One honed Rhino

Expect the Sonalika Rhino Rx to be quite a popular species.

Don't laugh yet, but I have discovered there are quite a few things in common between Sonalika and... hold your breath, Lamborghini! You see, both began their businesses as tractor manufacturers who ventured into car making.

Both sought out and got help from professionals to design and develop their own cars. And both have something to do with horns (Lamborghini = bull, Sonalika = rhino). But unlike Signor Ferrucio, who stormed out of Enzo Ferrari's office and set up Lamborghini cars out of spite, none of the Mittals who head Sonalika started International Cars and Motors Limited screaming out of a rival's office.

Instead they got down to business. With their experience in manufacturing and marketing the Sonalika brand of tractors, they discovered that there was a market for an affordable utility vehicle in the country "" it would be a Toyota Qualis kind of a UV wearing a Tata Sumo price tag. They started work on their UV project back in 2002, and luckily for ICML, the revered Qualis was on its way out by December 2004.

The Sonalika Rhino, as it was branded, was officially launched at the Auto Expo last year, but they were already selling a few in the northern markets towards the end of 2005.

When I first saw it at the Auto Expo 2006, it was tucked away in a corner in the commercial vehicles section, away from the glamorous passenger car pavilions. Despite that, thousands of showgoers stopped to gawk at this machine which looked like a resurrected Qualis at Big Bazaar prices. Which also meant it had a discount of an engine and as for the interiors... Well, the less said the better.

In the last one year, the Rhino has been on sale in selected markets in the north and according to my estimates, would have sold a couple of thousand units. But in the meanwhile, ICML have launched the Rhino Rx - an improved version of the same MUV that addresses the niggles, expand its dealerships across the country and set it as a serious contender.

To test their claims, I headed to their factory in Amb, Himachal Pradesh to try out the latest iteration. Sonalika have set up a 24,000 unit a year capacity state-of-the-art plant to manufacture the Rhino, and from first impressions, the facility is right up there, among the best in the country. Really. It is completely dust-free, is superbly equipped and the paintshop is good enough for Tata Motors to despatch a 1,000 of their Ace mini-pickups a month to get painted.

But the right tools alone don't make for a great car, the way one uses them does too. Sonalika have spent most of their time addressing the needs of the moffusil populace of the country, but that didn't stop them from hiring Lotus Engineering to spruce up the MUV.

Yes, the same guys owned by Proton who also once owned Lamborghini and are acknowledged to be the best in the world for engineering vehicle dynamics. Lotus engineers spent six months sprucing up the overall vehicle dynamics, fine tuning every little bit along the way.

I got behind the wheel of one of the cars that had just rolled out of the assembly line, ready for a post-delivery inspection. It's not everyday that even auto journalists like us get to do the job of a company road-tester, and since there was an 800-metre test track at my disposal, what the heck. Twist the ignition key and then cover your ears.

On start-up the Rhino Rx is loud, but it would be. The HM-Avtec engine that featured in the initial lot has now been retired for a direct injection-turbocharged diesel, co-developed with MG Rover. MG Rover? Yes, the British firm may have gone bust now, but that was a temporary hiccup in ICML's ambitions. They continued with the same MG Rover engineers who had setup their own consultancies to ensure that there would be a new engine in the Rx.

So while the N (noise) has not been worked upon much, a lot of effort has gone behind reducing the V (vibration) of the motor. Around the track, the car picked up well, the 1994cc engine with its 100 horses at 4200 revs willingly responds to brushes with the accelerator pedal.

With 22 kgm of torque at 2400 rpm and four occupants inside, it pulled well, with just a little hesitation from the tight engine that had only eight km on the clock. Leaving the test track behind, I got on to the highway. And there's where the Rhino Rx came into its element.

The long-leggedness of the engine immediately had a box ticked off on the comparison list "" it has got the better of the Qualis. Where the Toyota would fall out of the power band quickly, the Rhino's mid-range made it a joy around the hills. The gears could do without the last bit of notchiness, and the clutch could do with a little more travel, but remember, it was a brand new powertrain and would need to cover a few hundred km before it settles down.

But there's nothing worth squealing about the Lotus bit. They truly have made the MUV set very high standards for itself, so high that it might just be the new benchmark in the segment.

On the high speed brake tests on the track, the MUV braked with little or no lock, no fuss and in a straight line. I am willing to wager that it's even better than the other homegrown SUV, the Mahindra Scorpio. And those wider Bridgestones also contribute to its surefootedness.

Equally impressive is the ride quality, and it's only the rather hard seats that make it a bit uncomfortable. Handling is acceptable too, without the dive and pitch of a Qualis, and only a marginal tendency to roll and a numb steering wheel that pushes it down the order.

If dynamics get an A on the score card, interior build quality gets a C. The dashboard feels poorly finished and trim gaps still need attending to. Luckily for Sonalika, they will start making their own dashboards from September (remember, most carmakers outsource plastics!), And that should bring in an increased level of quality.

Something quite crucial especially when they launch the same engine equipped with common rail in a couple of months and a world SUV, three years from now. Yes, you read that right. The manufacturer is aiming to go beyond the Rhino and develop a contemporary SUV for world markets. And it is the learnings from the Rhino which will help them achieve just that.

For a tractor manufacturer getting into automobiles, the Rhino Rx is a very commendable effort. A Euro III version too is on its way, making it ready for sale in metros as well. All ICML need to do is just get rid of the last few gremlins quickly and the world is their stage. Remember, it's something that took Lamborghini took more than 35 years to do. It's nothing to be laughed at.