We are in the second half of the calendar year 2016 and the festive season is just around the corner. Manufacturers are going to make a beeline, launching their cars to ride the car buying wave that is expected to rise. And since we all love SUVs, here is a list of SUVs we can expect to be launched before the end of 2016.
1. Tata Hexa
As per the latest reports, the Tata Hexa is ready to go under production after the extensive testing it has undergone.. The Hexa is a seven-seater people mover form the Tata stable and is powered by the latest Varicor 400 2.2-litre diesel engine and will be offered with four-wheel-drive for the top-spec variants. Toeing the HorizonNext philosophy of design, the Hexa comes with all the modern equipment expected with a premium SUV.
2. Hyundai Tuscon
After the runaway success of the Creta, Hyundai is betting big on compact SUVs and the five-seater Tuscon will fill the gap between the Creta and the Santa Fe in the Hyundai scheme of things. The premium SUV will ideally compete with the Honda CR-V and the Renault Koleos and should be available with both petrol and diesel engine options. It will be offered with manual as well as automatic transmissions while it needs to be seen if it gets four-wheel-drive.
The Wrangler is a legend in itself. Known for its rugged build and off-road capabilities, this top-notch utility vehicle will be launched this year. Powered by a 3.6-litre petrol V6 engine that generates 285bhp of power, the four-door Wrangler gets a five-speed automatic gearbox and off-road aids like crawl-control, hill descent control, hill hold function at al.
The Grand Cherokee is civilised as compared to the Wrangler, but as capable as the latter in terms of off-road capabilities. The luxury offering from Jeep comes with a touch-screen infotainment system, dual-zone climate control, power adjustable front seats et al. It gets a 3.0-litre diesel V6 with automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive. For the American V8 enthusiasts, you can also get the Cherokee SRT with the 6.4-litre V8 petrol engine that powers the car past 100kmph in 4.8 seconds.
The F-Pace is the first SUV built by the British Marque and they have left no stone unturned in making it a sportscar amongst the SUVs. The styling cues have been taken over from their sports coupe, the Jaguar F-type. The five-seater SUV will compete with the likes of the Porsche Macan but might be offered at a lucrative price tag. It was showcased at the Auto Expo 2016 and we expect it to be launched in the festive season.
6. Mercedes-Benz GLE Petrol/AMG
Mercedes had launched the GLE last year to replace the long-running M-Class as a part of their global portfolio restructuring. As of now, the middleweight premium SUV is being offered only with the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel. We expect Mercedes to launch a petrol GLE, especially after the wake of ban on large diesels in some parts of the country. It might also be a GLE63 AMG, the ML63 AMG replacement we never got. In that case, it will be the twin-turbocharged 5.5-litre petrol V8 doing the honours under the hood.
7. Audi SQ7
Talkiing about performance SUVs, you cannot miss out on the Audi SQ7. Known for their prowess in building race-spec diesel engines, Audi has built a 4.0-litre twin turbocharged diesel V8 for SQ7. It provides seamless power over the rev range thanks to the first production electricity driven turbocharger that minimizes the lag. And then it’s a big SUV with a diesel engine. So, inherently we are going to love it, especially with the LED matrix headlamps and the sporty body kit it comes with.
8. Porsche Macan S/GTS
Porsche was first amongst the sportscar manufacturers to think about SUVs and the Cayenne has been a great success. The Macan, the second SUV from the Stuttgart-based company, has to be better. As of now, we only have the Macan diesel and the Macan Turbo here in India. As per our sources, Porsche should introduce either the Macan S or the GTS this year. Both are powered by the same 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine but in different states of tune and cosmetics.
The Tiguan would be the second VW SUV to be launched in India after the Touareg. This five-seater SUV based on the MQB platform was showcased at the Auto Expo 2016 held earlier this year. Volkswagen aims to rival the Mercedes GLA with the Tiguan and is expected to be priced accordingly.
10. Mahindra MPV
Spy shots of the new Mahindra MPV have emerged and it seems that testing has already begun for the people mover. While we are not sure if it has been built to rival the new and expensive Innova Crysta, it will certainly enliven the premium MPV space with Tata Hexa also coming in this year. It will certainly get the 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine from the XUV500 and will also have an O or a 0 as the last character in its name.
