All posts tagged: Sorabjee

Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Pro, and worth the V8

Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Pro, and worth the V8

The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro does 0-100kph in 3.2 seconds. It has 612hp, a quad-exhaust V8 that sounds like the apocalypse set to music, and a fixed carbon-fibre rear wing that tells the world exactly what it is: A performance car designed to put all your senses on alert. Everything else (forged 21-inch wheels, carbon-ceramic brakes) is simply the price of admission. The Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro is a high-performance car with a long bonnet and tight tail. And it’s a price you’ll willingly pay once you hear that twin-turbo clearing its throat. The GT 63 Pro costs ₹3.65 crore. It’s not for the faint of heart or weak of wallet. This is the second-generation AMG GT, longer, heavier, more powerful. Mercedes has stretched it by 200mm, and 70mm of that length has gone into the wheelbase to expand the cabin. Fair enough. But it still gets an extra 27hp and 50Nm over that car’s already-brisk 585hp. Total count power and torque count is now a hefty 612hp and 850Nm. This is a high-performance car. …

Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Taking the rocky road

Weekend Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Taking the rocky road

A decade ago, the first Duster pretty much invented the midsize SUV space in India, winning fans with its tough stance, brilliant ride and torquey diesel engine. As rivals mushroomed, Renault quietly got out of the race, letting the legend grow in owners’ WhatsApp groups and used-car forums. Now it’s back. You’ll recognise the square-shouldered stance, but the details are all-new. This time there’s no diesel, no all-wheel drive and no bargain-basement image. Renault’s new Duster has bold LED headlights and high-tech turbo-petrol engines. Instead, you get high-tech turbo-petrol engines, a new platform, and a cabin that looks 2026-ready. The front wears bold LED headlights with eyebrow-style daytime lights that double up as indicators, a chunky skid plate and, interestingly, a big Duster badge instead of the Renault logo – an admission that the Duster brand is a bigger name than the company that makes it. Along the sides, black cladding, proper roof rails and 18-inch alloys give it that “road trip to the hills” vibe, backed by 212mm of ground clearance, and serious approach …