Car Articles

The Toyota Qualis was displayed at 1975 Jakarta Fair and the production of the Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) started in 1977. The Toyota Qualis was introduced in India on January 11, 2000. The MUV was withdrawn in 2005 to give way to a more modern and customer-value driven vehicle.

The Qualis was powered by a mighty, high-performance 2.4-litre straight four-cylinder diesel engine. The MUV could run at the top speed of 130 km/h. The Qualis delivered better milage, driving 18.12 km/l. It had a fuel-tank capacity of 53 litres.

The Toyota Qualis came with a number of safety features like a crumple zone, three point ELR seatbelts and side door beams etc. The Qualis could accommodate 8 or 10-passengers.

The Toyota Qualis still dominates the roads of metros like Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai as a taxi to ferry employees from IT companies.

The Hyundai Terracan was the company's largest and most powerful 4WD yet. It was also the most popular Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) of India. It had the option for shifting at the flick of a knob between the 2WD and 4WD. The SUV was able to shift drive modes without stopping even when the car was running at 80km/h.

The Hyundai Terracan came loaded with features for safety and comfort like multi-vent climate control system, 2 DIN audio system with highly advanced technology like DSP surround and 2 way co-axial speakers along with in-built tweeters, A-6 disc MP3 disc changer, anti lock braking system (ABS), electronic brake force distribution (EBD), rock solid protection, side impact protection, seat belt pre tensioner with load limiter and dual front air bags.

The Ford Mondeo was a large family car. The name was taken from the Latin word "mundus" that means "world." The first generation of the Mondeo was developed as a "world car". The car was sold by the Ford Motor Company in various markets throughout the world.

The car is beautifully crafted to please the eyes. The control of the car and grip was excellent. The car was fitted with ABS, aircon, front and rear electric windows and a CD player. But the car was too pricey for its time and could not survive for long in India.

The sedan will get a face lift and will foray into the Indian car market once again.

The Chevrolet Forester came to India in 2002. It was a Sports Utility Segment (SUV) with amazing traction and road grip.

The Chevrolet Forester had an extremely roomy and luxurious interior. The car was equipped with useful storage spaces, including cup holders in the front and rear seat armrests, cargo side pocket, sunglass case, coat hook in the rear portion and door pockets. The SUV had a muscular built which was accentuated by multi-reflector halogen headlamps.

The Forester was available in only one variant and came with a 4-cylinder gasoline engine that delivered a power of 117 bhp.

The Maruti Suzuki Esteem was equipped with a powerful 1298 cc, 4-cylinder engine. The engine of this huge car was made of lightweight all-aluminum. The engine gave an output of 65 bhp. The Esteem was the epitome of sophistication and good looks. The Esteem came in three variants: Lx, Lxi and Vxi. Maruti Suzuki Esteem is still a hot favourite with the rally enthusiasts.

The Maruti Esteem incorporated various safety features and unique configuration in it. The cabin of the Esteem was equipped with plush fabric upholstery, center console box, Ashtrays (front and rear), molded floor carpets and luggage compartment carpets, and many more. The instrument panel of the basic model included tachometer and speedometer with sporty dial. Headlamp leveling device, collapsible steering column, lockable glove box, child proof rear door locks, halogen headlamps, prismatic day-night inside rear view mirror etc. came as standard safety features.

The Maruti Esteem had been dominated the Indian market in the mid sedan segment for many years. Maruti Suzuki replaced this car with the Swift Dzire.