I just went through a buyer's guide and was more than smug to see how voluminous it has become albeit it being 'just' the Indian version of TopGear, one of the most reputed automotive journalistic ventures. However, more pleasing is the fact that same is the case with buyer's guides around the world that have grown leaps and bounds thanks to manufacturer's creating and recreating segments, extracting niches into successfull business opportunities and pipping in new products every other month. As such, what are the cars that you could actually call as being complete or being in capacity to cater to a wide variety of tastes all at once? A tricky one to answer. However, after quite some contemplation, here is my take on the subject, only with a twist and indeed the necessary seasoning rendered. The enumeration ensues -
- The Winner - The Audi RS5 -
The moment this car was launched in India, I rejoiced....I knew it would be 'my' Car of the Year! Its subtly beaufitul, understated yet elegant and striking, has a coupe profile, can seat four or five in decent comfort, is a continent cruiser and an able city car at the same time, and has a monstrous 444bhp 4.2 litre V8, and to top it all up, Audi's famous build quality, interiors and refinement. Another deal clincher for this car is, compared to all the other cars that are similarly specced, at Rs. 75lakh, this is the most 'value for money' affair! What else could you ask for from a car?- The practical ones - The Suzuki Swift Sport -
- The Skoda Yeti -
next up, is another different take on what one might refer to as practicality. Well, not every where in the world do you have F1 spec paved roads. Specially, in India, certain places make roads look like an unaffordable luxury! This is where that extra differential, a little bit of ground clearance and the SUV tag matters. However, the Tundras and LandCruisers are now politically correct only in the hands of the UN peacekeeping missions, everywhere else, owning one will make you the subject of hatred of tree huggers and the green brigade! In come the Skoda Roomster/Yeti and if produced, the Hyundai Veloster! These are spacious enough to be conventional sedan/hatch replacements, capable enough for powertrain and dynamics that are good both on and off road and above all, come packaged with that extra bit of ground clearance and four wheel drive. In my book, this is the most politically correct and complete car!- The Land Rover Freelander 2 -
well to be honest, this is only truly an appendum to the Yeti or rather to that philosophy and its representation in this list. Just throw a little bit of luxury, some 'proper' techno wizardry, miracle off road mechanics, the Land Rover venerability and competitive pricing into the package. To be more specific, its interiors define class, its got that famed and envied Terrain Response system and is priced bang in the middle of the market segmentations. On-road dynamics are sorted and understated styling is also prevalent. Complete in most senses, eh?- The ones for the executives - Mercedes CLS/Audi A7/BMW 6 GranCoupe -
alright, they could be the envy of the quintessential car buyer or for that matter any corporate employee, but corporate executives, however boring their jobs are, do have their say when it comes to signing that big fat cheque for the latest expensive thing on the market. When it comes to cars, they are not far behind and have been the sole reason for the bean counters in a lot of companies urging the design departments to break into every little niche sculptable. Hence, this particular slot on my list. For the executives' complete car. Normally, the execs make do with more than a couple of cars in their steed wit keys to those in the hands of the spouse and the mistress et al, yet if it was just one, then it has to be a sedan that is both powerful and luxurious yet has both the sobriety of a german design and still have enough embellishments to make it look gorgeous. And it has to have the greenhouse of a coupe. Enter the three big germans and their respective offerings. Originally the banana CLS' forte, now with strong contention in the form of the A7 and the recently launched 6 grancoupe beemer, these have become the epitome of LED garnishings, coupe profiles, engine line-up listings as long as the cars themselves, and swathes of understated design eccentricities, leather and chrome. Indeed complete packages for the execs!
- The Youngster's Complete Car - The Porsche Boxster
a quirky note on completeness, yet for the classy ambitious youngster, who can either chug it out for enough bucks to buy a new one or a used one atleast, whats more complete than a 2 seat, 2 door pseudo classic that has the grunt to match its roadster looks, and enough feel in every little mechanical bit than you could ask for? A design that still pays homage to the classic 550 spider. and tagged along with legendary porsche tractability and reliability, atleast in the classy times of the 90s, this was all the car that a youngster could ask for!- The dreamer's complete cars - The Ferrari California
okay, the list gets back to a domain where impracticality rules and imagination has its own dimension! So expense no bar, in the quest for a hard-top convertible, that is beautiful, elegant, powerful, is great fun to drive, has continent cruiser capabilities and yet is an effective track tool, and is front engined in the traditional GT car's way, I arrive upon the Ferrari California. Few Maseratis, Astons and others come close and in some ways are better, but this is a Ferrari! Certain purists may cry foul about this being just a rebadged Maserati GT but journalists who tested this car inside out swear by its prancing horsi-ness. Hence, on that curvy mountainside boulevard to the seashore with the quintessential blonde to accompany you, this coupe is the most complete car. You couldnt ask for anything else. Some bubbly maybe?- The complete hypercar - The Lamborghini Aventador
