DRIVEN
`70 | VOLUME 6 | ISSUE 7 | MAY 2012
AUDI Q3
RIDE
DUCATI MONSTER 795 10 SMALL CARS = 1 BIG TEST SONATA vs SUPERB PREMIUM PETROL SEDANS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD
Finest Selection of Small, Luxury, Classic, Sports Cars and SUVs
FEATURE
TWO YEARS AGO THE VIPER WAS PUT TO SLEEP, BUT THE ENDURING FAITH OF ITS FANS AND ENTHUSIASTS HAS BROUGHT THIS GREAT AMERICAN SPORTS CAR BACK TO LIFE TEXT JARED SOLOMON
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DODGE VIPER SRT
STING OF THE
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AUDI Q3
Audi’s iPhone
IF THE RANGE ROVER EVOQUE IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A VERTU CELL PHONE, AND THE BMW X1 A BLACKBERRY TORCH, CAN THE AUDI Q3 BE LIKENED TO THE IPHONE? READ ON TO FIND OUT TEXT & IMAGES DHRUV BEHL
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DRIVEN
SMALL CHANGE, BIG DIFFERENCE DRIVING A FRENCH CAR IN AN ERSTWHILE FRENCH COLONY, ONLY BOTH ARE QUITE INDIAN NOW – LET’S JUST SAY THAT THERE’S A LOT TO TALK ABOUT! TEXT & IMAGES ASHISH JHA
DRIVEN
ENGINE
1461CC / 4 CYLINDERS / 8 VALVES / DIRECT INJECTION / VARIABLE GEOMETRY TURBO
FUEL
DIESEL
TRANSMISSION
6-SPEED, MANUAL / FRONT-WHEEL DRIVE
POWER
108BHP @ 4000RPM
TORQUE
240NM @ 1850RPM
PRICE
` 15.2 LAKHS (EX-SHOWROOM, DELHI)
FACTOR
ENGINE ENHANCEMENTS AND IMPROVED FEATURE LIST GIVE THE FLUENCE ITS MUCH NEEDED EDGE
now starts coming to you from as low as 1,700rpm – and 300rpm lower is a massive number. The terrible lag which the engine previously suffered from has been all but eliminated, and you can feel the engine pull the weight of the car admirably from the word go. Sure, it still isn’t as feisty as some of its rivals, but you can live with it. Peak power is up by 3 horses, but again, I can’t stress enough that it’s more about the torque in this engine, and you just have to drive it directly against its pre-worked-on variant to sense the sort of work that’s gone into the injection system and in modifying the blades of the (now) variable geometry turbocharger – it provides small gains, but for the nature of driving this engine will be restricted to, those small gains are massive. That’s not to suggest that the new E4 diesel wouldn’t do the highway dance, it will – but it’s now far more suited for city roads too. And then there’s the way this car looks. The funny face and the interesting arse remain so – as a result, this thing sure knows how to look different in a crowd to attract attention. I personally like it immensely. The handling is surefooted, the steering is fairly direct, and the ride quality is definitely up there with the best-inclass. With added firepower – I make it sound like it’s got NOS canisters – it’ll appeal to you that much more, especially as it’s priced so attractively now, and has all the bells-andwhistles of its petrol sibling. You get cruise control, rear parking sensors, Bluetooth telephony, and automatic headlights to make the Fluence a very attractive package indeed. But the Fluence is still French, so it’s still a bit loony. It’s like the health department in France trying to make milk the national drink – it’s just a bit French. But, if you don’t mind milk, you may just love the Fluence!
