the lambo ENIGMA
AMG gets serious Aggressive India plans unveiled
#09 | June 2014 | ` 125
Unlocking the Huracán’s secrets
DRIVING the monsters!
GL 63 AMG, ML 63 AMG, G 63 AMG & G 55 AMG plus the hot new cla 45 amg
The Ferrari
67 years of the prancing horse – in one car 950bhp ri LaFerra Driven
Plus
TOYOTA CoROLLA ALTIS MERCEDES C-Class KAWASAKI NINJA 1000 TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE AUDI A8 L 3.0TDI
crossed up Can the Etios Cross best the Cross Polo?
BMW i8
Enough to worry the 911 and R8?
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ISSUE 09 JUNE 2014
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Ed Speak Timing is everything!
Where were you on May 16? I found myself at the inauguration of the AMG Performance Centre at Bangalore, huddling over phone and iPad, keeping track of the results, shocked and awed at the sweeping mandate that holds promise of a stable, business-friendly environment in which everybody will want to buy more cars (some with twin-turbo V8s). Installing these AMG centres (at Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore) would have cost a fair coin but you will agree that the timing couldn’t have been better. And I think it’ll work, because Mercedes is putting in serious effort. While these are not stand-alone AMG dealerships, the in-store concept works better as more prospects are exposed to AMG while dedicated staff (five of them, trained at Affalterbach) can sell E 63 AMGs to S-Class customers. These centres not only have AMG demonstration cars but almost every AMG is in stock, so you unless you want a yellow exterior with a pink interior (AMG will do it if you want!), you won’t have to wait months for your monstrous G 63 AMG. And of course they stock AMG parts. Presently Mercedes does “nearly triple-digit” AMG sales in India every year, all of that via catalogue-selling, and they hope to “double that number” every year. Which is conservative, if you ask me, for in October we will get the CLA 45 AMG, the most affordable (around `80 lakh) of the German high-performance brands. That will be followed by the almost similarly priced GLA 45 AMG, in 2015, which will do even better as it’s a shape Indians love – a compact SUV. AMG, or for that matter BMW’s M and Audi’s RS, have never had cars in that price segment and this will open it up to a whole new customer base spurred on (hopefully) by an uptick in the economy. And while we are on the subject of timing, how about Hamilton and Rosberg’s decimation of the Formula 1 grid with AMG-powered Silver Arrows? Shame there isn’t an F1 round in India this year. Let’s hope then, that with a bit of government support, F1 is back in 2015, the economy gets turbo-charged, taxes don’t remain ludicrous, fuel prices hold steady and desperately needed infrastructure is put in place so we all might truly experience The Thrill of Driving. L
W
Sirish Chandran Editor sirish@evo.in |
@SirishChandran
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ISSUE 09 june 2014
Contents
062 LaFerrari
“ the LaFerrari is a great car. More importantly it’s a great Ferrari, perhaps even the greatest” 4
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ISSUE 09 june 2014
Features
032
062
La Ferrari
65 years of Ferrari’s knowhow and racing pedigree distilled into its 950bhp hypercar
074 Mercedes-benz c-class
The C-Class sets a new benchmark in luxury and features. Fancy a mini S-Class?
080 bmw 3gt v 3 series v x3
The dynamics of the 3 Series coupled with space of the X3. Does the 3 GT fit in?
090 Lamborghini huracÁn Jethro unravels Lamborghini’s newest and comes back enlightened
097 Amg special
Driven
Ridden
022
130
toyota corolla altis
026
The newest forms of madness to come out of Affalterbach plus two evil incarnations of the venerable G-Wagen
Audi a8 l
124
ssangyong rexton
hyundai grand i10 travelogue
bmw i8
A cross-country run in Hyundai’s popular small car. Grand touring just got affordable
136 kawasaki ninja road & track
Kawasaki’s sports tourer rips it on track, and then on a 1500km ride. Perfect all-rounder?
