Hello, I’m back!

It’s been a mad two days for me, but I’d like to believe it was all worth it. Business meetings went off alright, but more importantly, I got entry to the Auto Expo!

There were some great concepts, some not so great concepts and some very cool bikes.

What’s the word on the Skoda Fabia?

It looked really good. I wanted to take a few interior shots, but unfortunately I didn’t look like a photojournalist to get any importance from the manufacturers.

But Skoda looked a bit mellow on the first day. I think they never build any hype around the car and let the cars speak for themselves. In that case, the cars speak eloquently.

Next on my list was Volvo. I was obviously drawn to the SUV’s all over the place. And the new Volvo XC 90 was quite tempting.

The XC 90 comes with two engines – a V8 petrol and a diesel. It’s not that sport looking [like the Cayenne] but it’s supposed to be a good performer. It doesn’t claim to be a thoroughbred off-roader, but rather a soft roader and a comfortable family SUV. And it’s comparatively cheaper.

Rs 47 lakh – diesel

Rs 54.5 lakh – V8 petrol

Volvo’s also come out with a new S80 Executive which looks quite sweet. It’s got a lovely sleek look. In Fact, I happened to see an old Volvo S60 in Delhi [some consulate car] and it still maintained an appealing style.

My favourite was the red convertible C70. They should definitely launch this one in India. Not that I’d be able to afford it, but it would be nice to look at instead of that ghastly San Storm!

The Audi stall wasn’t that great, honestly. Except for the launch of the new A4. Personally, I’m not that fond of Audi. I don’t like that big grille and honestly, the design isn’t that great. My sincere apologies to those die-hard Audi people, but between a Q7 and a Range Rover, I’d take the Range Rover. Is that bad? Don’t hit me!

Actually, so far the only one that I’d be able to afford is the Sumo Grande. So don’t fret, no Range Rover or Q7 for me for the next three generations of Kumars.

But, no sweat! There’s always the One Lakh car for every Kumar!

I saw the new Chevrolet Captiva. Nice headlamps, an altogether good macho look. It looks somewhat like the CR-V from the side. I’d actually like a test drive of this machine. It would be a good option from the Tuscon – Endeavour list. What do you think?

Also, I took a look at the Sonalika. It’s quite neat. Profile is nice, but the front is quite silly. It looks like some cartoon network character.

But the Sumo Grande is still on top of my practical ‘I can do it!’ list. What are my options? Not many I believe.

Next up… my news on the Mitsubishi Montero, The Hyundai Santa Fe and a personal favourite – the Mitsubishi Evo!