The Indian automobile arena has always shown interest in Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV). In fact, India is one of the largest markets for SUVs in the world. Hyundai with its SUV Creta have become most successful in the SUV segment in 2015. The Creta, which is near 1 lakh bookings, has also become the Indian Car of the Year 2016. Mahindra tasted success with the TUV300. The year 2016 has a long list of SUVs lined up. Here is a list of new launches and facelifts.
Renault Duster Facelift
The Duster facelift 2016, expected to be showcased at the Auto Expo 2016, will have exterior changes in line with the Brazilian-spec model. The popular SUV will get a new single-slat grille, new headlamp cluster, and new alloy wheels with updated rear and front bumpers. A major change is expected to come in the form of an AMT gearbox called the R-AMT. Mechanically, the Duster facelift is expected to be the same as the current model with a 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine. While the petrol mill in the current model is tuned to churn out 102.5bhp of power, the diesel engine is available in two states of tune— 84bhp and 108bhp. Price expected: Rs 9-14 lakh.
SsanYong Tivoli
After the launch of KUV100 on 15 January, Mahindra will be concentrating on bringing the Tivoli SUV from its Korean subsidiary, SsangYong Motor. Mahindra imported the Tivoli to India for research and development in October 2015. The Tivoli is powered by 1.6-litre petrol and diesel engines. The four-cylinder petrol unit develops 126bhp and 160Nm of torque. The diesel unit develops 113bhp and 300Nm of torque. Both the engines are mated to six-speed manual and Aisin six-speed automatic transmission. In India, Mahindra is likely to use the 1.5-litre three-cylinder mHawk80 diesel engine that debuted with the TUV300. The compact SUV comes in 4x2 and 4x4 avatars. Price expected: Rs 10-15 lakh.
Maruti Suzuki Vitara
In its first outing with Grand Vitara, Maruti Suzuki failed to make an impact in the segment. The sales of the SUV were much lower as compared to the other popular models of Maruti Suzuki. Maruti Suzuki calculates the industry is now more matured, with growing demand for premium SUVs. They will launch the New Vitara in the second half of the year. The new Vitara will be powered by a 1.6-litre DDiS diesel engine that develops 118bhp and 320Nm of torque mated to six-speed manual transmission. Suzuki's AllGrip AWD system will be on offer. Price expected: Rs 16-20 lakh.
Hyundai Tucson
To bridge the gap between the Creta and the Santa Fe SUVs, Hyundai India is reportedly planning to launch its Tucson SUV in India soon. The new Tucson is built on a new platform that offers larger cabin space and provides 513 litres of luggage capacity. The interior has been spruced up with high-quality materials across the cabin surfaces. The Tucson is available with a wide range of powertrains in the global market. the India spec model is expected in diesel engines only which is available in three options — 113bhp (1.7-litre), 134bhp (2.0-litre) and 183bhp (2.0-litre). Price expected: Rs 17-22 lakh.
New Ford Endeavour
The flagship SUV of Ford in India, the Endeavour in latest generation will be the first launch of the American car manufacturer in 2016. The full-sized seven-seater Endeavour SUV deviates from the typical boxy design of the previous generations and has a more rounded design in new generation. The new Endeavour will be available in two TDCi diesel engine options. The 2.2-litre engine develops 158bhp and 385Nm of torque, while the 3.2-litre engine develops 197bhp and 470Nm of torque. The former will be offered with optional of six-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmission in two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive option, the latter will get only four-wheel drive configuration with automatic transmission. Price expected: Rs 22-25 lakh.
Nissan X-Trail
The new X-Trail is globally in its third generation and takes a radical change in design. The new design incorporates styling cues from the Juke, Murano, and the Patrol of the International line-up. The new X-Trail is based on the Common Module Family (CMF) platform architecture jointly developed by Nissan and Renault. Under the hood, the SUV is likely to be powered by a 1.6-litre diesel engine with a power output of 130bhp and maximum torque of 320Nm, mated to a six-speed CVT gearbox. The petrol variant is not expected to make it to India. The Nissan X-Trail will also come with 4WD system underlining its off-road prowess. Price expected: Rs 25-30 lakh.
