The BMW M2 with a manual gearbox is not for everyone. It’s that German lager beer which you didn’t know existed, and once you have tasted it, you want to drink it again and again.
There are cars, and then there are cars like the Maruti Suzuki Jimny, BMW M2, Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance & Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS. They are a different breed altogether and unlike anything else. They are all built around the iPad theory, not a necessity but an absolute desire to have one. Let’s start with the 5-Door Jimny, which was a much-anticipated launch, it’s the type of car which cannot be the sole car in your garage, but you will still want one. Its narrow width, married with offroading capabilities along with on-road driving dynamics, is a great combination but cannot be called a family car. Unlike the Hyundai Creta or Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, for instance, which can be the only cars in the family. Jimny cannot have that badge because it falls in a new segment called - the lifestyle offroader and is an exciting package and eventually would earn a title like the Thar with people going like - Oh, you bought a Jimny?
The BMW M2 with a manual gearbox is not for everyone. It’s that German lager beer which you didn’t know existed, and once you have tasted it, you want to drink it again and again. At first, the conventional thought of a manual gearbox in a German luxury car will punch you hard, that it is going to be more expensive than the AT 3 Series will completely knock you out. It’s not meant for everyone and is reserved for the purist, for the enthusiast who wants an everyday car not to be driven around but to drive it, to have fun with it. It’s unusual, and for the first time in any segment, you will pay more for a manual gearbox than an automatic, and this will take some time to sink in. Even the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance is a very unique machine and unmatched. It’s a hybrid which can fire 1470 Nm of torque and does that silently. It also boasts of the most expensive price tag from the house of Mercedes. It can drive on EV power for 12 km and unleash hell on the road with all its complex engineering and seamless integration between EV and ICE power. Again, was it really required? It is the first question that will pop into your head, and there is no clear answer to that. Maybe that’s why all buyers in India will be handed over the keys by seven times Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton!
Now let’s talk about the Porsche Cayman GT4 RS. It’s an emotion. It will make you wake up at night and check out the parking to ensure it’s safe. It’s just a two-seater, yet it costs a fortune. It is purpose-built for tracks, but once you have driven it, you will appreciate German engineering even more! Thanks to Porsche for that driving pleasure which is comparable to nothing, actually. It’s a unique car which is just bought for the love of driving. All these cars will not be on your list, but once you have tasted these, they will be on your bucket list, and we have all of them and more covered in this issue. Enjoy the issue. Enjoy the summer, and keep the seat belt fastened! That reminds me of the Jimny again, which comes with a 90-second siren for the rear seat belts. Good move, Maruti!
