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ISSUE 16 january 2015
Contents 046
Dr i v e n
amg gt v 911 gts
F E AT U R E S 046 amg gt v 911 gts
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Audi Q3
030 Tata Bolt
034 Datsun go+
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The new Merc coupe takes on the latest 911 GTS in a shindig in sunny California
060 bmw m3 & M4 at the bic
092 Great overland adventure
An M5, with the new M3 & M4 at the BIC. Comparisons are imminent
066 m3 v c 63 amg v rs5 074 Naturally-aspirated V8s are a LUCA DI MONTEZEMOLO dying breed. Here are three of the best examples doing what they do best - thrill 066
After 23 years as Ferrari president, Luca di Montezemolo is hanging up his boots. evo was invited to his final press call. We reflect on an extraordinary career that has come to an abrupt end
082 audi tt & ford mustang
The new Audi Coupe will soon be launched and with a righthand drive version available, chances are the Mustang will too. A taste of the two temptations
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The second part of our epic adventure, through resplendent Russia
106 nismo festival
In Japan for the 30th anniversary celebrations of Nismo
112 inside nismo
A look at four decades of automotive heritage, inside Nissan’s Omori factory before they relocate
R E GU L A R S
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010 News
Everything you need to know about the Super Nano and Ferrari FXX K programme. The head of Nissan Motorsport unravels some juicy bits. And this year’s ICOTY
040 Columns 118 nismo gt-r
A romp with a faster, more manic version of the Nissan GT-R, on the track, in the wet
132 m&M Scorpio: old v new
Twelve years after the Scorpio made its debut, the original and the latest brush fenders
142 Kawasaki er-6n v triumph street triple The ER-6n is the newest entrant in the middleweight naked category, a segment where Triumph’s Street Triple impressed us a lot last year. Time to pit the Brit against the rice rocket
Gautam notes the highs and lows at the Ferrari Challenge World finals, Bijoy talks alternate mobility options in developing countries, Bob ponders the new Road Safety bill, and Gaurav reflects on the year gone by
150 MOTORSPORT
The final round of the JK Tyre Championship, preview of the 2015 Dakar, Singhania at Finali Mondiali and IRC 2014 season review
044 letters
Readers have spicy suggestions where #offroadchacko should head for his next adventure
162 Long-Term tests
The Hyundai Elite i20 clocks over 10,000km in a month, the Honda City grows on us, and the Suzuki Gixxer rolls in
166 evo knowledge Buying a first-gen Audi TT, the latest winter essentials and getting in tune with the F1 2014 game
186 Art of Speed
The BMW’s M3 CSL’s carbonfibre airbox is worthy of long scrutiny
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Audi Q3 Test location: Munich, Germany
The mid-life facelift has endowed the Q3 with even more virtues and appeal than before Photography: Manufacturer 26
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T hi s month
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It is no secret that the Q3 has contributed significantly to Audi’s success in India. It truly set the ball rolling in the compact luxury SUV space despite not being the first, with virtues like premium design, high quality interiors, performance and above all, affordability. Audi has sold over 4,00,000 Q3s internationally since its 2011 launch, which speaks volumes for this little crossover’s importance in the German luxury car maker’s portfolio. It was just a matter of time before Audi unveiled a mid-life facelift then, and it couldn’t have timed it better, soon after the launch of its newest rival, the Mercedes-Benz GLA. We were flown to Munich to experience the facelifted Q3, and having seen images of the facelifted car on the internet I knew what to expect - a better looking mug, spruced up interiors and engines that promise more efficiency and performance. Figuring out the changes was easy, but the revised styling looked a lot better in the metal. However, the day of the drive we woke up to grey, overcast skies and rain in Munich. Not the best of conditions for driving on the autobahn. Adding to the monotony was the fact that most cars in
Europe are dark hued, and the bright colours of our press cars were more than welcome. And the Q3 does look nice in the bright yellow shade you see here. The majority of changes are to the front. The nose is a lot more aggressive with its edgier design and looks better in conjunction with the standard bi-xenon headlamps (full LED lights are available as an option). The SUV remains the same from the sides except the redesigned alloys, while subtle changes at the rear make for a fresher appearance. Tail lights now include dynamic turn indicators, the LEDs lighting in the direction in which the vehicle is turning like the R8, giving the Q3 a more upmarket feel. Interiors have the same high quality feel as before, though the dash has been revised slightly for a
bolt p30 Tata Improved in every aspect, the sporty and youthful looking Bolt is far more desirable than any generation of the Indica ever was
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datsun go+
Using the classic estate formula to create a mini-MUV, the Datsun Go+ is a unique proposition
triumph street triple v kawasaki er-6n
The battle of two middleweights nakeds, the twin-cylinder ER-6n takes on the three-pot Street Triple
T HE T EST T E A M The raw edginess of AMG cars set them apart from others of their ilk. The evo road-test team pick the AMGs they would like to own ...
SIRISH CHANDRAN
Q3 is known for its quality interiors, performance, affordability
Editor “The G55 AMG. So ancient, it belongs in a museum but by far and away the coolest bloody thing on wheels. Love.”
