Only For Car Enthusiasts

Top 10 Cars of 2020

Well,2020 was a year that not many of us had forseen,but that did’nt stop India craving for many more cars.Today we present you with top 10 cars that were launched or made a comeback in India.

10.Nissan Magnite

India is a confusing market to launch cars in but Nissan is known for doing a great job in making small cars,Large as well but really the only large car Nissan made that won people’s heart was the Nissan Patrol but we will leave that for another post.Nissan launched the Magnite,a subcompact SUV in India for an ideal price of a little hatchback.What made this car really special is that it is meant to compete with the likes of TATA Altroz,Toyota Urban Cruiser,Kia Sonet and many more.So technically it is the newest car in the segment.The big thing is that it is priced just north of 5.5 lakhs to 10 lakhs.

Magnite comes with a naturally aspirated 1.0 litre petrol with 72PS power and 96NM of torque or a 1.0 litre turbo petrol(100 PS and 160NM of torque.The little Nissan is available with manual or CVT transmission

9.Hyundai I20

This is it!The best looking car of them all in the segment.I know people who own a Mercedes but still turn on the road to take a glance at this magnificent looking car.It was showcase on November 2020.This is the 3rd generation model of the car.Unlike most cars,this new generation car is more evolutionary than revolutionary.It is beautiful inside out.It is powered by a 1.2 litre naturally aspirated petrol with 83PS and 114 NM of torque and a 1.0 turbo with 120PS and 172 NM of torque and finally a surprising 1.5 litre diesel engine with 100 PS and 240 NM of torque.

This iconic hatch is priced between 6.85 lakhs – 11.35 lakhs.

8.TATA Altroz

This is more like the silver lining car of the hatchbacks.It sets the bar for hatchbacks.One of the unfair advantages that it has over its rivals is that it is Indian.It sets the benchmark for safety equipment.The speciality(or just one of the many) of this car is that it is simply iconic,there is no other way of putting it.

It is powered bt a 1.2 litre,naturally aspirated petrol with 86 bhp and 200 NM of torque.Both engines are powered by a 5 speed manual.Altroz is priced between 5.60 laksh – 9.5 lakhs.

7.Kia Sonet

Kia is a brand which gives people mixed feelings but boy were’nt they bang on strong hyping people with the sonet.It recently came to India with the new Kia logo.This is a car that attracts all of the attention to itself in a supremely competitive segment.It is priced between 6.8 lakhs and 13.35 lakhs.

It is powered by 3 fairly powerful engines;a 1.0 litre turbo petrol with 120 PS and 172 NM of torque, a 1.2 litre naturally aspirated with 83 PS and 115 NM of torque and a 1.5 litre diesel with 100 PS and 240 NM.This car is really special because having different engine options makes it versatile.

6.Next-Gen Honda City

Surprised?Well,don’t be because we won’t complete this list without talking about the queen of Indian sedans,the car that started the trend.Not just 2020,it has been a very iconic car from the day it launched in India.This time, the update is simply revolutionary and the interiors are top notch as well.

It is powered by the same iconic 1.5 litre i-VTEC churning out 121 PS and 145NM of torque and 1.5 litre i-DTEC diesel engine puttimg out 100 PS and 200 NM of torque.This absolute kink of a car is priced between 11 lakhs and 15 lakhs.It honestly deserves all the attention.

5.Hyundai Creta

A good and futuristic looking car in this segment which has been a true icon and a star since the day it was launched.The new generation looks much much sharper than the previous one quite muscular and butch as well.

The new creta is powered via a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated petrol with 115 PS and 144 NM of torque ,a 1.5 litre diesel with 115 PS and 250 NM and a 1.4 litre turbo petrol with 140 PS and 242 NM of torque.This one comes with a smart clutchless manual CVT nad DCT and a manual too.The prices start from 10 lakhs to 18 lakhs.It truly deserves all the attention it gets.

4.Toyota Fortuner

The people’s champion is in on this list too,why wouldn’t it be.It is one of,if not the most popular SUV in India.It trumped the Ford Endeavour in terms of sales in 2020 becoming one of the most sold cars in 2020 in India.

We don’t even need to tell why it made it on this list but simply because it is iconic.There are 2 different versions available the Fortuner and the Fortuner Legender.Both of them get 204 Bhp and 500 NM of torque.It is priced between 30 lakhs to 44 lakhs

3.Brezza or Toyota Urban Cruiser

It might be controversial but this car has sold pretty well.Not better than its rivaks but just well it starts fron 8.5 lakhs and goes upto 11.5 lakhs.Its interior is pretty well and being a Toyota now it is definitely better built.

