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I’ll let you in on a secret – anybody who is even remotely a part of the car industry is a car enthusiast. Bob Lutz, an executive who once served at the Detroit Big Three – read Ford, GM (General Motors) and Chrysler – is arguably one of the best examples of a ‘car guy’ in the automotive industry. Put together all the people from all the departments in a car company and you’ll definitely find a small faction who love enthusiast cars. Historically, it has always been these few who helped create some of the most iconic nameplates in automotive history. Think Ford Mustang, the Chevrolet Corvette, and while it might definitely sound pale in comparison, even the teams who signed off on the go-faster RS versions of the Skoda Octavia or the Maruti Suzuki Baleno deserve to be commended to buck the trend and introduce performance cars in a country where fuel efficiency is king.
But the car industry is a business at the end of the day, and in order to stay afloat, companies need to cater to the majority of buyers who aren’t enthusiasts. Consequently, that also means these driver’s cars are often not considered to be sold in Indian markets at all, while being part of a manufacturer’s global model lineup. What I have outlined is a list of five potential enthusiast cars that manufacturers should sell in India, and if you read on, spread the word and make enough of a noise about it – the car guys in the boardrooms just might end up obliging!
For most of us, it was Honda that lit the fires in the belly for enthusiasts in India with the original City VTEC, and it was a smashing success. This was a sensible sedan that your dad could pull up to work in and mean all business, while also being a hoot to drive when the young gun in the family would inevitably sneak away for a joyride. The Honda City has always delivered the best of both worlds in that sense, but with the recent generations and the move towards a hybrid powertrain, the street cred that the City possessed earlier has been diluted by a fair bit. Luckily for Honda, they already have a solution in hand in the form of the Honda City RS Turbo sold in global markets.
Visually identical to the City sold here, the RS Turbo is essentially a sportier version of the standard sedan, with tweaks to the design to make it look more aggressive and updates to the interior to make it more appealing to enthusiasts. Under the bonnet of the City RS Turbo is a 1-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 120bhp of power and 173Nm of torque, and the three pot is mated to a CVT transmission. While it might be as powerful as the regular City powered by the 1.5-litre nat–asp iVTEC engine, it is the torque where the RS has the edge. The punchier engine and stiffer suspension would do wonders for the City’s driving experience, and would definitely help Honda earn back the respect of the enthusiasts who made it the brand that it is in the country.
The Maruti Suzuki Swift was one of the first fun to drive hatchbacks for the masses in India and it has continued to be very popular among practical buyers and enthusiasts alike. In India, the Swift is powered by a 1.2-litre naturally-aspirated K-Series engine that produces 89bhp and 113Nm – which is on par with the class, but with the proliferation of faster offerings with turbocharged engines, the Swift is no longer the only option for an enthusiast on a budget.
Fret not however, because if the regular Swift does not strike your fancy, you could always check out its sportier cousin, the Swift Sport that it sold in global markets. With a more aggressive body kit, 17-inch alloy wheels with low-profile tyres (Euro spec), twin-exhausts and an interior that is all-black with red accents plus sporty touches, the Swift Sport could definitely be the spiritual successor of the OG that was offered with the 1.3-litre G13B engine that lent itself to enthusiastic driving.
The Swift Sport is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged Boosterjet petrol engine with mild-hybrid assist that produces 127bhp of power and 235Nm of torque. This engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox and the Swift Sport can post a claimed 0-100kmph of 9.1 seconds. Test mules of Swift Sport have been spotted testing in the country on multiple occasions, and all the hype considered, it is about time that Maruti Suzuki offered the go-faster Swift in India.
The Hyundai i20 N Line that is sold in India gets the same turbo-petrol engine as the standard i20, but just think of the effect that flashier paint, sportier suspension and a more aggressive body kit has had on customers – you spot i20 N Lines everywhere! And if India’s appetite for ‘warm’ hatches is anything to go by, just think of the response that the full-blown Hyundai i20 N would get!
The i20 N has been inspired and developed with Hyundai’s motorsport learnings, and it is powered by a 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine that produces 201bhp and 275Nm. Good for a 0-100kmph time of 6.2 seconds and a claimed top speed of 230kmph, the i20 N can be had with a 6-speed manual transmission with a rev matching function. You also get multiple drive modes and the presence of launch control on the i20 N. The handling of the i20 N is vastly superior too, courtesy of a retuned chassis, an optional limited slip differential, reinforced suspension with new springs and shock absorbers, and allowing the i20 N to stop on a dime are the high performance brakes with bigger front discs.
In terms of the styling, the i20 N is inspired by touches from Hyundai’s WRC car, and it gets 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Pirelli P ZERO performance tyres. It also gets massive air intakes and a rear diffuser, with the inside being graced by sporty touches like metal pedals, sports seats and an all-black cabin with performance blue accents.
The Civic was the epitome of desirability when Honda launched it in India, and while the carmaker did briefly experiment with the Civic hybrid, what we never got was the hardcore Honda Civic Type R. The Civic was always more of an enthusiast car than a premium sedan, which is why it didn’t set the sales charts on fire, with Honda eventually pulling the plug on the nameplate. The Civic was always one of the halo cars for the brand in India, a brand built by enthu-cutlets, which is precisely why Honda should consider getting the Type R to our shores.
Powered by 2-litre turbocharged petrol engine, the in-line four makes 324bhp at 6500rpm in the Japanese and Euro-spec Type Rs while the American and Australian markets make do with a 316bhp spec due to the lower-octane fuels sold there. Honda claim this is the most powerful VTEC turbo that they have produced, with 0-100kmph coming up in 5.4 seconds and a top speed of 275kmph.
The Civic Type R can be had with a 6-speed manual transmission that gets an auto blip function. If it were to come to India, don’t expect it to be cheap, as the last Civic sold in India was already priced nearing the Rs 20 lakh mark. But even if Honda were to bring it in limited numbers, like Skoda did with the Octy vRS, it would do wonders for the brand’s standing in India.
How can we at evo India talk about enthusiast cars without mentioning the Volkswagen Polo! We are die-hard fans of Volkswagen’s hatchback owing to its fun to drive dynamics which were complemented wonderfully by the TSI engines, and it has been one of our benchmarks for delivering on the Thrill of Driving. And while the Polo as we know it is now discontinued, Volkswagen unveiled the latest generation of the Polo in global markets, and we really hope it should make its way to India.
Globally, it is offered with three 1-litre petrol engines – a nat-asp and two turbo-petrols in different states of tune, along with a 1-litre engine powered by natural gas. The turbo-petrol TSI engines produce 93bhp and 109bhp, and can be optioned with a 5-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG. If it were to come to India, it could likely get the 148bhp 1.5 TSI engine from the Taigun / Virtus. But while the new Polo receives comprehensive visual and interior updates, it is unlikely whether it will make its way to India soon, given that the hatchback is no longer sub 4-metre in length, which means it cannot take advantage of the tax brackets which would allow it to be priced competitively enough.
It is also possible that the recently-unveiled VW ID. 2all just might be the Polo-equivalent that will be sold in India, albeit in electric form. Will it deliver on the Thrill of Driving? Cannot wait to find out!
