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FACTS AND FIGURES. THE dull but impressive conversation killers that completely define this latest Toyota Prius are nevertheless very appealing to your inner nerd. The most important two you need to know are that it can now manage 25.6kpl and splutter out a mere 89g/km of carbon dioxide. Or 25kpl and 92g/km in the top-spec model on account of the bigger, 17-inch wheels. Even more impressively, the former figures stay exactly the same on the urban cycle thanks to the electric hybrid system.
This all-new Prius is more about evolution, so anyone expecting the sort of giant leap there was between the first and second generation will be disappointed. Everything is generally better, but it uses largely the same kinds of tech to achieve those marketing-friendly figures. So there’s still the basic architecture of a petrol engine, an electric motor and a battery. Optional items such as remote-start air–conditioning combined with solar panels in the roof to keep the ventilation going when you park it up are not available for India, yet.
But don’t think evolution is Toyota code for windows dressing. If there’s a part that could be improved, it has been. The battery voltage has been increased to 650V from 500V, because higher voltage equals fewer amps, which means less heat loss through the cables. The battery has been reduced in size, 90 per cent of the hybrid system is new, there’s even a valve in the exhaust which channels heat more directly back into the engine coolant to make everything reach optimum operating temperature faster.
More obvious news is that the Prius now has a new 1.8-litre engine, which has boosted outright power to 134bhp. Not a figure that will take you to super car league, but the extra oomph makes motorway cruising much more relaxing because the engine isn’t buzzing quite so extravagantly. It also means that fuel economy should be significantly better on longer, higher-speed journeys. Or so goes the theory anyway. We weren’t being careful with the throttle, admittedly, but we only averaged 18.9kpl. This is pretty similar to the current crop of economically minded conventional diesels. And this extra power begs a question- if the Prius is all about fuel economy, why bother tweaking the power levels at all? Compared to the last car, power is up by 24 per cent, but fuel economy is only improved by 10 per cent and emissions by 14 per cent. The latter two figures are heading in the right direction, but it makes you wonder how much better they might have been id Toyota haven’t chased the bhp.
There are now three driving modes, Eco, Power and electric-only EV, and it’s seriously easy to chop between the three- there’s a set of buttons just by the fly-by-wire CVT gear stick. ‘Power’ does just that, and makes the throttle less restrictive so it’s much easier to overtake. It’s no diesel for in-gear punch, but the Prius does at least do overtaking now without feeling like you’re trying to make it explode. As with the last Prius, the electric motor lends a torque-laden hand with accelerative duties and then when you brake, reverses itself, acts as a generator and charges the battery.
The ‘Eco’ mode makes it feel like you’ve got tennis ball lodged under the accelerator, but it does encourage you to be more gentle. The electric-only operation is far too short lived when you drive off at traffic lights in either ‘EV’ or ‘Eco’, so do anything but breathe on the accelerator and the Prius beeps to tell you’re accelerating too hard and reverts back to petrol and electric combination. Strangely, road noise is far too intrusive in the Prius, although wind noise is not quite as bad. Oh, the steering feels dead, but that’s probably not a particular Prius priority. At least the ride is comfortable enough, whether you’re on the 17-inch wheels or the 15s.
Weirdly, for the former, you can’t have the solar roof anyways. Weight and centre of gravity issues apparently. Also, the solar panels don’t take too kindly to Indian weather conditions. Mind you, it’s a mighty expensive option anyway so will probably be limited to the even more rich eco-warriors. What you will get is a head-up display and a generally smart interior-the cabin is seriously practical and the central dash looks good. There’s also the usual smattering of clever and slightly patronizing screens telling you how well, and economically, you’re driving.
Eco warriors with knowledge medals pinned to their hair shirts had started to worry about the whole life costs of the previous Prius, how much damage was being done to the environment in the making and shipping. Toyota is now careful to stress how much of the Prius can be recycled, including 95 per cent of the battery, how it’s using far cleaner energy sources at the factory in Japan and that is now uses quite a few plant-based plastics in the car. There are still worries about where the nickel in the battery comes from, but steel/iron has to the dug out of the ground as well, so ‘normal’ cars are not all that different.