2.Mahindra Thar

It might be weird but we have something special at number one.This is for the time being at number 2.There aren’t enogh words to describe this car except supremely iconic.This car has a cult following larger than the population of United States.It is powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol with 150 PS and 320 NM of torque and a 2.2 litre diesel with 130 PS and 300 NM of torque.It gets an automatic transmission as standard with a 4X4 terrain.

This iconic SUV is priced between 12 lakhs and 14 lakhs.

1.TATA Safari

Yes this is the big surprise because this cars cult following is even bigger than the Thar’s.TATA sold 1700 Safari’s within the first week of its launch.This is one iconic SUV.It starts at 15 lakhs to 21.81 lakhs.

It is powered by a 2.0 litre kryotec diesel with manual and automatic transmission churning out 170 BHP and 350NM of torque.

Toyota Innova Crysta 2.8 Z

Whenever someone says the word MPV, all one can think about is the Innova Crysta which is the king of this segment.The one I have reviewed is the top model the 2.8 Z.The starting price of the Innova is Rs15.67 lakh and the one i reviewed the 2.8Z, costs Rs22.57 lakh.Innova is a very good looking MPV with a not so imposing appearance.Front is the most attractive bit with chrome slats on the grill and a lot of piano black finish below that.The headlights are sharp and also very long if we start to measure it.There are daytime running LED lights which are like 4 small dots near the grill in the headlights, and LED projector headlamp with high beam which is a bulb.Below the headlamps are the foglamps and the indicator.The 2.8, as the name suggests, has a 2.8 litre inline 4 engine that punches out 174 BHP and 360 NM of torque which is unnecessary beacause the Innova is not available with a 4 wheel drive option and cant do any sort of offroading.If you want a car that has all the features that the Innova has but can still go offroad, get a Fortuner.But hey , thats about twice the price of the base Innova.There is nothing interesting about the side profile of the Innova except the 6 window design.Those who dont know what 6 window design is, your standard car has a 5 window design, when a car has that useless little window on the lower side of the A pillar, it is called a 6 window design.So is the case with the back.The interior of the Innova is right up there with that of a Mercedes or a BMW.There are 2 drive modes, power and eco.Eco is for saving fuel and power makes the car feel more punchy.The only problem is the infotainment system that looks aftermarket and is very low res, even the backup camera.The good news is that the Innova has a frigde which you can turn on or off via the flick of a switch.The drivetrain is a 6 speed auto, you can also get manual but no one really goes for that.The real magic is in the middle row, there are 2 seating layouts, 6 seater which gives you 2 captains chair for the middle row or the 7 seater option that gives you the standard bench seat for 3.If you ask me the Innova is much better with the 6 seater layout that gives the passenger behind the front passengers seat the ability to move the front chair forward and increase his or hers legroom and go on full executive mode.The front seats of the Innova are also equipped with picnic tables so that the middle row passengers can enjoy their lunch dinner whatever they would like.The roofline of the Innova has blue coloured ambient lighting which gives the cabin a nice and airy feel.3rd row of seats is a good place for kids but for adults its crampped with not a good amount of kneeroom.As you would expect, the Innova is afterall made by Toyota so it definitely has no sunroof and you are absolutely right.The Innova is a very practicle car considering that it is a 7 seater, with 300 litres of bootspace and plenty of space in the centre console and door pockets it is one of the best cars you can buy today.My final verdict is ; i have heard some people say that the KIA Carnival is better than the Innova but they are wrong, not because the KIA is not a good car, but because these cars belong to 2 completely different segment of cars.Also the KIA is not as efficient as the Toyota with the Innova averaging around 14 kmpl which is really impressive.Simply just buy the Innova it is really the best MPV money can buy and is unrivaled in every shape and form.

