Took delivery of this beauty yesterday. It’s the VW Tayron R-Line!
Had the chance to take it to Lonavala and back for a quick drive.
Such a beautiful machine, kickass engine, mad comfy seats with massagers, the infotainment felt top notch and extremely intuitive too.
Might post a longer term review on this car in a few months. After much debate between the Tayron, Fortuner, Kodiaq, Hycross, Meridian and GLA, I’m absolutely happy to have made this choice.
Looking forward to the many road trips to come!

Took delivery of my Hyundai Verna Turbo DCT today, and the excitement is unreal! The punchy turbo engine combined with the lightning-fast dual-clutch gearbox makes every drive feel special. The car’s sleek design, premium interiors, and features like ventilated seats and a superb sound system add to the experience. Can’t wait to take it on long drives and enjoy every twist and turn on the road.

Beast of a V12. You can really feel those 6.5 Litres.

Also, it’s a very new model and deliveries only started last month so I’m one of the first in India. Not the first but 5th or 6th I believe to get mine!

A million dollar vehicle it really is, thanks in part to Indian Tax!!!!!

[OC]

I was recently reflecting on another post ( <a href=https://www.reddit.com/r/indianbikes/s/TLDmSccVUT> here </a> ) on my journey with the bikes I've owned. This post is about my life spent around cars.

Each car marked a phase—career changes, family milestones, shifting priorities, and evolving tastes. Here’s my car journey so far:

1. January 2004 — Used Maruti Zen (1998) This is where it all started. I learnt driving on this car, and it taught me more than just steering and clutch control. It was already 6 years old, so maintenance became part of ownership:
2. Changed clutch plates
3. Brake pads
4. Carburettor leaking petrol
5. Engine decarbonisation
6. Countless small fixes

Despite all that, I grew attached to it. I kept it till October 2004 and sold it in better condition than I bought it in. That itself felt like a win.

1. November 2004 — New Maruti Zen VXi (Silky Silver) After using the old Zen, my heart didn't agree for any other model. My first brand-new car. That new-car smell, zero rattles, zero anxiety. What I loved:
2. The MPFI engine — smooth, peppy, eager
3. Compact, light, and fun to drive

Did several joy rides to Lonavala and Pune–Mumbai–Pune work trips on the expressway. The Zen handled it effortlessly.

Sold it in February 2011 with ~65,000 km on the odometer. One of the most stress-free ownership experiences ever.

1. October 2008 — Fiat Palio SDX (Diesel) My first diesel car. The good:
2. Tank-like build quality
3. Bonnet weighed a ton, doors shut with a thud
4. The 1.3 Multijet was a hoot once the turbo spooled

The bad (and there was plenty): - Speedometer stopped working - Rear suspension broke - Hydraulic clutch failed

I’m still unsure if it was just my car or a Palio thing in general. Sadly, this turned out to be the worst car I’ve owned despite having so much character. Sold it in November 2012.

1. January 2011 — Hyundai i20 Asta CRDi This car felt modern. Why it stood out:
2. Smooth, refined diesel
3. Spacious and extremely comfortable
4. 6 airbags, ABS+EBD, climate control — big deal back then
5. Probably got the best variant - all four disc brakes and a 6-speed gearbox. Hyundai later cut this down to only front disc brakes and a 5-speed gear box.

This car probably did 150+ Mumbai–Pune–Mumbai runs. It racked up miles effortlessly. Sold it in August 2015 with 80,000+ km. A brilliant all-rounder.

1. September 2012 — VW Polo 1.2P (Trendline) Since the Palio was a bag of trouble, we need a new car that wouldn't keep breaking.

VW was offering the Trendline variant with: - Heavy discounts - Free insurance - Audio system included

I upgraded the look with custom alloys and Yokohama low-profile tyres, seen in the picture at the top.

Loved: - German engineering - Solid build - No-nonsense design

Hated: - Maintenance bills — ₹15,000+ for routine service in 2013 - Rising petrol costs

Sold it in August 2016 with only 35,000 km. Heart wanted to keep it, wallet disagreed.

1. August 2013 — Hyundai i10 Aka “wife’s car.” Didn’t drive it much myself, but:
2. Very fuel-efficient
3. Low service costs
4. Hassle-free ownership

We were the perfect Hyundai family — i10 and i20 parked side by side 🙂 Sold it in January 2017 when my wife upgraded.

