San Storm - Sequel

Vikram Gour is let loose with India's only convertible, the San Storm. It is back with some minor tweaks and leaves our hefty man mighty impressed

Photography: Mani Babbar

"Just Cruisin'....Where, baby, I don't care.....Just Cruisin'......As long as you take me there....Just Cruisin'.......Somewhere to clear my mind.....Just Cruisin'....Just Cruisin' "

THERE ARE A FEW THINGS APART from women that make men's heart skip a beat and one of the strongest contenders in that category is a convertible! Cruising around town with the top down, wind blowing through your hair and acting oblivious to the millions of stares per minute that you receive, all construe into a very satisfying drive. In this particular case, that feeling also was combined with a sense of pride as I was cruising around in a convertible manufactured in India, courtesy the enthusiasts out at San Motors, Goa.

Curious. That is the one word that can define how I was feeling about the San Storm when I first learned that the Goan company has spruced up their offering making it more contemporary. Its a niche market for convertibles in India and therefore these guys have to tread twice as carefully when it comes to vehicle aesthetics, build, quality and finish and that is exactly what I wanted to find out. It was the drive that would make all the difference. So with no further delay, Mr. Pawan Puri, Director, P and P SanStorm, the sole distributor for San Motors in North India, arranged a bright red San Storm for me to drive. Before getting into the drivers seat, I was given a brief tour of the vehicle. Pawan pointed out that the exterior changes include new alloys, wheel arcs, clear lense headlights and the fact that the spoiler now comes as standard. He also mentioned that the car carries a full spare fitted with an alloy rim as well. Interiors have been touched up as well. All San Storms come with an all leather interior, but the red one comes with a dual tone red and black leather interior. (No wonder it is the hottest selling color in their line up!) Fit and finish is commendable, and it does have a quality feel to it. My one grouse with the interiors, well the center console could do with a little help from a friendly designer, but overall it is very nicely done. Under the all FRP body of the San Storm, the changes have been limited to improving the ride and handling aspect over its predecessor. Power still comes from the somewhat torquey 1.15 litre Renault engine which provides a sufficient 59.3 PS@ 5250rpm and churns out 9kgm of torque @ 4000 rpm, decent enough to give this 820kg cabriolet the power to have a 'spirited' drive feel.

To answer the all important question that everyone just never gets sick or asking,the mileage of the San Storm, as stated by the company, is a respectable 14-15 kmpl in the city. Wasting no more time, I got behind the wheel, and as anticipated, since I am all of 6ft 2 inches tall (the extra inch or so of my Caterpillar boots didn't help the situation either!), it was a tight fit. Optimism overruled and keeping with the spirit, I managed to find a suitable driving position and soon I was cruising in the Storm! Well, initially I did keep the canvas cover on, as I wanted to see how the A/C functions in our peak summer Delhi heat. As expected, you could feel a slight power drop but the A/C was amazingly functional, thanks to the small interior space, and the overall performance wasn't drastically effected in any way. I should also mention that the low canvas roof surprisingly did not hamper with my head space. Well that was that, and who in their right sense of mind drives a convertible with the roof up anyway! Quickly flipping the two latches that clamp onto the car's windshield frame,I pushed the roof back and soon had the early morning summer sun shining in! Now we were talking!

Source: Car India August 2006.