Autocar India turns 27, and rather than quietly celebrating with a cake, we’ve celebrated the way we know best: with scoops, exclusive drives and a frankly unreasonable amount of driving. In this issue, we bring you an exclusive drive of JSW’s new Combat SUV (you heard the name here first), a scoop on BYD’s Denza luxury push, and the last leg of the 20,000km Pune-to-Prague odyssey, alongside a serious collection of new cars and bikes. Oh, and there’s also a Boeing 737 Max aircraft involved. Because apparently cars weren’t complicated enough.
JSW Combat: Review
JSW’s first SUV is a rugged plug-in hybrid based on the Jetour T2. We get an early exclusive drive of the Combat and examine whether this newcomer really has what it takes to shake up the Rs 30-50 lakh SUV market.
BYD Denza: China’s Luxury Offensive
BYD is bringing Denza to India, with luxury EVs like the D9 MPV and Z9 GT aimed squarely at the established big boys. Having disrupted the mid-range EV market with BYD, it is now going after the high-end market with Denza.
ADAS Meets Autopilot: Hands Off!/Look ma, no hands!
What do a Hyundai Venue and a Boeing 737 Max have in common? Quite a lot, apparently. We climb into a full-flight simulator to understand how aircraft autopilot works and what it has in common with the increasingly sophisticated systems in our cars.
Skoda Kylaq: Pune to Prague, Part 2
The Silk Route may have been built for traders, but we’ve used it to find out just how far you can take a small SUV before it starts asking for a holiday. After 19,000km, 70 days and not a single puncture, our Skoda Kylaq finally reaches Prague.
Autocar’s Day Out: M-ployees of the Month
Most company off-sites involve a resort, a buffet and someone reluctantly joining a team-building exercise. Ours involved six BMW M cars, more than 3,000hp, a deserted concrete ground and a frankly irresponsible amount of tyre abuse. Four M4s and two M2s went head-to-head in slalom, football and drifting, and what began as a relaxing team outing rapidly descended into a war.
Tesla Model Y vs Hyundai Ioniq 5: Comparison
Two premium EVs, two very different ideas about what an electric car should be. The Model Y with its recently revised price, and the updated Ioniq 5 go head-to-head to see which makes the stronger case.
Bentley Supersports: Drive
Take a Continental GT and turn the dial towards something completely unnecessary. The result is Bentley’s Supersports, a rear-wheel-driven beast with considerably more intent. We drive it around Laguna Seca.
Mini Countryman C: First Drive
The Countryman has grown into a proper luxury SUV, with generous space, loads of kit and a new 1.5-litre turbo. At Rs 47.5 lakh, it’s the biggest and most grown-up Mini yet, and is ready to lock eyes with real luxury SUVs rather than merely be a fashion statement. But has it done that?
5 Ways to Adventure: Feature
Five made-in-India ADVs, 1,300km and one simple question: which is the best way to go exploring? We put the bikes through highway miles, trail riding and plenty of scenic detours to see how their different approaches to adventure stack up.
Ather Konarc: First Ride
Ather’s new Konarc brings the brand’s blend of quality and comfort to a wider audience, with prices starting at Rs 99,999. A compelling new step into the mainstream.
Suzuki e-Access vs Yamaha EC-06: Comparison
Japan finally answers India's e-scooter boom, and the two takes couldn't be more different – one built from scratch, the other born from an Indian startup partnership. Which one takes the crown?
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Viraaj Bhatnagar
Dipan Sur
Dhruv Dhaka
Saptarshi Mondal
