The festive season is well and truly on and the Indian automobile sector is on a launching spree. The fortnight is witnessing a host of new cars hitting the roads, and these cars span across all segments. Here is what is capturing the discerning buyers’ imagination:
Renault Captur
The Captur will be Renault’s second SUV in the country after Duster, but will be launched in a segment above. One of the highlights of the Captur is its very European design, something that hasn’t really been seen in India till now. The premium crossover design language is strongly agile and expressive and Renault has put in some very attractive features like Sparkle full LED headlamps with unique floating side indicators, C-shaped Sapphire LED DRLs and Ripple Tail Lamps that add a distinct lighting signature to the car. The satin finish front and Rear Skid Plates, together with the thick fenders, lend a strong character to the car. There’s a lot of cladding all over and the roof comes in a different colour tone than the rest of the body. Inside the Captur is an infinity instrument cluster, a touch screen infotainment system and Ergo design seats. The company is offering a host of customisation options to make every Captur look different from the other.
The French car maker is launching the Captur in both Petrol and Diesel engine options, both being 1.5 liter mills. While the Petrol engine gives a maximum power of 106 PS the Diesel is the popular K9K engine that gives 110 PS of maximum power and in mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. At 240 Nm, it also delivers a lot more torque than the Petrol engine. There are no automatic variants on the Captur, neither does it get an all-wheel drive option.
Skoda Kodiaq
Czech car maker Skoda is ready to launch its flagship SUV, the Kodiaq, in India. The Kodiaq very much looks like a part of the Skoda family with grille and headlamps similar to the ones seen on the Superb. The fog lamps are placed much higher above than the usual position to give a more SUV like feel. The sculpted bonnet and the squarish wheel arches present a perfect combination of muscularity as well as sophistication. The 8 inch capacitive touchscreen is the highlight inside the Kodiaq. The 8 inch unit is extremely responsive and has a lot of infotainment options.
There are similarities with the cabin of the Superb, but some things differ as well like the AC vents get bigger here. The Kodiaq comes with a 3-zone climate control and also gets a panoramic sunroof. There’s a lot of practicality on offer as the middle row can be slided forward to create more space for the third row of seats. The company has also come up with a lot of clever innovations in the car, some of which include an umbrella holder, door protectors and a removable torch in the boot.
There is just one engine option on the Skoda Kodiaq. It is the popular 2.0 liter Diesel mill from the Volkswagen family that churns out a maximum power of 150 PS. Skoda is claiming a good mileage of around 16 kmpl on the SUV. Apart from the Sport mode, the Kodiaq also gets paddle shifts. There are five driving modes namely Eco, Sport, Normal, Individual, Snow and with all these modes the engine, steering and AC responses change. The car is launching on 4 October.
Audi A5
When it comes to German car maker Audi, India has seen everything from the A3 to the A8, barring the A5. The missing link will be filled next week when the company launches the second generation of the car in India. The car is based on the A4 and will be launched in both Sportback as well as Cabriolet forms. The car shares a lot of design cues with other Audi sedans popular in the country. But the car is bigger than the A4 and also offers more space on the inside. Though there is still no confirmation, it is expected that Audi will launch the A5 in both Petrol and Diesel engine options. The company will launch the car on 5 October.
Maruti S-Cross
The S-cross wasn’t a runaway success when the car was first launched a couple of years back in the market. India’s largest car maker is now back with a facelift of the car which looks quite different from the earlier version and also gets some tweaks inside the cabin. The car gets LED projector lamps as well as daytime running LEDs.
The car continues to get the touch screen display system, but is now compatible with both Android Auto as well as Apple car play. Unlike the earlier version, this facelift gets just one diesel engine option which is the very popular 1.3 litre 90 bhp motor.
The car also gets Maruti’s smart hybrid technology, while it does not get automatic or AMT options.