drive: skoda kodiaq + a cobra in the capital feature: what new cars & bikes to expect in 2017

January 2017 | ` 100

Driven @
daytona
SPEEdWay

Toyota Fortuner
Ford Endeavour
isuzu D-Max V-Cross

ridE

HarlEy-davidSon road GlidE + triumPH BoBBEr + mv aGuSta f3 800

 Editor Speak

changing gears
Research suggests that theres a 50:50 chance that your next
car will be an SUV. And if you already drive an SUV, in all
likelihood, your next car will be one too. What constitutes an
SUV is a matter for another editorial. But, for the moment, lets
just agree that its a vehicle with a SUV-stance rather than any
real off-road ability.
Needless to say, theres a mad rush within the industry to
cater to this newfound obsession with appearing macho on the
road. Hyundai has just introduced the very impressive Tucson
to sit in between the Creta and the Santa Fe. And, like Maruti,
theyre also developing a brand new sub-four metre compact
SUV. Maruti, meanwhile, is struggling to hold off customers
who are beating down the doors of their local Maruti-Suzuki
showrooms hankering for their very own SUV. A good problem
to have on all accounts!
By the time you read this, the Vitara Brezza will have been
crowned the new ICOTY champion the 2017 Indian Car of
the Year. So what makes the Brezza worthy, other than the
incredible demand for it from all corners of the country? Well,
for starters, it was designed and engineered virtually in-house
by Maruti-Suzuki under the leadership of Executive Director
of Engineering, C.V. Raman.
They not only chose the Suzuki platform that they wanted to
use, but also took the lead in choosing the design direction. The
team developed multiple design concepts, two of which made
it to the clay model stage. One is the current production car
square jawed and quite handsome. While the other was more of
a crossover, which is to say it looked more like a cross between
a hatch and an SUV rather than appearing as butch and
audacious as a true blue 4X4. They chose the more aggressive
option. Perhaps one of the most important decisions they made
during the development process.
The validation of the vehicle in terms of NVH, ride-and-
handling, etc. and even crash testing was done at Maruti-
Suzukis Rohtak facility in the NCR. Endurance testing was done
in Gurgaon. High-altitude testing took the team to Khardung-La,
in Ladakh. Wind tunnel and cold weather testing, however, was
done in Japan since they dont have those facilities here in India.
But Indian engineers flew to Japan to do the testing themselves.
Its been a great learning for the entire team, because the
engineers that worked on the project made mistakes, learnt from
them, and finally succeeded in delivering what was expected of
them. And thats the way to actually learn the practical aspects
of vehicle development theres no better way to do it, said
Raman San when we spoke with him earlier in the year.
So its only fitting that the Brezza should be the Indian Car
of the Year. Not only have they created a product thats worthy
of the ICTOY title but, more importantly, theyve bolstered
their in-house ability to likely create many more such winners
in the future!
Dhruv Behl, Editor
@dhruv_behl | dbehl@autox.in
Connect with us:
@autoXmag @autoXmag / autoXTV digital magazine @magzter

Editor dEsign & photogrAphy Asst. gEnErAl MAnAgErs distributEd by All rights rEsErvEd
Dhruv Behl hEAd - dEsign & photogrAphy venkatesh BaBu (Bangalore) Central news agenCy we are only a platform for our
kapIl vashIst amIt Bhalla (new Delhi) new DelhI advertisers to list their products/services
AssociAtE Editor
Asst. Art dirEctor printEd At and do not take responsibility for the
Ishan raghava circulAtion
karan sIngh paras oFFset pvt. ltD. accuracy of information provided by
FEAturEs Editor MAnAgEr: pawan DhamIJa C-176, naraIna, new DelhI 110 028 our advertisers. the views expressed in
arup Das sr. dEsignEr
prashant kumar north: narenDer sIngh nAtionAl circulAtion oFFicEs this magazine do not necessarily reflect
Motorsport Editor WEst: mahaDev panDare, MuMbAi: mumbai@eigroup.in those of Comnet publishers pvt. ltd.
vInayak panDe dEsignEr umesh verma
ankIt sharma bAngAlorE: bangalore@eigroup.in WritE to us At: info@autox.in
south: y. ChInna BaBu, chEnnAi: chennai@eigroup.in
AssistAnt Editor rEAch us At: sdigar@autox.in
WEb AnAlyst yashwanth t. hydErAbAd: hyderabad@eigroup.in +91 11 4279 5000, +91 98103 73331
JareD solomon BIJay kr. yaDav
contributing Editor public rElAtions: megha purI
WEb dEsignErs printEd & publishEd by: Dhruv Behl on behalf of
ashIsh Jha vIkas sharma, suBoDh kumar subscriptions: eDwIn John coMnEt publishErs pvt. ltd.
contributors (intl) digitAl MArkEting AnAlysts +91 98116 34228 | +91 11 4279 5000 217-B (2nd Floor), okhla Industrial estate phase III, new Delhi 110 020
karl peskett, Jens meIners rahul raI, sunIl kumar
contributors EditoriAl & MArkEting oFFicE
sAlEs & MArkEting
sIDDharth patankar, shahwar hussaIn chAirMAn: prem Behl A MEMbEr oF
nAtionAl hEAd
principAl corrEspondEnts soumenDra DIgar 217-B (2nD Floor), okhla
IC OT Y
aBhIshek ChalIha, ravI veD gEnErAl MAnAgEr InDustrIal estate phase III
corrEspondEnts raJeev pathrIa
new DelhI 110 020 INDIAN CAR OF THE YEAR
rahul kapoor, shIvank Bhatt

autoX InCluDes materIal lICenseD From Quattroruote, ruoteCl assIChe anD Dueruote By permIssIon oF eDItorIale Domus s.p.a., rozzano (mI), Italy, owner oF Quattroruote,
ruoteCl assIChe, Dueruote, regIstereD traDemarks.

6 l January 2017 l autox.in

CONTENTS
Vol 11, Issue 03, JANuARY 2017 58

82 Battle Royale
Milwaukee Assault
Harley Davidson has designed a
new engine to take on the world
of heavyweight cruisers.

62

Own the Road

The Roadster is now the sportiest
Harley-Davidson available today,
but just how sporty is it really?

74

This is the big one - literally - the battle between Toyotas new Fortuner The Alaskan Czech
and Fords mighty Endeavour. As for what the Isuzu D-Max V-Cross is Skoda has big plans for the
doing here, well, youll just have to read through the feature to find out... Kodiaq, which will be positioned
as its flagship SUV.

24

Cars & Bikes of 2017

Here is a glimpse of the most

78 Reignite My Passion
Jared pilots a Ferrari around the Daytona
50 Not For Sale!
Lynk & Co is a carmaker that may not
significant new automobiles coming
your way this calendar year.
International Speedway. actually want you to buy its vehicles.

8 l January 2017 l autox.in

CONTENTS
54

Mamma Mia
Well, its Italian so its a looker! But
whats it like to ride the incredibly
beautiful MV Agusta F3 800?

143
100 Count to Five
This is the big one from BMW the brand new 5 Series. Globally, the 3 Series
may be BMWs bestseller, but in India its the 5 that counts!
Smartphone
Wars

From the Gionee S6S selfie specialist

to the dual rear camera phone, LG
G5, to the new and improved Hero5
Camera Series - we have it all in this
new issue.

92
Step 1
Make in India Get the Alive App
Wind-in-the-hair motoring on a cold winter morning in a machine inspired by a visit
www.alivear.com
legend what more could one ask for?

Step 2
Open the Alive App on your phone and
scan this picture by focusing your phones
camera on it. iPhone/Android Tap on
screen and hold still and it will scan
automatically; BB/Symbian/Java Go to
options and then capture image; Windows
Tap on screen to capture and hold still
over image

Step 3
Watch the image come Alive. View it and
share it with friends

66
Bob-Job
The newest Bonneville is a bike that
looks like its stuck in the past, but
rides like it belongs in the future.
70
(iOS (ver 5.0 and above) / Android (ver 2.2
Drop Top and above) / Symbian (ver 3.5 and above)
The C drops its top and, as youd
/ BB (ver3.5 and above) / Windows (ver
7.1 and above) or Java (ver 3.5 and
expect, turns many heads. above))

10 l January 2017 l autox.in

 feedback

Conne ions Good or bad, we love to

hear from you - just so long
as youre not indifferent...

ENDING ON A HIGH!
What a way to end the year, another feature packed autoX issue. Apart from the awards section, the December issue was
mostly filled by SUV and crossovers, such as the new Audi Q5, Jeep Compass, new Toyota Fortuner, Jaguar F-Pace,
Hyundai Tucson, et al. I think its the flavour of the season, so theres nothing really wrong with that. As a petrol-head
though, the highlight for me was the track test of the new Porsche 911. While its been getting faster-and-faster with each
new generation, I think Porsche designers have also managed to turn it into a real looker now so, it no longer looks
discreet in the company of its competition. Heres hoping to see it go head-to-head with the likes of the Nissan GT-R,
Mercedes-AMG GT and Jaguar F-Type in the hands of autoX next year!
Pradeep Verma

Go-faster boots?
Guys, youre doing a fantastic job.
But I was just browsing through your BIC
lap times and needed to know
something. How come the VW Vento 1.2
TSI clocks a faster lap time than the Polo
GT TSI, despite being heavier? Similarly,
the Figo Aspire TDCI lapped the BIC
faster than the Figo hatchback,
irrespective of the fact that its heavier
and mechanically identical?
Sanket Sinha
Technically, the Polo should be faster
around the circuit than the Vento sedan.
However, weve found that the track times
depend in large part to track conditions
and temperatures not to mention the
conditon of the brakes on the vehicle.
Since these two particular cars werent
driven back-to-back on the same day, the Liquour shops on highways
lap times differ marginally. Also, in case of banned!
the Fords, the Figo Aspire is a slightly better The government needs to implement this
handling car than the hatchback hence a strictly.
faster lap time. Sudhakar Reddy Pitti
Pleasantly Surprised!
Didnt know about this channel This is where it all started
before, but the new BMW 5 Series review is
surprisingly excellent!
Maxime Durez
Going for the kill!
The new Toyota Fortuner looks
perfect for a hit-and-run.
Ranjeev Joseph
Well, thats an unusual criteria for car The Vehicross concept (1993) can be
preference. Lets hope you dont get out considered the father of all crossover vehicles.
much! @SriniKay

Connect with us via snail mail (shudder the thought),

via e-mail at info@autox.in or through our various social
media channels. Well be kind enough to gift one of you a
set of car audio speakers every month.
@autoXmag @autoXmag autoXmag autoXTV digital magazine @magzter

12 l January 2017 l autox.in

 OpiniOn
Jens ends 2016 by sampling some pretty impressive future products from
Mercedes-Benz, and wonders how the competition will respond in 2017.
2
016 has come to a close, and in its last
month no carmaker has kept me busier
than Mercedes-Benz with a flurry of
new product launches and teasers. The brands
styling language has been entirely overhauled,
and theyve covered virtually every possible
twist in future technology.
The first model under the EQ moniker
doesnt yet stand on a dedicated EV platform.
This car, launched in concept form at the Paris
auto show, is a heavily tweaked GLC and thus
uses the ubiquitous MRA rear-wheel drive
platform. Future models will have their own,
dedicated electric architecture.
But, getting back to internal combustion for
a moment, I went on an extensive ride with
AMG chief Tobias Moers in the GT and GT C
Roadster from Las Vegas into the Valley of
Fire and onwards to a deserted ghost town in
the Nevada desert. The desert metropolis of
Las Vegas symbolizes excess and glamour,
and is in stark contrast with the surrounding
landscape. The bizarre rock formations and
the grandiose canyons are accessible by
beautiful open roads some of which are
rather lightly patrolled. The cars were
traveling from the West Coast to the Nissan
Proving Grounds near Phoenix, Arizona,
which Daimler uses regularly. Las Vegas was
en route.
14 l January 2017 l autox.in
by JENS MEINERS
The two variants Moers was kind enough to
bring along mark the corner points of the line-
up the entry-level GT Roadster, which makes
462 horsepower, and the GT C Roadster, which
is rated at a full 558 horsepower. There will be a
GT S Roadster, too, rated at 510 horsepower
just like AMG will have a GT C Coupe. Ah, the
beauty of the corporate parts bin!
If the roadsters look even more angry that
their coupe siblings, thats because of the new
grille wide at the bottom and inspired by the
classic 300 SL Panamericana. Itll soon appear
on coupe versions of the AMG GT as well. The
GT C Roadster, when compared with the GT
Roadster, sports a wider track, a wider body,
and far reaching chassis modifications. In fact,
its performance is close to the 585-horsepower
GT R Coupe.
In this development stadium, Moers is
checking all functions of the roadster, their
integration, and the overall harmony of the
vehicle. Its a few more months until the
driving launch, and customers wont get their
cars before spring. The engineers are still
ironing out the details. Indeed, the trunk lid
doesnt fit well, and the steering isnt
calibrated for series production yet and
Moers noticed one or two more issues that he
wouldnt tell us about.
A few weeks later, I got to drive the GT R
Twitter: @DerContinental
Coupe in series production form. Until a
possible Black Series model appears, it stands
at the top of the GT line. Wider, stiffer and
more precise than any other GT, not to mention
more powerful, it delivers fearsome power and
an unbelievably aggressive soundtrack. And
its the first coupe to share the new grille with
the roadster. If this formidable car comes to the
Indian market, itll certainly give the Audi R8
V10 Plus a run for its money.
While the GT derivatives are brutally
aggressive and powerful, Ive grown similarly
impressed with the new E-Class Coupe
which I experienced during a second prototype
drive in the tztal mountains at the Austrian-
Italian border. With its almost Italian style,
designed with an unmistakable sense for
proportions, frameless windows and delicately
slim, horizontal taillights, it might be the most
beautiful coupe on the market when its
launched this spring. If you think you cannot
take off another line, go ahead and do it
anyway, Daimler chief designer Gorden
Wagener once told me. The E-Class Coupe has
certainly put that theory into practice.
And this renaissance in design hints at a
larger resurgence within Daimler-Benz as a
whole. Itll certainly be interesting to see how
the competition responds in 2017, and
beyond...
ADVERTORIAL
 OpiniOn by Karl PesKett
Karl has his first taste of autonomous motoring, and it puts him firmly on the path
towards being a believer. Fortunately, he still turns it all off to have a little fun
S
itting at 110km/h on the long, straight, flat stretch in front of
us, I flick the lever up. The bottom of the screen
acknowledges the movement; the same figure as on the stalk
pops up on the display confirming that the cruise control has been
set. But look slightly to the left and a little steering wheel graphic
goes from grey to green. This is it were on.
Hands off the wheel. Feet off the pedals. I could hop into the back
seat, but, of course, that would be madness. Except thats where the
industrys headed, so its not really madness at all.
This is the future of motoring autonomous driving. Except the car
that Im driving or not driving, depending on your perspective
isnt a self-driving car. But, really, it is. Confused? Well, so is my brain
because Im supposed to be in control, yet the car is the one doing
all the work.
Currently, self-driving cars are going through reams of red tape, as
each manufacturer lobbies governments and road safety authorities,
trying to prove how safe these machines really are. But the car Im in
(I wont say driving, because Im not), a Mercedes-Benz E-Class,
which is doing the job pretty well, comes up against something it
cant cope with road works.
The sign flashes past: No lines marked. Do not overtake. The
steering wheel graphic at the bottom of the instrument screen loses its
green illumination and becomes grey again. Sorry driver, its your turn.
The car has lost its way. There are no lane markings for it to follow, no
edge to track. While the adaptive cruise control is happily monitoring
the car in front, braking when it does and accelerating to keep a set
16 l January 2017 l autox.in
distance, the camera which literally watches the road is freaking out,
biting its fingernails and wondering what on earth is going on.
This is where autonomous cars are going to struggle. This and
roundabouts, where the road turns far too quickly and the lane markings
are all over the place. Of course, there are talks that the satnav info will
be overlayed, making sure that if there are no lanes it can rely on a birds
eye view to know how the road curves. But thats certainly not fool
proof. One of my test cars earlier this year told me I was in the ocean,
despite being a good 500 metres away on a road. Solar flares interfere
with satellites, meaning theres still some way to go before we have a
system that can cover all the bases.
Dont get me wrong, we will get there, but you can understand
governments hesitance. We dont want people being injured or killed
simply to prove that we can make cars that drive themselves theres
enough of that when people are in control.
The road works end. The car picks up the lane markings again and it
steers the car faithfully along the sweeping left-hand bend, keeping us
exactly in the middle of the lane. A short time later, the car reminds me
to put my hands back on the wheel. A quick touch and its satisfied,
keeping the steering wheel picture green and carrying on driving itself.
It was a fascinating insight into the technology that will be driving us
in a few years, and a great way to kick off 2017. Thing is, after about
120km, I got bored. I switched everything off and took over the driving
until we reached our destination.
In case youre wondering, that last part of the drive was the most
enjoyable.
 GOERNMENT OF KARNATAKA
Department of Tourism

Be Adventurous
in Kabini
River Lodge

karnatakatourism.org

junglelodges.com
 OpiniOn
The AAUI President has an important message to keep your children safe in
the event of a crash.
I
t goes without saying that wed all like our
children to survive a crash. However,
youre not really giving them a fighting
chance if you choose to hold them in your
arms when travelling in a car.
In India, we motorists lack the concept and
discipline of securing our children in car seats.
Infants and children have a relatively fragile
skull and heavy head. As a result, theyre
likely to suffer serious head injuries even in
low speed crashes. Regardless of their weight,
children below four years of age must be
secured in a child safety seat before riding in a
vehicle. This safety precaution should be
exercised to match the high-tech cars now on
our roads, which have far greater acceleration
power than ever before.
How many of us use the seat belts provided
for our safety? The motor vehicle rules, though
not rigorously enforced, do require motorists
to use seat belts. In many countries its
compulsory by law for passengers to wear seat
belts even when travelling in the rear seat. If
a rear seat belt is provided, it must also be
used to buckle up a child seated in the rear. In
a collision at 50km/h, an unsecured seven-
kilogram baby in the rear seat may be violently
propelled towards the dashboard, or through
the windscreen, with a force of 400kgs
18 l January 2017 l autox.in
by T.K. MalhoTra
which is equal to a force similar to that of
falling from a three-story building.
And if you think that on the highway your
children are safe in the back seat youre sadly
mistaken. Moreover, a child held by a belted
adult in the rear seat still remains unprotected.
The adult may not be able to hold onto the
unbuckled child due to the force generated by
a collision. The chances of a child being
crushed from being flung forward cannot be
ruled out. A properly fitted child restraint
system will reduce the potential for fatal
injuries by up to 75%, and serious injuries by
up to 67%.
A major reason we cite for negligence is that
restraining a child can be quite a task. An
Indian child tends to put up a fight because he
or she is not used to being strapped in
especially since our children dont find their
parents wearing seatbelts. To handle the
problem one must start early with an infant.
The child might cry when separated from the
mother, but will quickly get used to having his
or her own seat in the car.
Try to ease infants into this new experience
by diverting their attention to things that
might be of interest to them. Buckling up,
then, becomes a matter of habit as the child
grows older though you shouldnt be
surprised if a child refuses to oblige you
occasionally. Young children in the age group
of two to four are often active and want
freedom to move about in the vehicle. So
provide a diversion by way of a toy or picture
book if need be. Its a common mistake to
assume that children will be entertained by
the journey. Because childrens attention
spans are shorter than adults, they need more
stops while travelling on a long journey. If
you, as an adult, use the seat belt regularly it
will have a psychological impact on the mind
of a child who will begin to realize the
important to belt up in a car.
Here are a few closing tips install an
approved child seat with wide straps in the
rear bench of your car. Never put a rearward
facing restraint in the front seat of a car fitted
with a passenger side Airbag. In an accident,
the Airbag will deploy and hit the back of the
restraint with such force that the child may
sustain serious injuries. In the event of an
accident, the child seat must be replaced.
Do this and your most precious cargo
will likely be safe and sound in the event of
a crash.
T.K. Malhotra is the President of the Automobile
Association of Upper India (AAUI).
 OpiniOn by siddharth vinayak patankar
Siddharth highlights the winners of 2016, and looks forward to an even better
year ahead
W
hat a wonderful way to start a brand new year by
celebrating everything that was good and important about the
one thats gone by. Im referring to the annual awards
programme that I have carefully curated and nurtured over the past 12
years. But it becomes especially significant given the kind of year that
weve seen in 2016. Challenges galore from diesel bans to
demonetization the industry has had its fair share to deal with. But the
awards celebrate all that because through it all we not only saw the
industry fighting back, but also persevere and bring us some great
products. The NDTV Car and Bike Awards 2017 also brings together our
very fine jury people who not only have immense talent, skill,
experience and knowledge, but also personalities and points of view that
I celebrate and feel lucky to share. Theyre my support, and more
importantly my friends (the editor of this magazine is one of them, and
has been on our jury for several years now).
So how did it all go? Well, we have a very different system that very
carefully assesses and analyses each nominated product not just for its
design or performance, but also where it sits amongst its peers. How the
market perceives it, and where it stands purely on its own merit. So all
finalists have to be scored on 7 parameters Safety, Value for Money,
Performance, Emotional Appeal, USP or Merit, Significance to Segment
and Environment. And all jurors do this in a secret ballot with no
pressure or influence whatsoever from my organisation or me. This
leaves no room for bias or error, and what you get is a fiercely
independent, credible and justifiable outcome. And just like this
magazine sticks to its own reasons for recognising the years best we too
stand by this logic in choosing the winning products.
And so I couldnt be happier that we have two very strong and indeed
deserving products to be proud of. The jury did very well in picking the
Honda Navi and Skoda Superb as our NDTV Two Wheeler and Car of
20 l January 2017 l autox.in
Twitter: @sidpatankar
the Year for 2017. I have to mention here though that the Maruti
Suzuki Vitara Brezza came extremely close to the win, with a heart-
breaking 2-point difference between it and the Superb. But the Czech
sedan sneaked past to take the big win. Jurors have recognised its
inherent strengths great build quality, finish, performance, comfort
and design and also the fact that it shakes up its segment. The
Superb has to deal with less competition today than its previous
generation did, but it still lacks the hybrid option that the Accord and
Camry have as their big strength. And yet it does so much to raise the
segment benchmark, and offer good value too.
The Navi is rewarded for a whole different reason perhaps. It creates
a new segment that of a mini bike. It offers scooter-like convenience
with bike-like appeal. Its easy to ride, park and maintain. Yet it offers
zippy performance with agility and efficiency. Its also customisable
and fun and is really like nothing else in the market. And the best
part is that its been developed here in India, by the local Honda India
team, and not at Hondas Japan HQ. The Navi packs in ingenuity with
chutzpah and yet gives you a product that cannot be faulted on
performance or design (it also bagged the Two Wheeler Design of the
Year award by the way).
Other big winners span the likes of the Volvo S90, Jaguar XE and
F-Pace, Hyundai Tucson and Elantra, the aforementioned Vitara
Brezza, TVS Apache RTR 200 4V, Royal Enfield Himalayan and Aprilia
SR-150. It takes a lot of effort, planning and man-hours to get the
awards done every year. But when I look back at a great set of jury
meets, a spectacular ceremony (first day-time awards show), and
wonderfully deserving winners I do feel a bit sad that its all over.
And with that I look forward to a great year ahead that offers us as
much and more, with a rich and rewarding awards process at the end
of it. So heres to 2017, and wish you all a very happy new year!
NEWS
Bajaj Dominar
400 launcheD

22 Nissan GT-R arrives in India

22 23 26
Mercedes- Volvo V40 NIO EP9
Benz CLA range Fastest EV
launched launced from China
NEWS
Nissan GT-R launched
T he Godzilla is finally here, and it carries a
sticker price of `1.99 crore (ex-
showroom). Since the time Nissan unveiled its
plans of bringing the GT-R at the 2016 Auto
Expo, enthusiasts with deep pockets have been
looking forward to its official launch in India.
Mercedes CLA facelift launched
M ercedes had only launched the CLA in
India early last year, but to keep it in
line with the rest of its models, the Stuttgart-
based car maker has now introduced its
facelift. The CLA facelift has been priced
between `31.40 lakh and `34.68 lakh (ex-
22 l January 2017 l autox.in
This sixth-generation GT-R gets an updated
design that makes it more aerodynamic. It is
sharper than its predecessor, more
compact and looks edgier than before.
This is the most thoroughly redesigned
GT-R since the launch of the R35 in the
global market in 2007. Hiding under the
hood is a 3.8-litre V6 monster that produces
562 horses and peak torque of 637Nm.
Mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission,
the 2017 GT-R can dismiss the 0-100km/h
dash in less than 3 seconds.
showroom, Delhi). Changes to the exterior
bring the CLA facelift in line with the
A-Class. It gets a revised headlight design,
redesigned front and rear bumpers and
newly designed alloy wheels. Mercedes also
offers the black diamond grille as standard
fitment on all CLA facelift models. The
updated CLA also gets some updates to its
interior, which includes new seat fabric and
trim parts, as well as new switchgear and
steering wheel. The new CLA also gets an
updated 8.0-inch COMAND infotainment
system with Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto. As far as the mechanicals are
concerned, the new CLA will continue to
sport the same engine options as before
the 2.1-litre diesel motor producing 134bhp
and 300Nm. There is also a 2-litre petrol
motor on offer which is good for 181bhp and
300Nm. Both these engines come mated to a
7-speed automatic transmission.

Mini brings in the new Clubman to India
T he wait is finally over as the British car
maker has launched the Clubman in
India with prices starting at `37.9 lakh (ex-
showroom). The new Clubman is the
largest offering in the Mini stable and the
car is 4,274mm in length which is 177mm
longer than the Countryman. At 2,669mm
the Clubman has a longer wheelbase too,
which makes extra bit of space on the
inside. At 360 litres, there isnt much of a
difference in the boot space with an
Volvo V40 & V40 Cross Country launched
T he refreshed V40 has been launched at
`28.53 lakh for the D3 R-Design trim and
the D3 Kinetic for `25.49 lakh making it the
most affordable Volvo in the Indian market.
While the V40 Cross Country carries a
starting price of `27.2 lakh for the T4 petrol
variant, and the diesel D3 Inscription trim at
`29.4 lakh. This refresh brings the V40 up to
date with the rest of the Volvo line-up in
increase of just 10 litres over the
Countryman. Aesthetically, the Clubman is
typically Mini, albeit longer than what we
are used to. One of the most unique
features of the Clubman is the two-door
tailgate. This ensures ease of loading
luggage into the boot. The Mini Clubman is
terms of its design language. That means the
V40 now comes with the renowned Thors
Hammer LED headlamps just like the XC90
and the S90. Headlight aside, the V40 will
come with a waterfall front grille and the
Volvo iron mark. Both these models also
come with a new set of wheel designs. On the
inside, the V40 facelift comes with 3 different
leather trims while the V40 Cross Country
Industry Info
available in India with the petrol Cooper S
option, with a 2-litre four-cylinder
turbocharged unit that churns out 192bhp
and 280Nm. The engine comes mated to an
8-speed automatic transmission and can
accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.2 seconds
and delivers a claimed mileage of 13.8km/l.
comes with five options for the same. Under
the hood, engine options continue to be the
same. The V40 comes with a 2-litre four-
cylinder diesel engine that is good for 150bhp
and 350Nm mated to a 6-speed automatic
gearbox. The V40 Cross Country D3 diesel
carries the same oil burner. The petrol Cross
Country however, sports a 2-litre unit that
churns out 180bhp and 240Nm.
 NEWS
MARUTI GETS FUNKY
A
s the competition in the
hatchback segment grows
increasingly tougher,
manufacturers have had to
be on their toes, not just to
keep themselves tuned to market trends but
also to combat the ever-sharpening
competition from rival brands. So, to keep
themselves close to the craze for SUVs or at
least SUV-like vehicles, Maruti Suzuki is
looking to make a radical impact with their
latest product the Ignis.
With the Ignis, the manufacturers aim is
quite straightforward, theyre looking to target
the younger section of customers, and the first
step to attract that crowd is to give the car a
funky and unique design. With its wheels
pushed to the corners, the Ignis has a tall,
SUV-like stance, with the sharply raked boot
giving it a distinctive look. The large 15-inch
wheels, paired with bold wheel arches give the
car a pretty confident stance and give it quite a
bit of road presence. The engineering focus is Maruti has also paid special attention to ever will be offered as standard fitment on the
also quite evident when it comes to the space growing concerns about safety, and the Ignis Ignis entertainment system.
management, with the Ignis offering ample will feature ABS and dual airbags as standard The Ignis will be sold through Marutis
space for tall passengers and a 260-litre boot. across all variants. Also adding to the appeal Nexa outlets, making it the entry-level
On the powertrain front, the Ignis will of the car is a radical departure in interior product of the Nexa range. However, the
feature Marutis tried-and-tested range of design, with the Ignis featuring a large tablet- prime focus of the Ignis is to not only vastly
engines, with the 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre like center infotainment display and the center increase the sales volume of Nexa outlets, but
diesel being the two options. Interestingly, console featuring toggle style switches to make also target a new audience by offering them a
both engines will be offered with both manual the car more stylish. And keeping up with the premium experience, something that might be
and automatic gearboxes, a first in its segment. times, both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto needed to target a newer set of customers.

24 l January 2017 l autox.in

 GREEN NEWS

1,341bhp NIO EP9 tames the Green Hell

I
ts not often that you see an electric car
give gas-guzzling supercars a run for
their money on the performance front.
But its time to witness one such rare
occasion, thanks to the arrival of an all-new
EV from China. Say hello to the NIO EP9 - a
brand new electric supercar that has turned
up out of nowhere, and lapped the
Nurburgring racetrack in a blistering time of
7 minutes 5.12 seconds!
For starters, NIO is a sub-brand of Chinas
NextEV brand, and the EP9 happens to be its
first electric car. As per the company, its
philosophy is quite simple NIO wants to be done and dusted in 7.1 seconds while it Speaking of its achievements, the NIO
make cars that deliver superior performance, can reach up to a top speed of 313km/h! Oh, EP9s lap time at the Green Hell is 17
have jaw-dropping aesthetics and offer a and if you go light on the throttle, the EP9 seconds faster than the last record held by
unique experience to the user. And at first will have a range of 427 kilometers. All of an EV car around the track. Whats more the
glance, their new offering makes it look like that will be done without harming the EP9 is only a shade slower than the likes of
theyve very nearly achieved that. But, not environment one bit, of course. the Porsche 918 Spyder (6:57) and
only does it look gob-smacking, its mind- Its not sheer horsepower that makes the Lamborghini Aventador SV (6:59).
blowingly fast as well. EP9 so fast. It features a carbon fibre chassis Additionally, NIO also claims that the EP9
The NIO EP9 incorporates four high- that is not only feather light but is also stiff has smashed the EV record at Circuit Paul
performance electric motors and four enough to handle cornering forces upto 3Gs. Ricard in France, recording a time of 1m
individual gearboxes to lay down its Its also got some serious aerodynamic aids. 52.78, beating the previous record of 2m 40s.
1MegaWatt of power equivalent to As per the company, the EP9 is capable of Thats pretty impressive. If this is where
1,341bhp and 1,480Nm of torque on the achieving 24,000 Newtons of downforce at electrified supercars are headed to in terms
tarmac. Performance figures are equally 240km/h, meaning you get more grip and of performance, you cant help but embrace
mind-boggling, as a result. 0-200km/h will faster lap times. the future

26 l January 2017 l autox.in

BIKE NEWS
Bajaj Dominar 400 launched
M ore than two years and one too many
name changes later, Bajajs biggest
capacity motorcycle has finally gone on sale
while it also gets a slipper-clutch. The
Dominar tips the scales at 182kg. Despite
being on the heavier side though, the
in India. Billed as the Dominar 400, the Dominar 400 will do 0-100km/h in 8.3
sub-400cc motorcycle carries an impressive seconds and can reach up to a top speed
price-tag of `1.36 lakh and `1.50 lakh of 148km/h, claims the company.
(ABS). The Dominar is manufactured at
Bajajs production facility in Chakan,
Maharashtra. Bajaj first showcased the
Dominar as a concept during the 2014 Delhi
Auto Expo, at that time, it was named the
Pulsar CS400. However, the company has
decided to exclude the new motorcycle from
the Pulsar family as it wants the Dominar
400 to spawn an all new range of power
cruisers for the maker. Powering the bike is
the same liquid-cooled 373.3cc single-
cylinder engine that does duty in the KTM
390 Duke. Although in the Dominar, the
engine is slightly detuned as it develops
34.5bhp and 35Nm of peak torque. It also
gets Bajajs triple-spark ignition system.
The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox

2017 KTM 250

Duke unveiled
A fter taking the wraps off the 2017 390 Duke at 2016
EICMA, KTM has now officially unveiled the 250 Duke
as well. Just like its larger displacement sibling, the 250 Duke
retains the new design language that is seen on all the new
Duke offerings. In fact, it even shares a lot of its panels with
the new 390 Duke. Up front, the 250 Duke misses out on the
split LED headlights in place of which you get a halogen
setup. The TFT instrumentation has also been given a miss as
it continues to get the orange LCD screen from the previous
model. At the heart of it is the same 248.8cc single-cylinder
liquid-cooled engine that is good for 31bhp and 24Nm. All the
power is sent to the rear wheel with the help of a six-speed
transmission. Suspension duties continue to be performed by
upside down forks up front and a monoshock setup at the
back. Other changes on the 250 Duke include a newly
designed swing arm and exhaust. It continues to be fitted with
a dual channel ABS which can be disengaged. The 250 Duke
is exclusively for the South-East Asian markets and will not
make its way to India. But the 2017 200 Duke that will make
its way to India eventually will share more or less the same
traits as this one.

