India is witnessing an amazing increase in the disposable income of people and this is directly proportionate to the size of the car they prefer to buy. It comes as no surprise that one of the fastest growing segments in India is the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) category. 
Buying a SUV is one thing but driving it in the narrow, congested lanes of the country is another. Don’t we often empathize with SUV drivers struggling in the unpredictable traffic situations as smaller cars whiz past? The huge vehicle with its big wheels, massive torque and 4WD can take you anywhere you desire to go, however, maneuvering it around town without the air-conditioner switched on isn’t a very desirable sight (read sweaty drivers reeking of dust and grime). CAR India continues its tribute to the unsung hero of automobiles – the air-conditioner. Big SUVs have to be big on cooling especially if they want to attract Indian buyers.
Just like in the AC comparo in our previous issue, we tested these vehicles based on the same parameters. Last month’s hatchback AC comparo and the positive response it garnered made things easier for the SUV AC comparo. This mega test was performed between 12 noon and 3 pm when the Indian sun is at its peak. The scorching sun which is available in abundance and for free, helped in heating the SUVs to precisely 50 degree Centigrade. As soon as they reached the desired temperature, the air-conditioner was switched on with the blower at full blast. We started driving the SUVs, so that the temperature gradually reduced to the lowest possible. We stuck to the same 10.5km route as it has just enough city traffic with minimum signals and less congestion, making sure that the big cars were mostly on the move and reached the finish point within the desired time. All the vehicles were driven on the same route with similar road and traffic conditions as well as speed, which assured in attaining the real life AC performance of each vehicle. Even this time, we had a standard SUV which was tested along with other cars every single day, making it our benchmark. This made sure we countered the daily weather change and also gave all of the vehicles a fair chance to prove their AC’s ability. After completing the above mentioned parameters, the SUV that recorded the lowest temperature was declared the winner.
Since most manufactures had seen and appreciated the hatchback AC comparo published in our April 2010 issue, they were very co-operative and happy to help. Unfortunately, there were some who weren’t as sporting and you will notice that they are not a part of this test. Though we could have arranged the cars without the manufacturers’ help, we preferred not to hurt their sentiments and let them be in peace with their insecurities. We were extremely disappointed when Mahindra & Mahindra shied away from participating in this comparo despite following up with the M&M team for over 15 days! We have the Xylo as one of our long termers and so far we were under the impression that M&M has a decent air-conditioning system, but maybe that wasn’t the case as they know better.
Despite a few spoilsports, we had an impressive line up of 22 of the best SUVs available in the country which had to be tested in less than 25 days. To make this test absolutely foolproof, we also took the advice of the expert, Mr. PK Sethi – GM Service Subros Limited. He assured us that we were definitely on the right track. We learnt that the performance of the air-con depends on the compressor, condenser, cooling coil and blower. Apart from these components, the insulation and the size of the cabin is also a major factor. So let’s find out how these big mean boys of the road faired in our shootout.
BMW X6
The X6 is one of the hottest looking SUVs but the large cabin and wide sunroof let it down in this test as it is also the ‘hottest’ in the aircon test. But let’s keep in mind that this is a comparative result and the X6’s AC would still be comfortable enough for daily use as it achieved 33.3ºC with the vent temperature showing 16.3ºC.
AUDI Q7
The Q7 is a really large SUV and probably the biggest vehicle in this shootout. It has several wide vents which are well located, but it’s a humongous task to cool the vast cabin and the panoramic sunroof doesn’t help its cause either. This big SUV managed to cool the cabin to 31.3ºC with the vent temperature at 18ºC.
BMW X5
The X5 has a great combination for the interiors – the black top doesn’t get dirty easily and the beige helps in keeping the cabin cool. It’s a good thing that both the driver and front passenger have the comfort to control the temperature and fan speed. This German SUV reached 30.4ºC after completing the air-con comparo parameters and the vent temperature was at 12.5ºC.
AUDI Q5
Most European vehicles usually do not have very strong air-conditioning simply because the weather of the region demands the use of a heater more often, comparatively speaking. The Audi Q5 which also has black interiors and a panoramic sunroof managed to perform better than its bigger sibling, the Q7, by bringing the cabin temperature down to 30.3ºC with the vent at 15.1ºC.