RIDE
SOME KIND OF MONSTER IT’S GOT THAT FIERCE ON-ROAD PRESENCE. IT’S GOT DECENT POWER. IT’S NAKED. IT’S LOUD. IT’S A NEW KIND OF MONSTER. SEE HOW WE UNLEASHED THE 795 ON THE STREETS TEXT JARED SOLOMON IMAGES KAPIL VASHIST
FEATURE
SMALL CARS BIG BATTLE
SMALL CAR
WE BRING YOU A COMBINATION OF THE BEST-SELLING AND MOST INTERESTING PREMIUM HATCHES TO DEMONSTRATE JUST HOW FAR SMALL CARS HAVE COME – TEN CARS, EACH WITH THEIR OWN CHARACTER, HOURS OF TESTING, PLENTY OF ARGUMENTS, AND SOME INTERESTING CONCLUSIONS... TEXT & IMAGES ASHISH JHA
FEATURE
SKODA FABIA
TOTAL POINTS
WZ D/hD
62
NO DOUBT THE SKODA BADGE ENSURES THAT THIS IS A PROPERLY PREMIUM HATCH, BUT ONE IN NEED OF A FACELIFT
L
et’s be honest – the world over, Skoda was a brand that was mocked till the recent past – automotive journals are full of jokes about Skoda. But that’s changed now – and how! Skoda now ranks up there with brands that have considerably more pedigree to fl aunt. And India has been an excellent market for this Czech motoring brand. We embraced Skoda with open arms when it set up shop way back in 2001, and there’s been no looking back ever since. The Octavia was the only true rival to the Japanese, and it was praised for its quality and robustness. It even handled better than its rivals, and the ride was so ahead of the game that you felt isolated from every bump on a typical potholed
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Indian road. The Superb might not have done good numbers back in the day, but it sure was a loaded machine, and when the new one was introduced, it licked the competition. The Laura was a game changer in its segment, and the Yeti – well, what can we say of this crossover, it’s a favourite with each one of us. All Skoda cars have been good to
drive, so it wasn’t a surprise to us when the Fabia scored well on the ride and handling parameter. The steering too is sharp and has more feedback than most in this bunch. When the Fabia 1.6 petrol was introduced not too long ago, we came away considerably impressed that it was truly a pleasing hot-hatch. Sure, that was a petrol engine, but this 1.2 litre, 74bhp diesel isn’t a bad deal either. Yes, I know it sounds like it’s an offspring of a truck engine, but get it warmed up and it shifts well – especially high up in the rev range. The quality of interior – like all Skodas – is damn good too, and there’s plenty of space to get comfortable. In fact, this was one of the few hatches here that had a telescoping steering wheel – i.e. one that adjusts for rake-and-reach. And you know you’re in a premium hatch when it comes with
SMALL CAR
chrome-ringed gauges. So, where do things start to go wrong, you wonder? For one, it just looks too dated. The styling department at Skoda desperately needs to work on some updates – it’s really much needed. And, though the interior is good on quality, it’s too basic. All Skoda’s and VW’s look too similar on the inside – that’s something I’ve been shouting about forever – and Skoda tends to get the shorter end of the stick.
But, crucially, the Fabia simply doesn’t have enough ammo to get you excited. Okay, I agree that if you tell someone that you drive a Fabia, he’ll think you’ve got a healthy bank account in order to afford a Skoda. But, he’ll also be well aware of the fact that style means nothing to you. There are cars that look better, go better, and, more importantly, sound better to mention to your buddies – the Fabia does sound expensive, but not special enough.
POINTS PARAMETERS QUALITY COMFORT REFINEMENT DESIGN/STYLE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION RIDE/HANDLING VALUE FOR MONEY yͳ& dKZ TOTAL
10 10 10 10 10 10 20 20 100
SCORE 7.5 7.5 7 6 6.5 7 11 9.5 62
T E C H N I C A L S P E C I F I C AT I O N
THE INTERIOR QUALIT Y IS DAMN GOOD, AND YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN A PREMIUM HATCH WHEN IT COMES WITH CHROME-RINGED GAUGES
ENGINE FUEL TRANSMISSION WKt Z TORQUE WZ/
1,199CC / 3 CYLINDERS / 12 VALVES DIESEL ϱͳ^W D Eh > ϳϰ ,W Ν ϰϮϬϬ ZWD ϭϴϬ ED Ν ϮϬϬϬ ZWD ` ϲ͘ϯϬ > <,^ Έ yͳ^,KtZKKD >,/Ή
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FEATURE
HYUNDAI i10
MASS
TOTAL POINTS
64
APPEAL
THE DEFAULT CHOICE IN THE SMALL CAR SEGMENT THAT APPEALS TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOUR GRANDMOTHER
I
still remember when, in 1998, we drove our white Santro home from the showroom – our neighbours were envious of us. It was the big thing in the Indian market at the time, and would remain so for some time to come. Of course, at a time when the auto industry still hadn’t matured and moved towards bigger cars, having a small car that was
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made by a foreign company was special – the 800 had simply become Indian, as Suzuki was lost in the shadow of Maruti. There were, at the time, two such offerings – the Daewoo Matiz and the Hyundai Santro. The latter looked rather ungainly, and the Matiz was hailed as the most stylish car that money could buy. Sure enough, the Santro went on to redefine the segment, and the
Matiz died and untimely death as the manufacturer packed up its operations globally and sold its car division to GM in 2001. The i10 is the Santro of today – metaphorically speaking. It’s all the car you’d ever need – small car that is. You’ve got to note that we’re talking entry level B segment cars when mentioning the i10, and the fact that it’s got the most well built interiors and the most accomplished gearbox in its pack (manual and auto both), goes a long way. In fact, it was the only autobox in our test, and that makes it the most convenient in traffic. Okay, so it’s not even close to being rewarding to drive, but then we don’t exactly have the concept of hot hatches here – the best we can do is a Punto 90bhp or a Fabia 1.6! But, what the i10 loses on,
SMALL CAR
it gains massively back on practicality and Hyundai’s network. Yes, we’re starting to get a bit practical now. So, it’s the most well built in its segment, has ergonomically designed interiors that also look good. Plus, it has a light steering-and-gearbox combo for ease of use in city driving. And while I love the positioning of the manual gearlever I’m not overly fond of the aggressively self-centering steering. The handling is suicidal if you’re Vin Diesel from The Fast and
the Furious, but the ride is good enough to appeal to even your grandmother. But, is it enough to make it appeal to you? Apparently not, and that’s not its aim anyway – the i10 is made to sell to the commonest of the common man and, at doing that, it is pretty damn good. It’s the perfect small car that’s got almost no special talent, but it does everything just right enough to appeal to a wide spectrum of customers and that’s what makes it click – that’s its USP.
