Sunday, 1 September 2013
Mercedes-Benz A-Class vs B-Class: Comparison
While two different letters and classes separate the A and the B-Class, you will be surprised to find out how much they share in common yet offer so much different to the end user. We bring them together so you can pick the right one!
Mercedes-Benz has been on a roll off-late. And I say this not in terms of sales numbers, but thanks to the model offensive that the Stuttgart-based company has been on. Almost their entire model range has received significant updates, but more significantly Mercedes-Benz has finally brought in products from their ‘value’ range, namely the A-Class and the B-Class.
Both these cars are extremely important to the starry manufacturer as they not only aim to offer a typicalMercedes-Benz experience but also a lot of value for that cheque of yours with a whole lot of numbers. Now coming to the cars, both look quite identical in passing glance. Both share the same engines and almost the same price, too.
Now it’s easy to differentiate between say a C-Class and an E-Class considering there is a significant amount of difference in the size of the vehicle and the prices, but how do you pick between two cars which have so much in common? Read on…
The Family Man and the Young’un
First, let me come to the point where in the intro I mentioned about both these cars looking identical in a passing glance. Well, that similarity starts and ends right there. The moment you check the cars out in detail you realise just how different they look and how different their appeal is.
Standing side by side, the only common detail a trained eye will notice is the big three-pointed star in the centre of the grille; the rest of the cars are as different as chalk and cheese as far as looks are concerned. Standing next to the A-Class, the B looks tall, slightly van-ish (considering it’s a compact sports tourer) and happy. The A-Class, on the other hand, sits low, looks like a proper hot-hatch and is always angry.
While pictures might make you believe that the B-Class is as big as say a Hyundai i20 or a Honda Jazz, in the flesh one realises that the B, at 4,359mm in length, is actually much bigger than the sub 4-metre Jazz. If anything, the B feels slightly reminiscent of Merc’s ‘Grand Sport Tourer,’ the R-Class, albeit in a scaled-down form factor.While two different letters and classes separate the A and the B-Class, you will be surprised to find out how much they share in common yet offer so much different to the end user. We bring them together so you can pick the right one!
To be extremely honest, the B-Class is not flattering from every angle given its tall roof line and elongated cabin. What does add a lot to the car’s overall appeal is the somewhat longish hood which takes it far away from a van-like appearance.
While the petrol version of the B got that fantastic blackened top with the dual sun-roof and those stunning 10-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels, the lack of those in the diesel makes the B 180 CDI a rather plain-jane affair. What you get in the diesel is a body-coloured roof and way subtler 16-inch 10-spoke alloys.
The A 180 CDI too loses out in aesthetic appeal compared to its petrol version. No black-top here as well, but those super looking 17-inch alloys from the petrol remain. Apart from the roof, the A 180 CDI looks just as fantastic as its petrol variant. Sitting low with that long nose and a very dramatic rear, Mercedes has given a fresh interpretation to the classic two-box design.
The front looks absolutely menacing thanks to the wide bumpers and the pronounced lip spoiler. The massive grille too is unlike any seen on a Merc before with chrome stars filling it up and a big Avant-Garde style three-pointed star in the centre. The swoopy headlights along with the strip of LED lights look like angry eyebrows and add a lot of visual drama to the front.
While someone looking for a subtle family car might find the A-Class too dramatic and the B more elegant, I for one cannot get over the way the hot-hatch looks. It turns every head on the street and makes you whip out your phone for a picture every so often. As far as the design is concerned, the A-Class completely overshadows the B, at least in the diesel avatars.
While two different letters and classes separate the A and the B-Class, you will be surprised to find out how much they share in common yet offer so much different to the end user. We bring them together so you can pick the right one!
Space Vs Style
Even from the outside, the B-Class looks like a much bigger car than the A and that fact remains true even when you get inside the cars. Starting from the A-Class, the doors open nice and wide and ingress into the car is quite an easy affair. You are welcomed by swathes of black and some fantastic F1-inspired sport seats. Getting the right seating position took some time but once you get it, it’s perfect.
