Camry on

WHICH CAR?

I have spent quite some time (well over 20 years) in the Gulf and am planning to come back to India. I have been using Toyotas here for a long time now, and am generally satisfied with them "" of the two cars that I have now, one is the last generation Camry. I have a family of four, and we are used to a degree of luxury. Budget is not a constraint either. Would you recommend the new Camry to drive around in India? Is the automatic option worth going for?

VK, via email

Though we don't think too highly of its overall design, the new Toyota Camry is a significant improvement over the last generation model "" it is much more taut, offers excellent performance when you are in the mood and is feature-rich too.

The new Camry does offer you more bang for the buck "" even though it is priced about a lakh of rupees more than the old one.

The four-cylinder 2400cc engine develops 165 bhp and does a good job of moving the new Camry's bulk around, while the automatic transmission is well-matched to the engine "" yes, we recommend it for the Camry. The interiors are pretty luxurious too "" don't think twice about picking it up, especially if you are happy with Toyotas. And welcome home.

In tune

My partner and I compose ad jingles for a living. I am looking for a car that will cover a confirmed 30 km everyday in Mumbai daily, and occasionally, about 70 to 100 km, when we need to visit a studio. Sometimes we may carry some music equipment in it. The car will also be used once in a while to go to the airport/railway station "" so it needs to be able to accommodate some luggage as well. My budget is around Rs 5 lakh. The car should be reliable, hassle-free and easy to drive. What choices do I have?

Justin, Mumbai

For a little above Rs 5 lakh, you can get yourself the Ford Ikon 1.3 Flair. It's got a boot, so you have luggage space and enough room to lug some equipment around.

The 1.3 engine is an engaging performer and should give you decent fuel economy as well. The other choice you have is the Maruti Esteem, but it's quite dated now. If you prefer to drive around in a hatchback, take a look at the Hyundai Getz. It's compact on the outside, spacious inside, reliable and easy to drive too.

Dream on...

What sort of exotic machines have you guys driven so far?

Himank Mehta, via email

Okay, here we go: Ferrari 360 Modena Spider, Ferrari 308/328, Porsche 911 Turbo (993 and 997), Bentley Continental GT and Flying Spur, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Maybach 62, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and ZR-1, Audi RS4, Maserati Quattroporte, BMW M3, Ford F-150 Lightning, Mercedes-Benz SL 500, a Formula Renault, and a host of vintage and classic machines like the Porsche 356, Jaguar E-Type, Jaguar SS100, Mercedes-Benz Type K and 300 Sc, Invicta Black Prince, Maserati Merak, a host of Rolls-Royces and Bentleys... and many more to come!

Any automotive questions?Ask us at
bijoy@business-standard.com