santro vs Maruti Wagon R has seen two wars – the first one in the 2000s was won by the Santro and the second one in the recent past is being won by the Wagon R – this is of course in terms of sales.

Tata Indica

Small cars meant petrol but Tata changed that with the launch of Indica in 1999 which brought diesel to a hatchback. The cost of running the Indica was so low that people were ready to live with the gremlins of the car. Just imagine, 20 km/l and the cost of diesel fuel when the Indica was launched was under Rs. 30/- per litre. Unbelievably low running costs along with good space and a great ride, no wonder Tata’s very first car established them to offer more car per car.

Fun Fact: Tata sold the Indica in the UK via MG, calling it the MG Rover. Today MG rivals Tata in India with its Hector competing with the Harrier. Friends became foes huh!

Toyota Innova

If you wanted to travel with your complete family, the options were very limited. You could get something practical but devoid of comfort from Indian brands or pay a lot more for foreign brands. There was nothing in between till the Innova came along in 2005. It was touted to be too big but no one cared about that and people lapped up the MPV in huge numbers. The Innova changed the MPV segment completely. It was no longer a taboo to be seen driving one due to terrific reliability and quality on offer, so much so that people started using this vehicle even when driving alone.

Fun Fact: Toyota ran a massive campaign demonstrating how versatile the Innova is, with Aamir Khan in it. They don’t make such brilliant ads anymore!

Maruti Swift

Small cars and hatchbacks meant the same thing until the Swift was launched in 2005. It was the first hatchback to be loaded with a ton of features which were unheard off in even C-segment sedans that time. The Swift offered fun handling and started the premium hatchback trend. I know the Palio came before but it never took off. The Swift did take off and in 2007, Maruti brought in the Fiat-sourced engine which went onto becoming the national diesel engine of India, powering a range of cars and the complete Maruti diesel stable for more than 12 years!

Fun Fact: The Swift was the changing point for Maruti Suzuki from its old cars like the Zen and Esteem to newer ones like the Dzire and SX4. Almost 2.5 million units have been sold till date.

Honda City

While there were plenty of sedans available in India in 1997 like the Hindustan Ambassador, Premier Padmini, Maruti Esteem, Opel Astra, Ford Escort and Daewoo Cielo, it was in 1998 when a sedan was launched that re-wrote the rules of the sedan segment, the Honda City. Marking the Japanese car maker’s entry into the country, the first-gen City was actually based on a Civic and when it got its facelift in 2000, it got the VTEC variant which offered an additional 6 BHP and made enthusiasts go crazy with the performance of its high revving engine that would redline at 7100 RPM.

Fun Fact: While today the City’s closest rival is the Hyundai Verna, in 1998, another sedan was launched, the Mitsubishi Lancer which competed closely with the City and both of them were sporty sedans and a boy racer’s favourite.

I know I haven’t mentioned popular cars like the Maruti 800, Zen, Omni, etc. because I already covered them in my 9 Most Iconic Indian Cars Of All Time listicle which you can check out below.

Further Reading –

Most Iconic Indian Cars Of All Time!

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Top 5 Ugly Cars

They say beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder but some cars are just ugly, no two ways about it. I am going to start this listicle with a disclaimer that this is just my personal opinion so if you own either one of these 5 cars, please don’t get butt-hurt, more so because this listicle is all about ugly cars which sold well because of practicality.

Maruti Omni

I know this car has been a workhorse but it’s ugly, period. Maruti Suzuki never bothered to make any significant changes to it either and while it can carry a lot of people, those inside the vehicle get friend requests from their death wish. The Omni might be easy to drive, but is unsafe, noisy and lacks stopping power. However, it’s been an absolute favourite for small traders, schools, hospitals and even kidnappers which is the reason why it sold so well, as it was practical and thus the value for money price made people ignore its ugliness. It was eventually discontinued after 35 years of sales as it was unable to meet the new safety norms.

Toyota Qualis

Designed with just a scale and a pencil, the Qualis is a box on wheels. There is no design element on this car and it is top-heavy, making it look ugly and ungainly, not to forget a body roll magnet. Yeah, yeah I know many people love the Qualis for its reliability and that’s largely the reason for it to become such a sales success because, at the time of its launch, the other options like the Tata Sumo and Mahindra Bolero were very unreliable. The Qualis was a practical car, with good space, a decent engine although very noisy and a steering wheel from a freaking bus which is the reason you could charge your family members money to take a trip in it.

Maruti Eeco

Starting life as the Versa, this van was so ugly that even a brand association with India’s biggest superstar at the time of launch couldn’t manage to make it sell. Maruti went back and re-launched the Versa as the Eeco, dropping the price and repositioning it in the process. Unfortunately, they didn’t change the ugly design. Still, the Eeco became a sales success as it is a practical car with good space and it can carry up to 7 people, it’s the cheapest MPV in India currently with decent mechanicals although not very safe or refined but enough to get the job done.

Mahindra KUV100

Well I said ugly cars which sold well. This one really didn’t sell that well but is hugely practical, the only hatchback crossover which can seat 6 people in comfort. The Fiat Multipla seems to be the inspiration for the 6-seater layout of the Mahindra KUV100. While Mahindra got the design completely wrong, they got the ride quality and storage spaces absolutely right including a hidden compartment in the rear floor. But it’s ugly, more so from the side and the various angles of the car are not in cohesion. Mahindra’s obsession to overdo the design with unnecessary cuts and elements didn’t help matters either. The ugly design of the KUV100 does come across as a surprise because Mahindra owns Pininfarina and some really award-winning designs have come from the Mahindra stable like the Quanto, NuvoSport, Verito Vibe, e2O and TUV300 Plus. A small respite came in the form of the NXT facelift but since the silhouette of the KUV remains the same, well, it’s on the podium here.