While the A 180 Sport had fantastic sporty interior trim, the CDI loses out on a lot of it. Gone is that fantastic flat bottomed steering wheel, the sporty red stitching, the drilled aluminium pedals and the carbon fibre finish on the dash.
While that does take away some glitz, it can still be described as understated elegance. What is shocking though is the absence of climate control for the air-con. Manual controls, at this price, is something that you simply cannot expect from Mercedes-Benz.
Seat comfort is good, and there’s lots of adjustment in both the seats and the steering column. The front seating position though feels rather low too – but this could be because the window line seems rather high. Time to move to the back since this is after all a full sized family hatch.
There is decent leg and knee room, but a shortage of headroom thanks to intrusion from the arching C-Pillar. Seating three abreast is easily possible; however, it’s best comfortable with four. The dark interiors and the limited glass area do make it a little stuffy inside, but should you choose to ignore the optional panoramic roof, the rear seats feel even more claustrophobic. Other than that storage should be quite adequate with 341 litres of boot space and a 60:40 split should you require more space.While two different letters and classes separate the A and the B-Class, you will be surprised to find out how much they share in common yet offer so much different to the end user. We bring them together so you can pick the right one!
After the A, getting into the B-Class feels like moving from a cave into the bright wide open. And there are plenty of reasons for that feeling. For starters, the high roofline means plenty of headroom. As a result ingress and egress is extremely comfortable.
Adding to that the beige interiors make the already roomy interiors feel even more airy. Everything is identical to the insides of the A-Class, barring a fake wood insert running along the centre of the dash. Climate control has been skimped on like in the A as well.
The B offers plenty of space both in the front and the back as well thanks to a combination of its tall cabin design and fairly long 2,699mm wheelbase which ensures that nobody in the back will complain about leg room.
In fact, sitting three abreast on the back bench is a fairly easy task and way more comfortable than the comparatively cramped A-Class. The boot also has substantially more space at 486 litres which makes it an extremely viable compact tourer as M-B suggests.
The A 180 CDI then suffers a bit when it comes to the cabin department. Neither is it as flamboyant as its petrol sibling and neither is it as spacious as the B-Class. The B on the other hand scores well in this department checking most of the boxes required for a spacious family car.
While two different letters and classes separate the A and the B-Class, you will be surprised to find out how much they share in common yet offer so much different to the end user. We bring them together so you can pick the right one!
Diesel Power!
Even though the petrol variants of both these models offered adequate performance, it was always going to be the diesels raking in the numbers. Powering the A and the B-Class are identical 2,143cc 4-cylinder oil burners. Boasting fourth-generation common-rail diesel technology, the injection pressure has been raised to 1800 bar along with optimised combustion chambers and even more precise solenoid valve injectors. All this technology and mumbo-jumbo translate into a rated output of 110PS between 3200-4600 rpm and a maximum torque of 250Nm between 1400-2800 rpm.
Starting with the A, twisting the key-fob brings the car to life with a clattery idle which settles down after a while. That said, the engine is not as quiet as the diesels in the higher segments. Whether this can be attributed to lesser NVH levels or just the engine being loud remains to be seen. The B 180 CDI was quieter in comparison but like I mentioned, still louder compared to the eerily silent engines that we are used to from Mercedes.
Transferring the power to the front wheels is the fantastic 7-speed dual clutch transmission, which Mercedes calls the 7G-DCT. The gearbox works pretty much like Porsche’s PDK or VW’s DSG gearboxes. It comprises two sub-transmissions with each having their own clutch. One of these sub-transmissions supports the even gears while the other sub-transmission selects the odd ones. As a result during acceleration or braking the next highest or next lowest gear is the default setting on the sub-transmission not in use at the time. What that means in simple terms is that there is absolutely no lag while going up and down the gears.
Apart from that, there are also the preselectable shift programs: Economy, Sport and Manual that can be set via a switch on the centre console. What the switch does is that it enables the driver to change the shift characteristics and shift speed. In Sport mode, changing gears takes place at a higher rpm than in Economy mode. The Manual mode gives you an option to change gears manually via those lovely paddles behind the wheel.While two different letters and classes separate the A and the B-Class, you will be surprised to find out how much they share in common yet offer so much different to the end user. We bring them together so you can pick the right one!
