New cars for 2015: SUV

Facelifted Honda CR-V

Expected Price: Rs 25-30 lakh

Expected Time of Launch: Mid 2015

The Honda CR-V has always been seen as a likeable alternative to the big and brash full size SUVs available in India. For the new 2015 version, Honda seems to have upped the pace and has given it a refresh just couple of years since its last update. The 2015 Honda CR-V gets a new grille with a chrome bar at the bottom that nicely blends into the LEDs Daytime Running Lights. It also gets a larger front bumper that houses the new fog lamps.  

Expect the 2015 Honda CR-V to hit the Indian market mid next year. Like the other Honda models on sale, the new CR-V too is likely to be launched with petrol and diesel engine options. also expect both manual and automatic version of the CR-V to trickle their way to India post launch.

Ford Endeavour

Expected Price: Rs 25-30 lakh

Expected Time of Launch: Mid 2015

The 2015 Ford Endeavour exudes a premium look both inside out, something that the current version sorely lacks. This new SUV receives a large chrome hexagonal front grille, new LED daytime running lights and an aluminium front and rear underbody protection.

The SUV will be available in both petrol and diesel engine options. For the petrol, it will get the 2.0-litre twin-scroll EcoBoost engine. The diesel engine options include a 2.2-litre four-cylinder and a 3.2-litre five-cylinder engine.

Enhancing ease of the SUV’s off-road operation is the terrain management system (TMS), which allows drivers to select between four pre-programmed settings while driving: normal, snow/gravel/grass, sand and rock. It changes the vehicle’s throttle and transmission response and adjusts the traction control accordingly to the terrain. We expect this new SUV to hit the Indian shores by mid-2015 with India specific engine range.

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New Audi Q7

Expected Price: Rs 60-80 lakh

Expected Time of Launch: Mid 2015

Although Audi has just revealed the next-generation Audi Q7 and it has already been spotted testing in India. The new model gets sharper body creases and a more aggressive stance than before. Also new are the more prominent wheel arches, redesigned tail lamps and bumpers and new alloy wheels. The new Q7 will also get an arrow shape daytime running light combined with sportier hexagonal exhaust tips.

The biggest change in the new generation Audi Q7 is its 325kg lighter weight than its forbearer, which also helps improve fuel economy by up to 26 per cent more. The second generation Audi Q7 will be available with a 3.0-litre TDI oil-burner capable of 272PS of peak power and 600Nm of maximum torque.  Also, expect a slightly detuned variant of the 3.0-litre TDI engine producing 218PS and 500Nm of torque to be launched a little later.

The new generation Audi Q7 will be brought in India by late 2015. Once launched, it will take on the likes of BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GL Class and the new Volvo XC90. Unlike the current Audi Q7 which is assembled in Audi India at their Aurangabad plant, the next generation Audi Q7 will be imported as a CBU initially.

Facelifted Audi Q3

Estimated Price: Rs 25-35 lakh

Estimated Time of Launch: Early 2015

We recently drove the updated Audi Q3 in Germany and were quite impressed. Typically, the new car features updated styling and a host of petrol and diesel options. Cosmetically, tweaks are subtle at best. There is a sharper single frame trapezoidal front grille and updated headlights equipped with xenon plus lighting and LED daytime running lights. Customers can also opt for LED headlamps that sync with the revised LED tail lamps. Both the lamps come with dynamic turn signals.

As far as the engines are concerned, the 2015 Audi Q3 will be available with three petrol TFSI and three diesel TDI four-cylinder engines. These turbocharged engines emit up to 17 percent less CO2 than before. Internationally, the Euro 6-compliant engines for the Audi Q3 vary from displacements ranging from 1.4-litres to 2.0-liters providing an output between 120 PS and 220PS. In India though, we can expect Audi to give us the 2.0-litre diesel engine and a new 2.0-litre petrol motor. Expect the Q3 to make it to India in the first half of 2015 and an attractive price tag to take on the new Mercedes-Benz GLA.

New BMW X6

Expected Price: Rs 75-95 lakh

Expected Time of Launch: Mid 2015

The BMW X6 has always been a car that most auto journalists tend to swoon over and for good reason. Not only does it handle like a sedan, it also has enough power to humiliate most cars on the road. And of course, it looks great. Now though, BMW has a new version and yes, it will make its way to India very soon. The new X6, based on the more practical X5, has received a thorough update both on the interior and exterior front while still maintaining an unmistakably X6ish look.

