Three SUVs to look forward to in 2013

The coming year will bring with it three exciting SUVs for the Indian market. These SUVs include the Ford EcoSport, Range Rover Sport and the Honda CR-V diesel. Here we take a look at what these SUVs will offer and see if they have what it takes to tempt the Indian buyer’s palette!

Ford EcoSport

Expected price: Rs. 7-10 lakh

Fuel type: Petrol & Diesel

USP: Attractive and compact SUV to be priced aggressively

The EcoSport will come in both petrol and diesel avatars. The petrol will be powered by a 1-liter engine that belts out an impressive 119 Bhp of power while the diesel will likely be a 1.5-litre TCDi motor that puts out just 90 Bhp of power and 204 Nm of torque. CarToq had earlier shared official photos along with details about the features that the EcoSport will come equipped with. Also reached:  Ford EcoSport to come in both petrol and diesel variants

The EcoSport will come laden with features like hill launch assist, a smart start button (engine start button), steering mounted controls,  ABS, ESP, Traction control, Bluetooth connectivity and voice activated controls. You can see more photos of the EcoSport here:  Ford EcoSport Photo Gallery.

Range Rover Sport

Expected price: Rs. 1.2 crore upwards

Fuel type: Petrol & Diesel

USP: The world’s best off-roader wrapped in British luxury

The new 2013 Range Rover Sport will not get a lot sportier but will also be more lightweight and agile. The Rover will shed almost 300kg of weight and will be offered with multiple engine options. Also read: Ford EcoSport automatic variant spy photos emerge!

The Range Rover Sport will come powered with a V6, V8’s and will even get a diesel-electric hybrid. The turbocharged V6 will make 255 Bhp of power, while the supercharged petrol V8 will churn out 504Bhp of power. It will also come with a 335 Bhp diesel V8 model that will sport a twin turbo.It is also expected to get a V6 diesel-electric heart for its hybrid model that will have a combined power output of 333 Bhp.

Visual changes to the Sport are smart and effective. The headlights get a sharp design change as well making them look more imposing. The hood has a sharper slant to it along with a steeper roofline and a shorter rear overhang. Inside it will get an upright automatic gear lever like the Jaguar F-type.

Honda CRV

Expected price: Rs. 20 lakh plus

Fuel type: Petrol & Diesel

USP: First diesel SUV from Honda

CarToq had shared images of the Honda CR-V back in July and you can read more about how it is visually different here: New Honda CR-V unveiled in Europe, India launch in 2014

Honda will offer the CR-V  in both petrol and diesel variants but the diesel will be the mainstay of the SUV this time around. The petrol CR-V will sport a 2-litre iVtec motor that makes 153 bhp of power and 192 Nm of torque, while the 2.2 iDtec diesel motor belts out 148 bhp of power and 350 Nm of torque.

The CR-V will be offered in both 5-speed manual and 5-speed automatic transmission options . It will come in both 2WD and AWD variants for the top-end variant.

A 1.6 iDtec diesel engine was developed by Honda last year. This may be the motor that will find its way in to the India bound CR-V and is rated at 120 bhp of power. Honda will also offer features like a speed regulator, convoy control system (where it judges the distance with the vehicle ahead and adjusts speed accordingly), crash prevention system and lane guidance system etc.