Putting the power down
Let me begin with some performance runs starting with the A-Class. Shifting into manual and flooring the throttle, the 250Nm of torque kicks in with an impressive amount of wheel-spin. Shifting right sees the 100km/h mark come up in 10.10 seconds flat. Keeping the throttle nailed can take you up to 190km/h but we ran out of road at 178km/h post which progress is not really quick. Frankly we would love to get a little more grunt, but even in its current avatar, it’s not slow by any means. Roll-on figures are pretty good too and 60-80km/h takes just 2.57 seconds.
With the exact same mechanicals but slightly more weight (1565kg as against 1505kg for the A-Class), the B 180 CDI completed the ton in 10.68 seconds. Both the cars claim a top speed of 190km/h. Roll-on in the B from 60-80 took an almost identical 2.68 seconds. Braking was fantastic on both cars and ABS coupled with ESP and Acceleration Skid Control means both the cars boast extremely sure-footed braking. Even in the rains, standing on the brake pedal brought out zilch drama from either of the cars. From a performance point of view there is literally no difference, with both the cars offering very similar levels of performance.
On the road
While there is barely anything to choose from between both the cars in terms of engine and performance, when it comes to ride and handling both these cars are poles apart. Both cars sport McPherson strut front axles and completely redesigned four-link rear axles. While the setup and the components might be the same, the way the cars feel during ride and handling is like comparing apples to oranges.
The A sits nice and low and rides on ‘handling on their mind’ 17-inch 45 profile tyres. Put it hard through a nice tight bend and you will find it hard to believe this is a front wheel drive. Although it’s easy to get the tail to step out a bit, an undefeatable stability-control system is par for the course. Body roll is extremely minimal and the A corners pretty flat giving you oodles of confidence to push harder. But hit a pothole while at it and you are certain to grimace thinking about those alloys and the suspension bits. Ride quality is pretty good on well paved roads but hitting sharp bumps and deep potholes need to be taken care of. I had mentioned in my review of the A-Class petrol earlier about how much of a difference 16-inch wheels with better profiled tyres would make.
And that’s exactly what the B-Class has. With 55 profile, 205 section 16-inch tyres, the B boasts an excellent ride quality. Where the A-Class starts feeling brittle, the B feels unruffled and takes most of what you throw at it with ease. Handling too is very good and more than what one would expect from a family car. It’s only when you start pushing harder that the B’s tallish stance comes into play. Being significantly taller (1557mm as against the A-class which is 1433mm) the B-Class rolls a lot more than it’s hunkered down sibling. The A also carries a lot more grip thanks to its wider 225 section tyres.While two different letters and classes separate the A and the B-Class, you will be surprised to find out how much they share in common yet offer so much different to the end user. We bring them together so you can pick the right one!
The efficiency saga…
With similar engines offering similar performance, we expected similar numbers on the efficiency front as well and that’s pretty much how it was. The A 180 CDI returned 13.4kmpl around town and 16.1kmpl on the highway resulting in an overall mileage figure of 14.1kmpl. The B 180 CDI on the other hand eked out 13.2kmpl in the city with the figure rising to 15.8kmpl on the highway giving it an overall figure of 13.85kmpl. With both cars boasting a 50 litre fuel tank, one should easily see about 700km before heading for a re-fuel.
A or B then?
The A 180 CDI Style retails at Rs. 22.90 lakh while the B 180 CDI Style comes in at Rs. 22.60 lakh. With just a Rs. 30,000 difference, it all boils down to what one is looking for in the cars. For a buyer with comfort and space as priority, it’s an absolute no brainer with the B being the car of choice. But for the younger buyer for whom style precedes practicality, the A-Class is the shining star. But that’s not the end of the story.
