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New Car Road Tests

The plethora of car models on sale today can be quite confusing to a buyer. Should you buy the SUV, the sedan or the lifestyle-oriented coupe? Diesel or petrol? European or Japanese/Korean? CarWale's road-test section reviews cars and tries to help you decide which car is best suited to your needs and wants.

 

Volkswagen Vento Road Test

The Polo hatchback, launched earlier this year, was Volkswagen’s first serious foray into the Indian market and saw a lot of investment being brought in by this very serious German carmaker to set up a state of the art manufacturing facility at Chakan in Maharashtra. But their seriousness to succeed in the Indian marketplace is even more evident now with the introduction of the Vento, which in ... read more

Maruti Suzuki A-Star Vxi (ABS) AT Road Test

On seeing the A-Star, the first thing comes in my mind is the Alto. Yes, Suzuki sells the A-Star as the Alto in other European markets. I had got a chance to spend some time (years ago, sometime in ... read more

Volkswagen Polo 1.2L Highline (D) Road Test

Our beloved MarcoPolo is certainly getting its fair share of driving and we took the car out on a jaunt amidst the clouds. Besides braving the potholes that already exist in the city (299 according ... read more

Volkswagen Polo 1.2L Highline (D) Road Test

One of the questions that we keep getting asked as auto enthusiasts and as automotive journalists is what car would we put our money on and what’s our pick of all the cars being sold in India at the ... read more

Toyota Corolla Altis GL Diesel Road Test

News about the launch of the Toyota Corolla Altis Diesel had been floating around for awhile. However, it is only now that Toyota Kirloskar has finally brought in the Corolla Altis Diesel. The Toyota ... read more

Hyundai Verna Transform 1.6 SX VTVT Road Test

Hyundai Motors India Limited, the Korean automaker, is on one transformation spree and has been rapidly transforming its models. Last year, it was the Sonata Transform and this year, after the i20, ... read more

Tata Indica Vista Aura + Quadrajet BS-III Road Test

Last month we drove the Indica Vista Drivetech4 Safire (petrol), and recently, we got our hands on the Drivetech4 Quadrajet. The Indica Vista has undergone a few minor changes in its powertrain to ... read more

Nissan Micra Road Test

Earlier last month, CarWale drove the Nissan Micra and got some first impressions on the car (Click here to read earlier comprehensive review). With the performance of the Micra being one of the main ... read more

Mercedes-Benz C-Class 200 CGI Avantgarde Road Test

We tested the Mercedes-Benz C200 CGI earlier last month and were quite impressed with the torquey engine and the overall fuel efficiency. Mercedes-Benz currently sells the C200 CGI in Avantgarde trim ... read more

Nissan Micra XV Road Test

Nissan India Ltd. will launch the new Nissan Micra for the Indian masses on the 14th of July. They already have Ranbir Kapoor as their brand ambassador and there are already several teasers on ... read more

Fiat Grande Punto 1.3 Emotion Pack 90HP Road Test

Fiat India had showcased the sumptuous looking Grande Punto Sport at the Auto Expo’10 held in Delhi earlier this year in January. The Grande Punto Sport on display had a 1.3-litre, 90bhp multijet ... read more

Chevrolet Beat 1.2 LT Road Test

The year 2010 has witnessed the launch of many new hatchbacks in India – the Chevrolet Beat, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo and the Fiat Grande Punto 1.2 (recently launched in new trim levels). All the ... read more

Mercedes-Benz C-Class 200 CGI Elegance Road Test

Green and clean fuels seem to be the mantra these days. Bio-fuels, hybrids and electric cars are what car manufacturers are leaning towards. The development costs of these technologies are high and ... read more

Fiat Grande Punto 1.2 Emotion Road Test

Fiat launched the Grande Punto in June last year with three engine variants— 1.2 and 1.4-litre petrol and the 1.3-litre multijet diesel engine. The 1.2-litre at that time was only being offered in a ... read more

Tata Indica Vista Aura + Safire BS-III Road Test

Tata Motors have been advertising rather heavily for their ‘freshened’ up Indica Vista over the last few weeks and have been asking everyone to go and surprise themselves on their website in a fun ... read more

