SOME SAY THAT FORTUNE FAVOURS the bold. The Tata Punch could become a great example of that. What began as the HBX concept car has become the Punch SUV. No, mini SUV... no, micro SUV.
Let me clear that up. The Punch is a sub-four-metre (3.8-metre) car and it is placed in a segment below the Nexon. This little SUV has driven itself into a space where it has no direct rivals. So, when the competition does arrive, they will be sizing up their cars to handle the swing and reach of the Punch. To check out the car's potential, we drove it primarily in an urban environment with some highway time and a stint off the road as well.
Head on, the Tata Punch retains all the familiar elements of the Tata SUV family. To be precise, it has all the characteristics of an SUV without looking overly functional. The upper half of the car can be interpreted as a contemporary design for an urban runabout while the lower half (especially the generous amount of cladding and square wheel-aches) flexes the car's offroad potential. My favourite bit about the Tata Punch's design is how its lines and curves are in proportion to the rest of the bodywork. It has a confident stance and similar road presence which is amplified by a tail section that cannot be confused for anything else on sale in India today.
All the doors open out at 90 degrees to the chassis, making for easy ingress and egress. This welcome with wide open arms, I mean doors, is met by a cabin that is clearly built to be more functional than opulent. There is no fancy material here to make you feel special, but I am glad to report that none of it felt low-quality either. While the cabin does not use a lot of soft plastic, the finish is good and it hints at robustness and longevity.
This story is from the November 2021 edition of Car India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the November 2021 edition of Car India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
THE DEMOCRACY BOMB
A day ahead of the third anniversary of January 6, President Joe Biden traveled to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania-where George Washington encamped during the Revolutionary War-before delivering what he described as a \"deadly serious\" speech framing the stakes of the 2024 election.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT - CRIME OF THE CROP
Will GMOs harm my kids? Your pediatrician's response might not be grounded in science.
ECONUNDRUMS - CHATBOT QUACKS
AI was supposed to fix online health misinformation. Instead, it's making it worse.
BLOODSHARK
BLAKE WILKEY'S SOLIDAXLE SWAPPED '92 FORD BRONCO STORY
FAST FIXES FOR YOUR MAC
Is your Mac giving you trouble? These problem-solving procedures might just get it up and running again
Create your dream smart home
How to equip your house with the best smart home tech and upgrade your security, entertainment, and comfort
The Dreamlife of Zendaya
Up in fame's stratosphere, she considers what's next: more adult roles, like her new one in Challengers; a turn in the director's chair; a family one day.... Zendaya looks to the horizon with Marley Marius.
home is where you make it
On a road trip through Oman with her toddler son, Ashlea Halpern ponders what it means to be a parent in the wake of her father's death
lost in time
On an epic, sun-soaked journey across southern Greece's Peloponnese, Antonia Quirke revels in her connection to the history and myths that swirl around its rugged shores
EL JEFE
Meet the Classic YJ Turned TREAD Cover Model
LIQUID LUNACY: ADVANCED PC COOLING IN 2024
Is it worth liquid-cooling your PC in this age of nonoverclockable chips?
Nvidia's AI Superchip
The company Is no longer about gaming
Genetic Pleiotropy and the Risks in Breeding Recessive Mutations
Nearly everyone loves what’s rare and unique. A slight defect in the minting process of a coin can create a demand and a value well beyond the face value of the coin. The coin is functionally no different than its perfectly minted counterpart, but its scarcity and uniqueness alone make it more desirable than the rest.
Preparing Kittens For the Show Hall
Socializing kittens and making sure they are confident for their new family is only a part of the job description for a show breeder.
RUNWAY TO SANTA FE
Indigenous designer Orlando Dugi shares his favorite art, culture, and cocktails in his adopted hometown
THE COMFORTS OF EXARING
Ryno's Purpose-Built '98 Land Rover Discovery
2024 WINTER 4X4 JAMBOREE
Off-Road Adventures and Beyond
A Sense of Occasion
The Costume Institute's revelatory new exhibition, \"Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,\" employs sight, touch, smell, sound, and technology to bring rarely seen pieces to life, Nathan Heller gets the full picture.
PAINT THE TOWN
In residential South Kolkata, enterprising young locals are turning brightly colored old estates, once doomed for demolition, into the city's latest hot spots
BLUUD MONEY
Tommy Alba could be a pain in the ass.
Building a Better Ford-with GM Components
While some stick to their guns when it comes to remaining true to truck branding and badging, others see no division or boundaries when it comes to piecing a project together.
FORGED FILIPINO BOLOS
EXPLORING KNIFE STYLES FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM?
Breaking Down the Third-Gen Toyota Tundra
Intel's crazy plan for 1nm silicon
FIVE NEW CHIP PRODUCTION NODES in four years. That was Intel’s plan to get back to technology leadership. It has now added a new 1nm lithography node to its roadmap, due in 2027. But here's the thing: in terms of products to buy, Intel has achieved little of its original plan. So, what’s going on?
Dragon's Dogma 2
A cult classic in the making
NZXT H6 Flow
Possibly the best budget chassis out there
THE BUILDS
IT FINALLY LOOKS like prices are stabilizing somewhat, certainly compared to last issue.
word of mouth
THE PEOPLE, PLACES & IDEAS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW
Not Black and White
At just 27, Anna Park has made a major impression on the art world. Dodie Kazanjian visits her studio.
States of WONDER
John Galliano's recent Maison Margiela triumph was an haute couture tour de force. Yet, as Hamish Bowles recalls, it's but the latest in the designer's long history of era-defining shows.