20 evo india may 2015 issue

20

MAY 2015

` 125

The people’s

sports car India’s first bonafide sports car. Exactly how much fizz are you getting for your money?

Words by O u s e p h C h ac ko 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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DC Avanti

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Volvo S60 D4 R-Design

Colour me BLUE Can just the colour of a car make you feel good?

Words by A b h ay V e r m a P h o t o g rap h y by Gau rav S T h o m br e

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Remember the line ‘colours are the essence of life’? It holds true for our country where every festival is a celebration of lights and Now we have here this blue car which, colour. It’s perhaps only in despite the blazing heat, has got me and more India that you’ll find entire cities in pink and importantly our ace photographer Gaurav all blue. Look at our food; our regional cuisines excited. But before you get too excited, this could be compared to a painter’s palette with is not a motorsport-derived Polestar edition their colourful chutneys and curries. However, (Polestar is to Volvo what AMG is to Mercedes everyone in office made fun of my new helmet and the M Division is to BMW). It gets the same for its array of colours! Our clothes, houses, shade of blue, officially called ‘Rebel Blue’, mobile phone covers are all usually bright and but under the hood is the wallet-friendly fourcheery. Except you don’t really see the same cylinder diesel. trend in cars – it’s either white or silver and the The S60 and XC60 have been around for a interiors are invariably beige. When was the while, and Volvo has been updating them with last time you saw a saloon in red? new engines and styling updates to ensure That brings me to the Volvo S60. The first they stayed fresh, the results of which are all time I drove it, it had the nice T5 petrol engine evident. The previous facelift had made the under the hood and was coated in a particularly duo look better, and the R-Design package pleasing shade of orange. I’d never seen a press for 2015 (with lots of sportier changes all car, or for that matter any saloon in India in round) enhances visual appeal further. The that colour, and it set the tone for a car we all S60, in particular, benefits from the package, fell in love with. as the changes give it a sportier appearance in conjunction with this blue shade. The blue seemed to attract a lot of attention on the road too, clearly in admiration of its shade. It isn’t very often that the colour of a car becomes its talking point, preceding its styling or

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Corvette Z06 v Porsche 911 GT3

Six

by J e t h ro B ov i n g d o n | P HOTOGR A P H Y by A S t o n Pa r ro t t

The new Z06 is the most sophisticated Corvette to date, with tarmac-contorting torque and a spectacular collection of performance figures. And it’s got the Porsche 911 GT3 firmly in its sights. Time for a showdown…

Shooter ThrillOfDriving.com |

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t shouldn’t hurt, but it does.

You’re a connoisseur; you don’t care too much for the amazing shrinking performance figures phenomena and you don’t live for pub bragging rights. But when the Porsche 991 GT3 you’re driving gets monstered for the first time by a Corvette Z06 – and I mean buried, decimated, annihilated – well, to use the local vernacular, it kinda sucks.

Fortunately the rational part of your brain kicks in again soon after. You’re in a GT3. “Just wait for the corners, my friend,” you think. “Then it’ll be a different story.” Only it isn’t: the Z06 doesn’t just hold its advantage – it keeps on driving away. Bit by agonising bit those four huge tailpipes you’re following get smaller and the big V8 shockwave, which earlier almost drowned out the flat-six sawing away behind you, gradually ebbs away. All that’s left is disbelief and confusion.

Think I’m exaggerating? Look up the claimed performance figures and you’d be forgiven for thinking so – the Porsche doesn’t look more than a few tenths off the pace until the other side of 160kmph, but that’s just the magic of launch control and PDK. Out on the road, 650bhp and 880Nm pushing 1598kg eats 468bhp and 440Nm working against 1430kg. That much we could have guessed, but it’s the Corvette’s sheer grip, braking performance and traction that comes as a surprise. And believe me, any car that can cover ground more quickly than a GT3 is worthy of serious investigation. It’s fair to say that in the past Corvettes have rarely

been more than a curiosity for us Brits, and hence this magazine, but this isn’t like any Corvette that’s gone before.

So what is this Z06 all about? Hot-rod? Supercar? Trackday madman? Maybe a bit of all three, mixed with a surprising helping of GT car. But let’s deal with the headlines first. The Z06 has an aluminium-block 6.2-litre, direct-injection V8, boosted by an Eaton TVS supercharger. With forged pistons, titanium inlet valves and connecting rods, dry-sump lubrication, variable valve timing, and cylinder deactivation for those moments when you don’t need all of its fury, the ‘LT4’ engine is a sophisticated, compact and seriously strong unit. You certainly won’t be mocking the pushrods when you’ve felt the full force of its horsepower, which arrives at 6400rpm, and torque, which hits home at 3600rpm. The Z06 has a seven-speed manual ’box or an optional (and PDK-fast, according to Chevrolet) eight-speed automatic, housed in a transaxle with an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. Chevy claims 0-100mph in under three seconds for the automatic and 3.2sec for the manual. US magazines have verified those claims and recorded 0-160kmph in well under seven seconds, too.