ROHAN PAWAR
Publisher “Get an S63 AMG for me any day. The right blend of luxury, power and presence. Truly intoxicating.”
OUSEPH CHACKo
Assistant editor $ “The Red Sow. 6.8-litre V8. 420bhp. More driving lights than an offroader. It’s a legend I have to have.”
tushar burman
Managing editor - Online “The new GLA 45 AMG. Small body and engine, big power and a practical ride height that I can take places.”
ABHAY VERMA
Asst managing editor “The G63 AMG 6x6, for what it is. Imagine pulling up next to a hatchback at a traffic light and giving it a blip!”
Byram Godrej
Technical editor “It would be the C63 AMG. Small, nimble, responsive shift, great handling orgasmic sounding, drift-friendly family car.”
ANIRUDDHA RANGNEKAR
Consulting editor “Has to be the totally impractical G63. Crazy looks, hot rod engine, mad sound, zero handling. How can you not love it?”
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Tata Bolt Test location: Udaipur, Rajasthan
Will Tata Motors finally be able to bury the ghost of the Indica with the Bolt? Photography: Gaurav S Thombre
I
If someone were to tell me they haven’t been in the back seat of an Indica, I’d find that hard to believe. With its space and comfort, the car has been a favourite of fleet owners across the country. It is next to impossible to find a rental service that does not have an Indica in its fleet. But that’s far from what Tata Motors had in mind for their first indigenously developed small car. With the Indica, Tata hoped to join the ranks of Maruti and Hyundai as a big league passenger car maker. Despite several upgrades over the years, the Indica only found itself trying to catch up to the competition. Now, with its new Bolt,
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Tata Motors hopes to bury that past. The car is a part of its ‘Horizonext’ programme, and it’s meant to be an all-new car without any carry-overs. The manufacturer is portraying the Bolt as a sporty and youthful car, just like it did with the Zest last year. The Bolt essentially then is the hatchback version of the Zest, just like the Indica and Indigo. In keeping with the overhaul, the Bolt’s styling has been revamped. There are still quite a few visual similarities between the Bolt and the Indica, but this is not a bad thing. For instance, the smiley humanity line (that’s what Tata calls the line above and below the grille) reminds one of the Indica, but Tata Motors say this was done on purpose to retain the car’s identity as a Tata product, and future models will have the same face. There’s more than a passing resemblance to the Indica from the sides, especially with its curvy glass area and ‘jacked-
Tata Bolt
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Datsun GO+ Test location: Rishikesh, Uttaranchal
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Datsun GO+
Cheap, cheerful and with three rows of seats, the GO+ is a unique proposition Photography: Vikrant Date
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Admittedly, Datsun hasn’t had the best of debuts in India. Their GO hatchback hasn’t generated the demand the company would like. The new Datsun GO+ is a compact MUV that has no competitors. Technically, the Mahindra Quanto would qualify, but it is in a whole other price bracket. The GO+ is based on the hatchback but is essentially a new model. The extended rear is well integrated, thought the engine and interior are mostly carried over from the hatch. It’s under 4 metres in length to boot (no pun intended). Pay a bit more attention though and you’ll find that the GO+ actually follows the classic formula of an estate, with a clever integration of a third row of seats. They can even be removed entirely with some tools. Critically, the GO+ lacks the leg and headroom needed for a proper third row. There’s nothing particularly striking about the GO+’s design, but that will probably help it along as it ages. I’m particularly partial to the rear three-quarter view. The haunches look nice and the rest of the rear is unfussy. It’s also squatlooking, something you expect from an estate more than an MUV. The GO+ is going to be a hard sell. We drove the range-topping variant, which was quite bare. There was the funky mobile holder and aux-only music system carried over from the hatchback and that was about it. The interior is ‘tri-tone’ but bland and forgettable. The seatbelts at the rear aren’t the retracting kind. The rear-view mirror doesn’t cut glare so you have to angle yourself away from blinding tailgaters. The experience is such that a bright-
eyed young family looking for such a car would sit inside, get out and go buy a Tata Nano instead. Even that comes with a Bluetooth audio system these days. Everything appears built to a cost, and if you pay attention, you’ll find that the Indian market doesn’t want to buy things that feel cheap. It’s a lesson Tata Motors learned too late with the Nano. A car is a milestone purchase and needs to feel at least a wee bit special. I did not feel special performing a flushing action to release the weird dashmounted handbrake. That said, if you’re really open minded, there are interesting things about this car. The GO+ is not quick, but not sluggish either. After my initial drive, I estimated about 70 horsepower. The claimed figure is just below 67bhp from the three-cylinder petrol engine, borrowed from the GO hatch. There is currently no diesel motor on offer. For that modest amount of power, it feels surprisingly sprightly with no trouble pulling two passengers and luggage up the hills to our campsite in Rishikesh. Part of the reason for this is that the car weighs just north of 800kg, which is very light for a vehicle of this type. Datsun have also tweaked the engine mapping to compensate for the added weight (over the GO hatch) and the result is perfectly satisfactory. The 104Nm of torque generated by the 3-cylinder motor comes in low enough to let you keep the car in one gear longer. There’s no sound damping material below the hood, so the motor is noisy at idle. That said, it’s quite refined and mostly quiet on the go. One doesn’t expect an MUV to be fun to drive, but the GO+ ThrillOfDriving.com |
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power
v
The all-new AMG GT is laser-targeted at the quicker 911s, here represented by the latest Carrera GTS. The AMG has a thumping biturbo V8; the GTS promises speed with sublime agility. Which wins?
