Volkswagen could be makers of people’s cars, but there are at least some that count VW in the luxury segment. You can’t refuse them the share of luxury they afford the brand – after all, an Audi is a Volkswagen at some stage; why even the Bugatti Veyron is one. …
2015 Hyundai Genesis Review: Evolution
When you buy into a Genesis, what matters is what you are let to have. Beyond the mist of brand halos, that is what counts. In its rise to being the ‘viable alternative’, originality is not something Hyundai has cared for; oneupmanship and value are. And with the 2015 Genesis, …
2015 Centennial Review: A billionaire by half
There is no wall that separates a Sonata and the Centennial in the Hyundai showroom. But the salespeople are trained to create one. A complete disassociation of values from Hyundai’s design and build is aimed at and largely achieved in the Centennial. Nowhere does it reveal its house logo and …
Maserati Ghibli Review: An offer you can’t refuse
When my tongue sizzles in the recall of my grandma’s recipe of chicken, there is a restaurant that I turn to, with its secret concoction of sauces that sets the grill on fire. The order taker plants a knowing smile on his face and a tick mark beside ‘extra-hot’ on …
Audi RS7 2014 review: Sportin’ a pin-striped suit
Taking off from where we left the Audi RS6, there is not much of a difference between the RS7 and its estate edition. At the heart of it, and even in the façade – if you overlook the aluminium strips that frame the air dams – both shone with a …
Nissan Altima 2014 review: Family fuelled
The first time I gave chase to an Altima was in 2007. Just as it cruised down the Sheikh Zayed Road smoothly, too smoothly, with me holding onto its steering – leaving me clueless if its CVT transmission was ever going to stabilize into a steady drive. From that time, …
Toyota Corolla 2014 Review: Hot cake sans the raisins
The Toyota Corolla is perhaps the most important car in the history of automobiles – if only because it is driven by more people than any other car ever. So it was time well spent when I got behind the wheel of the tenth generation Corolla once again, for a …
First Drive of Infiniti Q50 2014: Indulging Techno Treat
In those days of my motorcycle diaries, I was mostly riding pillion to a brother whose name if it weren’t to be Alex, famously coming to mean ‘instinctive driving’ among friends and family, would certainly have been Harley! Once as I wavered a little before a parked bus, not knowing …
2014 Peugeot 301 review: As good as basic gets
In the beginning – and in the end – there are three S factors that make up an essential family car – Safety, Space and Storage. In an ideal world, everything else would be just frills. However, times are such that value is often perceived in how much is packed …
Lincoln MKZ 2014 Review: Return of the original rival
If you haven’t driven a Lincoln before, the Lincoln MKZ is a good place to start. Without the baggage of ups and downs that the company has gone through, the executive sedan from the American luxury brand vouches for the remarkable effort that has gone into redefining the marque and …
