Lewis Hamilton.....F1's Youngest World Champion

Lewis is world champion
Lewis Hamilton became Formula One's youngest ever world champion by finishing fifth in an incredibly dramatic rain-affected Brazilian Grand Prix.

"It's pretty much impossible to put into words," a clearly emotional Hamilton said of his victory.

Felipe Massa won the race for Ferrari and looked set to take the title until McLaren driver Hamilton slipped past Timo Glock's Toyota and into the crucial fifth place at the final corner of the very last lap.

The start was delayed by ten minutes after a brief, but heavy, downpour hit Interlagos just before the mechanics were due to clear the grid.

Although the sunshine returned within a few minutes, the first half of the track was left very wet, so the whole field took the start on intermediates.

Well done Lewis, you deserve all you have achieved. Congrats.

Toyota Fortuner ........making its way to India.

The long-awaited Toyota Fortuner is finally making its way to India. The Toyota was waiting for the face-lift, which has just been launched in Thailand. The headlights and grille merge into one another, while at the rear, clear lenses have been used for the tail-lamps. The rest of the car remains unchanged.

Toyota will assemble the Fortuner at the Bidadi plant from completely-knocked-down or CKD kits. Only one engine – a 3.0-litre D-4D diesel from the same family as the Innova – will power the car. This unit produces 163bhp, but more importantly 35kgm of torque, since it has to shift the Fortuner’s considerable 1.8-tonne bulk. This engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, with the option of four-wheel -drive. In future, a four-speed automatic may also be on the cards.

The interiors are a plush place to be, and the Fortuner promises to provide very refined driving dynamics. It will be available fully loaded with climate control, AC vents for all three rows of seats, and a 2-DIN audio system with steering wheel-mounted controls. Coil-spring suspension at all four corners promises to provide a comfortable ride and sure-footed handling. The Fortuner can pack in seven people and their luggage, although the last row is best reserved for kids or Fido.

As with every product in India, pricing is key, and the Fortuner should retail for Rs 18 lakh, on-road. On specifications and price, its most obvious competitor will be the Ford Endeavour Thunder+, but don’t be surprised if it makes a dent in CR-V and Captiva sales as well. This is an SUV which promises to be a pucca off-roader, people-carrier, and soccer mom wagon all rolled into one. Toyota has ambitious plans to sell 5,000 units a year in India, and to achieve this target, it will have to fulfil all these roles.

First Drive.......The New A-Star

This is the car that Maruti hopes will challenge the Hyundai i10. Known as the Maruti A-Star in India, as it will not replace the Alto here, the car for the Indian market will also have wind down windows and other modifications made to it.

Power comes from the same 67bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine however and it’s suspended by MacPherson struts up front and a torsion beam at the rear. And although it’s only a smidge over 3.6-metres in length, it’s full sized five-door. The car’s standout attribute is the car’s surprisingly slippery drag co-efficient of 0.30

For a start, it’s a much better-looking thing than the small Suzukis we’ve known before. The oversized headlights, prominent radiator grille and the added ‘wedge’ to the car’s bodyside give it a modern, cheeky look, and an abundance of visual appeal.

The new Alto’s cabin isn’t quite as funky, but it’s not far off the class standard. There’s plenty of room, even for six foot-plus occupants, but the driving position could be improved by a steering wheel that adjusted for reach.

At urban speeds and above the Alto displays good rolling refinement, absorbing mid-sized bumps with plenty of quiet composure and good damping. It steers a little oddly; the stability-enhancing dead zone engineered into the system around the straight ahead position feels a little too wide. But there’s no arguing with the car’s turning circle of just 9.0 metres, perfect for urban driving conditions

While the Alto doesn’t quite feel as upmarket or sophisticated as some cars of its size, but there can be no doubting that Suzuki has produced a robust, good-looking, practical, and cheap-to-run car. I'll update the test drive of Indian version more thoroughly later this month, so watch this space for more on the Alto.