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DEC 2014
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ISSUE 15 december 2014
Contents
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Benelli TNT 899
Dr i v e n
F E AT U R E S 048 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
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Bmw x6 m50d
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bmw x3 xDrive 20d
034 fiat 595 abarth
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mercedes-benz e 350 cdi
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The new C-Class takes the game forward with a mature exterior design and S-Class inspired interiors
056 Bentley flying spur v8
112 great overland adventure
Opulence is synonymous with the hand-crafted Spur. We bask in its sumptuous glow of luxury
Epic is the only way to describe a drive from Stuttgart to Pune via Russia and China! In a Mercedes GLA 200 CDI
062 2014 evo Car of the year
Ten potent performance cars vie for the evo Car of the Year honours. Place your bets
096 rage buggy v rally thar
A boys’ Sunday morning out with two mad machines
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128 Food trail
Driving a Nissan Terrano through Punjab and digging in to the land’s lavish culinary delights
R E GU L A R S
154
012 News
046 letters
042 Columns
170 Long-Term tests
Dissecting Ken Block’s latest, a 1965 AWD 845bhp Mustang, the Maruti Suzuki-Datsun Global NCAP fiasco, decoding the new Mercedes-Benz SUV nomenclature and more
154 Motomiu katanga uno
This custom cafe racer came out of nowhere to rock the 2014 Harley Rock Riders show
158 motorsport heroes: J anand
In the second instalment of motorsport heroes, we catch up with a man who is an icon of Indian motorsport
R I DDE N 141
benelli tnt 899
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benelli bj600gs-a
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triumph speed triple 150
Gautam scores a double win at the Yas Marina circuit, Bijoy unmasks automotive hoarders, Bob offers tips for better organisation of India’s car rallies, while Gaurav looks back on a difficult 2014 season in APRC
162 MOTORSPORT
A first hand account of the inaugural Russian GP, a review of round 3 the 2014 JK Tyre and Polo R Cup championships, and the Rallye de Bengal
Our Twitter campaign for the most ridiculous excuses for not wearing a helmet reaps a rich and often hilarious harvest
The Tata Safari Storme, Ford EcoSport and TVS Scooty Zest join the fleet, but its time for the TVS Jupiter to head back
178 evo knowledge It’s all about what to look out for in a used Ferrari, the latest games to hit the deck and new peripherals in the market
196 Art of Speed
Unravelling the story behind the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth’s whale tail
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Th i s m o n t h p30
p34
p34
bmw x3
For 2015, the X3 gets a mild facelift and a new heart
Fiat Abarth 595
Fiat’s feisty little car is coming to India. We drive one
Mercedes-Benz E350 CDI
Now with the V6 diesel motor. Does it justify the price?
p38
benelli bj600gs-a
The smallest displacement upright tourer in the country
p144 benelli TNT 899
The Italian streetfighter comes with street-cred
p149 Triumph speed
triple
The original hooligan thrills with its in-line triple heart
THE TEST TE A M This month, it’s all about the axis of oversteer. The evo road-test team name the most tail-happy car they have ever driven.
SIRISH CHANDRAN
Editor “The Rage Cyclone. Most fun you can have with your clothes on. If you want to learn the Scandinavian flick, this is the car for it.”
ROHAN PAWAR
Publisher “A seriously tricked out Supra. Even in a straight line, the back would threaten to come out every time it was on boost.”
OUSEPH CHACKo
Assistant editor $ “The Gallardo LP550-2 with the ESP off. I was terrified at the time but how I enjoy bragging about it after!”
tushar burman
Managing editor - Online “The Mercedes SLK 55 AMG. Short wheelbase, big power, naturally aspirated. A droptop go-kart”
ABHAY VERMA
Asst managing editor “Honda S2000 with shredded tyres. Took barely any effort to kick the tail out, was exiting corners sideways.”
Byram Godrej
Technical editor “BMW E92 M3. It was so tail-happy that even the darkies would not come in a straight line.”
ANIRUDDHA RANGNEKAR
Consulting editor “The F-type, by a mile. With the traction control off, 40kmph has never been as much fun.”
