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Rhea Thomas
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« on: July 15, 2009, 02:33:14 AM »
NEW DELHI: So you have always dreamt of owning a supercar like Ferrari, Porsche Carrera GT or a Lamborghini and till date it has remained the same - a dream yet to be fulfilled.



Think about it, a Ferrari Scaglietti, 2007 with 540 bhp and a top speed of 313 kmph, will leave you poorer by around US$ 350,000 or roughly a crore and a half Indian rupees. Moreover, they won't sell it to you even if you have the cash.

You ought to have the pedigree as well which translates in to at least one horse logo already idling in your stable.
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Don't despair though, for we have lined up a few Indian hotties that will give you the bang for your buck. They are far away from the Ferrari or Lotus league; but at least they will guarantee you at least one-fourth the fun for one-fifteenth the price of a Maranello marquee.

Just in case you feel you can’t settle for anything less than the oomph and uber-cool factor that comes with those semi-hand crafted machines that are worth their weight in gold, suit yourself and get one for your garage.

Rest of you, who want the pizzaz and lot of fun without burning a hole in your pocket, read on.
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Rhea Thomas
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« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2009, 02:34:55 AM »
Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 Sport: Just in case you didn’t know, it’s still very much available. Our absolute No.1 choice, this car recently got a facelift and looks so much better now.



Although the old car also had an ageless design the new look is in keeping with the changing times. With 100 horses under the hood, this car cruises past the 160 kmph mark effortlessly.

To tell you the truth it will willingly touch 180 if you dare. The 1.6 Sport is build like a Patton tank and feels very much like it. Not quite the best alternative to a supercar but certainly the cheapest road rocket in India.

Thank Fiat India for not putting the lid on this fabulous car. The ride quality is amazing and best of all it’s priced at Rs 4,31,952 ( Ex-showroom) Delhi. Considering the price tag the Stile 1.6 is nothing short of a steal.

As an afterthought, the Stile also comes from the same family that produces those Ferraris!

Chevrolet SRV : Another hot hatch with a 1.6 litre powerplant and 101 roaring horses on the tap. SRV is arguably among the best looking cars made in the country and as a bonus you get a shapely Shakira-esque rear you will love to flaunt.



The engine is smooth and produces a wild grunt when pushed. GM India has loaded it with all the bells and whistles you would want in your car. GM India won’t reveal the top speed, but take our word, the car will not blink at 180 kmph.

The car is also available with an option pack that also includes driver side airbag, alloy wheels and chunky 15” tyres. All this at a mouthwatering price of Rs7,55,551.

Although it’s a tad more expensive than the Stile 1.6, the SRV comes with loads of attitude, plus you don’t see many of them on the road.
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Rhea Thomas
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« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2009, 02:36:45 AM »
Skoda RS : We didn’t agree with Skoda when – as part of their RS campaign - they went around the town proclaiming that rally is now a family sport. What we did agree to was the fact that this was a car capable of being driven in a full-blown rally.



With 147 horses at your disposal and a ferocious turbo, no other Indian car would dare race with you on the road. This excludes the Porsche, AMG and Brabus souped-up Mercs, Beamers etc.

Priced at around Rs 15 lakhs, it’s a wee bit expensive as compared to the first two in the list but many times more exhilarating. There is some bad news too. You won’t get the fiery yellow colour. Skoda stopped doing it as the demand was meagre.

Good news is you can get yours in Red and Black. Skoda Auto’s Nitin Dikshit says they might contemplate painting the RS yellow if there are enough buyers. For the record the top speed is 213 kmph only hundred less than the Ferrari mentioned above.

That brings us to end of our selection in Petrol and there is more in store. We have chosen three diesel cars you can burn the tarmac with.

For the diesel devils

Honestly, we did not find too many diesel cars in India that could fit our power and price criteria. A few, though, just made it through our list. Here goes:

Chevrolet Optra Magnum : The latest hunk on the block and GM’s first proper diesel car in India.



Equipped with a 2-litre common rail engine Magnum produces a whopping 120 bhp and 314 nm of torque to bite your teeth into. Doing a highway at a steady 180 kmph in this car is not a problem, and the best part is it’s pricing that starts at Rs 8,74,089 (Ex-showroom) Delhi for the 2.0 Max TCDi which is the base version.

But in case you intend to drive it at the speed mentioned above, go for the 2.0LT TCDi with ABS and Dual Airbags, yours for Rs 9,99,484.
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« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2009, 02:37:50 AM »
Hyundai Verna : Powered by a 1493 cc engine that smoothly churns out 110 bhp, Hyundai Verna is second in our list. The sales figures are a testimony to the fact that Verna has proved itself in India.



HMIL’s V Anand says, ‘the car is no rocket on the road but with a top speed of 182 kmph you will not be left wanting for thrills.’ Personally though, I have issues with its sort of Sino-Korean design but I feel Indian buyers like the car.

Small wonder then, that there are so many Verna's on the road. Another option from the Hyundai stable is the Elantra CRDI that churns out 112 bhp but is dearer by another lakh or so.

Suzuki Swift Diesel : I know this car has no business being in this list but as we said earlier there just aren’t enough diesel cars in India that will make it to this list and still be affordable.



Swift’s 1.3 multijet is a gem of an engine and produces a decent 75 bhp and is a well-sorted out car. A best-seller for Suzuki, it handles well and is rock steady at speeds above 140 kmph. Add to that the economy of diesel and style factor associated with Swift.

Well, those were the top six cars, three each with petrol and diesel hearts. The criteria for selecting the cars are their adrenalin pumping feature and to a lesser extent the prices too.

If the thrill factor is high on your priority list, go ahead and get hold of any one of these cars. They will give you the high alright...and at a fraction of the cost of the real thing!
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