Maruti Swift Dzire

The first generation which although had the best driving feel was largely a Swift with a boot attached to it, making it an ugly looking 3-box car. In fact, Suzuki Japan wasn’t even convinced about making something like this but Maruti soldiered on and the rest, as we know, is history. The Dzire was a massive hit even though it looked ungainly and simply hideous. But it was practical with decent space, good handling, punchy engines and a big boot. What I fail to understand is how the style-conscious Indians accepted the Esteem replacement to be a good-looking Swift being turned into an ugly thing which is everything but Dzire-able.

And then there were ugly cars which in spite of being practical and ugly just didn’t sell like the Nissan Evalia, Honda Mobilio, Tata Manza, Toyota Etios, etc. Oh wait, this listicle consists mostly of MPVs and it seems MPVs can’t look pretty but exceptions exist in the form of the new Toyota Innova, Kia Carnival, Mercedes-Benz V-Class and Toyota Vellfire. Oh wait, most of these vehicles are just buses which don’t need a commercial driver’s license to be driven. Then there are cars which look good that didn’t sell like the Fiat Linea and the Ford Fiesta. Also, it’s not just in India, abroad too there are cars which are practical but ugly and sell well. At the the top of my list is, of course, the Infiniti QX80, what was the designer even thinking while doing the rear? And on that disappointment, it’s time to end.

The post 5 Cars Which Were Ugly But Sold Because Of Practicality appeared first on MotorBeam.

5 Unimpressive Cars

I drive a lot of cars every year and while I have both positive and negative things to say about most of them, in some cases, the negatives outweigh the positives. While I had high expectations from these cars, they ultimately left me disappointed. Here are 5 such cars which really didn’t impress me when I went to drive them.

Mahindra TUV300 Plus

The TUV itself didn’t do well and they got in the TUV300 Plus which beats the whole point as it’s no longer sub-4-metre, which is what the USP of this car originally was. While the TUV was a 7-seater, this is a 9-seater. Neither can the TUV300 seat 2 in the last row comfortably, nor the TUV300 Plus can seat 4 people in the last row comfortably. It just doesn’t make sense to launch a variant of a car just for the sake of it. The engine isn’t the 1.5-litre unit but the 2.2-litre unit in a lower tune which although offers better performance than the TUV, it also vibrates quite a bit.

Maserati Levante

The Maserati Levante’s cabin has average quality at best and feels out of place for a car of this price and the price is 2x of what it should be but then that’s the problem of all Maserati cars being sold in India. The infotainment system is poor, sourced from other FCA cars so what could you expect anyways, and even the switchgear is shared with other FCA cars. The diesel engine’s performance isn’t exciting, in spite of it being a V6 unit. Maserati has poor reach in India and barely any service centres. Along with that, the spare parts are really expensive so for Rs. 2 crores, you’d rather buy a house and eat Italian food in it.

BMW i8

You might be shocked to see an i8 here, well the world resonates with me on this one. Great looking car, poor powertrain choice. A supercar can’t get away with having a 3-cylinder engine, period, no matter what battery pack it possesses. Getting in and out is difficult, the ride is stiff and the price is very high at Rs. 3 crores. But by far the biggest problem is the lack of oomph as the plug-in hybrid system means two aggressive launches and 0 electric motor assistance, taking the i8 from sports car fast to regular car slow, 4.4 to 7 seconds in terms of 0-100 km/hr. Such an expensive car should have been a self-charging hybrid because at the time it was launched, the charging infrastructure wasn’t that great. The fake sounds and lack of natural aural pleasure are further hiccups.

Lamborghini Aventador

Lamborghini fanboys will be stunned. The Aventador is the Grande Punto of the supercar world, no wonder both are Italians, because only the Punto and Aventador have been on sale for such a long time with little changes. Why I was disappointed – single clutch in the flagship Lambo, making the cheaper Huracan faster. There are also way too many ergonomic flaws and I am not even talking about getting in and out which is a pain in any supercar but the positioning of the pedals is so weird that the dead pedal is placed where the clutch should be. The interior also feels old, the infotainment system feels difficult to operate and too many Audi parts make me wonder why is this car so expensive! Rs. 7.4 crores for the LP700-4 Roadster? Get a house and a Huracan for this price and you will still be faster.

DC Avanti

This car that left me baffled with its poor construction. Things felt so loose that the car could fall apart at any moment. Now maybe it was to do with the particular example I drove but my colleagues who drove another unit also found the build quality to be sub-par. Handling is poor, you point steering somewhere, the car decides to go elsewhere, the ride is stiff, quality is bad, things fall off, safety is poor, this is no way a sports car, let alone India’s supercar. The clutch is super heavy and the car loves to stall. The Avanti also delivers pretty poor efficiency for a 4-cylinder engine. The output of the Avanti could be so much better as crucial parts are sourced from elsewhere and all DC had to ensure was a perfect integration with good quality, the latter is something they excel at it with their interior mod jobs but not on this one. This car’s brakes are as good as no brakes. One rather get a Skoda Octavia RS which is 1000x better, which means that a Honda Civic petrol with the CVT box is still 100x better. I am not hating here but if one pays Rs. 40 lakhs just to look cool, your priorities in life need a rethink. Then too, people are confused which direction the car is pointing as the front and rear both look like the front.

As you saw, the cars in this list are from various segments but I can confidently give a big no to them. I know it’s harsh but that’s the truth of the matter. Anyways, do let me know in the comments section as to which car didn’t impress you.

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Top 5 Sedans

While the world is getting obsessed with SUVs, most of which are jacked up crossovers at best, the charm of a sedan will never ever be replaced. No matter what you desire, performance or luxury, there is a sedan for you. Some sedans even combine them to offer you the best of both worlds. In this listicle, I am going to be talking about 5 of my absolute favourite sedans of all time.

