THE BIG BOYS OF THE ROAD CAN CONQUER MOST TERRAINS, BUT ARE THEY COOL ENOUGH FOR THE GREAT INDIAN SUMMER? SARMAD KADIRI PUTS THE AC ON AND FINDS OUT
PART II – SUVS & MUVS
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.
MARUTI SUZUKI GRAND VITARA
The sole SUV offering from India’s largest car manufacturer, Maruti Suzuki, the Vitara’s engine was recently upgraded. The typical Maruti all-black dash with a hint of chrome looks decent but on hindsight, affects the cooling process. The Grand Vitara managed to bring down the cabin temperature to 30ºC with the vent as low as 10.9ºC.
CHEVROLET CAPTIVA
The GM Chevrolet Captiva achieved the same minimum cabin temperature as the Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara. Interestingly, the dashboard colour combination and materials used are also similar – black plastic with matte chrome trims. The Captiva managed 30.0ºC with the vent temperature, two ºC higher than the Maruti at 12.5ºC.
NISSAN X-TRAIL
The X-trail is one of my favourite designs among the SUVs available in India. The Nissan did manage to break the 30ºC mark. The vents might appear to be tiny for a SUV but they do their duty well. The Nissan managed to achieve 29.5ºC as the cabin temperature while the vent was at 13.2ºC.
BMW X3
The Munich based carmaker’s smallest SUV in India obviously did better than the X6 in the air-con comparo by reducing the cabin temperature down to 29.5ºC. This is at par with the Nissan X-Trail. However, the vent temperature of the X3 was slightly higher than the Nissan at 14.4ºC.
MITSUBISHI PAJERO
The Pajero has a cult following and its off-roading abilities have been proven over the years. This time we put its air-conditioning system to the test. The old-school design of the dashboard has knobs, unlike digital switches available in most other SUVs. This legendary off-roader managed to bring the temperature down to 29.4ºC with the vent temp at 12.6ºC.
VW TOUAREG
The Touareg is the only SUV sold in India under the VW brand. The beige interiors with wood finish trims not only look good but also help in dispensing heat from the cabin. The sunroof with the tonneau cover did keep the harsh sun at bay for the SUV recorded 29.3ºC as the cabin temperature and 18.1ºC at the vents.
MERCEDES ML-CLASS
Here’s another good looking SUV whose performance can outshine its looks. The dash and interior design of the ML is very subtle. The round air-con vents might look docile but perform quite well as they helped reduce the cabin temperature from 50ºC to 29ºC while the vents were at 11.7ºC, which is impressive for a car of this size.
FORD ENDEAVOUR
This all American SUV has recently gone through a makeover and boy, it looks good. The interiors sport a mix of matte and piano black which have worked well for the Endeavour. The muscular SUV managed to cool the cabin to 28.4ºC and the vent temperature was at 18.9ºC.
HONDA CR-V
This Japanese SUV has one of the best ride quality and handling in its price bracket. It might drive like a sedan, but the question here is if its AC has sedan like cooling abilities? Yes it does. The CR-V brought the cabin temperature down to an impressive 28.3ºC and the vents showed 11.2ºC.
TATA SAFARI
We were glad to see the big boy of Tata in the top five of this comparo as all the other four are of Japanese make. The Safari has a large cabin room and doesn’t even have a tonneau cover to cut off the boot space from the cabin. The Tata achieved 27.5ºC as the cabin temperature and the vents showed 13ºC.
TOYOTA FORTUNER
We’ve reached almost the end of the AC comparo and there is no mention of Toyota which has one of the largest SUV range in India. This means that the Toyotas with their amazing air-conditioning systems have managed to do better than most others. With cabin temperature at 27.2ºC and the vent at 15.5ºC, the Fortuner will make sure you don’t sweat while you drive.
MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
With a bold new design, the Outlander is here to shake up the competition but only time can tell how well the Mitsubishi will do in terms of sales. However, we can assure you that its AC did manage to shake a few souls and outperform competition with 27.1ºC as cabin temperature and 11.9ºC at the vents.
TOYOTA LANDCRUISER
The Japanese big daddy also proved to be big on the chill
factor. The Landcruiser is amongst the biggest in this shootout, yet it managed to finish second overall. The reason being that Asian carmakers are more prepared to counter the tropical heat as compared to their European counterparts. The LC managed 25.9ºC as cabin temperature and 13.3ºC at the vents.
TOYOTA PRADO
After the Landcruiser ended up as the runner-up in the SUV air-con comparo, it comes as no surprise that its younger sibling, the Prado with a smaller cabin area and a similar air-conditioning system has grabbed the top position. Achieving an outstanding 24.9ºC as the cabin temperature from the 50ºC it started from is indeed a feat. The vents showed just 8.4ºC!
CHEVROLET TAVERA
The Tavera is still bringing good numbers for GM and is one of the most preferred MUVs for commercial buyers. At 34.1ºC, the Tavera is not only the hottest vehicle in this section but overall as well. This shouldn’t be a cause for concern as GM is planning to bring in a renewed version of the MUV in India later this year.
TATA SUMO GRANDE MKII
The Tata Sumo Grande in its new avatar looks grander and is technologically sounder than its predecessor. The MUV has a basic interior layout and vent placement. It did reasonably well in the air-conditioner shootout with the vents showing 18.3ºC and the cabin temperature at 30.3ºC.
M&M XYLO
The Mahindra Xylo has a very good air-conditioning system for its segment. The MUV has vents not only for the first two rows but also for the third row, which is a good touch. It achieved to bring down the cabin temperature from 50ºC to 28ºC and the vents showed a minimum temperature of 11.7ºC.
TOYOTA INNOVA
Toyotas are known for their quality and refinement, and it was expected that the Japanese MUV would do well in the air-con comparo too. The light coloured dashboard and interiors with vents for the front and rear seats helped bring down the cabin temperature to 26.8ºC and the vents showed 13.8ºC. Very ‘cool’ indeed!
VERDICT
There is no doubt that all the vehicles we have shortlisted are engineering marvels and the results are comparative. As you must have noticed, most Asian manufacturers have managed to do better than others. Like I had mentioned earlier, European manufacturers usually do not equip their cars with a very strong air-conditioning system due to the colder weather conditions in the region. Nonetheless, their air-conditioning abilities are quite comfortable even in the scorching Indian summer. The Toyotas have performed amazingly well in the SUV air-con comparo. Both the Prado and Landcruiser are big vehicles with a large cabin room and neither had tonneau covers for the boot space, which further endorses the capability of these machines. They are definitely the super coolers!