144
032
036
news
144
triumph street triple
136
Regulars 008
News
AMG’s M3 rival sticks with V8 power, Audi’s revolutionary headlamp tech, Koenigsegg’s ‘entry-level’ supercar and Porsche’s four-cylinder future
054 letters
042
evo India readers wax eloquent, as always
jaguar xf v audi a6
046
056
toyota etios cross v volkswagen cross polo
Columns
Gautam gets back to racing after two decades, Bob tells of the Flying Sikh’s amazing feats, Gaurav traces the evolution of rally cars and driving styles and Bijoy serenades all things Lamborghini
080
150 MOTORSPORT
As the Indian motorsport season kicks off, we list key events. VW pulls out of the IRC and the first ever Island Autocross
154 Long-Term tests
We bid adieu to the Honda CR-V, rack up the miles on the Octi amd say hello to the Polo GT TDI and Polaris RZR S 800
160 evo knowledge
Tips on owning a used Nissan GT-R, a review of the Two Brothers KTM 390 Duke performance exhaust, and the F1 2013 game
178 Collectors edition cover exclusive for subscribers
News stand cover
Art of Speed
The 80s era of excess flows into Ferrari’s massive side-mounted cooling strakes
June 2014 |
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I
If you’ve been active on the interwebs, the recent punch up between Ford and Toyota for the crown of the world’s best-selling car wouldn’t have passed your attention. Ford rang the first bell clocking 1,097,618 units of the Focus in 2013, which was soon followed
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by Toyota claiming exactly 906 more for the Corolla (with all its various versions put together, including the Asian Altis) and thus regaining bragging rights. It might not have passed your notice that Corolla is also the bestselling automotive nameplate ever, clocking over 40.7 million cars. Those are crazy numbers that this eleventh generation Corolla Altis will
no doubt be expected to add to. We don’t even know if this new car should be called a Corolla, marking as it does a radical departure from the styling norm. Gone is the blend-into-the-background anonymity; in comes a uniquely Japanese flair and style. It’s all nicely creased origami and an expressive face with mandatory lashings of chrome. At
Every new vehicle that matters, rated
This month Audi A8 L 3.0 tdi
The highly isolated luxo-barge impresses with its dynamic ability
p26
ssangyong p32 Rexton RX6
Mahindra’ slots in a mid-variant of its premium SUV with a manual ‘box
bmw i8 p36
Sci-fi looking hybrid supercar that is a more realistic rival to the R8 and 911
jaguar xf 2.0 v audi a6 2.0 tfsi p42
These turbo-petrol sedans prove that size isnt everything
triumph street p144 triple
Middle weight streetfighter leaves quite an impression
The test team Superbikes are the mantra when it comes to manic acceleration. This month Team evo reminisces about their first time astride these crotch rockets.
SIRISH CHANDRAN
Editor “A tank-slapper, then a chest wax when my girlfriend grabbed whatever she could as I whacked it open. And the V-Max isn’t even technically a superbike.” Test location: Banglore, Karnataka
Toyota Corolla Altis Eleventh generation of the best-selling car in the world ramps up style and firms up the suspension to cement its position at the top Words by s i r i s h c h a n d r a n | P h o t o g r ap h y by gau r av S t h o m b r e
ROHAN PAWAR
Publisher “The CBR1000RR Fireblade. A sensory experience that left me feeling as if I had never ridden a bike before.”
Byram Godrej
Technical editor “A 90s Kawasaki GPZ 1100. Riding pillion behind my dad. Still remember that machine gun-like exhaust note.”
ANIRUDDHA RANGNEKAR
Consulting editor “A friend’s Yamaha R1 with a raucous Yoshimura end-can. Acceleration that had me instantly falling in love.”
tushar burman
Managing Editor - Online “2014 Triumph Street Triple. I liked it. I want more. Much more. It has supersport specs in an accessible package.”
least on the styling front nobody will accuse the Corolla of being boring any more, and what I particularly like is that it adopts a design direction all of its own rather than aping the hewn-from-solid look so typified by the Europeans. The updates are even heavier on the inside and here the Corolla takes a leaf out of the
European playbook. The acres of beige are gone and with the top of the dash in a nice smart black the Corolla now sports a cabin that could even be called sporty. The plastics also feel quite upmarket though there are some areas where the Europeans do pay more attention in terms of smooth integration and perceived quality. Like the seven-inch touchscreen infotainment
ABHAY VERMA
Asst managing editor “A Suzuki Hayabusa that came for a test. The then boss knew I could handle bikes and asked if I could wheelie it. I did!”
ABHIK DAS
Senior correspondent “Kawasaki Z1000. Deception took a whole new meaning, composed like a lady till you open her up and all hell breaks loose.”
