These bad boys can flatten any hatchback or sedan that dares to get in their way
This year is undoubtedly the year of the compact SUVs – the EcoSport,
Rio, and the XA Alpha. But we still like our old-fashioned SUVs – big
enough to take a truck head on, a four wheel drive and wheels that are
taller than your children. You don’t have to head out of the city to
find untarred roads and crater-sized ditches – our city roads have
plenty of these. A sedan with its low-ground clearance just won’t hack
it. Neither will an underpowered hatchback. What you need is a proper
and powerful SUV. Here are three SUVs that can do the job.
1.Toyota Fortuner 2012
This 4x4 is built on Toyota’s legendary
Hilux platform. If pedigree doesn’t count for much in your books, then
its numbers will. A 3-litre engine, producing 343 torques and 179bhp.
The gearshifts on this baby are touted to be super smooth. Standing tall
at 220mm above the ground and an aggressive stance, it makes an
impression even when you drive it around the city. It’s got a fantastic
turning radius and is surprisingly light on its wheels. It comes in
variations of a manual and automatic transmission. We’re betting on the
full-time four-wheel drive manual which costs approximately Rs 21 lakhs
(ex-showroom Mumbai).
2.Ford Endeavour
Have you ever heard an Endeavour
owner complain about his car? Neither have we. The Blue Oval has got it
right with this 3-litre, four-cylinder, 154bhp producing beauty. Its
interiors are spacious, and it has 245/70 R16 tyres which make the ride
quality on this one superior in its class. At a little over 2,000 kilos
it is heavy, but the grip that it has on the road on bends makes you
forget all about that. That weight helps to plant this SUV on the ground
even at high speeds, leaving you to deal with much less roll. At an
average ex-showroom price of Rs17.5 lakhs this is a greatu buy if you’re
looking for a proper SUV in the sub-20 lakh category.
3.Mercedes Benz GL 500
The 2012 version of the car, has a larger and more aggressive Mercedes
logo on its cowl. That defines the car itself. A posh city-slicker, who
isn’t afraid to slip into lower gears on off-road terrains. It will not
gingerly skirt around boulders along the highway – it just goes right
over it and crushes it with its 2,505kg frame. At an ex-showroom price
that hovers about Rs 70 lakhs, the GL500 comes with a massive V8,
5-litre engine that produce 388 bhp. Respect.
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