28 l January 2017 l autox.in

 NEWS
The ICOTY & IMOTY NOMINees Are
A
s the drums roll, the entire
automobile industry anxiously
cross their fingers and hope
they make the cut for the two
most prestigious automotive awards in the
country the Indian Car & Motorcycle of
the Year (ICOTY & IMOTY) awards.
Dubbed as the Oscars of the Indian
automotive awards, this is the only award
for which leading journalists from the
industry get together to award the top car
and motorcycle of the year.
This year will be ICOTYs 12th edition
and IMOTYs 10th. The ICOTY and IMOTY
juries are chaired by Bob Rupani and Aspi
Bhathena respectively. These independent
awards, judged by experts, have been
gaining prominence with each passing year
and have been sponsored by JK Tyre ever
since their inception.
The 13 contenders who made it for the
final ICOTY jury round, held at Khushru
30 l January 2017 l autox.in
Patels beautiful farmhouse in Lonavala, are
as follows the Ford Endeavour, Toyota
Fortuner, Hyundai Tucson, Honda BR-V,
Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Skoda Superb,
Volkswagen Ameo, Datsun redi-GO, Tata
Tiago, Mahindra KUV100, Toyota Innova
Crysta and Isuzu D-Max V-Cross.
The jury consists of experienced
automotive journalists from leading
publications. The total experience of the
ICOTY jury totals 220 years of Indian
automotive experience. Its this experience
that helps the jury to shortlist the
contenders and choose the winners. The
vehicles are judged on set parameters
such as fuel efficiency, comfort, design,
performance and technology. Another
important factor thats kept in mind is
how these vehicles adapt to Indian road
conditions. Moreover, for any vehicle to
qualify, it must be made in India.
The ICOTY 2017 jury included Yogendra
Pratap and Rahul Ghosh (Auto Today),
Dhruv Behl and Ishan Raghava (autoX),
Girish Karkera and Sriram Narayanan (BBC
Top Gear), Aspi Bhathena and Jim Gorde
(Car India), Sirish Chandran and Aninda
Sardar (Evo India), Bertrand Dsouza and
Bop Rupani (Overdrive), Pablo Chaterji
(Mans World), Kartik Ware (Motoring
World) and Muralidhar Swaminathan (The
Hindu Business Line).
This year, the IMOTY jury members
shortlisted 12 motorcycles. The
contenders for the most credible and
coveted motorcycle award in the country
are: the Kawasaki Versys 650, Royal
Enfield Himalayan, TVS RTR 200 4v, TVS
Victor, Hero Achiever, Yamaha Saluto RX,
Honda Navi, Honda CB Hornet 160R, DSK
Benelli TNT 25, Bajaj V15, Hero Splendor
iSmart 110 and UM Renegade.
The IMOTY jury comprises of Rahul Ghosh
(Auto Today), Arup Das and Jared Solomon
 ICOTY & IMOTY 2017

(autoX), Debabrata Sarkar and Christopher

Chaves (BBC Top Gear), Aspi Bhathena and
Sarmad Kadiri (Bike India), Sirish Chandran
and Aninda Sardar (Evo India), Pablo Chaterji
(Mans World), Kartik Ware and Ruman
Devmane (Motoring World), Shubhabrata
Marmar and Rishaad Mody (Overdrive).
To find out who were crowned the ICOTY
and IMOTY 2017 winners, please log on to
www.icoty.org and www.imoty.org. And
dont forget to pick up our February issue,
which will feature the awards ceremony.
 FEATURE

MASTERS OF DESIGN
What does it feel like to see some real masters of design at
work? Ishan takes a trip to Italy (where else?) to see if he can
learn from these maestros.
words: Ishan Raghava | photography: QuattRoRuote

F
or the average consumer, design
is something done by some
boffins sitting in a studio,
sketching a few lines here-and-
there now using a computer which
results in a creation that can be either
accepted or rejected depending on how the
final aesthetics turn out. But, few people
realise the significance that good design
plays in the success or failure of a product.
For instance, before the iPhone came
about, touchscreen phones were a niche
product suited mostly to geeks, who had
the patience to use clunky screens with
woefully complicated operating systems.
But, the iPhone changed all that with slick
design and a user interface that completely
altered the way we view smartphones.
And just look where it is now.
The challenge is of a much larger degree
when we talk about automobiles, given that
cars remain the second most significant
purchase for most people after a house of
course. The way an automobile looks is still
the biggest factor that contributes to its
success or failure. And the challenge is even
more complicated in todays global
marketplace, where a single design has to
appeal to people from across the world
with each country having their own
cultural take on design and what it
considers desirable.
The process can be quite difficult, as
Gilles Vidal, Director of Design at Peugeot,
mentioned, Customers dont necessarily
know what they want from their next car,
but they only know what they like in their
current vehicle. So, as a designer, we have
to show them the future and anticipate
their reaction. A factor that is of definite
help here as mentioned by virtually all

32 l January 2017 l autox.in

the speakers was that each design team
should have people working from as many
nationalities as possible. This exposes the
design team to various cultures and gives
them much larger exposure to how design
is received in different cultures rather than
sticking to just one or two parts of the
world. The process can be quite
challenging, as Stephane Schwarz, Design
Director of famed design house Zagato,
explained. Designing a world car is
Utopia, and not realistically possible.
Different markets and users have different
preferences, and its difficult to meet them
all in a single design.
The highlight of the whole program for
me though remained meeting and
interacting with Walter De Silva, former
design head of the Volkswagen Group and
creator of iconic cars such as the sublime
Alfa Romeo 156 and the Audi R8 amongst
the 100-odd cars hes worked on during his
career. He defined design in very simple
terms, easy enough to understand even for
a dolt like me. His hallmarks of a successful
car design are simplicity and perfect
proportions. His example of an iconic What was even more heartening was picking up tips on design and (perhaps
design is the Volkswagen Golf, as its meeting designers from our domestic more importantly) how to push design
remained in production for over 40 years powerhouses, Maruti Suzuki and Tata ideas through management from designers
during which time the basic design Motors, who were part of this design with hundreds of years of collective
language of the car hasnt changed much, program organised by our international experience in doing just that. Indian design
very similar to how the design of the partners Quattroruote. Its a once-in-a- certainly seems to be coming of age, and we
Porsche 911 has progressed over the past lifetime opportunity to meet the finest can only hope that programs such as these
five decades. designers in the world at one place, and will accelerate that process.

autox.in l January 2017 l 33

 inTERviEw

DESIGN MAESTRO
On the side-lines of the Masters of Design program, Ishan got the
opportunity to talk to one of the finest automotive designers in the
world Walter De Silva and pick his brains about his design favourites.
For you personally amongst your own
designs which is your favourite? Also,
which design was the most
challenging?
When you have the responsibility of
designing a new car if the concept is
new, the idea is new, then its obviously
more exciting. I remember when we
started to design the first Audi Coupe (the
A5), it was an exciting moment because
you had the opportunity to introduce a lot
of new design elements. But show cars I
remember the Bentley Speed Six and the
Lamborghini Egoista fondly are also
exciting moments, because youre given
the possibility to undertake a revolution last but not least, BMWs products still
in design. But dont forget that when have very nice proportions and the
somebody tells you that you have to architecture is very interesting. But, at this
design a new Golf, you start losing sleep moment, they must take care and make
at night because its really difficult to some changes. They have nice cars, but I
design a car like that. dont know what theyre doing for the
Its really difficult for the simple reason future. Their design approach in lines and
that less is more! But less is also more surfaces is repetitive, so across their brand
complicated when designing a new car. the side profile of their cars looks almost
With the Golfs history and importance, its the same. In their i-brand well now see
an unbelievable model that youre given what they want to create, but they need to
the task of designing. So, Im considered a direction. And now, with Genesis, well sort out their future design language.
lucky man, because, in VW, the Up! was a also see what they want to achieve with
completely new concept with a nice story their premium luxury brand. And I know What do you think of the design
behind it while the Golf was a mature car the character of Korean people and the direction that Land Rover is taking?
and I had the opportunity to design both. philosophy of their country, and I know Well, I think Land Rover is quite good. But,
And of course, in between, a lot of other that they can do a great job. again, they need to make some major
cars too. At the end of the day, though, Its also no secret that the Chinese learn changes. For example, the Evoque was a
whenever you start with a new project its very fast, and thats something that we good revolution for the brand in terms of
exciting because its a new project. must respect. Im not mentioning any design. Ten years ago, everyone had
specific Chinese brands, because right started moving towards the SUV segment.
Other than the VW Group, what are the now there are too many brands too And, for me, if I was working for the Land
other brands that you see with a good many start-ups there. But, for sure, they Rover brand, I would move towards doing
design program? are very intelligent. a Coupe-SUV perhaps because otherwise
The Koreans. Kia, for instance, has been For me, in Europe, Mercedes has youll be considered only an SUV
working very well for quite some time. I undergone a good revolution with their manufacturer. And the market is so vast
believe that Kias products have good design and theyve started simplifying that you should be looking at exploring
design. Hyundai is also moving in a nice their design which is important. And, other product opportunities.

34 l January 2017 l autox.in

 FEATURE

CNB AWARDS
In their 12th edition, the NDTV CNB Awards decided to do things a little
differently it was part award ceremony and part champagne brunch
at the DLF Golf and Country Club.

T
he NDTV CNB Award Ceremony
for 2016 was held to much fanfare
on a beautifully sunny winters
afternoon at the DLF Golf and
Country Club in the National Capital Region.
NDTVs Siddharth Vinayak Patankar
leads a jury of seasoned automotive
veterans, journalists and racers to select the
best cars and bikes of the year. The entire
process is based on the format of the World
Car Awards and is audited by the good
folks at Ernst and Young making it one of
Indias most credible automotive awards. Wheeler Manufacturer of the Year. Year was awarded to Sakshi Malik for being
The Honda Navi turned out to be the On the four-wheel side, it was the Vitara the face of the Datsun redi-GO Sport. She
winningest machine at the CNB Awards, not Brezza that won Subcompact SUV of the spoke eloquently about her association with
only did it win Mini Bike of the Year a new Year and the Viewers Choice award, but it Datsun, and being the face of a young and
category that was added specifically because was the new Skoda Superb that went home emerging India. Her mother also pointed to
its such a unique product as well as Design with Full-Size Sedan and Car of the Year the adulation that the entire family has
of the Year in the Two Wheeler space, but it honours. Manufacturer of the Year, received since Sakshi won Bronze in
also won Two Wheeler of the Year. The Bajaj meanwhile, went to Hyundai Motors. Man wrestling at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
V 15, meanwhile, took home the Viewers of the Year was Maruti Suzuki MD Kenichi Check out the table to the left for a full list
Choice award and Hero MotoCorp won Two Ayukawa, while Brand Ambassador of the of all the winners at the CNB Awards.

36 l January 2017 l autox.in

 Two whEElErs DEsIGN, MoTorsPorT & GrEEN AwArDs
mini bike Of The Year honda Navi 2w: honda Navi
Four whEElErs deSign Of The Year
4w: Volvo s90
Small Car Of The Year Datsun redi-Go mOTOrCYCle Of The Year
TVs Victor
up TO 110 CC auTOmOTiVe man Of The
Kenichi Ayukawa
enTrY haTChbaCk Of The Year
Tata Tiago mOTOrCYCle Of The Year
Year honda CB hornet 160
up TO 160 CC mOTOrSpOrT award Aravind KP, TVs racing
SubCOmpaCT Sedan Of The
Volkswagen Ameo mOTOrCYCle Of The Year green award honda Accord hybrid
Year TVs Apache rTr 200 4V
up TO 250 CC
midSize Sedan Of The Year hyundai Elantra eleCTriC mObiliTY
Mahindra e2oPlus
mOTOrCYCle Of The Year royal Enfield SOluTiOn Of The Year
fullSize Sedan Of The up TO 500 CC himalayan
skoda superb
Year
mOTOrCYCle Of The Year
Triumph street Twin MArKETING & CoMMuNICATIoNs AwArDs
premium COmpaCT Sedan up TO 1000 CC
Jaguar XE wINNEr: Bajaj Platina
Of The Year CreaTiVe TeleViSiOn
mOTOrCYCle Of The Year Ducati Multistrada (Jhatka Mana hai)
mpV Of The Year Toyota Innova Crysta abOVe 1000 CC 1200 Enduro COmmerCial Of The Year (2
ruNNEr uP: Bajaj V
wheeler)
(sons of Vikrant)
SubCOmpaCT SuV Of The Maruti suzuki SCOOTer Of The Year Aprilia sr-150
Year Vitara Brezza wINNEr: Volkswagen
TwO wheeler
CreaTiVe TeleViSiOn Ameo campaign
COmpaCT SuV/CrOSSOVer manufaCTurer Of The hero MotoCorp
hyundai Tucson COmmerCial Of The Year (4 ruNNEr uP: Maruti
Of The Year Year
wheeler) suzuki Alto 30 lakh
fullSize SuV Of The Year Ford Endeavour Cnb ViewerS ChOiCe TwO celebration
Bajaj V 15
wheeler Of The Year
premium SuV Of The Year Jaguar F-Pace wINNEr: Bajaj V
TwO wheeler Of The Year honda Navi launch + TVs scooty
beST innOVaTiOn in
luxurY SuV Of The Year Audi Q7 Zest 110 himalayan
COmmuniCaTiOn (2
highs
premium Car Of The Year Volvo s90 wheeler)
ruNNEr uP: Bajaj
Avenger Brotherhood
luxurY Car Of The Year BMw 7 series
wINNEr: Audi Media
perfOrmanCe/SpOrTS Car beST innOVaTiOn in
Ford Mustang App
Of The Year COmmuniCaTiOn (4
ruNNEr uP: Ford
wheeler)
SuperCar Of The Year Audi r8 Mustang

Car manufaCTurer Of The wINNEr: hMsI for Navi

hyundai Motor India beST pr & COmmuniCaTiOnS launch
Year
Team Of The Year ruNNEr uP: TVs for
Cnb ViewerS ChOiCe Car Maruti suzuki himalayan highs
Of The Year Vitara Brezza
brand ambaSSadOr Of sakshi Malik for
Car Of The Year skoda superb The Year Datsun

autox.in l January 2017 l 37

 FEATURE

Upcoming cars & bikes

The New Year is here! And straight off the bat there is already a huge
list of cars and bikes ready to hit the market. But if we had to compile
all of them together, well all you would see in these pages would be the
future. So, we have compiled a list of the most anticipated car and
motorcycle launches this calendar year from Maruti Suzukis new
generation Swift and DZire models to the lip smacking 310cc
motorcycles from BMW and TVS. Happy New Year then!
 products of 2017

VolVo XC40

t
aking the fight to the Germans, Volvo has
developed their smallest SUV yet called the
XC40. Sharing the CMA platform with their
Chinese parent company, Geely, the XC40 will sit
below the XC60 and will compete against the Audi
Q3, BMW X1 and the Mercedes-Benz GLA. Adamant
that the SUV will stay true to Swedish design and
character, the XC40 will undoubtedly get the styling
based on Volvos latest design language including the
Thors hammer LED headlamps. Globally the baby
Volvo SUV will get a range of engines, including a
hybrid powertrain and even a full EV model. For
India, the three-cylinder turbo petrol engine mated
to a seven-speed automatic dual-clutch transmission
is likely to be offered as standard. The car will be
manufactured in China with production set to begin
in late 2017.

Maruti Suzuki igniS

F
irst showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, the
Ignis attracted quite the crowd with its
quirky profile. The flat rear-end especially
is reminiscent of the SS80. Although with its tall
profile its been designed to have more road
presence. On the inside, the Ignis will be washed
in black with silver accents. Expect it to come on
par with competition in terms of features. Under
the hood, the Ignis will come with Suzukis
1.2-litre petrol motor and the trusted 1.3-litre
diesel motor. The petrol motor is good for 83bhp
and 115Nm while the diesel makes 74bhp and
190Nm. Both engines will come mated to a
5-speed manual transmission with the option of
an AMT autobox.

Maruti Suzuki SwiFt & Dzire

S
uzukis new Swift will be based on the new Baleno platform and hence will
be even lighter. The car should offer more interior space gauging by the
larger body shell. Although, the new Swifts bulkier body means the new
car will not be associated with a sporty profile. The 2017 Swift will be offered with
more equipment in the form of the rather brilliant CarPlay system featuring satellite
navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, voice activation. Other feature highlights will
include climate control, dual front airbags, ABS and more. Higher end variants will
get diamond cut alloy wheels and LED strips in the tail lamps. Engine options will
include the same set of 1.2 petrol and 1.3 diesel engines although the diesel model
will get Suzukis SHVS mild hybrid system.

autox.in l January 2017 l 39

 FEATURE
tata kite 5

B
uilt on the same platform as the Tiago hatchback the Kite 5 is its compact sedan sibling that was first showcased at the 2016
Auto Expo. This would make the compact sedan segment more interesting than ever before because the Tata is expected to be
more affordable than all of its upcoming rivals such as the new DZire and Chevy Essentia. It will be powered by the same
range of 1.2-litre petrol and 1.05-litre diesel engines. Like the Tiago it will feature good quality interiors and be reasonably well
equipped too. Oh and that Harman Kardon stereo will be good as well.

BMw 5 SerieS

t
he new 5 Series borrows some of its
design cues from the larger 7 Series
on which it is based, especially the
kidney grille and the twin circular LED
headlamps. The story is similar at the back
too with the wraparound taillights and twin
exhausts. From the inside, it looks somewhat
identical to the previous generation model,
but BMW claims that it sports improved
quality plastics. The new 5 is lighter than the
outgoing model. At the heart of the 5 Series is
a 2.0-litre diesel unit that makes 187bhp and
400Nm, this will be the mainstay for the
Indian model.

40 l January 2017 l autox.in

 products of 2017

auDi Q5
i
n sync with the times, Audis new Q5 is larger than its predecessor in terms of
dimensions but is up to 90kg lighter (depending on variant). The new car in its four
cylinder avatar also has a lower drag coefficient of 0.30 cd thanks to an
aerodynamically optimized roof. The new cabin is more spacious and the rear seat can
be split individually for three occupants. Optionally it can also be specified to recline.
Speaking of optional equipment, it can be specified with a virtual cockpit, ambient
lighting, MMI navigation plus and hands free tail gate operation. Engine options will
include four cylinder 2.0-litre turbo petrol TFSI and turbo diesel TDI units. The TDI
unit will develop 184bhp while the TFSI unit churns out 244bhp. At a later point of
time there will also be a 3.0-litre TDI V6 unit developing 277bhp.
HyunDai Verna

H
yundais new Verna gets the
Korean car makers Fluidic
Sculpture 2.0 design
language seen in the Elite i20, Creta
and Elantra. The car is also longer
and wider than the outgoing model
so expect it to be more spacious on
the inside. The dashboard will be
similar to the Elantras with a central
touchscreen infotainment system
featuring Bluetooth connectivity and
navigation. It will be offered with the
current range of 1.4-litre and 1.6-litre
petrol and diesel engines.

MerCeDeS-Benz e-ClaSS

F
irst unveiled at the 2016 Detroit Motor Show, the tenth-generation E-Class will
come with an all-new 2.0-litre aluminium engine that is set to replace the
current 2.1-litre motor. This new E-Class will make slightly less power than the
outgoing model but is sure to be more efficient. Expect the larger E350 with the 3.0-litre
diesel motor to go on sale in India as well. Needless to say, that the new E-Class will
come with more features than the current generation and will also be more luxurious.

autox.in l January 2017 l 41

 FEATURE
Jeep CoMpaSS

t
he Jeep Compass, an all-new global compact SUV will be
manufactured at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Indias (FCA India)
production facility in Ranjangaon, Maharshtra. The Jeep Compass will
be launched in India sometime in the middle of 2017, as confirmed by the
manufacturer and will be available in three trim configurations. Engines on
offer in the Compass globally will feature a 1.4-litre multi air-turbo, a 1.6-litre
and a 2.0-litre turbo diesel engines and a 2.4-litre tigershark petrol engine. Jeep
have also given the Compass a 4WD system called Jeep Active Drive
SelecTerrain 44 system. This is essentially a front wheel drive system that
sends power to the rear wheels when required. The Compass is expected to be
launched around the `20-25 lakh mark.

auDi Q2
o
ne look at the Q2 is enough to give away its compact
dimensions. It measures in at 4.19 meters in length, 1.79 meters
wide and 1.51 meters tall with a wheelbase of 2.60 meters. The
front profile of the car is dominated by a large single frame grille in a
typically Audi style. When viewed from the side, the Q2 again has a
very car like stance with a low set stance. From the rear, the Q2 has a
very hatchback like appearance with a small rear windshield, tall tail
lamps and a sleek rear bumper with a faux skid plate. Audi has loaded

lanD roVer DiSCoVery

the Q2 with a host of equipment such as Wi-Fi hotspot from a sim card,

l
a MMI media connect app enables online media streaming, navigation,
and Rovers iconic Discovery model has for the first heads up display, etc. It will be offered with a range of powertrain
time done away with its ladder frame construction to options globally but the one that makes the most sense for India is the
adopt the aluminum-intensive D7 architecture found 114bhp 1.6 litre turbo diesel unit.
under the skin of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
The suspension system in the new Disco consists of a
wishbone front and multi-link rear with air springs. In terms
of sheer size, the new Discovery is nearly of the same
dimensions as the outing Discovery 4, but is slightly wider
and longer and has a 38mm longer wheelbase but also has a
lower overall height. The interior has three rows of seats
with power folding options. A two row version will also be
offered in certain markets. All in all, it looks very similar to
the Disco Sport.

SkoDa koDiaQ
S
koda is going to be stepping things up a notch in the SUV space with the
launch of its new full-size Kodiaq SUV. It is based on VWs MQB platform
that underpins the Octavia (its underpinnings suggest that we wont have
to worry about driving dynamics), the Kodiaq will be offered with seven-seats. The
interiors appear to be very premium and being a Skoda it will be very well built as
well. Expect the SUV to come with a healthy equipment list too. Doing duty under
the hood will the VW groups 2.0-litre, four cylinder turbo diesel unit that will be
offered in different states of tune. Gearbox options will include a six-speed manual
and a dual-clutch DSG automatic. Rest assured, this one will come with a premium
price tag but Skoda has to keep our price sensitive buyer base in mind when it
comes to the Indian market.

42 l January 2017 l autox.in

 FEATURE
Benelli trk 502

o
n its launch, the TR K 502 will be
the only middle-weight
adventure-tourer in the Indian
market. To be launched around the `5
lakh mark, expect the TR K 502 to be the
most affordable adventure-tourer in India.
The TR K 502 comes with a 500cc parallel
twin unit that makes peak power of
47bhp and max torque of 45Nm. The TR K
502 will come fitted with long travel
suspension, adjustable monoshock at the
back, a 20-litre fuel tank, tall windscreen
and more such features to ensures it lives
up to its DNA.

BMw g 310 gS & g 310 r

t
he BMW G 310 R made its first public
appearance in India at the 2016 Auto
Expo. The naked roadster was designed
and developed in Germany, while the companys
Indian partner, TVS, builds the motorcycle at its
Hosur plant. The motorcycle gets inverted front
forks, ABS as standard, four-piston brake caliper
power and a peak torque of 24Nm. BMW will
also launch the G 310 GS model which is an
adventure touring motorcycle thats based on
the G 310 R streetfighter. While it remains the
same mechanically as the 310 R, given its
purpose, the suspension of the G 310 GS comes
equipped with 41mm long-travel front forks. The

yaMaHa and tubular steel frame. Powering the G 310R is

a 313cc, single-cylinder, four-valve, liquid-cooled
seat height has been increased from 785mm to
835mm. It also gets meaty off-road tyres with a
yzF-r15 V3.0 engine with double overhead camshafts and fuel 19-inch front rim. Expect the G 310 GS to be

i
injection. The engine develops 34bhp of max priced marginally higher than its naked sibling.
t has been a while since
Yamaha has given its R15 an
update. Expect Yamaha to
v3.0 R15 to sport a lot of cosmetic
updates. At the heart of things
there will be some easily
noticeable changes too. While
details of the upcoming R15 are
still sketchy, it is sure to come
with new-age features like
Daytime Running Lights, ABS,
and even projector headlamps.
Yamaha has already introduced
the V2.0 with automatic
headlamp and they are sure to
carry forward the feature in the
new iteration. Expect the Yamaha
YZF-R15 to be priced marginally
higher than the current-
generation model.

44 l January 2017 l autox.in

 FEATURE
DuCati
MultiStraDa 950

M
eet the all-new Multistrada 950. As
its name suggests, its a smaller
capacity version of Ducatis flagship
adventure-sports Multistrada 1200 range. The
Multistrada 950 is powered by a 937cc liquid-
cooled Testastretta L-twin engine that
develops 113bhp and 96Nm of peak torque.
The motorcycle gets a number of electronic
aids including four riding modes (Touring,
Sport, Urban and Enduro), Ducati Safety Pack
comprising Bosch 9.1 MP ABS with 3-level
adjustment and 8-level Ducati Traction
Control, and a lot more.

HonDa CBr1000rr
FireBlaDe

a
s youd expect from a CBR that
wears the RR badge, the Fireblade
focus continues to remain on
supreme handling and impressive
performance. The new Fireblade now
makes 189bhp which is 10 horses more than
the previous-gen model. Torque rating
stands at 116Nm. The CBR1000RR Fireblade
now tips the scale at just 195kg, 16kg lighter
than before. Aside from the updates to the
engine, the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
also gets other mechanical updates like
Showa 43mm BPFs at the front and Showa
Balance Free Rear Cushion shock absorber
at the back. The new CBR1000RR also
comes with a lot of electronic aids.

Hero HX250r

H
ero first showcased this bike in concept form before the 2014 Auto
Expo. The bike was designed with the help of Eric Buell Racing but
unfortunately the American company had to file for bankruptcy,
which led to the project being delayed. However, there are reports that the
bike is now ready for production and will be launched this year. This bike
sports a 250cc water-cooled unit that produces 31bhp. The bike also weighs
just 139 kilograms and comes with disc brakes at both ends, and there is
also an option for ABS. Expect it to be priced under `2 lakh.

46 l January 2017 l autox.in

 FEATURE
ktM 200/390 Duke

n
ext year, KTM will be bringing in the 2017 390 Duke model here.
Updates include an all-new trellis frame and a completely new
design featuring split LED headlamps and LED daytime
running lamps along with a sharper and more compact proportion.
Powertrain remains unchanged it will come powered by a 373.2cc
single-cylinder engine developing 43bhp and 37Nm of peak torque.
Apart from that, it also gets bigger front disc, ride-by-wire throttle,
Bluetooth connectivity and a TFT multi-colour instrument cluster. Dual-
channel ABS and slipper clutch will continue to be offered. The 200
Duke will also be launched next year. Although it will look identical to
the 390 Duke, it will have a few less features.

triuMpH
SpeeD triple

S
py shots of the new 2017
Speed Triple have been
making their rounds on the
internet for a while. The new
Speed Triple will sport cosmetic as
well as mechanical changes. If the
spy shots are anything to go by, the
Speed Triple will get better brakes.
The British bike maker seems to

tVS akula 310 / apaCHe 300 have added ram air system to the

S
1,050cc three-pot motor. With that
howcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, the production version of the TVS Akula 310 addition, the new Speed Triple
concept will be reaching the showrooms in the first quarter of 2017. As per some might make more power and
reports, the Akula 310 will be renamed as Apache 300, but it will be built on the torque than its predecessor.
same platform as the BMW G 310 R. It will be powered by the same 313cc motor, but with Overall, the new 2017 Speed Triple
a slightly lower power output. Unlike the G 310 R, the Apache 300 will be a fully-faired is sure to be better than its
bike. The Apache 300 will compete against the likes of the KTM RC390 and Honda predecessor in every way.
CBR250R in our market.

kawaSaki z900

k
awasaki is also likely to replace the Z800 with the Z900.
Images of the Z900 were leaked a few days prior to its
official unveil at 2016 EICMA. In terms of design, the Z900
remains in line with the rest of the Z models. It employs a 948cc
inline four-cylinder unit that makes peak power of 125bhp and max
torque of 98.6Nm. The current generation Z800 makes 111bhp and
83Nm. Kawasaki has also upgraded the brakes on the Z900. Despite
all the additions in equipment, the Z900 sheds 21kg and tips the
scales at 210kg.
 feature

DRIVE IT. USE IT. BUT

YOU CANT OWN IT
Volvo and Geelys new sub-brand, Lynk & Co, is a
manufacturer that may not actually want you to buy
its vehicles. Its a carmaker, then, that takes a
completely different view of the automotive sector.
words: RobeRto Lo Vecchio

Clean profile, harmonic proportions,

short overhangs and slender lines
thats how you would describe the 01,
the first model from Lynk & Co. You can
only buy it directly from the company,
which could have been done to avoid any
overlap with Volvos upcoming XC40
with which itll share a platform.

W
ere an automotive
manufacturer that
doesnt even try to
persuade you to
buy our vehicles. Think about that. This
is how Lynk & Co the all-new brand by
Geely and Volvo likes to market itself.
You have to take that statement with a
pinch of salt obviously. But, at the same
time, we cant deny that the firms
business strategy makes us quite curious.
And, once you go through its official
website which, graphically, looks quite
elegant the eagerness to know more
only increases further.
Well, what is Lynk & Co then? For
starters as things stand right now its
just a company, or a website actually, with
a five-seat crossover concept called the 01.
Featuring modern design and the aesthetic
appeal of a compact premium SUV, the
quattroruote
production version of the 01 is scheduled
to hit showrooms in China sometime in
2017. For the time being, Lynk & Co is
slightly more than a manifesto or a
declaration of intent. Its business model
suggests that the goal is to cut the final
price of a new car by 25% which will be
done mainly by modifying the distribution
network of its vehicles. Its cars will be sold
through direct sales online with home
delivery, or through a bunch of proprietary
stores. Sort of like what Tesla does already.
But Lynk & Co also bids goodbye to the
concept of dealerships. As far as
assistance and replacement parts are
concerned, Lynk & Co will rely on Volvos
aftersales network in a majority of global
markets. This strategy will also allow the
brand to offer similar levels of technology
as the Swedish brand, although at a more
competitive price.
 feature
This is not just matter of finances alone.
Business models like pay-and-use or car
sharing seem to be designed to intercept
the needs and mind-sets of the youth. If
my apartment is on Airbnb, why does my
car have to be parked at home unused?
asks a young driver on the Lynk & Co
website. Technology to share and lease
cars already exists, we just need to start
using it, underlines the company.
How will this work? Well, through an
app to start with. Itll have a share icon,
allowing you to set the duration of your
absence and wait for a notification from
somebody willing to use your vehicle. A
profile check and validation of the other
party will take place, after which youre
free to rent out the car. Youll find your car
back again with a tankful of fuel where
you had left it. And, of course, youll
receive a fee for renting out your car.
THE 01
The 01 is the father of an all-new family,
so, naturally, its an important model. Its
developed on Volvos CMA platform,
which will underpin the new mid-size
luxury crossover from the Swedish brand.
The Lynk & Co 01 will naturally have
very efficient engines, including a hybrid
three-cylinder powertrain, along with a
seven-speed double-clutch transmission
or a six-speed manual tranny. And you
wont have to sift through an infinite list
of optional extras.
After its launch in China, the brand
will turn towards Europe but the odds
of it coming to India are quite slim at the
moment.