The X6 will be available with a V8 petrol in the xDrive 50i, a straight-six diesel in the 30d which we are now familiar with as it is borrowed from the X5 xDrive 30d and a M50d which gets three turbochargers fitted to the straight six diesel. A 35i and 40d variant will follow and we expect India to get the 30d and 40d on priority. The 30d develops 262PS of power and 560Nm of torque and the 40d dishes out 317PS.

The X6 was known to have a harsh ride which wasn’t much of a concern abroad but for Indian users, it was. The rear air suspension with adaptive damper control should smooth things out better and offer a more pliant ride. The X6 is also 22 percent more efficient says BMW due to addition of the Eco Pro mode and an aero package that should come as standard on the India bound X6.

BMW X4

Expected Price: Rs 50 lakh

Expected Time of Launch: Late 2015

The BMW X4 is essentially the smaller sibling of the hugely popular BMW X6. The BMW X4, a coupe version of BMW’s mid-size SUV, the X3 and is based on the same platform. The BMW X4, just like the X6 will create an all-new segment for itself.

Along with the low front stance, the twin headlights and BMW’s signature kidney grilles, the X4 appears to have sporting credentials. The headlamps and fog lamps are both available in either conventional bulb and projector setup or a full-LED lighting package. The BMW X4, a coupe-SUV, or SAV (Sports Activity Vehicle) as BMW likes to call it, reaches its highest point in the roof just over the driver’s seating position. BMW’s traditional shoulder lines split into two on the BMW X4, giving the wheel arches a slightly more pronounced and wider look. The rear end, complete with horizontally stacked LED taillights and a diffuser style rear bumper enhances the dynamic look of the BMW X4.

The most popular engine choice will most likely be the xDrive20d, which is a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine making 187PS and 380Nm of peak torque. The more powerful xDrive30d model will come with a 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine makes 262PS and a staggering 560Nm of torque. Expect the X4 to make it to India by the end of 2015 at a price point of about Rs 50 lakh.

New Volvo XC90

Expected Price: Rs 1-1.2 crore

Expected time of launch: Late 2015

The Volvo XC90 aims to create ripples in the luxury SUV segment in India and will be launched sometime late 2015 to take on the likes of the Range Rover. The new XC90 is the first Volvo to use the company’s Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), a versatile platform, which can cater to a wide range of body types of future Volvo models. The all-new Volvo XC90 looks a lot more stylish and upmarket than the outgoing model.

The distinctive part being the narrow and split headlights with a unique ‘T’ shaped DRL that Volvo terms as ‘Thor’s hammer’. Like most Volvo design the 2015 Volvo XC90 features strong shoulder lines culminating into the typically Volvo trademark taillights. The new Volvo XC90 has a good combination of the company's traditional design with oodles of modern lines. The interior of the 2015 Volvo XC90 is extremely impressive, with its minimalistic approach and top-notch quality. The clean, multi-layered dashboard, dual tone steering wheel and the fine wood facia from door to door make the XC90 look very premium. The neat centre console gets just eight buttons, along with a vertically mounted 10.5-inch touchscreen that has most of the controls. The new Volvo XC90 is expected to feature a top-of-the-line Bowers and Wilkins entertainment system with 19 speakers.

India will get the 2015 Volvo XC90 in the D5 variant powered by a new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine that produces 224PS at 4,250rpm and 470Nm between 1,750-2,500rpm and claims to consume about 17kmpl. The 2015 Volvo XC90 will officially go on sale around March 2015 internationally, and a few test mules will be imported to India for homologation which will take about three months. So we can expect the new Volvo XC90 to be introduced in India in July 2015, with an expected priced of around Rs 70 lakh.

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Land Rover Discovery Sport

Expected Price: Rs 40-50 lakh

Expected Time of Launch: Late 2015

Set to enter the Indian market sometime late next year, the 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport will be the least expensive SUV when it goes on sale, even undercutting the price tag of the standard LR4 Discovery.

Cosmetically, the Discovery Sport gets a plenty of updates and borrows many of its styling cues from its older siblings, the Range Rovers, while still retaining the rugged appearance of the older Discovery and Freelander. The Discovery Sport features a generous 5 + 2 seating arrangement in the body size of a regular five-seater SUV that still lives up to Land Rover’s distinguished accomplishments.

Although, the carmaker hasn’t revealed the specs for the diesel yet, we expect the Discovery to come equipped with the 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine capable of delivering 180PS of peak power. All the engines will be mated to the all-new 9-speed gearbox and will come with an all-wheel-drive system with adaptive terrain response. The new Land Rover Discovery Sport is also much lighter due to a large percentage of aluminium used in its construction.

We expect the Land Rover Discovery Sport to hit the Indian shores late next year. Once launched, the Discovery Sport will lock horns with rivals such as the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and the Mercedes ML-Class