[GTO]

BMW 530d

What's hot: Ferocious 6-cylinder engine making 261 BHP and 620 Nm of torque, ZF 8-speed sport automatic transmission is fast and smooth, 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds! Loaded with tech and gizmos, BMW’s strong track record for reliability (among the luxury marques)

What's not: Rear seat space is mediocre, low GC means you have to take care on big bumps and bad roads, sad boot space with a spare wheel, rear floor hump is enormous! Car is better as a 4-seater than 5

BMW X4 30d

Launch Thread

[GTO]

The Affordable EVs

MG ZS EV

What's hot: One of the most sorted EVs in India! Drive it and you'll be a convert, a well-built car with good interiors, fast performance and excellent mid-range...0-100 km/h run of 8.5 seconds is enjoyable, selectable regenerative braking and drive modes help you extract maximum performance or efficiency, as needed, range is adequate for urban commuting as well as road-trips to nearby destinations, low running costs & cheaper long-term maintenance (as is the case with all EVs), an excellent city car, smooth driving experience, easy to drive, very chuckable, green image & zero tailpipe emissions appeal to the environmentally conscious, 5 year / unlimited km warranty, 5 labour-free services & 8 year / 150,000 km battery warranty, features such as the panoramic sunroof, cruise control, Bluetooth key, connected car tech & more, the international model got a 5-star Euro NCAP rating

What's not: Expensive! Even after subsidies, EVs carry a huge price premium over ICE cars...you're paying for the tech & being an early adopter, the very similar & arguably more practical MG Astor is 8 - 12 lakhs cheaper, needs a charging point installed at your home parking...this is not doable for many people, lack of charging infrastructure & ~350 km range limits long-distance / highway usability, firm ride quality means you always feel the road, especially with the recommended 41 PSI tyre pressure, long “full tank” charging times in comparison with an ICE car...overnight charging is best, missing features such as ventilated seats, auto-dimming IRVM, steering reach adjustment, ADAS tech (which Astor gets) and wireless Android Auto / CarPlay, size & interior quality are more comparable to a Creta than other 28-30 lakh rupee cars, the rear seat is better suited to 2 adults & a kid, not 3 adults, 6-speaker sound system is ordinary for the price...subwoofer conspicuous by its absence

Official Review

Tata Nexon EV Max

What's hot: A solidly built & good-looking electric car, increased driving range is adequate for city commutes & inter-city travel to nearby destinations, stupendously cheap fuel cost of 1 rupee / km (if you charge at home), fast performance! 0-100 km/h in ~9 seconds is enjoyable, sorted road manners & solid high-speed stability due to the lower center of gravity & firmer suspension, smooth drive, no gears, light controls & compact size make it an ideal city car, nice and spacious cabin with comfortable seats, you get a practical 350-liter boot too, loads of features over the standard Nexon EV such as faster charging, ventilated seats, auto-dimming IRVM, Sport & Eco modes, multi-mode regen, cruise control, air purifier, wireless smartphone charging, sunroof and more, safety kit includes disc brakes all-round, ESP, traction control, TPMS, electronic parking brake, auto hold etc, low running costs & cheaper long-term maintenance (as is the case with all EVs)

What's not: Considerably more expensive than the Petrol / Diesel Nexon...you're paying for the tech & being an early adopter, needs a charging point installed at your home parking spot, lack of charging infrastructure limits long-distance / highway usability, long “full tank” charging times in comparison with an ICE car, top speed is restricted to 140 km/h, ride is compliant, but not plush...firmness at lower speeds means you feel the big potholes, fit, finish & interior quality don’t match up to the 20-lakh on-road price of the XZ+ Lux, only dual-tone colour options to pick from, no single tone colour options available, Tata's after-sales service quality is a hit or miss...remains a gamble, it's a brand-new technology, so there will be issues & niggles, Petrol / Diesel Nexon carry a 5-star GNCAP rating...Nexon EV is still unrated

Official Review

[GTO]

Jeep Wrangler

Launch Post

[GTO]

Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC

Close Look

Mini Cooper S

What's hot: More fun than a Ferrari in India, sexy retro styling, punchy motor + snappy gearbox give effortless performance, go-kart-like handling, communicative steering, solid build, impressive fit & finish, near infinite levels of customisation, top-notch safety equipment

What's not: Grossly overpriced, imperfect ride quality, optional extras are terribly expensive + standard car is bare bones, no manual gearbox, cramped rear seat, no spare wheel, not practical as your only car (unlike an Octavia vRS)

Official Review

[GTO]

Kia EV6 AWD

What's hot: AWD variant has a combined output of 321 BHP and 605 Nm! Plenty of grip from the AWD system, goes around corners like it’s on rails, easy to drive fast on the track, 0-100 km/h in 5.2 sec, has a healthy realistic driving range of 500 km, 5-star Euro NCAP safety rating

What's not: Tall floor compromises backseat comfort, no spare wheel

Track drive report

[GTO]

The Value-for-Money Marutis

Maruti Swift

What's hot: Fab looking, slick revv-happy petrol engine, power-to-weight = 101 BHP/ton, enjoyable handling & on-road behaviour, good legroom & headroom in such a small package, stylish black cabin, adequate equipment list, tons of after-market support, Maruti's fuss-free ownership