OLD FACE,
UNPRECEDENTED DESIGN
PETER HORBURY (in the photo
below) is not exactly an outsider. On
the contrary, hes a well-travelled
designer who has gained a great amount
of experience working with some of the
biggest names in the business. In 2002,
Horbury was the design director of the
Premiere Automotive Group (which
consisted of Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land
Rover and Volvo when they were all
owned by Ford), following which he was
appointed as director for design at
Lincoln in North America in 2004. In 2009,
he joined Volvo in Europe once again.
Now, hes the vice president in charge of
design for Geely and the face behind the
style of the Lynk & Co 01. The design of
the 01 has unmistakable European
proportions, even though it was born
with contributions from design centres
based in Shanghai, Barcelona and Los
Angeles. A closer look at the vehicle
reveals a series of complex graphic
details perhaps an
effort to cater to
Chinese tastes. On
the whole, though,
the design language
is fresh and quite
fitting for the
innovative
ambitions of
the brand.

THE 01 mAY STILL BE IN THE CONCEPT

STAGE, BUT ITS SHEET mETAL INDICATES
THAT ITS vIRTUALLY PRODUCTION READY
 EvEN mORE OF vOLvO
ON THE INSIDE
volvo and Geely
engineers have been
working together for the last
three years at their common
research centre, called CEVT
(China Euro Vehicle
Technology). Their combined
efforts resulted in the CMA
platform, which stands for
Common Modular
Architecture one that can
accommodate 3 or 4 cylinder
combustion engines, a plug-in
hybrid, and an all-electric
version. Shown here is a
cutaway of a 3-cylinder turbo-
petrol engine linked to an
electric motor, with the
batteries (in orange) occupying
the central tunnel.

Vehicle connectivity to the

cloud will be managed
through a 9-inch touchscreen
in the centre console. Also
note that theres a switch
next to the gear lever that
enables you to select
different driving modes.

Riproduzione riservata
 ride

54 l January 2017 l autox.in

 MV AgustA F3 800

mia
M a M M a

Well, its Italian so its a looker! But whats it like being on

the saddle of the incredibly beautiful MV Agusta F3 800?
words: Arup DAs | photography: rAvi veD

E
veryone loves superbikes
thats just a fact! The raw power
and the character they exude is
intoxicating. But try translating
that into real world conditions, and they
quickly become the most unforgiving
and impractical machines on the planet.
And the reason for that is that theyre
completely track focused.
So what if there was a way to combine
that performance with an element of
liveability? Nope, we havent been out in
the sun too long. And, yes, one has to
make some sacrifices but not too many
as it turns out. To start with, what you
ought to consider is instead of opting
for a litre bike try an 800cc one that
boasts of 148bhp and weighs merely
173kgs (dry). Nope this isnt the
sunstroke talking, Im talking about the
MV Agustas F3 800.
The first words that came to my mind
were Mamma Mia when I twisted the
F3s throttle. It was raring to go and
made no qualms about wanting to hit the
three-figure mark almost instantly. This
liquid-cooled three-cylinder 798cc engine
is quite rev happy, despite having
slightly taller gear ratios, and it builds
power very easily indeed. The engines
mid-range performance is impressive,
and its here that you can actually feel
the ponies gathering some real pace. And
this blistering turn of speed really does
make you wonder does one really need
a litre motorcycle? But, at low speeds, the
engine starts to feel restless and begins
to grumble. The 800cc motor retains a
79.0mm bore diameter from the F3 675,

autox.in l January 2017 l 55

 ride
but the stroke has been increased to
accommodate the bigger displacement.
Accordingly, the redline has been
reduced to 13,500rpm (from 15,000).
Based on the steel trellis frame of the
F3 675, the 800 is designed to take
corners like no ones business. As its so
light that the F3 puts you at ease
immediately, and lets you determine
whatever line through a corner that you
desire. As a result, you can take a tight The F3 800 is quiTe
line in and power out with a clear view an easy naTured
of the road ahead. The F3 provides such
unprecedented stability that it actually sporTs bike, which
surprises you with its cornering speeds. can also be a
And, as you get hard on the power, you Firecracker
expect the front wheel to lift but the
F3s counter-rotating crank ensures that MV AgustA F3 800
it always stays firmly rooted to the road.
798cc / 12 Valves / In-line
How is this possible? Well, its quite engine
3-Cylinder / Liquid-cooled
simple really. The crank basically rotates
power 148bhp @ 13,000rpm
in the reverse direction to the wheels,
which reduces the chance of an torque 88nm @ 10,600rpm
accidental wheelie. The torque produced tranSmiSSion six-speed manual
by the crank actually pushes the front
weight 173kgs (dry)
wheel down. This technology is also
used in Moto GP. `16.78 lakhs
price
The F3 is as manoeuvrable as it is due (ex-showroom, pune)

to the superb set up of the chassis and

suspension not to mention the fact that Factor
the three-cylinder engine weighs just Stunning deSign, with
performance to match!
52kgs. But, even though the Marzoochi
forks are fully adjustable, the set up is a
little on the stiff side. Our advice would
be to know the roads before you open the
throttle, and go easy on the bumps as it
may even throw you off the saddle if
youre not careful. After all, lets not
forget that this is a serious sports bike.
The F3 800 is, of course, packed with
electronics. It comes with four riding
modes Sport, Normal, Rain and
Custom. In Custom mode, the rider can
set parameters such as Gas Sensitivity,
Engine Brake, Maximum Torque, Engine
 Hubert Kriegel

with design influenced by the

legendary massimo tamburini
known as the michelangelo of
motorbike design these pictures
really do speak a thousand words.

Response, and RPM Limiter. The F3 also remain quite low. As you get used to the meanwhile, not only has smooth
gets an eight-stage traction control bike though, you realise how this riding acceleration but it also has a soundtrack
system and uses higher spec Brembo posture makes it easy for you to lean into that is sheer music to the ears. And so
Monoblocs compared to the 675, which corners while taking on the twisties. the F3 800 definitely makes you feel
provide far superior stopping power. Lets not forget, though, that this is a special, but with a `16.78 lakh (Ex
Being an Italian motorcycle, with sports bike so do expect some weight showroom) price tag, it will remain the
design influenced by the legendary on the wrists. The 800cc motor, preserve of very few!
Massimo Tamburini also known as the
Michelangelo of motorbike design we
thought it better to just let the photos do
the talking, rather than attempting to
describe what sheer beauty looks like.
All told, the F3 800 is quite an easy
natured sports bike which can also be a
firecracker. Its track mannerisms dont
hamper its performance in real world
conditions too much apart from the
stiff suspension setup that is. The riding
stance initially can be a bit challenging,
as the seat is high while the handlebars

autox.in l January 2017 l 57

 ride

M i l w a u k e e

AssAult
Harley Davidson has designed a new engine to take on the world of
heavyweight cruisers. We ride the latest offering in its Touring line to
see if it can take on the best from Triumph and Indian.
Words and Photography: Jared Solomon

T
alk of the Milwaukee-Eight
engine Harley-Davidsons
brand new unit has been abuzz
for a while now. This new
engine from the American bike maker
will replace the Project Rushmore series,
which was already a very well engineered
motor. But with the growing demand by
regulators for stricter emission norms and
the need for a more refined unit to keep
up with the competition, Harley-Davidson
knew that they needed an upgrade for
their popular Touring line. And thats
why we have the Milwaukee-Eight.
While the new Touring line will also
come fitted with this engine, we got our
hands on the newest model to come to
India from that line. The Road Glide is the
most distinct looking American cruiser
available in India, and its set apart from
all the other cruisers from Triumph and
Indian by its massive and muscular front
cowling. Sure it hosts a very impressive
6.5-inch infotainment system, but its
really there just for the muscle. It might
not appeal to some, but we sure like it! It
almost looks like an angry Elephant with
its ears aggressively spread out, ready to
charge and destroy anything in its path.
The engine design also retains the classic
V-twin configuration, which over the
years has cemented its place in the hearts
of Harley-Davidson customers. Another
point to note is that the new engine was
designed in Milwaukee and it gets
4-valves per cylinder, which gives it eight
valves in total hence the name, the
Milwaukee-Eight. This also makes it easy
to tune the engine for different
applications, which will allow Harley-
Davidson to use this motor in various
models from here on out.
When I finally got a chance to test out
the new engine on the Road Glide, I was
really impressed. For many years now, the
Indian and the Triumph cruisers seemed
to be far more refined with newer
technology offering better performance.

58 l January 2017 l autox.in

 Road Glide

autox.in l January 2017 l 59

 ride
Well, I think its safe to say that Harley-
Davidson has finally upped its game and
has come out with a beautifully
engineered and well-crafted engine.
Theres no doubt that the Road Glide is a
massive bike it weighs nearly 400
kilograms. But, once you start rolling, you
soon forget about that and youre blown
away by the ease with which the new
1,745cc engine pulls you towards the
horizon. You have about 150Nm of torque
on tap, and Im not kidding when I say that
you really feel the whole 150Nm no matter
how low in the revs you are. I was taken
aback by how smooth the engine was, and
how immediate the throttle response felt.
The engine doesnt perform aggressively,
but gracefully. Its gentle and well
behaved, and yet it can catapult you down
the road instantly and on demand. The
mid-range has improved tremendously
over the previous models, and in all traffic
conditions youll be able to ride around The Road Glide
comfortably. But, best of all, the amount of looks like an
heat discharged from the engine has
significantly reduced and I know a lot of
anGRy elephanT
Harley-Davidson customers in India who wiTh iTs eaRs
will appreciate that. aGGRessively
The Touring models also get a brand
new front and rear suspension that
spRead ouT, Ready
improves control and offers a very To chaRGe and
comfortable ride. The new front forks are desTRoy anyThinG
Showa 49mm, and allow for slow
compression at slow speeds, and faster
in iTs paTh
compression on sharp bumps at high
 Road Glide

Harley-DaviDson roaD GliDe

engine 1,745cc / v-Twin / oil-cooled

transmission 6-speed manual

torque 150nm @ 3,250rpm
weigHt 388kgs
`32.81 lakhs
Price
(ex showroom, Delhi)

Factor
Finally, a big burly Harley witH a
state-oF-tHe-art american engine a
beautiFul classic, muscular cruiser!
speeds which is good for Indian road
conditions.
I also rode the 2017 Road King model,
which is fitted with the same engine and I
was even more impressed with the way
the new engine performed. The new
Milwaukee-Eight is a great leap forward
for Harley-Davidson, and itll surely help
them take the fight directly to their
competitors. The entire Touring line-up
needed this upgrade both motor and
suspension and we would only expect
that the other models lines will follow
suit sooner rather than later.

autox.in l January 2017 l 61

 ride

62 l January 2017 l autox.in

 RoadsteR

O w n t h e

road
The Roadster is now the sportiest Harley-Davidson available
today, but just how sporty is it really?
Words and Photography: Jared Solomon

T
he Sportster line from Harley-
Davidson is my favourite. It
suits my riding style, and Im
also a big fan of the way the
entire line-up is designed. The XR 1200,
which is no longer available, was perhaps
the most fun Harley-Davidson to ride
and so it helped the brand reach out to a
whole new range of customers. If you
wanted a proper American cruiser, but
also enjoyed athletic performance, that
was the bike for you. The Sportster line-
up is also the preferred choice for custom
builders because of its light frame and
easily upgradeable engine. With the
absence of the XR though, the Sportster
range seems to be missing that one bike
that can really reach out to a different
breed of riders and thats why Harley-
Davidson has launched the Roadster.
The Roadster is a redesigned Sportster
thats been built for more aggressive riding
with better handling and better brakes. But
what really makes it stand out as a capable
urban sports bike is that its got a much
higher ground clearance which gives it a
greater lean angle to take on the corners.

autox.in l January 2017 l 63

 ride

The bike looks much the same as the Forty

Eight, but it certainly looks more like a
proper performance bike.
Up front, it gets 43mm inverted forks
with improved cartridge dampening
which offers much more stability in the
turns. Its also gotten upgraded
adjustable rear shocks that sit higher.
The riding position has also been made
much more aggressive. Throw in the
newly adjusted steering geometry, and it
turns the Roadster into a complete
performance machine.
I got to ride the Roadster on some great
roads in Rajasthan for a couple of days,
and I have to say that it now takes pride
of place as my favourite Harley-Davidson
motorcycle. It still gets the same 1,200cc
Evo Sportster engine, which hasnt seen

64 l January 2017 l autox.in

 RoadsteR

Because youre
seated like youre
on a track-
focused machine,
you automatically
want to lean into
every turn that
comes your way
Harley- DaviDson roaDster

engine 1,202cc / v-twin / air-cooled

trAnsmission 5-speed manual

torque 96nm @ 4,000rpm
weight 259kgs
`9.7 lakhs
price
(ex-showroom, delhi)

Factor
A brAwny, And beAutiful, AmericAn
cruiser thAt behAves like A sports bike.

any major changes in a very long time
but its very enjoyable all the same. The
engine feels smooth and refined
throughout the entire rev range, and
throttle response is good. It might not
offer the most exciting acceleration, and
you might find yourself downshifting a
lot when you need more power, but its
got a crisp torque output that shoots you
forward, and the standard 5-speed
manual gearbox works well.
The riding dynamics, though, have
really improved and its unlike any
Sportster that Ive ridden before. The
riding position is a little awkward at first,
but you soon fall in love with it. You sit
very high and your legs are bent fully
almost as if you were squatting on the
bike. There isnt too much weight on your
wrists, but you are leaning forward, and
the foot pegs are placed high and stretch
out away from the frame. And because
youre seated like youre on a track-
focused machine, you automatically want
to lean into every turn that comes your
way and because of the high ground
clearance, slim frame, and wide foot pegs,
you dont have to worry about anything
scraping the ground. The bike handles
like a dream. It does take a little time
getting familiar with it, but once you do
you may never want to get off because
you really do begin to feel as though you
own the road.
The Roadster also gets an upgraded
braking system in the form of dual front
discs that offer a much better stopping
rate than on previous Sportster models.
The brakes still feel a little squishy and
you need to really clamp down on the
rear brake, but its a great improvement
over previous models.
The Roadster is certainly the sportiest
Harley-Davidson weve seen since the
XR, and I really do feel that this bike can
draw in more customers who not only
want a classic American cruiser but also
a proper urban sports bike. And this is
exactly why I think Harley-Davidson has
launched the Roadster. It offers an
alternative to the more
conventional cruiser variants, such as
the Forty-Eight, and its a good attempt
to reach outside Harley-Davidsons
classic customer base. And because it
looks great and is great fun to ride, it just
might work.

autox.in l January 2017 l 65

 ride

The newest member of the Bonneville family is a bike that looks like
its stuck in the past, but rides like it belongs in the future.
words: Jared Solomon | photography: Triumph moTorcycleS

I
never heard the term Bobber before
in my life! Yes, Im a huge Triumph
fan but Im no British classic or
custom motorcycle connoisseur.
Even though Im a senior automotive
journalist, I take pride in admitting
when I dont know something because I
really do enjoy learning something new.
So, when I was told that I was going to be
riding the latest motorcycle from the
Bonneville line-up, I didnt quite know
what to expect when I found out it was
(slightly humorously) named the Bobber.
When I arrived for the International
press ride I was immediately surrounded
by journalists in deep conversation about
custom motorcycles and the history of
Bob-jobs another quite interesting
term I thought. But I soon found out
without even asking a single question
that Bobbers are essentially custom
motorcycles. Yup, thats it! A Bobber was
a term that originated in the 1930s for
any motorcycle that had been stripped of
any unnecessary parts, and re-designed
with the purpose of making it go faster.
But, my understanding of a Bobber only
began to become clearer when I first laid
eyes on the new Triumph Bobber.
There have been very few moments in
my life where Ive come face-to-face with
a motorcycle and immediately fallen in
love with it this was one of those
moments. The Bobber is a proper modern
classic in every sense of the term, and it
looks like a beautiful masterpiece. Every
inch of the bike is perfect. It certainly
retains the Bonneville DNA, but its also
very unique in many ways. Its got an
entirely new frame, new fuel tank, bigger
tyres, flat handlebar, new exhausts, and
the rear section is nothing but a tyre.

66 l January 2017 l autox.in

Triumph Bonneville BoBBer

autox.in l January 2017 l 67

 ride
Even the rear suspension is now a
monoshock, and it hides right under the
floating aluminium single seat unit.
Theres no wiring thats visible, and the
attention to detail to make it look like a
proper vintage is astonishing. Its
premium all the way, and extremely
gorgeous from every angle.
When I got on the bike I certainly
didnt think the tiny seat was going to be
comfortable, but as the day went on
and I rode the bike for several hours I
couldnt have been more wrong. The seat
is actually brilliant and a person of any
size will appreciate it. While the riding
position is more on the sporty side
much like a Harley Roadster the seat
can be adjusted into another position,
which puts you a little lower and an inch
further away from the handlebars. I liked
both positions, and felt comfortable at all There have been
times. You can also adjust the
speedometer, so its always easy to see no
very few momenTs
matter how youre seated. Its a great in my life where ive
balance of comfort and ergonomics. come face-To-face
The engine of the bike might be the
same as the Bonneville T120, but it
wiTh a moTorcycle
definitely sounds different and it has a and immediaTely
lot more attitude. Its been retuned, and fallen in love wiTh
has a new twin airbox system with a
different intake and exhaust system
iT This was one of
which increases torque and horsepower in Those momenTs
the lower sections of the rev range. The

Triumph Bonneville BoBBer

1,200cc / parallel-Twin
EnginE
/ liquid Cooled

transmission 6-speed manual

powEr 76bhp @ 6,100rpm
torquE 106nm @ 4,000rpm

wEight 228kgs

Factor
EvErything about this bikE is simply
amazing, but what makEs it stand out is
thE classic dEsign and immEnsE dEtailing
which will makE it a timElEss mastErpiEcE.

68 l January 2017 l autox.in


ride-by-wire system allows for two riding
modes Rain and Road which offer
different throttle maps. I really think that
Triumph has nailed it with this tune, and
the Bobbers engine is outstanding.
The engineers and designers at
Triumph really had a tough choice when
it came to combining modern riding
capabilities with authentic classic looks.
But theyve done an excellent job to make
sure the bike rides beautifully. Besides
the high levels of refinement, the bike is
really quick and it handles like a dream.
The ground clearance is low, and the
foot-pegs will certainly scrape the
tarmac if you lean into corners too much
but its still an extremely well balanced
motorcycle, and I dont think anyone in
their right mind would have ever
expected a Bobber to move around like
this one does.
We rode on some incredible mountain
roads, and I was amazed at how
gracefully and easily the Bobber moved
through the twisty sections. On the
huBerT Kriegel
highway too, the bike is very calm and
composed and ready to give you added
power on demand. Even in the city, its
comfortable and the rear suspension
also offers plenty of travel. There was no
compromise made by Triumph to make
this a super cool looking, and super
smooth running, machine.
The Bobber is definitely my new
favourite in the Bonneville line-up. It
certainly has the best personality and
street presence. And while some may not
agree with me, I personally think it looks
better even than the Thruxton. It
certainly offers you more than the Street
Twin and the T120 in terms of
performance, and its also more usable
than the Thruxton and also more
accessible. It really is an awesome
motorcycle and a great overall product.
Stay tuned for its India launch in the first
couple of months of 2017.
If I were to buy a motorcycle right now,
I would go for this Bob-Job Bonneville
end of story!
autox.in l January 2017 l 69
 Drive

d r o p

top The C drops its top and, as youd expect,

turns many heads.
words: Ravi ved | photography: akash TiwaRi

70 l January 2017 l autox.in


W
eve never really been a huge
fan of convertibles. Theyre
heavier than their tin-top
counterparts and less
practical not to mention more expensive.
And, of course, there are various reasons
why youll mostly drive it with the top up
the fact that most of our cities are heavily
polluted isnt conducive to that wind-in-
the-hair experience. So why, then, would
you buy a Mercedes-Benz C-Class
Cabriolet? Well, as it turns out there are
plenty of reasons.
The most important reason to consider
the C300 over the tin-top version is the
sheer joy of being behind the wheel with
the top down. That wind-in-the-hair feeling
is worth cherishing after all! And when you
hit traffic, raising the roof is as easy as
pressing a button. The C300s canvas roof is
extremely well insulation so with the top
up theres hardly any noise at all that enters
the cabin. And when youre driving in the
countryside with the roof down, the
C-Class Convertible is sure to plaster a wide
grin across your face. With the help of a
spoiler at the top of the windscreen and a
screen behind the rear seat, Mercedes has
managed to keep wind buffeting to a
minimum as well. So this is a convertible
that remains virtually as refined as its tin-
top sister.
In terms of design too, this convertible
looks absolutely fabulous. Borrowing its
design cues from the C-Class Coupe, the
front end looks sharp with a large three-
pointed star while the rear end is smooth,
with neatly integrated exhaust tips and
horizontally stacked tail lamps. The interior
of the C Cabriolet, meanwhile, is identical
to the standard car. The dashboard is
washed in black with matte wood trim on
the centre console. The front seats are wide,
electrically adjustable and comfortable. The
rear seat, however, isnt quite as comfortable
owing to a rather upright seat back. Space at
the back is just about sufficient for short
commutes. Equipment levels are identical
too, except for the electrically adjustable
steering wheel and dual stage airbags.
Theres more to the C300 than just being a
convertible though. While the standard
C-Class petrol makes do with 184bhp and
300Nm, the C300 Convertible produces
241bhp and 370Nm from the same 1,991cc
inline four-cylinder unit. These figures
result in a power-to-weight ratio of
138.5bhp/ton for the C-Class Convertible as
compared with 119bhp/ton for its tin-top
sibling. In fact, although the convertible
weighs 195kgs more than the standard
model, the additional power more than
makes it up for the increased weight. As far
as the numbers go, the C-Class convertible
does the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.4 seconds
and accelerates all the way up to 250km/h.
Mercedes c300
The C-Class convertible packs plenty of
punch low down in the rev range and
becomes more spirited as you climb closer
to its red line. The engine produces a sweet
melody while in its mid-range, but as the
tacho needle scrambles further north it lets
out a strained grunt. Its clear that if its
hard-core performance that you seek, youll
have to look elsewhere maybe the SLC 43?
But the beauty of this powerplant is in the
way its peak torque comes in as low as
1,300rpm making it exceedingly easy to
drive around town or on the highway. To
make it more versatile, the C-Class
convertible comes with five driving modes
Eco, Comfort, Sport, Sport+ and
Individual. These modes alter the
characteristics of the car by adjusting the
way the engine, gearbox and the steering
behaves. Eco and Comfort, as the names
rightly suggest, give the C300 a relaxed
disposition. Shifting to Sport or Sport+
mode doesnt make the C-Class convertible
an athlete, but it feels more sprightly none
the less.
Another plus for the C cabrio is its
9G-Tronic gearbox in place of the 7-speed
unit on the sedan. The extra gears ensure
that the engine speed is reduced, thereby
ensuring better efficiency and reducing
stress. The shifts are smooth and precise,
even when you decide to take control by
using the paddles.
autox.in l January 2017 l 71
 Drive
Mercedes-benz c300
1,991cc / in-line 4-Cylinders/
engine
Turbocharged
Fuel Petrol
power 241bhp @5,500rpm
Torque 370nm @1,300rpm

powerTrain 9-speed automatic / rear-wheel Drive

`60 lakhs
priCe
(ex-showroom, Delhi)

Factor
The C300 has enough swag To noT
have To boTher abouT praCTiCaliTy.

The drop-top Merc loses some ground as

far as handling is concerned, but in all
fairness it isnt crafted to attack corners. The
steering is precise, but it could have been
more direct and the body roll doesnt go
unnoticed either. What the C300 loses out
in terms of handling, it more than makes up
for in ride quality. Sadly, unlike the global
spec model, the C300 in India doesnt come
with air suspension. Despite that, however,
it does manage to confront rough surfaces
with a fair bit of poise.
Overall, the C300 has its downsides, just
like any other convertible the boot is
extremely small and the rear seat isnt the
most comfortable. But thats a small price to
pay for the joy of open top motoring. Priced
at `60 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Delhi) it might
sound like an expensive proposition but for
the extra moolah you even get a punchier
engine and a better gearbox and, of
course, the wind in your hair.
So the C-Class convertible, then, is a
machine that you buy with your heart. Its
the kind of car that makes you believe that
money can in fact buy happiness.
The mosT
imporTanT reason
To consider The
c300 over The Tin-
Top version is The
sheer joy of being
behind The wheel
wiTh The Top down
 drive

CzeCh
T h e A l A s k A n

An SUV thats named after an Alaskan bear, designed by a

German-owned Czech company, is all set to make big
moves in India. Siddharth Patankar drives this product of
globalisation in Majorca.
words: Siddharth Vinayak Patankar | photography: SkOda

74 l January 2017 l autox.in


T
he Kodiaq is what Skoda calls a
compact SUV, though it goes on
to say that this is the first time its
making such a big vehicle! And
while the Kodiaq is all set to take over as
the brands flagship product, its still 160mm
shorter in length than the current flagship
the Superb sedan. The Kodiaq is 4,697mm
long and has a 2,791mm wheelbase, and is
built on VWs MQB platform. Its a good-
looking car with very distinctive and
polarising looks. I say this because thats
the direction Skoda design has taken
edgy, angular, sharp and bejewelled with
bohemian crystals. The creased metal and
very well finished lighting elements are
what will define the Kodiaq. The
headlamps have a sharp LED daytime
running light signature, and stand out now
with the fog lights moving up into the
bumper just below the headlamp. I
especially love the extremely angular
taillight cluster.
The Kodiaq has multiple engine options,
but the ones that matter to us in India are
the 2-litre TDI diesel and TSI petrol motors.
The latter has 177bhp and 320Nm of torque,
while the diesel unit has two tuning specs
147bhp / 340Nm and 187bhp / 400Nm.
While Skoda initially only considered
bringing us the 187bhp 2.0 TDI, its now
considering all three since the Indian
market demand has shifted slightly over
the past months. Having driven all three,
my favourite is the 2.0 TDI with 147bhp
yes the less powerful version. Why? Well,
its mated very well to the 7-speed DSG
(also standard on the Indian spec, along
with AWD) and uses a smaller turbo that
offers quicker reactions. This is because its
SKODA KODiAq
mapped for slower speed and city
performance rather than highway cruising.
This makes it ideal for India too. The petrol
is also very smooth and extremely fun to
drive. When it gets here, the Kodiaqs
performance should be right up there and
I expect only its cousin, the VW Tiguan,
will match it. That car handles a shade
better since it sports a shorter wheelbase,
but the Kodiaqs cornering and handling
ability is admirable and Indian buyers
will love its ride quality.
And, in India, people will obsess over its
extremely well designed three-row seating.
And this is where Skoda scores on ingenuity
and execution. The seats are easy to access,
and the 2nd row also slides forward and
back. This allows the 3rd row to get extra
legroom when needed, which is a major
plus. Another cool idea is the false bottom in
autox.in l January 2017 l 75
 drive
the cargo bay that accommodates a Skoda says we should expect the Kodiaq
retractable parcel shelf mount. So when you to be priced around where the Superb
have the 3rd row folded down, you can pull currently tops-off. That means across
it out and create a luggage area parcel tray. variants prices should be around `30-35
The car also has some of Skodas signature lakhs at which price point itll compete
clever solutions like the cargo bay light that with the Endeavour, Fortuner, Santa Fe and
detaches and becomes a flashlight, foldable the Tiguan (which should also arrive this
tray tables for 2nd row passengers and year), and so Skoda will have to be careful
umbrellas inside the frame of the front to mix the right amount of value with
doors. The new feature that has me bowled premiumness in positioning the Kodiaq.
over are the pop-out door protectors (a
rubber guard) that emerges and envelopes Kodiaq 2.0 TSi 4X4
the edge of the door to avoid it from being 1,984cc/ inline-4 cylinders/
engine
damaged or causing damage to cars nearby. Turbocharged
So no more dings! And, as you shut the door, Transmission 7-Speed dSG/ all-Wheel drive
it cleverly retracts leaving no trace that it
power 177bhp @ 3,900rpm
was ever there. Very cool!
The cabin is well finished, though I hope Torque 320nm @ 1,400rpm
we get a slightly less dull palette on the
Kodiaq 2.0 Tdi 4X4
Indian Kodiaq. The enhanced touchscreen
infotainment system has a really good engine
1,968cc/ inline-4 cylinders/
Turbocharged
interface and it includes navigation, Android
Auto and Apple CarPlay. The car gets lots of Transmission 7-Speed dSG/ all-Wheel drive
equipment and driver assistance systems,
power
147bhp @ 3,500rpm Not oNly is the
plus multiple driving modes Comfort,
Normal, Eco, Sport and Snow 4X4 that alter
/ 187bhp @ 3,500rpm
Kodiaqs
the throttle, gearbox, steering, and even the Torque
340nm @ 1,750rpm / 400nm
@ 1,750rpm corNeriNg aNd
air conditioning and other systems to suit haNdliNg ability
the selected mode. The car has an all-wheel-
drive (AWD) system that uses a multi-plate
Factor admirable, but its
clutch that can alter torque distribution to
The Kodiaq has all The refinemenT
and panache ThaT you would expecT ride quality too is
the rear. Its also equipped with Skodas in a sKoda flagship.
very impressive
Adaptive Dynamic Chassis Control.