POINTS PARAMETERS QUALITY COMFORT REFINEMENT DESIGN/STYLE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION RIDE/HANDLING VALUE FOR MONEY yͳ& dKZ TOTAL
10 10 10 10 10 10 20 20 100
SCORE 7 7 7.5 6 7 6 12.5 11 64
T E C H N I C A L S P E C I F I C AT I O N
THE i10 WAS THE ONLY AUTO-BOX IN OUR TEST, AND THAT MAKES IT THE MOST CONVENIENT IN TR AFFIC
ENGINE FUEL TRANSMISSION WKt Z TORQUE WZ/
ϭ͕ϭϵϳ ͬ ϰ z>/E Z^ ͬ ϭϲ s >s ^ W dZK> ϱͳ^W D Eh > ͬ ϰͳ^W hdK ϳϵ ,W Ν ϲϬϬϬ ZWD ϭϭϮ ED Ν ϰϬϬϬ ZWD `ϱ͘ϰͳϲ͘ϭ > <,^ Έ yͳ^,KtZKKD >,/Ή
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FEATURE
HONDA BRIO
DIFFERENT
TOTAL POINTS
69.5
STROKES WE CHALLENGE YOU NOT TO LOOK TWICE WHEN YOU SEE A BRIO ON THE ROAD, AND THEREIN LIES THE APPEAL
M
arch 2012 was a good month for Honda. They registered their highest ever monthly sales of over 11,000 units, and the Brio alone sold more than 6,300 units. And that makes me a very happy bunny, because I really adore the Brio a lot. Let me break it down for you – if any automotive journo says that he doesn’t
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have a favourite, he’s, plainly, lying. We’re passionate chaps who have certain biases towards certain cars – and there’s no harm in accepting that. Luckily for you, in the interests of objectivity, we have four judges. The only thing is that we all have a soft corner for the Brio. At the Auto Expo in 2010, Honda displayed a small car concept, which ultimately became the Brio. When I first drove it back in September last
year, I was smitten. I went to the extent of saying that it was the motoring equivalent of Lady Gaga – eccentrically styled and immensely fun loving when you really got to know it. The Brio has a lot going for it. The styling is completely unconventional, and that’s what makes it unique. The all-glass rear hatch is quite a jewel to have, but it can also be a bit unnerving. Once seated inside, if you turn and look behind, you will be a bit surprised. You see, ordinarily you’d see the cladding of a lot of metal and the inside of a C-pillar. But in the Brio, it feels like someone’s simply dismantled the back of the car. The cabin in the Brio can be likened to a holding station in an outpost in Botswana. You don’t get a lot, and the exposed metal door panels just heighten the spartan feel. But that’s not to say that the Brio is built with cheap materials – it’s actually quite well built, and there’s enough space
SMALL CAR
for a nuclear family. More importantly, however, it’s as funky on the inside as it on the outside. Honda, of course, enjoys respect from the motoring hacks of the world because of its VTEC technology, and the Brio takes this a step higher. The i-VTEC motor in the Brio is a gem, but you have to grab it by the scruff of its neck and really give it some stick to feel the whole thing coming together – and when it does, it’s a blissful experience. The mid-range is extremely
strong, but you have to keep the revs at the smiling side of 3,500 to get the most out of the 1.2 litre engine. The suspension, too, is very well calibrated for Indian roads, and soaks in most city bumps very well. If there’s a gripe that I have, it’s the lack of low-end torque in this engine and a steering that’s too light and lacking in outright feel. That said, it’s quite direct and the Brio turns into corners with enthusiasm. Overall, the Brio is a feisty car – a laugh to drive with plenty of sex appeal.