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 D

The mid size luxury SUV segment is really hot right now,but there are only 2 cars that lead this segment, the Mercedes GLE and the BMW X5.The past GLE was really a revised ML to get in the trend of Mercedes renaming its cars.The GLE is the younger sibling of the GLS.The front of the GLE is not imposing at all,it just looks expensive and purposeful.The change from the last GLE is clearly visible at the very first sight with new twin LED drl setup and projector headlamps and revised front bumpers.The side is similar to the previous GLE,infact the 2020 GLE is 111 mm longer, a staggering 854 mm wider and an extra 80 mm added to its wheelbase.The 350 d variant has a V6 engine with a displacement of 2987 cc, 256 BHP and a more than enough 620 NM of torque.GLE, as you expect , is a very heavy car, it has a krb weight of 2175 kg so it wont be the most economical car, you can expect it to average around 6 to 12 kmpl.The 0 to 100kmph time is an impressive 6.9 secondsThe interior of the GLE is a great place to be in with comfortable seats and luxurious polished wood and aluminium buttons , you also get to select 64 different interior LED lighting,64!.But the quality of a BMW X5 is better but not by much.The Merc is an easy car to drive but the view out of the rear window is not that great and also the side mirrors are too small.It is in no way as sporty and good to drive as the BMW X5 but does more than most people would like.The GLE also has a mode selector but for some reason you cant select sport mode because it doesnt have it.It also has slippery mode.The thing you notice at first when you enter the GLEs cabin are the huge two 12 inch screens that are operated via touch or the touch pad on the centre console.The glove box is all right sized and the door pockets can easily fit a 1 litre bottle.The middle seats of the GLE are very very comfortable and those extra mms added to the wheelbase make a huge difference between the previous GLE and the new one.There is also an option for the 3rd row of seats but ist is not that good for adults on a long journey, kids will be more than happy in the very back.The boot is also large enough with 690 litres of space.There are buttons that electronically operate the folding of all the seats inside the GLE.Well like any other Merc it doesnt come cheap, the starting price of the GLE is Rs77 lakh and goes all the way upto Rs1.02 Crore.The sunroof makes the interior feel nice and airy too.My final verdict is; if you drive your car yourself and occasionaly like to speed down the curvy roads and have some fun, buy the BMW X5, but if you dont want that and just want to be chauffered in the back seat of your car, buy the GLE.

Toyota Fortuner,The Starting

Nowadays the Toyota fortuner is the most popular full size SUVs in India.So popular that even the convoy of the Prime Minister of India boasts 6 Fortuners.That is still not enough for you to like this car?Okay,the lets look at some sales figures.According to gaadiwaadi.com , Toyota sold 1,302 Fortuners in the year 2019 while Ford sold 700 and Mahindra sold 101 Alturas G4s.As of 2020 the Fortuner still trumps both of its rivals by a mile with Toyota selling 1,472 of its Fortuner , Ford selling 852 Endeavours and Mahindra selling just 69 G4s.So it is pretty clear that Toyota rules the Indian market with the Fortuner.The bulletproof reliability and the high resale value are the main reasons why Indians love the Fortuner more than the Endeavour,even though it has better features tham the Fortuner.But today is not about comparison,it is all about how it all started.It was the year 2009 and it was almost 4 years since Toyota unveiled the hugely popular Innova in India.Now, Toyota had to fill the massive gap there as between the pricing of its Prado and the Innova.Toyota had already started selling the Fortuner in the Asian market but had not come to India yet.Thats when Toyota launched the Fortuner in India,which was really a game changer since the only real ladder frame 4X4 SUV Indian were getting were the Mahindra Scorpio and the Tata Safari.The Fortuner looked different and was designed to take on hills and go to the places where the Safari and Scorpio were unable to go.It looked manly and in the black colour looked almost like a tank.The front was different than any other SUV that was on sale in 2009,with LED projector headlamps and a simple bulb for high beam,a feature that I personally liked the most was the little mirror that was placed on the left side of the bonnet,I know that its just simply useless but it really helped to give the Fortuner the tank like look that no other SUV at that time had. On the side there is nothing special except the incredible ride hight and the optional running boards.The back also looks as butch as the front with no LEDs only bulbs for the breaklights and lights, but it was forgivable since it was 2009.The inside at that time was similar to the Innova with the aftermarket audio system that really didnt do much.The thing most people in the country were excited about were the offroading capabilities,Fortuner was a proper ladder frame SUV that had low range , full time 4 wheel drive and centre lockable differential.Power figures stood at an impressive 2982 cc of displacement , 171 BHP and 343 NM of torque.This was the ultimate go anywhere car that was designed to be a cheaper version of the legendary toyota Land Cruiser.The Fortuner was a 7 seater and was a very comfortable car.It was launched back in 2009 with a price tag of Rs18 lakh which was great.Today the Fortuner costs Rs40 lakh and is still the market leader,it goes on to show that no matter how much your product costs,if it is good, people will definitely buy it.