P H O T O G R A P H Y by pau l B A R S H O N
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amg gt S v 911 gts
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BMW M5 v M3/M4
Wo r d s by S I R I S H C H A N DR A N | P h o t o g r aph y by G AU R AV S T H O M B R E
on the money “Race track capability was one of the highest objectives,” says BMW of the new M3 and M4. We are at the BIC to find out how they compare with the M5
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E n da n g e r e d species 66
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E92 M3 v W204 C63 AMG v RS5
An ode to the naturallyaspirated V8, with three of the best examples Words by A b h ay V e r m a & H e n ry C at c h p o l e 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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New Coupes: TT & Mustang
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NEW ORDER? Can the third-generation TT finally deliver the driving thrills to match its looks? And has the new Mustang GT finally got what it takes to succeed outside the States? Here’s where we find out
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Great overLand Adventure
From Russia,
with love Words 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
Part 2 of our epic Stuttgart to Pune drive sees us falling in love with Russia
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The big Three-O Words by S I R I S H C H A N DR A N
Saying thank you to 35,000 fans, like only the Japanese can
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J
Japan is the strangest yet most interesting country on earth. And so are the people. Nowhere else in the world will you find taxis with immaculate white lace seat covers and a clothes line in the boot to neatly clip all the cleaning rags. Their food is legendarily fantastic, work ethic even more legendary and everything revolves around pride and honour. You can see it everywhere – the pride taken in their work, no matter how big or small, the respect that’s afforded to everybody, the obsession with perfection. Only in Japan could an obsessively over-engineered car like the GT-R ever be built, and when it comes to worshipping their heroes, the Japanese are on another level altogether.
NISMO FESTIVAL
Left: Nismo is Nissan’s motorsport arm and all their race cars - past as well as current - turned up for the 30th anniversary festival
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Inside Nismo
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Behind this door lies the legendary Nismo factory... …and four decades of Japanese automotive heritage. evo takes a look around Nissan’s famous Omori Factory before it closed for good Words by R I C H A R D M E A D E N | P hotography by dean smith
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First-time visitors go to the plate glass door on the main street,
but true Nismoheads know that it’s behind the mysterious red door down the side street where the good stuff happens. Wearing a white ‘Omori Factory’ logo, complete with a small waving chequered flag, crossing this threshold is akin to walking through the pearly gates if you’re into your Skyline GT-Rs. Omori Factory is the home of Nismo, Nissan’s world-renowned motorsport division. It might not look it from the outside, but this nondescript office block in
the Omori district of Tokyo is every bit as significant as, say, Porsche’s Motorsport Department in Weissach. Or should I say was as significant, for last year the hallowed Omori Factory closed its doors for the last time. You might imagine there would be some kind of emotional ceremony to bring four decades of touring car, GT, rallying, rally raid and 24-hour endurance racing history to a close. Instead the factory’s contents are being quietly packed up and taken away, to be relocated to Nismo’s new state-of-the-art headquarters on an industrial estate in Yokohama. It feels like a rather melancholy moment to visit, but we’re not complaining, for invites to
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Words by S I R I S H C H A N D R A N
You could hardly accuse the GT-R of lacking in pace. Now there’s something even faster
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Weather can be a fickle mistress. Only yesterday it was bright and sunny as 35,000 fans, hundreds of tuners, and far too many GT-Rs to count, celebrated Nismo’s 30th anniversary, but rain greets us as we depart our hotel for the 20-minute bus ride back to the Fuji Speedway. More than any other day, I desperately wanted to see Mount Fuji’s snow-capped summit glistening in bright sunshine – not because of the car; it’s far too intelligent to have to worry about a wet track – but because the Japanese, over-cautious at the best of times, go completely berserk when things aren’t 100 per cent perfect. Already the glorious 1998 Le Mans prototype that we’re to have a taxi ride in is locked away, some excuse about not having enough rain tyres offered with deep apologies. It’s a bummer, not having a go in that slice of history, but at least the main event hasn’t been cancelled. We’ve got a couple of laps of the full Fuji circuit – 100R and 130R corners included! – but a pace car is going to guide us, and obviously control our pace. A compact and most likely obscenely quick Japanese driver jumps out of the GT-R pace car to check on me and insist I wear the race gloves provided, never mind this is a road car (rules are rules). The cockpit, apart from the Alcantara steering wheel and carbon-faced dials is similar to GTRs I’ve driven in the past so I yank the gear lever down, across, and down into Drive, tap it to the right to engage manual, and give him the thumbs up. It’s not only raining now but the fog has descended. For company, out on track, we also have the GT3 and GT1 race GT-Rs giving taxi rides, so we’re told to keep to the inside line for turn 1 and then follow the racing line turn 2 onwards. I’ve engaged Sport mode but it’s too wet to even think of fiddling with the stability control systems; too slippery to bother what
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Godzilla
The ultimate
Nissan NISMO GT-R
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Response feature
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Mercedes CLA 45 AMG
FASTFOOD Wo r d s 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 G au r av S T h o m b r e
What sort of meal does it take to make hungry journalists say, “Ah My God”?
