New Kids on the Block: The Newest SUVs
Get ready as we take you for a test drive in the swankiest new SUVs to hit our roads
New Honda CR-V
In the noughties when Indian pop music was ruling the charts, a Honda was ruling the SUV charts. Yes, we are talking about the CR-V, which was the first luxury midsize SUV in India. It was comfortable, spacious, well equipped, looked smart and drove more like a car than a bullock cart- hence the success. Obviously a lot has changed and subsequent generation models have not managed the same success but this new gen CR-V will change things. Let me explain. This one has hit the gym, grown some muscles and ditched the teenage delinquent look with a three piece suit i.e. it's bigger, longer and more spacious than the earlier one. It looks meaner with broad SUV shoulders and an upright stance but the real deal is inside where it has the best Honda cabin yet. Wood finish, glossy black finish and beige all work well and make it look like it means business.
It is also swathed with tech including the usual infotainment options but also cool features like it projects your left side vision on the centre screen. To drive, Honda has finally put in a diesel: a 1.6 unit with 120 odd horses. Now it may not sound like much believe me, with the excellent 9-speed auto, the CR-V picks up pace with utmost ease and cruises effortlessly with the poise expected from a car of this class. Petrol heads, fret not, there is a 2.0 unit also there. The new CR-V drives like a car but is useful over bad surfaces, is well equipped, is spacious and generally the kind of SUV you would take home. We recommend very highly.
Volvo XC40
Few years back Volvo made cars which, while 'safe' were a bit boring. How times have changed and this Swedish luxury car maker has made ze Germans a bit 'more than uncomfortable' with its latest cars. Its new cars are sexy, superbly kitted out and priced bang on. Talk about crashing a party. Their latest one though takes the cake. The XC40 is its young, brash and youthful SUV with a healthy dose of swagger which makes its rivals look tame. Those distinctive Thor’s Hammer lights and the sexy R design does wonders for its stance. Yet it is not a metrosexual crossover but a bona fide SUV.
Inside, it’s bloody marvelous. This is supposed to be the entry level SUV but does not feel like it. The massive touch screen takes care of all functions which leaves for few buttons and avoids clutter. The design is superb and the cabin feels expensive. I cannot mention all features, as Volvo has thrown the kitchen sink here but I would say the Harman Kardon audio system is kickass plus it has everything with heated seats, powered everything, massive panoramic sunroof, wireless charging, dual zone climate control etc. I can go on and on but the party piece is that the XC40 has a brain and it drives itself. You get a whole host of radar based safety tech including Pilot Assist (adaptive cruise control and lane centering), City Safety, run-off-road protection and mitigation, cross-traffic alert with brake support. The car will maintain speed and correct lane by itself plus also brake and avoid potential accidents.
However that aside, the XC40 has a 2.0 diesel with AWD and an 8-speed auto gearbox as standard. It is faster than rivals and is an effortless cruiser .The power delivery is smooth and linear, plus it is quite efficient too. On the road it swallows massive distances with ease while it will not run for cover when the roads end too- it will do all the basic off-roading you can throw at it. Priced at ₹40 lakh starting, is there something the XC40 cannot do? We are figuring that out…
From the October 2018 issue of FHM India.
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