The Mercedes G-63 AMG

Many many years ago people thought that people who buy 4X4 SUVs were mad,but now,people all over the world prefer SUVs over sedans.Even after the lauch of those stupid crossovers that are neither SUVs nor sedans.People nowadays tend to buy 4X4 SUVs over almost every type of car there is.There are many iconic 4X4 SUVs that people all over the world recognise as the “real” SUVs, like the Toyota Land Cruiser,the Range Rover and the Mercedes-Benz G wagon which is comparatively new if compared to the Land Cruiser and almost the same age as the Range Rover which was also introduced in 1970.The Kardashians use them as a daily driver and Brad Pitt too,Sylvester Stallone as well, and we could go on and on.Like the Range Rover I reviewed earlier,the G Wagon is also a car popular among celebrities,both Hollywood and Bollywood alike.The starting price of the G wagon is Rs1.50 Crore for the G-350D which has a turbocharged V6 engine,but no no no,you dont want to buy that one,if you wnat a G wagon,make it a proper one,the G-63 AMG that costs Rs2.17 Crore and has a Twin-Turbocharged V8 churning out a monsterous 577 BHP and 850NM of torque.At the front the G wagon looks pure evil with circular headlamps with daytime running LED lights and projector headlamps.On the bonnet the G wagon has mounted on indicator lights.G wagon has been the same since the day it was launched in terms of exterior design.That same old school cool looking boxy shape.Mercedes has only given the G wagon cosmetic tweaks to make it look more modern.It is really really old school,for example,you have to ush hard on a button to open the doors that,by the way,when closed make a sound that just shows you the build quality of the G wagon.At the back there is a big squared opening for the boot.The tailgate has the spare tire that makes the tailgate very heavy.As the tailgate is side hinged it is not ideal to open the tailgate in tight parking spaces.The inside is where the main deal resides.The best quality steel and leather,well,you dont expect a car to be cheaply made if you are paying Rs2.17 Crore for it.There is more than enough headroom and,unlike the Land Cruiser the G wagon ihas the latest technology with Mercedess’ dual 12 inch screens that really are work of art,Then there are the offroad features,there are more than enough of them to take you anywhere.The G wagon is a proper body on frame 4X4 SUV,it also has low range,hill decent control and a unique feature,unlike the Land Cruiser,where you can only lock the centre differential,in the G wagon you can lock 3 differentials[ centre middle and rear ] which really make the G wagon unstoppable.The area where the Land Cruiser exceeds the G wagon is comfort,the middle row of the LC is much better and the LC also has an extra row of seats.But the point of the G wagon is not comfort,its offroading, where it definetely exels.The boot space is also plenty with the G wagon being able to swallow 667 litres of luggage and with all the seats folded,it can fit in 1,246 litres of luggage which is just plenty.The sunroof makes the car feel light and airy. My final verdict is: if you have the money to buy the G wagon,just buy it,if not then buy a Land Cruiser which is much more practical and also comfortable.If your primary focus is offroading,nothing can trump the G Wagon.

