all the evos!
#08 | May 2014 | ` 125
Paying homage to the mighty Mitsubishi Evolution range
lambo huracﾃ］
T H R I L L
O F
D R I V I N G . C O M
Naughty Kitty
Jaguar F-type V8 R Coupﾃｩ
M fight
M5 or M6 GC? We take to the autobahn to find out
650s
The 12C is dead. We drive the new McLaren
Inside the Gallardo replacement. Just an Audi in drag?
ISSUE 08 MAY 2014
Contents
064 Evo generations
“ I’m hardly a drifting hero but the Evo X had me convinced I was the best drifter in the world ”
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ISSUE 08 MAY 2014
Features
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120
046
Jaguar f-type v8 r coupÉ The spiritual successor to the E-type unleashed at the Motorland Aragon circuit
056 Lamborghini huracÁn The Gallardo replacement is arriving soon in India. It packs in a bigger punch, and we’re not sure if we can still call it a baby Lambo
062 Lambos Bambinos A look back at the history of baby Lambos
064
Driven
Ridden
evo generations
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128
Paying homage to Mitsubishi’s iconic high performance sedan, the Lancer Evolution
Bentley Continental gt v8s
022
084
Hyundai Xcent
mclaren 650s
Renault Koleos
Its the successor to the 12C, and is imbued with more soul than its clinical predecessor
Renault Fluence
092
024 026 028
jaguar xf 2.0
S80 v e-class v a6 v 520D v xf
news
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News
136
kawasaki Z1000 vs honda Cb1000r vs Yamaha fz1
064
All the dope on Audi’s performance future, BMW and Volvo activities and Land Rover’s new Vision concept
030 Columns
Gautam stresses grooming young Indian motorsport talent, Bob lauds the ascent of Force India in F1, Bijoy questions the bicycling bug and Gaurav goes drifting
034
The Swede faces up to its European incumbents
letters
Lucky evo India subscribers have a gala time at the Mercedes-Benz Star Off-Road Experience
100 santa fe v fortuner v q3
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Hyundai’s latest takes on the popular Fortuner and Teuton contender, the Q3
MOTORSPORT
Gaurav Gill starts the 2014 APRC season on a winning note. We’ve also witnessed some never before action at the BIC in the form of the Tata Motors T1 Prima truck racing series
106 bmw m5 & m6 Gran Coupe The original sports sedan and its more stylish new stablemate thrashed in Germany
152 Long-Term tests
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The Evo-fied Cedia, new Skoda Octavia, Honda CR-V and TVS Jupiter in the spotlight
amg plant visit Affalterbach is where the magic happens
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evo knowledge
Tips on buying a Lamborghini Murciélago, along with a review of the Michelin Pilot Sporty tyres, and Need For Speed: Rivals
BMW 116i v Audi Q3 S The battle for the coveted ‘S’ tag
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Baja SAEIndia Buggy What’s an off-road buggy built by college kids like to drive?
