India is now a country where you can’t throw a stone without hitting an SUV. Such is the popularity of this class of vehicle that the definition of an SUV has changed over the years — or is it precisely because its definition has changed that the SUV class has become such a high-numbers game? There was a time when an SUV was a very large, rugged vehicle with four-wheel drive, but now, pretty much anything with a tall stance, decent ground clearance and an abundance of butch styling elements seems to qualify.
Take, for example, recently launched Car A from manufacturer X (it’s a real car, I assure you). It’s 3995 mm long, 1775 mm wide, 1505 mm high and has a wheelbase of 2580 mm and a ground clearance of 170 mm. The Renault Kiger is 3991 mm long, 1750 mm wide, 1605 mm high (including its roof rails) and has a wheelbase of 2500 mm and a ground clearance of 205 mm — yet Car A is a premium hatchback and the Kiger is an SUV, compact or otherwise. Make of this what you will — and I suspect the marketing departments of various automotive companies are significantly at play here — but if you want my honest opinion, the Kiger is a hatchback that was sent to the gym to undergo one of those 30-day shredding programmes .
Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av Motoring World.
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Denne historien er fra March 2021-utgaven av Motoring World.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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DESTINI REWRITTEN
With a pretty major design overhaul, has the Hero Destini 125 found a new footing altogether?
OLDIE'S GOLD?
History makes yet another comeback with the BSA Gold Star 650. Is it what you were hoping for?
THE HIGH OF THE TIGER
Triumph's big cat is in its most ferocious avatar yet
LAUGHTER HOURS
This! This is the greatest single of all time!
BULL'S EYE?
Audi's new flagship SUV — or a budget Lamborghini Urus?
DARK HORSE
The Alcazar is now available in a new avatar, and the multi-faceted SUV deserves more attention than it got in the past
CURVV-BALL!
Tata's new mass-market SUV coupe may have more than a few tricks up its sleeve
GIVEN A RAISE
The EQS SUV looks like an EQS sedan on stilts but it offers a lot more than that
FOR MUCK'S SAKE!
No scooters, commuters or old bikes... this year's Pune Off-road Expedition was serious work
ALL THE WAY UP!
Exploring the vast landscape of Ladakh with Renault India's lineup - why would we say no?!