So Prius is good then. It almost makes you feel like you might be helping the environment a little bit just by driving it. The last-gen model had started to lose that feel –good sheen, but with this version the polish returns. Not totally ghilt-free motoring, but closer than ever before.
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I APPROACHED THE AUDI R8 SPYDER as I would approach my dream car. It’s gorgeous, dramatic, and bonkers-fast. The roof folds for summer. The roof comes up again for winter, and Quattro drive hooks all that power onto a slippery road. Being an R8, it’s both epic and ordinary in perfect combination. It’s quiet when you need it to be. It handles commuting and motorways as well as mountain passes. But it turns out it’s useless. Not bad Which is strange because the original R8 coupe is one of the most useful super cars in history. You can have that coupe for thrills, and for every day. But there’s one crucial detail that hobbles the spyder as an everyday car. Where an R8 coupe has a handy space behind the seats, in the spyder that space use to store the folder roof. All that remains is the front boot, which, as with all R8s, is the size of a lunchbox.
So while the spyder is on paper a elatively trifling eight percent, or £8,690 (Rs 5 lakh), more expensive than the coupe, in practice you could also need to add the cost of forwarding your luggage. Since as an R8 Spyder buyer you will need to be so financially well-upholstered, you will think nothing of forking out for tow more cylinders. So Audi doesn’t give you the choice and the spyder is, for the time being at least, available only with the V10 and not the V8. And standard all-LED headlamps, magnetic ride, Bang and Olufsen hi-fi, and Bluetooth phone microphones embedded in the seatbelt fabric so that- even at big speed roof-down You can phone your man in the S3 and tell him where to meet with the fresh undies. And what a time you will be having en route to the rendezvous. We have already written thousands of words on the subject of our near boundless love for the R8 V10. And now here’s a convertible, with all the advantages it confers. A convertible is when you can’t go very fast and want to enjoy the agreeable scenery and weather. A convertible is also more dramatic looking. The absence of a roof makes a low and wide car even lower and, in consequence, wider-looking. And you hear that engine all the better.
Somewhere between a pair of TT RS straight- fives and a formula One V10, it’s a noise you just can’t get enough of . There is heaps of torque too, delivered so nonchalantly that at first it’s easy to miss how fast this car is. I kept shifting up at 6,000rpm. I had to remind myself to take it to 8,700. And in the region between those numbers, this thing is brutally fast. Oh yes, it’s 100kg more than the coupe, so 0-100 takes just over four seconds rather than just under, but roof-down the spyder’s extra rush and noise makes it feel the more madly rapid. The R-tronic single-clutch flappy-paddle gearbox is another £5,200 (Rs 3lakh). However much money you have got. I urge you not to tick that box. The manual is simply delicious, and doesn’t make silly decisions. The R-tronic does-for instance, it changes down automatically as you approach a stop. Now imagine you decide it’s time to go from third to second. If the moment you pull the paddle coincides with moment it decides to shift combine to land you in first, and suddenly the car stands on its nose.
All the R 10’s grip and traction are there. You can go at face bending rates, and the R8 helps you out. But something here has been lost. The steering remains progressive and confident, but a vital portion of the coupe’s feedback and involvement has gone AWOL. It’s sorely missed. The engineers say it’s the extra weight that’s to blame. There was always a spyder in the R8 plan. So I’m surprised by this marginal loss of finesse. I’m also surprised that the cockpit is actually pretty blustery at motorway speed- an MX-5 is far better in both respects. So I came away from this drive feeling that the spyder was a mild disappointment. Sorry. But then I would set it such a high bar. I wanted it to be more special then the basic R8 V8 manual, and while it is in some ways, in others it’s lost something. But you need to know two things to put that verdict in proper context. First I drove it on a day of relentlessly grey sky and cold wind. And secondly, I think that a basic R8 is already miraculously special.

