The 2009 Nissan Titan is a large pick up truck offering a wide interior and plenty of room for cargo. Presently, the Titan is only ready in half-ton model, although... Read more »

The front of Porsche Panamera has fenders that are distinctively higher than the hood and the big air intakes show their lineage to the 911. The roof has been extended compared to the 911 to accommodate the rear passengers but at the same time, the driving position is similar to the 911 keeping the center of gravity low. The rear end also had to have a distinctive appearance as they wanted the car to look like a Porsche even from a distance of over a hundred meters. The leather interior garners appreciation for the car’s top class build quality. Despite the saloon’s low slung roof contour, the cabin is spacious. The seats are eight-way adjustable and offer pneumatic lumbar support. The sloping center console is devoid of irritating control knobs and joysticks.

We had to drive the facelifted Civic from Pune to Chennai and back. The first leg of our trip from Bengaluru to Chennai was roughly 320km. With Aspi deciding to drive during the first leg and Navaroze taking the passenger seat, I decided to take this opportunity to gauge the Civic’s rear seat comfort. The car offers plush seating at the rear with adequate legroom. The rear seats get audio controls on the centre armrest. Though there aren’t AC vents at the rear, I didn’t miss them thanks to the powerful AC of the car that takes care of the rear passengers pretty well. Taking the NH7, we crossed Hosur to enter Tamil Nadu from where the roads improved drastically and allowed Aspi to fly the Civic at 150km/h on the brilliant highways.

It would be fair to say that even before I took the 730Ld for a spin last month, I was expecting this limousine to set the fastest pace once again for diesel cars in this premium luxury segment. A lot has been discussed previously about the 7’s looks, interiors as well as the way it rides and pampers four occupants on the move. The changes here lie under the hood, hence let’s get down to discussing that first. The 730Ld makes use of the same 3.0-litre straight six cylinder engine that also powers the smaller 5 Series in India. However, with an additional four hundred kilos of weight to lug around as compared its smaller sibling, the 7’s powerplant has been tweaked in order to produce around ten more horses, and more importantly, forty more Newton meters of torque. This engine is mated to a standard six-speed automatic gearbox with an option for manual shifts.

Nissan Teana has always been an underrated vehicle in India. For those who have owned it, the car has delivered what is to be expected for an Rs 25 lakh premium sedan. It always had a class leading comfortable suspension with rich, well equipped interiors. On the outside, the design imparted a rather understated look, but that seems to have changed. To start with, this Nissan is the first in its segment to feature a stylish glass roof, extending the open and airy feel of the interior to the rear seat area. The bold yet elegant character design line which flows like a sweeping arc, stretches from the front to the rear and imparts a modern artistic look. The lights, both at the front and the rear, have also been changed and now sport a sharper and elegant look. Overall the new generation Teana seems to be longer and lower than the outgoing one, but on paper, it isn’t.