Six pack

It's 2008. So it's time to tell you all about the six best cars we drove in 2007.

Star struck

Sunny Spain, a brand new Mercedes and stunning roads "" a combination that can transport an enthusiast to a new level altogether? You bet. It is not every day that a new C-Class is launched and Mercedes chose to do justice to the occasion by organising a phenomenal test drive programme. The New C-Class impressed with its looks and then floored me with its performance.

The C 350 that I was driving featured a silky smooth V6 that powers the S-Class in India and is good enough for 272 bhp and 250 kph performance.

Avant garde trim meant the car featured the "smiling" grille with the three-pointed star in the middle. It must have been a magnificent sight to see the silver Mercedes making short work of the lazily unfolding tarmac.

The solidity of the previous generation Mercs is intact but what is new is the almost "BMW-ish" agility and handling prowess. Brilliant car, unforgettable drive.

"" Bijoy Kumar Y

The one aspect you liked most?
Handling
Who should drive it?
Sean Connery should drive one in a non-Bond thriller
The perfect drive
Connecting towns. Ideally the destination should have a beach attached to it
In a word
Revelation
3498cc, 272 bhp, 35 kgm, 1610 kg, 250 kph

Diesel power

All right, I always knew that an in-line six powering the rear wheels is the ideal recipe to fun. What I wouldn't have known five years ago is that it could be true even for a diesel.

The occasion was a group test for our anniversary issue and we had the usual suspects "" the Audi A6 3.0 Diesel, Mercedes Benz E-Class diesel and the BMW 525 D. The idea was to do a hill climb with the sedans.

The Mercedes was relatively slow yet stately. The powerful engine of the Audi sent power to all four wheels and stunned the clock. But it was the BMW, despite a whopping 30 bhp deficiency, that stole the thunder.

The 5 series BMW has an uncanny ability to shrink around the driver as the speeds build. It is almost as if the car knows that we are trying to go faster.

The whole car starts behaving unlike a sedan and transforms into a sports car. There you are, sitting and making minute direction changes to a car that features flawless dynamics and enough urgency in the propulsion department to put petrol cars to shame. Awesome.

"" Bijoy Kumar Y

The one aspect you liked most?
Dynamics
Who should drive it?
Tintin's getaway car
The perfect drive
Hill stations, here we come
In a word
Complete
2993cc, 195 bhp, 41 kgm, 1595 kg, 216 kph

Light sabre

Who knew that a pre-stamped officialese would become the key to a Lamborghini? Or that a glorious day spent leaving rubber stains on tarmac could be the highlight of a whole year. To be perfectly honest, of course, I was immersed in a carbon fibre tub, more or less, with a gloriously emotional V10 thundering away inches from my most attentive ears.

The massive grip of the huge tyres, the accuracy with which the bull on the nose follows your directions, the occasional chirrup before traction control regains control (for your sake) and the sheer sense of occasion of being invited to drive a brand-new Lamborghini as hard as you like. This was a truly special car. And a hell of a drive.

"" Shubhabrata Marmar

The one aspect you liked most?
The gruff rumble at ebb that turns into a full-throated, baritone roar at full flow. If it were a ringtone, it would bring the whole office to a aurally stimulated halt.
Who should drive it?
Sudden, from the Westerns. Rippling muscles, lithe frame, honest, strong and lightning quick with the trigger
The perfect drive
A rapid rumble through Italy would probably be the perfect road trip
In a word
Outrageous
4961cc, 522 bhp, 51 kgm, 1350 kg, 315 kph

Ragtops to riches

There's no more Ger-manic way to experience the full power of a Porsche Boxer six, especially the twin turbo one, than to be let loose on a no-limit Autobahn in the middle of nowhere in Teutonland.

The wall of wind noise racing past, the insistent song of the engine, the sheer speed, the disbelief of the speedometer readings... and the confident poise of a Porsche, which is only beginning to get into its element.

These cars are truly special. They are special at idle, and get more and more so as speeds rise. If you were the sort who actually used your precious toys, no matter how expensive they were, you'd be driving a Porsche, no question.

And then you could put the top up and go even faster. It goes without saying that it's taut as a bowstring around corners, devours bumps and stops as quickly as a hand in the cookie jar when mom walks in.

"" Shubhabrata Marmar

The one aspect you liked most?
A magic bullet that'll vapourise mosquitoes or that incoming asteroid with equal grace and no effort whatsoever
Who should drive it?
Cat Shannon from The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsythe "" smooth, subtle and didn't mind the rain at all. Get it?
The perfect drive
This is the right car. Period
In a word
Dazzling
3600cc, 480 bhp, 62 kgm, 1655 kg, 310 kph

I want more

In February 2007, I found myself on a flight to Munich to drive the Audi RS4 on Germany's autobahns. I was quite taken aback by the car's performance and the engine soundtrack that sounded like a demon gargling at startup, that transforms into a howl, one that makes a pack of wolves sound like a whimper.

After all, a V8 with 420 bhp, what else could you ask for. It even drives brilliantly, handles well and is amazingly liveable for an express saloon.

Then it happened again in September, this time with the RS4 Avant on the autobahn, the estate version with the same mind-numbing performance. It ranks very high on my most-desirable list of all time.

It demands you to break your bank account and your piggy bank, and if push comes to shove, your neighbour's, to buy a return air ticket to drive it in Germany.

"" Rohin Nagrani

The one aspect you liked most?
The engine burble.
Who should drive it?
Clive Owen in the John Frankenheimer BMW film, Ambush. Fairly unassuming, a tad understated, but all it takes is to go down a couple of gears and hammer past the guy in the next lane. A proper wolf in sheep's clothing.
The perfect drive
The RS4 Avant would very well play wagon to a family and their dog, all headed to Nordschleife for a eight minute picnic. The RS4? Oh well, anywhere, anytime!
In a word
Fundamental
4163cc, 420 bhp, 44 kgm, 1710 kg, 250 kph

No-mad

There are SUVs. And then there's the Touareg V10 TDI. It's not as huge as a Hummer H1, nor does it have the bling factor of the Cadillac Escalade. It's a VW with Porsche underpinnings, and an engine that will rewrite the history of diesel engines.

Yes, it's slightly archaic with 20 valves, but hey, it's got 76 kgm of torque, enough to reduce the Black Forest to soil, it's that good. Yes, it's an SUV, but all that Porsche bits make it a fairly good handler. It also rides very well and there's tonnes of space on the inside too, more than most 2 BHK houses in Mumbai, if you please.

"" Rohin Nagrani

The one aspect you liked most?
Torque, baby, torque.
Who should drive it?
Touareg V10 = Dumb, big and powerful. Obelix (of Asterix comics) = Dumb, big and powerful. Therefore, Touareg V10 = Obelix
The perfect drive
Let's see, er, supplying life saving drugs in Somalia in UN colours, bashing up sand dunes in the Dakar, kicking up muck in the English forests on a bird-hunting run and, ah, dropping off kids to school. There is not one particular situation that it can't be in
In a word
Game-changer
4993cc, 313 bhp, 76 kgm, 2602 kg, 231 kph kg, 250 kph