Best of 2016: Top car and SUV reviews

For 2016, we brought you the latest reviews of cars driven in India and outside. From the likes of the all-new Tata Tiago to the hot Maruti Vitara Brezza, the new Toyota Innova Crysta on home soil, to travelling overseas to bring you our driving impressions of cars like the upcoming Renault Kaptur SUV, the new Volkswagen Tiguan and the upcoming next-gen Toyota Prius, we have covered 'em all.

To do a quick recap of the year that has gone by, we list the most popular reviews on our website in 2016.

Tata Tiago

Tata’s only new launch this year, the all-new Tiago, marked the start of a brand reinvention for the Indian automaker which is set to introduce models like the Hexa, the Nexon and the Kite 5 compact sedan in the coming year. Unlike the models launched before, i.e. the Zest and the Bolt, the Tiago is in essence an all-new car with it sharing little with other models. The base floorpan, however, comes from the original Indica. The design is also all-new with the car being shaped ground up.

Tata created headlines with the Tiago’s aggressive pricing and a wide list of equipment on top variants at the time of launch. But how did it perform on our roads? Read our review here.

Maruti Vitara Brezza

Riding on the success of the Baleno last year, Maruti started 2016 with the launch of its first compact SUV, the Vitara Brezza. One of its most anticipated launches, the Brezza met with great response from the public, with demand for the compact SUV pushing the waiting period to over nine months post launch and sales driving past the 50,000 mark in October. Just what made the new Vitara Brezza so popular? Read our review for the answers.

You can also check out our detailed road test of the Vitara Brezza here.

Mahindra KUV100

Mahindra’s first indigenously developed car, the KUV100 is a direct rival to the likes of the Maruti Swift and Hyundai Grand i10. The car’s SUV-like styling differentiates itself from the rest of the segment. The compact SUV also marks the return of the front bench seat with a dedicated lap belt for the third passenger up front in its six-seat iteration. Read our review to know our thoughts about this little Mahindra.

Also read our in-depth analysis of the KUV100 in our detailed road test.

Honda BR-V

Honda’s entrant into the hotly contested small SUV segment, the BR-V, has the advantage of being the only seven-seater on offer in its class. It’s the longest in the segment and gets SUV styling cues, though the overall profile is still more MPV than SUV. Honda is also offering it with its range of 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol and 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engines. Here’s what we think of it.

You can also read our comprehensive road test of the BR-V here.

Skoda Superb

The Superb has always offered good space, comfort and equipment fit for a car from a higher segment which is the principal reason why it has attracted so much attention from Indian luxury car buyer. The new-gen model looks to build on this very legacy, though there are now fewer contenders to challenge it in the segment. So just how good is the new Superb? Read our review.

Also read our comprehensive road test of the third-gen Superb

Volkswagen Tiguan

The Tiguan will be Volkswagen’s first all-new product line to be launched in India in many years, as well as its second SUV in the country after the slow-selling Touareg. Due early 2017, it’s the first SUV from the VW Group to be based on the new MQB platform. The Tiguan will likely be priced around Rs 30 lakh, which puts it right in the crosshairs of the Hyundai Santa Fe and the upcoming Nissan X-Trail. Does it have what it takes to be a success? Click here to find out.

Toyota Innova Crysta

Arguably the most successful Indian passenger vehicle of the 21st century, the Innova has crushed all competition to stay the unchallenged king of the MPV segment for over a decade. For 2016 the automaker has replaced it with a new model, without, however, tampering with the winning formula of the predecessor. It has upped the luxury quotient substantially in the Crysta by smartening up the design, making it better to drive. It has also dramatically spruced up the interiors along with positioning it as a luxurious MPV rather than a functional people carrier. Also being offered are new diesel engines – a 2.4-litre and a 2.8-litre unit – along with the return of the petrol, with a new 2.7-litre engine. So just how much has changed with the new model? Read our review to find out.

Also read our review of the Innova Crysta petrol and our detailed road test.

Jaguar XE

Jaguar has brought its smallest sedan to India. A rival to the C-class and BMW 3-series, the new XE looks like a smaller and tauter version of the automaker’s large sedans. On offer is a 2.0-litre petrol motor with the choice of outputs. We got behind the wheel of the range-topping variant powered by the more powerful petrol motor to see what it had to offer. Read our review here.

Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai’s strengths of visual flair and lots of equipment return with the new Elantra. But this executive sedan has an altogether more European feel. Gone are the flowing lines of the old car, replaced by a more mature design based on the automaker's latest design language. Interiors too are new with a more conventional dashboard finished with Hyundai's typical build quality. The new Elantra hasn't rewritten the rule book for executive sedans; in fact, its formula has stayed unchanged - striking looks, lots of equipment, value for money and capable, refined engines. So just how much has the new-gen model improved over its predecessor? Read our review to find out.

You can also read our detailed road test of the new Elantra here.

New Toyota Fortuner

Toyota is ready to stake its claim as the king of its class with the new Fortuner. Larger and more up market than before, the Fortuner has been given a new diesel engine and, for the first time, is also being offered with a petrol motor. The all-wheel-drive system is also new and is now switchable between 4WD and 2WD, though it’s only available with the diesel engine. However, all this has come at a cost with the Fortuner being the most expensive SUV in its class. So is it worth the new price tag? Read our review to find out.