Regulars
Collectors edition cover exclusive for subscribers
Art of Speed
News stand cover
All-round visibility in the Lancia Stratos glasshouse
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Test location: Muscat, Oman
Bentley Continental GT V8 S Does the new V8 S sharpen the Conti’s sporting edge? Words by B y r a m g o d r e j | P h o t o g r a p h y by wo u t e r k i n g m a
The Continental gets sportier with the V8 S
T
The journey is more important than the destination, particularly when the task at hand is to evaluate the latest iteration of a landmark grand touring car. And few roads can compare with the Cote d’Azur, a ribbon of tarmac looping over itself as it descends into the sparkling Mediterranean, powering through sections cops chased you on in
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the very first (and finest) Need For Speed game, assaulted by the sun-drenched decadence of Cannes and Monaco and then into the Alps, up the Col de Turini over the stages made famous by the Rally Monte Carlo. Except for the first drive of the new Bentley Continental GT V8 S we found ourselves in… er… Muscat. For Bentley nothing but the best will do. The launch of the Continental GT V8 S for the
Middle East, Africa and India, was Shangri La in Muscat. Why Shangri La? It’s Bentley. Why Muscat? It probably has the best roads this continent has to offer, wide open roads with a surface that would be as good as or even better than most circuits I have driven on, a perfect blend of fast flowing freeways and really tight turns with crests and dips coming on most unexpectedly and unannounced. As Bentley
Every new vehicle that matters, rated
This month Hyundai xcent
The Grand i10 based sedan stakes claim to the compact sedan throne
p22
Renault koleos p24
Refreshed for 2014 changes are not just skin-deep but under the hood as well
Renault fluence
A cosmetic makeover -inside and out puts it back into the game
p26
jaguar xf 2.0 p28
The most affordable Jag comes with a spunky 2.0 turbo-petrol engine
Yamaha Alpha p132
The Japanese manufacturers take on the premium scooter market
The test team Talk Japanese performance cars and the term ‘rice rockets’ comes to mind. Team evo recall their favourites from the land of the rising sun
SIRISH CHANDRAN
Editor “The one and only time I drove an NSX. A short lap but the sensory experience ... and the fact that Senna had a hand in it.”
ROHAN PAWAR
Publisher “The Nissan GT-R. Absolutely mental performance and yet, I haven’t come across any that haven’t been tuned even more.”
Byram Godrej
Technical editor “Honda S2000 for its crazyily high revving engine, seating position close to the rear wheel and unmatched handling.”
ANIRUDDHA RANGNEKAR
Consulting editor “Mitsubishi Evo 6.5. For its brutal acceleration, unreal cornerning ability and focused driving experience.”
tushar burman
Managing Editor - Online “A recent drive in an ITC Honda City sticks in the mind. Aural violence, no weight and all engine. Just silly.”
say, “The new ‘S’ models sharpen the sporting edge of the Continental GT range.” So I guess the choice was appropriate. Oman is everything Dubai is not. Construction is of course at a frenetic pace but there are no steel-and-glass monstrosities freaking the clouds out. The architecture and colours feel old-world, like you are in the Middle East, like man has attempted to co-exist
with nature. The Omanis are proud of their history and festoon every bloody roundabout with jars and cups. Like any normal city there are areas of Muscat that look decrepit. And there are areas that are utterly lavish, like the hotel we are at, nestled on the shore of the Gulf of Oman where a massage on my own private beach greets me. Our drive for the day takes us through
ABHAY VERMA
Asst managing editor “A short blast in the Honda S2000 on the arrow straight roads outside Hyderabad airport. Manic acceleration and sound.”
ABHIK DAS
Senior correspondent “A short drive in the Lancer Evo X up the hills of Aamby. Phenomenal AWD grip, stupendous handling, properly fast.”
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Meowr
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Jaguar F-type V8 R Coupé
rrr...
How different can the Coupé be to the convertible? We head to Spain to find out Words by S I R I S H C H A N DR A N P h o t o g r aph y by DAV I D S H E P H E RD
May 2014 2013 |
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evolution
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of the
SPECIES
It ruled the rally circuit, enthusiasts prayed at its altar and it re-wrote the laws of physics. Now that the Lancer Evolution series is officially being retired, we pay homage to what were once the fastest road rockets in the world WORDS by S i r i s h c h a n d r a n & J e t h ro b ov i n g d o n | P h o t o g r a p h Y by g au r av s t h o m b r e
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McLAREN 650S
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by h e n ry c at c h p o l e PHOTO G RAPHY by D E a n S m i t h
driftability
noun
[ Drift•a•bil•it•y ] An aptitude for being oversteered on the throttle for an emotional, involving driving experience; implies an absence of clinical qualities. Origin: McLaren Automotive, on the new 641bhp 650S
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Hyundai Santa Fe v Audi Q3 v Toyota Fortuner
WORDS by A n i ru dd h a R a n g n e k ar & P h o t o g rap h y by v i k ra n t dat e
Is bigger
better?