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scorpio rising I
It’s been twelve years since Mahindra launched what has since become its seminal passenger vehicle, the Scorpio. There were previous successes with the likes of the Bolero, but the Scorpio put the company in a different orbit altogether. It’s an interesting target group to think about, the Scorpio customer. On the one hand,
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you’ve got the inter-city tourist taxi and longdistance private commuter, bullying their way past motorists in regular cars sitting three feet below their line of sight. On the other, you’ve got the urban consumer, genuinely interested in the space and some of the rough road capability of this home-grown SUV. If you believe the marketing, that’s the primary audience for Mahindra.
Success has come for Mahindra and the Scorpio thanks to packaging. It was never the most comfortable SUV available. Or the most stable handler. Or the quickest, best built, feature packed or efficient. But it did a bunch of these things well enough to appeal to a large swathe of customers, with the bonus of a huge service network. Even if you can’t find a Mahindra service spot where you are,
Mahindra Scorpio Generations
The 2014 Scorpio is well endowed to keep pace with the changed times Wo r d s by tus h a r bu r m a n | P h oto g r a p h y by a b h i j eet a n a n d
chances are your local mechanic, cobbler or blacksmith can jugaad a fix for your troubles. But this is 2014. The value-conscious customer remains, but the benchmarks have changed. Whereas we were content to hustle a massive SUV around with playstation-class power steering in the past, today we demand feel, ergonomics and handling. Mahindra has kept up with minor facelifts and feature additions
over the years. But the 2014 Scorpio represents the biggest leap forward yet for the brand. You don’t even need to start the vehicle to get a sense of how much the game has changed. The interior of the new Scorpio is leagues ahead of its predecessors. Where previous Scorpios ticked the boxes, they did it only just and with questionable taste. The new one has a proper dash with reasonable quality plastics
and a slightly edgy, but functional design. Controls fall to hand fairly well, though the vertical, almost leaning-forward console is still a pain to use on the go. The new Scorpio (as we tested it) came with a touchscreen infotainment system that is actually very practical and easy to use, once you twist your head to the right angle to make up for its vertical stance and awful viewing angle.
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Kawasaki ER-6n v Triumph Street Triple
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Naked aggression Kawasaki’s ER-6n is the newest middleweight naked in town. We get it to lock horns with the Triumph Street Triple Words by A b h ay V erma P h oto g rap h y by Gau rav S T h ombre
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If you’re a follower of motorcycling trends in our country, you will have realised that the middleweight motorcycle segment is finally taking off. Being on the jury for this year’s IMOTY award was an exciting prospect indeed, the contenders including more motorcycles in the 600-800cc category than any other. I have a penchant for riding motorcycles on one wheel whenever I can, given the road and space, so I’ve always gravitated towards middleweight naked streetbikes; they’re the ideal tool for pulling wheelies. The Triumph Street Triple and Kawasaki’s recently launched ER-6n were two machines among the contenders that really caught my eye, so much so that it was hard choose when it came to awarding points for these bikes, on the IMOTY scorecard. With displacements and power outputs being in the same ballpark, I knew that I would be torn between the two if had to pick one.
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Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III. Focal length: 25mm. Exposure: 1/125sec at f/7.1 (ISO 50)
Art of speed
BMW M3 CSL carbon airbox by DAV I D V I V I A N | P h o t o g r ap h y by M A L C O L M GR I F F I TH S
E
Even for a company that employs so many people rocking fast footwear, BMW Motorsport’s launch of a lightweight E46 M3 back in 2003 – the now iconic and appreciating CSL – was big news. Big because the regular M3 – with its 3.2-litre straight-six developing 338bhp at 7900rpm, and supported by a trick M differential, beefier brakes and an extensive development of the E36 M3’s chassis with bespoke springs and dampers and thicker anti-roll bars – seemed pretty handy as it was. No matter. When the M3 CSL hit the streets, there were gasps. Here was a hardcore statement of intent. Here was a car designed to rescue the M3’s trackevolved credibility following the disappointingly tubby E36 years. The CSL had a carbonfibre roof and rear diffuser, aluminium doors, a plastic bootlid and lightweight 19-inch alloys shod with super-grippy Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tyres. It had lightweight bucket seats and a carbon-clad cabin. It weighed a whopping 110 kilos less than the standard M3. And with 355bhp, courtesy of an outrageously in-yer-face fist of a carbonfibre airbox, larger diameter inlet manifolds and reprofiled camshafts, the full-throttle upshifts hurled at the rear wheels by the robotised-manual paddle-equipped SMG transmission could almost bring tears to your eyes.