Mitsubishi Outlander
Mitsubishi India will expand its current single model portfolio and the SUV expected to join the Pajero Sport is the new Outlander. Mitsubishi says the Outlander facelift is the first car to receive the brand's new design language. The front of the SUV has an all new design, named Dynamic Shield. The Outlander's latest avatar is expected to come with 2.4-litre MIVEC diesel engine that produces 165bhp at 6,000rpm and 222Nm of torque at 4,100rpm. The engine will be mated to a CVT gearbox power transmitting to all four wheels. Price expected: Rs 25 lakh onwards.
Volkswagen Tiguan
Volkswagen unveiled the all-new Tiguan compact crossover at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show in Septemeber, and the marquee is expected to be launched in India soon. The new Tiguan, despite being 60mm longer and 30mm wider, has lost more than 50kg and now it sits 33mm lower. It also uses the MQB platform of the VW group as opposed to the PQ35 platform of the outgoing model. The Tiguan is available for the global market in a range of eight engines in petrol and diesel with power ranging from 115bhp to 248bhp. Though the engine for India is not confirmed, the vehicle is likely to get the 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine. Price expected: Rs 20-25 lakh.
Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe
The GLE coupe is the answer to BMW X6 from Mercedes-Benz. The German marque will most likely launch only the AMG avatar in India on 12 January. The GLE 450 AMG is essentially the coupe version of the GLE SUV. The vehicle will be powered by a 2996cc V6 twin-turbo petrol engine that develops 362bhp at 5,500-6,000rpm and 520Nm of torque at 1,800-4,200rpm, mated to 9G-TRONIC automatic transmission. The SUV also comes with 4MATIC permanent all-wheel drive. The engine helps the GLE coupe reach 100kmph in 5.7 seconds before reaching a top speed of 250kmph. Price expected: Rs 60-70 lakh.
BMW X1
The second generation of the BMW's entry-level SUV was unveiled at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. The new X1 features BMW's new transverse engine architecture, shorter hood and front overhang than the previous generation. The front-end is dominated by the large kidney grille and signature four-eyed circular headlamps. LED daytime running lights are standard across variants while the top models also get full LED headlamps. Among the many engine options, the India-spec model is expected to be the sDrive18d and the all-wheel drive xDrive20d. The engines produce 148bhp and 188bhp respectively.
Jeep
American SUV manufacturer Jeep will launch Grand Cherokee and Wrangler Unlimited in India in February 2016. The Jeep Wrangler will come with a 3.6-litre V6 24-Valve DOHC VVT petrol engine churning out peak power of 285hp and peak torque of 352Nm, mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The Grand Cherokee will be powered by 305bhp 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The recently launched India website has listed the more powerful Grand Cherokee STR. This model is powered by a 475bhp 6.4-litre HEMI V8 petrol engine, paired to the same eight-speed automatic transmission.
Mercedes-Benz GLS
Mercedes-Benz India will launch the new GL-Class, which has been renamed as GLS, in line with the brand's new nomenclature this year. The face-lifted version gets a redesigned front-end which is in line with the new brand design language as seen in S-Class. The centre console now boasts of standalone tablet-sized eight-inch screen with touch-pad control in place of the integrated display in the outgoing model. The GLS is available in petrol and diesel engines. The Indian spec model would be the GLS350d 4MATIC features 3.0-litre V6 turbo engine that develops 255bhp and 616Nm of torque, mated to nine-speed automatic transmission.
Jaguar F-Pace
Tata Motors-owned Jaguar's performance SUV F-Pace is expected to come to Indian shores in the second half of 2016. Built in the UK's Solihull, the Jaguar F-Pace in India will be available in 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine that develops 177bhp and 430Nm of torque mated to eight-speed automatic transmission. When launched, the F-Pace will be pitted against Porsche Macan, Audi Q5 and BMW X3 with an expected price of close to Rs 60 lakh.
Bentley Bentayga
British luxury car-maker Bentley opened bookings for its SUV, the Bentayga, in India for a whopping Rs 2 crore in December. The Bentley SUV claims to be the fastest, most powerful, most luxurious and most exclusive SUV in the world, is expected in May-June 2016 in India. The SUV rides on the MLB Evo platform that also underpins the second-generation Audi Q7. An all-new twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre W12 engine develops 600bhp and a mammoth 900Nm of torque, delivering a 0-100kmph time of 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 301kmph. The expected ex-showroom price in India hovers around Rs 6 crore.