Hyundai takes another shot at going upmarket, but can it match the Fortuner’s versatility and the Q3’s brand snobbery? 100
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I
If you didn’t know better, given the proliferation of burly SUVs hogging increasingly tight real estate within the city, you’d think that our country’s infrastructure comprised only of dirt trails, rock-strewn river washes and broken pavement. It’s not a particularly correct description, even if you live in Mumbai, but there’s something in our psyche that draw us towards this ‘super-size-me’ marketplace; people already with an SUV in their garage on the look out for a bigger upgrade, car buyers desperate to move on to something SUV-ish. Little wonder then that the EcoSport et al are so popular – they are basically cars with an SUV ‘top-hat’. But it is also a commentary on our evolving tastes; we might want an SUV but we don’t want the compromises of one. That’s where soft-roaders come in – SUVs
that can tackle dirt trails but won’t fall off the mountain when a corner looms into view. The previous generation Santa Fe was a shining example of the breed; a monocoque chassis based on the Sonata that actually endowed it with better handling than the donor car, on-demand all-wheel drive for the gravel driveway to the farm house, lots of space, and all-round decent road manners. That it couldn’t make any dent whatsoever in the Fortuner’s sales figures is different matter altogether, on sheer capabilities the Santa Fe was genuinely good. And now there’s a new one, employing all the design flourish of the new range of Hyundai cars. Where the old Santa Fe looked tame the new one is in your face; big, burly, aggressive and intimidating. Did I mention big? This is the long wheel base Santa Fe complete with a third row of seats; in North America (its home market), there’s also a smaller version with just two rows which we don’t get for obvious
reasons. It is also expensive – this top-of-theline all-wheel drive automatic costs `29.3 lakh (ex-showrtoom Delhi). That’s a lot of cash for a Hyundai, especially when that money buys you a German luxury badge. Enter the Q3, the best entry-premium SUV on sale right now. Looks fabulous, is a proper Audi on the inside, has a range of engines (we’ve got the 1.8-litre turbo-petrol mated to a DSG gearbox, you can also get a diesel with both manual and automatic ’boxes), gets allwheel-drive as standard, handles very well, rides well and is a fun car, sorry SUV, to drive. Comparing the Santa Fe to the Fortuner could very well be a chalk-to-cheese comparison but, at the expense of killing some of the suspense, if you had 30 lakh rupees in your pocket it’d bode you well to look at the Hyundai. Of course if the Hyundai has to sell in any decent numbers it has also to match up and beat – by a fair margin – the best-selling Fortuner. So that’s where we will start. May 2014 |
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DreaM duo B
Before I embarked on a career as an automotive journalist I was a stunter who spent most of his time on one wheel – didn’t matter if it was the front or back. Motorbikes were what I lived for and nothing could come close to the manic acceleration and adrenaline rush of a thoroughbred superbike. These days though if you want to straight line some adrenaline you don’t have to risk falling off a superbike, there are cars that provide equally maniac thrills and unravel numbers ad infinitum– be it their price tags, engine performance or lap times. Like BMW’s M cars.
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You may not be aware but BMW initially did not conceive its M-badged cars to set fire to enthusiasts’ trousers. Introduced in 1984, the first gofaster 5 Series got a more powerful engine so that the bodyguards could keep up with their bosses in the 7 Series. Now, three decades later, BMW’s M line is among the most revered names in the performance world, the M badge evoking profound awe and admiration. And the M5, the original super saloon, has attained near cult status. Sure, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, and now even Jaguar, make go-faster versions of their everyday diesel saloons, but for many purists the M5 is still real deal. It might have got bigger, heavier and loaded with bells and
BMW M5 and M6 Gran Coupe
Do BMW’s new M5 sedan and M6 Gran Coupe take the game to exalted levels? Wo r d s by A B H AY V E R M A | P h o t o g r aphy by Raine r haec k l ph o t o g r aphie
mad whistles but the M5’s core appeal – blistering performance in a practical four-door, five-seat sedan remains. And it is that brilliance of the M5, and its consequent desirability, that has seen M badges sprout up on even diesel 5 Series. The M5 has been the flagship go-faster BMW for a long time, but this year it must concede its crown to the all-new M6 Gran Coupe. The 6 Series Gran Coupe is BMW’s answer to the new-fangled four-door coupes and looks stunning, while under the hood resides the M5’s firebreathing V8 with two twin-scroll turbochargers sending 560bhp to set fire to the rear tyres.