Audi A4 3.0 TDI quattro Road Test

Audi has been steadily launching all their models in India and are ensuring that the Indian consumer gets the very latest as soon as will allow. Okay, so one does tend to wait a couple of months for ... read more

Volkswagen Jetta 2.0L TDI Comfortline Road Test

We've always been a fan of the VW Jetta diesel ever since the day we got behind the wheel of one. However we were really smitten when we spent a little more quality time with the car when it became ... read more

Volkswagen Passat 1.8L TSI Road Test

Volkswagen has been on a car-launch spree and this formidable German auto-giant has launched four new cars since December 2009, and has now updated its existing models – the Passat and the Jetta with ... read more

Toyota Prius 1.8 Z3 Road Test

The Prius is the second ‘real’ hybrid to make it to our shores after Honda’s Civic Hybrid. The Prius has also been possibly the one real success story in the world of Hybrids and has adorned many a ... read more

Skoda Laura 2009 Elegance 2.0 TDI CR AT Road Test

Since the Bharat-Stage IV norms were implemented across thirteen major Indian cities earlier this year in April 2010, all the auto makers had to tweak their engines to comply with the new emission ... read more

Skoda Superb 2009 1.8 TSI MT Road Test

The Superb was already available with the 1.8-litre turbo charged petrol engine which churns out 160bhp of power through its seven-speed DSG transmission. ... read more

Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 Coupe Road Test

The Mercedes-Benz E-Coupe made its official arrival on the Indian shores on the 8th of April, 2010. A few years ago, who would have thought that India would get a variety of coupes in 2010 – for the ... read more

Maruti Suzuki Wagon R 1.0 Road Test

It has been over ten years since Maruti launched the first of the tall boy’s in the Indian market and although the car has had an excellent run so far, it has become slightly long in the tooth. So in ... read more

Volkswagen Polo Road Test

Well folks, the much awaited Volkswagen Polo is finally here! Manufactured in our very own country at VW’s large facility in Chakan, Maharashtra which can currently churn out 110,000 cars ... read more

Ford Figo Road Test

Ford began its real innings in India just over a decade ago with its Ikon, which was launched in the last quarter of 1999. (We’re not counting the Escort here, which was a product of the ... read more

Maruti Suzuki Swift Road Test

Cars from the Maruti Suzuki stable need no introduction. Except for a few, India’s largest carmaker has been able to capture a sizeable chunk of each segment it’s entered – if not lead it! A Maruti ... read more

Nissan Teana Road Test

Nissan has been successful with its cars worldwide but the company hasn’t quite been that successful in the Indian market as yet. This Japanese manufacturer is now quite serious, what with the iconic ... read more

Chevrolet Cruze Road Test

GM India intends to change the perspective of the Indian consumers by setting up Chevrolet as a young brand. The Cruze is the first one with the distinct new Chevrolet ... read more

Chevrolet Beat Road Test

General Motors in India really does seem to be on quite a roll with their new 300 series cars! Just a couple of months ago, they launched the Cruze (the J300) and ... read more

Hyundai i20 Road Test

Hyundai has hit it off fairly well with its new range of products, the 'i' series. The i10 was essentially a replacement for the Santro, and the i20 does the same with the Getz. Hyundai hasn't been ... read more

Tata Indigo Manza Road Test

With the Indigo getting rather old in the tooth in the face of more modern competition, Tata Motors has finally launched a replacement for the car. Despite a few facelifts post its 2002 launch, not ... read more

Volkswagen Beetle 2.0 AT Road Test

The date December 04, 2009 will remain etched in minds of Beetle lovers in the country. It was on this day when the ‘New Beetle’ drove into the Indian roads – almost 70 years (1938) since the birth ... read more

Fiat Grande Punto 1.4 Emotion Pack Road Test

The Grande Punto is the third generation of the Punto (internal name Project 199) that was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2005. The Grande Punto however ... read more

Tata Sumo Grande MK II GX Road Test

The Tata Sumo was a runaway success when it was launched in 1994 and although it had many niggling problems in the early years, Tata went about ... read more