Next month in
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World Exclusive! Ferrari Enzo v LaFerrari
Inside and out, the CSL looked svelte and suavely savage. Sounded it, too, that race-style carbon airbox, with its trumpet-contoured interior, extending the engine’s aerobic reach to exotic heights but also acting a little like a quality hi-fi amp, bringing extra definition and clarity to what was already a motor with a deliciously angry, but slightly muffled, acoustic presence. The stonking soundtrack and fiercely punctuated, neck-twanging acceleration positively urged maximum conviction and commitment from the driver. Arguably, no six-cylinder engine from Munich has ever raised more neck hairs than the CSL’s. Tell the truth, few engines from anywhere have ever sounded better. Within the BMW M division, the M1’s, maybe? A little louder but with more mechanical thrash and less acoustic power. An E92 M3’s, then? A properly edgy V8 warble but volume limited and far too civilised by comparison. The V8 M5’s, surely? A creamy baritone but hardly brutish. The CSL drowns it, kills it. It’s a sound that seductively asserts that the E46 CSL remains the most focused, hardcore M3 of the lot and more than repays all the effort the M division’s single-minded paring and honing injected into the driving experience. When you lean on that 355bhp at 7900rpm the CSL really feels like it’s doing an honest day’s work while howling for more. We can thank the carbon airbox for giving maximum effort such an evocative voice. L
N Audi A3 Cabrio N Mini Cooper N H-D Breakout
Tests | EVENTS | ICONS | EXPERIENCES | GEAR
THE KAZA
supplement with evo india JAN 2015 issue
WINTER
Speed Triple & Bonnie in search of snow
Learning the ropes at the Mahindra Off-Road Academy
OFF-ROAD SCHOOL Plus downhill off-road cycling | lR discovery sport in iceland | polaris Rzr s 800
P 196
Triumphs to Kaza
We go in search of snow on two unlikely motorcycles P 208
Cycle v Thar
A cycle versus a Thar? We know who’ll win, right? P 216
Audi Q5 to Pench
To the heart of India in search of peace P 224
Off-road school
Team evo learns how to go off-road at the Mahindra Off-Road Academy P 232
LR Discovery Sport
Iceland in the Land Rover Freelander’s replacement P 236
Indians in Malaysia
Talking to the first Indian team to compete at the Malaysian RFC P 240
Farming
A different kind of off-road P 244
North East Escape
The magical seven sisters in a Scorpio
P 250
Polaris RZR S 800
Six months with a stark raving mad buggy P252
Eaton MLocker
Locking differential tested P 254
Icons
A look at why the Gypsy is so cool
ISSUE 02
Contents Free with
evo india Jan 2015 issue
OFF-ROad People T
They say you meet the nicest people on a Honda. I say you meet the nicest people off-road. I think that is off-roading’s strongest draw: the guys who will wade through waist-deep mud to hook a tow rope; who will tagteam food and water through torrential rain for three days while struggling to extract a Jeep stuck in a ravine; who will make sure nobody is left behind. Many, many years ago I drowned a Jeep while on a shoot on a beach – that was in the days before the community became big and WhatsApp kept us all connected. Today, whenever a fellow off-roader is in trouble, SOS messages are sent out across groups and always – always! – somebody drops what they’re doing to head out and extract. Off-roading is not easy. I’ve broken transmissions, blown turbos, chipped a tooth and destroyed washing machines. I’ve also gotten high on adrenaline, feeling the rush of being on the edge of toppling over, of cresting an impossible looking slope, of making it through a flowing stream without bending connecting rods. These are but a few of the reasons to love the sport. The biggest is the extended family you build. These guys have helped me source parts, carry off-road equipment across the country and never asked for anything in return. They’ve even opened their wallets, as in the case of the Gerrari Off-roaders. Kabir Waraich and Gurmeet Virdi almost, but not quite, tied up sponsors to become the first Indians to compete in the Malaysian Rain Forest Challenge. But when the monies didn’t turn up, their club members pooled in the cash to make sure an Indian team went mud-plugging in the world’s toughest off-roading event. That’s brotherhood. This magazine aims to be the voice of the community. We want to tell you what’s going on in the world of offroading and how you can be involved. We want to tell you where to go, when, and with whom. Mostly, if you haven’t gotten your shoes dirty yet, we want to show you what you’re missing out on. Enjoy the issue. And don’t forget to send us pictures of your muddy tyres.
Ouseph Chacko, Assistant Editor ouseph@evo.in |
@ousephchacko
January 2015 |
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COLD PLAY WORDS by O u se p h C hacko P h oto g r a p h Y by V ir N a k a i & O u s e p h C h ac ko
Spiti Valley. Winter. Two Triumphs. We must be mad!
