The real gladiators at the moment are
both Korean, Hyundai and Kia Motors. Both are producing world class cars and
the public is laping them up. Hyundai's Verna, Creta and give it another try'
Tuscon. I say 'give it another try' because the Tuscon was launched in India
about 20 years ago. For some strange reason it did not sell. It is one of the bigger
and better off-roaders on the market.
Kia is on a roll. The recently
launched Sonet has big boots to fill. It’s a compact SUV, a sensible size. Good
for the city. It will give the owner all the gadgets and gizmos one can expect from
Hyundai.
It offers ventilated front seats, a
seven speaker Bose music system. Plus voice control for a number of functions.
Really! These do take the fun out of motoring, apart from being a
distraction. But they do give the passengers and driver a kick. In this humdrum
and grim world of today it adds some fun to life!
As the festive season comes close,
auto manufacturers and dealers are on an advertising bliz.
As the Festival
season gets closer every auto manufacturer and dealer is in overdrive with
deals to lure.
The
emphasis is on SUVs. I've said it before and I'll say it again, not a good
decision. Why should a city dweller need a SUV? Only to satisfy his ego by
showing off! It degrades the environment, depletes the Earth's resources
and is expensive to maintain.
It is an
acknowledged fact that about 80% plus 4 WD owners have never used the 4 WD
facility of the car!
If you are a
serious off-roader, here are some good vehicles that should give you excellent
city driving plus off -roading fun.
My first choice
would be the new Suzuki Jimny. Having said that, I must admit that I am an
unabashed Gypsy lover! So are the armed forces, the police, the civilian
government and motor sport enthusiasts!
The Jimny is the
4th generation Jimny and the successor of the Gypsy. It will have the one litre
petrol Booster jet engine pumping out 110 b.h.p. and 175 Nm of torque. This
will be mated to a five speed manual or four speed automatic. Indian version
will be a five door body.
A three door
version will be built in India for export. This will have the1.5 litre K15B
engine found in the Brezza and Ciaz. Part 4WD will be standard.
Ford is reintroducing
the Bronco which was a very sought after small off-roader in the 60s. Boxy with
rugged looks. It was in great demand then, its back!
The Bronco Sport may be called Maverick.
Its lineage comes
from the Ford 150 truck, one of the best selling trucks in North America. The
150 this year is called the Raptor.
The Raptors
anticipated 3 litre turbo charged Ecoboost six cylinder engine promises to be a
bomb!
Drive options would
be a seven speed manual for the Bronco with a ten speed automatic for the 2.3
litre engine. The same ten speeds automatic will be in the 2.7 litre V6 engine.
If the 5 litre V8
does make it into the Bronco, expect only the 10 speed automatic.
And what is Ford
aiming at? The Jeep Gladiator!
The Gladiator is a
brand new 'invention'. There has been nothing like this in the Jeep stables.
Engineered from the ground up, Jeep refers to this as a truck. Any vehicle that
is not uber-luxury for the Americans is a truck! It has four doors and an open
rear end.
It will have a V6
3.6 litre petrol engine putting out 285 h.p and 260 pound foot of torque, (American
specs) with a six speed manual transmission or a 3 litre V6 diesel putting out
260 h.p. and a tremendous 442 pound of foot torque.
The Gladiator had a
very unique feature, making it one of a kind. It front end looks like a
Wrangler, that's all!
All four doors can
be removed, as can the roof. The wind screen folds down. No other vehicle can
boast of this feature.
Most important it has the legendry off-road ability.