BMW 5-Series

This is one car which is always going to make you happy, no matter which variant you choose. It’s here not because the M5 is so brilliant but because I absolutely love the 530d M-Sport which offers the best of both worlds – performance and practicality. The diesel engine is punchy, yet frugal and the host of cool features like remote parking, gesture control, amazing 360-degree camera and brilliant handling make it an absolutely stunning sedan and I haven’t even mentioned the M5 yet which takes all the goodies of the 5-Series with 10x the performance.

8th Generation Honda Civic

If there was no Civic, there would be no Honda as the Civic pulled Honda out of bankruptcy in the 70s and is Honda’s most popular model in the world. The 8th generation which was on sale in India between 2006 and 2013 and is the best Civic according to me as it had a soul and of course a sporty appeal. Just like the current Civic, the 8th gen too had an automatic transmission but there was a manual gearbox too which made VTEC kick in yo. Right from the design to the instrument cluster and the opposite facing wipers, the 8th gen Civic really pulled your heartstrings which the new model just doesn’t manage to do.

Tesla Model S

It is an electric vehicle with the performance of a sports car, the Model S follows simplicity to the tee and is loaded with crazy tech including remote parking which works brilliantly well unlike what’s seen in other cars, auto-pilot and even the driver door opens electrically, how cool is that. But it’s the cost of running a Model S which is the cheapest in the world for a sedan with so much performance, heck, the P100D even has a mode called Ludicrous which enables it to do 0-100 km/hr in just 2.4 seconds, making it quicker than even the Bugatti Chiron!

Mercedes S-Class

Often called the best car in the world, the Mercedes S-Class re-writes the rules of luxury with every passing generation. While the regular S-Class is itself stunning, the Maybach S650 V12 is in an entirely different league as far as luxury and technology go – right from massaging seats, Night View Assist, rotating tweeters, Magic Sky Control sunroof which changes colour with the touch of a button and the list goes on and on. It’s not only fast and comfortable but offers more than you would ever need in a car and yet costs significantly lesser than a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

MotorBeam Project Car

On the top of this list is the MotorBeam Project Car, the Maruti Baleno. A very under-rated vehicle, this beast has the raw feel which makes you enjoy the drive at every given moment. No electronic bull shit, just pure raw driving experience with a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine that loves to rev and sounds loud and exciting as you near the redline. The Baleno sedan is also quite practical with a decent-sized boot while in those days it used to come with climate control as well. You sit low which gives you a sporty feel and the good news is that the Project Car will be back on MotorBeam soon.

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Popular Cars In Bollywood

Today we’ll be talking about Bollywood. Since this is an auto website, we’ll talk about some cars that have been very popular in B-Town. From bulletproof luxury sedans to full-size SUVs, Bollywood has a lot of a variety. There are lots of actors and actresses using different cars and if I speak about all them then this listicle will become a book, hence I’ll be talking about some of the most popular cars used by celebs.

Toyota Land Cruiser

This SUV doesn’t need any introduction. It was the ultimate car for Bollywood actors in the 90s and early 2000s and these cars were imported through agents. There was the Toyota Land Cruiser J100 model and there was a Lexus version of the SUV also available called the LX470. After that came the J200 which was the new generation of the SUV. The J100 got either a 4.7-litre V8 petrol or a 4.2-litre inline-6 diesel engine but most cars were petrol. The J200 got a 4.5 V8 diesel engine or 4.0 V6, 4.6 V8, 4.7 V8 or 5.7 V8 petrol engines. Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan had the J200 Land Cruiser and the latter later upgraded to the new Lexus LX570. The J100 was used by Sushmita Sen and even Salman Khan had it.

Audi Q7

The old Audi Q7 was very popular and almost everyone in Bollywood had this car. It was available with 3.0-litre and 4.2-litre diesel engines but most people had the 3.0 variant. The old Q7 had mafia looks and the road presence was very good. It was also a sign of showing people that you’re successful. Later Audi launched the new Q7 and while some actors use the new model, undeniably the old model was more popular. Sonu Sood, Varun Dhawan, John Abraham, Katrina Kaif, Arshad Warsi, Deepika Padukone had the old Q7 while Kriti Sanon has the new Q7.

Mercedes GLS

Mercedes’ flagship SUV is preferred by a lot of people in Bollywood. It is available in 350 CDI and 400 petrol variants and there’s a GLS 63 AMG too. The regular variants cost Rs. 1 crore while the AMG costs Rs. 2.20 crore. Most people have the GLS 350 CDI and this SUV is huge in size, has a large cabin and offers good comfort. The V6 diesel engine is also quite punchy. Actors like Varun Dhawan, Salman Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Ranveer Singh have the GLS.

Mercedes S-Class

Different versions of the S-Class have been popular in Bollywood. Lots of people still use the Mercedes S-Class W221 and even Irrfan khan had it. It was available in S350 CDI, S500 ad S600 variants and most people had the S350 CDI. Lots of actors got the new S-Class too which is also available in lots of variants. Kareena Kapoor has the S350 CDI which has a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine while Shahid Kapoor has the S400 petrol with an AMG kit. Other people using the S-Class are Emraan Hashmi, Karan Johar and Deepika Padukone. Aamir Khan has the W221 S-Guard which is a bulletproof car.

Mercedes V-Class

The Mercedes V-Class was launched in India not too long back and this luxury van has started gaining popularity. The V-Class comes with a 2.0-litre diesel engine and is priced from Rs. 84 lakhs to 1.75 crores (on-road). It doesn’t look very striking but offers lots of practicality and comfort which is why people have started opting for this. Currently, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Sajid Nadiadwala have a V-Class.

Rolls-Royce Ghost

The Rolls-Royce Ghost is known for its road presence, comfort and power. It comes with a 6.6-litre V12 petrol engine putting out 570 PS and 780 Nm. The current Ghost Series II is priced at Rs. 5.35 crores (on-road). Priyanka Chopra has the Series I while Hrithik Roshan has the Series II Ghost. The Ghost is also available in an Extended Wheelbase Version offering more cabin space.

