2012 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport 2.5 Test Drive report and Review

Even though Mitsubishi has lots of SUVs in the Indian market now,they haven't given up.The new Pajero Sport is yet another version of the Pajero and it is the fourth member of the Mitsubishi's SUV family in India.So when there is 3 other SUV's currently in the market,why did they launch a new one.The answer is simple.The real reason Pajero Sport exists is to take on competition like the Fortuner and  the Endeavour.It's all about delivering as much as SUV as you can on a budget.The Pajero Sport,importantly is a thoroughly modern,up-to-the minute,common rail diesel equipped SUV,something HM's Mitsubishi mountain goat,the Pajero,certainly isn't.Put simply,what Mitsubishi is trying to do is deliver a Montero-like package at a Pajero-like price;that's as close as you can get to a superfine recipe for success in India.

So hungry,in fact,that it's designers have lifted up the nose section right off the Pajero Evo rally car and grafted it directly onto the new Pajero Sport.The grille and the headlights are aligned in a single narrow band,the massive wheel arches on either side provide plenty of excitement and the gaping chasm below the bumper gives the SUV a tough,purposeful look.The cabin gets tighter and taper towards the rear,the taillights are attractive and the Sport sits so high on it's springs,it looks like it has been given a aftermarket suspension job.Overall proportions,however aren't great,as the stubby nose and the large cabin don't exactly gel.Mitsubishi's 'Super Select' transfer case allows you to shift from 2WD high to 4WD high on the move (even when you are cruising on 100 kmph),and you can uniquely lock the center diff in both 4WD low and 4WD high.

The Pajero Sport's 2.5 litre diesel engine may be smaller than it's competitors,but what it loses in capacity it more than makes up for in specific output.It's 176 bhp is very similar to the 168 bhp put out by the Toyota Fortuner's larger 3.0 litre engine and acceleration and performance are pretty similar as well.The Mitsubishi's Variable-Geometry turbo has been tuned with performance in mind and after a small amount of vibration and some initial lag,power is delivered in a strong and steady stream all the way from 1800 to 4500 rpm.The engine feels very smooth in mid-range,there is considerable punch when you keep your foot pinned down,and after 100kph,the Sport pulls away its rivals with effortless ease.

The Pajero Sport has a lot going for it.It has a strong diesel engine,a spacious and comfortable cabin,and  impressive levels of fit and finish.It is well specified and comes from a  long line of successful Mitsubishi SUV's.What might let it down though,is that at Rs.23.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi),it is 2.5 lakhs more than the new Toyota Fortuner,which means it is a contender,but a bit pricey one.It's handling may not be anywhere as sharp as we'd hoped and it can't be bought with an automatic yet,but looked at as an overall package,it's impressive enough to take on the best in it's class.

2012 Maruti Ertiga LUV-Test drive report and Specs

Maruti has launched a new breed of car,which they say,the LUV (Life Utility Vehicle),the Ertiga in India and this car is a pure new series of vehicle.With a length of 4265 mm,the Ertiga is a fair bit shorter than the MPV's in the market,namely the Toyota Innova,Mahindra Xylo and Tata Aria.The Ertiga gets the basic right.It has three rows of seat,can set seven and comes with the option of a petrol and diesel engine.Also,it's monocoque construction promises much in terms of car-like comfort and driving manners.

Styling at the front is typical Suzuki.The headlights that sweep back the A-pillars remind us of the new Swift and there is more than the hint of a Ritz in the front grille and the bonnet.Tail styling,though ordinary and conforms to the standard MPV design template.The overall design is pleasing but not what you would call eye-catching.

Under the skin,the Ertiga is based on the modified Swift platform.The wheelbase has been considerably lengthened to 2740mm,which makes it just a shade shorter than the Innova's and Xylo's.Interestingly the Ertiga weighs 170 kg more than a Swift.,thanks to the extensive use of light weight high-tensile steel in it's construction.Moreover,a ribbed roof and sturdier box-section steel has been used around the rear wheel arches to counter any loss of torsional stiffness as a result of lengthening the wheelbase.

Middle row occupants are really well taken care of with great legroom on offer.What's more,the middle row can be slid back a whooping 240mm,giving the Ertiga luxury saloon-rivaling levels of leg space which is simply fantastic.Even after adjusting these seats for the third row passengers,you have more than sufficient leg room.The seats themselves are comfortable,if a tad soft,and feature a well positioned center armrest.The flat seat and a near-flat floor bode well fore center passenger comfort.It's also easy to get in and out courtesy the large rear doors are ideal seat height.

Getting into the last row needs some contortion.The seating position is not 'knees-up' like other MPVs which is good,but the seat squab is a bit short and this compromises thigh support.Shoulder support is good and headroom is decent and,simply put,the cabin is far more usable than the Ertiga's exterior dimension would suggest.