The Range Rover

The full size luxury SUV market has in the recent times seen some new faces with the new Mercedes-Benz GLS and the new BMW X7.But there is one car that has managed to stay at the top of its game since the say it was launched back in 1970,the Range Rover.Which one,you might ask that but just the Range Rover,not the Evoque,not th Velar and yes not even the Sport.Just the Range Rover.The flagship luxury SUV of Land Rover saw a facelift a couple of months ago with a complete overhaul of headlamps,taillamps and a new front and rear bumper.Range Rover is a name synonomous among those who love luxury full size offroad SUVs.With Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Aniston,Oprah Winfrey,Robin Williams,Sean Connery,Tom Brady,George Clooney,Beyonce,Paul MacCarteney,Ralph Lauren,Jim Carrey and we could go on and on.Almost every Bollywood celeb also has a Range Rover.With starting prices of around Rs1.96 Crore and going all the way upto Rs4.65 Crore for the 5.0 litre supercharged SV Autobiography Range Rover,no one should wonder why celebrities are one of the few people who buy them.Most common among these celebrities is Queen Elizabeth the second who has been driving a Land Rover since 1965.On the front the Range Rover is a very imposing car it has the iconic Land Rover honeycomb grill and also the very iconic daytime running LED drls.Range Rover is a car that is instantly recognisable all over the world and cannot be mistaken for anything else.Nothing looks like a Range Rover.The side profile of the Range Rover is instantly and very easily recognisable.At the rear the Range Rover is as imposing as on the front.There are many colour options available on the Range Rover including Silicon Silver,Rossello Red ,Yulong White, Narvik Black, Portofino Blue, Carpathian Grey, Eiger Grey, Byron Blue, Aruba, Santorini Black, Fuji White and Indus Silver.The interior of the Range Rover is as luxurious as on the outside with me not being able to find a single cheap bit of plastic.Only the best materials are used in the making of the Range Rover.There are also very few buttons on the centre console of the car which is great but the thing is that to change the temperature we have to reach down to the lower screen and take our eyes off the road for too long which is not ideal.The middle row is the place to be in the Range Rover,there is plenty of headroom and legroom.I dont know why but the Small Wheel Base model has sufficient legroom in the back so why someone would buy the Long Wheel Base variant.The glorious sunroof makes the cabin feel light and airy.The driving position of the Range Rover is very very good,its an easy car to park with loads of visibility out of the rear and large door mirrors.The Range Rover is possibly the best luxury offroader in the world,mainly because of Land Rovers idiotproof Terrain Response System.You can choose from 5 different offroad selections that includes grass,gravel,snow,mud and rock,mud and ruts.The basic selection is auto in which the car knowswhat to do when you dont which is just great.It doesnt have low range and differential lock.This is because the Range Rover has something called viscous coupling which in simple words is just an automatic differential lock which decides the right amount of lock that the differential should have.It can also wade upto 33.5 inches of water which is better than a Toyota Land Cruiser.The Range Rover has more than 300 bhp in all variants and more than 700 NMof torque.At last we talk about reliability,yes,the Range Rover is the least reliable car on the face of the earth but do you really care about all that after all the things I mentioned about earlier.No I dont think so.And yes the boot is 707 l large which is just fine.My final verdict is that if you have the money to buy a Range Rover, just buy it, it is really the king of all SUVs.

The New Citroen C5 Aircross

The wait is over,citroen have finally made their way to india with their debut product the C5 Aircross.There is definitely something french about this car.The typical wierd but cool looking headlight setup with the daytime running LED drls and below that projector LED setup.There will be 2 variants available in the C5 Aircross,the feel and shine.Yes these are both names of variants.The C5 Aircross will be up for bookings on the 1st of March 2021.Citroen says that the C5 Aircross is meant to be a family car,but the prices say otherwise,the base model,feel,will be starting from Rs28 lakh and will go up to Rs 30 lakh for the shine variant.On the side the C5 looks comparatively large than its rivals like the Pugeot 3008.With orange or whatever secondary colour you choose the citroen will have that colour as accents on the alloys and roof rack.At the back there are twin square LED lighting setup on both the sides.Talking about the back the C5 will have handsfree tailgate and sensors to help prevent you from backing up into the wall or other cars.The bboot will have class leading capacity of 720 litres which is just massive considering the size of the car.Inside the boot there will be tethering points in case you want to tie someone up and also a removable paso shaft and underfloor storage which will house the spare wheel.On the inside the Citroen will be as French as the outside.The specifications include a digital drivers display,an 8 inch touch screen with Android auto and Apple carplay,wireless charging,plenty of cup holders big enough to fit a large and small cup of coffee,a centre armrest big enough to fit a big handbag,large doorpockets and to top it all of a gear selector that is the best I have ever seen in a car.There is a sunroof that really opens up the look and feel of the C5 but eats into the headroom.Quality is really good except that I am not sure I am a big fan of the wierd leather strap on the dashboard.Rest of the interior is really good with beautiful optional leather seats.The space in the middle row is good since you have a flat floor so that 3 passenger can easily fit inside it.All 3 of the middle row seats can fold,recline and move indivisually.But the problem is that there is not enough headroom in the middle row of the C5 and that if there are 3 passengers sitting in the middl row,the passengers sitting near the doors would be constantly banging their heads against the roofline beacause of the way the roofline folds into the body in a different way.The C5 is designed to be like a proer SUV but be aware that it is only front wheel drive and dont take it off the road.The C5 is offered with a choice of 2 engines,if you mainly drive in town th 1.2 litre 3 cylinder turbo petrol would do the job.But if you want to do longer journeys there is the 1.5 litre diesel engine which will have 174 bh and 400 NM of torque.To top it off the Citroen is a really cool,quirky,practical and featureloaded family car but it is really expensive