Range Rover

Lots of actors upgraded from different SUVs to the Range Rover which is now one of the most popular cars in Bollywood. Saif Ali Khan has the old Range Rover Sport while actors like Alia Bhatt, Malaika Arora, Katrina Kaif have the current Range Rover. The Vogue diesel is the most popular variant but some people have different variants too. Ranbir Kapoor has a Range Rover Velar in his garage apart from the standard Range Rover while Disha Patani has a Range Rover Sport. The Range Rover costs Rs. 2.25-4.50 crores while the Velar costs Rs. 90 lakhs and Sport costs Rs. 1-1.20 crore (on-road).

Rolls-Royce Cullinan

The Cullinan is one of the most expensive cars to be sold in India. It costs Rs. 7.50 crores while the Black Badge version costs more than Rs. 10 crores. It is powered by a 6.75-litre V12 engine making 563 HP and 850 Nm. The vehicle has crazy road presence, lots of technology and excellent comfort. Currently, there are two Cullinans in Bollywood. Ajay Devgan drives a Cullinan while Bhushan Kumar from T-Series also has one.

There are some more cars which popular Bollywood celebs use. Arjun Kapoor has a Maserati Levante while Rohit Shetty has a Lamborghini Urus. When Anil Kapoor was acting in the TV series 24, he was given a Tata Safari. Akshay Kumar also has a Honda CR-V while Sara Ali Khan has a CR-V and a Jeep Compass. Not many people have a Porsche in Bollywood but Shahid Kapoor has a Cayenne GTS while Farhan Akhtar has a Cayman. Saif and Ranbir also had the old R8 with the former’s car being the Spyder variant while there was a time when the Bachchans had a Lamborghini Murcielago.

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Most Under-Rated Cars

When it comes to car sales, it’s usually 20% of the models which account for 80% of sales. Which means a lot of good cars don’t end up selling as much as they deserve to and thus they are heavily under-rated. While some rivals offer more features, others offer more performance as compared to their segment-leaders. In spite of being the better alternative, some consumers still choose one of the segment-leaders either because of herd mentality or brand loyalty. In today’s listicle, we will discuss 8 cars which were way better than their competition but couldn’t leave a dent in their segments.

Skoda Yeti

Jeremy Clarkson called it the best car in the world as it’s hugely practical, offers good performance and it’s a big car in a small package, exactly the reason why it didn’t sell well in India because size matters and Skoda didn’t take the effort of putting an automatic in it either. The Yeti does ride and handle well while also being capable off the road but Skoda’s sales and service reputation didn’t help the brilliant car.

Fiat Linea

Built like a tank, the Linea is beauty in motion with its good looks and solid performance from its T-Jet motor. The diesel wasn’t bad either but the hefty weight did slow the car. This Fiat, like all others, offers the best balance between ride and handling while the steering is super feel-some too, it’s a hydraulic unit after all. Fiat’s poor sales and service didn’t help the Linea’s cause while poor ergonomics, low fuel economy and lack of modern updates made it very unpopular.

Ford Aspire

Still the best compact sedan available today with the most powerful diesel engine in the segment that plants a massive grin on your face, the Aspire never managed the numbers it really deserves largely because of people not finding it as Dzirable (yes, there is a pun there). Lacking features at launch, Ford addressed the lack of equipment in the facelift but that didn’t make much of a difference and this brilliant car which has good ride and handling, stellar performance and is a value-for-money proposition just did not sell well enough.

Volkswagen Passat

Better than the Skoda Superb in some ways, the Volkswagen Passat looks pure class and is spacious too with a ton of features. It has a great ride and handling balance but doesn’t offer the VFM proposition of its Czech based cousin which is one of the reasons why it never sold well in India. The other is, of course, VW’s sales and service network and the fact that at that price, people prefer to buy SUVs and not sedans, no matter how good they may be.

Tata Hexa

This is a very under-rated car, more so because it’s a million times better than the over-hyped Mahindra XUV500. The Tata Hexa is a body on frame SUV which drives with a lot of feel and that body-roll is what people actually dig, no, I am not kidding, some people enjoy the body roll that is why the body roll king, sells so well, I am talking about the Mahindra Scorpio. The Hexa has good space, decent features and a lot of road presence too but just never caught the public’s fancy.

Renault Duster AWD

Currently all the SUVs under Rs. 20 lakhs are pseudo ones because they are front-wheel driven but the Renault Duster came with the option of AWD making it a real SUV that is quite capable off the road yet very easy to drive and live with on the road. If someone wants an SUV today to go off-roading on the weekend and regular commute during the week, there is no better car than the Duster AWD. Yes, it lacks features and has aged as well considering a new gen is out globally since quite some time but the Duster AWD never received the love it so deserved.

Honda Jazz

It’s the most spacious hatchback available in India, period. The Honda Jazz is the most practical car in its segment with good and easy handling while the diesel engine is both spirited and frugal. The petrol engine though doesn’t have the VTEC charm and Honda being Honda, charges a premium on the Jazz as well which is one of the reasons why it doesn’t sell well. The other of course is the lack of features like a sunroof and the removal of Magic Seats, not to forget the massive cannibalisation by its more masculine twin, the WR-V.

Tata Harrier

The desi Land Rover, the Tata Harrier is leaps and bounds better in many ways when compared to similarly priced cars as it offers great performance, excellent driving feel and robust underpinnings, it now also gets plenty of features but the reason why it never sold as well as it should have was the lack of equipment like a sunroof and automatic gearbox option at launch while Tata Motors’ overall image in the market didn’t really bode well when it came to selling a car that costs upwards of Rs. 20 lakhs.

I would have also added the Safari to this list as it’s a million times better than the Scorpio but since there are too many Tata cars in this list, I decided against doing so.

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Most Iconic Indian Cars

The Indian car market is soon in line to become one of the largest car markets in the world. Though we do have a lot of foreign automobile manufacturers ruling certain segments, the Indian manufacturers have had their fair share of hits. Let us start our trip down the memory lane by looking at 9 of the most iconic Indian cars of all time.