A
A chunk of mountain crashes down barely a few feet ahead of us. A few seconds later and that chunk would have made rock salt out of two motorcycles and their riders who shouldn’t really be there. I think someone up there timed the landslide to tell us we’re not on a road trip to Goa, that we might be in over our heads; that we shouldn’t get carried away. It gives us pause – a ‘catch your breath and mull about what you’re doing’ moment. What exactly are we doing here? Who came up with this hare-brained plan? Plans like these can get you killed or worse, leave you half alive at the bottom of a deep ravine with no help around! I blame Vir Nakai of Helmet Stories. A few weeks ago, he thought it was a great idea to ride to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh. In December. December at the 12,000-foot high Spiti Valley is not like December in Mumbai. In Spiti, the mercury regularly drops below -10 degrees, the weather can be even more unpredictable than it usually is and hillsides are even more fragile, thanks to the constant changes in temperature. At that time, from the relative safety of my apartment in Pune, I thought it was a brilliant
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Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza
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Engine Transmission Power Torque Weight 0-100kmph Top speed Price(ex-showroom, Delhi)
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Triumph Speed Triple ABS
Triumph Bonneville T100
In-line 3-cyl, 1050cc, liquid-cooled 6-speed 125bhp @ 9301rpm 104.82Nm @ 7797rpm 214kg NA NA `10.7 lakh
Parallel-twin, 865cc, air-cooled 5-speed 60bhp @ 7500rpm 61.1Nm @ 5551rpm 230kg NA NA `6.75 lakh
evo rating: ;;;;2
evo rating: ;;;;2
Route
Triumph Speed Triple & Bonneville T100 to Kaza
Kaza Nako Kalpa
Shimla Chandigarh
Kurukshetra
Deep blue skies, a valley bathed in golden light and an aquamarine Spiti river for company
AH1
Delhi
N Start Finish Distance: 794 km
Top: Some roads make you ache to go back and ride again. The road to Kalpa is oneof them
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from here
DOWNHILL
It’s all
Giant Glory v Mahindra Super Thar
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We pit our Super Thar against pro downhill racing prodigy Gautam Taode and his Giant Glory, which is a bicycle WORDS by D ipaya n D u tta P h oto g r a p h Y by V i k r a nt Dat e & G au r av T h ombr e
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Heart of India WO R D S & P h oto g r a p h Y by Apoorva P r a s a d / O u tdoor J o u rn a l
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After two days of non-stop driving, the cool clean breeze wafting over the forests of the Satpura National Park is a big relief. We were in canoes, looking for raptors and crocodiles, as the sun rose over the horizon. This was the way to experience a National Park, in stillness and solitude, without being propelled along in a safari vehicle, with its jolts and jars on a rutted track. This was the way to experience our environment, naturally. But it takes a long drive to get here, in the middle of Madhya Pradesh. Most people would fly in to Bhopal. I preferred to drive. So Audi sent us the Q3, their smallest SUV, which turned out to be unexpectedly brilliant. Delhi - Agra - Gwalior: 326km, 5 hours with one break The 174 horses whinnied at the press of a foot, and rushed forward. Over 200 kilometres, Delhi to Agra went by in a flash. At well over three-digit speeds, a firm press on the pedal sent the vehicle surging ahead, with power in reserve. The only thing impeding an ever faster rate was the grey smog preventing clear sight lines. When Indians want to make a good road, they can – the Yamuna Expressway is one, all concrete and elevated. Adequate lanes and only marginal bumps over bridges – our Q3 was incredibly stable, and felt like we were cruising along at half the indicated speed. But there was no way I was going faster with this lack of clear visibility, because, at 180kmph, the stopping distance in perfect conditions on dry asphalt is 160 metres. I needed to see at least a kilometre ahead - and that certainly wasn’t the case with the terrible pollution in UP. Regardless, we made it to Agra in double quick time, a city utterly devastated by rampant tourism. We skipped the Taj, and it was onwards to Gwalior and Neemrana’s Deo Bagh heritage property.
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An Audi Q3 35 TDI is a great excuse to drive from Delhi to Satpura National Park, deep in the heart of Central India. Checking out Madhya Pradesh’s many sights was only the bonus
Audi Q3 to Madhya Pradesh
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Audi Q3 to Madhya Pradesh Delhi
Route
Greater Noida
Agra
Morena
Gwalior
Orachha
Above: Our first stop out of Delhi was Neemrana Deo Bagh in Gwalior. Right: The sun rising over a teak forest. The best way to experience the wilderness is on foot or by canoe - this is one of the rare national parks in India where you can do so
on the other side, in the park. After a picnic breakfast, we walked deep inside the core zone, the only national park where you can. Forsyth’s naturalists accompany you on this experience, pointing out plants, insects, birds and if you’re lucky, its mega fauna. The local forest guide carried an air horn to ward off bears, a can of compressed air with the horn on top. We later saw a sloth bear, while another group spotted a pair of leopards… Forsyth - Bhimbetka - Sanchi Sagar - Jhansi - Orchha From Forsyth, I decided to not take the same route back; but swing around via Bhimbetka’s ancient rock shelters. Fifty thousand years ago, human beings inhabited rock caves and painted their walls. The road to Bhopal turned out to be a mess, but the massive red boar in the last cave, at the end of the Bhimbetka site, turned out to be worth all the trouble. A right turn towards Sanchi at Bhopal, and we were on our way to one of India’s most famous Buddhist sites. What an incredible place! Did the Buddha truly walk this entire land? History was all around as we drove through in futuristic comfort and speed. After Sanchi, we returned via Sagar. The sun began to set as I got back on that toll road, and in total confidence I boosted the revs into the red. In darkness we drove into Orchha. The next morning showed the city’s true architectural wonders. We took the Audi into the fort, through throngs of local school kids, who all wanted selfies with it. Half a morning wasn’t enough for this incredible city - if some smalltime two-bit clan of Hindu warlords built this in a hidden part of India, away from the Mughal invasions, what had grander emperors built? Leaving behind Orchha’s fairy tale medieval castles and temples was the hardest thing to do, rivalled only by having to return the Q3 once we got back home. L
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Start Finish Distance: 1236 km
Sagar Sanchi
Pipariya
After a picnic breakfast, we walked deep inside the core zone, the only national park in india where you can
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We learn how to drive all over again at the Mahindra off-road academy
WORDS by T u s h a r B u rm a n P h oto g r a p h Y by V i k r a nt Dat e
Mahindra Off-road academy
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Malaysian Rainforest Challenge
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Kabir Waraich and Gurmeet Virdi from Chandigarh-based Gerrari Offroaders are the first Indians to take part in the Malaysian RFC. Rated as one of the ten toughest motorsport events on Earth, this is what Kabir has to say after ten days of hard labour in dense jungles of Malaysia.