The Ford Endeavour Sport

Everyone knows that there are only two cars that lead the full size SUV car market in India;the Toyota Fortuner , which is one of the best selling cars in India of all time , and the Ford Endevour , which everyone knows is better in every way than the Fortuner but still doesn’t sell more than it’s Japanese rival.The standard Endeavour is a great car to drive , to take offroad and to carry your family on long journeys , but there is a new car which is Rs65,000 more expensive than the normal Endeavour called the Endeavour Sport.No,it is not better to drive,it does not have more power than the standard car and it does not have anything new other than the new 10 speed automatic gearbox which is also carried over from the recently revised Endeavour 2.0.The endeavour sport definitely looks better to look at than the normal car because all the chrome on the car has been replaced with blacked out elements.Rest,it is entirely the same with the engine from the recent Endeavour that had a 2.0 litre diesel engine with 167 bhp and 420 NM of torque.The diamond cut alloy wheels have also been replaced with black alloy that looks dapper with the all black footstep and the car.The interior is the same except the new gear lever which has a gimmicky thumb control for changing gears.I don’t know if that’s innovative or going against the traditional method of changing gears with pushing or pulling the gear lever or changing gears with the paddle shifter but it’s definitely wierd.The new Sport is a very comfy car which like every single one of it’s predecessors always has been.Tech is also class leading with it’s idiotproof infotainment system.On the inside the Endeavour has one of the best interiors i have ever seen in a car of this price tag with leather lined seats.The middle row is also not a bad place to be.The seats are cushioned enough and the underthigh support is also good.The build quality is way way better than the fortuner.3rd row is still in no way better than the Fortuner because an adult would simply won’t be able to fit in the 3rd row.The boot is of a considerable size with or without all the seats folded.The electric tailgate is faster than the Fortuner’s and the Sport also has foot sensor just in case your hands are full with groceries and you can’t open the boot with your hands.The seats in the 3rd row are electrically operated which is a feature not even a 1.5 crore Land Cruiser has.Connectivity in the 3rd row is also not a problem because there are 2 12 volt sockets at the very last.Sport also has a class leading feature called Auto park which the Fortuner,the Gloster and the Mahindra alturas G4 don’t have.The best thing is the sunroof which is a non-cost option in the Endeavour and a feature that the Fortuner,when launched back in 2009 didn’t have and still doesn’t have.My final verdict is that just buy the Endeavour,it’s way better than any of it’s rivals.

