AutoX March 2012

w w w. a u t o x . i n

C70 | VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 5 | MARCH 2012

FORTUNER YV FORTUNER

NEW FORTUNER

FIAT LINEA HONDA CITY HYUNDAI VERNA NISSAN SUNNY SKODA RAPID CHEVY CRUZE HONDA CIVIC RENAULT FLUENCE TOYOTA COROLLA ALTIS VOLKSWAGEN JETTA Finest Selection of Small, Luxury, Classic, Sports Cars and SUVs

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ailing from the lands of Slovenia, Akrapovi is the leading manufacturer of premium exhaust systems for motorcycles and performance cars.

It is also a leader in carbon parts and the innovative use of titanium. The company was founded by former motorcycle racer, Igor Akrapovi , some twenty years ago and it has grown to international prominence by the successful support of leading racing teams. Then we have Dreamachine, another Slovenian company that customizes motorcycles and which was started by TomaĹž Capuder. These two companies have come together to produce a one-off showcase designed to capture your imagination. Wallah â&#x20AC;&#x201C; lay your eyes on the stunning Morsus.

Akrapovi decided to build this machine with Dreamachine Motorcycles, in Slovenia, to demonstrate that whilst Akrapovi is known for racing prowess, they also have such a breadth and depth of in-house talent that entering the competitive world of custom bikes is a natural extension to what they do. A big plus for the project is that Akrapovi also managed to use materials that they excel at producing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; titanium, stainless steel and, of course, carbon ďŹ ber.

What stands out the most on this bike are the massive 26inch wheels, and the scorpion look. The bike is truly a piece of art and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better is that it is a working machine that can be ridden. The engine is an S&S 1852cc unit that can lash out around 144bhp â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which by all means is enough to give you quite a ďŹ x of adrenaline. The transmission is an Ecoline with 6 gears and the clutch is hydraulic. Most of the components such as the exhaust and the air ďŹ lter are from Akrapovi , but the frame, suspension and wheels are done by Dreamachine.

And although the Morsus isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for sale it still is one of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sickestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concepts to approach our quest for ďŹ nding truly radical machines, which gives them a lot of attention for their other lines of work.

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ULTIMATE RIDING WONDER TEXT & IMAGES JARED SOLOMON

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hat can truly be called a perfect riding road â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a road where the rider reaches nirvana, a road that can soothe the soul or pump your adrenaline, a road that is worthy of being called an Ultimate Riding Wonder? There are very many factors that can come into question, but most importantly the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best riding roads need lots of curves, good visibility, beautiful natural landscapes and an added bonus could be the absence of the police and trafďŹ c. They may also need smooth tarmac depending on which bike you choose to ride, and for the same reason they might also need to be challenging. However, at last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Shell Advance Malaysian MotoGP race, the Coorg to Munnar route was crowned the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ultimate riding wonder by Ducati MotoGP rider Nicky Hayden. A part of the Shell Advance â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;7 Riding Wonders of the Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; campaign, people from 8 different countries voted and along with a panel of experts the winning route was decided.

Apparently, the experts and the voting

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540CDA4 down side if you decide to take on a pillion rider on this bike they might be a little uncomfortable because the rear seat is very small.

So if you were to ride the Multistrada on the Coorg-Munnar route would it be the best road to enjoy the ride? The answer is yes and no. While, the Multistrada is fun to ride on this road we don’t see why roads such as the Zurich and German Black forest highways, or the back roads in Northern California would be any less thrilling than this one. Yes the Coorg and Munnar area is quite beautiful, but the smoothly laid out twisty and pristine road conditions of the Alps or the San Bernardino Valley would be way more fun, basically because you would be able to experience more speed, less traffic, better visibility and it would be safer. And this I know because I have ridden all over California, and have also driven in the Alps many times and wished for years that I would one day have the opportunity to do it on a bike.

The Multistrada is a sports-tourer and it

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would be best to ride it in those conditions.

It can corner at high speeds, you can get into the curves and most of all it’s got enough power for you to feel the powerful acceleration without worrying about the road and what lies ahead. However, the Coorg-Munnar route could be the best road if you are looking for a challenge, and the Multistrada would gladly accept any challenge from any road. You will feel composed and comfortable at high speeds, and also along rough roads with narrow hilly passes your body isn’t put through overload because the bike is very easy to control, even through tight traffic.

