SWIFT DZIRE

India’s first sedan, the Maruti Suzuki ESTEEM has finally got to make way for its successors. Suzuki has successfully been able to bring a new sedan , a great replacement for ESTEEm in the form of SWIFT DZIRE. The first look of the car as well as the name indicates that it shares the same platform as that of the swift and also gets you the likes of Indigo and Petra which have been hach based sedans of Indiaca and Palio respectively.Of late Maruti Esteem has lost its charm and the new it was pushed back with the Ford Ikon and Tata Indigo doing extremely well. The Swift Dzire features the same engine as that of Swift and all the tech specs are same except for a few things which becaome a trademark of a sedan. the pricing is expected to be around 4.2-6.5lacs as estimated by trade pundits.

If the pricing is somewhat close to the above , then other players in the segment will have a run for their money as the drive quality of the swift and swift dzire is said toequivalent to Honda City . So Dzire , the sedan has a frugal1.3L engine with the drive quality of Honda City at the price of an Esteem with the luxury features that you see in SX4.

Verdict : Great value for Money.

CHEVROLET CAPTIVA

GM has finally entered the SUV segment with the much acclaimed Captiva. Though GM India earlier wanted its flagship model to be an SUV the Chevrolet Forester, but the attempts failed as OPTRA became its flagship model. Chevrolet Captiva comes with a 2.0L VDCi diesel and 2.4L petrol engine,with a manual 5 gear transmission and as everyone knows the interiors and the looks are damn good. All’s well except for the pricing which is priced at around 17-18Lacs Ex-showroom price varying across various cities.Captiva was first showcased at the Geneva motor show last year.

Striking Features of CAPTIVA :

• An Active all-wheel drive system
• Traction control system
• Excellent storage space
• Self levelling independent suspension
• Opening rear glass, so you needn’t raise the entire tailgate to gain access to the boot.
• Equipped with advanced safety features like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) & Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA) .
• Offers seven seats – a package no other manufacturer can offer at this price level.

The premium compact SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) segment is already dominated by cars like Honda CR-V, Ford Endeavour, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-Trail and Mitsubishi Pajero. But GM seems to have a winner in hand.

SKODA FABIA

The much awaited SKODA FABIA was showcased in the AUTO EXPO 08′ at New Delhi. Skoda Fabia is a hatchback and its sizes will help it benefited by the tax benefits of small cars.
Fabia aptly could be termed a Luxury Hatch and offers stiff competition to the market leader Suzuki Swift.
Fabia will be available in both petrol and diesel versions. Shall have a 1.2L petrol or !.4L diesel so it should excite the Diesel enthusiasts. The 1.4L TDI PD (Turbo Direct Injection, Pumpe Deuse) diesel engine produces a maximum power of 68 bhp at 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of 155nm at 1600-2800rpm. The 1.4L MPI petrol engine on the other hand, delivers a maximum power of 85 bhp and 132 Nm of maximum torque. The mileage is said to be above 16 kmpl, but that depends on your driving conditions and requirements. The driving is absolutely smooth as butter and you are sure to have a great time hitting the highways. The car catches a speed of 125 kmph in no time! It is launched with a price tag that ranges between 4.9Lacs to 7.68 Lacs.

SUMO GRANDE

Tata’s erstwhile MUV(Multi Utility Vehicle) SUMO, in fact one of the most popular utility vehicles which catered even to the luxury seekers with a variety of variants, slowly began to fade away with the advent of other utility vehicles like Mahindra Bolero, Scorpio,Toyota Qualis and Innova and Chevrolet Tavera.
Though the revamped version of SUMO called VICTA with a whole lot of luxury features and CRDi engine was launched, but with very less response, Tata has lost ground in the MUV segment .In order to regain its lost ground, TATA has Launched SUMO GRANDE that is more goodlooking and comes with a number of premium features to catch the public’c eye and offer stiff competition to other players in the market. The 2.2L SUMO GRANDE was showcased at the Auto Expo 08′and was launched in the first week of march 08′ which hasaprice ranfge of 6.40lacs to 7.75 lacs. So it would be a tough fight between Innova and Sumo Grande as trade pundits are to be believed.

Honda Aviator

Honda the leading scooter maker in India has added another scooter called Aviator to its line-up. But unlike its other products this new aviator will target urban male who loves performance but needs a hassle free vehicle. The new Aviator scooter is powered by the same engine which powers the Activa. Aviator produces 7bhp of maximum power at 7000rpm. This proven engine ensures smooth and silky performance. Honda has equipped the Aviator scooter with some first-in-class features such as 12-inch alloy wheels and 190mm front disc brakes.
Aviator would be available from the first week of march. Aviator will be launched in two variants – standard and deluxe. Deluxe variant of Aviator will have 190mm Disc brake at the front and 12 inch alloy wheels. The standard variant of Honda’s aviator is priced Rs39,675 and the deluxe variant of aviator scooter is priced Rs42.680. Both the prices are ex-showroom Delhi. Honda’s aviator will be available in five colours – Rebel Red Metallic, Berry purple Metallic, Space silver metallic,Monsoon Gray Metallic and Pearl Igneous Black. You can avail 3 years optional extended warranty in addition to the company’s 2 year or 24000km warranty for the Aviator scooter.