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Test location: Mulholland Highway, California, USA
BMW i8 WORDS by J e t h ro B ov i n g do n
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The 357bhp hybrid coupe breaks cover in final production spec. It combines 0-100kmph in 4.4sec, 57kmpl and a `1.5 crore price tag, but is it a realistic rival to the likes of the R8 and 911? evo India | June 2014
T
The i8 is a big deal for BMW. The international launch in LA is packed with experts, engineers and spokespeople and they all look very proud. You can see that they’ve lived and breathed this project for the past three years or so. You sense there were times when the car’s development was hellish but you can also see the rewards are of the once-in-a-
lifetime variety. And now their baby is being let out of the inner circle and into the wild. BMW’s version of the revolution is upon us… The i8 is a big deal for the enthusiast, too. Who amongst us hasn’t wished to see a genuine 911 or R8 rival from BMW? That a company that has always cared so deeply about balance and dynamic excitement has shied away from this part of the market for so long is baffling. Well, now it’s here, and with
nothing so predictable as a low-slung coupe with an M division V8 or V10 slung out back. Instead the i8 has a transverse mid-mounted 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine that drives the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox. It has a small electric motor working on the crankshaft that acts as a starter motor but can also fill in any torque gaps in the engine’s delivery. The front axle is driven separately by an electric motor and two-speed
gearbox to create a car of incredible flexibility and complexity. In eDrive mode the i8 is a zero-emission, frontwheel-drive machine with a useful 129bhp and 249Nm, a top speed of 121kmph and a range of 37 kilometres. In Comfort mode the i8 is a plugin hybrid that’s quiet, refined, has a range of up to 499 kilometres and can be charged from zero to 80 per cent inside two hours. Select Sport mode by simply moving the gear selector June 2014 |
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Test location: Pune, Maharashtra
Driven special: Toyota Etios Cross v Volkswagen Cross Polo Crossover hatchbacks might not have made a mark in India but Toyota hopes to rewrite the rules with the Etios Cross Words by R i va n R s 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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C
Crossovers, what a concept! To take a plain looking hatchback and mash elements of an SUV to give it the butch look that buyers covet. Rather than practicality and fuel efficiency, these machines are made to entice buyers into choosing a lifestyle. The idea is simple, use a car platform and make it look like an SUV. Production of such niche offerings doesn’t require large investments so it has the potential to add some volume and improve the bottom line. This niche segment has had its share of forerunners, kicking off way back in 2002 with
the very well thought out Palio Adventure (all-terrain tyres, lovely styling, more ground clearance) which never took off. More recently, the Skoda Fabia Scout, launched in 2012, laid the template for crossover hatchbacks and was soon followed by the Cross Polo - both didn’t make much of an impression and the former has now been pulled out of the market. But this segment has potential and that’s why we have the Toyota Etios Cross and by October Fiat will re-enter the segment with the Avventura. The Cross Polo takes the existing hatchback and adds some silver and black cladding, new alloy wheels with thicker spokes and roof rails. The Cross Polo is built on the same June 2014 |
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F E R RA R I L a F E R RA R I
The final contender in the three-way hybrid hypercar slugfest has entered the ring. The LaFerrari has the power and tech to match the 918 and P1, but can it live up to its illustrious ancestors from Maranello?
WO R D S by R i c h a rd m e a d e n P h o t o g r a p h Y by d e a n s m i t h
Ruby Max
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Mercedes-Benz C-Class
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C
WORDS by t u s h a r b u r m a n
Daimler took their time with the new C-Class, and it was worth the wait
Cl ass
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BMW 320d v 3 Series GT v X3
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f a m i ly a f fa i r
BMW fashions a GT, this time in 3 Series guise, to keep the X3 and 320d company WORDS by a b h i k da s | 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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l a m b o r g h i n i H u r acĂ n
s t i l l
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WO R D S by j e t h ro b ov i n g do n P H O T O GRA P HY by D E a n S m i t h
c r a z y ? The Huracรกn LP610-4 comes with a host of new tech and the promise of being easier to drive than its predecessor, the Gallardo. But does that mean some of the old, wild Lamborghini magic has been lost?
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Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG
tidal WORDS by abhay ve r ma
P H O T O G R A P H Y by gau r av s th o mb r e
T
The Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG has the distinct ability to cause embarrassment. And believe you me, this 2.2ton behemoth can leave you gasping breathlessly in its fumes, especially if you are the bloke driving a fancy convertible sportscar in the ML’s wake, top down and girlfriend in the passenger seat. Now imagine, pulling up alongside the ML 63 AMG at a traffic light, and you challenge the rather seriouslooking dude in the driver’s seat, to a traffic light GP. Well, you wanted to impress your pretty passenger in the co-driver’s seat but
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what happens next, might take you by complete surprise. Why, it’ll even leave you red-faced, as the ML 63, powered by the 5.5-litre twin turbocharged V8 from Affalterbach, packs in 550bhp and 760Nm of torque. And with a claimed 0-100kmph time of less than 5 seconds the mighty ML 63 AMG can show a clean pair of heels to many a sportscar. What did the guys in Germany have for breakfast, the day they plonked the V8 into the ML-Class? I started to gain an inkling when I got behind the wheel – as soon as I provoked the monster into a little hustle. And out fly thoughts of fuel efficiency and such, or the
wave
The Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG embodies a sportscar-like turn of speed and the spacious virtues of a SUV
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Mercedes-Benz G 55 & G 63 AMG
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WORDS by s i r i s h chan d r an P H O T O G R A P H Y by gau r av s th o mb r e
You’re looking at the best-seller in the AMG range. Surprised?
IC ON June 2014 |
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Kawasaki Ninja 1000
double Exploring the twin virtues of the Ninja 1000 sports tourer
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Words by a b h ay v e r m a
delight
P h o t o g r a p h y by P r a k a s h D h a n ag o pa l a n , S ac h i n k awa n k a r
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Test location: Pune, Maharashtra
triumph street triple How does Britain’s most loved middleweight naked feel in a market teeming with overwhelmingly powerful machines? 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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Triumph Street Triple
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