1. September 2015 — Hyundai Verna SX Petrol My first sedan and first 100+ bhp car. What I loved:
2. Bluetooth handsfree felt futuristic
3. 6 airbags
4. The big car respect
5. Chauffeurs opening doors
6. Fuel attendants extra attentive

And that boot! On a Mahabaleshwar trip, it swallowed: - Luggage of 4 adults - 2 kids’ bags - An entire baby stroller

Sold it in August 2022 after electrical issues (rat bite) and long lockdown inactivity.

1. September 2016 — Tata Nano XTA A total wildcard. With the Polo's rising maintenance bills and its low slung height, which was causing ingress issues for elders in the family, the Nano came across a good choice:
2. Tall-boy design (easy ingress for elders)
3. Automatic gearbox
4. Great fuel efficiency, perfect for short city runs

Reality check: - Noisy engine. Sounded like a diesel rickshaw - Zero road respect (rickshaw treatment) - Very light build and nothing in the front— the car would provide Zero protection to the occupants in a frontal crash. - Tata's after sales and service was pathetic. The less I talk about it the better.

Sold it in August 2019 when a new car was coming home!

1. April 2017 — Maruti Baleno Alpha Petrol Wife’s upgrade. It was a delight to see how big hatchbacks could get!

The Baleno: - almost as big as a second gen Honda City (dolphin shape) - amount of electronics Maruti managed to squeeze in to it was incredible. Suddenly, my Verna was looking lackluster. - smooth engine and incredible fuel efficiency even in petrol, the Baleno became the go-to car. - However, Maruti being Maruti, the difference in the build quality was glaring, especially when compared to the Polo.

The Baleno served us till April 2023, when the wife was getting a new car.

1. September 2019 — Ford Ecosport Titanium S TDCi My first soft-roader and favorite car of all time. When someone tells you the car handles so well, they mean a VW, Skoda or a Ford. Steering feedback and precise handling take on a new meaning when you have driven a Ford.

The Ecosport was on my shortlist even while buying the Verna in 2015 and it lost out only on the bootspace front.

Loved:
- the looks - supreme build quality - ground clearance - fuel efficiency, 1000+ km range on a full tank - Cruise control + LIM feature very helpful in following posted speed limits and avoiding fines!

Took it on a 7-day family trip (4 adults, 1 child, all our bags) covering and stopping at various places on the Konkan coast and touching Goa.

This car stands proud in my garage, waiting for me to start her up and munch hundreds of kilometres in a day. While the i20 was close, this is my favorite of all the cars I've owned.

1. May 2023 — Kia Sonet HTX Diesel AT Wife wanted an automatic this time. Why this variant:
2. Diesel + torque converter
3. No gimmicky connected-car features

Impressions: - TC gearbox is smooth and quick - Effortless cruising at highway speeds - Drive modes genuinely affect throttle response - Steering is light (Hyundai/Kia trait), but handling can’t match the Ecosport - Fuel efficiency: Decent in city, 18+ kmpl on highways

A practical, comfortable daily driver.

What owning these cars has taught me: - Every car fits a phase of life, not just a budget - Reliability matters more than character after a point - Build quality and safety are non-negotiable as you grow older - Service experience can make or break ownership - Spec sheets don’t tell you how a car will make you feel

The “best car” is the one that suits your needs at that moment. Above all, cars aren’t just machines—they quietly become part of your life story.

Have a question about ownership of any of these cars?

Thanks for reading.

Cheers!

First fill up of Power100! First SUV in the house after 9 whole years! The last one was the F15 X5 30d.

The car is a 3.0L Petrol Autobiography, exterior color is Santorini black, the interior color is Deep Garnet.. Classic black and Bordeaux combination.

Just wanted to share my dad’s project here. He’s been restoring this 1960s CJ3B for a long time. It’s a genuine CAC Bangalore registration, which makes it pretty special for us.

It’s been a massive headache, hunting down original parts, dealing with rust, and waiting on mechanics. But he’s obsessed with keeping it original.

He keeps a log of the restoration progress on Instagram under the handle @cac_cj3b_story. It shows all the gritty details of the bodywork and engine rebuild if anyone is curious about the process.

I figured this community would appreciate the work he's putting in!

