“AUTOCAR INDIA” is the best automobile magazine of India.Its articles are extremely well written and they are reader-friendly. They will keep you hooked. There are plenty of big and clear, coloured photographs accompanying each and every article and the roadtests are the ultimate.You can safely rely on the road test results if you want to know more about the car you are planning to buy i.e you can make a correct purchase decision.
THE ARTICLES---
The articles are the main strength of any magazine and Autocar India is no exception.Its articles are written by auto-experts and they contain all the details from a warm introduction to the interesting technical chronicles.You can learn about a particular vehicle very thoroughly. The magazine also rates its automobiles on test, on an international ten-star system and at the end of each such test, they give their clear and unbiased remarks. You aren’t confused at all.You can also see how much the vehicle scores out of ten. It gives you a fair impression about the vehicle even without reading the entire article.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS---
There are several crystal clear photographs accompanying each article and they are shot in appropriate surroundings. Expect to see an SUV doing a heavy off-road duty, a saloon car at a very official place, and a sportscar flat at 180km/hour on the test track. Backgrounds play a major role and Autocar India can teach its so-called competitors a thing or two about better photography. From the photos you can develop a real feel of the car mentally. What’s more, vehicles are shot from every angle and this gives a complete impression of the vehicle concerned. The captions guide you to the minute details like”detailed tail lamps”, ”clear lens headlamps” etc.This creates a great impression in our minds.
THE COLUMNS and FEATURES---
There are unique columns in Autocar India like the “AAA””In The Marketplace, ””Deal Of The Month, ””Buying Used”, ”Me and My Car” etc. The AAA (Ask Autocar Anything) advises you on which car to buy, depending upon your parameters. You can send in your queries. “Deal Of The Month” deals with discounts you can get when buying a new car. Do you know that now you can get a new Palio S10 at 3.91 lakhs? “Buying Used” tells you about the best value cars in the secondhand market. You also get to know about a celebrity and his/her car in “Me And My Car”.The column has so far portrayed personalities like superstar Amitabh Bachchan to master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, posing with their favourite cars.The “Autotrader” section contains an exhaustive list of secondhand vehicles, from our dear Tata Indicas to posh Mercedes-Benzes. And yes, don’t miss the “1001 Motoring Tips” which are absolutely necessary for survival on the Indian roads. These will make you a car expert.Besides all these, info about new products, readers’letters, solutions to your automobile related problems are there. The new “Buyer’s Guide” is a mini magazine in itself (20 pages) and is the best in India (or should that be world?!) And you should never miss the anniversary issue (in September).
YEH DIL MAANGE MORE (for less)---
The minor downside of the magazine is that it is becoming dearer.But still the quality has no parallel. We should always remember that quality comes at a price. Wish they could give us fabulous full size posters. Earlier every issue had a poster.
A FAMOUS BACKGROUND---
And lets not forget one thing. This(Autocar India) is a sister publication of Autocar (UK) which is more than a century old. So you get some interesting international stories about cars by experts like Peter Robinson, Stan Papior, Alan Cathcart and Paul Lienert. The editor (Hormazd Sorabjee) is also an experienced personalty in the field (was the editor of Auto India for a long time) and his articles are a reader’s delight.(You can catch him on Sundays at 10pm in a programme titled”The Auto Show” on CNBCTV18.)
VERDICT---
That said it can be emphasized that Autocar India is truly a reader’s fortune and a dream come true, for us, the auto enthusiasts. I recommend Autocar India to everyone. A quick Guide-----
Except the price-hikes, everything, the concepts, the articles, the photographs, the paper quality, the columns, the features, the subscription offer....... (the list is almost endless) are .