POINTS PARAMETERS QUALITY COMFORT REFINEMENT DESIGN/STYLE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION RIDE/HANDLING VALUE FOR MONEY yͳ& dKZ TOTAL
10 10 10 10 10 10 20 20 100
SCORE 7 7 8 8 8 7 10.5 14 69.5
T E C H N I C A L S P E C I F I C AT I O N
THE I-V TEC MOTOR IS A GEM, BUT YOU HAVE TO GR AB IT BY THE SCRUFF OF ITS NECK AND RE ALLY GIVE IT SOME STICK TO FEEL THE WHOLE THING COMING TOGETHER
ENGINE FUEL TRANSMISSION WKt Z TORQUE WZ/
ϭ͕ϭϵϴ ͬ ϰ z>/E Z^ ͬ ϭϲ s >s ^ W dZK> ϱͳ^W D Eh > ϴϵ ,W Ν ϲϮϬϬ ZWD ϭϭϬ ED Ν ϰϴϬϬ ZWD ` ϱ͘ϮϬ > <,^ Έ yͳ^,KtZKKD >,/Ή
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FEATURE
HONDA JAZZ
TOTAL POINTS
d, Z<
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KNIGHT 74
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SMALL CAR
IT JUST LOOKS THE BUSINESS – AND DRIVES LIKE IT TOO. SHAME YOU CAN’T GET YOUR HANDS ON ONE THOUGH
W
hen the Jazz came out in 2009, it flaunted the tagline that Heath Ledger made famous in the Batman movie The Dark Knight – ‘Why so serious?’ Well, I’ll tell you why Honda – it’s because, thank you, but I’ll take a sedan at the price of a hatch. Yes, the Jazz was shamelessly expensive for a hatch, but it was a killer car. I’ll be honest – in this test, the Jazz won in my tally against the i20 by a point. But, when the points of all four of us were tallied, it lost out to the i20 by half a point. Half a point! There’s just something about the Jazz that grows on you. And everyone seemed to love the Jazz. It looks just right – even futuristic enough to still look current five years from now. It’s so sharp and edgy in its styling, in fact, that you could be wearing a Power Ranger suit and still feel perfectly normal driving it. Honda has managed to make a hatch that’s properly cutting-edge and cool, and that gives it character. I know I’m going on about the way this car looks, but it’s truly a class apart. It’s so far ahead on design that some of the other cars in this feature look a bit, well, last decade, in comparison. Then, there’s the interior – it’s well made, extremely spacious, and perfectly ergonomic to play around with. There’s a bit of a mini-van feel
on the inside with that massive dash spreading out in front of you – not to mention the MUV-like profile and green-house area. But it’s all very sorted and well incorporated into the overall design. And the use of dark colours in the cabin actually looks quite cool. But, what makes the Jazz really click is its versatility and space efficiency. You can split the seats, fold them down flat, or lift them up to fit most of the contents of your house into it – it really is that spacious. And I counted 10 cup holders. Ten! Oh no, I’m starting to sound excited about things that don’t usually excite me very much – that can’t be good! The Jazz, like the Brio, impresses with its throaty engine. But again, it’s asleep south of 3,000rpm. However, like a proper VTEC, you can feel a distinct (and addictive) surge of power in the upper reaches of the rev range. Plus, the ride is confident, the steering is well weighted, and the handling is acceptable – although it does understeer when pushed, and you really do have to keep it on the
boil to get any gains from the engine whatsoever. Sadly, the Jazz hasn’t really been the sort of success story that Honda envisioned it to be, but it remains a solidly competent car that tickles your funny bone and ensures that you have a smile plastered all the while that you’re behind the wheel. It’s also got a massive personality – and that, we like. The truth is, though, that – since the significant price revision last year – you can’t get your hands on one due to limited supply. And that really is a shame.
POINTS PARAMETERS QUALITY COMFORT REFINEMENT DESIGN/STYLE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION RIDE/HANDLING VALUE FOR MONEY yͳ& dKZ TOTAL
10 10 10 10 10 10 20 20 100
SCORE 7.5 8 8 8.5 7.5 7 13 13.5 73
T E C H N I C A L S P E C I F I C AT I O N
THE JAZZ LOOKS SO SHARP AND EDGY IN ITS STYLING THAT YOU COULD BE WEARING A POWER RANGER SUIT AND STILL FEEL PERFECTLY NORMAL DRIVING IT
ENGINE FUEL TRANSMISSION WKt Z TORQUE WZ/
ϭ͕ϭϵϴ ͬ ϰ z>/E Z^ ͬ ϭϲ s >s ^ W dZK> ϱͳ^W D Eh > ϴϳ ,W Ν ϲϬϬϬ ZWD ϭϬϵ ED Ν ϰϲϬϬ ZWD ` ϲ͘ϯϭ > <,^ Έ yͳ^,KtZKKD >,/Ή
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DRIVEN
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SONATA vs SUPERB
WITH HYUNDAI MAKING ITS MOST CONVINCING SALVO YET IN THE LUXURY D-SEGMENT, WE COMPARE THE NEW SONATA AGAINST THE CURRENT SALES LEADER, THE SKODA SUPERB, TO SEE HOW THE TWO FARE AGAINST EACH OTHER TEXT ISHAN RAGHAVA IMAGES ASHISH JHA
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