Mahindra Quanto vs the Rest

The second generation of Tata Safari is adorned up with 2.2L VARICOR engine, which delivers a 140 PS power and 320 NM of torque. The new avatar from Tata does not look too different from its predecessor but the bold and rugged look has been swapped for a somewhat more corporate look. The five-speed gearbox has been tweaked to deliver a better driving experience. Other improvements include a shorter turning radius and disc brakes all round. Projector headlamps and honeycomb grille comes in a good change. The four wheel drive system is an electronic shift on the fly mechanism which makes the car steers through mud, gravel, snow or sand almost effortlessly.

Price: ₹9.95 lakh ex Delhi

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Engine: 2.2 dicor

Power: 140 PS

Mahindra Rexton

Mahindra’s first product from the Ssyangyong stable, the Rexton priced at ₹17.67 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai for the RX5 manual version and ₹19.67 lakh for the RX7 automatic trim. This seven-seater is loaded with features like utomatic projector headlamps and wipers, cruise control, automatic climate control, electrically adjustable seats with memory function on the automatic version (manually adjustable on the, er, manual), a 6.1-inch screen for the multimedia unit, air-vents for all rows, sunroof on the automatic, parking sensors, hill descent control on the automatic, ESP, airbags, ABS and the list still goes on.

Price: ₹17.67 lakh onwards ex Mumbai

Engine: 2.7 litre

Power: 162 PS for the manual; 184 PS for the automatic

Ford Figo

The game changer for Ford, has undergone a not so drastic change (Ford claims to have added more than 100 changes) to their small city car ‘Figo’. With Ford calling it the enhanced Kinetic Design, the new Figo now features a new look front fascia with a hexagonal grille and redesigned headlamps. The tail lamps haven’t been left out and get minor updates as well. There are two new colors as well, Bright Yellow and Kinetic Blue, added to the existing lot. While the changes are not as substantial, the minor exterior changes have definitely added a year or two to the car before the all new Figo arrives.

Price: ₹3.84 lakh (petrol)/ 4.81 lakh (diesel)

Engine: 1.2 Duratec Petrol engine/ 1.4 Duratorq Diesel engine

Power: 71 PS (Petrol)/ 69 PS (Diesel)

Honda Brio Automatic

Honda’s most affordable compact car in the country, gets an automatic upgrade and comes in the firing line of Maruti’s A Star and Hyundai’s i10. The new AT 5 speed gearbox sports 3 more features than the standard P, N, D and R viz a viz D3, D2 and D1. The D3 setting keeps the gearbox restricted in the first three gears, good for quick overtaking maneuvers. Slot the lever either into ‘2’ or ‘1’, and gearbox will hold second or first gear respectively. With a turning radius of just 4.7 M driving within the city becomes quite effortless. The car will also feature 1 DIN audio system with front speakers.

Price: ₹5.74 lakh onwards

Engine: 1.2 i-VTEC

Power: 88 PS

From the November 2012 issue of FHM India.