There is also the desirability factor that is ever so important when it comes to choosing your high end set of wheels. Let’s face it, a very miniscule number of people will buy these cars for what they really offer. For a majority of the buyers it’s the oomph, style and status that matter in this segment and that is what the A-Class offers by the bucket-loads. It looks simply smashing and standing next to it, the B-Class is relegated to being a practical mommy-wagon with a three-pointed star.
Based on the same platform, both these cars have more similarities than differences but yet one turns out to be the quintessential gentleman while the other is the rebellious bad boy. And for us here at ZigWheels, ‘badder’ is definitely better!
Nissan showcases Terrano SUV
Leading Bollywood director, Kabir Khan, revealed the new model simulating three situations to reveal the vehicle's versatility. Pre-sales booking for the smart, rugged Nissan SUV will begin from 1st September, 2013
Nissan India President Kenichiro Yomura says the SUV segment in India will grow over 30 percent by 2016. The addition of the Terrano can only bring good fortune to a company which has a long and successful history of SUV in many countries such as Patron in Gulf countries and Pathfinder in USA
The Japanese auto maker plans to extend this hard earned reputation by offering its consumers the 4th generation Terrano, that has been finally unveiled in India. A lot of time was spent elaborating on the design cues that are so unique to the Nissan Terrano. Nissan’s fourth vehicle to be produced locally in their Oragadam Plant alongside the Micra, Sunny and Evalia has a bold and distinctive styling has been developed specifically for the Indian market keeping the lineage of Nissan’s advantage of a large assortment of SUV’s.
Leading Bollywood director, Kabir Khan, revealed the new model simulating three situations to reveal the vehicle’s versatility – a cityscape, campsite and luxury resort - reflecting the car’s ‘everyday, everywhere’ theme."
Speaking on the occasion, Kabir said, “I have directed many Action Blockbusters in my Bollywood career. Directing Nissan Terrano Blockbuster Showcase was indeed a very exciting, or must I say an adventurous venture for me as we had to bring alive 3 completely different aspects of theNissan Terrano in front of a live audience.”
Toyota Camry Hybrid Launched
Priced at 29.75 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) the new Camry Hybrid is the first ever locally manufactured hybrid in India
Most of us associate a luxurious automobile with words like extravagance, extremity and indulgence. And if we were to give some thought to the recently launched 7th generation Toyota Camry similar nouns would come to mind.
However, as global pioneers of automotive hybrid technology Toyota has decided to put its greener expertise into its handsome flagship sedan, and the end product is now India’s first ever locally manufactured hybrid - the Camry Hybrid.
The Camry hybrid combines a newly developed hybrid exclusive 2.5L Beltless petrol engine with an electric motor. The vehicle runs on Hybrid Synergy Drive, which intelligently senses when to switch between the two power sources – petrol engine and electric motor.
The petrol motor on the Camry Hybrid retains the same 2,494cc displacement but the engine output now drops to 160PS and 213Nm of torque, compared to the 181PS and 233Nm from the petrol only engine. But the hybrid also gets added boost from the electric motor which together give an impressive total system power output of 205 PS.
In addition to the features available in the petrol Camry, the Camry Hybrid comes with more than 35 enhancements. These include a rear armrest with controls for power recline rear seats, a power sunshade for the rear windshield, and a 3 zone air conditioning system among other comforts.
Regenerative braking technology, lower NVH levels, reduced fuel consumption and emissions as low as 122.8 gm of CO2 emissions per km of driving give the Hybrid version some obvious advantages over the petrol only Camry model.
Speaking about the introduction of Toyota Camry Hybrid in India Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, TKM said “This is in line with Toyota’s global philosophy to encourage the use of hybrid vehicles across the globe, for a greener tomorrow. Manufacturing Camry hybrid locally will be yet another step towards Toyota’s global commitment.”
The All New Camry Hybrid is priced at 29,75,000/- (ex showroom Delhi) and is available in four vibrant colours – grey metallic, white pearl crystal shine ,silver metallic and attitude black.
2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class : First Drive
For generations, Mercedes-Benz' S-Class has been the wheels of choice for not only heads of state but also for everyone who knows their cars and has the money to spend on luxury. But with the competition closing in, is the new 'S' still the best car in the world?