Mahindra-Renault Logan Play 1.5 DLX Road Test

Think Renault, think of the turbo era in Formula 1. Renault was the pioneer of the turbo era in Formula 1 which began in 1977 and lastes till 1988 with 1.5-litre engines ... read more

Mahindra Scorpio VLX 2.2 mHawk BS-IV Road Test

Mahindra has always made tough vehicles that can slug it out with the best on India's at-best patchy roads. The Scorpio took Mahindra from ... read more

Premier Rio Lx Road Test

The Rio marks Premier's comeback in the passenger car segment after many years. The last passenger cars which Premier sold in India were the Fiat range - the Uno and Siena, after which Fiat set up ... read more

Audi A8 4.2L quattro Road Test

There's something evocative about V8 engines. Sure, there's the contingent that will argue that a turbocharged 'six' will do much better on the performance ... read more

Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 MIVEC Road Test

The Mitsubishi Outlander, earlier known as the Mitsubishi Airtrek, first came into production in Japan in 2001. This SUV was unveiled for ... read more

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Road Test

The E350 Avantgarde (W212) is the latest generation of the Mercedes Benz E-Class which began its journey with the 170 V in 1947. The widely sold ones in the E-Class ... read more

Mitsubishi Cedia New Sports Road Test

Mitsubishi Motors is best known for its Lancer range of sedans, most notably the 'Evolution' range which were developed under the harsh conditions of the World ... read more

Skoda Laura 2009 Road Test

With its 10/10 campaign Skoda has got many eyes focused on its Laura. After launching its premium model the Superb, the Czech-based company has launched its new Laura (which is sold worldwide as the ... read more

Fiat Linea Road Test

Fiat has been in India for a long time. We had the Millicentos, what are commonly known as 'dukkar' Fiats, the ubiquitous Padmini, and the Uno. It was in 2001 that the Palio wowed the ... read more

Honda Civic 1.8V MT Road Test

The eighth generation of the Honda Civic entered the Indian car market in July 2006. The Civic has been a popular car due to its sporty looks and the Civic Type R, the high performance ... read more

Honda Jazz Active Road Test

Honda Siel Cars India have always had a presence at the premium end of the market. They started off small, with the City, but soon moved on to bigger things and never looked back. However, in today's ... read more

Ford Endeavour Road Test

SUVs in India are a strange breed. You can have the true mudplugger, but don't expect much by way of creature comforts. If it has good on-road manners, forget about off-road prowess. If it's ... read more

Toyota Fortuner 3.0 MT Road Test

The Fortuner has been in the offing for a number of years now, and many customers have been eagerly awaiting the launch of this SUV from Toyota. And why not - after all, it has for brethren the ... read more

Skoda Fabia Road Test

In the beginning, 'hatchback' was a term used for car buyers at the bottom of the pecking order. They got them either because they were on a tight budget, or didn't have enough parking space for a ... read more

Tata Xenon XT EX 4x4 Road Test

Tata has been the pioneer of Indian pickup trucks. The Tatamobile 206 was introduced a couple of decades ago. India's first pick-up was practical but lacked power steering, had no driver assist, hard ... read more

Mercedes-Benz E-Class 280 CDI Elegance Road Test

Exclusivity has a charm of its own. Produce anything in limited numbers, and the value of the product will increase, thanks to demand. Mercedes-Benz India has just launched a special edition E-Class ... read more

Audi Q7 3.0 TDI quattro Road Test

"So," I said to Vrushali, our photographer, trying my best to be an Indian James Bond as the Q7 hurtled down the road. "This must be your first time at 200kph, no?" "Yes," she replied dully. ... read more

Honda Civic Hybrid CVT Road Test

Today's world demands more from every person. More marks when you're in school, more fees for better courses, and more work for more pay, so you can have a retirement plan with ... read more

Mercedes-Benz C-Class 230 Avantgarde Road Test

The sound a car makes can make a fan out of the unbeliever. There have been times when I've heard a loud car while walking the streets of Mumbai and have stopped, ... read more

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Zxi BS-IV Road Test

"And now to see if I was wrong." That was the first thought that ran through my head when I collected the Ritz petrol ZXi for our road-test. You see, I wasn't too impressed with the engine when I had ... read more