What's not: Revvs limited to just 6300 rpm, mediocre interior plastic quality, more spacious & comfortable Baleno is priced not too far away, jerky AMT, 163 mm of ground clearance & small 37-liter fuel tank raise our eyebrows

Official Review

Maruti Ignis

What's hot: Surprisingly fun due to the wheels pushed to the 4 corners of the car, funky design, good legroom & headroom in such a small package, peppy petrol is very rev-happy

What's not: Not a VFM Maruti (top trim is especially pricey), weird rear end styling, narrow cabin width...rear seat is better for 2 adults than 3

Official Review

Maruti Alto K10

What's hot: Peppy performance with a healthy power-to-weight ratio, a much improved...well-rounded city car as compared to the outgoing generation, excellent fuel efficiency....ARAI figures: 24.39 km/l (MT) and 24.90 km/l (AMT), convenient AMT available at a premium of Rs. 50,000 makes it the cheapest automatic car available in India, sufficient cabin space to accommodate four 6-footers, small dimensions, good visibility, light controls & a tiny 4.5 m turning radius make it a great choice for city driving as well as first-time car buyers, good touchscreen ICE with Android Auto + Apple CarPlay + steering mounted controls, Maruti's fuss-free ownership experience & widespread dealer network

What's not: Significantly more expensive compared to the previous generation, narrow width makes it a strict 4-seater, basic ride quality...feels wobbly over rough patches and can bottom out on when going over larger potholes, poor high speed dynamics & NVH...best driven at double-digit speeds, skinny low grip 145 mm tyres given the power on offer, missing essentials such as rear power windows, rear wiper/defogger, day/night IRVM, etc., light and economy-grade build quality...sibling S-Presso scored 0 stars in the GNCAP crash tests, S-Presso offers a lot more at just ~15,000 more (greater space, larger wheels & tyres, body-coloured and electrically adjustable ORVMs, features like ESP with hill-hold (AMT)), etc.

Official Review

Pre-worshipped Cars

If you are a fan of pre-owned cars as I am, the world is your playground . And there is something to fit every budget. From the Ford Figo S & Freestyle to the Polo / Rapid 1.0 TSI. From the pristine Octavia vRS & Punto Abarths to excellent M5s & 911s...just take your pick and join in on the fun !

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GTO]

Someone asked me why the Tiguan? Well, with that firm suspension, sweet turbo-petrol & fast DSG, it's a lot of fun on the open road. More than the Kodiaq even.

With reference to the Citroen C3 Turbo, as we said, drive it and you'll be surprised. It's "value for money" fun.

Big thanks to Omkar & Aditya for all the help in compiling this thread.

[Turbohead]

Fun to drive has a lot of definitions but if somebody steps out with a smile and turns back to have a second glance at it, it's definitely fun/pleasurable in its own right.

Hope the Citroen C3 succeeds- that is one honest car.

[FAIAAA]

Finally , the most awaited thread and compilation , that comes out once every two years.
Thank you GTO and team for the list - having driven some of these , couldn't agree more. And can't wait to the drive the ones I have not.

It also shows that there are fun to drive options across the entire price spectrum - "something for everyone" - new and/or pre-owned.

[GForceEnjoyer]

Fantastic thread. There are some seriously good options on the list! I'm pretty sure the Ford Mustang belongs on the list as its price is right at the limit. If we go a little further back in the pre-worshipped section, the VW Jetta diesel and even the Ford Fiesta 1.6S can earn a place.

While these are all fantastic options, I do feel a twinge of sadness at times when I compare our options vis a vis American ones, for example. Wouldn't something like an Acura Integra manual or even a Honda Civic Si/Type R fit right in? I could go a step further and add the Lotus Elise/Europa S or Evora too! The erstwhile Honda Accord 2.0T which had a blistering ~5 second 0-100 time? A Hyundai Elantra N would fit the bill too. Maybe options available in Europe such as the BMW 540i and (probably out of budget) Alpina B5, the VW Arteon R and Skoda Superb 280 hp AWD version?

I feel that we are still somewhat starved for choice in the affordable area (namely D1 segment). However, the Thar and Gurkha have done a fantastic job at filling up the off-road part of that void, and so have the Virtus and Slavia (to an extent, the i20 and Venue N Line too).

[//M]

I think the Mercedes Benz AMG A45 S deserves a mention in this thread. Sure the ride quality is stiff and the ground clearance is pretty low for most Indian conditions, but it is quite a hoot to drive. Fast, compact and a striking looking car.

[Mortis]

I'm actually eyeing the Citroen C3 in its automatic variant which is slated for release next year. It's seems to have the only other feature I want too - rear wash and wipe.
Only interior quality seems to be a bit 50-50 with good quality seats and steering but lower quality dash. But then I'm currently living with poor quality Maruti interiors so I'll have to check it out once it releases and decide if it's good enough for me.

[XDriver]

Great thread! After debating over the M340i vs the 530d M sport I chose the latter as it is luxurious yet sporty. It has satisfied the enthusiast in me !

[2000rpm]

The Polo TSI should be on the list, especially with the TC.

I think it was sold for the first half of 2022!!