“The first thing you need to do when you decide to pit yourself against a rainforest is to come up with money. Because we finished on the podium at Rainforest Challenge India (RFC), we didn’t have to pay the $2500 (`1.5 lakh) entry fee but, there are so many other things to take care of. The financial issue was a big thing for us because spending `7-8 lakh is not easy. I had approached a few potential sponsors, but it didn’t work out and I didn’t get any sponsorship. I then had a chat with Gerrari, our off-road club, and all the guys agreed to chip in and that’s when it looked like we were going.
We decided to rent a competition vehicle there rather than take one from here because I wasn’t sure what the Malaysian stages would be like and whether our vehicles would be competitive on those stages. Cougar Motorsport (the organisers of RFC India) helped us find a suitable vehicle and they also picked up the airfare tab for Gurmeet and me. Daniel, the RFC manager there also helped us organise a service team. We settled on a Daihatsu Rocky and we chose it because hiring a competition vehicle is very, very expensive and this one looked the most reliable of the lot. It was already prepped, but I didn’t know at that stage that it wouldn’t be good enough for the competition. In hindsight, it had the potential to be in the top ten, but it wasn’t good enough for a podium finish. We competed in the prologue stages and were in the top ten for a while but then my winch broke. We got it fixed and broke it again. It was my mistake – I’ve never used a power take off winch and we weren’t
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Mahindra Arjun Novo
WORDS by D ipaya n D u tta P h oto g r a p h Y by V i k r a nt Dat e
We rediscover the dark art of torque and get some hands-on farm land experience, driving a Mahindra tractor
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We usually bang on about power and top speed and acceleration but this is not one of those stories. The topic of today’s discussion is torque and a small explanation on twist force is in order. Torque and power are two different things. The funniest definition you will find on the internet is this: If power governs how fast you go into a wall, torque governs how far the wall moves. The simplest definition? Torque is the twisting force you use to open a tap and when it comes to engines, torque is the twisting force the engine makes to turn the wheels. More power gets you greater speed, more torque gets you better acceleration. End of lecture. Meet the Mahindra Arjun Novo 650 DI-Ps, one of the most advanced tractors manufactured in the country. It makes 237Nm of torque, which isn’t too crazy but scoff not just yet. You see, tractors don’t work like cars; they aren’t built for speed, but they are built
for torque right from the moment you step on the pedal. Or pull the lever. I’ll get to that later. Firstly, the tractor. Ken is usually our goto guy for heavy machinery and I’m sure he has a list of interesting facts about the Nuvo that he could spew all over these pages. To be absolutely honest, I couldn’t care less. Matters of greater importance, were at hand. First, can you wheelie a tractor? The answer is yes. Could I do it? No. I tried, I really, really did. Turns out you either need a lighter tractor than the one we were driving, if not you need to have a huge load holding it back. Nonetheless, my perseverance had brought much entertainment to the locals. This torque we speak so much about had failed us. Second, can you drift a tractor? Honestly, I can’t answer that question. Tractors have a tiny turning radius in general – to maneuver through farms without wreaking havoc – not to mention the massive 16.9-28, 12-ply rear tyres. This means even at its top speed if you turn the wheels, there’s a hint of understeer
and then massive torque to carry you through. So, despite its front engine, rear-wheel drive configuration, the Nuvo simply won’t drift. Again, just to be sure, I tried many times. With both my primary questions going unanswered, I gave up, and decided to find out what these machines are really all about. Tractors like this one are not child’s play; they are designed to do almost anything that could be required of them around a farm. This particular one is capable of doing over 40 functions at the same time. This was serious business. I wonder why they sent me. From the driver’s seat, it takes a while to get your bearings. The first big task is finding the accelerator. There are two. The primary one is a foot pedal, just like any other car, except it’s off-set to the right. In fact, it’s so seriously offset, it’s practically off the tractor. The second one is a lever under the steering wheel. This one can be set to a position of one’s preference. I’m told that the hand throttle makes it easier to drive long hours in the field. The clutch is
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Mahindra Authentic North East
East of the
Giant Glory v Super Thar
Brahmaputra WORDS & Photography by Jatin Lodaya
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A road trip to the land of tribes
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A BUGGY’S LIFE WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY by B e nj a min g r aci a s
Six months of non-stop fun with the Polaris RZR S 800
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Polaris RZR S 800