Tata Safari

The Tata Safari was the first desi SUV that we got and it happens to be so much better than the Mahindra Scorpio. The feel of driving a Safari is just something else. It’s old-school but it has immense road presence, amazing ride quality, great comfort, plenty of interior room and a hydraulic steering that will give you a proper workout. Still not convinced? See any of the Tata Safari ads, you will fall in love with it.

Hindustan Contessa

The Hindustan Contessa was India’s very own muscle car. The Contessa had everything going for it, except muscle car performance and the diesel engine didn’t help matters either, neither did HM’s lacklustre attitude towards car manufacturing. However, that doesn’t stop it from being an Indian icon. The looks, the space and the feel of driving a vehicle with a long hood made it quite a special car indeed.

Maruti Gypsy

The Maruti Gypsy is the most capable all-terrain vehicle. The ‘Mountain Goat’ as people like to call it was extremely reliable, light, nimble and easy to drive. It had the go-anywhere attitude matched with a high-revving and frugal petrol motor. No wonder the Indian Army used it a lot.

Tata Nano

The Tata Nano was the world’s cheapest rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive car. It was fun to drive and a testimony of frugal Indian engineering. Too bad that the fire incidents and the lack of power, automatic gearbox, power steering in earlier models put out a bad impression. Tata, however, did rectify all issues but it was too little too late. Still, it’s an iconic car for the idea of the Nano was as noble as it gets – Ratan Tata wanted to make a car for the Indian family which was travelling unsafe on 2-wheelers and the Nano definitely had all the right intentions.

Maruti Zen

The Maruti Zen was the first car to be exported out of India. The lightweight chassis coupled with the peppy performance made it a true performance hatchback. People who were still not satisfied opted to transplant either the Esteem or the Baleno’s 1.3 and 1.6-litre engines respectively, making an E-Zen or a B-Zen respectively. Easy, fun, fast, reliable are some adjectives that can be used to describe the Zen. This does not apply to the third generation model though, the Estilo wasn’t a true Zen anyways.

Hindustan Ambassador

The longest production car in India having a run of 56 years, and known as the King of Indian roads, the HM Ambassador saw seven generations but not with big enough changes through its lifecycle. It used a body-on-frame platform and rear-wheel drive, making it heavy but durable enough to become the official car of Bharat Sarkar and also an apt taxi because the rear seat was more of a sofa, offering great comfort. But HM’s indifferent attitude towards new competition meant the well-established Amby was no longer the king.

Maruti Esteem

The Maruti Esteem started life as the Maruti 1000. It became the Esteem when it got the 1.3-litre engine. I have had two of these – a carb in the 90s and an FI in the 2000s and trust me, the Esteem is what made me a car enthusiast. First gear it does 60 km/hr, second gear it does 100 km/hr and in third gear, it hits 160 km/hr while the top speed is 165 km/hr, such absurdly tall gearing makes little sense, right? But when I drove one, I was spell-bound by this itself, the way the car would pull in the first three gears where redlining was like jumping off a cliff as the motor would go so loud, in a good way of course. Light in weight and low in seating position, the Esteem was a wheel-spin loving sedan, what a machine!

Premier Padmini

Another car which I have fond memories of is the Padmini because I had that too. The steering mounted gears and the sound from the motor would truly make you feel spellbound. This car has feel, tons of it. Beautiful Italian design, fun to drive nature, great handling and a steering you can move as much as you like because the centre has a lot of dead feel, the Padmini was just something else. Just like HM, Premier too didn’t care much about updating it and hence the eventual discontinuation of a true icon. It’s higher on this list than the Ambassador because the Padmini is better any day, and I am not just saying that because I had one, my grandfather had an Ambassador and I learnt a lot of driving on the Amby too but Italians are known to make better cars than the British.

Maruti 800

Easy to guess, that on top of this list will be the car which had the second-highest production run in the Indian market and my family had a brown one which they sold for more than they bought. Imagine, the first generation Maruti 800 simply didn’t depreciate, it appreciated, such was the demand for it that the Govt. (yes, the centre owned Maruti) conducted a lucky draw to allocate cars. At that time, owning an 800 was akin to owning a Rolls-Royce Phantom VIII Mansory today. It was the best selling car in India for 20 years in a row and established Maruti as a household name, with almost 27 lakh units sold.

The 800 wasn’t just a car, it was a revolution, the first front-wheel drive, monocoque car in our country which was easy to drive, very reliable, extremely efficient and cost-effective too. In spite of producing a measly 37 BHP from its, you guessed it right, 800cc engine, it never felt underpowered and was quite peppy, would wheel-spin too but this was as long as fewer people were in the car. Truly a legend and the most iconic Indian car ever. No wonder, it’s also regarded as the most influential automobile in India.

Well, you see the list is about Indian cars, i.e. from Indian brands, naturally, I couldn’t include iconic models like the Toyota Qualis and the Hyundai Santro. And of course, the criteria for the models in the list were that I have driven them and they are discontinued now.

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Top 6 Supercars

Everyone loves supercars. They are the bread and butter of every rap video and a staple in an enthusiast’s dream. With cylinders ranging from as low as 4 to an insane 16 in case of a Bugatti, supercars get a lot of attention and are also very expensive. Modern supercars have all kinds of engineering right from turbochargers to superchargers to increase their total power output and make them even faster. Today we will list down 6 of the best supercars.

Audi R8

The Audi R8 is the best Audi according to me. It looks kickass and changed Audi’s image too. Great grip, amazing performance and the V10 engine is stellar. I have driven quite a few, right from the first-gen to the LMX to the second-gen. The first-gen was more charming. Initially, it came with a V8 but I have only driven the V10. The sound and high revving nature of the 5.2 NA V10 is what makes you go crazy and it delivers 600 HP and redlines at 8500 RPM. The Audi R8 handles quite well too. You can call it the Lamborghini Huracan on a budget as it shares its engine and platform with it, but still costs Rs. 3.5 crores, or Rs. 60 lakhs less than the Lambo.

