For film enthusiasts Oscar and Cannes awards are the biggest carnival, similarly for the car and bike enthusiasts every January is a festive season. Every year readers and all the manufacturers await the announcement of the ‘Car of the Year’, ‘Bike of the Year’, and other awards. If the car or bike that we own gets awarded it feels as if we won an award. As usual this year too, many cars/ bikes/ scooters have competed. As a reader, you have also done your part, and finally, 18 vehicles have won the awards. Now it’s time to check out which is the Best Car/ Bike of the Year and in various categories.
Car of the Year 2024
Hyundai Exter
If you want to earn a ‘Car of the Year’, it can be in any segment be it an SUV, MPV, sedan, crossover, hatchback, electric car, or even a premium luxury car. So, as usual, many confusions this time and many deliberations. To finalise the winner of this category readers preferences also helped in a big way. Toyota Innova Hycross, the new Hyundai Verna, Citroen C3 Aircross, Honda Elevate, MG Comet, and Mahindra XUV 400 were in the list of contenders. One car that has overcome this list of amazing cars and won the Car of the Year 2024 award is a sub-compact SUV, the Hyundai Exter.
At the time of Exter’s launch, Hyundai had priced it at Rs 6.99 lakh. That means at a starting price of Rs 7 lakh, you get a sub-compact SUV, and that too in a premium variant that went viral. Exter became the talk of the town the day it was launched. As far as Hyundai is concerned, their cars normally come with great features at a price, same with Exter as well. Its top-end features include LED lighting, a sunroof, climate control, a wireless charger, rear AC vents, a dashboard camera, etc. With an on-road price of 7.45 lakhs to Rs 12.9 lakhs for the 1.2-litre petrol and CNG variants, the Exter wins this award for being a car that can be afforded by everyone in the middle class.
If you have Rs 10 lakhs, you can buy an Exter CNG version and travel economically within the city with a mileage of 20 km. The Exter, which combines comfort, practicality, mileage, and premium style, has won Motor Vikatan’s Car of the Year 2024 award, also the sub-compact SUV award.
Midsize SUV 2024
Honda Elevate
This is a very important segment in SUVs, this is called the B segment. It has been an unforgettable year for Honda. Team Honda was very happy when they launched the Elevate in New Delhi. Yes, winning in this area with giants like Creta, Seltos, Grand Vitara, and Urban Cruiser Hyrider is no mean feat. Elevate’s success was confirmed with 20,000 bookings within 100 days of its launch in September. Even now 5,000 cars are being booked every month.
The Elevate is available in 4 trims namely SV, V, VX, and ZX. Knowing that boxy design is not liked by everyone, we like Honda for boldly dropping the Elevate in this box-type SUV design. 17-inch wheels, best-in-class ground clearance of 220mm, 458-litre boot space, 2,650mm long wheelbase (there is plenty of room for rear passenger seating), 10.25 inch-touch screen system, wireless Android Auto/ Apple Car Play, everything elevates from other cars. In addition, ADAS features such as lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control (this feature automatically holds the brake and automatically steps on the accelerator), collision mitigation braking system and lane departure warning also elevate the car features. Along with Elevate, only Seltos and Aster have these ADAS functions.
The gearbox options, a 6-speed manual and a 7-step CVT automatic gearbox which is very smooth. The 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol engine produces 121bhp and 145Nm of torque. After elevating the features, now people have started asking when it will arrive in hybrid form. You can buy this mid-size SUV from Rs 11-16 lakhs. Indeed, the Honda Elevate won’t make customers feel bad about why they chose it.
Mid-size sedan 2024
Hyundai Verna
A task for you – let’s say you have never seen the latest Verna. A quick look at the photo of the Verna would make you think it’s a Tesla model or a foreign premium car. It is mainly because of the complete change of the front facia. On the front side, the entire length of the bonnet is enough for the LED strip. A digital artist has done a light bodywork rendering and made it look like a BMW M3 range. This style won’t suit everyone! Hyundai produces amazing designs not only on the exterior but also inside. Note that the 10.25-inch dual-touch screen on the Ionic 5 spanned the entire car. The red accents are even more striking for the Turbo model. Its interior can be set with a total of 64 ambient lighting. We say this because it is so premium.
Wireless charging, connected technology, drive modes, auto headlamps, engine start/ stop, sunroof, ABS, EBD, ESC, TCS, TPMS, hill start assist, and electronic parking brake are a long list of equipment! As far as safety is concerned, Verna comes with ADAS level, four-wheel disc brakes, and six airbags. Suddenly, one day in the Global NCAP crash test, Verna scored a 5-star rating, Verna’s customers themselves did not expect this. Rear headroom and legroom are a bit cramped in the old Verna. In this, it has been addressed and has enough headroom.
Engine options for the Verna include a 1.5-litre MPi petrol engine with a 6-speed manual and an 8-step CVT automatic, a 1.5-litre turbo engine with a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox. Customers generally say that it gives mileage on par with the hybrid engine City in this segment. It gives a mileage of 15 kmpl in the city. Despite the non-availability of hybrid and diesel engines, the Verna is the best mid-size sedan of the year in all areas.
Lifestyle roader 2024
Maruti Suzuki Jimny
Jimny is a 2023s vintage 4X4 off-road car that looks a little like a sports car. Its water wading is 300 mm. Well, even in a recent Chennai flood, a Jimny alongside the Thar easily navigated in the water and that video went viral. Its ride quality on broken roads and big potholes is on another level. No one would have expected such an off-roader from Maruti. Small tyres and a clumsy manual gearbox are some of the downsides. Beyond that, its body-on-frame construction, riding characteristics, compact size for city commuting, off-road ability, peppy petrol engine, easy-to-get-in-practical seats, 6 airbags, decent mileage (about 15 kmpl) has made it not only an off-road car but also a lifestyle car among customers. Therefore, this year’s Off-roader and Lifestyle Car of the Year goes to Jimny.