It’s one thing to read through a brochure and go gaga over the endless list of features that the ‘best car in the world’ brings with it and it’s a completely different thing to actually lounge around in the superiorly comfortable rear seat that not only reclines you to a near sleep-inducing posture but also pampers you with a hot stone effect massage while you’re being chauffeur driven around the Canadian countryside. These are times when, as a motoring journalist, you simply sit back, relax and wonder what you’ve done right in your lifetime to have landed up with this job and then this particular assignment that many around the world would willingly give an arm and a leg to be chosen for.
But things aren’t always that easy – especially after a flight from Pune across to the opposite end of the planet to land in Toronto twenty hours later, exhausted to say the least. Of course, this isn’t just any other car we had journeyed to drive – this is a phenomenon. It’s an event that occurs once every decade (roughly speaking) and when it does, the best of the best sit up and take notice. This is the 2014Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the question on everyone’s minds post the rather glamorous unveil of the car last month was ‘is this still the best car in the world?’
It’s a difficult thing to accomplish really – to stay ahead of competition that is rapidly catching up and come up with new technology and innovations that will keep the S-Class the choice of all those VVIPs that really matter. It’s not just that class of royalty that the S-Class appeals to though – entrepreneurs, bigwigs and everyone who can afford to spend ridiculous amounts of money on an automobile, aspire to bring it to their garage. The question egging me though, was whether it was really possible to make the W221 better?
The previous generation of the S-Class had it all – it looked elegantly mean, had more gadgets and gizmos in it than a space shuttle and used exotic materials in its construction, both on the outside and within its cabin’s confines. But then again, phone cameras are now 41 Megapixels, 128GB of data fits in the size of my thumb and robots can actually make your morning cuppa for you. Technology hasn’t stagnated, and there’s no reason why the S-Class should either.
For generations, Mercedes-Benz' S-Class has been the wheels of choice for not only heads of state but also for everyone who knows their cars and has the money to spend on luxury. But with the competition closing in, is the new 'S' still the best car in the world?
The 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class or the W222 as die-hard fans of the three-pointed star would like to call it while simultaneously boasting their knowledge of the marquee on the world, isn’t just an upgrade to the previous generation – it’s a revolution and when I say that about a car that has already been so awesome ever since it was launched in 2005, you know that everything about this new car is really extraordinary.
At the core of the new S-Class is a philosophy that is governed more by electronic circuitry than by crude spanners and wrenches – a design that is born from the digital world than from a sketch pad with pens and French curves. Integrating technology into a visual design that has to be a complete refresh, yet has to pay homage to generations gone by isn’t as simple a task as it seems. And that’s why the 2014 S-Class looks like a continuation in form from the now-defunct model, yet it brings along with it stupendous amounts of technology from front to back.
Hidden out of plain sight all around the body of the new S are an array of sensors, radars and stereo cameras that transform the process previously termed as driving into truly experiencing – when the engineers at Mercedes say that the S-Class is an extension of the driver, they aren’t kidding! But even before you get to understanding the full effect of all that technological hardware, you end up staring at every details of the new S’ visual styling. The sleek profile runs in almost one smooth curve from front to back imparting a coefficient of drag of just 0.24 making it the most aerodynamic luxury sedan on the planet.
The lights themselves reflect the new design language at Mercedes in shape and form, but look beyond that clear lens and the brilliance of the LED array shines through. In fact, every bit of lighting on the car comes in the form of Light Emitting Diodes that draw lesser power from the car while giving better illumination at the same time.
For generations, Mercedes-Benz' S-Class has been the wheels of choice for not only heads of state but also for everyone who knows their cars and has the money to spend on luxury. But with the competition closing in, is the new 'S' still the best car in the world?
Even the tail lamps have an array of LEDs that you can’t mistake for the units on any other car or even generation of the S-Class itself. And then there’s the front grille – a seamless amalgamation of tradition and technology for while it retains its classic horizontally slatted configuration, it also hides within its vanes a bunch of radars and sensors. But what really makes all the difference lies within the cabin – the place where owners will be spending all of their time in while the rest of the world looks on from the outside in absolute admiration.