If the Multistrada had a mid-sized engine with smaller wheels and better grip we could very well say that the Coorg-Munnar road is one of the world’s best roads to ride on that sort of bike.

Luckily we also had an urban sports bike, and sports bikes work best under the ideal conditions. For example you will need near perfectly smooth roads, and plenty of high-speed curves, and most importantly good vision further down the

road. And these kind of roads you can find in very few places across India. So the Monster 796 was the next bike I rode along the route and boy was it ever fun to ride. The stance of the bike is pretty aggressive and the seating position puts you in a zone were you feel the need for speed. You lean to the front and rest your weight on the low handlebars, while the low seating arrangement allows you to lean and control the bike effortlessly. It would be a very good bike to ride around on city streets, and that is probably why the 795 was specially designed for Asia, and I would definitely consider getting a 795 for myself to cruise around Delhi streets because it would be the most practical bike to have. The mid-range L-Twin Desmodromic air-cooled engine has a capacity of 803cc, and although the engine is not the most refined engine, its power output of 87bhp is more than enough to have some really good fun on the Coorg-Munnar road.

However, like I said the road is not the smoothest so you need to be careful on

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the bumps. It was pretty scary in some areas especially if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going fast around a turn and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the bumps in the road, your bike might just loose grip and you could end up in a serious accident.

But still the road is pretty smooth in most places and the Monster 796 was really fun. Even though it is not the ideal bike for such a long trip, it is still really fun and fulďŹ lling, so it is safe to say that the Coorg-Munnar route is a pretty good road for the Monster, but is it the best?

The Monster was deďŹ nitely a great bike to ride on this road, but I am more than sure that if we were on a track such as the Sepang International Circuit, which by the way was also shortlisted to be the Shell Advance Ultimate Riding Wonder, we would have heaps more fun. Even on a smooth road through the English country side, the Monster would be a far better performing machine and you would be able to get the best ride possible from it.

It is very light at just 167 kilograms and the lightweight frame and the adjustable Sachs monoshock suspension makes it a

fantastic street performer. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got a great pickup and plenty of torque to give you that adrenaline rush and offer you great ride quality, the only problem was yet again, that its small size can be a bit of a hindrance for tall riders like myself, oh and also there is practically no rear seat, so if you are thinking of bringing along a pillion rider, you should forget about it.

So what have we concluded here? The Multistrada is a superb performer and very comfortable, and the Coorg-Munnar route would certainly be fun, but surely not the best for this machine. In the case of the Monster, the Shell Advance winning route is deďŹ nitely a fantastic road to experience rider nirvana, but again itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the best. An EnďŹ eld or a Pulsar would allow you to experience almost the same level of riding excitement on this road, and, in

fact, may just be more ideal. There is no doubt about it, the Coorg-Munnar route is deďŹ nitely a great route and deserves to be called an ultimate riding wonder, but after my experience with it, I simply donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it is the best.

In fact, if you take into consideration the vast options of other roads and international circuits across the globe, it would be silly, to name any of them as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Ultimate Riding Wonder, because each road has its own charm and identity and more importantly each rider has his own style of riding and a different perspective or expectation from each ride. Essentially, it would be impossible to ďŹ nd the best riding road in the world because there are so many to choose from that are wonderful and have different riding opportunities. A big round of clapping sounds for Shell Advance India and Ducati for allowing us to ride on this magniďŹ cent road on two magniďŹ cent bikes to come to this conclusion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; after all, an ultimate riding wonder is what we are always searching for.

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ure, everyone knows, as the various broadsheets have publicized, the global economic condition is still far from being colourful. To say that the whole of Europe is struggling would be a gross understatement. And, while America may see some light at the end of the tunnel, they’re still keeping both fingers and toes crossed to ensure that they can maintain, and build on, the current momentum. And, while India was

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HONDA CIVIC

RENAULT FLUENCE

able to buck the trend during the global economic slowdown, things have been far from ideal more recently. Due to the ill effects of inflation, high interest rates, high petrol prices, and let’s not even talk about governance issues, growth in India is expected to drop below the 7% level – with car sales following a similar trend.