The Legendary Toyota Land Cruiser

We Indians are known for carrying our traditions over centuries,one such tradition is the Toyota Land Cruiser.Almost every single politician in India has atleast 1 Land Cruiser.Actors,including Salman Khan,Aamir Khan,Amitabh Bachhan,Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chiranjeevi,all are chauffered around in Land Cruisers.The “proper” Land Cruiser comes in India with a naturally aspirated V8 engine that puts out 381 BHP and a monsterous 650 NM of torque.Toyota have temporarily pulled the plug on the Land Cruiser in India.Toyota will make a comeback with the new Land Cruiser 300 series in 2021,details have not been revealed as of yet.On the front the Land Cruiser is as wide as an aircraft carrier with the big chrome grill with the Toyota badge which is as big as someone’s head.On both sides of the grill are twin LED headlamps with daytime running LED lights.On the side the Land Cruiser’s silhouette has been the same iconic shape since 2005.The ride quality is a comfy one because the Land Cruiser sits on 18 inch alloy wheels,you can’t get anything bigger or smaller,the car will end up with a lot of tire,thus increasing the surface area.At the rear it has LED break and taillights with the same massive presence as the front.The overall visibility while driving is very good as it has a lot of windows an large door mirrors,making the Land Cruiser an easy car to drive considering it’s massive size.It is a proper offroader’s car with a ladder frame chassis,low range gearbox and a lockable centre differential.The Land Cruiser also has a unique feature called the CRAWL Control,it is like a cruise control for offroading.The Land Cruiser has an offroad heritage of 70 years first starting out as an army vehicle in 1951.The Land Cruiser’s starting price in India is 1.47 Crores but if you want your Land Cruiser to look better,you have to spend nearly 10-20 lakhs for it.It is so reliable that the UN have declared the Land Cruiser as their official vehicle.In Australia when Toyota introduced the Land Cruiser for the first time,Land Rover had 90% of the market share,5 years later,that was down to just 2%.This showed how durable the Land Cruiser really is.There is also a saying in Australia that goes,”If you want to go anywhere,get a Land Rover,but if you want to come back,get a Land Cruiser”.Australia being the largest market of Land Cruisers has about 4 million Land Cruisers.The interior of the Land Cruiser is one of the best full size suvs,with having every creature comfort possible like heated and cooled front and rear seats,12 speaker JBL synthesis sound system,radar cruise control.But no car is perfect,one of the biggest drawbacks of owning the Land Cruiser is the mileage which is just 3-4 kmpl which is just rubbish to be honest.And that’s not the end in any way,the infotainment system looks aftermarket and has very limited functionality,there is no way I will sit in the last row of seats for more than 15-20 kilometers and also because I would not have a charging port to charge my phone which is unacceptable from a car at this price point.The last row of seats in a Mercedes GLS is much much better and it also has 2 charging ports for the passengers in the 3rd row of seats.The boot space is also the worst with either all of the seats up or down.The Land Cruiser is built to last more than it’s owners can last.If a Land Cruiser is maintained well,it can easily last 2-3 generations in the same family which is simply incredible.The most annoying thing at last is the lack of features in the infotainment system which is the main factor that promotes the sale of cars these days.The Mercedes GLS,the BMW X7,Land Rover Discovery,all have very good infotainment systems.My final verdict would be;If you want a reliable car that can go anywhere you want,is cheap to run and is still worth more than its rivals when you want to sell it,buy the Land Cruiser.But these days with the all new Mercedes GLS and the BMW X7,offroading doesn’t seem a big deal.The Land Cruiser is not in any way a modern luxury car.For those who go offroading in like twice or thrice a month,buy the Mercedes GLS,it’s an amazing car and it also costs about Rs40 lakhs less than the Land Cruiser,is much more economical than the Land Cruiser and also much much much better equipped than the Land Cruiser

The All New TATA Safari(Reclaim Your Life)

9ree that from the front it looks like the harrier,but that’s where the similarities end,because the Safari will be 60mm longer and 80mm taller than the harrier.The thing that most people are worried about is that the iconic Safari silhouette has been lost.At the front it will have the same 3 lighting design with the LED strip at the top,below it will be a bulb and projector headlamp setup and below that will be a foglamp setup.At the back the safari will have the same tall appearance as before with a tasteful use of exhaust designs and LED tail lamps.To distinguish it from the much smaller Harrier,Tata will give an option of new colours and new alloy wheels,which by the way will be of the same size as the Harrier’s (18 inches).The Safari will use the same 2.0 litre 170 HP kryotech turbodiesel engine giving out 350 NM of torque.On the inside there is nothing special except the new(not exactly) 8.8 inch touchscreen.The safari will also have 9 JBl speaker soundsystem.The gear lever,depending on the trim you get,will have piano black finish which will be mated to a 6 speed manual or automatic gearbox.The ride quality isn’t that bad,but,it is significantly better than the last safari.The new car won’t be a 4×4 until the time of launch.That doesn’t mean that the idea of a 4×4 is off the table.Tata motors have said that they will make a 4×4 variant of the Safari if the demand increases.The starting price of the Safari is said to be from Rs13.84 lakh all the way up to Rs20.30. The panoramic glass roof makes the cabin feel very spacious and airy.After this,it seems that the upcoming XUV 500 would have the Safari on the ropes,but don’t be so sure.The huge advantage that the Safari will have now is the fully functioning 3rd row of seats which is not for occasional uses only.It is designed to carry 2 full sized adults for long distances.The Safari will be offered in 3 seating layouts,5 seater,6 seater and a 7 seater.The turning circle will be 11.6 meters which is also the same as the harrier.Top speed will be 170kmph.The curb weight varies from variant to variant.The lightest would be the 5 seater variant with a total weight of 1756 kgs next up,the 6 seater variant with a total weight of 1815 kgs and the last one,the heaviest at 1825 kgs is the 7 seater variant.There will be a lot of variants available,11 in total.I’ll explain it to you in the simplest way possible.Okay here we go;XE,XN,XT,XT(Optional),XZ(6 seater),XZ(7 seater),XZ+(7 seater),XZA,XZA+,XZA+(6 Seater)and the top of the line XZA+(7 Seater).Of course the Safari being a car from Tata motor ,it will definitely be safer than most of the cars on the road and the build quality will be good too.