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I’ve done some pretty unbelievable things in my life as a road tester, but never had the opportunity to slide around a racetrack in an SUV. That’s about to change. I’m at the BMW driving centre, just opposite its massive Spartanburg facility in the States, soon to become the biggest BMW
production facility worldwide and mother plant for all their SUVs (though they call them SAVs – Sports Activity Vehicles, and SACs – Sports Activity Coupes, go figure). There are BMWs of all hues and shapes, many with M badges, and we have a full morning before the burgers go on the grill. My ride for the day also has an M badge but two things aren’t quite right:
BMW X6 M50d
Test location: Spartanburg, USA
BMW X6 M50d The most incredible diesel engine in the world, in the most absurd SUV in the world Words by S i r is h C h a n d r a n
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200 times better?
No, this is not an S-Class. Time to get acquainted with the spanking new C-Class!
Wo r d s by o u s e p h c h ac ko | P h o t o g r a p h y by A b h i j e e t A n a n d
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Mercedes-Benz C 200
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Pune is still sleeping as I thumb the beautifully crafted start/ stop button and head out. The in-line, fourcylinder turbo-petrol is silent, the light steering is making easy work of manoeuvring the narrow lanes around my house and the cool blue waterfall lighting makes the interiors soothing. Forget the way the car looks, I think a lot of people will fall for the quality on the
into getting the interiors right. Getting the dashboard to look somewhere between youthful and the stately, that must have taken some careful thinking as well. It feels expensive and it will be more expensive (the C 200 will be initially available only as a CBU) than the current C-Class. We’re now accelerating past that famous Irani breakfastery, Vohuman Cafe, and I can’t help but equate the C 200 to the dollops of ‘maska’ they serve there. It really is that smooth and a major part of that is down to
inside. Mercedes has taken the rule book and re-written it for this class of car – it’s seductively styled, built like a Merc ought to be and there’s not a millimetre of what I would call low-rent in here. The seats are proper chairs and the firmness in the old C’s cushions has been replaced by plush, supportive sumptuousness. Even more incredible is the way switches and vents click into place – it is a sign of the tactility engineered into this car. Even the little things like the slick driver interface and the 8.4-inch standalone screen point to the man hours that must have gone
the engine. The four-cylinder, 1991cc turbopetrol barely purrs when you’re accelerating and the engine’s mid-range feels strong. It makes 181bhp, 300Nm of torque and packs a satisfying punch every time I want to get away from some biker who has come uncomfortably close. I really like the gearbox – the 7G-Tronic Plus has been recalibrated for the C 200 and it feels alert and very much like my favourite torque converter, the ZF 8-speeder. Unlike Mercs of old, tugging on the paddleshifter in this one provokes immediate response from the gearbox. It even second-guesses you
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Brand name Bentley Flyingmodel Spur V8 name
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OPULENCE
Words by A b h ay V e r m a P h o t o g r ap h y by V i k r a n t Dat e
Opulence is standard on the Flying Spur
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Perfect storm
62 evo India | December 2014 62 www.evo.co.uk
b y H e n ry C at ch p o l e , N i c k t ro t t, B e n M i l l e r & R i ch a r d m e a d e n Ph o t o g r a p h y b y A s t o n Pa r ro t t & G u s G r e g o ry
Destination
The ten best new performance cars of 2014 come face to face with each other for a shootout of epic proportions. But only one can drive away with the coveted title of evo Car of the Year. Place your bets‌
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ON ANY SUNDAY
Machines
Words by o u s e p h c h ac ko P h o t o g r a p h y by v i k r a n t dat e
Hanging out with the boys in two mad machines. Here’s what the ideal Sunday feels like
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Rage Motorsport Cyclone and Mahindra Super Thar
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Response feature
OWNER’s PRIDe Hyundai Grand i10 and Xcent owners tell us all the reasons why they love their cars
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Great overLand Adventure
Destination
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GLAdventure Wo r d s by S i r i s h C h a n d r a 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
We are driving to Pune, from Stuttgart, via Russia and China! Epic, epic, epic! Here’s part 1
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evo Promotion
Power p
l
a y
It’s clean, green and puts out enough power to light up a small village. The VW Polo has a lot more common with a windmill than you’d expect Words by D i paya n D u t ta
P h o t o g r a p h y by V i k r a n t Dat e
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Discovering the foodie heaven that is Punjab, on a drive in the Nissan Terrano Words by B e n j a m i n G r ac i a s
Food Trail
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Food Trail
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Getting back to your roots and travelling into the heartland of rural India. This is about reverting to a rustic, simple way of life, where the latest smartphone, pad or tablet has little or no relevance. Us city dwellers are so perennially surrounded by cafes, shopping malls and multiplexes that the sight of lush green meadows, and brick houses with thatched roofs are a novelty. Yes we are on the move. On the occasion of the first anniversary of its Terrano, Nissan has decided to take a posse of journalists on a road trip to the land of the five rivers, Punjab. The journey starts in Amritsar, known for the landmark Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh, but what is not so universally known is the city’s amazing array of street food. It’s a haven where the carnivorous amongst us will be able to indulge their appetites to the full, with the veritable feast of meats on offer. The health conscious or vegetarians may find what’s to come unpalatable if not downright unhealthy, given all the meat, ghee and butter.