76 l January 2017 l autox.in

 SKODA KODiAq

autox.in l January 2017 l 77

dRivE
FEATURE

Jared undergoes a life-altering experience as he pilots a Ferrari 488

GTB around the legendary Daytona International Speedway.
words: Jared Solomon | photography: Ferrari
488
Hubert
at daytona
Kriegel
 dRivE

I
remember the first time I drove a car. I
must have been around 12 years old,
and I really didnt care what it was as
long as I could get behind the wheel of
anything. The excitement of just being in
the drivers seat overshadowed everything
else, and I couldnt care less if it was a tiny
hatchback, a minivan or a busted old
Gypsy. That kind of passion for driving is
what I miss sometimes.
My passion for motorcycles surpassed my
love for cars when I first started working at The feeling you geT when you pin The
autoX, as the adrenaline rush that I got from ThroTTle on The 31-degree banking for
riding some of the fastest litre-class sports
bikes and hard-core adventure bikes soon
exTended periods of Time is jusT
took over. Its no secret that we test some of indescribable. looking Through The
the best cars on the planet at our home windscreen iT felT as if i had achieved flighT
track, the Buddh International Circuit, but
after experiencing the acceleration of a
BMW S1000RR or a Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R,
driving sports cars even if they were
really fast just wasnt as exhilarating an
experience anymore. But, then, along
came Ferrari!
I was invited to witness the Finali
Mondiali, which was the final round of the
legendary Italian carmakers glamorous
one-make championship. The final races
were being held at the Daytona
International Speedway, and, of course, I
accepted their invitation and headed over
to Florida. It was an action packed
weekend that ended on a brilliant high,
but what happened on the final night was
life changing.
A group of international automotive
journalists and myself had the Daytona
circuit all to ourselves, and we set the
track on fire with the latest Ferrari
masterpiece the 488 GTB. The 488 is a big
deal for Ferrari because it marks a change
of philosophy for the companys mid-
engined supercar. Gone is the naturally
aspirated 4.5-litre V8 and in its place is a
downsized, direct-injection 3,902cc twin-
turbocharged flat-plane-crank V8.
It doesnt matter how much I love

80 l January 2017 l autox.in

 488 at daytona

The 1967 24 hours of dayTona

We all know that Scuderia Ferrari is the most successful racing team in
the history of Formula 1. But what most of you dont know is that
sports car racing was as popular as F1 at its peak in the middle of the
20th century. The 1950s saw epic battles between Ferrari and Jaguar,
in the 1960s it was Ferrari and Ford, and in the 70s it was Ferrari and
Porsche who waged war at racetracks around the world. 1966 saw the
first of Fords three victories on the trot at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It
also saw Ford take a 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12
Hours of Sebring in the US. The 67 24 Hours of Daytona, however, was
where Ferrari managed to get the better of Ford and secured its own
1-2-3 finish. The three teams that crossed the finish line for a photo-finish were Lorenzo Bandini and Chris Amon in the No. 23
Ferrari 330P4 that won the race, followed by Mike Parkes and Ludovico Scarfiottti in the No. 24 330P4 and Pedro Rodriguez and
Jean Guichet in the No. 26 330P3 entered by Ferraris US importer (and former racer) Luigi Chinetti.

motorcycles, but theres always a great
sense of excitement when I get behind the
wheel of a Ferrari. I have driven a few
before, but never on a racetrack and I was
about to find out just how incredible an
experience it really is.
The 488 engine is a masterpiece the
performance is simply out of this world.
What the engine lacks in character
compared with the outgoing V8 it makes up
for with outrageous performance and
phenomenal drivability. No matter what
gear youre in, or what speed youre
travelling at, under no circumstances does
the 488 GTB make you wait even a
nanosecond when you call on the 661bhp
and 760Nm of torque. With the seven-speed
dual-clutch box, gear changes are also
technologically astounding and instant.
Then, the chassis of the car is sublime
beautiful balance, huge grip, incredibly
forgiving and miraculously comfortable in
terms of ride quality. The handling is also
on point of course, and the suspension
brilliant. But I wont go into much detail
about the driving dynamics of the car,
because we have already reviewed it
extensively and this is more about
experiencing a brutally fast Ferrari on a
legendary racetrack. The same track that
Ferrari achieved their picture-perfect 1-2-3
finish in the 1967 Daytona 24-hour race.
And thats what really blew me away
the Daytona track itself. Because the track
was setup to use about 80% of the oval,
with the balance of the lap being setup in
the infield, it was perhaps one of the most
exciting racetracks that Ive ever driven on.
And, of course, the fact that I was driving a
Ferrari at Daytona only made the
experience even more surreal. The feeling
you get when you pin the throttle on the
31-degree banking for extended periods of
time is just indescribable. On the steep
banking of the oval sections the track is
angled at a sharp incline, which means that
you can feel a great amount of G-forces on
the body. And that was something that Ive
never felt before in my life. Looking
through the windscreen it felt as if I had
achieved flight. The best part was that there
were no restrictions on how fast we could
go, which only added to the experience and
made it the best moment of my life ever on
four-wheels.
In a world of McLarens, Lamborghinis
and Porsches, Ive always been more
fascinated by Ferrari. And its not just me,
because the Prancing Horse is perhaps the
strongest brand in the world today. And,
whatever you think about Ferraris move to
turbocharging, after experiencing the
3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 myself, I can only say
that Ferraris continue to get better with each
passing generation. After all, the 488 GTB
just reignited my passion for driving!

autox.in l January 2017 l 81

 Feature

Approach

30

Departure

22.7

Departure

25
 4X4 shootout

Royale
Departure

25

Approach

30 This is the big one literally the battle

between Toyotas new Fortuner and Fords
mighty Endeavour. As for what the Isuzu
D-Max V-Cross is doing here, well, youll just
have to read through this feature to find out
words: Abhishek ChAlihA | photography: kApil VAshist
Feature

Our sOle purpOse in this feature is tO fully

explOit the true pOtential Of these machines
while having a gOOd time in the prOcess
 ToyoTa ForTuner 2.8 MT 4x4
2,755cc / 4-Cylinders / 16 Valves /
EnginE
DoHC / Turbocharged
FuEl Diesel
Transmission 6-Speed Manual / Four Wheel Drive
PowEr 174bhp @ 3,400rpm
TorquE 420nm @ 1,600-2,400rpm
PricE ` 30.05 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Delhi)
ThE ForTunEr is morE PrEmium
Than EvEr bEForE, anD iT rEmains
ThE sTrongEsT branD in ThE
markET.
Y
ou could say that the life of a road
tester is all fun and games. It
certainly looks that way, doesnt it
what with all the hottest new
cars and bikes that we test all over the
world? But have you ever heard the phrase,
the grass is always greener on the other
side? More often than not, we have very
tight deadlines not to mention limited time
with the cars and bikes that were attempting
to test while the photo and video crew ask us
for the millionth drive-by. Plus, no matter
how nice the machine, with your road tester
hat on youre always analysing the machine
rather than enjoying it. So, have I managed
to convince you not to hate us all?
No. Never mind, because on this test my
mission was to have fun. Plain and simple!
Our sole purpose in this feature is to fully
exploit the true potential of these machines
while having a good time in the process.
And, in order to do exactly that, we headed
to a new off-road park called the Off-Road
Adventure Zone, just off the Gurgaon-
Faridabad highway on the outskirts of
Gurgaon in the NCR. Our battleships
consisted of the new Fortuner and
Endeavour of course, but also to throw in a
bit of a twist we decided to add the
distinctly more utilitarian Isuzu D-Max
V-Cross just to keep these two now quite
premium SUVs honest.
Especially in their latest avatars, both the
Fortuner and Endeavour have become a lot
more luxurious than ever before. So the
question is, have they forgotten their roots or
can they still take the fight to the likes of a
workhorse like the Isuzu? After all, you
could really go dune bashing in the previous
gen Fortuner.
Well, in our limited time with both the
new Endeavour and Fortuner since their
respective launches, weve actually been
quite impressed with their off-road abilities
but this would be their litmus test. Since
this Off-Road Adventure Zone opened its
gates just a couple of weeks ago, it seemed
like the perfect venue for this test and
Vikramjeet Sharma, who designed and built
this course in record time, was kind enough
to invite us in.
Since the Fortuner is the newest vehicle
here, I had a go in it first. Now, if you read
our first drive in the previous issue youll
know that I had slightly mixed feelings
about the automatic Fortuner that I first
drove last month. Thankfully, this time
Toyota sent us a manual four-wheel drive
Thankfully, Toyota sent us a manual four-
wheel drive version of the Fortuner
which is perfect for off-roading.
version which is perfect for off-roading.
And indeed it is. For as good as modern
automatics have become, a manual gearbox
still connects you with the machine in a far
more tangible way than even the best auto-
box does and especially when youre off-
roading, since its all about feeling for grip
and being gentle with the controls. So, as I
engaged four-low in the Fortuner, I had a
full 420Nm of torque available almost
immediately. And that meant that I could
clear virtually all but the most severe
obstacle at this off-road park. Its
immediately clear that the Fortuner has still
got it! And I have to admit that I really
enjoyed the manual transmission over the
automatic that I drove previously. Not only
were the shifts crisp and precise, but even
the NVH levels seemed better in the
manual version. If Im completely honest,
even the steering feels more responsive.
And so everything felt just right to test the
approach, departure and ramp-over angles,
as well as the suspension articulation to the
absolute maximum. Impressive torque in
low range meant that even the steepest
obstacles were a breeze. A 30-degree
approach, 25-degree departure and
23.5-degre ramp-over angle means that the
autox.in l January 2017 l 85
 Feature

You only have to turn the dial of

the Terrain management system
or press a button to engage low
range and the Endeavour simply
does everything else for you.

the instrument display tells yOu angles Of

rOll & pitch, sO yOu knOw just hOw extreme
the Off-rOading is that yOure dOing

Fortuner can pretty much contend with any But the Endeavour is better!
obstacle. The only limiting factor were the Both share similar off-road credentials. The
sidesteps, which tended to be the weakest Endeavour also has a ground clearance of
link especially when dropping straight 225mm, as well identical approach and
into a sharp descent. On the way up, the departure angles. And it has a wading depth
active traction control system works in of 100mm more than the Fortuner, but it loses
tandem with the limited slip differential to
ensure maximum grip over loose surfaces. ForD enDeaVour 3.2 aT 4x4
Plus you can park yourself at a virtual EnginE
3,198cc / 5-cylinders / 20 valves
vertical incline and then start climbing / DoHC / Turbocharged
again in first gear, no problem at all, thanks FuEl Diesel
to hill-start assist which ensures that you 6-Speed automatic /
dont roll backwards at all. But more than Transmission
Four Wheel Drive
that its just raw torque that propels you up
PowEr 197bhp @ 3,000rpm
the steepest inclines. The hill descent
control, though, would brake far too TorquE 470nm @ 1,750-2,500rpm
suddenly on the way down so I found it PricE ` 30.46 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Delhi)
best to override the system and maintain
control myself. The Fortuner also has a
wading depth of 700mm, so it was least ThE EnDEavour DoEs oFF-roaD
bothered by the small slush pit that jusT abouT as wEll as iT DoEs
Vikramjeet had created. The Fortuner, then, on-roaD, which is To saY vErY
wEll inDEED.
is still king of the off-road trail.

86 l January 2017 l autox.in


out because of those dreaded sidesteps. A
ramp-over angle of 21mm means that you
have to be even more careful about the
running-boards. Plus, the Endeavour has
these ornamental silver pieces of trim on both
the front and rear bumpers and while they
look good, they do protrude out a little bit,
which makes them easy to damage. The other
slight disappointment for me personally is
the fact that the 3.2-litre Endeavour only
comes with a six-speed auto, which makes it a
lot less engaging when youre off-roading.
And the steering is very light too, so you
churning out 470nm of peak torque
between 1,750-2,500rpm, the Endeavour
has more than enough grunt to overcome
anything you can throw at it.
4X4 shootout
actually have to check the off-road display in
the digital instrument cluster to see which
way the front wheels are pointing. But heres
where the Endeavour wins out. That same
instrument display tells you angles of roll and
pitch, so you know just how extreme the off-
roading is that youre doing even if you cant
really feel it in the cabin. And thats also the
real problem with the Endeavour. You only
have to turn the dial of the Terrain
Management System or press a button to
engage low range and the Endeavour
simply does everything else for you.
autox.in l January 2017 l 87
 Feature
Thats not to take away from the fact that
this is an extremely capable machine. With
its bigger engine churning out 470Nm of
peak torque between 1,750-2,500rpm the
Endeavour has more than enough grunt to
overcome anything you can throw at it. And
the clever electronics ensure minimal wheel
slippage, even if it all feels too clinical. Power
delivery is very smooth no matter what the
surface, and an electronically locking rear
differential ensures the wheel that needs
power gets all of it irrespective of the other
wheels traction situation. And, of course, the
Endeavour comes with hill start assist and
hill descent control.
At the end of the day though, objectively
theres very little to separate the two off-
road. Yes, the Endeavour is that little bit
more capable but the Fortuner with its
manual gearbox is far more engaging. But
what is completely clear is that neither of
these SUVs no matter how premium they
may have become have lost any of their
ruggedness or go-anywhere appeal.
And because these two set the bar so high,
its almost impossible for the Isuzu to match
their capabilities. But heres the thing how
many of you would be willing to truly push
your 30-plus lakh SUV off the beaten path.
Not many! Yup, thats what I thought. And
thats where the D-Max comes in. With a
price tag of less than half of the two other
behemoths here, the Isuzu makes a real case
for itself not only as a utilitarian vehicle,
which it is, but also as a real lifestyle
statement. After all, nothing gives you
serious off-road cred like a massive full-
sized four-wheel drive pick-up. The
humongous bed at the back, of course, offers
you immense cargo carrying options but it
does limit the off-road capabilities of the
vehicle quite severely. Because of the huge
overhang at the back, it has a departure
angle of 22.7 degrees which really hampers
its ability to get over a steep incline. And
while it does have a low-range gearbox, it
doesnt quite have the levels of grunt offered
by the other two. So it struggles for torque
low-down compared to the Toyota and the
Ford. It does, however, have pretty good
suspension articulation. But when only one
rear wheel is in contact with the ground, it
struggles for traction because theres no
weight at the back of the empty flatbed.
What would really help the Isuzu would be
a set of bigger wheels and proper off-road
tyres. It certainly has the potential to be
virtually as capable as the other two, but
needs a few mods to get there. And, as a
utility vehicle, it certainly does its job.
But, lets face it, here in the NCR a D-Max
V-Cross isnt exactly going to be ferrying
around farm produce. For that matter, you
dont really need a Toyota Fortuner or Ford
Endeavour to go about town either. What
these vehicles are all about is road presence
and making a statement. And, on those
parameters, the Isuzu is just about as good
as the others. In fact, it may just be better
with a price tag Of
less than half Of the
Other twO, the isuzu
makes a real case fOr
itself nOt Only as a
utilitarian vehicle,
but alsO as a real
lifestyle statement
ISuzu D-Max V-CroSS
2,499cc / 4-cylinders / 16 valves
EnginE
/ DoHC / Turbocharged
FuEl Diesel
5-Speed Manual /
Transmission
Four Wheel Drive
PowEr 132bhp @ 3,600rpm
TorquE 320nm @ 1,800-2,800rpm
PricE ` 12.80 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Delhi)
PricED wEll, immEnsElY
uTiliTarian anD YET makEs quiTE
ThE sTYlE sTaTEmEnT.
 The isuzus ability is limited by
its departure angle. it would do
a lot better off-road with a
larger set of wheels and tyres.

autox.in l January 2017 l 89

 Feature
because itll be a lot more unique on the
road. So, with just a set of larger wheels and
tyres, the Isuzu will give you a lot more road
presence than its far more expensive
contestants in this off-road battle. And it
drives surprisingly well on the tarmac too.
But with an enormous overall length of 5.29
metres (compared with 4.79 for the Fortuner
and 4.89 for the Endeavour), its not exactly
practical for the daily commute.
And if its on-road comfort and capability
that youre after, then once again its the
Ford that you should opt for. On the road, the
Endeavour has perhaps the best ride quality
in the business. It simply dismisses anything
in your path and does so in absolute
comfort. Plus, with active noise cancelling
technology which uses opposing sound
waves to reduce engine noise it also has the
best NVH levels here. It comes with other
features too, such as parallel park assist, a
large sunroof and electrically folding third
row seats. Add to this the fact that the
Endeavour is the perfect bad boy tool. See one
in your mirror (preferably in black), and you
WILL move aside.
The Fortuner, on the other hand, has more
body roll and a steering thats not quite as

Off-rOad adventure zOne sharp. Moreover, not only is the drivetrain

Inaugurated just a few days before our
visit, Off-road Adventure Zone is a new
off-roading park located just outside
Gurgaon and spread over 4 acres. The
aim behind creating this facility is to offer
everyone the opportunity to experience
the true thrill of off-roading, says
Vikramjeet Sharma the man behind this
facility. And with its axle benders, rock
crawls, slush pits, water wading pits,
steep uphill, downhill and horizontal
inclines, it certainly has everything you
need to test the off-road capabilities of
any vehicle. You have the option of
either bringing your own four-wheel
drive vehicle or hiring one of theirs.
And there are also some very helpful
track marshals there to help you along
the way. You can find out more at
www.offroadadventurezone.com
more intrusive, but the suspension is also
noisier. Having said that, the Fortuner has
incredibly comfortable front seats that are far
more supportive than those in the
Endeavour. And the steering column in the
Toyota is telescopic, so finding that perfect
driving position is a breeze.
The thing is that you can simply set the
virtues of these respective models aside at
the end of the day, because the Fortuner is
guaranteed to outsell the Endeavour three-
to-one and the Isuzu probably 10-to-1. The
simple fact is that the Fortuner has
established such a strong brand over the
years that its virtually impossible to unseat.
And being a Toyota ensures that not only
will it have bulletproof reliability, but also
that itll hold its value far better than the
other two here which makes it the sensible
choice at the end of the day.
But if you dont want to be sensible and
you really want to make a statement, buy the
Isuzu. Of course, if you do actually need it
for its cargo carrying capacity then youve
got all the bases covered. Buy the Endeavour

90 l January 2017 l autox.in

 4X4 shootout

what these vehicles are all

abOut is rOad presence and
making a statement

if you want the most technologically come back with even more options and
advanced and dynamically capable machine refinements in the Fortuner. All we can say
of this trio. But, of course, for peace of mind is competition is a wonderful thing. And
as always you cant go wrong with the competitions such as these are just pure fun
Fortuner. But, you never know, being even when the photographer asks you to
upstaged by the Endeavour may actually have another attempt in an effort to capture
send Toyota back to the drawing board to that ever-elusive perfect shot

Scan the image using the ALIVE App, to see these

behemoths in action. Details on p10. w w w.a l i v e a r.co m

autox.in l January 2017 l 91

 Drive

Make in

IndIa
Wind-in-the-hair motoring on a cold winter morning in a machine
inspired by a legend what more could one ask for?
words: Dhruv Behl | photography: rahul Kapoor

I
m not sure if this is what the
Prime Minister had in mind
when he said Make in India,
but this particular iteration of
this iconic motorcar has indeed been
made in India. Sure, its carrying the
looks and allure of an American legend
(the Shelby Cobra) and it has the reliable
heart of a Japanese sedan (a six-cylinder
Toyota Crown motor), but its the
brainchild of Pandit and Company from
the very centre of our capital city.
Pandit & Co have a long history going
back over half-a-century since 1951 to be
exact so they know a thing or two about
working on cars. You may remember them
by their modified Contessas, which have
been showcased at many an Auto Expo in
the past. And youll certainly have seen the
Customised by Pandit stickers on cars
across the capital with fake stickers likely
outnumbering real ones by a ratio of three
is to one. Now you know that youve made
it when people start putting fake versions
of your stickers on their cars!
But, before we go any further, I have to
give you a clear disclaimer straight up.
Im quite friendly with the folks at Pandit
& Co, so this isnt going to be a full-
fledged objective road test. This is more of
an attempt to see if we can capture the
essence of the original Cobra by hurtling
Pandits creation through the streets of
the Capital early on a winter morning
with the top down (well, it doesnt have
one), wind-in-the-hair and exhaust
blaring! What else can you ask for? Well, a
bright orange paint job doesnt hurt either.
The Cobra has classic sports car
proportions. You sit virtually on the
driven wheels, with a massive bonnet
outstretched in front of you hinting at
copious amounts of horsepower concealed
within. If you think a new Mustang turns
heads, you havent been in one of these
yet. Leave it standing still, and it becomes
selfie central in the blink of an eye. Get
in the drivers seat, and you become an
instant celebrity.
The impeccable paint job is offset by a
broad metallic silver racing stripe in the
centre of the hood. The beautiful hood
pins and massive bonnet bulge makes it
look like quite a serious piece of kit. In
fact, staring out at the power bulge
outstretched in front of you from the
drivers seat is quite a sight it could
almost be termed as being phallic. After
all, with those beautiful curves and
haunches, this car is all about sex appeal
Cobra
 Drive
isnt it? Undoubtedly, the Cobra makes the
driver appear more attractive to the
opposite sex. But lets not get into your
motives for asking Pandit & Co to build
you one of your own. Lets stick to talking
about how it drives, shall we? And let me
just say that it drives quite well.
The Pandit Corba has a 3.0 litre in-line
six-cylinder petrol motor from a Toyota
Crown sedan, mated to a four-speed
automatic gearbox, which produces
somewhere in the range of 280 horses
shelby Cobra
The story of the Shelby Cobra is one
that combines the best from the world
of small British sports cars with the
sheer brute force of American muscle.
In 1961, American racing driver and
automobile designer Carroll Shelby
wrote to AC Cars in the UK asking
them to modify the chassis of the AC
Ace the car that you see here to
94 l January 2017 l autox.in
according to Prakul Pandit. Now I would
have preferred a manual, but I certainly
cant complain about the urgency of the
power delivery when you put your foot
down. It weighs somewhere in the range
of 900 kilos, so the turn of speed isnt
entirely surprising. And, fortunately, it
also has a custom exhaust that certainly
sounds the part. In fact, Ive never
encountered a straight-six that sounds
quite this meaty and deep. The sensory
experience, as a result, is pretty
accept a Ford V8 engine. They
agreed, and so a legend was born!
AC Cars would ship the cars to
Carroll Shelby in the US, who would
fit the engine and gearbox
Stateside. The Cobra, fitted with
Fords 289 cubic inch (4.7 litre) V8
dominated domestic racing in the
States for a number of years.
Eventually, Shelby even shoehorned
the massive Ford 427 motor (7.0
litres) into the Cobra hence the
427 badge on the orange replica
that you see on these pages. A
number of replicas of the Cobra are
still built across the world
ensuring that this British-American
legend lives on for years to come.
If you thInk a new
Mustang turns
heads, you havent
been In one of
these yet
spectacular which is what these cars are
all about. You sit low and out in the open,
because of which the sensation of speed is
greatly heightened. The roar from the
exhaust instantly bounces off your
eardrums, making you feel like youre
going faster still. If you want to wake up
the neighbours, and have bystanders
instantly whipping out their cell phone
cameras, this is certainly the car for you.
Sure its not a genuine Cobra despite
that 427 badge on the boot but it does
manage to capture the essence of the
original. It looks sensational and its fast
end of story! In fact, its probably a lot
more reliable as well owing to its
modern underpinnings. Of course, its not
entirely practical either. It doesnt have a
roof, and without bumpers those
fibreglass panels appear quite vulnerable.
Sure, it does have seat belts, but its clearly
inspired from an era when they believed
that being thrown clear in the event of an
accident is the best safety feature. And no,
you cant fit your golf clubs in the back! If
thats what concerns you, may I suggest
that you fall asleep over a copy of Golf
Digest instead.
At the end of the day, for a blast down
an open road on a Sunday morning it
certainly doesnt get much better than
this. And if its kerb appeal that youre
after, well, you cant do much better at
any price
Just another winters
morning with a Cobra but
this one has the venomous
heart of a 3.0-litre in-line six
rather than a 7.0-litre V8.

autox.in l January 2017 l 95

 FEATURE

Pony on
the Move
What happens when you take a sports car with over five
decades of history and provenance onto our highways will it
survive the broken roads and unruly traffic? We take the Ford
Mustang on a road trip to find out.
words: Ishan Raghava | photography: Rohan Dayal & abhIshek ChalIha

96 l January 2017 l autox.in


F
ive decades. Thats a tenure that
any vehicle manufacturer would
be proud of for one of its models.
Selling a model line-up
continuously for such a long period of time
takes a lot of effort, thought and
perseverance. Needless to say, its no small
feat. So Ford has every reason to be proud
of what the Mustang represents today an
iconic sports car that is instantly
recognizable and has a huge fan following
worldwide. And in its latest iteration, its
only driving the bar higher with regards to
both the design and the performance of
the product.
But our roads are a challenge that most
manufacturers agree pose some of the
fiercest obstacles in the world. So, as Ford
launches the Mustang in right-hand drive
form for the first time in its history, the
obvious question is whether the Mustang
can survive on our roads or, rather, the
lack of them? Weve tested the Mustang on
the track and in urban conditions already,
so when Ford India called to ask if we
would like to drive the Mustang from Delhi
to Jaipur, it didnt much for us to jump at
the opportunity.
Now, the NH8 that connects Delhi to
Jaipur is not that bad a piece of road. Before
the never-ending widening work on it
began, it was a good four-lane highway that
could get you to Jaipur in a reasonable
amount of time. But ever since the
construction started, the road has become a
mess, and there seems to be no end in sight.
So, apart from broken road surfaces, youre
peppered with a myriad of unmarked
diversions, bottlenecks, and, of course,
theres always unruly traffic in all its forms
trucks, two-wheelers, tractors, bikers
that seem to consider following traffic rules
a personal affront. So, our task is cut out for
us. And, in the midst of all this, we also
hope to find some clear stretches of road
where we can exercise at least some of the
many ponies lurking within.
The first impressions of the car, once we
MUSTANG
wheel out from the Ford office in Gurgaon,
are quite positive. Despite the big five-litre
V8 up front, the power delivery of the car is
very linear and its actually very easy to
drive in traffic. The automatic transmission
helps of course, with gear changes being
fairly quick. The main thing that we need to
get accustomed to is the massive front end
of the car, which needs to be carefully
manoeuvred in heavy traffic and when
parking. As we leave Delhi behind, the
roads start opening up and this present us
with the first opportunity to properly
exercise the loud pedal and the Mustang
doesnt disappoint!
Since its not as brutal in terms of power
delivery and road manners as some more
focused sports cars, the relaxed nature of
the Mustang suits our conditions much
better. And thats quite surprising really.
Add to that a fairly manageable size overall,
ample ground clearance and compliant
suspension, and it meant that we never
faced any problems at all throughout this
autox.in l January 2017 l 97
 FEATURE
excursion. The Mustang simply handled
everything that was thrown at it with
aplomb which is a relief, if were honest,
because we rated it at the top of our Best
of 2016 charts.
But it wasnt completely flawless, as
there is one problem and thats the sheer
attention it draws. In an age of camera
phones and selfies, it was virtually
impossible to stop anywhere without
people whipping out their phones to take
the obligatory picture of (and with) the car.
In fact, while scouting for photography
locations at Nahargarh Fort, a young man
just casually walked into the path of the
car and, as I slammed the brakes to avoid
impact, he calmly took out his phone to
take a selfie!
So, the fundamental challenge of
driving a Mustang in India doesnt lie so
much as with the abilities of the car, as
they do with the skills of the driver in
regards to handling the attention that the
Mustang draws to itself. So, if youre
someone like me, trying to avoid the
spotlight, the Mustang isnt for you. But if
your aim is to get a daily-usable sports car
that also draws insane amounts of
attention and Instagram posts, then the
Mustangs your ideal car. And if you just The MusTang wasnT coMpleTely
want to drive to Jaipur in peace, then buy flawless, as There is one probleM and
one in grey.
ThaTs The sheer aTTenTion iT draws
DRIVE

Count
to Five
This is the big one from BMW the brand new 5 Series.
Globally, the 3 Series may be BMWs bestseller, but in
India its the 5 that counts!
words: Dhruv Behl | photography: BMW
BMW 5 series
 DRIVE

O
ver the last few years, BMW has
attempted to retract from the rat
race in the Indian market at least!
They say that being number one
isnt their first priority being profitable and
running a sustainable business is. Either way,
the most crucial piece of the pie in our neck of
the woods for BMW is the 5 Series. So, its
imperative that they get it absolutely right.
And since an all-new model only comes
along once every seven years or so, there are no
second chances. Not only that, but the brand
new Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the new 5
Series will be out within just a few months of
each other so were set for no-holds barred,
gloves off action. Expect the new E within the
first couple of months of 2017, while the 5 will
make it closer to mid-year.
But it isnt all about sales numbers, theres
a great deal of pride at stake as well. And, of
course, the new Audi A6 wont be too far
behind either. Plus, theres now a dark horse
in the race as well, by way of the all-new
and really rather striking Volvo S90, not to
forget the all-new Jaguar XF. So, let the
games begin
Visually, its quite clear that the new 5 is very
much an evolution of its predecessor. Sure, it
takes plenty of cues from BMWs flagship the
7 Series. So, the headlights now extend all the The two models of the new
way to the slightly more flared nostrils all of 5 Series that we sampled
were the 530d xDrive and
which works to ensure that the front end looks 540i and, in both, the
more aggressive than before. It also has active luxury quotient is far
air flaps in front, which means that vents in higher than ever before
the kidney grille open and close to optimise

102 l January 2017 l autox.in


aerodynamic efficiency and ensure an
impressive coefficient of drag of 0.22. In profile,
it appears more taut and sharp. At the rear,
though, it seems like the designers havent
quite done enough. While the new 7 is actually
quite sleek and modern around back, this one
seems to be very much the same as before
with the exception of slightly elongated tail
lights. That being said, theres no getting away
from the fact that the new design is typical 5
Series. The Dame Edna headlights and quirky
boot of the Chris Bangle 5 Series of a decade
ago have been banished to the history books,
and this one strictly has its game face on and
its proverbial Hugo Boss suit.
On the inside, its much the same story as
well. The cabin is very clearly inspired by the
new 7 which means that its a lot more plush
than before. Naturally, of course, its got a
whole lot of tech as well. The really important
bit, though, is the fact that it addresses what
was the biggest area of concern for the
outgoing car rear seat comfort. The new 5
Series is 36mm longer than the outgoing
machine, and the extra space as a result is
immediately evident the minute you step into
the back seat. Not only are the seats far more
comfortable than before, but theres also a lot
more head and legroom back there nowhere
near the acres of space you get in the extended
wheelbase 7 Series, but certainly a lot more
BMW 5 series
than ever before. The entire cabin, in fact,
feels more upmarket. The levels of fit-and-
finish are on another level altogether. Our test
car also had a 10-channel, 16-speaker,
1,400-watt Bowers and Wilkins audio system,
and so it was littered with beautifully finished
stainless steel speaker grilles all over the
cabin all of which added to the luxury
quotient. Plus, the seats in our Luxury line
test car came draped in quilted leather, and
were incredibly comfortable.
The list of new technology in the car is
endless. A 10.25-inch touch-screen sits atop
the centre console and features a completely
new iDrive interface. A digital instrument
cluster is accompanied by an all-new multi-
colour head-up display thats 70% larger than
before and not only gives you speed &
navigation instructions, but also speed limit
warnings, adaptive cruise control
information, and even a digital stop sign that
pops up with an audible alert. That excuse of
Im sorry officer, I didnt see the sign,
certainly isnt going to work anymore!
The digital instrument cluster still isnt as
good as Audis Virtual Cockpit, but BMW
makes up for that with a truly impressive
albeit slightly distracting head-up display.
The thing is, though, impressive as it is, we
wont be using much of this tech in India.
Speed limit information is picked up via a
autox.in l January 2017 l 103
 DRIVE
camera atop the windshield that reads road
signs of which we dont have many, never
mind the fact that speed limits are rarely
enforced anyway. And, of course, stop signs
are either non-existent or ignored altogether.
But, back to the car
The 5 Series also has a fairly advanced
semi-autonomous driving mode. All you have
to do is engage the adaptive cruise control
and then lane-assist to enable the car to drive
along the highway with little input from the
driver. Itll follow the car in front and even
steer around sweeping bends. All the driver
has to do is lightly keep one hand on the
wheel remove it, and the car will give you
immediate reminders to put your hands back
on the wheel. And rightly so, since there were
a number of instances when the car seemed
to weave within its lane or even stray out of
lane. The cars behind me either thought that I
was an exceptionally bad driver, or drunk.
104 l January 2017 l autox.in
The biggest challenge for the 5 Series was
the lane-change assist, which required you to
tap the indicator in the intended direction of
travel. This leads the car to move to the desired
lane if the blind-spot warning gives it the
green flag. And move it does, but the trouble
arises when it comes time to stabilise the car in
its new lane. Most times, it aimed straight for
the Armco or wall beyond the solid white line
that marked the limit of the motorway
something the cameras really ought to have
picked up. Lets just say that autonomous
driving is still an inexact science. I suppose it
didnt help that it was either overcast or
pouring with rain during our two-day test.
Nevertheless, its still a work in progress.
Technology that we will use in India,
however, is gesture control thats made its
way into the 5 from the 7 and wireless
connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto, which is new. The driving modes now
come with an Adaptive mode, which adjusts
to your driving style as well as to the road
ahead based on GPS information if so
equipped. Another aspect that will go down
extremely well with future Indian owners is
the ride-and-handling balance. The ride, even
on the 275/35 R19 performance tyres on the
540i M-Sport, was exceptionally good despite
the broken roads on the Portuguese coast
around Cabo da Roca the most westerly
point on the European continent. There were
two cars for us to sample the 530d xDrive
with all-wheel drive and the 540i rear-wheel
drive petrol variant producing 335
horsepower. I have to admit that I wasnt
entirely sure what to make of the diesel-
powered 5 Series that we first drove. The
previous generation 530d was a stonker of a
machine virtually an everyday M5 minus
the insane reserves of power. The BMW
engineers had gone to great lengths to point
 BMW 5 series

The 540i was everyThing i had

hoped ThaT The new 5 series
would be

The 540i was certainly

the sharper of the two
absolutely bringing the
new 5 Series chassis
alive when the roads got
interesting

autox.in l January 2017 l 105

 DRIVE
out that they had managed to reduce the
overall weight by 100 kilos over the previous
generation. And, unlike the new 7 Series,
which has what BMW calls Carbon Core
construction (carbon fibre in the B-pillars and
roof in order to reduce weight), the new 5
based on the same modular platform as the 7
uses a mix of high-strength steel,
aluminium and magnesium to provide the
majority of the weight savings. The full
weight loss regime is accomplished by taking
a scalpel to virtually every single component
in the car. Their target was, thus, achieved
without the use of carbon fibre which
anyway would have been too expensive and
impractical in a car that has the kind of
volumes that the 5 Series has.
In addition to lower mass, the engines in
the new 5 Series have improved efficiency
and power thanks to better thermal
management. Given all of that, and how
athletic the new 7 Series feels, I expected the
new 5 Series to be the ultimate sports sedan
and luxury car combined. And while the
530d xDrive felt extremely capable and
refined, it wasnt very engaging for the driver.
Of course, these heightened levels of comfort
and refinement will undoubtedly go down
very well with Indian owners but, for me,
there was something missing. The steering
was corrupted by the various driver
assistance technologies, and while the
drivetrain was as smooth, silent and capable But, then, the following day we drove the turbocharged petrol motor that produces in
as you can possibly imagine it just didnt 540i M-Sport which was a completely excess of 250 horsepower. In the case of the
seem to provide that all-important zing. different animal. The more aggressive stance 530d xDrive I can only imagine that the all-
and thick-rimmed (too thick if you ask me) wheel drive hardware added complexity and
steering wheel meant business. The 3.0 litre weight in all the wrong places, and that the
twin-scroll turbo petrol motor was relentless two-wheel drive variants that well get in
in its power delivery and the chassis felt India will have all the inherent goodness of
completely unperturbed by the task of the new 540i.
putting copious levels of power down to the Now both the diesel models the 520d and
ground despite the fact that we were in the 530d are Euro VI compliant with particulate
middle of a torrential downpour virtually the filters and ammonia injection tanks.
entire day. The chassis was unflappable, the Naturally, when they come to India, some of
steering direct, and the drivetrain immediate. this hardware will be left out at least until
This was everything I had hoped that the the Euro VI norms are enforced.
new 5 Series would be. At the same time, it All told, what we have here is a machine
was incredibly comfortable and poised. thats very advanced, capable, refined and
Now neither of these models will come to comfortable and so it ticks all the boxes that
India neither the all-wheel drive 530d nor the 5 Series should. I still cant help but feel
the fire-breathing 540i. What we will get will that theyve been a little too conservative with
be the 520d, maybe the 530d, and eventually the design, both inside and out. But, then,
the next generation M5. There isnt a 520i in what is it that they say if it aint broke, dont
the line-up currently, so theres a chance we fix it. Wise words. And ones that BMW has
may even get the 530i that has a 2.0 litre certainly taken to heart!