The new S takes the term ‘wraparound dashboard’ to a completely new level and then takes it a level further with its two 12-inch TFT screen displays that replace any kind of conventional instrumentation that you can ever think of. While one of those screens forms the information console for the driver displaying digitized versions of the tachometer and speedometer, the second one beside it is the screen for COMAND online.
Enveloping the screens is precision-stitched leather trim outlined by contrasting wooden panels – which of course can be customised to aluminum as per the owner’s tastes. Circular vents for the air conditioning lined with chrome flank an analog clock in the centre. The steering wheel itself is a combination of leather, wood and metal.
While all that may seem pretty normal and expected from a luxury sedan of this stature, the attention to detail is simply mind-boggling. Take for example, the knobs to control the air flow from the vents themselves – little metallic cylinders that stay flush with the dash until you pop them out. Even the stalks for the door locks are so exquisitely finished that they’d find pride of place in any design museum around the world. The S-Class isn’t just about luxury for the body – it encompasses luxury of a mental level as well with such fine aesthetics that the car itself soothes you from every corner.
For generations, Mercedes-Benz' S-Class has been the wheels of choice for not only heads of state but also for everyone who knows their cars and has the money to spend on luxury. But with the competition closing in, is the new 'S' still the best car in the world?
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s the electronics involved that not only keeps you connected constantly with the outside world, but also with fellow occupants. Hidden under a fold-away panel is a keypad that operates your connected smartphone and the keys can even be pre-programmed to access other functions of the car. The COMAND online system can be accessed through a dial in the centre console and is by far one of the easiest navigations I have ever come across – as long as it’s in English! Then there are the individual screens for the rear passengers as well that can be customised to access menus or entertainment of each passenger’s personal choice.
The back benchers also get exclusive headphones for individual programming and if regular buttons aren’t enough to suit your fancy, all of the entertainment functions in the S-Class can be controlled through an iPhone app as well. Mood lighting comes pre-installed and there’s the Air Balance package which performs the multiple tasks of ionising and filtering the air as well as spreading one of five fragrances that can be chosen as an optional extra too.
But what really got our pulses racing was the superb Burmester surround sound system – never have I heard music so crystal clear in any kind of automobile ever! Needless to say, with all of this adding even more luxury for the senses, your body is well-pampered too by the electrically adjustable seats all round. The ones at the rear on the long wheelbase version of the S-Class also let you recline to a 43.5 degree angle while you bask in the glory of any one of the six massage settings including two hot stone functions.
One thing that Mercedes-Benz takes extremely seriously is safety – both passive and active. Apart from the normal dose of countless airbags that could more or less convert the S-Class’ cabin into a big bouncy castle on the inside in the event of a collision, it also comes replete with the Pre-Safe package including illuminated seat belt buckles. I’m not even going to talk about the conventional stuff anymore because there’s way more technology in the 2014 S-Class than can be fitted in these pages.For generations, Mercedes-Benz' S-Class has been the wheels of choice for not only heads of state but also for everyone who knows their cars and has the money to spend on luxury. But with the competition closing in, is the new 'S' still the best car in the world?
The real cool stuff has more to do with a topic that has been discussed at length in these past few months – driver assist systems and technology that will eventually amount to outright automated driving. The 360 degree camera function gives an aerial view of the entire car thanks to an array of cameras on all four sides.
This not only helps to tell you what’s behind you but also what’s immediately beside and in front of you – things that you would generally not notice otherwise. Then there’s the Night View Assist that includes a spotlight function and recognizes people in the darkness. What this gizmo does is, it selectively flashes detected people with four short light pulses to warn both driver and pedestrian, thus eliminating the risk of an accident in the dark.
But probably the coolest thing on the new S is Magic Body Control suspension. Employing its stereo camera mounted behind the inside rear view mirror, the car scans the road surface ahead along with its 9 sensors and prepares the suspension to handle it accordingly – keeping the car as stable as possible and giving occupants what could probably be the best ride quality available in an automobile.