For 2014 the M5 sedan and M6 Gran Coupe get an optional Competition Package that lowers the cars by 10mm apart from changes to the exhaust and ECU, revisions to the hydraulic rack and pinion steering to enhance feedback and feel, 20-inch M wheels and carbon ceramic brakes that weigh half as much as the steel brakes and resisting fade much better for track use. The package bumps the power output to 575bhp – a mere 2.6 per cent increase – while peak torque remains the same at 680Nm. So is the Competition Package more about bragging rights then? After two pedal-to-the-metal days in the two cars on derestricted stretches of the German autobahn, my answer is a resounding no. May 2014 |
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Strip club
The Z1000 is the newcomer in the sport naked club. We acquaint it with its arch rivals
Words by a b h ay v e r m a
P h o t o g r a p h y by g au r av s t h o m b r e
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Kawasaki Z1000 v Honda CB1000R v Yamaha FZ1
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Art of speed Camera: Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III. Focal length: 35.0mm. Exposure: 1/30sec at f/7.1 (ISO 125)
Lancia Stratos glasshouse WORDS by DAV I D V I V I A N | P h o t o g rap h y by m at t h ow e l l
P
Perhaps rally legend Stig Blomqvist put it best a few years ago when, after climbing into a Lancia Stratos HF to drive a stage at Silverstone, he is purported to have said: ‘You wear this car. It’s like putting on a Bell helmet.’ He was referring, of course, to the visor-like wraparound windscreen. But then the Stratos, the world’s first purpose-built rally car, would have been a tight fit for Stig, even at his best fighting weight. Inspired by Italian styling house Bertone’s wedge-shaped Stratos Zero concept, but realised by Lancia motorsport boss Cesare Fiorio with input from rally superstar Sandro Munari, the Stratos had light weight and compact dimensions as the fundamental requirements of its design brief. The services of a perfectly scaled works driver with phenomenal ability completed the dream package. Sandro and the Stratos won the Sanremo Rally in 1974 and went on to a hat-trick of Monte Carlo Rally wins, helping Lancia lift the WRC manufacturers’ title in 1975, ’76 and ’77. Naturally, Bertone had been given the commission to finish what it had started by designing the rally weapon proper. That job principally fell to the unfeasibly talented (and busy) Marcello Gandini, who already had the sculpting
Next month in
Huracán LP610-4 New 602bhp ‘baby’ Lambo driven. Is it a worthy successor to the Gallardo?
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of the Lamborghini Miura on his CV and added the Countach and Stratos more or less at the same time – both appeared on the same Bertone stand at the 1971 Turin motor show. Bertone’s current design director, Michael Robinson, is a big fan of the Lancia’s ‘outrageous’ glasshouse cabin. ‘The intriguing thing about the Stratos is that it didn’t follow the cab-forward architecture Gandini employed with the Countach,’ he says. ‘Instead, it had a strange three-box layout with a small greenhouse stuck on top of the wild wedge. This led to the tiny side glass that seamlessly wrapped right around into the windshield area. A butterfly screw allowed the glass to slide along a diagonal slot in the door panel, and not having window cranks or internal gears greatly reduced the weight of the door assembly.’ Given its mid-engined layout, Ferrari Dino-sourced V6 powerplant and rearbiased 45/55 weight distribution, the Stratos was always going to be a natural drifter. Robinson explains: ‘That’s why Bertone decided to build in 180-degree undisturbed visibility, allowing the driver to keep his eyes fixed firmly on the road ahead, even when the car was pointing towards the centre of the curve, sliding around the dirt roads at incredible speeds.’ L