New Luxury Saloons for 2013

BMW 7-series facelift

While the changes may be difficult to spot, this is the facelifted BMW 7-series that is due for an India launch at the end of this year. Look hard and you may notice the new car’s thicker grille surrounds, full LED headlamps and restyled front bumper. The changes to the cabin are not all that comprehensive either and include new front seats, a redesigned iDrive system and a new rear-seat entertainment package. As before, the 7-series will be available with a choice of one diesel and three petrol motors, but in line with BMW’s push for improved efficiency, these motors will now come mated to the eight-speed auto ’box from the 5-series.

FACTFILE
Engine: 3.0-litre petrol, 4.4-litre petrol, 6.0-litre petrol, 3.0-litre diesel
Power/torque: 315bhp/45.9kgm, 443bhp/66.3kgm, 536bhp/76.5kgm, 255bhp/57.1kgm
Kerb weight: 1900-1980kg
L/W/H: 5212/1902/1478mm
Expected: December 2012
Price: Rs 95 lakh-1.5 crore*

Honda New Accord

Once the king of its segment, the Honda Accord has lost ground to newer rivals like the Skoda Superb. Things could change when Honda brings in the all-new Accord in mid-2013. As is clear in the pictures of the India-bound US model, the design is a lot more mature than the current car’s, with crisper lines and a more athletic stance. The cabin sees an improvement too with a classier dashboard and even more space than before. Engine options will include a new, and more efficient, direct-injection 2.4-litre petrol (with the choice of a CVT gearbox), but there will be no V6 petrol as on the current car. The sad news is that, like before, there are no plans for a diesel variant, which will invariably limit the big Honda’s appeal in India.

FACTFILE
Engine: 2.4-litre petrol
Power/torque: 182bhp/25.1kgm
Kerb weight: 1475kg
L/W/H: 4851/1849/1465mm
Expected: Mid-2013
Price: Rs 20 lakh*

Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel

As things stand, the XF is Jaguar’s bread-and-butter model in India. And it’s all set to get a whole lot more accessible. For starters, Jaguar is finally going to equip the XF with its base 188bhp, four-cylinder 2.2-litre diesel engine. So far, Jaguar had found it difficult to tune the engine to be compatible with local diesel available in India, but could bring in the motor, without a diesel particulate filter,  by end-2012. The new engine will give Jaguar just the right model to take on the Mercedes-Benz E 220 CDI, BMW 520d and Audi A6 2.0 TDI, which form the bulk of sales in this segment. New engine apart, what would really help bring the prices of the XF down is if Jaguar locally assembles the car alongside the Land Rover Freelander at Tata Motors’ plant in Pune. At present, the XF is brought into India as a completely built unit and the recent increase in customs duties has only worked to put it at a serious price disadvantage against its locally assembled rivals.

FACTFILE
Engine: 2.2-litre diesel
Power/torque: 188bhp/46kgm
Kerb weight: 1745kg
L/W/H: 4961/1920/1460mm
Expected: December 2012
Price: Rs 45 lakh*

Skoda Superb facelift

Skoda will give its cars a new corporate identity and the Superb will be the first recipient of the new look in India. The luxury saloon will get a larger, more angular front grille and the headlights get sharper detailing as well. Daytime running lights are another possibility. The makeover will extend to tail styling as well, with reshaped lights and a new bootlid that will now house the number plate. A slighlty revised dashboard could also be part of the update.

FACTFILE
Engine: 1.8-litre turbo-petrol, 3.6-litre petrol, 2.0-litre diesel
Power/torque: 160bhp/25.5kgm, 260bhp/35.7kgm, 140bhp/32.6kgm
Kerb weight: 1567kg
L/W/H: 4838/1817/1482mm
Expected: Early-2013
Price: Rs 18-28 lakh*

Mercedes-Benz E-class facelift

Originally launched in India in 2009, the W212 series Mercedes-Benz E-Class is set to get its first update shortly. The updates will mainly focus on styling and, going by the spy pictures of the prototypes undergoing testing in Europe, the freshened E will look quite different. The big news is the updated E-class will lose the quartet of headlamps that have identified the car since the W210 model of 1995. In their place, the E-class will possibly get larger, single-piece headlights with square-shaped LEDs outlining the main lights. Other changes will include a lowered grille and restyled front and rear bumpers. The cabin is expected to receive a more comprehensive screen-based menu to replace many of the buttons on the dashboard. You can also expect more power from the improved powertrains.  

FACTFILE
Engine: 1.8-litre turbo-petrol, 3.5-litre petrol, 2.2-litre diesel, 3.0-litre diesel
Power/torque: 183bhp/29kgm, 272bhp/35.6kgm, 203bhp/51kgm, 228bhp/55kgm
Kerb weight: 1732kg-1825kg
L/W/H: 4868/1854/1471mm
Expected: Mid-2013
Price: Rs 40-55 lakh*

* Estimated, ex-showroom, Delhi