Then there are the various lane assist and adaptive cruise control systems as well which are well thought of not only for their own functioning but also in terms of predicting how drivers will react in certain situations. Sadly, when the S-Class does come to India sometime in 2014, there is still a big question about whether Mercedes-Benz will be able to offer all of this technology to its customers at all.
The question isn’t about price – it is about the frequency that the car’s radar sensors use to calibrate the systems thanks to Indian regulatory restrictions and that would actually be a shame, considering the really useful technology that the car brings with it which will definitely go a long way in making our roads safer – at least for people driving the S!For generations, Mercedes-Benz' S-Class has been the wheels of choice for not only heads of state but also for everyone who knows their cars and has the money to spend on luxury. But with the competition closing in, is the new 'S' still the best car in the world?
In its current guise the S-Class comes with two engine options – a 3-litre V6 diesel and a 4663cc petrol V8. While the gasoline powered S500 is going to be the choice of those who want that extra muscle under their hood, the S350 BlueTEC oil burner will turn out to be the preferred choice – not only in India, but all over the world. Both engines come mated to a 7G-Tronic Plus transmission and the combinations end up being extremely fuel efficient for a car of its size as well.
There will also be a hybrid variant for the S-Class come September which will be displayed first at the Frankfurt Motor Show and that will change the game further in the luxury sedan category. As fabulous as the engines on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class may be, the true appeal of the car is in all the technology that it carries with it – not only making it safer but also increasing its luxury levels beyond imagination.
This is a car that will not only appeal to your visual tastes or your technical mentality – it is a car that will appeal to every one of your senses and while doing so, it will also imbibe a sense of pride every time you step in or out of one. The S-Class has always been the best car in the world after all, and it remains so!
Audi Q3 S launched at Rs 24.99 lakh
The new base variant Q3 from Audi loses out on All-Wheel Drive and over 40PS of power as compared to the standard model, but at a sub 25 lakh ex-showroom price tag, it may just attract the younger luxury car enthusiasts who till now have shied away from investing in the baby Q
Audi as we see it seeks to redeem its compact SUV, the Q3’s identity as one of the more affordable luxury car offerings here in India, and the launch of its S Edition may just help them achieve that.
The Q3 S Edition features a de-tuned 2.0 TDI four-cylinder engine which now makes 142PS as opposed to the 180PS on the standard Q3 makes. It delivers 320Nm of torque between 1,750-2500rpm. Mated to a six-speed manual transmission the lighter Q3 S Edition is now a far more fuel efficient vehicle returning 17.32kmpl according to Audi.
Speaking at the launch of the new Audi Q3 S Edition, Michael Perschke, Head, Audi India said, “TheAudi Q3 S Edition is our answer to this ever increasing demand for luxury mobility with the thrill of self-controlled driving. We are confident that the Audi Q3 S Edition will be yet another successful addition to our success story in India.”
On the comfort and convenience front, the Q3 S does cut back a little, but features such as a leather-covered multi-function steering wheel, a power-adjustable driver seat, fold-out 6.5 inch media screen, LED interior lighting package and a voice dialogue system should keep new buyers happy for now.
6 airbags and rear parking aids should make the Q3 S version a sufficiently safe car to drive around and this coupled with driver assist functions like hill start assist, cruise control and an ESC system only add further to the overall safety factor.
Incidentally, the Q3 S version was launched at Audi’s newly inaugurated Audi Delhi Central showroom in New Delhi. This is Audi’s 3rd dealership in the city, which features a 6-car display and is spread over a total area of 6,315 sq ft. Audi plans to expand its network to 34 dealerships by the end of 2013. The occasion also marked the launch of Audi Club India, the first dedicated club for Audi owners in India.
Priced at Rs 24.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) Audi India has launched the Audi Q3 S Edition online, and as a special initiative the first 10 Audi Q3S Editions booked online will win a special-off-road style package. The German luxury car maker is confident that this innovative approach will further strengthen their Q portfolio.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