106 l January 2017 l autox.in

 BMW 5 series

BMW 530D xDrive

2,993cc / In-line 6-Cylinders / Variable
EnginE
Geometry Turbocharger / CRDi
FuEl Diesel
TranSmiSSion 8-Speed Automatic / All-Wheel Drive
PowEr 261bhp @ 4,000rpm
TorquE 620nm @ 2,000 - 2,500rpm
accElEraTion 0-100km/h 5.4 seconds

BMW 540i
2,998cc / In-line 6-Cylinders / Twin
EnginE
Scroll Turbocharger / Direct Injection
FuEl Petrol
TranSmiSSion 8-Speed Automatic / Rear-Wheel Drive
PowEr 335bhp @ 5,500 - 6,500rpm
TorquE 450nm @ 1,380 - 5,200rpm
accElEraTion 0-100km/h 5.1 seconds

a 5 SEriES ThaT FEElS likE a mini 7

SEriES, buT STill DrivES likE a
SPorTS SEDan wEll, in m-SPorT
SPEc anyway.

autox.in l January 2017 l 107

 Drive
FeATUre

T r e a d i n g

on Ash
What do you do if youre confronted with the lahar beds of Mount
Pinatubo in the Philippines? Well, if you happen to be in a Ford
Endeavour, its quite simple really just step on the gas.
words: Ishan Raghava | photography: FoRd MotoR CoMpany

I
n a normal scenario, you would think
of a volcanic eruption as a rather
serious event. After all, this natural
phenomenon has tremendous energy
potential and can cause immense damage
to the areas around it as was the case
when Mount Pinatubo in the Central Luzon
area of the Philippines erupted in 1991. In
fact, its known to be second largest
eruption in the whole of the 20th century,
with the volcano spewing about 10km3 of
magma and 17 megatons of Sulphur
Dioxide. Naturally, this meant that the
dense forests surrounding the volcano were
wiped out, and much of the infrastructure
was heavily damaged too even river
systems in the area were affected for years.
But we are, after all, a bunch of
unreasonable car-mad auto journalists and
so were here to drive the Ford Endeavour
on what is the resulting topography of this
massive volcanic explosion the lahar
beds of Pinatubo. Now, lahar is quite a
dangerous thing composed of volcanic
pyroclastic ash, debris and water, it flows
very quickly (35km/h or more) and can
destroy virtually anything in its path. But,
then again, car-loving adventurers have
never been very logical or fearful, so some
of the more skilled off-roaders discovered
that when the beds are not flowing they
can actually be a great source of fun. And
given the technical difficulty in effectively
tackling a lahar bed, they also prove to be
a good test of a vehicles off-roading
capabilities. And so, if youre successful in
traversing the beds, it proves the
effectiveness of engine, suspension, and,
most importantly, a vehicles 4x4 system.
So, in the middle of a sunny spell in
Clark city no, Im not kidding, thats
what its called we headed towards the
lahar beds. As luck would have it, the skies
suddenly turned grey and we witnessed a
steady stream of rain making the
morning conditions on the lahar beds a bit
trickier. However, perched high up in the
drivers seat of the Ford Endeavour, things
werent difficult at all. The 3.2-litre engine
was working without missing a beat, and
with the all-wheel drive system engaged in
Snow/Mud mode, the Endeavour cut
through the muddy terrain easily.
Interestingly, driving in such conditions

108 l January
November2017
2016
l autox.in
l autox.in
Ford eNdeavour

autox.in l January 2017 l 109

 FeATUre

adds much to the skills of a driver willing to

learn, and here I learnt another skill that
seemed counter-intuitive at first. As our
instructor explained an old hand among
the off-roading enthusiast community of the
Philippines when we hit the large bodies of
water in the lahar bed, there were two things
we needed to be careful about. First, we
needed to maintain a large gap to the car
ahead of us as visibility gets limited when
the water starts spraying all over the place,
and, naturally, braking distances get longer.
And the last thing you want to do is rear-end
the vehicle in front of you, in the middle of
nowhere, stuck in a flowing river. Secondly,
when one hits the big water bodies, the car
tends to slow down and the natural reaction
is to take the foot off the throttle, whereas its
the opposite that the driver should be doing.
Slowing down means losing momentum,
which can be a dangerous thing when
crossing water bodies, and so one should
fight your natural instinct and plant your
foot deeper on the accelerator allowing the
engines power to help the vehicle cross
The lahar beds of Pinatubo
the obstacle.
offer a unique challenge as
Of course, as you can probably see by far as driving skills is
the pictures, the whole experience was concerned. The combination
of dirt, volcanic ash and
great fun and a great testament to the
water make the surface
overall abilities of the Terrain Management slippery and progress tricky
System of the Endeavour. While it might a good test of a drivers
skill and a vehicles
be a trickier activity in vehicles less
overall ability.
capable, in the Endeavour the lahar beds
seemed easily conquerable. So, remember
folks, if you need to outrun a flowing bed
of lahar, get yourselves an Endeavour and
plant your foot on the throttle and, of
course, its a also good idea to keep the
wipers going at full click to keep the
windshield clean.

110 l January 2017 l autox.in

MOTORSPORT
118 CROWNING GLORY
APRCS RETURN TO INDIA WAS GILLS VICTORY LAP

116 122 128

f1 COLUmN INRC DAKAR PREVIEW
Who can fill Kadur takes The toughest rally
in for Nico? charge is upon us again
 OpiniOn by Vinayak Pande
Vinayak feels that calling arena and city-based motorsport the future, is
missing the point of motorsport itself.
S
ome time ago, we received an e-mail from a major German
manufacturer asking to do an interview with Mattias Ekstrom
the newly crowned FIA World Rally Cross champion. His
replies to our questions seemed standard enough, with plenty of praise
being heaped on the WRX format of races which provide quick and
exciting heats in an arena-based venue building up to a final.
Its genuinely fun to watch, but at present its still seen as a new
trend. Senior motorsport journalists at leading publications even
going so far as to state that Volkswagens exit from WRC and the
World Endurance Championship has less to do with Dieselgate and
more to do with their belief in this shift towards the instant dose of
adrenaline that you get from WRX and eventually electric rallycross
and city-based racing events like Formula E.
The reasoning being that audiences will gravitate towards
motorsport in this format, rather than investing the time and effort
required to go out into the great wide open of rally stages and
sprawling, purpose-built racetracks. The die, it seems, was cast but
there is a partial counter argument to be made. And I stress the word
partial, as I am fully in favour of the development of electric and
other alternative means of propulsion in both two and four-wheel
motorsport.
Isle of Man TT superhero John McGuinness lapping the infamous
60.72km loop at an average speed of 192km/h on an electric bike in
2015 is proof of how exciting green tech can be without sacrificing the
venues that made motorsport thrilling in the first place. And, as far as
the reach of such an event is concerned, you need only look at the
number of people who converge around the entire course for such an
114 l January 2017 l autox.in
Twitter: @VinayakPande
event. Case in point was the Coffee Day India Rally at Chikmagalur,
which was the season finale for the FIA Asia Pacific Rally
Championship and the penultimate round of the FMSCI Indian
National Rally Championship. The buzz for the event was palpable,
with posters all over Chikmagalur as well as billboards at the rally
stages wishing Gaurav Gill on his 35th birthday!
Spectators set up canopies and seats wherever they could find
space and watched the APRC and INRC machines blast past. The
serious fans, meanwhile, also followed live stage times online. On
top of that, you have an army of spectators recording and posting
to social media with their cell phones, and further spreading the
message. Suddenly, the counter argument to arena or city based
events makes sense. How do you compare the crowd that comes to
an arena with the spectators who come to a super special stage and
those who follow a rally for the entire route?
The answer is that you cant. After all, entire cities get bitten by
motorsport fever when a big racing event comes to town. This was
apparent to me even when the Rally de North came to Haryana,
despite the fact that it didnt pan out as expected. The small village
of Tauru, right next to a highway, now knows that there is such a
thing as rallying in India and that everything from Gypsys, old
Honda Citys to Polos and XUV 500s can be thrown about with
abandon. Now imagine if one day all these vehicles were powered
by clean tech but retained motorsports heart, which isnt sound. To
me it beggars belief how people can be hung up on that over speed
and competition. The heart of motorsport is the idea of being out in
the great wide open, away from confinement.

Daruvala signs with
Carlin Racing for
2017 FIA F3 Europe
S A
ahara Force India Academy Racer,
Jehan Daruvala, has confirmed his
participation in the FIA Formula 3
European Championship. The 18-year-old
Mumbai-based racer has been signed up by
the world-renowned team - Carlin, for their
2017 campaign. Daruvalas maiden entry
into Formula 3 comes after two productive
seasons in Formula Renault, where he had
11 podiums at various circuits across
Europe. Daruvala then went on to
participate in numerous Formula 3 tests
and was eventually signed to Carlin after
consistently being one of the fastest drivers
during their tests. The championship will
consist of 30 races over ten weekends and
will visit some F1 venues in addition to
two street circuits at Pau and Norisring. An
F3 car produces 240 bhp while weighing
just 565 kgs, driver included. Each round
will have three races preceded by two
practice sessions of 40 minutes each and
two qualifying sessions of 20 minutes each.
RFC India winners Pro-Am class title
score class win at for Ebrahim in 2016
Malaysia main event Super Trofeo
T
he first Indian winners of the Rain
Forest Challenge India can now add
an international accolade to their
trophy cabinet as Gurmeet Virdi and Kirpal
Singh Tung of Gerrari Offroaders Chandigarh
took a class win at the Grand Final of the
Rain Forest Challenge in Malaysia. Virdi and
Tung teamed up to win in the category of
diesel-engined vehicles with engines under
3,050cc. Virdi, who had previously come to
the event in 2014 as Kabir Waraichs co-
driver, and Tung racked up 1,361 points
from a maximum of 2,400. They finished
100 points ahead of the next highest placed
team in the category. The duos
performance led to them finishing eleventh
in the overall standings with Team Maxxis
Sabahs Chang Chiew Shen and Edward
Benggon topping the standings with 2,203
points. Kulbak Roman and Pavel Kovalenko
were just one point adrift in second with the
team of Lyubarenko Valeriy and Katkov
Andrei in third place.
Ghosh and Mahindra win K1000 Rally
A
mittrajit Ghosh and co-driver Ashwin
Naik rebounded from their
disappointing retirement at the India
Rally to win the K1000 Rally in Bengaluru,
the finale for the 2016 FMSCI Indian National
Rally Championship season. It was Ghoshs
second win of the famous event. Phalguna V
and Rahul Kanthraj were second and third
overall in the INRC, respectively. Karna Kadur
and co-driver Nikhil Pai were sixth but it was
Motorsports News
rmaan Ebrahim and Sri Lankan
teammate Dilantha Malagamuwa
won the the Pro-Am championship
in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series at
the season finale at Valencia. The duo also
took third place in the Pro category, thanks
to their consistent performances through
the year. Ebrahim and Malagamuwa
finished third and fourth in the weekends
two races. Ebrahim started on pole for the
opening race and Malagamuwa took fifth
on the starting grid for the second and final
race. In the first leg for professionals,
Ebrahim won from pole. Malagamuwa
started the amateur leg at fifth and seemed
to be doing well till the penultimate lap. As
he was coming into the pits, he took a big
hit from behind and damaged his
suspension badly. The points from the two
races were good enough for Ebrahim and
Malagamuwa to win the Pro Am
Championship and take the third place in
Pro category.
enough to clinch the INRC crown. PG Abhilash
and co-driver Srikanth Gowda won the Indian
Rally Championship class and confirmed their
title win following the previous round at
Chikmagalur. Gaurav Gill of Team Mahindra
Adventure - back in an XUV500 after his APRC
stint - failed to finish after a driveshaft failure
in the very first special stage. Arjun Rao also
failed to finish the event while running third
due to gearbox failure.
autox.in l January 2017 l 115
 OpiniOn by Joe Saward Twitter: @joesaward

Nicos retirement has thrown up a dilemma for Mercedes as it tries to fill his
shoes while keeping the championship interesting, Joe looks at their options...

T
he news that Nico Rosberg was going to retire,
which came just a few days after he won the
World Championship in Abu Dhabi, was a massive
shock for everyone in Formula 1 with quite a lot
of people saying things like: When I heard it, I
thought he was joking. Apparently, even
Mercedes chairman Niki Lauda thought Nico was joking and he
wasnt very happy when he found out that he wasnt. You see, by
following his heart Nico dropped the team into a rather difficult
situation.
The team wanted needed, in fact two experienced drivers,
suitably balanced in terms of their ability to perform. The first
reason for this is that this is the best way to win World
Championships, with both men able to deliver points at as many
races as possible. The second reason is a little more obscure, but
its important as well. Mercedes has managed to dominate the
sport for the last three seasons, but has managed to deflect much
of the criticism about the sport becoming boring because
theyve allowed their two drivers to fight. This means that the
racing has been pretty good and, now and then, the two have
collided and a little controversy never hurt anyone. If there were
only one dominant Mercedes driver, then you can be quite sure
that the losing teams wouldnt stop for an instant before starting
a campaign to get the rules changed. This is not very sporting,
but it happens and its a bit like those horrid people who cannot
lose gracefully and have to kick over the board if theyre losing
the game.
So Mercedes needs success and it needs balance, and therein
lies the problem. With Nico walking out at a very late stage, all
the other top drivers have been signed up already which leaves
Mercedes with very little choice. The obvious option was to pick
up one of the two retiring top drivers in 2016 Felipe Massa and
Jenson Button. That was not very easy though, because Jenson
actually has a McLaren contract for 2017 and 2018. But the reality
is that Mercedes doesnt seem to really want either of them. Toto
Wolff may have said that the team will consider Fernando Alonso,
but it was always crystal clear that there was no way that
Fernando was going to get out of McLaren. No way!
The obvious choice, right from the start, was Valtteri Bottas
the Williams F1 driver, who will be going into the fifth year of his

116 l January 2017 l autox.in

mercedes needs balance
between its drivers, and
with nico walking out at a
very late stage, all the
other top drivers have been
signed up already
five-year Williams contract. He has the speed and the experience,
and hes managed by a company in which Wolff has a
shareholding. And its fair to say that Bottas will be a good match
for Hamilton. We dont know how good a match, but we do know
that the two men will put on a show. The problem, of course, was
that Williams wanted to keep Valtteri which they have every
right to do. Hes important to the team for a number of reasons.
Firstly, with Felipe Massa retiring, Valtteri would provide stability
on the driver side. Secondly, hes not expensive because Williams
gave him his first F1 break and hes proved to be good value for
money. Thirdly, the team has signed a new rookie called Lance
Stroll and it needs someone to show him the ropes in F1. Its
probably a bit more complicated than that because Stroll is
bringing a lot of money to the team and may have a clause in his
contact that stipulates Bottas (or a driver of equivalent experience
and ability) be his teammate. Why? Because a new guy is best
alongside a well-known talent. If he loses to a recognised top
driver, its not unexpected. If he loses to a fellow novice, its not
good for his career. So, having Bottas there was important. Plus,
theres also the sponsorship to consider because Martini sells
alcohol and Stroll is only just 18 and so an older driver was
required to make it a better fit with the Martini target audience.
Williams has an advantage and a disadvantage in the fact that
it uses Mercedes engines. While these are the best power units at
present, Williams hasnt done a great job of it because theyve
been given a bit of a black eye by Force India which finished
higher up in the final standings. The downside of the engine deal
is that Williams is, to some extent, dependent on Mercedes. And
so if it holds out for too much or refuses to sell Bottass contract,
theres the possibility that in future the German manufacturer
might simply supply a rival team and leave Williams to struggle
without Mercedes power. So, a deal has always been on the cards
even if Williamss deputy team principal Claire Williams said
that Bottas was not for sale. And if he is for sale, indeed hell
want to depart in order to get his backside into a Mercedes. So
Williams must simply try to overcome the obstacles in its path
and do the best possible job at finding a settlement without
annoying Mercedes. Its a balancing act Im afraid.
Mercedes always has Wehrlein in the background, but hes too
new to be the guaranteed choice. Its the same story with the
other Mercedes protg, Esteban Ocon. Nicos departure came too
early for both men. They may still get their chance in a couple of
years of course, so long as they keep delivering.
Well have to wait to the New Year for all of this to get sorted
out, and see what Williams does to replace Bottas but it looks
most likely that Felipe Massa might come back for another year
before sailing into an F1 sunset.
Joe Saward has been covering Formula 1 full-time for 29 years. He has
not missed a race since 1988.
autox.in l January 2017 l 117
 motorsports

SUPER
118 l January 2017 l autox.in
 APRC INDIA RALLY

B
We went to Chikmagalur for the return of
ig fish in a small pond.
Im sure everyone has
the APRC to India, to find that Gaurav Gill heard this saying and it
applies in the case of
has outgrown the championship he has Gaurav Gill and the FIA

dominated this year.

Asia-Pacific Rally
Championship. Its been brought up many
times before too but never was it more
words & photography: vinayak pande
apparent than in Chikmagalur, where
during the Rally of a thousand corners
as the India Rally had been referred to as
by Gill the 35-year-old from Delhi took
what was essentially a victory lap after
having clinched his second APRC title in
the previous round in Malaysia.
The early demise of Team MRF Skoda
teammate Fabian Kreim, because of a
mistake on the second stage of the first leg
of the rally, meant Indian rally fans could
now see how much Gill had outgrown the
stage where he first got a taste of proper
international-spec machinery.
One could argue that Gills 2013 title
triumph against a driver far more highly
rated than Kreim former Finnish national
champion Esapekka Lappi may count as
a bigger deal, but how can one possibly
deny the statement that winning every
single round of a championship makes?
Newly appointed APRC president Vicky
Chandhok summed it up perfectly; its
not Gauravs fault that he has outgrown
the championship.
But then again, Gill had probably done
so back in 2012 itself, which was a year
before he even won the title. That season
that saw him fighting with former junior
world rally champions and WRC podium
finishers within his team and against a
rival manufacturer despite having a
severe shortage of seat time in what was

SIX
an incredibly advanced evolution of the
Fabia at the time. It was proof that he
didnt need to be dividing his efforts
between a front-wheel-drive, SUV-derived
car in the Indian National Rally
Championship and the kind of car he
wished to drive on a regular basis on the
European and world stage.

WAITING FOR A PUSH

Four years later though, and Gill finds
himself in an odd situation of waiting for
either MRF or Mahindra, with whom he
competes in the INRC, to take their next

autox.in l January 2017 l 119

 motorsports

motorsport step. There is no VW Group

option with Skoda as their concern with
the APRC is simply to give drivers in their
program some extra seat time on gravel
while they compete in the European Rally
Championship or WRC-2. Gill has hoped
that MRF put faith in the rally tyres they
produce and back him to compete in those
two categories as well. Otherwise he
would have to hunt around for funds to
back a privateer effort somehow.
With Mahindra it is all about waiting for
them to go forth into the Dakar Rally and
autoX has been privy to the Indian
manufacturer at least contemplating an
effort enough to reach out to the
manufacturer of Dakar four-wheelers.
How soon that intent gathers enough
momentum to become a reality is
anyones guess but word is that it should
happen soon.

120 l January 2017 l autox.in


450 pages of pacenotes with ten calls per page, the
India Rally kept drivers and co-drivers on their toes
Even though the road to the Dakar for a
four-wheel manufacturer is paved with far
more financial hurdles than for a two-
wheeler firm, it can lead to the same level
of exposure that does a brand, or a
participant, wonders. CS Santosh knows
all about that as do Hero and even TVS
because of their plans that see Indians in
the competitive arena being backed by an
Indian factory team.
RALLY MASTERCLASS
While we wait, and speculate, however,
there is plenty for us to marvel at when it
comes to the best rally driver India has
produced so far. That was brought home
by the degree of difficulty over the 225.25
km of competitive stages at the India Rally
that was held over the winding roads of
the estate of Coffee Day, the title sponsors
of the event.
With the early demise of Fabian Kreim (left) Mike Young took second place and provided thrills
To say that the stages were challenging
were an understatement. There was
literally no rest for either the driver or co-
driver as one corner led into another and
required constant concentration, with the
result of not doing so being a rally-ending
crash or even a puncture. There were 13
retirements on the first day alone, across
the APRC, INRC and Indian Rally
Championship field. Most significant of
those was Kreim, with whom observers
were hoping Gill would have an interesting
battle as only he had the machinery to
match. But going over a crest too fast
meant hitting a bank on the outside of a
corner and instant suspension failure.
The importance of pace notes was
brought home by Gills co-driver Glenn
MacNeall who showed us that the page
count for the India Rally was double that
of other APRC events. The normal count
APRC INDIA RALLY
being one page of pace notes per
kilometer. Which meant 450 pages of pace
notes with ten calls per page! Imagine
having to note all that down during a rally
reconnaissance and then making sure it
was read out at the right pace to keep the
driver going fast. Not to mention Gill
having to constantly hear those calls and
focus on them one hundred percent, with
one small mistake meaning a retirement.
Whether it was watching him in person
or seeing on-board footage after the dust
had settled literally! Gills
commitment and skill was never in any
doubt. In addition to which, he now has
experience to boot. Which would make a
move beyond the APRC akin to striking
while the iron is hot. Old and clichd,
yes, but still true. The time has come for
Gill to experience success and failure at a
higher level.
autox.in l January 2017 l 121
 motorsports
taKING tHE SPOILS
Misfortune for Amittrajit Ghosh meant Karna Kadurs India Rally win
and sixth place in the K1000 was enough for him to take the title.
V
words & photography: vinayak pande
ariety is the spice of life,
as the saying goes, and the
2016 FMSCI Indian
National Rally
Championship got treated
to plenty of that this
season in terms of everything from its
venues, controversies and even the
contenders for the title.
This was crystal clear when the India
Rally saw the INRC and IRC field
compete alongside the main event of the
APRC. The memories of the botched
Rally de North in Haryana was still fresh
in my mind as I took the long flight to
122 l January 2017 l autox.in
Bangalore before setting off on road to
Chikmagalur. Normally its around two
and a half hours by plane, but the
morning fog these days generally tends
to be as thick as daal makhani and
decidedly less appealing!
Despite the vapid assurances of the
airport ground staff, we waited in the
craft for over four..HOURS. Thats right,
we sat in the plane for longer than the
actual flight time! I guess I would have to
wait a little longer before getting a fix of
some proper rallying on proper rally
stages. But as it turned out, the wait was
worth it.

Dr. Bikku Babu was second in Chikmagalur but failed to finish at the final round in Bengaluru
RALLYING IN EARNEST
Finally, six hours later, I had landed in a
far clearer climate and I could finally start
looking forward to seeing national
rallying take to the kind of stages one
associates with rallying. The cost-based
restrictions remained despite the welcome
change in scenery but seeing drivers
being challenged on super technical and
tricky stages brought a big smile to my
face. Having seen cars essentially take on
what were extended speed sprints along a
highway in Haryana, the forest stages of
the Coffee Day estates was a breath of
fresh air. Literally too due to being so far
away from Delhi and any major urban
centre.
The focus could shift to seeing Karna
Kadur and Amittrajit Ghosh battle for the
INRC title in vehicles that provided as big
of a contrast as between the Rally de
North and the India Rally.
Kadur was in a Group N Volkswagen
Polo driving for Team Yokohama while
Ghosh, likely to be the next big thing in
Indian rallying after Gill, was piloting a
factory prepped Mahindra XUV 500. And
the battle between the two started at the
super special stage itself. Ghosh was
trying every trick in the book to gain
time over the lighter, nimbler Polo,
which included cutting corners and
taking off bunting tape and posts. His
INRC
Sunny Sidhu was not able to keep up with Ghosh
and Kadur in the INRC championship battle
commitment carried forward to the first
leg of the rally where he was not one of
the 13 drivers to suffer an incident. A
heavy crash for Ilyas Younus was a
reminder of what could happen if a
driver lost his focus. Incredibly enough,
Ghosh was ahead of Kadur by just 7.6
seconds in an event that definitely didnt
favour the XUV 500, regardless of
Mahindras marketing slogan of the SUV
being cheetah inspired!
Mechanical issues on the second leg,
however, dropped Ghosh out of
contention for the win and even a podium
finish as Kadur took the win to inch
closer to the title.
Despite a win for Ghosh and only a
sixth place finish for Kadur at the final
round the K1000 Rally in Bangalore
the latter had enough of a points gap to
be crowned the INRC champion for 2016.
A great antidote to a season that the
FMSCI hopes will form the foundation
for a steady and marketable
championship format.
autox.in l January 2017 l 123
 motorsports
first timer
Indias representation among the list of Dakar competitors will
double this year. We sat down with Aravind KP to see how his
preparations for the big dance are going.
F
words: Vinayak pande | photography: TVS RaCinG
rom when I started asking
him about preparing for his
very first Dakar Rally and the
training involved for it, it
became hard to tell whether
the wry smile and laugh from
Aravind KP were signs of his excitement for
the event or nervous recognition of the
challenge that lay ahead. My guess is that it
was a bit of both!
With around 9,000 kilometers total and
just over 4,000 of those being timed special
stages, this years Dakar promises a lot of
challenges with the route going through
Paraguay and Bolivia before the end of the
event in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Along the
way will be stages that will see participants
cover as much as 750 kms in a single day.
124 l January 2017 l autox.in
And Aravind will have to do that on two
wheels, with no one to navigate but himself.
The wry smile and laugh return as he
mentions the marathon stage. Its definitely
more extreme than anything the 31-year-old
will have to tackle but he has the right
approach and set-up behind him to ensure
that his Dakar debut goes as smoothly as it
can given his inexperience at that stage.
TRAINING HARD
There has been a lot of riding and
roadbook training in Spain and France of
course, Aravind told autoX. That has
continued here too with riding at the factory
and even on some routes I know in
Mangalore and just prior to going I plan on
training for ten days in Rajasthan as well.
Of course, with a monster event like the
Dakar comes monster distances and
duration while training. Think of how a
boxer will prepare for a fight by going far
more rounds than in the actual fight.
Many times the distances we will cover
will be more than a marathon stage, said
Aravind. So if I am training Enduro, I will
ride for around six hours a day.
When road-book training, depending on
what kind of stage it is and its navigational
challenges, we can go anywhere from eight
to thirteen hours a day. Thanks to the
climate in Spain there is enough sunlight
for my day to start early and end really late.
So we can easily clock up ten to eleven
hours of seat time on the bike in a day if we
wanted to.
 ARAVIND KP

There are different bikes that will train

different aspects of a rider. From a
motocross bike that delivers a lot of
power suddenly across its rev band, to
an enduro bike that will be geared for
more reliability and to give a rider more
mellow power delivery as Aravind
describes it until you reach the upper
reaches of the tachometer. A motocross
bike will be tool with which a rider
would work on his reactions and speed
whereas an enduro bike would be better
Long hours on a motocross track, enduro, roadbook sessions and a tune-up
suited to going the distance. All of this event in Morocco are all part of Aravinds preparations for his first Dakar Rally
builds up to the TVS-Sherco 450cc Dakar
bike that has around 64bhp (twice the
power of a typical enduro bike) and an
even more mellow power delivery until
you get to the mid and top range of its
engine. Enough to remind a rider to not
do something silly with the throttle.
Aravind claims this wasnt much of a
problem when he first got acquainted
with the Dakar bike in competition
during the OiLibya Rally where he
finished a creditable 26th overall in the
moto/quad class. I was surprised by
how well it handled, said Aravind. The
terrain in Morocco was really tough but
the suspension was great, which is the
best scenario for motorsport as it means
you dont need a lot more power to be
competitive.

KEEPING FIT
Of course, it isnt just about the Aravind has been pleasantly surprised by the capability of the Sherco-TVS 450 RTR
machine in motorsport. In a world
where robot races and e-racing get
attention it is important to remember
that riders and drivers are athletes who
put their bodies through extreme duress
to follow their heart. Aravind is no
different. In fact, he was a track and
field athlete during school and reached
the level of national competition in
swimming. Its been a long time since
motocross seduced him away from leg-
power though, and Aravinds fitness
needs have changed for the Dakar. Im
having a lot of carbs as we wont get
more than two meals a day there, he
said. So Im going to go the Dakar all
plump and if I make it to the end, I will
be shaped into an athlete! Heres
hoping the experience also shapes him
into a Dakar finisher too.

autox.in l January 2017 l 125

 motorsports

park street
The road to CS Santoshs third Dakar Rally goes through the
expected pre-event prep, but also time spent at Big Rock
Motopark, his happy hunting ground.