And while small cars are still the mainstay of the Indian car market, it’s this segment that seems to have been the hardest hit as first time buyers are thinking twice before putting their money down. A recent auto

SKODA RAPID NISSAN SUNNY

industry report indicated that small cars have dropped below 50% of new car sales, while SUV sales are growing by over 30%.

What this indicates is that, as the Indian market matures, car buyers want more from their vehicles – and that’s where the mid-sized cars come in. The C segment consists of the smaller mid-sized cars in the 8-11 lakh range, while the D segment consists of slightly larger mid-segment sedans in the 12-18 lakh range.

So, we’ve assembled a collection of the best of the C and D segments to see how

HYUNDAI VERNA

HONDA CITY

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA TOYOTA COROLLA ALTIS

FIAT LINEA

TEXT ASHISH JHA IMAGES KAPIL VASHIST much fun you can have while being sensible at the same time. Till a few years ago, if you would have told me that your main criteria for zeroing-in on a car is the outright purchase price and its fuel efficiency, I would have called you sane and moved on to suggesting a Maruti or a Hyundai. Today, the trends are changing and the buying public isn’t shy of experimenting. That’s why we’ve lined up a collection of cars from a range of manufacturers with the aim of finding the ones that please the most – and to judge if the fun that they offer is justified

by their overall value.

So, ladies and gentleman, for the first time in our 5-year-and-some-months history, autoX is going blatantly sane – well, sort of – and doing a shoot-out based on practical parameters. The four reviewers – Dhruv, Ishan, Jared and I – put our thinking caps on and awarded points for quality (10 points), comfort (10 points), refinement (10 points), design & style (10 points), engine & transmission (10 points), ride & handling (10 points), value for money (20 points), and, because

a car has to have je ne sais quoi (a certain something) to get into our hearts, we rate the cars on X-Factor (20 points) too!

So, we had the ingredients ready – 10 cars (5 in the C segment, and 5 in the D segment), some very empty, unrestricted roads, testing equipment, measuring tapes and humans of all body shapes – from short (Prithvi), to fat (our circulation guy), to tall (me), to bald (Ishan), and we also threw in an orangutan (Jared) for good measure – then we put our driving shoes on.

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540CDA4 SKODA RAPID the Koleos. The previous generation model was a funny looking thing had TOTALâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;POINTS a silly face basically. It was a lot like being Donatella Versace â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it had great CWT AP_XS R^\Tb c^ proportions, but the face was just a bit, h^d Ua^\ P Q[dT RWX_ ehm, weird.

QaP]S X] 8]SXP But Donatella is now a thing of past.

And the world has moved on the likes of Keira Knightley and Eva Mendes. A gorgeous face and scintillating curves, both are a must. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where the Koleos comes in. Of course, Nissan still thinks that being a women wrestler is quite cool, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why the X-Trail. But look at Chevy, they do the Captiva, and ratherâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;charming got to beI think filled,itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s though that of anâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; entry a nicesedan voluptuous stance to it. Honda level â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which the Rapid fills went nicelywrong now. and ruined the CR-V with that two Ofhideous course, front-end. you realizeAnd verythe quickly bestsellers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Forda and Toyota â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Vento are still that this is really Volkswagen ďŹ with ghting manly grille. battles in the a Skoda But, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Victorian a Vento era. oddcompetitively one out is thepriced, German. thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sThe more and The BMW X1 isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t particularly thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s precisely why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been stylish eating or neither it desperately intoSUV-ish, the sales of theisVento ever since capable.

But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late a classic caseItofhas it was launched last year. brand equity.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d still want to the same underpinnings of course, watch ďŹ lm just because it says that which a means that the diesel version, Demi or Julia whichMoore we have here,Roberts has the stars gutsy 1.6 in it. turbocharged Neither celebrity is probably litre CRDi mill that puts as as their younger, more outattractive 105 horsepower and 250Nm of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;enhanced,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; rivals.

But to theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created torque. Skoda seems have played a halo around their name â&#x20AC;&#x201C; theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re with the gearing a little bit, however, brands.

The Koleos is a nicely proportioned car, and looks vastly better with its recent aesthetic nip-and-tuck. The front end gets a grille section thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pronounced, but not loud at the same time. The rest of the shape essentially

remains unchanged from the previous generation, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing.

