CarWale Trackday 2019: Hatchbacks, SUVs, and Supercars

Introduction

Welcome to CarWale’s track day! We are in our third year, and like the previous years, we again have a fine selection of cars for you. I know that’s not very modest, but hey! It’s our show.

So, we have a few affordable hatchbacks; we have some fast sedans; and because we are a country that absolutely loves SUVs, we have a couple of those as well. And, of course, we have something special. Let’s make that three, actually!

The Tests

So, what do we intend doing with these cars? Well, since we are on a race track, lap times are a given. After all, nothing screams ultimate dynamic ability as loud as a fast lap time. 

We have also added the 0-100-0 test to our arsenal this year. It’s a simple test. Accelerate as hard as possible to 100kmph, and then stand on the brakes until the car is back to a standstill. It will reveal the true horsepower heroes in the bunch, and how well their brakes and tyres can cope with that. It should also allow us to take bets on which car would set a fast lap time, and which won’t. 

But, that’s not all. We do have humans involved in this game, after all. And so, we will also rate the cars on steering feel, chassis balance, and brake feel. These are three things – apart from sheer horsepower - that should help towards setting a good lap time.

The Cars

The idea here is to put a bunch of new cars through the grind. And, just so they remain humble, we have brought a yard stick along as well. So, in the SUV class, we have the Mahindra XUV300, with the Tata Nexon playing the yardstick. 

Among hatchbacks, there’s the new Swift. And what better car to pit it against than the go-faster Tata Tiago JTP. Then we have the Honda Civic in the sedan class alongside the Skoda Octavia. Now, while the hatchbacks and SUVs are petrol powered, these D-Segment sedans are powered by diesel. 

But, what fun is a track day without some mad and powerful cars. And it’s here that our ‘specials’ make an appearance. 

In the mad category, we have the Volkswagen Vento Race car.  It looks like your road going car, and in many ways it is quite similar to the latter as well. But, it is powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine that makes around 240bhp. It should be a hoot on the circuit.

Then we have two AMGs. 

One makes close to 550 horsepower, is all wheel drive, and apart from its gorgeous exhaust note, there’s nothing that will prevent you from driving the Mercedes E63 AMG to wherever the roads may lead.

We are not sure you can do the same with the other AMG here, not with its low chin. But, it still sounds lovely. And, it looks so much cooler; especially if you drop that top. Plus, it is rear wheel drive. Which means, there’s loads of laughs to be had if you are brave enough to swing its tail around. 

To know how the Mercedes AMG GT Roadster did at the Madras Motorsport Race Track, as well as all the other cars mentioned here, head over to our reviews section.