Fiat Grande Punto Road Test

Fiat's been around a while - we know that. They make brilliant cars - we've found that out time and again. They still haven't cracked the code for India yet, but they're certainly making a big effort ... read more

Volkswagen Jetta TDI 1.9 Comfortline Road Test

The Great White has left the building, ladies and gentlemen, and has left a hole in our hearts. Volkswagen let us have a Jetta for a fuel-efficiency run, and it ended up spending two months with ... read more

Honda Jazz Road Test

Honda Siel Cars India has built up a reputation for building cars that people want. They began with the City, and moved on to the Accord and then the Civic. They've set their sights on bigger numbers ... read more

Skoda Superb 2009 Road Test

Superlatives are something we reserve for things that exceed our expectations. Things that pleasantly shock us, and make us go "I want one of those". We certainly thought that when we saw the first ... read more

Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML 350 CDI Road Test

"Go to the address mentioned on the slip, we have an account there," said Mr. Thomas of Mercedes-Benz while handing over the M-Class. "We always fill up our cars and hand them over to ... read more

Maruti Suzuki Ritz Road Test

Maruti knows how to make and market a small car. They've got something for everyone's tastes. Want the world's cheapest car, bar the Nano? They've got it. Want one of the most fuel-efficient ... read more

Audi A4 3.2 FSI quattro Road Test

The children in my neighborhood didn't like me until a short while ago. You see, we fight for space, just like any species in an ecosystem. I am the 'uncle' who brings a lot of different cars home ... read more

Mercedes-Benz SL 63 AMG Road Test

Have you ever had your beliefs proven wrong? Not petty beliefs like the one that tells you the grass is always greener on the neighbour's lawn, but more like listening to Copernicus tell you that ... read more

Mahindra Xylo Road Test

We're enthusiasts, here at CarWale. We like our cars small, light and with an extra dollop of power. We love to go around corners, feeling the road from the seat of our pants and our fingertips. The ... read more

Tata Nano Road Test

With the unveiling of the much awaited small car from Tata earlier this evening, the Nano has had more hype and attention from the world media than any other Indian carmaker in the past. When Mr. ... read more

Honda CR-V 2007 2.4 AT Road Test

We have an enthusiast in the office. Tell him about Lamborghinis and Ferraris, and he'll nod and smile. Ask him about a Jeep, though, and he'll ask you what year the model is, ... read more

Mercedes-Benz C-Class 200 K Elegance AT Road Test

Janis Joplin sang about a Mercedes-Benz two days before she died. It wasn't her last wish, but she did pass over the Porsches for the Merc. For many in India, ... read more

Ford Ikon 1.4 DuraTorq TDCi Road Test

Once upon a time, diesels were sluggish, noisy and needed deep pockets to maintain. The Ikon did have a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated diesel under its hood at one point (a carry over from the Escort), ... read more

Fiat 500 Lounge Road Test

Have you ever watched The Italian Job? Not the recent flick with Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron, but the original British one with Michael Caine's patois urging everyone to hurry in mighty ... read more

Toyota Corolla Altis Road Test

What's the highest-selling car in the world? It isn's a small hatchback like you would've imagined, but it is Japanese. If Wikipedia is to be believed, a Corolla has been sold every orty seconds. ... read more

Tata Indigo CS LS DiCOR Road Test

Once upon a time, there were two distinct segments: the lowly hatchbacks and the high-and-mighty sedans. If you had arrived in life, four wheels alone wouldn't do the trick. You needed a boot to ... read more

Ford Fiesta 1.4 ZXi TDCi Road Test

Everyone and their uncle is now looking at buying a diesel car, because the low cost of the fuel and the better efficiency makes you happy every time you see the price of petrol at the ... read more

Honda City 2008 1.5 S AT Road Test

While the first-generation City established itself as the benchmark in the late nineties and set the pace for Honda cars in India, the second-generation City wowed all the performance ... read more

Fiat Palio Stile 1.1 SLX Road Test

No one does it quite like the Italians do – the Japs and the Koreans may make them cheaper, and the Germans have their bulletproof reliability ... read more