Mercedes-AMG GT

The Mercedes AMG GT not only looks gorgeous with the long hood but the interior is also well put-together, typical of a Mercedes. There are so many options globally like the GT, GT S, GT C, GT R, GT R Pro, GT R Black and then Roadster versions of all too. All of them are powered by the same 4.0-litre, twin-turbo, V8 engine that offers a range of outputs depending on the variant. This engine is so good that it’s the sole unit that powers all AMG cars in different tunes of course. But the AMG GT isn’t about outright performance (it’s slower than the E63 with the track focussed GT R taking 3.6 seconds to the ton), it’s about handling and with power going to the rear wheels, it’s absolutely pinpoint accurate but super stiff too.

Nissan GT-R

The GT-R is less of a supercar and more of a sports car but the it can kick a supercar’s ass. I have driven it on the track as well as the road and trust me, this car defies numbers by offering superior engineering. The 3.8-litre V6 is hand-crafted and outputs 550 PS and up (depending on the model) and reaches 100 km/hr in just 2.8 seconds with a top speed of 330 km/hr. It comes with loads of tech including a sophisticated 4-wheel drive system but most importantly, brilliant handling, amazing grip at all times thanks to the fab 4-wheel drive system and a crazy loaded infotainment system with loads of telemetry data. It’s called Godzilla for a reason and has won a crazy number of awards over the years. We need a new-gen of the GT-R though.

Lamborghini Huracan

The Lamborghini Huracan is the R8’s prettier, sexier, faster and more expensive twin. It looks sharp but drives like a hoot on steroids. The 5.2 V10 is a gem, is NA, revs fast, sounds insane and redlines at 8500 RPM plus. Heck, it’s so good, it gives its elder brother look weak and old, sorry Aventador. But Lambo being superior to Audi, the company pulled rank and thus the Huracan outputs more power than the R8 at 640 BHP, making it even more exciting. 0-100 km/hr comes up in under 3 seconds, 0-200 km/hr under 9 seconds, top speed of 325 km/hr and a gearbox which shifts lightning fast, a proper Bull which like the R8 can be had with a RWD too. The RWD more fun and saves money but increases the insurance premium.

McLaren 720S

When does it happen that a supercar maker would under-quote output numbers? We have heard over quoting many times but McLaren under quotes power on the 720S which actually produces close to 800 horses. No wonder it eats the Ferrari 488 Pista and Lamborghini Aventador on a race track. It’s the most exciting supercar of late, right from its looks to the tech, like the dihedral doors, changing instrument cluster, advanced suspension, lack of air vents, variable drift mode and the list goes on and on. It has great traction for a rear-wheel-drive car while 0-100 km/hr takes just 2.9 seconds, 200 km/hr comes up in 7.8 seconds and the top whack is 341 km/hr.

Ferrari 458

Easy to guess the number 1 car on the list. Yes, it’s the Ferrari 458 Italia. It uses a 4.5-litre, V8 engine and the highlight is that it’s naturally aspirated, the last of the Ferrari V8s not to have a turbo. The power output of 562 HP might seem less considering this list has a lot more powerful cars but it makes that power at its redline of 9000 RPM! The 0-100 km/hr time is 3.4 seconds while top speed is 340 km/hr so yes it might be slow in terms of outright acceleration but the nature of the engine makes you go totally nuts as it pulls all the way to the redline and makes your pants wet. The 7-speed Getrag gearbox on the 458 is shared with the Mercedes SLS AMG and is the first regular Ferrari (non-limited edition model) to not get a manual. The Speciale version goes for 4x the price in the market now as it was limited with less weight, more tech and 600 PS of power, shaving almost half a second to the ton and doing 0-200 km/hr in 9.1 seconds.

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6 Desirable SUVs

SUVs are all the craze in the market today. Almost every manufacturer has a catalogue of SUVs, right from a compact one to a big luxury one. Some manufacturers have even gone as far as discontinuing their iconic sedans to devote resources to design SUVs. Everyone enjoys the high riding position and the king of the road feel, making SUVs and crossovers extremely popular. In this listicle, we will discuss 6 SUVs which are outstanding but which are unfortunately not sold in the Indian market.

Hummer – Wait what, didn’t I say I hate the Hummer? Well yes I do detest the H2 and the H3 but I am not alone, most people despise those fat gas-guzzling SUVs responsible for the oil crisis. Ok, I do overstate it but Hummer went down because nobody was buying one. So what’s the Hummer doing on the list. I find the H1 quite cool, it’s a military truck that got 4 different diesel and 1 petrol, all V8 engines (over a period of time of course) two fuel tanks, centre tyre inflation system and a proper tank-like feel in the real sense. The reason for the width is to create a gap between the left and right seats to put the driveline, helping them to have a 410 mm ground clearance (double that of the G-Wagon). Too bad buying one is quite expensive even in the used market with a 20-year example setting you back by Rs. 70 lakhs in Dubai.

Lincoln Navigator – The Lincoln Navigator’s massive size gives it humongous road presence (almost the size of a Maybach 57 which is close to 5.7-metres in length) and it weighs a lot too (close to 2.8 tonnes). It offers amazing comfort with 30-way adjustable front seats and great ride quality. The top-end variant is called Black Label and costs around Rs. 75 lakhs which is equivalent to Rs. 2 crores in India. The 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 (shared with the F150 Raptor) makes 450 HP and almost 700 Nm, mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. The engine in the Navigator is the most powerful in any Lincoln car ever and the Navigator is the most expensive vehicle to be sold by the Ford Group (the Ford GT not considered). Ford owns Lincoln, it’s to them what Lexus is to Toyota and with Ford itself not selling well enough, there is no chance of Lincoln coming here.

