Page 63 - MASALA Vol8 Issue4 February-March 2017

Maserati Levante

Porsche is set to officially unveil its third-generation Cayenne SUV Aston Martin Vanquish S
and an all-new Panamera, as well as GTS variants of the 718 Boxster Volvo XC90
and Cayman. Of course, these models have been available in the Land Rover Discovery
gray market for quite some time now. Maserati is getting into the
SUV game by launching the Levante in Thailand. Even the Ferraris,
Lamborghinis and Aston Martins of this world are susceptible to
styling and performance updates. The Ferrari F12, the Lamborghini
Aventador and the Aston Martin Vanquish S will all get minor
enhancements and upgrades that generally translate to more power,
and that’s always a good thing.

The Dark Horse

For buyers looking for a large SUV with a larger budget to match,
there is one formidable SUV to contend with. Highly praised by
none other than Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear fame, a car that was
10 years in the making, the Volvo XC90 does not disappoint. This
very roomy car seats seven adults, has a spacious boot, and its
remarkable interior puts its rivals to shame. Volvo has always been
renowned for safety, and it comes as no surprise that it is still the
class leader in this regard. The diesel version is competitively priced
against the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the BMW X5, and it even has a
plug-in hybrid option. Pity then that people will go for those options
simply because their secondhand value doesn’t decrease like that
of a Volvo’s. You may think then that it will be a smart move to buy it
secondhand, since it will be a good value for your money. But you’re
wrong. That’s because none reach the secondhand market for you
to buy.

Meanwhile, Land Rover Thailand will also be launching its new
generation model of the Discovery, a seven-seater SUV that’s sure
to grab some attention as well. It will be interesting to see whether it
can beat the reigning champion in this class.

Welcome to Germany

There’s an interesting clash going on between the two premium
German carmakers. BMW will essentially be playing catch up by
finally introducing its all-new 5 Series, the 530d and the 540i, with
a plug-in option available. Mercedes-Benz will be looking to launch
locally assembled models of the already available new generation

Masalathai.com | 63