I like the rear end a lot. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a practical vehicle too â&#x20AC;&#x201C; split tailgate is a nice thing to have, and there are lots of cubby holes inside the cabin to store your small stuff. But, one thing that surprised me was the fact that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more branding for Bose on the car than anything else! I call it the Renault Bose. I mean, why the need to sticker it with Bose on the outside even when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a special edition for Bose?

Well, whatever â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at the end of the day the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Boseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; audio unit sounds simply amazing. which renders first gear completely I mean,The at this point, I basically useless.

Rapid, contrary to its get more in the way car name, hasinterested virtually no grunt in afirst drives, but grant one sentence at all. Change upme andjust things improve to dedicateâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; to theby audio itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thankfully and, the system time youâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; get a Sure, really Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard toblockbuster. third gear, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re flyingmany down impressive entertainment units in highthe road thanks to the very refined end cars, butthe thehood.

KoleosOnce manages diesel under you to match, beat,in some of them at a have theeven engine its powerband, price thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basicallyindeed. half of those itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very responsive In truehighend cars.

Speaking of has pricea â&#x20AC;&#x201C;gear-shift I think Skoda fashion, it also the Koleostoistell perched a bittohigh up. A indicator you when change couple less get andcarried it couldaway have up just of in lakhs case you been thetorque perfectand value proposition. with the power.

The is ancertainly X-Trail in goes a party And Koleos the Rapid frock. areridecapable, whereThe youunderpinnings point it, but the and doing a drive to your farmhouse is and-handling compromise seems to an easy thing. The approach road to the brilliant resort that Renault had put us up in was nothing short of â&#x20AC;&#x201C; well, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say that it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really a road.

Still, the Koleos managed it without a hint of discomfort and the ride quality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both on and off road â&#x20AC;&#x201C; was sensational. The engine is sufďŹ ciently powerful for such a vehicle, but youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to be doing impressive lightto-light sprints. The gearbox, however, is a letdown. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like the guard at my society â&#x20AC;&#x201C; extremely lazy.

The Renault Bose, sorry Koleos, is in tough territory. Charm alone might not work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but the fact is that the Koleos is not just charm, but also functionality.

And this should work in its favour.

Meanwhile, Donatella means you lads at Renault have a good sense of humour, but thank you for also giving

A BADGE ENGINEERING T s a kid â&#x20AC;&#x201C; actually, also as a grown-up â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you would certainly have experienced several theme parties. So, one day you go, do a lot of hunting around, lighten your wallet happily and ďŹ nally hop into your friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house to realize that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the only pig around. Everyone else is basically smartly dressed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; men in sharp tuxedos and ladies in sensuous ďŹ&#x201A;owing evening gowns. The central theme was changed from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gentlemen & ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sort of an affair.

But, of course, you were busy checking he Rapid comes to yourself out in the youmirror from while a bluetrying chip on that deer dress, or worse still, the brand in the Indian pig outďŹ t that you ďŹ nally bought. auto space â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Skoda.

You still donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t The ďŹ&#x201A;inch, and enter Skoda brand is with conďŹ dence.well Youestablished, carry the funny and appearance withreputation sublime ease, and enjoys a strong in India. actually getand a lotSuperb of pats are on your The Laura amazing shoulder being enough machinesfor that we brave all completely to do so.

You carrytoo, on, and take has adore.

The Fabia, we think that atrociousto moment with you. the potential become a hot-hatch.

Courageous stuff1.6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but possible In fact, with the litrethatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s petrol engine, only the Fabia is actually quite a spritely iflittle youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re No, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m serious itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s car.French.

The Superb has done â&#x20AC;&#x201C;very happened Renault in well in the to upper D-segment, and the past.

Renault is a elegantly LauraAnd is still dancing French againstcompany. its rivals. There was a spot This party of trick SUVs and fullblown â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;trucksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even pseudo ones that we now call soft-roaders â&#x20AC;&#x201C; back in the day was full of tall, strongchinned, square-faced vehicles. But, of course, the French were left out of the update and they joined in late with

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have been altered a little too much in favour of a compliant ride. What youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re actually left with is a car thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a little skittish on the road, with wheel control issues on a rough surface. On the whole, though, the Rapid is very composed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but you do get the sense that the Vento is a little more refined.