Ford Fiesta 1.6 S Road Test

One hundred years is a long time. Of course, a hundred years is a blink of an eye to climatic conditions like an Ice Age, ... read more

Tata Indica Vista Aura 1.3 Quadrajet Road Test

In the beginning there was a dream. A dream by a man with the vision to give us Indians a car with the seating comfort of an Ambassador for five people ... read more

Hyundai Sonata Embera 2.0 CRDi Road Test

Hyundai Motor India Limited isn't known for its large cars; they're a trusted name for small, efficient cars that are ... read more

Volvo S80 V8 AWD Road Test

The Americans are the world's biggest fans of the V8 engine - think Corvettes, Mustangs, Firebirds, Challengers or even Saleen S7s that growl ... read more

Volkswagen Jetta Road Test

Volkswagen has been a late entrant to the Indian market, but now that it is here, it seems to have a single-minded mission: take over. ... read more

Toyota Corolla Altis First Drive

The Indian consumer today, is a world-citizen and demands the very latest in products. Little wonder then, that Honda's rather fresh ... read more

Volkswagen Jetta First Drive

Jet streams are high-altitude winds that can blow in excess of 160kph. On the Beaufort scale, winds that blow at those speeds ... read more

Volkswagen Passat Road Test

Coming from this very illustrious city, Volkswagen Passat is quite an inspirational car, in every sense you can think of. ... read more

Mahindra Scorpio mHawk

I am still thinking how to start this road-test review to keep you glued. And I am not doing all that well at that. What instantly popped ... read more

Skoda Fabia 1.4TDI Road Test

"Get up, Rohan, we've got to move. It's five already" I rang him up. "You're just being like my mom there. you're an insomniac, that's ... read more

Tata Sumo Grande Road Test

We're all a bunch of ludicrous blokes and it was proved by rather a good measure when the very car in question ... read more

Mahindra Logan Road Test

It was branded Dacia and Carlos Ghosn was the man behind the success of Logan - a car that was hailed as one of the ... read more

Hyundai i10 Road Test

Shahrukh Khan sells. Always. And the fact that it was him who was at the axis of all the hype and hoopla surrounding Hyundai's i10, will only help matters. ... read more

Chevy Spark Road Test

The Chevrolet Spark is a car that I did not want to like. Primarily because I have always been in love with the Daewoo Matiz, and didn't think that ... read more

Tata Safari DiCOR 2.2 Road Test

Scratch my head. Flip through the pages. Yawn. Search the WWW. Scratch my head some more. ...read more

AUDI A4 2.0 TDI Road Test

Home. Yes, I-am-going to-be-at-home. Yipee! Dad, mom, good food... wow!What a perfect picture which, one would say, cannot get better. ...read more

BMW 320d Road Test

Ogre to Angel - "You are here, not to merely survive. You are here, to live. Live it to the max. " There are two persons inside everyone. ...read more

Ford Endeavour TDCi Road Test

You know, I hate rains. 'Detest' is more like it. And in this part of our country, it is more of a heavy downpour. ...read more

Hyundai Getz Prime Road Test

Hyundai Getz Prime 1.1. It is a good car this, I would have said, and gotten over with the road-test review. ...read more

Ford Fusion Diesel TDCi Road Test

'Dieselisation' of India has been the mantra this year and a quite a few launches have been that of diesel powered cars. ...read more

Hyundai Tucson Road Test

Appealing and bestial, both in form and performance. The Hyundai Tucson is a clever example of engineering potential ...read more

Chevy Optra Magnum Road Test

Motoring journos are a mad bunch of people. Whenever a car gets launched, no matter how good it is said to be, ...read more

Maruti SX4 Road Test

"MEN ARE BACK" the tag line hits you in the face. Agreed, the SX4 looks macho and aggressive when viewed from some angles. Also agreed that it is perfect for ...read more
 

Other Test Reports

Tata Nano (People's car) Preview

Seldom do we see cars that rewrite the history books even before they are seen running around on the roads. And hardly ever do we see cars that vow to put the nation on four wheels. The Tata Nano is one such car - a car that has been in the news for quite a few years, for reasons good and evil. Nano is a car which has breathed into life due to one man... read full review

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