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I’ve seen the earth above me and the sky below. In a regular car, this would be bad news. But in the Polaris RZR, it meant I was having fun. No matter, I had to unstrap my seatbelt, crawl out, and roll the Polaris back on its wheels. We’ve had the Polaris RZR S 800 in our fleet for six months. And there was Sirish’s farmhouse and the adjoining quarry as the playground to let loose with this all terrain vehicle (ATV). It’s not road legal and there’s no road you can drive it on. The RZR cannot be registered for the road since Indian road rules don’t allow such a vehicle. The RZR isn’t a regular ATV, but it is far more utilitarian and built to go where Jeeps and other 4X4s can’t. The Polaris clients are farmers, forest officials and the armed forces. The RZR is pure pleasure, like it is the Ferrari of ATVs. It it more of a car, in the sense that you control it through a steering wheel and regular foot pedals, while ensconced in a snug sport seat. A regular ATV’s operating position is more like that of a motorcycle. The RZR is quite practical and is well engineered for what it’s supposed to do. The fibre bodywork is thick enough to flex and shrug off minor bumps and brushes. The inside is basic and weatherproof and there’s an open boot behind the seats large enough to hold an icebox, with the luggage hooks integrated into the bodywork. That RZR is a complete hooligan and driving it is a great way to hone your driving skills. There’s no power steering which is a good thing – you can stick the RZR in two-wheel drive mode (it’s an all-wheel drive vehicle) and drift purely on steering feel and the seat of your pants. You can drift as far as you like, and the Polaris will turn turtle only under extreme provocation. But if you roll over, the rollcage will protect you from serious harm. The RZR makes 70bhp, sports a CVT gearbox, weighs 450kg and is very quick. We’ve gone flat-out over rocks and ruts Baja-style, catching serious air. The fantastic Sachs suspension is quite up to it. I did everything short of a backflip on the ATV, my mind always running out of ideas before the RZR’s abilities did. The RZR was none the worse for the wear, after six months of turbulent going. It was serviced just once and the technician remarked that it was in good nick. Not being road legal also means you can’t drive to the nearest fuel pump. This is an off-road vehicle though, so I took advantage. To fill its 27.4-litre tank, I forged my own road to the fuel station, across fields, streams and hillocks, sometimes just a few feet from tarmac. The only downside? The Polaris RZR costs `13.4 lakh and that makes it a kind of rich boys’ toy. I’d love to own one to live the buggy life. L
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- I C O N S -
Maruti Suzuki Gypsy
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It rides like a cart, guzzles petrol and is very basic. Yet, show us a man who hasn’t fantasized about owning a Gypsy, and we’ll show you a man who’s never heard one flat chat with a free-flow exhaust. Introduced in 1985 with a 970cc F10A Suzuki engine, the go-anywhere Gypsy’s probably seen more of our country than Map My India. It was a favourite with the rally crowd – those who’ve been around long enough will never forget red MRF- and Scissors-liveried Gypsys catching serious air. It was rallied by the old guard, most notably N Leelakrishnan and Farad Bathena, and is still being rallied by up and comers. It was powerful for its day, could take a serious beating and still keep its chin up. The narrow track Gypsy had but one problem – stability. To cure that, Maruti introduced the wide-track MG410W in July 1993. Both front and rear tracks were increased by 90mm and these Gypsys are instantly recognisable by their pronounced fender flares. So tough is the Gypsy that even today, it’s the preferred rally car for the toughest rally raid events in the country. In 1996, Maruti Suzuki made the third upgrade to the Gypsy, by mating the existing widetrack chassis to then-new all-aluminium 1.3-litre 8-valve G13BA engine from the Esteem. It got a 5-speed gearbox and was christened the King (MG413W). In March 2000, Maruti put in the fuel injected, 16-Valve
MPFI G13BB engine and power increased to 80bhp. The MPFI Gypsy King received a brake booster as well. On the slower side of life, the lightweight Gypsy makes for a great offroader because its effective part-time four-wheel drive system doesn’t allow it to get bogged down easily – the only difference is that it doesn’t make low-rev torque like a diesel, so you have to really cane it to get the
The go-anywhere Gypsy has seen more of our country than Map My India
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best out of it. Because it has been around for so long, there are plenty of aftermarket modifications – including 1.6-litre Baleno engine swaps, turbocharging and spring-over-axle modifications. There are plenty of experts out there who will pretty much convert your Gypsy into the monster you want it to be. In fact, finding a stock used Gypsy these days is like finding Alladin’s cave. Alternately, Maruti will still sell you a brandnew Gypsy, but it is only available on order. They build batches for the Indian Army once in a while and when they do, they take orders from dealers for customers and build those too. That it still is on people’s bucket lists three decades after it made its first appearance makes the Gypsy a living, breathing icon. L