Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

 The Evoque is nothing if not a head-turner, but its visual drama compromises practicality. The styling comes at a cost to both cargo space and outward visibility; three- and five-foor body styles are offered. Also, curiously enough, so is a convertible. A 240-hp turbo four with a nine-speed automatic and a firm suspension give it the moves to match its sporting character, but the ride is often harsh and raucous. The lavish interior impresses, with high-quality materials and luxury features.

 

• kmpl :14.3
  Engine cc : 1999
• Bhp : 237.4
• Seaters : 4
• Fuel Type : Petrol
• Transmission Type : Automatic

  Driving Handling

  The ride and handling people have pulled off something a bit special here. The Evoque might be a Rangie, but there’s nothing wallowy about the way it corners. It attacks windy roads like an excited hot hatch, but still rides with the class of its big brother. This is a very well-rounded machine, and although purists might think it’s some fancy bit of chintz, it’s still a grafter when the road turns brown.
  We’ve driven the Evoque to the Scottish Highlands, across an Icelandic glacier and over mammoth dunes in Dubai. And it didn’t slip up once. More recently, we’ve been driving it in 2015 guise, relishing the addition of that 2.0-litre turbodiesel engine. It’s a huge step on from the rattly old 2.2, and makes the choice of engine almost a no-brainer. Even so, there’s still a turbocharged petrol for those who fancy going from zero to sixty in 7.1 seconds (and making a lot of fuss in the process).
  The bulk of the range is all-wheel drive, but there is a fuel-sipping front-drive eD4 variant too - although most buyers seem to think a manual gearbox in an evoque isn’t the done thing and still go for the 4WD TD4 auto

  inside

  You won’t fit a wolfhound in the boot, but that’s not really the point. Importantly, it actually feels Range Rovery inside, from the classy materials and quality build to the muted layout. You sit high with a great view out the front, but rearward visibility is hampered by high sides and shallow glass. Rear space is bigger than it looks – sub-six-footers should be fine back there, even in the three-door – and the back seats come as a sculpted pair or a three-person bench. ‘Dynamic’ trim adds buckety front seats in black or red leather.

  Owning

  The Evoque starts at £30,600 for a five-door ‘SE’ model and rises by over £20K for the top end ‘Autobiography’. There’s a spread of options, including gadgets such as surround-view parking cameras and a dual-view screen, so passengers can watch telly while you worry about driving. But if you indulge, you pay for it - the £55K plus Evoque is an easy achievement. At least the excellent new diesel engine is step-on economical. The 2WD eD4 can do over 67mpg, and even the TD4 auto does 58mph, with correspondingly tax-friendly CO2. 

   
   

   

Volvo S90

Volvo S90

Expected Launch: 4 November 2016

Expected Price:  50 - 65L

 

Volvo S90 Preview 

The Volvo S90 will come to India by the end of 2016, within a year of its global launch. Volvo, like all other European manufacturers, is bringing the latest of its range to India to cater to the ever growing luxury car market in the country.

The Volvo S90 is the Swedish car maker’s flagship saloon. The straight stately lines of the luxury saloon are not dramatic as such. The near five-metre sedan gets the new Volvo front fascia with the Thor’s hammer headlamps and the trademark grille. The long hood, spacious cabin and the sloping roofline give it a premium look. The L-shape tail lamps like its smaller sibling, the Volvo S60, add glam to the creased boot lid.
Inside the car, the layout is all new. The dashboard looks modern with the large vertical touch-screen infotainment system at the centre. Devoid of many buttons like its competitors, the centre console looks uncluttered in a good way. The instrument cluster is a TFT screen that displays revs and speed though analog dials and a host of other information that can be viewed as per the driver’s preferences. The upholstery is in leather and the seats are power adjustable with memory function. Push-button start, adaptive cruise control, intelligent LED headlamps, sunroof and such other features are a standard. The cabin space is befitting the flagship luxury saloon with four-zone climate control, ventilated seats and armrests for both the rows.
Volvo makes one of the safest cars in the world and the S90 is no different. The cabin is cocooned with a number of airbags to save the occupants from injury from all possible directions. The safety net extends with a list of driving aids like City-safe, emergency braking function, electronic stability program, traction control et cetera.

Under the hood, you will have 2.0-litre four cylinder petrol and diesel engines. The forced induction mills will be available in different states of tune with a hybrid option for the petrol. The petrol engine will be available in two states of tune 250bhp and 315bhp. Similarly, the diesel will also be available with 187bhp and 232bhp options. All-wheel-drive options are available globally with the higher state of tune for both petrol and diesel and may be introduced in India.

The S90 is a Mercedes S-Class, BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 and the Jaguar Xj challenger. The homologation process for the Volvo S90 has begun and the car will be launched in India as the compliance procedure is completed. We expect the S90 to be priced between Rs 50 lakh to Rs 65 lakh ex-showroom, Delhi.