On the inside, you do get a lot

of comfort and space. Even with a 6-feet tall driver, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough legroom for another tall person to sit directly behind in comfort. And the two-tone dashboard is great in concept, but the brown is a little dreary in reality. The quality of plastics is good, and the features on our test car included climate control and rear AC vents. But,

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ow, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a car that become more than just a little long in the tooth.

But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay, you say, because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Honda. Well, the truth is that it would have been okay a few years ago, when the Honda brand still wielded some sort of black magic on the Indian consumer. The brand used to be so aspirational that when the Civic was launched a few years ago, it was the equivalent of the Pussycat Dolls. But the Civic is now a generation old, and the latest generation hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly been met

with adoring praise in the American market thus far.

With that said, surprisingly, the Civic that we have here still has a lot going for it. As weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve discussed before, the Honda brand value means high residual values and that helps it in the value-for-money stakes. The low maintenance costs almost offset the lack of a diesel engine (notice how I said almost).

But what really makes the Civic a great place to spend time in are the high quality interiors. The cockpit layout of the Civic still retains a great deal of novelty, even after all this time. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incredibly functional

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too. The driver is certainly made to feel right at home in the Civic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the seating position is awesome, and the layout is just spot-on. And, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty good in the back as well. The colours are pleasing, and the flat floor gives it a bit of a living room feel in the rear. Plus, you can control some of the basic stereo functions from the rear as well.

And, incidentally, the stereo sounds pretty good too.

At the front, the steering wheel is not only a joy to hold, but

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the pointy front end responds well to your inputs. What lets the Civic down, though, is the way it drives. The suspension bottoms out over anything that’s bigger than a pebble, and the brakes are as wooden as they come. Even its brilliantly rev-happy 1.8 litre engine can’t save the day for it. The automatic transmission behaves like a confused puppy in the company of more accomplished boxes here, and the outright zest of the 130 horses just can’t be felt. Had the test car been a manual, maybe – just maybe – we could have enjoyed the Civic a wee bit more, but this one just didn’t quite get us excited.

You still get glimpses into what made this car great in the past.

Every now and then, you get a sense of true Japanese engineering and innovation, and the Civic is able to recapture some of its mystique from the past. But, to really build on its reputation for engineering, the Civic now does need to be more dynamically capable than it actually is.

march 2012 | autox.in |

67

540CDA4 RENAULT FLUENCE

JE NE

TOTAL POINTS

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SAIS QUOI I n India, Renault hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite enjoyed the status it would have ideally wished for. After the 51:49 joint-venture with Mahindra in 2005, Renault launched the Logan in 2007. But after their not-so-rosy time in the Indian market, Renault and Mahindra ended their JV in 2010.

Now, Renault is back as an independent automaker and has introduced three models thus far: the Fluence, Koleos and Pulse â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the third being a Nissan Micra in a party frock. The Fluence is the most interesting in the portfolio. The design of this French sedan is quirky, but in a good way. It looks hugely interesting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comical from some angles, and strikingly gorgeous from some. The front is characterized by a funny grille section that grows on you, while the rear end gets beautifully shaped tail lamps. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say that the many contours make it an attractive car all around.

When the Fluence was dropped off at our office, and I drove it for a brief moment to check it for any faults, I slammed the door shut and entered the office completely fuming. The damn thing has no power, and has an on/off switch for a turbocharger â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but that was just my initial impression after only 5 minutes of driving. As I spent more time with the Fluence, I started to really like it. The engine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; though only a 1.5 litre, 104bhp affair, and quite rough & audible â&#x20AC;&#x201C; warms up nicely once you get past 2000 revs, and really shows its strength between

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2500-3500rpm. And the slick shifting gearbox makes piloting this car a modestly entertaining experience.

The Fluence is a big car, and it shows on the inside. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of space, and the seats are supremely comfortable.

The suspension is soft enough to handle the potholed Indian roads, while also being sufficiently rigid to aid responsive handling. The steering is light for city driving, and weighs up with speed in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s confidence inspiring. When turning the wheel in anger, you experience safety understeer, but modulating the throttle negates it completely. It may not be as much fun as, say, the Cruze, but it sure isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a dull car.