The Ertiga will be sold four models for Petrol and three for Diesel.Save for the base petrol model,all the variants gets ABS and only the top end model gets passenger and driver airbags.Climate control is not available on any trim level,though middle-and top-spec cars do get twin air conditioners to help cool the large cabin.

Petrol Version (LXI,VXI,VXI ABS and ZXI)
Powering the Ertiga is a new 1.4 litre petrol motor from Suzuki's acclaimed K-series family of engines.Peak power output is 93.7 bhp @6000 rpm and torque is 13.26 kgm @4000 rpm.Refinement is impressive with a very quite idle.There is a good spread of power which makes the engine fit for both city and highway driving.Driveability is fairly good too,though the built up of power sometimes seem slightly slow,and this is especially true in the mid-range ,which is characteristic of smaller engines from the K-series family too.Also the engines tends to get quite vocal as you reverse harder.

Diesel Version (LDI,VDI,ZDI)
The other engine on offer is the 1.3 litre Fiat-sourced turbo-diesel that also does duty on the SX4.Peak power here is 88.8 bhp @4000 rpm while maximum torque is available at 1750 rpm.The engine feels comfortable and quite suited to relaxed cruising in the highway,but it is driving in the city that reveals the diesel motors Achilles' heels-turbo lag.This is something we have noticed and highlightened on the Multi-Jet engine right from its first application in the Fiat Linea.Maruti has shortened the gearing (compared to the SX4) to work around the lag under 2000 rpm,but even then the lack of power is very evident.

The Ertiga is large inside but not so large on the outside,which is sure to appeal to buyers who find the current crop of MPVs a bit too unwiedly and large.It's engine score well on refinement and driveability and is well on fuel efficiency.

Fuel Efficiency:Petrol- 12.3 - 16.02 kmpl,Diesel- 17.2 - 20.77 kmpl
Price:Rs.5,88,000 - Rs.8,44,000

New 2012 Volkswagen Touareg 3.0 V6 Diesel SUV-Test Drive report and Specs

Volkswagen has launched a new 2012 version of it's offroader,the Touareg.The new 2012 Touareg comes with a new design and new added features and have the official Volkswagen grille in the front,the one which we have seen in the new Passat,Jetta and the Vento.The new Touareg (code-name :7P5) shares VW's PL71 platform with the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne.Volkswagen is quite proud of the fact that,despite being bigger than the car it replaces,it weights at least 203 kg lesser!The new Touareg has grown-it is longer,wider and more importantly,has a 40mm longer wheelbase that substantially improves the cabin space.More impressive still is the Touareg's fundamental rigidity,which has risen by more than five percent,making it one of the stiffest in it's class.

In other markets Volkswagen offers a low-range transfer case and lockable differentials for serious off-roading,but Indian cars will have to make do with the regular all-wheel drive system and a special off-road program that activates hill-descent control and tweaks ABS,ESP,traction control and electronic differential lock settings.Not offering the full blown offroad kit is a good move.It will help keep costs down.Most owners won't venture too far off tarmac,and if they do,this standard Touareg is pretty good on the loose stuff anyway.

Under the hood,there is the 3.0 litre V6 (2967 cc) 4 valve DOHC Diesel engine which delivers a whooping 240 bhp @3800 rpm.The SUV is a All-Wheel-Drive with a 8 speed automatic transmission which delivers a smooth ride in highways and the AWD gives a decent control on the steering.When coming to the suspension,it has a Independent double wishbone ,air springs in the front and independent air-springs in the rear.The air springs reduce the impact when driven fastly through any humps or pits.The steering is a hydraulic one which have a turning radius of 11.9 m.Both the font and the rear wheel have ventilated disc brakes with ABS.

With just 240 bhp to haul,its 2135 kg kerb weight around,you would't expect the Touareg to be a modest performer at best.However in cars like this,it's the torque that counts and this is something the 3.0-litre V6 diesel dishes out in spades.Pair it with the eight-speed transmission and a reasonably chunky powerband and you have an SUV that performs like you expect to.

When you step on the heavily sprung throttle pedel,there's an initial pause before the nose gently rise and the Touareg defiles it's weight.Performance is strong and acceleration doesn't let up until you are well past 150 kph.Even then 200kph is a few seconds away and it feels entirely comfortable blitzing distances at this speed all day long.For the record,it hits 100 kph in an impressive 7.47 seconds (tested by AutoCar) and will cross the 200kph mark in under 40 seconds.

Thanks to the torque and the 8-speed gearbox,you can expect a reasonable 7.5 kmpl in the city.The tail cruising gears also help it achieve a decent 11.8 kmpl in the highway.

Price-Rs.52,40,700/-