Car Inclined.

16/05/2026

The first-generation Maruti WagonR was one of the earliest tallboy hatchbacks to gain massive acceptance in India, despite its unconventional design initially drawing mixed reactions. Built around practicality and ease of use, the WagonR offered exceptional headroom, a spacious cabin, flexible seating, and clever storage solutions within a compact footprint. Its lightweight construction, simple mechanicals, and reliable 1.1-litre F10D petrol engine made it an easy car to drive and maintain, while options like a 3-speed automatic gearbox, ABS, and airbags were quite uncommon in the segment back then. Over time, the WagonR evolved from an odd-looking hatchback into a trusted family car that became a familiar sight on Indian roads.

14/05/2026

The Fiat Palio 1.6 Sport represented the wild, enthusiast-focused side of the Palio lineup, combining aggressive styling with one of the most exciting engines seen in a hatchback of its era. Powered by a 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valve petrol engine producing around 100 bhp, the car was known for its strong mid-range punch and lively performance, made even more engaging by revised gearbox ratios tuned for better acceleration. Wide wheel arches, alloy wheels, and bold colours gave the Palio Sport a distinctive road presence, while its solid build and planted handling earned it a loyal enthusiast following. Though fuel efficiency and Fiat’s service network remained concerns, the Palio 1.6 Sport delivered a true hot hatch experience at a time when such cars were rare in India.

13/05/2026

The Tata Indigo Manza was Tata Motors’ serious attempt at cracking the compact sedan segment, positioned against rivals like the Maruti Dzire and Mahindra Renault Logan. Built on the stretched Indica Vista platform, the Manza focused heavily on comfort, space, and value, offering segment-leading rear seat room and a plush ride quality that made it particularly appealing as a chauffeur-driven sedan. While it wasn’t known for sharp handling, the roomy cabin, improved interior quality, and extensive feature list gave it a more premium feel compared to older Tata cars. Engine options included the Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre Multijet diesel and Tata’s 1.4-litre Safire petrol, both paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox. Comfortable, practical, and well-equipped for its time, the Manza became one of Tata’s most refined sedans of that era.

28/04/2026

25/04/2026

In 2002, Opel introduced a highly innovative marketing campaign by taking its cars directly to customers through a travelling “caravan” showroom, aimed at reaching semi-urban markets without dealership access. A massive 43-foot trailer carried and displayed models like the Opel Astra Club and Opel Corsa, converting into a full-fledged 3D stage using a hydraulic setup when stationary. This allowed potential buyers to experience the cars up close, creating strong brand awareness and buzz in regions that were otherwise untapped. Blending mobility with experiential marketing, the campaign stood out as a bold move that brought Opel’s premium offerings closer to customers in a way few brands had attempted at the time.

Footage courtesy : rcmindia @ YouTube

21/04/2026

The XUV500 created massive hype in 2011 by bringing a futuristic, feature-packed SUV experience to a price point Indian buyers had never seen before. As the country’s first indigenously developed monocoque SUV with a transverse engine layout, it offered a more refined, car-like drive, powered by a 2.2-litre mHawk engine paired with a 6-speed manual and optional AWD. Its bold “cheetah-inspired” design, premium-feeling cabin, and segment-first features like cruise control, automatic lights, BlueSense system, and six airbags made it feel years ahead of its time, redefining what buyers expected from a Mahindra SUV.

27/10/2022

𝘕𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘠𝟨𝟢 (𝟣𝟫𝟪𝟩 - 𝟣𝟫𝟫𝟩)

Nissan Patrol never managed to embed itself as its makers had hoped. It was not pretty, it certainly wasn't quick, and even in diesel-engined guise, particularly economical. With its boxy shape, the Patrol was not a favourite of the Barbour brigade, although its serious off road credentials were frequently put to the test.

Until the launch of the Patrol Y60 generation in late-1987, Nissan always played second fiddle to Toyota, which had its hugely popular Land Cruiser spearheading its four-wheel drive line-up. Hallmark of Patrol has become a decent level of comfort while maintaining excellent off-road qualities, thanks to which, in fact, this model has won respect all over the world.

The Y60 saw the introduction of coil spring suspension, five-link rear axle and rear disc brakes, while some models added a limited-slip differential, as well as vacuum operated rear differential locks. The Patrol was also branded as Safari in Japan. Interestingly, the Nissan Patrol Y60 was sold also by Ford in Australia as the 'Maverick.'

Body styles included a short wheelbase, long wheelbase wagon, cab-chassis ute and pick-up truck. The styling was of Y60 generation was quite American and boxy, and of course, size was one of the biggest strengths of Nissan Patrol. Interiors looked quite basic, but they were built to last. Model codes of GR and GQ were applied to LHD and RHD models respectively.