A
words: Vinayak pande | photography: Hero motocorp, Vinayak pande, big rock motopark

lot has changed for CS
Santosh since he won the
Raid de Himalaya on his
debut attempt in 2012. By
now his name is well-
known as the first Indian
to score top-ten finishes in FIM World Cross
Country World Championship events and,
of course, this years Dakar Rally wont be
his first time in motorsports toughest
crucible.
But it will be the first time that he will be
competing in it as a factory rider, the fact
that it is with Indias biggest two-wheeler
company is a bonus. Hero is as keen to
associate its brand with the kind of
excellence and prestige that an event like
the Dakar represents as Santosh is to take a
good crack at the event without having to
worry about funding. The association is
possibly one of the reasons that the normally
calm Santosh looks even more relaxed these
days. Or maybe it could just have to do with
where autoX caught up with him prior to his
grand South American adventure.
Some 85 kilometers from Bengaluru, off
the Bengaluru-Tirupathi highway in Shapur,
is Santoshs family farm. Right next to the
farm is Big Rock Motopark, a facility set up
by him in 2013 with the intention of giving
those new to riding on dirt an initiation as
well as training himself and working with
other riders who happen to go there.
BABY STEPS
I must stress that one does need to have
had some experience of riding regularly to
be able to sign up for the
weekend courses for
beginner dirt riders. Otherwise as I found
out myself you are likely to get a
withering look from the former national
supercross champion if you are as green to
riding as I am.
That doesnt really inspire a lot of
confidence! said Santosh as I told him the
last time I rode a two-wheeler other than a
scooty was a Luna moped that I crashed
some 24 years ago.
Well now how could he blame me? I only
honestly answered that I had never ridden
on dirt after which Santosh mischievously
suggested that I should get at least a tiny
fraction of a taste of what he does at a
world class level.
Through the process of being able
to start the bike, riding off
without stalling,

126 l January 2017 l autox.in

 A workman is only as good as his tools, so Santosh maintains some very
capable ones with which to practice and even gives others a shot too

Five Honda CRF230Fs are there to allow newbies to

get a dirt initiation

going up the gears and being smooth on the

throttle, there was of course, plenty of
inquiries regarding the real business at hand.

LOOKING FORWARD
This year is just for us (Hero) to get a start
really, said Santosh. The engine of the
Speedbrain bike is one of the best out there
but its an old frame and not all that well Eleven-year-old Yuvarajsinh Konde Deshmukh is a
suited to what we will encounter in South future star in training
America. But Dakar 2018, you will see an
all-new bike from the frame up.
Aside from talking about his Dakar
chances, I got the sneaking suspicion that
Santosh wanted some entertainment at my
expense. Which got confirmed later when
he confessed to being disappointed at me
not falling while riding on his motocross
track as he was hoping to take some
photos! Santosh meant no malice of course
and even got me appreciating the feeling
of being one with a bike a Honda
CRF230F after showing me how to
channel the bodys limbs so that a
motorcycle becomes an extension of you. It
almost made me feel like the bike wasnt
even there. Now I have a tiny reference
point that I can magnify a few thousand
times over to appreciate what Santosh does
for a living. And it is quite incredible. Big Rock Motopark is pretty much Santoshs second family and a means for riders
to get valuable trail and motocross experience in a country where it is limited

autox.in l January 2017 l 127

 motorsports

SET FOR BATTLE

O
photography: rED BULL CONTENT POOL

ver 8,800kms of total

distance covered over 12
days of competition. Out of
which 4,089kms will be
covered flat out by 491
competitors who will be in
cars, bikes, trucks and quads. Pretty much
every preview of the Dakar Rally starts with
rattling off numbers like this but only
because it serves to illustrate the events
magnitude. Its been only 38 years since the
first event but the very human thinking of
life being a journey more than a destination
has ensured that it keeps attracting those
willing to go on that journey. Except, a
whole lot faster than the recreational cross-
country auto nuts.
A sizeable percentage of these nuts
originate from France as per the entry list
this year. Fifteen percent, in fact, hail from
the country of the events founder Thierry
Sabine. The same goes for one of the

128 l January 2017 l autox.in


Marcos Patronelli and Yamaha will be looking to
repeat their quad class win
The X-Raid Mini team appear to have the odds heavily stacked against them with an all-star line-up at
Peugeot and Toyota fielding Nasser Al-Attiyah and Nani Roma
favourites to win the car class, the Peugeot
Sport team with their 3008 DKR prototype.
Piloting the beast, which replaces the
victorious 2008 DKR that won last year, is a
three-quarters Gaelic line-up with a lot of
collective firepower.
A 12-time, six each on two wheels and
four, Dakar Rally winner in Stephane
Peterhansel, a WRC legend in nine-time
champion Sebastien Loeb and a five-time
winner of the event in the bike category,
Cyril Despress. And to round things off,
Carlos Sainz, a Spaniard who happens to
be a two-time WRC champion who has
also won the FIA Cross-Country Rally
World Cup in 2007 and the 2010 Dakar
Rally. Talk about walking into a room with
bad intentions!
Trying to prevent Peugeot will be Toyota
with their Hilux after they managed to
gain what looks like sufficient backing and
firepower of their own. Nasser Al-Attiyah,
a former two-time winner of the
Dakar as well as a two-time WRC-2
champion will bring with him
sponsorship from Qatar. Yes, literally
the country that he hails from will
sponsor the team that he drives for,
which is not that hard to believe
when you see the natural resource
Qatar and other West Asian countries
are famous for. Additional backing
will also come from Red Bull, which
has shown a willingness to invest in
motorsport and other extreme sports
as an additional means to position
itself in the global market.
Toyota also has the services of Nani
Roma, a bike winner in 2004 and
winner of the car class in 2014, after
the Spaniard made a sudden shift from
the X-Raid Mini team. Romas
departure puts the focus squarely on
Loebs former WRC sparring partner
DAKAR PREVIEW
KTM and Toby Price are not resting on
their laurels and have introduced a new
beast with which to repel Honda and Joan
Barredas (below) continued efforts to
dethrone them
Mikko Hirvonen, a winner of 15 rallies and
who likely would have been champion at
least once, if not for Loeb.
Over to the bike class, Indias attention
will be trained towards Aravind KP and CS
Santosh along with the Sherco-TVS and
Hero Motosport Rally team, respectively.
But looking at the bigger picture, all eyes
will be on the expected battle between last
years winner for KTM, Toby Price and
Hondas Joan Barreda. The Japanese
manufacturer has come very close to
knocking off the Austrian heavyweights off
their Dakar perch and will be hoping to
finish the job this time around. With
victories and titles aplenty on the
racetrack, Honda will not want to play
second fiddle off it for much longer.
It all points to a very fun start to the 2017
global motorsport season, with an added
draw for Indias next generation of cross-
country auto nuts.
autox.in l January 2017 l 129
 motorsports

SMOKE & WATER

Mercedes continued domination made neutral fans antsy,
but the 2016 Formula 1 season had entertainment aplenty
as the sport turns to a new chapter this year.
words: Vinayak pande
photography: SriniVaSa kriShnan V, red bull content pool, Sahara force india formula one team, williamS/lat, ferrari, mercedeS amg f1

I
ts hard for me to think of a Formula
1 season that had more sting in its
tail than 2016. Particularly over the
last two rounds and even in its
aftermath. Here we all were thinking
that after a finale where the tension
went through the roof, we could focus on
non-F1 matters, at least until pre-season
testing starts. But then Nico Rosberg
dropped a bombshell that caught everyone
off-guard. Except, by his own admission that
is, Lewis Hamilton who did an about face on
his stance of using tactics to try and trip
Rosberg up at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
At the time of printing, we still werent
aware of who would replace the third
German driver to claim the F1 title. All signs
seem to be pointing towards Valtteri Bottas,
with Felipe Massa tipped to return for one
more year before being allowed to call it
quits himself.
MAGIC MAX
But being hung up on just this development
would be missing the point of a season that
still gave us plenty of on-track racing to talk
about despite the drivers and constructors
championships being an all-silver affair. How
can anyone overlook the rise of Max
Verstappen? F1s latest superstar, has future
world champion written all over him. From
his opportunistic win at the Circuit de
Catalunya-Barcelona thanks to Rosberg and
Hamilton yet again tripping over each other
to a sensational comeback in the closing
stages of the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old Dutchman didnt look back
after Daniil Kvyat was demoted to Scuderia
Toro Rosso. The Russian literally rubbed
Sebastian Vettel the wrong way at the Chinese
and Russian GPs. To Helmut Marko and the
Red Bull brain trust, it was enough of an

130 l January 2017 l autox.in

 F1 2016 review

As Red Bull improves will we see Hamilton and

Verstappen battle for the 2017 drivers crown?

Force Indias consistent improvement earned

them fourth in the constructors championship

opportunity to give Verstappen the break

many felt his prodigious talent deserved.
And it also happened to coincide with
Renault they power the Red Bull chassis,
Tag Heuer branding or not making
significant gains with their power unit to
help push F1s former dominant force
further up the grid. So much so that
Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo combined
to leave Ferrari in their wake, making Vettel
and Kimi Raikkonen wonder where all the
progress they made in 2015 suddenly went.
The sudden increase in Red Bulls
competitiveness also led to skirmishes
between the Scuderia and the team from
Milton Keynes. The closing stages of the
Mexican GP and Vettels foul-mouthed tirade
was the tipping point.
What followed Mexico though, will go
down in history as one of F1s greatest wet
Red Bulls return to form thanks to Renault power unit upgrades and the brilliance of Max Verstappen and weather drives. Up there with Senna at the
Daniel Ricciardo meant Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari were left eating their dust 1984 Monaco GP and the 1993 European GP

autox.in l January 2017 l 131

 motorsports

Extra intrigue and excitement was added to the season finale in Abu Dhabi as Lewis
Hamilton did a u-turn on his stance of not playing the tactical game against Rosberg

as well as Michael Schumachers masterclass

at the 1996 Spanish GP.
The conviction with which Verstappen
scythed past a circumspect Rosberg early in
a race that was seen as both the worst and
best F1 event of the season, was the mark of
a champion. And his recovery to third after a
strategy error was an act of a future great
service notice.
THE WAITING GAME
One could even have said that of Rosbergs
performance at the Japanese GP where he
both out-qualified and out-raced his more
highly rated teammate at the legendary
Suzuka circuit. Rosbergs win - following a
Malaysian GP that all but ended Hamiltons
title hopes meant that he only needed to
finish second in the four remaining races to
seal the title. The son of the 1982 world
champion had his share of fortune to help
him seal those second places, however.
Botched strategy calls by Red Bull at the
United States GP, Red Bull and Vettel
squabbling in Mexico and a LOT of opposite-
Fernando Alonso (right) and McLaren-Honda
continued to steadily move up the grid
lock in Brazil allowed him to roll into Abu
Dhabi needing a third place to seal the deal.
It was this strategy of circumspection that,
in a way, allowed Rosberg to fall prey to
Hamilton when he finally decided to go
against his statements in the Abu Dhabi pre-
race press conference on Saturday. With the
Mercedes pit-wall gripped in fear over losing
a potential 1-2 finish and telling Hamilton to
hurry up, the Briton calmly decided to
ignore the teams orders, allowing Vettel and
Verstappen to close-up behind Rosberg. It
was at this point that Rosberg may have
thought back to the controversies involving
In-season testing has given us a glimpse of
2017-spec F1 cars, but it is not their final form
him and Hamilton since Mercedes became
the team to beat in 2014. Not only did it urge
him to dig deep but also take stock of a
championship won through extreme strife.
Suddenly it didnt matter how taken aback
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff and its
non-executive chairman Niki Lauda would
be. All that mattered to Rosberg was that he
had fulfilled his purpose for being in F1 in
the first place and there was much more to
look forward to in life.
Now the task of dealing with Hamilton,
and maybe even Verstappen, is someone
elses problem.

132 l January 2017 l autox.in


FINAL DESERT DUEL
photography: MRF
A
ustralian driver Joey Mawson
stormed to the top of the
championship with a win in
the final race of the second
round of the MRF Challenge
2016 in Dubai. Mawson won ahead of Felipe
Drugovich fellow Aussie Zane Goddard as
championship rivals Harrison Newey and
Mick Schumacher were both forced to retire.
However, eighteen-year-old Newey survived
all the chaos to win his second race of the
weekend when he crossed the chequered
flag in Race three.
Race one saw Newey fight back from down
the order to take victory after a battle with the
20-year-old Mawson, who won last years
ADAC Formula 4 title ahead of Schumacher.
The German came home third, which set in
motion him losing the championship lead that
he had held since the end of the first round in
Bahrain. It is the second year of competing in
what is an off-season series for the son of the
most successful Formula 1 driver of all-time.
But unlike last year, the 17-year-old has started
from the beginning of the season and is soon
expected to make a move up to the FIA
European Formula 3 Championship.
MAWSON BUTTS IN
Earlier in qualifying Mawson stole the show
that was expected to feature a battle for pole
position between Newey and Schumacher.
Mawsons lap of 1min. 55.945sec. was a lap
record for an MRF F2000 car around the
5.39km Dubai Autodrome, pipping Neweys
effort of 1:56.020. Behind the top two were
Schumacher, Juri Vips and Pedro Cardoso.
Starting on pole position, Mawson got a
good start off the line but Newey tried to go
around the outside heading into the first
corner. Mawson just managed to hold on
while Schumacher held station in third place
just behind Newey, but unable to find a way
MRF Challenge
past. Newey started to close in on Mawson
and on the fourth lap and he passed the
Aussie after both were side by side for three
corners. Schumacher then tried to follow suit
and applied pressure on Mawson but could
not find a way past.
Newey set a string of fastest laps and took
the chequered flag ahead of Mawson and
Schumacher. Cardoso held off fast charging
Brazilian driver Drugovich for fourth place
with Vips finishing in sixth place. Kimi
Schramm finished in seventh place ahead of
Dylan Young, Van Kalmthout and Manuel
Maldonado. Indian driver Parth Ghorpade
fought back from last place at the end of the
first corner to finish in eleventh.
Ghorpade had not been listed in the
initial entry list for the 2016-17 season of
the MRF Challenge and didnt compete in
the opening round either. The final two
rounds of the four-round series will be
held in India with the Buddh International
Circuit near Greater Noida first up on the
28th and 29th of this month. The season
will conclude at the Madras Motor Race
Track at Sriperumbudur near Chennai on
February 18-19.
autox.in l January 2017 l 133
 www.autox.in

`1200
`F7 9 9
or 1 Year
SUBSCRIPTION FORM
Yes, I would like to subscribe to autoX

1 Year ` 799 2 Year ` 1,499

yoUr DetaILS (All DETAilS iN CAPiTAl lETTErS)

Mr. / Ms.
Designation:
Organisation:
Address:
City: Pin:
State:
Tel: Fax:
E-mail:
Website:

Payment DetaILS SUBSCRIBE

TODAY
Cheque / Draft No.
Kindly draw the cheque/DD in favor of COMNET PubliShErS PvT. lTD.
Dated Drawn on
bank
branch and get an 10th annIVeRSaRY collectoRS ISSue,
for ` is enclosed. model caR, aRB ShIRt, leo daSh mat, JopaSu
mIcRo FIBRe & WaSh mItt

one year SUbScrIPtIon

Date Signature

Please add `50 for non-Delhi/NCR cheques 33 %OFF

LEO Dash Mat Jopasu Micro Fibre

& Wash Mitt
Log onto www.autox.in
to Pay by creDIt carD or for DetaILS
on how to Pay by caSh two year SUbScrIPtIon
Please fax this form to +91 11 4279 5098
or mail to Comnet Publishers Pvt. ltd., 217-b (2nd Floor)
Okhla industrial Estate, Phase iii, New Delhi 110 020 37%OFF
For additional details, please call : Edwin John +91 98116 34228
Burago Jopasu Micro Fibre ARB Shirt
Model Ferrari & Wash Mitt
Only subscriptions received by January 15, 2017 will be entitled to free gifts.
 DIgItaL SUbScrIPtIon offer
www.magzter.com

From your apple device, go to App

Store and search for Magzter

From your android device, go to

Google Play and search for Magzter

3
monthS
6
monthS
12
monthS
` 249 ` 349 ` 599

ConneCt with us: visit us online

@autoXmag @autoXmag autoXTV digital magazine @magzter www.autox.in
 LIVING IN

We spend months with these

machines to tell you what theyre

iL ving I n
really like to live with...

maruti suzuki Ford Figo aspire honda Jazz tata tiago Yamaha
Brezza YzF-r3
autox.in l January 2017 l 137
 Living in
maruti suzuki Brezza

REJUVENATION
words: Kapil Vashist

L
LOGBOO April 2016
ast month, the kind folks at on the appearance of the car. The c a m e: 0 0 km s
When it in g: 15,8
Maruti Suzuki took the effort yellow piping in the seat covers, the r e a d
t od o
Cu r r e n 5 0 km s
o n t h: 9
of taking the Brezza back and yellow detailing all over the interiors
t h is m
Mileage
asked me to choose a slew of especially in the centre console and
/l
: 17km
customisations from a pre-set dashboard and the funky graphics on
u e l e f ficien cy
list that I would like to make to the car the outside of the Brezza give it quite a F
No n e sation
all to launch the new customisation unique touch. And the quality of the Faults: t is p e r sonali
ar u
g o o d: M t ter t h
an
service that they were introducing. And to modifications is also quite promising, What s even be
e c a r
be honest, I was quite excited to see what with the tweaks lighting up the interior de t h
ha s ma
the results of the customisation would look of the car. In my opinion, the ssed
before m obs e
like. After all, it would be a car customisations are quite well executed it s e em s I a
w
n o t : No
personalised by me that I would be and give the car a unique identity What s ellow!
driving. which should be an absolute boon for e v e r y t hin g y
And as you can see in the pictures, the customers whore looking for a painless wit h
customisations have had a marked effect process of applying their own unique
touch on their cars.
Other than the customisations, the
Brezza remains rock solid as an everyday
car. The ride remains comfortable, while it
sips fuel at a pretty slow rate, making it
rather efficient. There is only one
drawback to my car though, with its bright
yellow paintwork and now further
detailing in yellow all over the inside of
the car, it seems that I have a fetish for all
things yellow!

138 l January 2017 l autox.in

 LIVING IN

LOGBOOK
Ford Figo aspire
2016
m e: N o vember
ca
When it 90km s
o r e a d ing: 14,4
od
Current 6km s
is m o n th: 1,06
th
Mileage km /l
l E c o n o my: 19.5
Fue

FAmIly
on e
Faults: N y, Fuel
o d : R id e qualit
go
What s a n ce
Per form

HAUlER
m y , h signal
e co n o
la m ps, Bluetoot
a d
not: He g songs
What s e streamin
w h il
eaking
keeps br

L
words: shiVanK Bhatt

ast month, I conveniently took the
custody of our long-term Figo Aspire
from Rahul as he was travelling.
And there was a good reason, or
rather two, behind that. As much as I love
commuting on a motorcycle, weathering the
chilly Delhi air these days requires you to be
a bit too ballsy. So, I couldnt really turn
down the temptation of driving around in the
cosy confines of a car when it was available.
And, secondly, I had an outstation marriage
to attend, which meant I needed a spacious
car to ferry my folks to and back from
the ceremony.
Ive always loved the diesel Aspires
explosive powertrain. Suffice to say that it
didnt disappoint on this occasion as my
highway jaunt went like a breeze even with
4 passengers and their luggage on-board. In
addition to that, what really impressed me
about the Figo Aspire is its impeccable ride
quality. Those puny wheels with high-profile
rubber may not to be an enthusiasts liking,
but thats what works the best on our
countrys roads, trust me. As for the stuff I
dont like, the gearbox feels a little vague and
doesnt slot in properly sometimes
especially when youre going up from 2nd to
3rd. Also, the illumination from the
headlamps isnt great for highway driving.
For our next months report, well be taking
the car for a quick service so as to give you an
actual idea of the Aspires ownership costs -
which Ford claims are among the lowest in the
segment. Lets see if thats really the case.

Im cOmINg FOR yOU ARAI!

words: aBhisheK Chaliha
Honda Jazz

P
eople often complain about high
NVH levels from Hondas i-DTEC
diesel engine. But the fact of the
matter is this, with its all-
aluminum head and block the diesel Jazz is
just 31kg heavier than its petrol counterpart.
This along with Hondas Earth Dreams
K
LOGBOO November 2016
technology behind its diesel engine makes
the Jazz extremely fuel efficient. From the construction. And while we are on the case
came: 29km s
When it
last tank up, the average fuel economy of downsides, I wish the car came with rear
display was showing 26.2 km/l but then two parking sensors as the rear view camera o r e a d ing: 9, 5
t od 8km s
bad traffic jams later it was down to 25.4 display is not the best. Otherwise though, Curren t h: 1, 66
m o n
this
km/l. I managed to drive 567 km on half a the car is quite comfortable to drive in the Mileage .8 km /
l
tank of diesel and the tank-to-tank efficiency city with a comfortable driving position, e f fic ie ncy: 24
F ue l
None n mor e
came up to 24.8 km/l at the pump! But Im good visibility, climate control and a nice
pretty sure I can get more out of the Jazz. sounding stereo. Faults: b e c o m in g eve
s
good: It e
My aim now is to beat its ARAI claimed My next agenda is a road trip in the Jazz What s to driv
or table
t! C o m f not t he
ef ficien cam e ra
figure of 27.3 km/l! to see how it fares as a highway cruiser.
a r v ie w
n ot: R e
The only downside is a little high NVH That way I get to also gauge its efficiency
from the diesel engine due to its aluminum out on open roads. What s
be s t

autox.in l January 2017 l 139

 Living in
tata tiago
LOGBOOK ber 2 01
6
c a m e : Sep tem
When it ,654km
s
o d o r e adin g: 9
Cu r r e n t ,730km
s
t h is m o n t h: 1
Mileage l
5.1km /
u e l E c o n o m y: 1
F
No n e
Faults: ce,
oot Spa
h a t s g o o d: B
W
ys tem
m e nt S
Infotain
ality
n o t: Qu

mIxEd BAg words: RaVi Ved

What s

N
ow, the Tata Tiago diesel has been
with me for three months and Ive
already clocked more than 5,000kms.
With a decent balance of city driving and
highway hauls, the Tiago has been a peaceful
car to live with so far. For a car that is just
3,746mm in length, the Tiago surprisingly
makes ample of space on the inside. And it
doesnt compromise on the boot space either.
In fact, at 242 litres its boot space is even
larger than some cars like the Maruti Suzuki
Swift. I am also starting to love the Harman
sourced infotainment system that the Tiago
comes fitted with. There is no jarring even at
higher volumes and the speakers, to my
liking, offer decent bass too. In fact, it wont
be too bold to say that the system is
undoubtedly best-in-class.
But it isnt all sunshine and roses for the
Tiago. If you have been following my reports I
had mentioned about the inconsistency
in its quality and it is starting to show now.
The 12v charging socket has come off and the
left turn indicator doesnt go off automatically
either. While most things on the Tiago are just
fine, these minor problems leave a sour taste,
especially knowing that the car has just done
around 10,000km on the odometer so far. The
Tiago is now demanding a trip to the service
centre and of course, once it is back, hopefully,
all of these minor issues will be fixed.

UlTImATE RIdINg YamaHa YzF-r3

mAcHINE
words: aRup das

I
agree thats is quite a statement and a
certain German luxury car manufacturer
might cringe over it, but the YZF-R3 is
pretty close to being flawless. As Shivank
mentioned in the previous long term report,

K
LOGBOO December 2015
it could do with a better set of tyres, but
that can be done easily. We would have
preferred if it came with ABS and a slipper only does it feel a bit notchy, but the cog
came: km s
clutch, but without these features its not would hit false neutral too often, which is When it in g : 8, 351
e a d
t od o r
Curren 23km s
the end of the world. slightly annoying. But with three different
When the R3 joined our long term fleet, riders riding the R3 and keeping in mind t h is m onth: 3
Mileage l
I had an issue with its fuel efficiency. It the wear-and-tear, it was bound to happen. 25 k m /
u e l e f ficiency:
would barely return 20km/l, that too when Still the sky hasnt fallen on us because of F
None ciency,
ridden very carefully. But after a well- this as we (Jared, Shivank and I) still fight
Faults: o ve d F uel Ef fi
pr
deserved service, the R3 now returns over the R3. If it werent for its insane good: Im
What s
around 25km/l, which is quite impressive price, Id say the R3 is the best bike eat
table S box, Fa
lse
for a 325cc motor. Unfortunately, we do Yamaha has launched in India after the Comfor h y Gear
N o t c
n ot:
have a minor issue with the gearbox - not legendary RX 100. What s
l
Neutra

140 l January 2017 l autox.in

 Many OccasiOns,
One DestinatiOn
Its a whole lot more than
just IndIas racIng arena
Buddh international circuit has come a long way since its inception. We are indias
definitive destination for Business, incentives and celebrations. Our world class facilities
and unparalleled infrasturcture gives you the opportunity to host an array of events, from
track days to cocktail evenings, from award nights to concerts.
 CONNECT WITH US
www.autox.in

@autoXmag /autoXmag /autoXTV /autoxmag digital magazine @magzter

INFORMATION | TECHNOLOGY | ENTERTAINMENT | XITEMENT

We review the much-awaited Google Pixel XL and

find out whether its an iPhone killer.

Smartphone
wars

From the Gionee S6S SelFie SpecialiSt to

the dual rear camera phone lG G5 to the
new and improved hero5 camera SerieS,
we have it all in thiS new iSSue.
REVIEW

GooGle BITes INTo THe aPPle

Googles flagship phone is so impressive that it even surpasses Apples iPhone 7
in some regards. But it has its shortcomings too. Here is our short user
experience with the Pixel XL.

T
his is a big one, Googles take on
the iPhone 7 and Samsung Galaxy
S7. On the face of it though, it
doesnt appear very impressive in
the aesthetic department with a simple front
fascia. Pick it up and your notion changes as
you feel the heft of a well-built phone with a
solid metal back panel which features a glass
panel at the top that locates the camera, flash
and centrally placed finger print sensor.
e
Pric 00
This XL model comes with the option of
either 32GB of internal storage or 128GB.
,0
And while you do get unlimited storage ` 67
space for your pictures and videos on
Google, for long term use it would make
sense to get the 128GB model. Processing
power is provided from a 1.6GHz quad-core
Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor aided
by 4GB of RAM, which runs Android 7.1.
The Pixel XL has a 3,450mAh non-removable
battery and a single nano-SIM card slot.
On the face of it, the Pixel XL offers
smooth operation; you can switch between
multiple screens and apps in a very quick perform better than the Apple iPhone 7 and
manner. The display looks rich with a Samsung Galaxy S7 on a lot of accounts. But
5.5-inch display featuring a 2,650 x 1,440 the core question of longevity remains.
quad-HD resolution AMOLED screen. To While an iPhone will not slow down over
put it simply, it has bright and crisp imaging, years of operation, the Pixel is an Android
with natural-looking colours that give it device but runs Googles own software and
perhaps the best display on any phone at the hardware. So, it remains to be seem if and
moment. Watching high quality videos is a how much the OS slows down in the long
real joy on this phone as the colours are so run. The only let down with this phone so
vivid that it makes everything just come far as I see it is its battery life which is just
alive. And while the Pixel XL may not come about average.
with stereo speakers, its downward firing
speakers offer rather good sound quality. get is a very clear and shiny image of the car
The only issue is that your hand can block and a clear sky! Overall, it has excellent Design
them while gaming. clarity. It even does a fabulous job at night
Performance
Googles Pixel has also been praised for its photography where the blacks appear
camera. You get a 12.3-megapixel primary authentic in various shades and light
camera
camera which is nothing short of brilliant. reflections are also picked up very well. The
The depth of field of the camera is gyroscope does a great job at image
unbelievable for a phone camera. There was stabilization while the auto-focus is near-
dense fog when the image of the red instantaneous and accurate. rating
Mustang above was clicked and yet all you All in all, the Google Pixel XL does

144 l January 2017 l autox.in

 REVIEW

selfIe wITH a flasH

If youre one of those who cant go about doing anything without a selfie, the
Gionee S6s is made keeping you in mind.

