Blurred Lines
BBC TopGear India|October 2018

Estates or stationwagons can be the epitome of practicality. In this case they also bring oodles of luxury and go-anywhere ability, blurring traditional boundaries. Now thequestion is, who has done it better?

Aatish Mishra
Blurred Lines

After driving a car for a couple of hundred kilometres, you can, for the most part, make sense of it. You can paint a picture in your head of why it exists, whether it does what it is supposed to and if someone would want to buy one. The longer you drive it, the more things make sense – the more vivid this image becomes. Well, I’ve spent three days with these cars, driven them for hundreds of kilometres and I’m staring at a canvas painted by a six-year-old that has smoked the good stuff. A zillion muddled thoughts (including one about grape juice) are running through my head, and I’m going to try and use the next few pages to make sense of them. Bear with me.

Wagons. Yep, they are definitely station-wagons. If there was one thing I was sure of about the Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain and the Volvo V90 Cross Country (try saying both names in one breath) before I got in to either of them, it was that they are wagons. Some mutated form of them anyway. Mutated, because these two cars have found the line separating traditional wagons from SUVs and done some muddy doughnuts all over it. Both these cars started out as regular estates and then were jacked up and injected with a dose of off-road cred. Explains the ‘All-Terrain’ and ‘Cross Country’ suffixes.

Let’s get something else out of the way first: I’m a sucker for a good estate. Forget the practicality, versatility and all that mumbo-jumbo – I think they’re just great looking cars. Better than their sedan alternatives on most days. Stuff a V8 in to one and I’ll have an embarrassing bulge in my pants. Don’t you dare tell me that either of these wagons looks too much like a minibus, I’ll throw you under one. I mean, just look at the shape of that Volvo, it’s so bloody good looking!

Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin October 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye BBC TopGear India dergisinin October 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

BBC TOPGEAR INDIA DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Does It Fly?
BBC TopGear India

Does It Fly?

2024 TVS APACHE RR 310 ₹2.75 Lakh - ₹2.97 Lakh (ex-showroom)

time-read
7 dak  |
October 2024
Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02
BBC TopGear India

Is It A Scooter? Is It A Bike? No! It Is The BMW CE 02

It is rare when you come across a moment where a company brings out a vehicle into the market without knowing who exactly they want to sell it to.

time-read
4 dak  |
October 2024
Aston Martin Valkyrie
BBC TopGear India

Aston Martin Valkyrie

The Aston Martin Valkyrie still looks like nothing else on four wheels. Probably because it isn’t.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ONE-MAN BAND
BBC TopGear India

ONE-MAN BAND

We are a cynical bunch of people as we try our best to narrow down our vision and focus on the things that are lacking.

time-read
6 dak  |
October 2024
CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND
BBC TopGear India

CRISIS AVERTED! THE EXISTENTIAL KIND

Finally, the Yezdi Adventure won’t be suffering from an existential crisis anymore.

time-read
3 dak  |
October 2024
ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN
BBC TopGear India

ROYAL ENFIELD HIMALAYAN

ALTHOUGH IT IS A PERENNIAL ORDEAL FOR ANY MOTORCYCLIST to feel sad while parting ways with a motorcycle, it became even sadder for me this time around.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
TVS APACHE RTR 310
BBC TopGear India

TVS APACHE RTR 310

THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS - “IT IS A MENACE ON WHEELS”.

time-read
1 min  |
October 2024
ACE OF BASE
BBC TopGear India

ACE OF BASE

What happens when you take Porsche's old school entry level model and give it a very not entry level upgrade? This is a 914 as you've never seen it before

time-read
5 dak  |
October 2024
MOMS KNOW BEST
BBC TopGear India

MOMS KNOW BEST

Volvo's XC90 was the stereotypical Soccer Mom car. So how will the all-electric EX90 be received among the soccer pitches of Orange County?

time-read
7 dak  |
October 2024
THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION
BBC TopGear India

THE THEORYOF EVOLUTION

Ridged bladder seats, an inflating steering wheel and an AI track day coach... has Lotus hit on the supercar’s future, or gone mad’?

time-read
6 dak  |
October 2024