Top-end Ti grade had electric windows, electrically-adjustable ORVMs, central locking, rear air-con, 7-speaker audio system, alloy wheels, and automatic locking hubs. Two minor facelifts happened in between, one in 1992 and the other one in 1995. The 1992 update saw upgrades like revised transmission and suspension, bigger brakes. Limited slip differentials and auto-locking hubs were made standard.

Engine-wise, the Y60 Patrol had a variety of diesel engines : non-turbo and turbo-diesel, as well as a large-capacity six-cylinder petrol motor. A 3.0-litre petrol six joined the line-up in 1990 while 1995 saw the release of a 2.8-litre turbo diesel. The 4.2-litre TB42 inline-6 petrol generated 181bhp at 4400rpm and 320Nm at 3200rpm.

23/10/2022

𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗩𝗥𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗧 𝗔𝗩𝗘𝗢 - 𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗗𝗜𝗗 𝗜𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗜𝗟?

Chevrolet Aveo is a sad story in the Indian car scene. The sedan was launched with much hype in early-2006, but it turned out to be a market flop and died a slow, painful death. Aveo was doing reasonably good just after the launch, but then the excitement was not enough to call it as a success. Aveo, Optra and SRV are silently going extinct these days.

The Aveo had a dream launch. GM India had roped in Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee to endorse the brand. But I wonder if they have even driven it? It was available in two engine options : a 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre petrol. Both DOHC, four valvers with variable geometry induction system. The 1.4 was neither silky smooth nor sporty, the engine delivered power in a linear manner.

1.6 was same as the one used on Optra, but remapped for the Aveo and mated to a gearbox with different ratios. Again, not much 'brilliant!' to be frank. Despite the hydraulic mounts and extensive insulation this one felt rough and unrefined. It was set up for drivability with a flattish torque curve, not really exciting. Simply put, engines were not as quick or responsive as the Fiesta’s.

Speaking about the gearbox, it didn't even communicate with the engine. Soggy gearshift was a GM trademark. Ride was somewhat mushy and handling wasn't sharp. The Aveo disappointed with its chassis, with it uttering a slight but distinct creak over bad roads. City and Fiesta definitely had an edge over the Aveo as far as the chassis was concerned.

Aveo was more expensive than both Fiesta and Verna at one point of time, but with the extra money came more equipment. It offered dual airbags as standard safety equipment, which none of its competitors offered at that time. High-speed stability was great and the braking was impressive too, especially with ABS.

The Ford Fiesta 1.4, at the end of the day, was a better car in all aspects. Aveo wasn't the best car to choose from the C-Segment, it actually had no USPs compared to the competition. Perception of high maintenance cost, GM's poor service network and the not-so-exciting engine-gearbox combination did more harm than good.

21/10/2022

𝘛𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘰 𝘊𝘚 𝟤𝟢𝟢𝟪 - 𝟤𝟢𝟣𝟢)

The Indian government introduced legislation in 2006 to impose a lower excise duty on cars shorter than four meters in length powered by sub 1.2-litre petrol or 1.5-litre diesel engine options. If a car maker produced a vehicle that fitted the above criteria, that particular car model was eligible for lower excise duty.

While the plan was meant to promote the manufacture and use of small cars for avoiding congestion on roads, car manufacturers adapted to the regulation in an interesting way. Tata Motors was the first brand to adapt a sedan into the sub four-meter format with the Indigo CS.

Indigo CS was first unveiled at the Auto Expo in January 2008. 'CS' actually stood for Compact Sedan. It was introduced in four variants initially : GLE, GLS, LE and LS, priced at ₹ 3.8lakh, ₹ 4.0lakh, ₹ 4.2lakh and ₹ 4.5lakh ex-showroom respectively. The Indigo CS was a steal at that price. Yes, it was cheaper than hatchbacks like WagonR and Zen Estilo.

At one point of time, Indigo CS was marketed by Tata as the smallest sedan in the world. Inside the cabin, it had better-finished, improved quality of plastics compared to older iterations of Indigo. LE and LS had full-black interiors, rest of the variants used to have beige colour scheme instead. The 'T' shaped thin-ribbed steering wheel was awful to hold.

Due to heavy demands, Tata brought two more variants called GLX and LX to the Indigo CS range in September 2008. These variants had front and rear power windows, rear defogger, seatbelt warning alarm, leather-wrapped steering wheel, fabric upholstery and body-coloured ORVMs. The sedan was once again updated in 2009 with a modified front fascia, replacing its old Indica Xeta face.