S
elfie lovers, rejoice! For here is a level set to the minimum. Images being the youth thatll a bit of a concern,
phone that unashamedly claims produced from both front and rear no matter how badly they want the cool
that its been made for the cameras are decent, but not class leading. selfie flash thingy of the S6s.
selfie-obsessed folks of the Given how Gionee markets the S6s as a
world. The device in question here is the selfie specialist, we were left a little Design
Gionee S6s and drumroll - it comes with underwhelmed by its camera
a selfie flash. Not only that, the front performance. Performance
camera also packs a slew of face Overall, the Gionee S6s is a pretty
camera
beautification options that can make even good looking device that has the
the wrinkliest of faces appear spotless in performance to match its premium looks.
the picture. But is that all what you need The only real grouse is that its priced
from a smartphone at that price? steeply for the kind of performance it rating
With the Gionee S6s, the company is delivers. And with their target buyers
targeting buyers in the age group of 18-
25. And thats understood since the
youth of today cant go about their daily
routine without posting a selfie or two
on social media. However, the first pre-
requisite to woo the young buyers is how
appealing the device looks by itself.
Suffice it to say, Gionee has had that bit
covered quite effectively with the S6s.
The unibody metal design and sleek
dimensions give the phone an edgy and
premium feel, making it aesthetically
quite pleasing.
The specs arent shoddy either. Lets
start with its cameras first the primary
unit is 13MP with autofocus while the
front camera is 8MP. Computing power
comes courtesy of a 1.3GHz octa-core
processor, clubbed with 3GB of RAM and
32GB of internal memory. The phone runs
Gionees Amigo 3.2 OS thats loosely
based on the Android Marshmallow.
While the specs may not sound path
breaking for a device of this price bracket,
e
Pric 99
the S6s performs flawlessly regardless of
the task you throw at it. The vast number
,9
of pre-loaded apps, however, is a bit of an ` 16
irritant.
The S6s features a 5.5-inch full-HD
(1920x1080) screen that delivers crisp and
vibrant colours, albeit it feels a little too
bright on the eye even with brightness

autox.in l January 2017 l 145

REVIEW
DouBle or NoTHING
LG tries to change the smartphone game with its modular offering, the G5,
which also boasts of dual rear cameras. But will this be enough for LG to
challenge the Galaxy lineup? We find out.
T
he LG brand might not inspire
many takers when it comes to
smartphones, but with the G5,
the South Korean company has
genuinely tried to make a difference. Sure,
this is the first LG phone to have a metal
body and while the competition has
moved on to an inbuilt battery design, LG
has decided to go with a removable one.
But can LG hold a candle against the
leading brands? We find out.
Even though G5 competes against the
Galaxys, iPhones and now Pixels, it
somehow lacks the wow factor when it
comes to design, which a buyer is looking
for, especially in that segment. Sadly, even
though the body is all metal, the paint
finish gives it a plastic look and feel,
which is sacrilege. One has to painfully
move beyond these little niggles.
Our compliments to LG for not getting
sucked into making bigger display
screens. The 5.3-inch screen is big enough
and ensures the phone is ergonomically
friendly and fits easily in hand. And the
display has a Quad HD resolution, which
is fine for your daily use. The pixel
density of 554ppi does a decent job, but
when you compare it with the other
Korean offerings, the G5 looks pale. The
SuperAMOLED screen in the Galaxy
range offers such rich colours that even if
you look at the LGs display screen from
an angle, it appears to be quite dim and
less vibrant.
Our first impressions of the G5 might
be fairly average, but what lies beneath,
we mean the software, is what matters.
Powered by the still very powerful
Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, the G5 is fast
in juggling the social media and the
gaming world. No lag was felt and neither
did it heat up, which is impressive.
Coming to the USP of the G5, this
smartphone has a dual rear camera 16
146 l January 2017 l autox.in
e
Pric 00
,0
megapixel and 8 ` 54
megapixel wide. Even
though the former with
f/1.8 aperture is the
primary camera, the smaller lens with
f/2.4 aperture manages to make the
photograph look a lot bigger. We promise
you, it will make you want to take more
snaps with the 8 MP lens. The 16MP
captures crisp and clear photos and
manages to retain the natural light. In low
light, it does a decent job, but it tends to
overexpose the highlights, which in turn
leads to noise reduction. You can easily
switch the cameras and the G5 also gives
you an option to combine the effects, blur
or vignette of the two with Popout mode.
The G5 comes with lots of pre-set modes,
but if you really want to find out what the
cameras are capable of then you must
switch to manual mode and play around
with settings for white balance, ISO and
shutter speed. Its worth trying as it
completely changes the composition of
the photos.
The G5 is a modular smartphone, which
allows third party gadgets to connect
with the phone. At the moment, LG has
LG Cam Plus and LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O
Play. Basically, these additional devices
enhance the phone features. Therefore,
you can customise the phone as per your
needs.
All-in-all the G5 is a pretty impressive
phone. The display could have been
better, but its not too bad. The dual
cameras are excellent and the 8 MP selfie
lens provide crystal clear snaps. The
2,800mAh battery might not be the best as
most flagship models come with a
3,000mAh one, but its still very
capable. What is good news for all tech
savvy lot is that the G5 also gets the
new 7.0 Nougat Android OS upgrade.
The lack of modular options kind of
kill this path breaking idea, but even
minus this, the G5 is certainly a good
phone to buy. Unfortunately, there are
so many other options in this segment
that this LG phone will go unnoticed.
Design
Performance
camera
rating
NEWS

Tweaking
iT up
OnePlUS 3T
The OnePlus 3 was a runaway success, but the Chinese company doesnt believe in
resting on past laurels. Therefore, they gave the smartphone a midlife upgrade, 3T.
The new phone comes with new Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad core processor and
an Adreno 530 GPU while it retains 6GB of RAM. The 3T has an improved 3,400mAh
lithium-ion battery compared to the OnePlus 3s 3,000mAh. And the 3Ts front camera
now boasts of a new 16MP one replacing the 8MP, which uses a Samsung 3P8SP
sensor and has an aperture of f/2.0. The rear 16MP camera remains the same. OnePlus
have also increased the internal storage, therefore, the 3T will now be available in
64GB and 128GB versions. The latter will only come in Gunmetal colour.
Price: 64GB - `29,999 & 128GB - `34,999

easy on
The walleT
XIAOMI Mi VR
Xiaomi has launched its first virtual reality headset and it is compatible with
smartphones with screen sizes between 4.7-inch to 5.7-inch. The company
claims that the lycra fabric is skin-friendly and will not cause any discomfort
while the headsets dimensions are 201 x 107 x 91mm, and it weighs roughly
208 grams. The headset can be used to watch any Virtual Reality content along
with 360-degree videos on youTube, Facebook and other platforms. Theres also a
Mi VR companion app which has 3D movies, 2D or gaming applications that can
be watched on the same. The Mi live app lets you stream Indian content. Xiaomi
says the Mi VR Play app is Google Cardboard compatible and gives users access
to the library of videos and apps on Google Play as well.
Price: `999

acousTic bliss
SOny nW-A35 WAlkMAn
Sony has expanded its Walkman portfolio with the new nW-A35. It is available only
in a black shade and is fitted with enhanced audio experience with S-Master HX
digital amplifier. The nW-A35 also offers support for Direct-Stream Digital (DSD)
formats. Thanks to digital noise cancelling function, the Walkman first analyses the
environmental ambient sound and then selects the most effective mode. It is Bluetooth
and nFC-enabled and according to Sony, it can play tracks up to 45 hours from a single
charge. It has 16GB built-in memory, but it can be expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD
card. The Walkman has a 3.1-inch touch-screen interface with side keys.
Price: `15,990

148 l January 2017 l autox.in

1st BUILDINGS
NEWS

new &
improved
HeRO5 CAMeRAS
GoPro has launched its new Hero5 cameras Hero5 Black and the Hero5 Session. The
Hero5 Black comes with a 2-inch touch screen and is capable of recording 4k videos at
30fps. But the quality of the 12MP wide-angle shots remains the same as the Hero4. The
new camera also comes with a built-in GPS, and offers RAW and WDR Photo Modes. The
GoPro Hero5 Session also offers 4k video recording at 30fps, but takes pictures at 10MP.
The Session is smaller in size and does not have a touch display. Both are capable of
auto-uploading photos and videos to GoPro Plus, a cloud based subscription service where
one can also edit and share GoPro content via a phone or a computer. Both the cameras
are water proof up to 10 meters and also feature image stabilization, voice control with
support for up to seven languages.
Price: Hero5 Black - `38,000 & Hero5 SeSSion - `29,500

waTer proof
acTion camera
GARMIn VIRB UlTRA 30
Garmins Virb Ultra 30 camera is waterproof and is capable of shooting Ultra
HD footage at 4k/30fps. It features sensors and GPS that allows the camera to
automatically gather G-Metrix data to display users activity status. It also comes
with features like voice control, lCD colour touchscreen, one-touch live streaming
and 3-axis image stabilization. This ensures steady capture of videos especially
slow motion videos. The Virb Ultra 30 has microSD slot and also features a
microphone. The Sensory Truly Handsfree Voice Control feature can be used to
speak commands to it. The Garmin Virb app allows users to live stream HD videos
on youtube and upload them on social media with Garmin Connect. Smartphones or
tablets can be used as remote controls for the action camera using WiFi.
Price: `43,990

worlds slimmesT
2-1 lapTop
lenOVO yOGA BOOk
The lenovo yoga Book 2-in-1 laptop include a first-of-its-kind Halo keyboard, which is
detachable, and Real Pen input. Dubbed as the worlds thinnest and lightest 2-in-1, it
measures just 9.6mm in thickness and weighs 690 grams. The new yoga Book runs on
Windows 10 Pro and has a 10.1-inch full-HD (1200x1920 pixels) IPS display at 400 nits
brightness. It is powered by a 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8550 processor with 4GB
of lPDDR3 RAM. The yoga Book has 64GB of internal storage, which is expandable via
microSD card up to 128GB. With a 8500mAh battery, lenovo claims the device can run
for up to 13 hours on a single charge.
Price: `49,990

150 l January 2017 l autox.in

www.autox.in

Powered by

FinD Your
Dream
machine
FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)

Audi
A3
35 Tdi 29.4-35.6 29.5-35.9 30.1-36.6 1968 4 140 320 6A D 2637 -
40 TFSi 27.1 27.3 27.9 1798 4 174 250 7A P 2637 -
Cabriolet 47.3 47.7 48.5 1798 4 177 250 7A P 2637 -
A4
30 TFSi 38.1-41.2 38.4-41.5 39-42.1 1395 4 150 250 7A P 2820 1450
A6
35 TFSi 48.1-52.7 53.2-48.5 49.3-54 1798 4 187 320 7A P 2912 1610
35 Tdi 51.8 52.2 53.5 1968 4 187 400 7A D 2912 1735
A8
50 Tdi 115-120 116-121 118-123 2967 6 247 550 8A D 3122 1965
60 TFSi 140 141 143 3993 8 600 445 8A P 3122 1945
60 Tdi 145 146 149 4134 8 346 800 8A D 3122 2120
W12 197 200 200 6299 12 494 625 8A P 2133 NA
Q3
30 Tdi 30.5 30.7 31.3 1968 4 138 320 6A D - 1520
35 Tdi 34.2-40.9 34.5-41.3 35.1-42 1968 4 174 380 7A D - 1660
Q5
30 Tdi 48.4-55.4 48.8-55.9 49.6-56.7 1968 4 170 350 7A D 2807 1830
Q7
45 Tdi 72.9-80.9 73.5-81.6 74.5-82.7 2967 6 237 550 8A D 3002 2375
TT
45 TFSi 63.4 64 64 1984 4 226 370 6A P 2505 1410
S5
S5 Sportback 66.2 66.7 66.7 2995 6 328 440 7A P 2811 1820
RS
RS6 Avant 140 142 144 3993 8 552 700 8A P 2915 2025
RS7 Sportback 146 148 150 3993 8 553 700 8A P 2915 1995
RS7 Performance 159 161 163 3993 8 597 750 8A P 2915 1995
R8
V10 Plus 255 257 260 5204 10 601 560 7A P 2650 1555

BenTley
Continental
Continental GT 190 192.3 189 5998 12 567 700 6A P 2746 2320
Continental GTC 224 226.7 225 5998 12 552 650 6A P 2745 2540
Continental Flying Spur 225 226.1 226 5998 12 552 650 6A P 2745 2525
Mulsanne
Mulsanne 290 293.1 289 6752 8 505 1020 8A P 3266 2585
Bentayga
Bentayga 385 385 385 5950 12 600 900 8A P 2992 2422

BMW
i Series
i8 229 229 229 1499 3 231+131 570 6A P+E 2800 1485
1 Series
118d 31 31 31 1995 4 143 320 8A D 2690 1370
3 Series
320i 36.9-42.7 36.9-42.7 36.9-42.7 1995 4 184 270 8A P 2810 1950
320d 36.9-45.9 36.9-45.9 36.9-45.9 1995 4 184 380 8A D 2810 1595
GT
320d GT 43.3-47.5 43.3-47.5 43.3-47.5 1995 4 184 380 8A D 2810 1595
5 Series
520i 54 54 54 1997 4 184 270 8A P 2968 -
520d 50.5-54 50.5-54 50.5-54 1995 4 190 400 8A D 2968 1795
530d 62 62 62 1995 4 190 400 8A D 2968 -
6 Series
640d Gran Coupe 115-122 115-122 115-122 2993 6 313 630 8A D 2968 2395
7 Series
730ld 114-144 114-144 114-144 2993 6 265 620 8A D 3210 1870
750li 154-159 154-159 154-159 4395 8 450 650 8A P 3210 1940

* All prices in lakhs

 FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
X1
X1 sdrive20d 29.9-34.9 29.9-34.9 29.9-34.9 1995 4 184 380 8A D 2760 1800
X1 xdrive20d 36.9-40.9 36.9-40.9 36.9-40.9 1995 4 184 380 8A D 2760 1800
X3
X3 xdrive20d 47.5-53.9 47.5-53.9 47.5-53.9 1995 4 190 400 8A D 2810 1875
X3 xdrive30d 61 61 61 2993 4 258 560 8A D 2810 -
X5
X5 xdrive30d 67.9-78.5 67.9-78.5 67.9-78.5 2993 6 258 560 8A D 2933 2150
X6
X6 xdrive40d 120 120 120 2993 6 306 600 8A D 2933 2185
Z4 Roadster
Z4 sdrive35i 77.5-78.5 77.5-78.5 77.5-78.5 2979 6 306 400 7A P 2495 1525
M
M3 125 125 125 2979 6 431 550 7A P 2810 1620
M4 Coupe 127 1274 127 2979 6 431 550 7A P 2810 1610
M5 135 135 135 4395 8 560 680 7A P 2965 1990
M6 Gran Coupe 176 176 176 4395 8 560 680 7A P 2970 2010
X5 M 161 161 161 4395 8 575 750 8A P 2933 2275
X6 M 166 166 166 4395 8 575 750 8A P 2933 2275

CheVRoleT
Spark
1.0 (d) 3.2-4.14 3.4-4.3 3.3-4.2 995 4 62 90 5M P/LPG 2345 840
Beat
1.2 (P) 3.9-5 4.1-5.1 3.9-5 1199 4 82 108 5M P/LPG 2375 965
1.0 (d) 4.7-6 4.9-6.2 4.8-6 936 3 62 160 5M D 2375 -
Sail hatchback
1.2 (P) 4.2-5.6 4.4-5.9 4.3-5.7 1199 4 85 113 5M P 2465 1065
1.3 (d) 5.3-6.7 5.5-7 5.4-6.8 1248 4 77 205 5M D 2465 1124
Sail
1.2 (P) 5-6.4 5.2-6.7 5-6.5 1199 4 85 113 5M P 2465 1065
1.3 (d) 6.3-7.5 6.6-7.9 6.4-7.6 1248 4 77 205 5M D 2465 1124
enjoy
1.4 (P) 5.5-7 5.7-7.3 5.6-7.1 1399 4 103 131 5M P 2720 1260
1.3 (d) 6.7-8 7-8.4 6.8-8.1 1248 4 76 188 5M D 2720 1345
Cruze
2.0 (d) 13.8-16 14.5-16.7 14.1-16.2 1998 4 164 380 6M/6A D 2685 1520
Trailblazer
2.8 (d) 4X2 23.9 24.3 24.3 2776 4 197 500 6A D 2845 2068

dATSun
redi-Go
0.8 (P) 2.4 - 3.3 2.5 - 3.5 2.4 - 3.3 799 3 53 72 5M P 2348 NA
Go
1.2 (P) 3.5 -4.1 4.2-4.7 3.5-4.2 1198 3 67 104 5M P 2450 840
Go+
1.2 (P) 3.8-4.6 4-4.8 3.8-4.6 1198 3 67 104 5M P 2450 -

FeRRARi
California
California T 268 268 268 4297 8 453 485 6M/7A P 2670 1735
488
488 GTB 390 390 390 3902 8 661 760 7A P 2650 1475

FiAT
Punto evo
1.2 (P) 5.8 5.8 5.8 1172 4 67 96 5M P 2510 1190
1.3 (d) 6.8-7.9 6.8-7.9 6.8-7.9 1248 4 90 209 5M D 2510 1190
Avventura
1.2 (P) 6.8-7.7 7-7.9 6.9-7.9 1172 4 67 96 5M P 2510 1190
1.3 (d) 7.5-9.3 7.7-9.3 7.7-9.3 1248 4 90 209 5M D 2510 1190
1.3 (d) 90hP 6.8 7.5 7.8 1248 4 92 209 5M D 2510 1144

* All prices in lakhs

FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
linea
1.4 (P) 6.5-7.7 6.9-8.7 7.4-8.6 1368 4 89 115 5M P 2603 1180
1.3 (d) 7.4-8.7 8-10.2 8.4-9.9 1248 4 92 209 5M D 2603 1210
1.4 (P) T-Jet 8.5-9 8.8-11.3 9.3-10.3 1368 4 112 207 5M P 2603 1230
Abarth
Punto evo 10.2 10.2 10.2 1368 4 145 212 5M P 2510 NA
Avventura 10.3 10.3 10.3 1368 4 140 210 5M P 2510 1255
595 Competizione 29.8 30.5 30.4 1368 4 160 230 5A P NA NA

FoRCe
Force one
2.2 (d) 11.2 11.2 11.4 2149 4 140 321 5M D 3025 -
Gurkha
2.6 (d) 6.3-8.5 6.3-8.5 6.4-8.7 2596 4 80/110 230 5M D 2400 1860

FoRd
Figo
1.2 (P) 4.5-6.2 4.7-6.6 4.6-5.8 1196 4 86 112 5M P 2491 -
1.5 (d) 5.6-7.1 5.9-7.5 5.7-7.3 1498 4 99 215 5M D 2491 -
1.5 (P) 7.2 7.6 7.4 1499 4 110 136 6A P 2491 -
Figo Aspire
1.2 (P) 5.3-6.8 5.5-7.1 5.4-6.9 1196 4 86 112 5M P 2491 -
1.5 (d) 6.4-7.9 6.8-8.2 6.5-8 1498 4 99 215 5M D 2491 -
1.5 (P) 8.2 8.5 8.4 1499 4 110 136 6A P 2491 -
ecoSport
1.5 (P) 6.8-9.9 7.3-10.4 6.1-10.1 1499 4 110 140 5M/6A P 2520 1268
1.5 (d) 7.4-10 7.9-10.5 6.6-10.2 1498 4 90 204 5M D 2520 1290
1.0 ecoBoost (P) 8.3-9.7 8.7-10.2 7.4-9.9 999 3 123 170 5M P 2520 1259
endeavour
2.2 (d) 4x2 25.5-27.5 25.5-27.5 25.5-27.5 2198 4 157 385 6M/6A D 2850 1879
2.2 (d) 4x4 26.6 26 26 2198 4 157 385 6M D 2850 1879
3.2 (d) 4x4 27.6-29.7 28.2-29.8 28.2-29.8 3198 4 197 470 6A D 2850 1879
Mustang
5.0 (P) GT 65 65 65 4951 8 400 515 6A P 2720 -

hondA
Brio
1.2 (P) 4.6-6.8 5.1-6.3 4.9-6.1 1198 4 87 109 5M/5A P 2345 920-970
Amaze
1.2 (P) 5.5-8.4 5.9-8.8 5.6-8.4 1198 4 87 109 5M/CVT P 2405 950-1010
1.5 (d) 6.7-8.4 7.2-8.8 6.8-8.5 1498 4 99 200 5M D 2405 1060-1075
Jazz
1.2 (P) 5.6-8.3 5.9-8.6 5.7-8.4 1198 4 88 110 5M/CVT P 2530 1042
1.5 (d) 6.9-9 7.2-9.4 7.1-9.2 1498 4 98 200 6M D 2530 1130
City
1.5 (P) 8.2-12.1 8.5-12.6 8.3-12.3 1497 4 117 145 5M/CVT P 2600 920
1.5 (d) 9.4-12.5 9.8-13 9.6-12.7 1498 4 98.6 200 6M D 2600 940
Mobilio
1.5 (P) 7.2-12.2 7.5-10.6 7.6-10.5 1497 4 117 145 5M P 2652 1131-1254
1.5 (d) 8.7-12.4 9.1-12.9 9.1-12.9 1498 4 99 200 5M D 2652 1131-1254
BR-V
1.5 (P) 8.8-12.1 9.2-12.6 9-12.3 1497 4 119 145 6M/CVT P 2662 1238
1.5 (d) 10-13 10.4-13.5 10.1-13.2 1498 4 100 200 6M D 2662 1306
CR-V
2.0 (P) 4x2 22.1-23.9 23.4-25.3 22.8-24.6 1997 4 154 190 6M/5A P 2620 1480
2.4 (P) 4x4 26.2 27.7 27 2354 4 187 226 5A P 2620 1500-1600
Accord
2.0 hybried 37 40.1 40.9 1993 4 143 175 E-CVT P 2776 1620

hyundAi
eon
0.8 (P) 3.2-4.2 3.4-4.4 3.2-4.3 814 3 55 74 5M P 2380 -
1.0 (P) 4.4-4.5 4.6-4.7 4.4-4.5 998 3 68 94 5M P 2380 -
* All prices in lakhs
 FIND your
Dream Car
Price(ex-showroom)*
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
i10
1.1 (P) 4.3-5.2 4.5-5.4 4.3-5.2 1086 4 68 99 5M P 2380 -
Grand i10
1.2 (P) 4.9-6.8 5.1-7.1 4.1-6.9 1197 4 82 114 5M P 2425 -
1.1 (d) 5.7-7 6-7.3 5.8-7.1 1120 3 70 160 5M D 2425 -
elite i20
1.2 (P) 5.6-7.6 5.8-7.9 5.6-7.2 1197 4 82 115 5M P 2570 -
1.4 (P) 9 9 9 1368 4 98 132 4A P 2570 1066
1.4 (d) 6.8-8.8 7.1-9.2 6.9-9 1396 4 89 220 6M D 2570 -
i20 Active
1.2 (P) 6.7-8.1 7-8.5 6.8-8.3 1197 4 82 115 5M P 2570 -
1.4 (d) 8-9.5 8.4-10 8.2-9.7 1396 4 89 220 6M D 2570 -
Xcent
1.2 (P) 5.2-7.8 5.5-8.2 5.2-7.9 1197 4 82 113 5M/4A P 2425 -
1.1 (d) 6.1-8 6.4-8.4 6.2-8.1 1120 3 71 180 5M D 2425 -
Verna
1.4 (P) 7.8 8.2 8 1396 4 105 135 5M P 2570 -
1.6 (P) 9-10.8 9.5-11.3 9.2-11 1591 4 121 155 5M/4A P 2570 -
1.4 (d) 9.1 9.5 9.3 1396 4 88 220 6M D 2570 -
1.6 (d) 10.2-13 10.7-13.7 10.4-13.3 1582 4 126 260 6M/4A D 2570 -
elantra
2.0 (P) 13-18 13.6-18.8 13.2-18.3 1999 4 150 192 6M/6A P 2700 -
1.6 (d) 14.7-19.1 15.5-20.1 15-19.5 1582 4 126 259 6M/6A D 2700 -
Creta
1.6 (d) 12.4-14.5 13-15.2 12.6-14.8 1582 4 128 260 6M/6A D 2590 -
1.4 (d) 10-12.1 10.5-12.7 10.2-12.3 1396 4 90 220 6M D 2590 -
1.6 (P) 9.2-12.9 9.6-13.5 9.3-13.1 1591 4 123 151 6M/6A P 2590 -
Tucson
2.0 (P) 2Wd 18.9-21.7 19.1-22 19.2-21.9 1999 4 153 193 6M/6A P 2760 -
2.0 (d) 2Wd 21.5-24.9 21.8-25.2 21.7-25.1 1995 4 183 400 6M.6A D 2760 -
Santa Fe
2.2 (d) 4x2 28.5-29.7 29.8-31.2 29-30.2 2199 4 194 420 7M D 2700 -
2.2 (d) 4x4 31.9 33.4 32.5 2199 4 194 420 7A D 2700 -

iSuZu
Mu-7
3.0 (d) 20.9-23.5 20.8-23.4 21.3-23.9 2999 4 161 360 5M D 3050 1900
dmax
2.5 (d) 5.9 -7.6 6-7.7 6-7.7 2499 4 98 294 5M D 3050 1650
2.5 (d) V-Cross 12.49 12.49 12.49 2499 4 135 320 5M D - -

JAGuAR
Xe
2.0 (P) 40.3-48.5 39.9-48 41-49.3 1999 4 197 320 8A P 2835 1547
F-Pace
2.0 (d) 68.4-74.5 72.3-82.2 67.7-73.8 1999 4 177 430 8A D 2874 1775
3.0 (d) 102-112 128-130 101-111 2993 6 296 700 8A D 2874 1775
XF
3.0 (d) 60.0 59.5 61 2993 6 271 600 6A D 2909 1810
2.2 (d) 47.7-51.5 47.2-51 48.5-52.4 2179 4 197 450 8A D 2909 1780
2.0 (P) 51.2 50.7 52.1 1999 4 237 340 8A P 2909 2240
XJ
2.0 (P) 97.7 97.2 99.5 1999 4 237 340 8A P 3157 1824
3.0 (d) 96.6-104 96.1-103 98.3-105 2993 6 271 600 8A D 3157 1988
F-Type
V6 Convertible 153.7 153.7 156.4 2995 6 375 460 8A P 2622 1614
V8 Convertible 181.2 181.3 184.4 5000 8 543 680 8A P 2622 1650
V6 Coupe 125.8 125.9 128.1 2955 6 335 450 8A P 2622 1577
V6 Coupe S 138.8 138.8 141.2 2995 6 375 460 8A P 2622 1594
V8 Coupe R 188.4 188.4 191.7 5000 8 543 680 8A P 2622 1650

JeeP
Wrangler
2.8 (d) 71.6 77.4 76.4 2768 4 197 460 5A D 2947 -
* All prices in lakhs
FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
Grand Cherokee
3.0 (d) 93.6-103 100-110 100-110 2998 6 239 570 8A D 2915 2955
6.4 (P) SRT 112 120 120 6398 8 468 624 8A P 2915 2949

lAMBoRGhini
Aventador
lP700-4 484 484 484 6498 12 691 690 7A P 2700 1575
lP700-4 Roadster 537 537 537 6498 12 691 690 7A P 2700 1625
huracan
lP610-4 340-390 340-390 340-390 5204 10 602 540 7A P 2620 1422
lP580-2 299 299 299 5204 10 580 540 7A P 2620 1422

lAnd RoVeR
Range Rover evoque
2.2 Sd4 50.5-57.8 50-57.3 51.4-58.8 2179 4 187 420 9A D 2660 1715
discovery
3.0 SdV6 111.3-119.9 111.3-120 113.3-122.1 2993 6 245 600 8A D 2885 2583
discovery Sport
2.2 Td4 46.1-54.8 46.1-54.8 46.9-55.8 2179 4 147 420 6A D 2660 1805
2.2 Sd4 60.7-62.2 60.7-62.2 61.8-63.3 2179 4 187 420 6A D 2660 1805
2.0 Si4 56.5 56.5 56.5 1999 4 237 340 9A P 2741 -
Range Rover
3.0 TdV6 207.6-219.5 207.7-219.6 211.3-223.4 2993 6 244 600 8A D 2922 2160
4.4 SdV8 247.6-381.9 247.7-382 252-388.7 4367 8 335 740 8A D 2922 2360
5.0 V8 262.4-392.7 262.5-392.8 267.1-399.8 4999 8 503 625 8A P 2922 2330
Range Rover Sport
3.0 SdV6 116.1-151.5 116.1-151.5 118.1-154.2 2993 6 288 600 8A D 2923 2572
5.0 V8 174.8-203.6 174.9-203.6 177.9-207.2 4999 8 503 625 8A P 2923 2675

MAhindRA
Verito Vibe
1.5 (d) 7.2-8.1 7.2-7.8 7.3-8.2 1461 4 65 160 5M D 2630 -
Verito
1.5 (d) 7.2-8.2 7.2-8.1 7.3-8.3 1461 4 65 160 5M D 2630 1140
e Verito 9.5-10 9.5-10 9.5-10 Electric - 41 91 Direct Drive E 2630 -
KuV 100
1.2 (P) 4.6-6.2 4.5-6.2 5.6-7.2 1198 4 82 115 5M P 2385 -
1.2 (d) 5.5-7.1 5.5-7.1 4.7-6.3 1198 4 77 190 5M D 2385 -
nuvoSport
1.5 (d) 7.4-9.9 7.4-9.8 7.6-10.1 1493 4 100 240 5M/5A D 2760 -
TuV 300
1.5 (d) 7.4-9.7 7.3-9.5 7.5-9.8 1493 3 84 230 5M/5A D 2680 2225
1.5 (d) 100 9-9.7 9-9.7 9-9.7 1493 3 100 240 5M/5A D 2680 2225
Thar
2.5 (d) 5.2-8.9 5.2-8.6 5.3-8.9 2498 4 105 247 5M D 2430 1750
Bolero
2.4 (d) 6.7-8.7 6.5-8.3 6.7-8.7 2325 4 63 180 5M D 2680 1575
Xylo
2.5 (d) 8.5-11.2 8.2-11.1 8.3-11.3 2498 4 112 240 5M D 2760 1830
Scorpio
2.6 (d) 9.4-12.5 9.1-12 9.1-12.9 2179 4 120 290 5M/6A D 2680 1850
1.99 (d) 10-14.4 9.5-13.8 10.1-14.5 1997 4 120 290 5M/6A D 2680 1850
XuV 500
2.6 (d) 12.2-18 12.1-18.2 12.4-18.5 2179 4 120 290 5M/6A D 2680 1850
1.99 (d) 12-17.3 12-17.3 12-17.3 1997 4 120 290 5M/6A D 2680 1850

MARuTi SuZuKi
Alto
800 2.4-3.7 2.6-4 2.6-3.9 796 3 46 62 5M P 2360 720
K 10 3.2-4.1 3.4-4.4 3.4-4.3 998 3 67 90 5M P - 735
* All prices in lakhs
 FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
Celerio
1.0 (P) 4-5.2 4.2-5.5 4.1-5.3 998 3 67 90 5M/5A P 2425 810-830
0.8 (d) 4.8-5.9 5-6.2 4.9-6 793 2 47 125 5M D 2425 880
Wagon R
1.0 (P) 4.1-5.1 4.3-5.4 4.2-.5.3 998 3 67 90 5M/5A P 2400 885
Ritz
1.2 (P) 4.3-6.1 4.5-6.4 4.4-6.3 1197 4 83 113 5M/5A P 2360 1005
1.3 (d) 5.5-6.5 5.7-6.9 5.7-6.8 1248 4 75 190 5M D 2360 1110
Swift
1.2 (P) 4.7-6.3 5-6.6 4.9-6.5 1197 4 85 114 5M P 2430 960-1080
1.3 (d) 5.9-7.4 6.2-7.7 6.1-7.6 1248 4 74 190 5M D 2430 960-1080
dzire
1.2 (P) 5.2-7 5.5-7.3 5.3-7.1 1197 4 84 113 5M/5A P 2390 1010
1.3 (d) 6.1-8.5 6.8-8.8 6.6-8.6 1248 4 75 190 5M/5A D 2390 1150
Ciaz
1.4 (P) 7.5-10.5 8-11.1 7.9-10.9 1373 4 91 130 5M/4A P 2650 1490
1.3 (d) 7.7-9.5 8.8-10.9 8.7-10.7 1248 4 88 200 5M D 2650 1585
Baleno
1.2 (P) 5.2-7.5 5.5-7.9 5.4-7.8 1197 4 83 115 5M/5A P 2520 910
1.3 (d) 6.3-8.3 6.6-8.7 6.5-8.6 1248 4 74 190 5M D 2520 960
Vitara Brezza
1.3 (d) 7.1-9.8 7.5-10.3 7.4-10.1 1248 4 89 200 5M D 2500 1680
ertiga
1.4 (P) 6.1-8.7 6.7-9.1 6.7-9.1 1373 4 94 130 5M/4A P 2740 -
1.3 (d) 7.1-8.7 8.1-9.8 8-9.8 1248 4 89 200 5M D 2740 -
S Cross
1.3 (d) 8-9.8 8.5-9.8 8.4-9.8 1248 4 89 200 5M D 2600 1180
1.6 (d) 10.2-12 10.8-12.7 10.6-12.5 1598 4 118 320 6M D 2600 1250

MeRCedeS-BenZ
A-Class
180 27.4 28.1 27.9 1595 4 122 200 7A P 2699 1375
200d 28.5 29.2 29 2143 4 136 300 7A D 2699 1505
ClA-Class
200 35 34.5 35.2 1991 4 183 300 7A P 2699 1510
200d 31.4-35.9 32.8-36.3 32.1-35.5 2143 4 136 300 7A D 2699 1570
B-Class
180 29.4 29.4 30 1595 4 122 200 7A P 2699 1425
200d 30.5 30.4 31 2143 4 136 300 7A D 2699 1577
C-Class
200 40.6 38.2 42.1 1991 4 184 300 7A P 2840 1545
220d 39.6-41.6 40.9-43.7 40.3-43.2 2143 4 170 400 7A D 2840 1655
250d 45.2 NA NA 2143 4 204 500 9A D 2840 1650
300 Cabriolet 60 60.7 60.4 1991 4 242 370 9A P 2840 1565
e-Class
200 49.9-51 51.5-52.6 51.9 1991 4 181 300 7A P 2874 1720
250d 50.7-51.7 52.3-53.3 49.1-52.1 2143 4 201 500 9A D 2874 1800
350d 59.9-61.8 58.8-63.7 61-62.8 2987 6 181 620 7A D 2874 1915
400 Cabriolet 80.2 82.8 81.7 2996 6 333 480 7A P 2760 1845
S-Class
350d 110 120 120 2987 6 254 620 7A D 3035 2132
400 130 130 130 2996 6 333 480 7A P 3035 2113
500 Coupe 210 200 210 4663 8 455 700 9A P 2945 2030
500 Cabriolet 225 228 227 4663 8 448 700 9A P - -
Maybach S500 180 180 170 4663 8 459 700 9A P 3365 2280
Maybach S600 270 260 260 5980 12 530 830 9A P 3365 2335
ClS-Class
250d 76.5 78.9 77.9 2143 4 204 500 7A D 2874 1850