The best bit about the Fluence though is its interior. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very peculiar, simplistic, and interesting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all at the same time. Yet, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s massively irritating for anyone withâ&#x20AC;Ś fingers. The buttons on the main fascia are small and difficult to fiddle around with, but the entire layout looks and feels very attractive. However, there is a secondary control unit just behind the steering wheel on the right, and it is very intuitive to use. We all thought that the Fluence was actually a lot of car for its price (at 14.4 lakhs), but the unimpressive history of Renault keeps it from being an instant superstar. Also, the Fluence is yet to prove its worth in the pre-owned car bazaar, and the fact that not a lot are seen on the road doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make its case any stronger. All said and done, though, this is the perfect car here for comfort and style.

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71

540CDA4 CHEVROLET CRUZE TOTAL POINTS

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T

he Chevy Cruze has always been a favourite here in office, but no one anticipated just how well the Cruze would do amongst this very diverse bunch of cars. There were some clues early on, when all four members of our jury seemed to gravitate towards the driversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; seat of the Cruze all at the same time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a diesel!

The appeal of the Cruze starts as you approach the car â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it just looks right. The massive honeycomb grille and sharp headlamps lend an aggressive look, while the prominent shoulder line continues this theme along the length of the car. The rear, however, isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as cohesive â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with its rounded tail lamps. But, that apart, the Cruze fits in very nicely indeed with the new-age, and brash looking (in a good way), Chevrolets.

This is certainly one of the most individually styled sedans out there â&#x20AC;&#x201C; letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not shy about making a statement.

The best part of the visual

appeal, however, is that it has the driving dynamics to back it up. Once you immerse yourself in the driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you sit low in a cockpit that cocoons the driver â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you feel as though youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a part of the car. The highly supportive seats keep you glued in your seat, as you throw the Cruze around without any sense whatsoever that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a supposedly heavy diesel mill under the bonnet. The handling is immediate, and the steering has great feel as it responds perfectly to your inputs. The chassis is very neutral, and the Cruze corners completely flat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even a hint of understeer, which completely defies the fact that this is a diesel engined front-wheel drive car.

The flip side of this is that, while the ride is compliant, you do feel the road undulations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really upset the car either. The Cruze is, however, lacking a few vital bits in company such as this. For starters, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a dead-pedal â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a foot rest for your left foot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is essential, or Bluetooth connectivity for your phone, which would be a nice

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option. And, the quality of the plastics arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quite on par with the likes of the Jetta and Civic.

Plus, in the rear seat, the sloping roofline means that headroom is at a premium.

But, none of that matters when you get in the driversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; seat and fire the 2.0 litre, 150bhp smile-inducing engine. Yes, the rev range is small in second gear, but that only means that you get to work the very sporty gearbox into third, which is where the Cruze really takes off. Add to that direct steering and fantastic on-road manners, and what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re left with is a practical four-door sedan that has an almost coupelike feel to it. The cherry on the cake is that you sit facing the same three-spoke steering wheel that you would find in the fire-breathing Chevrolet Camaro. Jokes apart, though, the real cherry on the cake is the fact that the top-of-the-line LTZ manual Cruze will cost you a relatively affordable 13.8 lakhs exshowroom. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proof, then, that you can have your cake and eat it too â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you can actually be sensible, and have fun at the same time.

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march 2012 | autox.in |

75

540CDA4

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W

e were all pretty excited going into this mega test.

And, thankfully, the conclusions have been quite hear twarming.

First off, the overall quality, features, and dynamic abilities of the cars that we’ve assembled here

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are light years ahead of what we would have been able to choose from just a couple of years ago. The fact that the Indian consumer is so spoilt for choice is a good thing indeed. And no other car represents this better than the Hyundai Verna, which is a thoroughly modern package that’s offered in 10

different states of trim to fit all budgets and needs. However, our emphasis in this test was two-fold.

Features and affordability was one, but character and a sense of driving pleasure was another. And no other car combined this better than the Chevrolet Cruze. It offers a value proposition that means you don’t

have to break the bank to have fun behind the wheel – and that’s the most hear twarming thing of all.