IT’S GOT ONE OF THE BEST interiors in the business. What joy to sit here, gazing at the magically animated virtual instruments, or at the vents and clock sitting on the dash like a little bowl of fruit, the soft hides with their nearly plush stitching, the structural – looking wood, the dreamy blue illumination. The sense of occasion, and yes, even of humor. Which is all very well, but cars are for driving. How about if it was as good moving as it is standing still?
Snap judgment says that idea is pure fantasy. I just got picked up in one. Here is central Paris the traffic’s bad and there are three of us so I flop into in the back. Within 50 yards I get irked. This is another of those big saloons where they have firmed up the ride because it’s supposed to be sporty. Idiotic, I am thinking. If you want a sporting car, don’t buy a big saloon. Still, while I am back here, might as well make myself at home. There’s loads of room to stretch (it’s long wheel base) and I’ve just jumped in from a journey on particularly chilly public transport. I set the bum-warmer to stun, wind up the temperature of the rear vents and jet them in mine direction. The B&W stereo is beyond extraordinary. The rear seats cares my weary form, even though they aren’t actually very softly padded as they are hollowed out to give plenty of headroom in this swoopy car. Parisians are staring gobsmacked at it, and peering in at me having made the understandable but incorrect deduction that I must really be someone.
As speed builds, I decide the ride isn’t such an issue. It never goes smooth, no, but neither does it get worse. More important, there’s no shake or shudder, barely any impact noise, no sharpness as it hits bumps or aftershocks when they’re passed. And let’s cut to the chase here. The reward for this controlled tautness is that this Jag, big though it is, behaves remarkably like a not big car. Out of the city I’ve taken to the wheel. And it’s now spearing down a decidedly difficult stretch of road. The camber is uneven and the surface has been patched-up more often then a footballer’s marriage.
The Jag doesn’t care. It stays level, and there’s no fight from the steering, As the road starts to curve and then twist and then corkscrew and then hairpin, the car just stays with it, When big car try to be sporty, usually this is where it all goes to pieces. Some of them might have all sorts of fancy active suspensions that do keep them on the road all right, but things just go into lockdown: harsh damping and shuddering bodywork and a burgeoning sense of the absurdity of it all. The XJ on the other hand stays fluent and agile. It feels all perfectly natural, like it’s not pulling any special tricks though it definitely must be . If a car doesn’t weigh like a lardy limo, it’s less likely to drive like one. And, sure enough, the XJ is about 150kg lighter than the mainstream German opposition. Not to mention lighter than the smaller XF. Couple this pie-avoiding bodyweight with a rather magnificent set of engines and the good news keep on coming.
This is the naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8, the one that came to the XJ and XF last year, with 385bhp and cam-profile switching and direct injection and all sorts of techno goodness. It’s and imperial thing . The torque is marvelous, delivered good and early to the tune of a lovely pillowy V8 exhaust. Squeeze higher up the revs and it doesn’t flinch. It does 0-100 in 5.7 seconds, and overtaking is mighty. Still not enough? Well there’s a 510bhp supercharged one over and above that the most excellent engine out of the XFR and XJR. Then the 275bhp V6D. It’s staggeringly quiet for a diesel. As smooth as that wonderful V8 petrol? But given fact it has torque to spare, hits 100 in 6.4 secs, 250kph and makes 15kpl in the official tests, you can see why this will be the one everyone buys.
We end this trip with a motorway haul and a return to the city centre, because with a car in this class these are lines one and two of the job description- honing about in the countryside will, sadly, never be more than a delightful side project. At big, straight line speed the XJ is at least as quiet as it needs to be, and has a lovely effortless subtlety to its steering that makes it easy to guide it almost subconsciously within its lane. In town you sure notice its bigness, but the swish progression of the throttle and brakes both help lubricate your way through the traffic.
So it’s easy to drive, slowly or ruddy and quickly. But it doesn’t drive itself. This might be an advanced car especially its engines, body construction and those cabin screens- but it faces opposition that field slots of stuff it does without: active four wheel steering and see in the dark and steer between dotted lines and brake when you don’t have the gumption to. The Jag’s technology is there to serve you, not to replace you. The XJ is as brilliant going as it is stopped.

IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS since we have been introduced to Audi’s mega SUV , the Q7, and just when we thought we were getting used to its massive presence and humongous grille they have gone ahead and did their little LED light show with it making our jaws drop again in amazement. There simply isn’t any other SUV that can match up the Q7’s presence and now with the latest addition to their line up of engine variants, there will be none to compare to the power its packs either. Introducing the 4.2 litre , V8, turbo diesel motor that can literally blow your socks off.

Extremely this Q7 remains the same with a generous helping of LED lights, but walk around to the back and there’s small badge which reads 4.2 TDi and another one on the door still claiming it’s from the S-line. Getting in and out from Q7 is as easy as any car you can think of and the array of switches and settings at your disposal makes sure you don’t have to strain a single muscle . The new third generation MMI system, which we first saw on the Q5, is also pretty easy to use although given all the functions it controls, you will need to spend few minutes figuring out the layout. This V8 powered Q7 also uses a six-speed tiptronic box with options for selecting gears manually and a ‘sport’ mode. However leave it in D and drive around the city and you would never know there are 340 horses waiting to be unleashed, till you make a visit to the fuel bunk that is. However, being a diesel, the more impressive bit is the fact that it produces a full 760Nm of earth wrinkling torque.

Find an open bit of road, slot the gear selector into manual or sport, as you prefer, and lay your right foot flat on the floor . The two-and –half tonne Q7 will launch itself to record a shattering 6.5 second burst to the 100kph mark and then carry on well past twice that speed and the only way you will know this is by looking down at the speedo. The car remains so composed that you just don’t realize you are doing so much serious speeds. The Q7 is pretty handy on a twisty bit of road as well, as long as its wide enough for it to navigate through, although you do become aware of its five-metre length if you try and push too hard. But then again, with four leather wrapped cozy seats, a refrigerator, climate control for each person, a sunroof that extends over the length of the car and an outstanding Bang and Olufsen sound system you will barely ever need to exercise those three- hundred plus horses. The only bit you can really point your finger at and complain about are the third row seats, which seem fit only for caged animals and are best kept folded.
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THE STAKES ARE HIGH ON the Micra which can be a make it or break it model for Nissan in India . Up until now Nissan has only been a niche player in the country with limited offerings .After a long wait, and a number of sketches later- we know what the Micra will look like . The fourth generation Micra is more of an evolution of the last generation car, which has grown marginally in length but retains the same general shape . Nissan plans to sell the car in 160 different markets worldwide, so getting the looks right will play a crucial role translating it into a sales success.

The Micra is based on Nissan’s global small car platform called “V”. This platform can spawn three body types : a sedan and a mini MPV. So we can expect  the Micra to get a salon variant shortly – and  perhaps a larger hatch. At launch the car will come with two engines a petrol and  a diesel . The petrol version includes a brand new 1.2 litre three cylinder  unit producing 78bhp and 108Nm of torque. A supercharged direct injection  1.2 litre engine offered in Europe might also make its way to India a few months later. There is also a possibility that this sportier unit might be reserved for the small sedan, which will be developed on the same platform as the Micra and make its world debut next year. Two transmissions will be offered a five speed manual and a CVT. Nissan hasn’t given details about the diesel power plant but expect a 1.2 litre three  cylinder engine there too.

The curvaceous look has been carried to the interior as  well. Once you’ re seated in the car its hard to miss the big old style telephone rotary dial that houses the temperature controls. The top end variant will have all the safety gadgetry such as ABS and Airbags, and security gizmos such as keyless entry with a cool start/stop button on the dash. The car is expected to go into production by May this year in the Chennai plant and it will go on sale by july.

IT’S A GOOD THING VOLKSWAGEN did n’t bother with the Indian drive of the Polo until it announced the price. It’s something most manufactures are guilty of: they schedule media drives of fantastic cars – which we rave about- and announce the price just as the issue hits the stands. Which leaves most of us wondering whether the car is still fantastic at the stated price. Most do it. Not VW, whose run-up to the launch of the new Polo in India was as cautious as it could get. With good reason : VW is banking on this model to keep it afloat in the sea of competition till its budget car breaks cover sometime in 2011.
THE POLO MIGHT BE A good-looking hatch but there are always people looking for something different. For them Volkswagen has launched a crossover version that’s simply called the Cross Polo. The car stands even taller now and features a flat-black front bumper with integrated fog lights, large air intake, black skirts and 17-inch alloy wheels. The Cross Polo will be available in six engine derivatives, including a 105bhp 1.2 TSI and an 85bhp 1.4-litre unit. An 1.6 TDI diesel will also be available , in power configurations ranging from 90bhp to 105bhp. The diesel can also be had with a DSG transmission. Volkswagen has no immediate plans of getting this variant to our shores.
In terms of design and technology, the Polo does very well for itself. It’s arguably the best-looking car in VW’s Indian portfolio today. The look is rather understated, with a flat grille and clear-lens headlamps, which are the only things that differ form the European Polo. The parallel chromo grill garnish will go down well with most Indians as opposed to a black mesh one. There’s bit of VW’s massively good-looking sports coupe, the Siroccos, in the way the Polo looks upfront – with blacked-out headlamps as in the European Polo. The Polo will be available in two engine variants- a 1.2 petrol and a new 1.2 common-rail turbo diesel. Interestingly, both churn out around 75bhp at similar rpm. Further, both will be available in three trim levels- the basic Trend line, the middle-of-the-road comfort line, and the top-of-the-line Highline. The last named will include everything of consequence inside as standard , including airbags and ABS. The 1.2 turbo diesel engine is an all-new three-pot unit making its world debut in the Polo.

Despite a few chinks in the armor, the fact remains that the polo ticks all the right boxes for a premium hatch black. It ensures a good mix of driver and passenger comfort , a sophisticated design, and intelligent use of the right technologies. The build quality is robust and you can’t fault the fit and finish . And let’s fact it in most parts of India where the car will be sold, the VW badge does signify status.
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