* All prices in lakhs

FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
GlA-Class
200 34.2-36 34.2-36 36.6 1991 4 183 300 7A P 2699 1525
200d 32.8-36.9 33.9-37 32.5-35.5 2143 4 136 300 7A D 2699 1589
220d 38.9 33.9 38.9 2143 4 168 350 7A D 2699 1585
GlC-Class
300 51.9 58.9 58 1991 4 245 370 9A P 2873 1871
220d 47.9-51.5 49.453.5 53.1-57.5 2143 4 170 400 9A D 2873 1954
Gle-Class
250d 61.9 63.8 63 2143 4 204 500 9A D 2915 2150
250d 72.9 75.2 74.2 2987 6 258 620 9A D 2915 2175
400 74.9 74.9 74.9 2996 6 328 480 7A P 2915 -
450 AMG 89.6 92.5 69.6 2996 6 367 520 9A P 2915 2220
GlS-Class
350d 81.9 84.5 83.4 2987 6 258 620 9A D 3075 2455
400 81.9 86.6 84 2996 6 333 480 9A P 3075 2455
AMG
ClA 45 AMG 70.9 67.2 69.7 1991 4 381 475 7A P 2699 1650
GlA 45 AMG 70.9 67.2 69.7 1991 4 381 475 7A P 2699 -
C 43 AMG 74.3 75.6 75 2982 6 362 520 9A P - -
C 63 AMG 130 130 130 3982 8 510 700 7A P 2840 1730
e 63 AMG 130 130 130 5461 8 557 720 7A P 2874 1845
G 63 AMG 320 320 320 5461 8 572 760 7A P 2850 2550
S 63 AMG Coupe 270 270 270 5461 8 585 900 7A P 2945 2070
S 63 AMG 260 260 260 5461 8 585 900 7A P 3165 2070
SlK 55 AMG 130 130 130 5461 8 421 540 7A P 2430 1610
AMG GT-S 250 250 250 3982 8 510 650 7A P 2630 1645

Mini
Mini 3-door
Cooper d 28.5 28.5 28.5 1496 3 114 270 6A D 2495 -
Cooper S 31.5 31.5 31.5 1998 4 192 280 6A P 2495 1250
Mini 5-door
Cooper d 31.9 31.9 31.9 1496 3 116 270 6A D 2567 -
Mini Convertible
Cooper S 34.9 34.9 34.9 1998 4 192 280 6A P 2495 1370
Mini Clubman
Cooper S 37.9 37.9 37.9 1998 4 192 280 8A P 2670 1960
Mini Countryman
Cooper d 36.5 36.5 36.5 1998 4 112 270 6A D 2595 1385

MiTSuBiShi
Montero
3.2 (d) 41.34 42.3 42.6 3200 4 199 441 5A D 2780 2380
Pajero Sport
2.5 (d) 23.1 23.1 23.7 2477 4 176 400 5M D 2800 2065

niSSAn
Micra
1.2 (P) Active 4.5-5.3 4.9-5.7 4.6-5.3 1198 3 67 104 5M P 2450 -
1.2 (P) 6-6.8 6.4-7.2 6-6.8 1198 3 74 104 CVT P 2450 930
1.5 (d) 6.4-7 6.9-7.5 6.5-7 1461 4 63 160 5M D 2450 1008
Sunny
1.5 (P) 7.9-10.9 8.5-11.6 8-10.9 1498 4 100 134 5M/CVT P 2600 998-1027
1.5 (d) 8.8-10.4 9.4-11.1 8.9-10.5 1461 4 84 200 5M D 2600 1097
Terrano
1.6 (P) 9.9 10.1 10 1598 4 102 145 5M P 2673 1755
1.5 (d) 85 9.9-11.7 10.1-12.4 10-11.7 1461 4 84 200 5M D 2673 1787
1.5 (d) 110 13.5 14.3 13.1 1461 4 108 245 6M D 2673 1787
GT-R
3.8 (P) 199 199 199 3798 6 561 637 6A P 2799 1737
* All prices in lakhs
 FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)

PoRSChe
Boxster
Boxster S 102 100.1 - 3436 6 315 360 6M/7A P 2475 1370
Boxster GTS 115 112.9 - 3436 6 330 370 6M/7A P 2475 1375
Macan
2.0 70 76.2 70 1984 4 248 370 8A P 2807 1925
R4 76.8 76.8 76.8 1984 4 249 370 7A P 2807 1925
S diesel 100 98.2 - 2697 6 241 580 7A D 2807 -
Turbo 111 109 - 3604 6 394 550 7A P 2807 -
Cayman
Cayman S 104.5 102.6 - 3436 6 325 370 6M/7A P 2475 1320-1350
Cayman GTS 117.5 115.4 - 3436 6 340 380 6M/7A P 2475 1345-1375
911
Carrera 140 140 140 2981 6 370 450 7A P 2450 1535
Carrera Cabriolet 160 160 160 2981 6 370 450 7A P 2450 1595
Carrera S 160 160 160 2981 6 420 500 7A P 2450 1525
Cayenne
Cayenne diesel 104 102.1 - 2967 6 245 550 8A D 2895 2110
Cayenne S 118.5 116.3 - 3604 6 420 550 8A P 2895 2065
Cayenne S diesel 121 118.8 - 4134 8 382 850 8A D 2895 2195
Cayenne Turbo 178 174.8 - 4806 8 500 700 8A P 2895 2170
Panamera
Panamera diesel 116.1 114 - 2967 6 250 550 8A D 2920 1880
Panamera 117 114.9 - 3605 6 300 400 7A P 2920 1730
Panamera 4 119.5 117.3 - 3605 6 300 400 7A P 2920 1820
Panamera GTS 150 147.3 - 4806 8 430 520 7A P 2920 1920
Panamera Turbo 185 181.6 - 4806 8 500 700 7A P 2920 1970
Panamera Turbo S 233 228.8 - 4806 8 550 750 7A P 2920 1995

PReMieR
Rio
1.2 (P) 6.3-6.6 6.4-6.7 6.4-6.7 1173 4 76 104 5M P 2420 1080
1.5 (d) 6.96 7.1 7.12 1489 4 64 152 5M D 2420 1145
1.3 (d) CRdi4 7.24 7.39 7.41 1248 4 72 183 5M D 2420 1145

RenAulT
Kwid
0.8 (P) 2.7 - 3.7 2.7 - 3.7 2.8 - 3.8 799 3 53 72 5M P 2422 -
1.0 (P) 3.8-4.2 4.2-4.3 4-4.4 999 3 70 91 5M/5A P 2422 -
Pulse
1.5 (d) 5.9-6.5 6.2-6.7 5.9-6.6 1461 4 63 160 5M D 2450 1070
duster
1.6 (P) 8.47-9.27 9.3-9.5 7.6-8.6 1598 4 103 148 5M P 2673 1740
1.5 (d) 85 9.27-11.47 10.1-12.4 8.5-10.5 1461 4 84 200 5M D 2673 1758
1.5 (d) 110 11-13.57 12-14.6 8.5-10.5 1461 4 109 245 6M/6A D 2673 1758
Scala
1.5 (P) 6.9-7.8 6.9-7.8 7-7.9 1498 4 98 134 5M P 2600 1005
1.5 (d) 8.6-9.5 8.7-9.6 8.6-9.5 1461 4 85 200 5M D 2600 -
lodgy
1.5 (d) 85PS 8.2-10.9 - - 1461 4 83.8 200 5M D 2810 1300
1.5 (d) 110PS 10.1-11.8 - - 1461 4 108.5 245 6M D 2810 1353

SKodA
Rapid
1.6 (P) 8.3-11.4 8.7-12 8.9-12.4 1598 4 103 153 5M/6A P 2552 1111-1187
1.6 (d) 9.5-12.7 10-12.7 10.2-12.7 1498 4 103 250 5M/7A D 2552 1182-1228
* All prices in lakhs
FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
yeti
2.0 (d) 13.9-17.5 14.2-17.9 14.1-17.8 1968 4 140 320 6M D 2578 1543
octavia
1.4 (P) 16-17 16.6-17.7 16.9-18.2 1395 4 138 250 6M P 2688 1260
1.8 (P) 21 21.7 22.1 1798 4 177 250 7A P 2688 1395
2.0 (d) 18.2-22.8 18.8-23.7 18.8-23.6 1968 4 141 330 6M/6A D 2688
Superb
1.8 (P) 23.8 22.68 24.3 1798 4 178 320 6M P 2841 1494
1.8 (P) AT 25.1-28.3 22.91-26.9 25.6-28.8 1798 4 178 250 7A P 2841 1540
2.0 (d) 27.7-31 26.4-29.4 28.2-30.4 1968 4 175 350 6A D 2841 1565

SSAnGyonG
Rexton
2.7 (d) RX5 18.8 18.7 19.1 2696 5 162 340 5M D 2835 -
2.7 (d) RX7 21 20.9 21.4 2696 5 184 402 5A D 2835 -

TATA
GenX nano
0.7 (P) 1.2-1.7 1.7-2.3 1.7-2.3 624 2 34.5 48 4M P 2230 600
Tiago
1.05 (d) 3.9-5.5 4.2-5.8 4.1-5.6 1047 3 69 140 5M D 2400 1030
1.2 (P) 3.2-4.8 3.4-5 3.3-4.8 1199 3 84 114 5M P 2400 930
Bolt
1.2 (P) - 4.6 - 1193 4 89 140 5M P 2470 1095
1.3 (d) - 5.7 - 1248 4 74 190 5M D 2470 1132
Zest
1.2 (P) 4.6-5.6 4.6-6.1 - 1193 4 89 140 5M P - -
1.3 (d) 5.6-6.9 5.7-7.1 - 1248 4 89 200 5M D - -
indica Vista
1.2 (P) Saffire 3.4-3.8 4.2-5.1 3.4-4.5 1172 4 65 96 5M P - -
1.3 (d) Quadrajet 4.4-4.7 4.7-6 4.5-5.6 1248 4 75 190 5M D - -
1.5 (d) Tdi 3.7 5 4.45 1405 4 71 135 5M D - -
1.4 (P) Saffire 90 Aura + 6.62 6.85 6.1 1368 4 89 116 5M P - -
indigo
1.4 (d) CS eGlS 3.8-4.9 4.8 5.1 1396 4 64 105 5M D 2450 1065
1.4 (d) Manza 4.8-5.9 6.1-7.7 6.5-7.3 1366 4 89 116 5M P 2520 1210
1.3 (d) Manza 5.7-6.8 7-8.6 6.8-8.5 1248 4 89 200 5M D - -
Sumo
2.2 (d) Grande 6.7-7.6 7.6-9.4 7.5-9.5 2197 4 119 250 5M D 2250 1940
3.0 (d) Gold 5.7-7.1 5.8-7.1 5.8-7.2 2956 4 82 250 5M D 2425 -
Safari
2.2 (d) 8.1-13.2 8.1-13.5 8.2-13.4 2179 4 138 320 5M D - -
Venture
1.5 (d) 4.9-5.4 5.1-5.6 5.1-5.7 1405 4 70 135 5M D 2100 -
Xenon
2.2 (d) 9.7-10.7 9.9-11 10-11 2179 4 138 320 5M D 3150 1900-1900

ToyoTA
etios liva
1.2 (P) 5.2-6.2 5.6-6.3 5.6-6.3 1197 4 79 104 5M P 2460 890-920
1.4 (d) 6.6-7.4 6.9-7.4 6.9-7.4 1364 4 67 170 5M D 2460 980
etios
1.5 (P) 6.4-7.7 6.8-7.7 6.8-7.7 1496 4 89 132 5M P 2550 900-930
1.4 (d) 7.5-8.8 8-8.9 8-8.9 1364 4 67 170 5M D 2550 990-1005
etios Cross
1.4 (d) 6.9 - - 1496 4 89 132 5M P 2550 900-930
1.5 (d) 7.3 - - 1364 4 67 170 5M D 2550 990-1005
* All prices in lakhs
 FIND your
Dream Car
Price (ex-showroom)* engine no. of Power Torque
Gears Fuel Type Wheelbase Weight
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) cylinders (bhp) (nm)
Corolla Altis
1.8 (P) 10.6-14.9 10.6-14.8 10.9-15.3 1798 4 138 173 6M P 2600 1180-1270
1.4 (d) 11.7-14.9 11.7-14.8 12-15.2 1364 4 87 205 6M D 2600 1230-1270
Camry
2.5 (P) 28.5 30 28.8 2494 4 178 220 6A P 2775 1475
2.5 (P) hybrid 33.2 35 35.7 2494 4 158 200 6A P+E 2775 1475
innova Crysta
2.4 (d) 13.8-19.4 14.5-20.4 14.1-19.9 2393 4 150 343 5M D 2750 1855
2.8 (d) AT 15.9-20.7 16.8-21.8 16.4-21.2 2755 4 147 360 6A D 2750 1870
2.7 (P) 13.7-19.6 13.6-19.5 13.9-19.9 2694 4 163 245 5M/6A P 2750 1780
All new Fortuner
2.8 (d) 27.5-31.1 27.6-31.2 27.7-31.4 2755 4 174 420/450 6M/6A D 2745 2610-2735
2.7 (P) 25.9-27.6 26.2-27.9 26.1-27.8 2694 4 163 245 5M/6A P 2745 2500
land Cruiser
3.0 (d) Prado VX-l 92.3 93.1 93.8 2982 4 171 410 5A D 2790 2140
4.5 (d) 134 134 136 4461 8 285 648 6A D 2850 2720

VolKSWAGen
Ameo
1.2 (P) 5.3 - 7.1 5.4 - 7.3 5.4 - 7.2 1198 3 74 110 5M P 2469 1044
1.5 (d) 6.3-9.3 6.2-9.2 6.5-9.4 1498 4 103 250 5M/7A D 2553 1233
Polo
1.2 (P) 5.3-8.5 5.2-8.3 - 1198 3 73 110 5M P 2469 1049
1.5 (d) 6.7-8.5 6.6-8.3 - 1498 4 88 230 5M D 2469 1158
GT TSi 9.1 9.2 - 1197 4 103 175 7A P 2469 1109
GT Tdi 9.2 9.4 - 1498 4 103 250 5M D 2469 1148
GTi 25.6 25.5 25.7 1798 4 189 250 7A P 2469 1273
Cross Polo
1.2 (P) 7.6 7.8 7.7 1198 3 74 110 5M P 2469 1155
1.5 (d) 9 9.2 9.3 1489 4 88 230 5M D 2469 1168
Vento
1.2 (P) TSi 10.5 10.3 - 1197 4 103 175 7A P 2552 1174
1.6 (P) 7.8-9.3 7.6-9.1 - 1598 4 103 153 5M P 2552 1137
1.5 (d) 9-10.4 8.9-10.2 - 1498 4 103 250 5M/7A D 2552 1233
Jetta
1.4 (P) TSi 14.2-15.7 13.9-15.4 - 1390 4 121 200 6M P 2648 1354
2.0 (d) 15.3-20.2 15-19.8 - 1968 4 138 320 6M/6A D 2648 1439

VolVo
V40
d3 25.4-28.5 - - 1984 4 150 350 6A D 2647 1561
d3 Cross Country 29.4 - - 1984 4 150 350 6A D 2647 1561
T4 Cross Country 27.3 - - 1596 4 180 240 6A P 2647 1485
S60
d4 30.8-41.7 - - 1984 4 181 400 8A D - -
d5 39 - - 2400 5 214 400 6A D 2776 1680
d4 Cross Country 38.9 - - 2400 5 190 420 6A D 2774 1776
T6 43.2 - - 1969 4 306 400 8A P 2776 2070
S90
d4 53.5 - - 1969 4 187 400 8A D 2941 2962
XC60
d4 44.8-53.5 - - 1984 4 181 400 8A D 2774 1796
d5 51.7 - - 2400 5 214 440 6A D 2774 1796
XC90
d5 70.9-80.2 - - 2400 4 225 470 8A D 2857 2208
T8 hybrid 125 - - 1969 4 401 640 8A P/H 2857 -
* All prices in lakhs
FIND your
Dream BIke
Price
Price(ex-showroom;
(ex-showroom;ininThousands)
Thousands) engine Power Torque Weight
Gears
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) (bhp) (nm) (Kg)

APRiliA
SR 150 65 - - 154.4 11.4 11.5 A -
Mana 1480 1550 - 839 76 73 7 -
SRV 1510 1570 - 839 75 76 A -
dorsoduro 1710 1790 - 1197 130 115 6 -
Caponord 1200 ABS 1810 1890 - 1197 128 116 6 -
Caponord 1200 ABS Travel 2030 2120 - 1197 128 116 6 -
RSV4 R APRC ABS 2100 2190 - 999 180 115 6 -
RSV4 R Factory APRC ABS 2570 2680 - 999 180 115 6 -
Tuono V4 1100 Factory - 1873 - 1077 173 121 6 212

BAJAJ
CT100
CT100 35 37 36 99.3 8 8 4 108
Platina
Platina 100eS 44.5 46.6 45.8 102 8 8.6 4 108
discover
discover 125 51 53 52 124.6 11 11 4 118
discover 150S 54-57 55-59 56-59 145 14.3 12.7 5 130
discover 150F 58-62 59-63 59-64 145 14.3 12.7 5 130
V
V 62 63 63.7 149.5 11.83 13 5 -
Pulsar
Pulsar 135lS 63.5 65 65 134.6 13 11 5 122
Pulsar 150 dTSi 71.5 73 73.5 149 15 12 5 143
Pulsar 180 dTSi 74.9 76.6 76.5 178 17 14 5 147
Pulsar 220 dTSi 91.2 89.3 93 220 21 19 5 148
Pulsar AS150 80 84 82 149.5 16.8 13 5 143
Pulsar AS200 93.5 95.5 96 199.5 23.2 18.3 6 153
Pulsar RS200 118-130 118-130 120-132 200 24.2 18.6 5 165
Avenger
Cruise 220 85 86.7 86.9 220 18.7 17.5 5 155
Street 150 75 76.5 76.7 150 14.3 12.5 5 148
Street 220 85 86.7 86.9 220 18.7 17.5 5 150
dominar
dominar 400 136-150 137-151 138-152 373 34.5 35 6 182

BMW
R 1200 1665-2294 - - 1170 110 120 6 223-259
K 1300 1919-2192 - - 1293 173 140 6 243-254
S 1000RR 2109 - - 999 193 112 6 206
hP2 Sport 2993 - - 1170 133 115 6 199
K 1600 2699-2962 - - 1649 160 175 6 332-348

duCATi
Monster 821 972-1025 1000-1055 - 821 110 89 6 179
Monster 1200 2118-2952 2179-3049 - 1198 133-158 118-131 6 182
Panigale 1299 3449-4249 3550-4374 - 1285 202 145 6 166
Xdiavel 1587-1847 1633-1901 - 1262 54 129 6 247
diavel 1481-1815 1524-1867 - 1198 162 127 6 205
Multistrada 1200 1445-2006 1487-2065 - 1198 148 118 6 217
Multistrada enduro 1744 1795 - 1198 158 136 6 -
Scrambler 678-790 - - 803 73.8 68 6 -
Panigale 959 1397 - - 955 156 107.4 6 176

dSK Benelli
TnT 25 180 187 176 249 28.2 21.6 6 159
TnT 300 303 314 308 300 37.7 26.5 6 196
TnT 600i 573 562 583 600 83.9 54.6 6 231
TnT 600 GT 601 623 611 600 83.9 54.6 6 243
TnT 899 953 989 970 898 - - 6 -
TnT R 1186 1231 1207 1131 - - 6 -

dSK hyoSunG
GT250R 282 294 277 250 28 22 5 188
GT650n 373 412 383 650 73 61 5 208
GT650R 463 509 468 650 73 61 5 215
ST7 579 627 586 700 58 57 5 244
Aquila 650 525 569 538 647 74 62 5 230
 FIND your
Dream BIke
Price (ex-showroom; in Thousands) engine Power Torque Weight
Gears
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) (bhp) (nm) (Kg)

hARley dAVidSon
Sportser
Street 750 491 - - 749 NA 59 6 223
iron 883 799 - - 883 NA 70 5 255
Forty-eight 950 - - 1202 NA 96 6 247
1200 Custom 929 - - 1202 NA 96 6 255
Roadster 970 - - 1202 NA 96 6 250
dyna
Street Bob 1067 - - 1584 NA 123 6 305
Softail
Fat Bob 1309 - - 1584 NA 120 6 330
Fat Boy 1635 - - 1584 NA 120 6 330
heritage Classic 1779 - - 1584 NA 117 6 341
Touring
Road King 2649 - - 1745 NA 150 6 362
Street Glide Special 3125 - - 1745 NA 150 6 361
Road Glide Special 3281 - - 1745 NA 150 6 372
CVo 5062 - - 1802 NA 156 6 416

heRo
Splendor Plus 45.8 46.6 46.5 97 7 7 4 109
Splendor Pro 46.6 47.3 47.6 97 7 8 4 109
Splendor iSmart 50 50.9 50.9 97 8.2 8 4 110
Splendor iSmart 110 53 53 54 109 9.4 9 4 115
Splendor Pro Classic 50.5 51.2 51.4 97 8.2 8 4 109
Passion Pro 47.6 48.4 49 97 7 7 4 119
Passion Pro TR 53.5 54.4 54.9 97 8.2 8 4 119
Passion XPRo 49.5 50.4 51.1 97 8.6 9 4 130
Super Splendor 53.6 54.4 54.7 124 9 10 4 121
Glamour 55.9 56.3 56.7 124 9 10 4 129
Glamour Fi 65.6 66.3 66.4 124 9 10 4 125
Achiever 61.8 - - 149 13.4 12.8 5 138
hunk 69.7 70.8 70.9 149 14 13 5 146
Karizma 83.9 86.7 85 223 17 18 5 150
impulse 71.4 72.7 72.7 149 13 13 5 -
Karizma ZMR 105.5 109.3 107.1 223 18 18 5 159
Pleasure 44.6 49.5 46.6 102 7 8 A 104
Maestro 48.3 50.7 50.8 109 8.2 9 A 110
hF dawn 39.4 39.6 40.2 97 8.2 8 4 109
hF deluxe 42.1 42.8 43 97 8.2 8 4 109
hF deluxe eco 46.1 46.9 47.2 97 8.2 8 4 112
Xtreme 71.9 70.3 70.9 149 14.2 12 5 145
Xtreme Sports 71.4 71.1 71.9 149 15.6 13 5 146
ignitor 60.5 61.6 61.5 124 10.9 11 5 129
duet 48 49 51 111 8.3 8.3 A 116
Maestro edge 49.5 51 - 111 8.3 8.3 A 110

hondA
navi 39.6 42.9 42.4 109 7.83 9 A 101
dream neo 46.2 49.2 47.3 109 8.25 8.6 4 105
dream yuga 50.5 54.6 53.8 109 8.25 8.6 4 108
Cd 110 dream 43.2 47.4 45 109.2 8.3 8.6 4 105
CB Shine 53.8 58 57 124 10 10 4 122
CB Shine SP 59-65 63-68 63-67 125 10.6 10.3 5 124
CB unicorn 66.7 71.6 70.3 149 13 12 5 146
CB unicorn 160 72 77 75.5 163 14.5 14.6 5 135
CB hornet 160R 82-85 85-89 81-86 163 15.7 14.7 5 140
CBR 1000RR 1546 1659 - 999 175 112 6 199
CB 1000R 1182 1274 - 999 124 100 6 217
VFR 1200F 1763 1886 - 1237 170 130 6 267
Gold Wing 2850-3150 2850-3150 - 1832 117 167 5 -
VT 1300C 1399 1525 - 1312 57 107 5 303
CBR 150R 122 130 126.5 149 18 13 6 139
CBR 250R 158 167 163 249 26 22.9 6 167
dio 46.7 50.6 49.8 109 8 8.8 A 105
CBR 650F 730 - - 648 85.8 62.9 6 215
Activa
3G 48.8 52.8 52 109 8 8.8 A 108
i 45.6 49.4 48.7 109.2 8 8.7 A 103
125 55.1 59.4 58.4 124.9 8.6 10.1 A 112
Aviator 50 54 53.2 109.2 8 8.8 A 109
FIND your
Dream BIke
Price (ex-showroom; in Thousands) engine Power Torque Weight
Gears
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) (bhp) (nm) (Kg)

indiAn
indian Chief 2650-3300 - - 1811 - 139 6 368
indian Scout 1287 1287 - 1133 100 98 6 253
indian Sixty 1199 1199 - 999 78 88.8 5 242
indian Springfield 3060 - - 1811 - 139 6 388
indian Chieftain 3199-3368 - - 1811 73 139 6 -
indian Roadmaster 3814 - - 1811 - 139 6 421

KAWASAKi
Z 250 311 - - 249 31.5 21 6 166
ninja eR 6n 496 - - 649 71 64 6 204
Z800 750 - - 806 111 83 6 231
Z1000 1245 - - 1043 140 111 6 221
ninja 300 364 290 - 249 33 22 6 172
ninja 650 R 500 500 - 649 72 66 6 178
ninja ZX-10R 1560 - - 998 198 113.5 6 206
ninja ZX-14R 1790 - - 1441 198 158.2 6 269
Versys 650 660 - - 649 68.4 64 6 216
Versys 1000 1245 - - 998 118 102 6 250
ninja h2 2990 - - 998 198.7 133.5 6 238
ninja 1000 1245 - - 1043 140 111 6 230

KTM
duke
duke 200 144 - - 200 25 19 6 145
duke 390 183 180 184 373 43 35 6 145
RC
RC 390 205 - - 373 43 35 6 147
RC 200 160 - - 199 25.5 19 6 137

MAhindRA
Centuro 45-51 46-52 46-51 106 8.4 8.5 4 111
Gusto 45-49 47-51 49-51 109.6 8 9 A -
Gusto 125 48-52 51-55 51-55 124.6 8.5 10 A -
duro - 47 49 124.6 8.1 9 A 114
Rodeo 49-50 49-50 52-53 124.6 8.1 9 A 111
Mojo 163 165 171 295 26.8 30 6 165

MoTo GuZZi
Audace - 1994 - 1380 96 123 6 299
Bellagio - 1520 - 935 73 78 6 -

MV AGuSTA
F3 - 1678 - 800 148 88 6 -
F4 - 2887 - 998 195 111 6 -
F4 RR - 3571 - 998 201 111 6 -
Brutale 1090 - 2010 - 1078 144 112 6 -
Brutale 1090 RR - 2478 - 1078 158 100 6 -

PiAGGio
Vespa 66.5-80 70-84.4 - 125 10.6 - A 114
Vespa 150 88-91 85-88 89-93 150 11.4 11.5 A -

RoyAl enField
electra Twin Spark 123 129 125 346 20 28 5 183
350 STd 109 115 110 346 18 32 4 180
Thunderbird Twin Spark 141 149 144 346 20 28 5 182
Thunderbird 500 179 188 182 499 27 41 5 -
Bullet 500 157 165 159 499 26 41 5 -
himalayan 156 164 159 411 24.5 32 5 182
Classic 350 131 138 133 346 20 28 5 182
Classic 500 178 187 180 499 26 41 5 187
Continental GT 198 208 201 535 28.5 44 5 184

SuZuKi
SlingShot 45 47 45 124 8 10 5 127
Gixxer 79-82 - - 155 14.6 14 5 135
 FIND your
Dream BIke
Price (ex-showroom; in Thousands) engine Power Torque Weight
Gears
delhi Mumbai Chennai (cc) (bhp) (nm) (Kg)
Gixxer SF 87-89 - - 155 14.6 14 5 139
GS 150R 58 63 62 149 14 13 5 149
Bandit 850 850 - 1255 96 106 5 250
GSX-R1000 1270 1270 - 999 182 117 6 205
hayabusa 1250 1250 - 1340 183 146 6 260
intruder 1250 1250 - 1783 126 160 5 347
Access 54 - - 124 8.6 10.2 A 115
Swish 50.5 54.9 - 124 8.6 - A 110
hayate 44.9 48.1 - 112.8 8.3 - A 112

ToRK
T6X 124 - - Electric - 27 - 130

TRiuMPh
Bonneville Street Twin 690 - - 900 54.2 80 5 198
T100 778 - - 900 54.2 80 5 -
T120 870 - - 1200 - 105 6 -
Thruxton R 1090 - - 1200 95.7 112 6 -
Speed Triple 1040 - - 1050 126 104 6 214
Street Triple 750 - - 675 79 57 6 183
Tiger 800XC 1200 - - 800 94 79 6 215
Tiger explorer 1790 - - 1215 135 121 6 259
daytona 1140 - - 675 126 74 6 184
Thunderbird 1410-1640 - - 1699 97 156 6 339
Rocket iii 2000 - - 2294 145 221 5 367

TVS
Sport 37-46 37-45 37-45 99.8 7.7 7.8 4 109
Star City+ 44-49 45-49 45-49.5 109.7 8.3 8.7 4 109
Phoenix 125 53-57 55-58 56-58 124.5 10.7 10.8 4 116
Victor 49-51.5 - - 109.7 9.5 9.4 4 112
Apache RTR 160 72 70 73.5 159 15 13 5 138
Apache RTR 180 76.5 76 78 177 17 15 5 137
Apache RTR 180 ABS 87.2 86 88 177 17 15 5 137
Apache RTR 200 4v 89-106 - - 198 20.2/20.7 18.1 5 148
Scooty Pep+ 43.5 42 42 87.8 5 5 A 95
Scooty Streak 45.5 44 43.3 87.8 5 - A 96
Wego 52 56.5 - 109.7 8 8.7 A 110
Scooty Zest 110 45 47 47 109.7 8 8.7 A 98.5
Jupiter 48-50 50-52.5 52-54 109.7 8 8.7 A 110

uM MoToRCyCleS
Renegade
Sport S 149 - - 279 25 21.8 6 -
Commando 159 - - 279 25 21.8 6 -
Classic 169 - - 279 25 21.8 6 -

yAMAhA
Crux 40 40 41 106 7.5 7.5 4 113
Saluto 52-54 - - 125 8.2 10.1 4 112
Saluto RX 46.4 - - 110 7 8.5 4 98
SZ-RR 66 - - 149 11.9 12.8 5 134
FZ 78 - - 153 13.8 13.6 5 135
FZ Fi 80 - - 149 12.9 12.8 5 132
FZS Fi 82 - - 149 12.9 12.8 5 132
Fazer 81 - - 153 13.8 13.6 5 141
Fazer Fi 87.5 - - 149 12.9 12.8 5 137
yZF R15S 115 - - 149 16.4 15 6 134
yZF R15 V2 118 - - 149 16.8 15 6 136
FZ1 1143 - - 998 148 106 6 214
MT09 1020 - - 847 113.5 87.5 6 180
yZF R1 2234 - - 998 197.3 112.4 6 199
yZF R1M 2943 - - 998 197.3 112.4 6 200
Vmax 2735 - - 1679 197.4 167 6 310
Ray 48.2-54.5 - - 113 7 7.5 A 104
Alpha 50 - - 113 7 7.5 A 104
Fascino 53 - - 113 7 7.5 A 103
R3 325 - - 321 41.4 29.6 6 169
Parting shot
Your Motor Car & Your Dwelling
E
ver fancied taking the
warmth of your home along
for a road trip? Well, fantasise
no more, Land Rover and
Danish architecture firm LUCO
have finally figured out a way for you to do
just that. Theyve created this cosy cabin
that can be ferried around with you during
your winter escapades.
No, its not on wheels and it doesnt get
towed on the back of your vehicle like a
trailer. It does, in fact, fold and fit neatly
into your Land Rover Discovery Sport. In
Land Rovers words, the company believes
that theres a growing trend for off-grid
living and wilderness cabins. And this is
something thats very much in line
with Land Rovers go anywhere
170 l January 2017 l autox.in
philosophy. As a consequence, the cabin Theres also a solar charger on the roof,
has been designed and engineered to through which you can power essentials
withstand all kinds of weather conditions. like lights and a kettle via the vehicles
In fact, you can take it to temperatures as 12V power socket.
low as -20C, and still stay, erm, cosy. Land Rover says that its utilized every
This dwelling unit for lack of a better bit of the Discovery Sports space to carry
term is basically a wooden cabin thats the cabins components, including the glove
made of sustainable materials so as to box, cup holders and door bins which
have a minimal impact on the have been filled with the nuts and bolts of
environment. The cabin rests on 212mm this operation as it were. This also means
wooden struts, making it about as high of that the rear seats have to be folded down
the ground as the Discovery Sports floor. flat, and theres only space for two people
It also shares several features with the to make the excursion. And that makes
vehicle, such as an optional tailgate seat perfect sense really, since this is a cabin for
on the deck, wide horizontal door opening just two. So, go and talk to your significant
and large windows thatll allow you to other about that romantic getaway you
enjoy the undoubtedly breath-taking were planning. Heres yet another reason to
landscape that youve set out to enjoy. get yourselves a Disco Sport