Is it something in the genes? Whatever it is, journalists are often foodies and never averse to indulging their fancy. And in Amritsar we have come to the right place. There are eateries galore, with interesting and inviting names like Bubby da dhaba, Kuch meetha ho jaye and Bade bhai ka brother da dhaba, take your pick. We head off in one of the Terranos. Piled in the back, there is room enough for three in reasonable comfort. The Terrano makes quick progress despite the full load. Its torquey 1.5-litre diesel motor and light steering making easy work of traffic and the narrow bylanes. Our destination is Sunder Meat Shop near Chawl mandi. Despite the butcher shop name, this is a popular restaurant renowned for its meat dishes. We order a variety of dishes, including the legendary shammi kebab, mutton chap fry, mutton tikka masala, while the more adventurous opt for the brain masala. Call it a food orgy if you will, this is no place for the timid or weight-watcher. From stuffed kulchas dripping butter, to mutton oozing oil, Sunder’s is a no-nonsense eatery, where presentation and calories are on the backburner
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Benelli TNT 899
Benelli TNT 899 Engine In-line 3-cyl, 898cc, liquid-cooled Transmission 6-speed Power 120bhp @ 9500rpm Torque 88Nm @ 8000rpm Weight 205kg 0-100kmph NA Top speed NA Price `9 lakh (estimated)
evo rating: ;;;34
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Test location: Gurgaon, Haryana
BENELLI bj600gs-a Words by T u s h a r B u r m a n P h o t o g r a p h y by V i k r a n t Dat e
Might be the smallest upright tourer in the country, but on long distances, could also turn out to be the best bang for the buck
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Benelli BJ600GS-A
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Triumph Speed Triple
Triumph Test location: Gurgaon, Haryana
SPEED Words by A B H AY V e r m a P h o t o g r aphy by D e l h i au t o m o t i v e ph o t owo r k s
TRIPLE Billed as the original hooligan, does the Speed Triple live up to expectations?
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Words by T ushar B urman P h o t o gr a ph y by G aur av S T h o m b re
Test location: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Here’s a hand-built custom cafe racer with the finish of a series production bike
C
Caffeine has deep roots in popular culture, and has led to the invention of a peculiar form of two-wheeled transport and free WiFi. As sceptical as I am about the whole cafe racer resurgence, I want one. I want this one: the Motomiu Katanga Uno. By now, you’ve already been schooled in the history of cafe racers by the manufacturer marketing machines. The 1960s. The mods, the rockers. Racing between cafes and trying to hit the magical ton (100mph, or 160kmph) on motorcycles that strongly improved the rider’s chances of death or dismemberment. More recently, the cafe racer has become a lifestyle statement, a subculture with its own fashion and aesthetic. The Royal Enfield Continental GT isn’t nearly as quick as it looks, but it’s achingly desirable to many. The Triumph Thruxton is about as perfect a cafe racer as you can buy off the shelf and the Splendor Pro Classic is very, very brave. I may have over-extended my promise at the beginning of this paragraph. The Katanga Uno, and Motomiu is the brainchild of Arjun Bafna, who runs the Seven Islands Harley-Davidson dealership in Navi Mumbai. Born as a custom bike shop, the Uno is their first creation, based on a HarleyDavidson Street 750. The idea was to start with the cheapest Harley available that would result in an accessible, but unique and very cool motorcycle. Mission accomplished, we say. Modifications are tasteful, conservative and almost perfectly executed. The result is a motorcycle that looks like no other Street 750 you’ve seen. An aggressive, brash-looking bike
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Motomiu for the chosen few Machines
Off-beat machines Motomiu Katanga Uno
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