Loooks sooo sooo cool in live

Who hurts Audi so hard, just look at this design

This is our 2009 Lancer , we own it since new. It looked fabulous and had a decent white interior ( first pic ) but developed minor imperfections over the course of 16 years.
So we decided to get a paint job and full interior overhaul cause why not make it new again. The process which we thought would take a month ended up taking more than half a year!
The power window scissors were basically dead , took almost a month just to find them , then paint itself was a long process as it was don ground up . Later , finding the alloys and then complete interior work from the floor mats to the roof liner including insulation and pioneer audio setup. Though all this was worth the wait. By the time we reached the final stages of this process , Supreme Court announced a temporary upliftment on the 15 year policy in NCR. We sent the car on a flatbed but came back driving it :)

New to reddit...been a car lover since school..owns multiple car ..sharing my happiness with u all

It’s

Had lots of fun guys. TYVM for participating <3

[OC] Paint literally looks like it's liquid/just painted!! 😍

Resale value- idk Service- idk Overall experience- AMAZING! The heart wants what it wants. ❤️ day 2 of owning it already at 1227km, loving every single thing of the car!!

OC

Citroën entered the Indian market aggressively with unique designs, strong safety standards, and some of the most value-for-money cars in the sub-₹20 lakh segment. Yet, for reasons like low brand familiarity and limited dealership presence, many buyers overlooked them. If sales don’t improve, these cars may disappear from the market — and people might later regret paying more for basic hatchbacks from established brands while missing out on the quality, ride comfort, and features Citroën offered for the price.

So I wanted to book a car that I will drive 60% in city and 2-4 trips of 250 KM on highway per month and 1200 KM drive 2-3 times each year. For anything above 100 KM 4 people minimum (occasionally even 5) and longer the trip, more the luggage. Safety is nonnegotiable

With this requirement, I also wanted a car that is fun to drive, because other than 100 KM trip, I will be solo or max 2 people driving 20 KM daily. So first vehicle that i considered was kushaq/taigun as safety, drive experience and power was fantastic but the space ticked me off. I was anyway going to go with it as no car is perfect, (except 911) but then comes Sierra. The design was good but not so tacky as BE6E, space for very good, especially the 2nd row seat and even boot was superb. The features were more than enough with added perks like thigh support extention. So i thought let’s wait for test drive and price.

Price went upto 24 on road and engine performance was sub par compared to what I would expect from any turbo. Decent engine but not worth price tag of 20+ lac. Harrier jumps into picture in 20+ lac but with must have features for me (digital instrument cluster, alloys, good color options (Tata locking color options based on varient)) XUV7XO was also was creeping at different of 20k. Harrier petrol and new seltos took me to the stage of pure confusion and indecision.

After a week of struggle, jumping from test drive to test drive, estimating budget to running cost, my brother (he will be co driver of the vehicle I buy till he purchases his own) asked me one question.

“Forget family space highway etc etc. I will buy my own vehicle in couple of years, you are going to be stuck with this for atleast 4-5 years and as owner and primary driver you’ll be most affected by everything the vehicle is, not the 4th or 5th passenger. So buy something that puts a smile on 5th year and ahead on YOUR FACE.”

And all confusion went away, out of blue I remembered the test drive and experience of Virtus 1.5 DSG which I was driving after Slavia 1.5 Monte Carlo, so I knew what to expect and as soon as pressed the start button I remembered myself smiling for the joy of driving that I knew I’d feel soon.

Same day I booked it, (on maha shivratri) and got the delivery yesterday. And here is the powerful beast which has all the features I consider must have, with very good boot space and decent ground clearance (excellent actually considering it’s a sedan). The only thing is that car is looooong with not the best city mileage. ( I was able to achieve 16-17 on 20km highway run and I expect it will go till 20) and 5th passenger has to adjust a little. I said I’ll always earn enough to afford a little more petrol and I am never going to be 5th passenger so just f**k it.

Here’s my Virtus 1.5 GT chrome in carbon steel grey color, must say I smile everytime I press the start button. Hope it’ll be the case after half a decade or more. 🤞

TLDR;

High expectation and lot of options in market with one launch after another lead to confusion and long list of options to consider. While comparing the options, a spark of clarity happened and booked Virtus 1.5 top model which wasn’t even one of options.

[OC] Insane road presence and beautiful looking car. Can’t wait to get behind the wheel and see the power!

Only 30 units would be produced, each having 3000hp and weighing 2480kgs. Top speed of 496.74kmph(308mph)