Two diesel engine options were offered in the Indigo CS : a 1.4-litre TDI and a 1.4-litre DiCOR. The former produced 68bhp at 4500rpm and 135Nm at 2500rpm, mated with a 5-Speed manual gearbox. 1.4-litre DiCOR belted out 68bhp at 4000rpm and 140Nm in 1800-3000rpm range. Petrol version had the 1.2-litre four-cylinder motor from Indica Xeta producing 63bhp at 5000rpm and 100Nm at 2600rpm.

19/10/2022

𝘓𝘦𝘹𝘶𝘴 𝘓𝘟 𝟤𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘯 (𝟣𝟫𝟫𝟪 - 𝟤𝟢𝟢𝟩)

LX470, the flagship SUV of Lexus brand based on Toyota's Land Cruiser 100, debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in end-1997. This particular model was meant for the North American markets, however, there existed a version of the same car as 'Land Cruiser Cygnus' in Japan. Import car dealers in India took this as an advantage and did brisk business swapping LX470 badges on to regular Land Cruiser.

Both LX470 and LC100 Cygnus shared the same dimensions and body shape, the same 4.7-litre engines and the same all-wheel drive transmission with a locking center differential. Both looked identical to each other from outside except for the chrome trim around license plate slot and bigger 18-inch wheels.

Dominance of light beige leather and polished maple wood offered the cabin a richer esthesis. Selector of the transmission lever had no straight line, as was customary among the Japanese, but a stepped groove, which was more typical, say, for Mercedes. Active pneumohydraulic suspension systwm controlled shock absorber damping rates and ride height.

Steering mechanism used VGRS system, which changed the control algorithm. When maneuvering at low speed, the steering wheel was very light and sharp, the wheels turned completely in 2.5 turns. But at speed, the control got heavier, turning the wheels from lock to lock required 3.5 turns. It would seem that this is technically complex.

A rack and pinion mechanism was used here, its rotation was transmitted from the original steering shaft. The latter consisted of three parts : two shafts directly and a planetary gearbox in the middle, an electric motor and a blocker, designated VGRS. Depending on the driving modes, the electric motor drove planetary gearbox, which increased or decreases the angle of rotation of the wheels.

Powering the LX470 was a 4.7-litre V8 petrol engine, mated with a 4-Speed automatic ECT-i transmission. This engine churned out a peak power of 235bhp at 4800rpm and 434Nm of maximum torque at 3400rpm. The SUV underwent a cosmetic makeover in 2005. Chrome front grille, LED taillamps, and different design alloy wheels were introduced in this facelift.

30/06/2022

𝘏𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘪 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰 𝟣.𝟢 (𝟣𝟫𝟫𝟪 - 𝟤𝟢𝟢𝟢)

Hyundai stepped into the Indian car market at a time where consumers knew very little beyond Maruti. Launched in September 1998, the Santro with a promise of great build-quality and youthful interiors, used to be the class-leader among compact cars. Thanks to the aggressive strategies of Hyundai, the car was viewed as a great long-term investment by most of its users.

The Santro was derived from the Atos specifically for Indian market. It was launched in STD, DX 1 and DX 2 variants, priced at ₹ 3.0lakh, ₹3.5lakh and ₹ 3.7lakh ex-showroom respectively. The idea behind endorsing Shahrukh Khan as the brand ambassador of Santro was to establish the nameplate in our market and to add star value to the model.

When the car came out in 1998, we Indians weren't able to digest its design at first. The first-gen Santro wasn't a good-looking car for the truth to be told, tall taillamp cluster was the only saving grace. Boot space was commodious enough for a hatchback. Also, it was possible to accomodate three grown-up adults in the rear seat, but at the cost of comfort.

This Hyundai, brought many first-in-class features like power windows, rear defogger and wiper, central locking, fog lamps, etc to India's small car category. Unlike other hatchbacks available in the country back then, Santro had height-adjustable headrests and seatbelts for rear seat too. Santro's DX2 variant was India's first petrol-engined hatchback to get power steering.

The 1.0-litre four-cylinder 12V 'Epsilon' engine pumped out 55bhp at 5500rpm and 83Nm at 2500rpm, paired with a 5-Speed manual gearbox. Again, Santro was India's first hatchback with an MPFI engine controlled by 8-bit ECU. Engine-transmission combination had a fine balance and was well-suited for the city.

With short throws of gear lever, a delightfully sweet engine and a popping noise that accompanied every enthusiastic shift of the gear, the Santro was a nice car to drive. The hatchback featured an independent suspension at front, with McPherson strut and stabiliser bar, and a three-link rigid axle with coil springs and isolated trailing arms at the rear.