Nissan Patrol -The Nissan Patrol was showcased here and Nissan even gave us to drive one as well. It is Nissan’s Land Cruiser and popular in the Middle East for its road presence and off-road ability, aided by a slew of electronics. Although there is a 4.0-litre V6 available, the 5.6-litre V8 is the more popular choice, producing 400 HP and 560 torque, mated to a 7-speed automatic. The NISMO version looks cooler, drives better thanks to a better suspension, gets large 22-inch forged wheels and also has 28 more horses & 5 Nm more torque. There is no diesel engine on offer in spite of the petrol returning 2 km/l but who cares?

Cadillac Escalade – Although a new generation model has been announced, the production version is yet to be revealed but the new model finally sorts the poor interior of the old one. The Cadillac Escalade is GM’s rival to Ford’s Lincoln Navigator and thus is huge in size (although slightly longer), ample in body roll but somehow has a lot of bling factor, especially when slapped with big chrome wheels. The top variant is called Platinum and in long-wheelbase guise, it costs around Rs. 75 lakhs, which translates to Rs. 2 crores in India. Power comes in via a 6.2-litre V8 engine that belts out 420 horsepower and 624 Nm, and a 10-speed automatic. Don’t get too excited as it weighs 2.6 tonnes. Cadillac will soon launch the fifth generation Escalade which gets the option of a 3.0-litre diesel engine producing around 277 HP and 624 Nm. It also gets AKG audio tech with 36 speakers!

Tesla Model X – The Tesla Model X is the most efficient SUV on this list, thanks to electric power, a massive 100 kWh battery producing around 600 HP and almost 1000 Nm of torque, resulting in 0-100 km/hr coming up in just 2.8 seconds (in Ludicrous mode of course), a top speed of 261 km/hr and a range of around 500 kms which is unbelievable but true. The Tesla Model X not only kills supercars in acceleration, but it also makes them look very guilty for consuming a ton of fuel. The Model X can seat 7, it has gullwing doors, a panoramic windshield, autonomous tech like self-driving and radar-based braking and a massive 17-inch infotainment screen. The Model X is the highest-rated SUV in the world in terms of safety and the top-end P100D is priced at around Rs. 82 lakhs which translates to Rs. 2.15 crores when launched here. Cost of running it could be zero as Tesla offers free charging via their Supercharger network where it charges 16 times faster than public charging, taking 75 minutes to go from nil to full charge.

Ford F-150 Raptor – The Ford F-150 Raptor is the high-performance version of the world’s top-selling vehicle, powered by a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 EcoBoost engine that belts out 450 HP and 692 Nm in spite of its weight of 2500 kgs (not much for a truck but it uses a lot of aluminium), can do 0-100 km/hr in 5.3 seconds. It uses a 10-speed automatic and has an excellent suspension for great on-road and off-road comfort. It runs on 35-inch tyres mounted on 17-inch wheels which is unheard of in a mass-market car. It’s very capable off-road too with suspension travel of a colossal 330 mm at the front and 353 mm at the rear. The Raptor might be a pick-up truck but has a crazy amount of features and electronics which can put many luxury cars to shame. It’s not a truck but a super truck and also has a Baja mode to make it drive like one off-road. Costs slightly under Rs. 40 lakhs which makes it around Rs. 1.2 crores if launched here making it more expensive than the Mustang.

This list could have also included the G63 6×6 (Rs. 6 crores) or the G500 square (around Rs. 1.5 crores) but we get the G-Wagon here, so not much to complain there.

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5 Best Hatchbacks

Majority sales of cars in India come from hatchbacks. The hatchback market is so big that India is the global exporter of some popular models while it is also a hub for small cars. In this listicle, we will be going through 5 of the best hatchbacks with a slight emphasis on performance and dynamics.

Ford Figo Diesel – The Ford Figo diesel is the one to get since the petrol engine is average at best. The diesel Figo makes 100 PS of power and 215 Nm of torque, it sprints to the ton in under 10 seconds while still being hugely fuel-efficient with a claimed mileage iofs 24.4 km/l. It is also light, nimble, and agile making it easy to drive while also being a fun handler. With the facelift, Ford managed to give it more equipment too but unfortunately, the car doesn’t get the SYNC3 infotainment system like its siblings. The Figo is priced attractively too but doesn’t sell in the numbers it deserves because of the herd mentality of hatchback car buyers.

Fiat Punto Abarth – While Maruti Suzuki offered a 100 horsepower hatchback in 2017 with the Baleno RS, Fiat did the same 18 years back with the Palio 1.6 and the next car on our list has almost 50% more power than the BoosterJet motor, it’s the Fiat Punto Abarth whose 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine outputs a stellar 145 BHP, making it the most powerful hatchback in the country, taking just 8.8 seconds to reach the ton. It’s also the most thirsty hatchback in the country returning around 5-7 km/l. Built like a tank, the Punto Abarth has the raw feel with its hydraulic steering, notchy manual gearbox and no electronics so that it can wheel spin even in third gear.

Kia Rio – The Kia Rio is undoubtedly one of the best-looking hatchbacks around. While it’s not as good to drive as it looks, it feels premium inside-out and features some really interesting safety tech like lane departure warning and a 5-star Euro NCAP score. The Rio definitely drives better than the i20, it’s brother from another mother although it doesn’t really score high on practicality but who really cares? Sadly the Rio won’t be launched in India anytime soon.

Ford Focus RS – The Ford Focus RS is the biggest hatchback on this list, but is truly the most exciting one too. Powered by a 2.3-litre EcoBoost turbo engine that belts out 350 PS and 440 Nm, the over-boost function gives it another 30 Nm! It’s mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, resulting in 0-100 km/hr in just 4.7 seconds which makes it as quick as the Lamborghini Gallardo while 0-200 km/hr takes 17.2 seconds and the top speed is an equally impressive 266 km/hr. The Focus RS is not just fast and furious but very practical too as it has plenty of space for passengers and their luggage. It offers acres of grip thanks to all-wheel drive yet lets you go bonkers as it comes with a drift mode and loves to oversteer.

