Weekly Wrap-up: We Drove Chevrolet Trailblazer, Abarth Punto Evo and Avventura; Compared Indias top Hot-hatches; Audi Launched S5 Sportback; Maruti Suzuki Baleno: The Complete CarDekho Compilation

This was one of the most eventful week we’ve had in quite a while, courtesy of the festive season and all the launches that follow it. The week was kicked off with the launch of Fiat Abarth Punto and Avventura and we compared India’s top Hot-hatches. Audi S5 Sportback was launched at Rs. 62.95 lacs and bookings for the Range Rover Evoque facelift opened. Chevrolet Trailblazer was launched at Rs. 26.4 lacs. With all these launches cropping up, it was all befitting that we got our hands on some of them. So, we drove Chevrolet Trailblazer, Abarth Punto Evo and Avventura and compiled a list of the 5 Ugliest Cars On this Planet! Lets check out what’s been happening this week.

Fiat Abarth Punto EVO and Avventura both Launched at Rs. 9.95 Lacs

Delhi: Fiat India has launched the Abarth Punto Evo and Avventura powered by Abarth, which happens to be its steroid infused hatchback and crossover. Both cars have been launched at a price tag of Rs. 9.95 lacs (ex-showroom, New Delhi) Powering these ‘Scorpion Stung’ cars is a 1.4-litre turbocharged T-Jet petrol unit that churns out 145 BHP in Abarth Punto and 140bhp in Avventura. Unlike its elder sibling, the 595 Competizione, the cars get a 5-speed manual transmission and hit the 100 kmph mark from a standstill in under 8.8 seconds (Punto) and 9.9 seconds (Avventura). Read More

Fiat Abarth Punto: Features and Picture Gallery

Jaipur: Fiat-Abarth has launched the most powerful vehicle falling in the sub-10 lac bracket in India. Until now, this country has not witnessed a vehicle featuring power close to 150 bhp and costs just a whisker short of 10 lacs. History has been made! Unlike the Abarth 595 Competizione, Abarth Punto is made in India and is priced very aggressively. So let us see what has changed over the stock Punto EVO along with the official photo gallery from Fiat India. Read More

Fiat Abarth Punto EVO vs Competition-Hot Hatches Compared

Jaipur: Hot hatches or low budget performance cars (at least for India) have been offered a couple of times before, but at that time there was a very small group of people that dared to own them. Certainly, because of the high initial cost and then the low fuel economy. Also, due to their rarity, they were very understated and only enthusiasts cared to know about them. A few to name are the Fiat Palio 1.6 and Ford Fiesta 1.6 S, both of these produced neat bhp outputs contradictory to what the competition offered at that time. Read More

Audi S5 Sportback Launched At Rs 62.95 lacs

Jaipur: Seeing the barrage of new car launches by its German counterparts, Audi has retorted back with the release of new performance oriented sedan for the Indian market. Christened as Audi S5 Sportsback, the car has been priced at Rs 62.95 lacs (ex-showroom, Delhi/Mumbai) and will land on the Indian shores via CBU route. Read More

Bookings Open for Range Rover Evoque Facelift

Range Rover Evoque facelift is now available for booking and is expected to be launched next month in the festive season. The facelifted version was revealed earlier this year with minor updates on the inside and on the outside. The compact SUV competes against the likes of BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60. Read More

Chevrolet Trailblazer Launched at Rs. 26.4 lacs

Jaipur: Chevrolet has launched its ‘mammoth’ SUV, Trailblazer today at a price tag of Rs. 26.4 lacs. This is Chevrolet’s second take at the premium SUV segment after Captiva and will be a CBU product initially. Powering this beast is a 2.8-litre Duramax engine that churns out class-leading 200 PS of power and 500 NM of torque which is around 30 PS/157 NM more than the segment leader- Toyota Fortuner. However, unlike the Fortuner, Trailblazer is only available with a 2WD setup and a 6-speed automatic transmission. Read More

Maruti Suzuki Baleno: The Complete CarDekho Compilation!

Jaipur: From a mid-size sedan to a premium hatchback, 'Baleno' nameplate has raised from the dead. The sedan’s design was not to everyone’s liking while Baleno is beautifully developed. The sedan didn’t stand out when it comes to features compared to the segment but Baleno is gloating with stuff and its Apple Car Play is an industry first in the country according to the automaker. On the flipside, it’s entire engine options are similar to that of the Swift, and Swift motors are agile. And the brand new platform has made Baleno shed nearly 100 kilos compared to the Swift so the same engine options might not bug you much. Having said that, it still leaves something to desire as the rivals have risen. Booked it? Planning to buy it? It is launching a day after, let us take a look at all the stuff we have covered on the Maruti Suzuki Baleno since its announcement. Also Read

Road Test

Fiat Abarth Punto & Avventura: First Drive

Fiat was the carmaker that gave India the very first taste of a hot hatch with its iconic Palio 1.6 GTX. Now post a decade and a half, the same carmaker has decided to take the hot-hatch legacy forward and satiate the hunger of the country’s car enthusiasts with its performance-oriented brand Abarth. While the 595 Competizione - the first Abarth that made its way to India, is an expensive preposition and out of reach for most of us, the Abarth Punto and Abarth-powered-Avventura comes as a delight for the auto enthusiasts those have been starving for a proper yet affordable manual hatchback. We got our hands on the newest Abarths in town, although for a very, very limited time. Read More

Chevrolet Trailblazer: Expert Review

Americans are known for their obsession with buffed up things. Let it be their decked up ‘beef’ burgers or their vehicles, size has always been their top most priority. I have grown up watching American daily soaps and due to my innate love for automobiles, I always researched the cars used in them. The Escalade was a popular one - that brute was all about pure SIZE, it still is. Chevrolet has carried the same legacy in their new SUV, the Trailblazer. But is it all about presence? Or is there more to this car than meets the eye? We find out. Read More

Feature Stories

5 Ugliest Cars On this Planet!

Cars are expression of one’s personality, but before they become your prized possession, they have to go through the imaginative minds of designers and engineers that put a lot of effort in their development. But, sometimes their imagination goes way too far and the products end up looking alienated rather than setting some design example. So here is a list of some car designs that ended up looking plain ugly. Read More

Superstars & Cars: We Bet You Never Knew These Stars Endorsed Your Cars!

Jaipur: There has been a sizable stigma surrounding purchase of a used car. Most prominent of which, happens to be the social unacceptance of a pre-owned vehicle and the pre-conceived notions that go along with it. Now we might not be able to do much about either of these aspects, but there are a few influential people that might be able to nudge the needle in your favour, in addition to helping you make that plunge while picking out a brand new car out of the showroom. So, we have compiled a list of 6 Hollywood celebrities, who stood by and endorsed cars, which you can find making their rounds on the streets near you, while securing their position in used car listings and showroom brochures. Read More