Premium SUV / MPV 2024
Toyota Innova Hycross
This is the first Innova to come with a petrol engine, also, this is Toyota’s first monocoque platform product. The Innova Hycross is premium in space, hybrid features, price and in all areas. If you own an Innova Hycross, that automatically brings you premium status. The plus of Hycross is that it is not only the choice of high-class people but also the choice of middle-class people. Its smooth petrol hybrid engine offers a different level of driving experience. Its 186bhp, e-Drive transmission gearbox is even smoother. Amazingly, it can run like an electric car for a long distance, so a mileage of 20 kmpl can be easily achieved.
Its stability at high speed is even more amazing! Also, its electronic power steering makes it easy to get in and out of the city. This is Toyota’s magic. If it’s a big family, the Innova Hycross carries the whole family, the fact that it is luxury adds to its status. It can be said that there is no history of an Innova car ever breaking down on any road. Hycross also joins that list. With an on-road price ranging from Rs 22 Lakh to Rs 34 Lakh, the Innova HyCross is the best premium MPV of the year.
Entry luxury car 2024
BMW X1
If you want to describe a car brand in one word as an all-rounder, it is the one and only BMW. And that goes for this X1, to this degree. This year it’s got an even bigger, better, more spacious, and premium cabin. There will always be a downside to BMW’s diesel engine due to its noise during high acceleration. The new 2nd-gen X1 gets a smoother diesel engine. A move away from the old rear-wheel drive, 40:20:40 split rear seats, kick-open boot, a move to Mini’s front-wheel-drive platform, and transverse engine placement provides more space and practical luxury car.
Its floating armrest, curved display screen, M Sport steering wheel, and vertical phone charging pad are not only innovative; everything is high quality and luxurious. The Reverse Assistant option will park the car without your help even in tight spaces. The new X1 eliminates the bumpy ride, which means it does not throw around the passengers. Despite being down on power (150bhp), the 2.0-litre diesel BMW X1 is the best entry-level luxury car of the year, offering a luxurious ride.
Best Electric Car 2024
Tata Nexon.ev
Starting from 2020 when the Nexon was born, we have driven all the facelift models and we know one thing – why the Tata Nexon EV is the top-selling electric car! When we first saw the Nexon.EV this September, we were blown away. It was like seeing a big premium car in such a premium, futuristic design. The Nexon EV draws design inspiration from Tata’s Curvv concept. Up front, the nose is completely new, featuring a split-headlamp setup with Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) on top and the main headlamp cluster lower down – which is now full-LED.
Flat bottom twin-spoke steering wheel, 12.3-inch touch screen, 10.25-inch instrument cluster, 360-degree camera with 4 radar cameras, front ventilated seats for 2 people, two charging ports where there was a 15W charger, now 45W charging ports, enjoying OTT sites/playing games on the screen while the car is parked, lag-free navigation system like never before, Alexa/Siri voice command system, wireless charging facility, 9-speaker JBL surround system, tiny single pane sunroof etc. What else one could ask for? The favourite thing about this is that they have provided a V2L (Vehicle to Load) facility so that when going on outings, you can take electricity from the Nexon and cook in it, if you have a kettle, you can make coffee. It also has a V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) facility to charge from this Nexon.
Nexon.EV comes in two versions, the 40.5 kWh Long Range version and the 30 kWh Medium Range version. And a maximum range of 465 km for the long-range version and 325 km for the medium-range version. For some reference, the previous version was rated at 453 km in the Max variant (long range), and up to 312 km in the Prime (medium range). The Long Range comes with a 7.2kW AC charger and supports DC fast charging up to 30kW, which is quite slow by modern EV standards. The Medium Range has a smaller 30kWh battery pack. It is a good choice for those who don’t need so much power, range, and price. We recommend the Nexon as the safest car ever; Now Motor Vikatan nominates the Nexon.EV as Future Tech Loaded Safety Electric Car and Car of the Year.
Best facelift 2024
Tata Safari
There is a word called ‘road presence’. Any Tata car can be an example of that. If you want, you can say it like this; If you want the word ‘road presence’, you can say Safari. What majesty! It got even bigger with the facelift that arrived this year. Not just majesty; it’s beautiful. When Tata facelifts its cars, it is not for nothing. Just go down and analyse. In that respect, the Safari facelift has a lot of changes. This new Safari has removed the argument that ‘Harrier’s 7-seater is Safari’. Tata has completely changed the Safari with a new look, a completely refreshed interior, and modern technology to match the times and mechanical changes.
On the exterior, the Safari has been upgraded with LED DRL, sequential indicator, parametric grille, bumper, black housing for LED fog lamps, and faux metallic scuff plate. The wheels are available in 3 options namely 17, 18, and 19-inches. They have also worked on aerodynamics to reduce drag. Inside, there is a dual-tone interior, a 4-spoke flat-bottom steering wheel on the Harrier, and various terrain modes. There is a memory option for the seats. Unlike other car’s front ventilated seats, the new Safari’s rear also offers ventilated seats.
As far as the engine is concerned, it is the same 2.0-litre diesel. But Tata has updated it as per BS-6.2 norms. Damping and refinement are amazing! Compared to the manual, its 6-speed torque converter gearbox is smoother. Electric Power Steering (EPS) is fun to turn such a big car. ADAS technology is different for security. The autonomous braking system worked well. Even the 5-star rating is different! Coming in a total of 10 variants in 7 professional colours and priced between Rs 16.20 lakh to Rs 27.34 lakh ex-showroom, the Tata Safari is the best facelift of the year.