The attention apprehending DC Avanti is a less familiar car. The Indian company that made the Avanti is DC design. The company was a result of Dilip Chaabria’s vision. The company was for the most part of its tenure in the habit of improving the luxury of regular cars like Toyota Innova or TATA winger by adding recliners and leather to it. With this portfolio the Indian company lacked the technical savvy to make a thoroughbred sport car. As a result, the DC Avanti doesn’t really have the sporting chromosome. By contrast, the looks are where the DC Avanti really takes off. Owing to the vast experience of DC Design in enhancing the car visually the DC Avanti is dressed to kill. I am however sorry to report that the compliments end there.
The car sits on a 2 liter 4 cylinder turbocharged engine that, in the limited edition model, manages 310 bhp. With a 0 to 60 kph time of 6 seconds and a top speed of 200 kph it isn’t exactly fast. To duty of power transmission is taken up by a 6 speed manual gearbox. When you drive it the engine feels more powerless than a household grinder. The suspension is softer than cookie dough when it is cornering and yet when it goes over a pothole it manages to send the shock up your spine. The drive doesn’t feel particularly exciting.
Being built in India, you would imagine they have made it drivable on Indian roads. They haven’t, you would have to be more cautious than the captain of a cruise liner. Taking the car out for a trip means strategic planning of a route with the least number of humps and pot holes. After that its business as usual taking care that you don’t go over anything significant like small stones. So far then, it would be safe to say that if there are any joys in driving this car, they aren’t in the journey. Then with the immense turning radius you would have to work your fingers to the bones to be able to park it.
Coming to the body, it is more plastic than a Brazilian news anchor woman. Inside the car it seems as if DC designs have ignored what the customers need and have been bothered more about what the customers can do without. As a result of this M.O, in the sophisticated instrument cluster, you get AC, touch controlled music player, power windows, ABS and that’s about it. So, not a lot of kit.
In essence the car can be summarized by the saying from Texas “All hat, but no cattle”. But none of that matters. The way this car turns heads makes it all worth it. At a minimal price tag of 50 lakh it is almost worth the attention you get. It is an attempt by India to catch up with the worldwide sport car race. And for its first time around, it’s a damn good try. Value for a car is created by the perception of people, and i believe it will be of great value on Indian soil.
Truly it Looks good. As you said.