That being said, the scores were incredibly close and the range of abilities of all these cars so varied that it was vir tually impossible to discount any of the cars here. The Sunny of fers tremendous space in

its segment, while the Fiat stands for Italian style and flair. But, if it’s flair you’re after, the Renault is trumped by no one. On quality, Honda makes up some lost ground, but it’s the Jetta that offers a really well rounded quality product.

All in all, though, this test shows just how far mid-sized sedans have

come – to the extent that they’re challenging their more premium and stately rivals. While the D segment itself is knocking on the doors of the entr y level luxur y cars. And amidst this fierce competition, it’s the Indian consumer who benefits – so choose wisely, because the ball’s in your cour t.

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B?8C8

THE CALL OF THE

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540CDA4

T

he call of the mountains is a dangerous thing – it tugs at your heart so strong that if you fail to heed its call, you will undoubtedly brood for a long time indeed. You will regret the missed chance to return to the folds of the mighty mountain, breathe the cold fresh wind, walk by the lakes, watch the football sized stars make holes in the black sky at night, and make some more friends among the monks – they all look the same, don’t they? You may even introduce yourself to an old friend once again!

And I answered the call of the mountains last year, I decided to ride to the beautiful Lahaul and Spiti valley – as opposed to an overwhelming number of riders who point their front wheel beyond Manali and end up riding to the Leh region. It is a beautiful ride indeed, through some of the world’s highest motorable roads, water crossings, snow peaks, and deep gorges – with a number of pristine high altitude lakes thrown in.

But, of late, it’s become far too crowded and commercialized for my liking. And I always try and avoid crowded touristy places, and, at present, Leh certainly fits this description. But, that’s just my personal point of view.

I wanted to ride to Spiti, but didn’t really want to take the additional burden of getting all the logistics. I met an old friend Vishesh, who runs his motorcycle tours in the Lahaul and Spiti valley (www. incrediblespiti.com), along with Tsering Bodh and Subhansu Singh. Riding solo is a nice feeling, as you drift with the wind without any set itinerary. But time was at a premium, and riding with Vishesh and his group made perfect sense.

We started early from Shimla, and stopped at Narkhanda for breakfast.

Riding in the hills invariably gives me a good appetite, and after having our fill we rode on to Sarahan. This 110 kilometer stretch is a lovely ride on winding roads through a Deodar forest. Although we rode for about 10 hours on winding roads, it wasn’t overtly tiresome and we spent the night at Sangla in tents at the Kinnaur

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Camps. It’s the ride that matters – and the ride is considered a success if they can enjoy a good camp fire at the end. Well, that’s exactly what we got. And yes, we did do the touristy thing too, as we went to see the 900 year-old Bima Kali temple – which is simply amazing, and we didn’t regret this touristy bit of activity one bit.

An early morning start again, as we made our way to Kalpa via Chitkul, which is the last village on the Indo-Tibetian border. It’s a very scenic ride from Chitkul to Kalpa, and we could see the Kinnaur Kailash peak, which seems to change colour during the course of the day. The apple orchards along the way accentuate the feel good factor of the ride as did the sparse traffic. Vishesh had the tour nicely paced out. After the 10 hour ride the day before, it was four-five hours of easy riding – so we arrived at the Apple Country hotel in much better shape.

The next day the terrain changed quite a bit, as we again rode for 10 hours from Kalpa to Tabo via Nako. At Khab before Nako, we could see the confluence of the Sutlej and the Spiti rivers, and the hills became barren and brown as we entered the cold desert. The two checkpoints at Spillo and Chango didn’t take much time as we were the only ‘tourists’ around.

Travelling with people who know the area has its advantages. After Kalpa, Vishesh suddenly pulled up by the side of a rather old tree and announced ‘lunch!’

I certainly didn’t see any place or anyone who would serve us lunch, but as we climbed a few stone steps by the side of the tree, a small dhaba came into view that had the most amazing paranthas ever.

After we crossed the Sumdo checkpoint, we took a diversion on the right that took us to Gheun – whose claim to fame is the naturally preserved 600 year old mummy of a Buddhist monk that was discovered after a landslide exposed it. It is a little off the way, and not too many tourists visit this area – all the better! Gheun also has an ITBP base.

Tiger Den was our den at Tabo for the next two days, as we moved in and around Tabo. The Tabo Monastery is a marvel indeed. The monastery was built in

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