Volkswagen Polo GTI – At numero uno position is the Volkswagen Polo GTI, not the one sold in India which celebrated 10 years of no updates recently but the global sixth-generation model whose design might be an evolution yet looks fresh and timeless. The latest-gen Polo is a practical car because it has some space at the rear while the dashboard looks nice and features are plenty too. The Polo offers fun handling, great stopping power and low body roll. It is solidly put-together too like all other VWs with great build quality but the major reason why it tops this list is that 2.0-litre TSI engine that belts out an impressive 200 PS of power and 320 Nm of torque, making it go from 0-100 km/hr in just 6.7 seconds while the top whack is 237 km/hr.

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Chinese Copycat Cars

Yema B11 – BMW i3 – The i3 is a fully-electric hatchback from BMW’s i series. It is a good car for city usage and Chinese automaker Yema has copied it with the B11. The i3 is a good looking car but the B11 looks weird. Even the colour schemes have been copied. The B11 is available with either an electric motor or a hybrid powertrain.

Victory S10 – Cadillac Escalade – The Cadillac Escalade is a super popular SUV and it is preferred by affluent customers. It is huge in size, gets big wheels and the road presence is intimidating. The Chinese copied the Escalade with the Victory S10 and it looks very similar to the original model. While the Cadillac comes with high displacement engines, the clone gets a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder engine.

Ruili Doda V8 – Toyota Alphard – The Alphard is Toyota’s premium MPV and it is known for its luxury, space, features, and reliability. The Ruili Doda V8 copies the design of the Alphard. This car is manufactured by Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. and while this car’s name has V8 in it, it actually doesn’t get a V8 engine. The Doda V8 is powered by a 2.4-litre engine making 165 horses.

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BS6 Diesel Fuel Efficient Cars

Honda Amaze – The Honda Amaze is a sub-4-metre compact sedan offered with 1.2-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. Both the engines come with either a manual transmission or a CVT. The 100 HP diesel engine is obviously more efficient. The diesel-manual version delivers 24.70 km/l while the diesel-CVT variant offers 21 km/l. The diesel-CVT produces 80 HP and 160 Nm. The Amaze is priced from Rs. 7.28-11.83 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai).

Hyundai Verna – The Hyundai Verna recently got a mid-life facelift along with new engines. It now comes with 1.5-litre NA petrol, 1.0-litre turbo petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. The diesel-manual variant delivers 25 km/l while the diesel-auto churns out 21.30 km/l. The Verna rivals the Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid, Maruti Ciaz, Toyota Yaris and Honda City. Except the City, none of its rivals come with a diesel engine now. The Verna is priced from Rs. 10.89-18.18 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai).

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BS6 Petrol Fuel Efficient Cars

Maruti Wagon R 1.0 – The Maruti Wagon R is offered with 2 petrol engines – 1.0-litre and 1.2-litre. The smaller engine makes 68 HP while the bigger engine delivers 83 HP. It is the 1.0-litre engine which is more fuel efficient. It delivers 21.79 km/l for both MT and AMT variants. The Wagon R is known for its no-nonsense nature, spacious interior and the new model comes with a good number of features too. The tall-boy hatchback is priced from 5.26-7 lakhs (on-road).

Maruti Alto 800 – The Maruti Alto 800 is one of the highest selling cars in India. This small car is compact and easy to drive and the most preferred choice for people upgrading from a 2-wheeler to a 4-wheeler. It comes with an 800cc engine making 48 HP and delivering 22.05 km/l. The Alto is a basic car and very light on the pocket. This car is priced from Rs. 3.56-5 lakhs (on-road).

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Chinese Copy Cars

Shuanghuan SCEO – BMW X5 – The front of the Shuanghuan SCEO looks like the old Lexus RX, but the side and rear are very similar to the old BMW X5 (E53). The car looks like an amalgamation of Japanese and German SUVs. BMW saw this car and filed a case against the company, won the case and the car was banned in Germany.

CH Lithia – Audi R8 – The Audi R8 is a popular supercar but the Chinese launched the CH Lithia. The front and rear look quite different but the side is very similar to the old R8. While the old Audi R8 got V8 and V10 petrol engines, the Lithia is an electric car.

Youxia Ranger X – Tesla Model S – The Tesla Model S is an electric car known for its high performance, long range and some crazy technology. The Youxia Ranger X has a lot of similarities with the Model S. Youxia means Knight Rider and this car does 0-100 km/hr in about 5.5 seconds while it also has a range of 450 kms.

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Renault Fluence – The Renault Fluence was launched in 2014 and discontinued in 2017, with prices ranging between Rs. 16-18 lakhs. It got Renault’s famous 1.5-litre DCi engine in the 110 PS tune and it was actually a nice and practical car with a brilliant ride and a workhorse of an engine. Sadly, it felt basic in front of rivals like the Skoda Octavia, Volkswagen Jetta, and Toyota Corolla and thus it had to be pulled off from the market.

Chevrolet TrailBlazer – The Chevrolet TrailBlazer was a full-size SUV with a 2.8-litre diesel engine making 197 HP. It rivalled the Toyota Fortuner but didn’t sell because of pricing and Chevrolet’s poor after-sales service. When Chevrolet was leaving the Indian market, dealers were offering huge discounts on the stock of TrailBlazers that they had. Prices ranged between Rs. 30-32 lakhs (on-road) but after discounts the SUV was available for Rs. 26-27 lakhs.

Renault Koleos – Renault’s offering in the premium SUV segment was the Koleos. However, at that time the old Toyota Fortuner was a hot-seller and the Koleos was a bit small in size and the pricing felt on the higher side. It was loaded with features like Bose speakers, 4×4 and even an AT but barely found takers. The Koleos came with a 2.0-litre diesel engine. It was launched in 2011 and priced between Rs. 24-28 lakhs.

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