As well as the e-diff to help contain all that power, there are also standard-fit Magnetic Selective Ride Control dampers and a five-mode Performance Traction Management stability control system. Rather incredibly, the Z06 costs from $78,995 in the US (`50 lakh excluding taxes), however, our test car has the full Z07 Performance Package, which includes the most aggressive aerodynamic bodywork, carbon ceramic brakes and Michelin Pilot

any car that can cover ground more quickly than a gt3 is worthy of serious investigation

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Words by S i r i s h C h a n d r a n (S C ) & O u s e p h C h ac ko (O C ) P h o t o g r a p h y by G au r av S T h o m b r e

torque noun (tôrk)

from the Latin torquere “to twist”

The measured ability of a rotating element, as of a gear or shaft, to overcome turning resistance. Greater the newton meters, higher the possibility of soiled underpants

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Lap of Mutha

Audi A8 L 60 TDI

Triumph Rocket III

850Nm

221Nm

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by R I C H A R D M E A D E N P H O T O G R A P H Y by A S T O N PA R RO T T

race relation

Audi’s new TTS also forms the basis of a new race car for a one-make championship that could uncover the next Allan McNish. evo drives the 2015 TT Cup

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rom Caterhams to Carrera Cup, Mini Challenge to Maserati Trofeo, one-make racing is the backbone of modern motorsport. Identical machinery, big grids and drivers hungry for success are a sure-fire recipe for exciting racing and the perfect showcase for the brightest talent. It’s also marketing gold for manufacturers, as there’s no chance of losing to a rival brand.

This year Audi Sport enters the one-make fray with the TT Cup. As support race for the DTM, the TT Cup is highly appealing because it places young racers in the bosom of the Audi

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Sport family and puts them in front of some of motor racing’s biggest hitters. With a dozen races across six race weekends there’s plenty of seat time for the drivers, and with all the cars maintained and setup centrally by Audi Sport, parity between machinery is assured.

Unsurprisingly, this new series has attracted plenty of drivers. All of them young. Indeed, no fewer than 165 applied, with just 18 being selected – the oldest 25, the youngest 17. Six VIP guest drivers will be added to the mix per weekend.

In the first pre-season test, all 18 regular drivers were covered by just 1.5sec, so the racing is going to be furious. No wonder, with a supported Audi

Sport GT3 drive as the champion’s prize.

The TT Cup car can’t hope to compete with the power and presence of its RS5 DTM, R8 LMS and R18 e-tron stablemates, but it shares their thoroughness and quality. Having successfully completed a four-day, 5200km endurance test, it should also share their bulletproof reliability.

A full season costs 118,800 euros (`80 lakh) and includes pre-season race camp and teamwear, but you pay for accident damage. Given the quality of the car, the prestige of Audi Sport and the standard of race weekends, that’s great value in modern motorsport terms.

The TT Cup racers start life as a bodyshell

Audi Sport TT Cup

plucked from the road-car production line. As the shell is made from a mix of alloy and steel, traditional seam welding isn’t possible, so instead Audi Sport applies additional adhesive and bolts, plus welding where possible, to strengthen the structure. Once prepped, the bodyshell returns to the line for priming and painting. The wide-body aero kit was done by Audi’s in-house stylists and looks spot-on, with just enough form to go with the brutal function.

A grid-full of these should look rather fine.

One look inside the TT Cup shows that much of the top-level equipment and thinking has filtered down from Audi Sport’s superior

programmes. The cage (made from 30 metres of tubing per car!), PS1 seat taken from the R8 LMS, fire extinguisher system borrowed from the R18 e-tron and FIA-homologated fuel cell are all built to satisfy the highest standards.

This car feels as solid as a bank vault.

To keep costs down and reliability up, much of the powertrain remains standard. The engine is the TFSI four-cylinder turbo from the TTS. Power is the regular 306bhp, but with the added fun of a push-to-pass overboost function, which adds 29bhp and gives drivers a preloaded number of shots to use at their discretion during the race. A blue light tells rivals (and

spectators) when the overboost is active and a digital display on the rear window shows how many shots are left. There will be a maximum of 19 shots available during each 30-minute race, and Audi Sport will set the length of overboost, the minimum time between shots and the number of pushes available for each track. As one-make racing is always frenetic, this will add to the drivers’ workload and make the racing even more fierce.

Like the engine, the S tronic DSG transmission is road-car hardware, the only change being the gear ratios – the first three are taller than in the TTS, the rest more closely stacked. All ThrillOfDriving.com |

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Response feature

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Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG

Sportscar

slayer Around the Kari Motor Speedway, the Mercedes-Benz GLA 45 AMG makes us go Ah My God Words by A b h ay V e r m a P h o t o g r ap h y by Gau r av S T h o m b r e

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season ii

Hyundai says the Verna is now much nicer to drive. Let’s find out 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 G au r av S T h o m b r e

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Hyundai Verna v Ford Fiesta v Maruti Suzuki Ciaz v Skoda Rapid

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CONTI IN CROATIA

A serpentine line spotted on a road atlas inspires a 1000-mile journey by Bentley Continental GT V8 through the unfamiliar and captivating beauty of Croatia

by h e n ry c at c h p o l e PHOTO G RAPHY by a s t o n pa r ro t t

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Bentley in Croatia

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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

Far east A different kind of rallying is what you will encounter in the North East

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Arunachal Festival of Speed

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Words by A b h ay v erma P h otograp h y by G au rav s t h om b re

Suzuki gixxer sf Test location: Japan & Pune, India

Suzuki sticks a fairing on its extremely popular 150, the Gixxer. Will it achieve the success of the naked?

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A sport naked is typically a fully-faired sportsbike without the plastic. That is almost a thumb rule in the world of performance motorcycling, irrespective of engine capacity. Suzuki has, however, taken the opposite route with the Gixxer SF. It’s based on Suzuki’s most successful offering yet, the Gixxer – a 150cc naked. The Gixxer turned out to be a surprise package, impressing with its high quality, affable performance and great handling. Now, Suzuki has slapped a fairing on to it to create the Gixxer SF. I suspect this was always the plan – launch a well packaged, small capacity naked and then a fully-faired version. It’s a sureshot recipe for success in a country like ours, where there’s so much of a perception premium attached to that aero plastic wrap. Suzuki hasn’t stirred the pot too much. Essentially, it’s just the fairing, rearview mirrors and top triple clamp that are new, while the headlight, clocks, fuel tank, seat, tail piece with split grab rails are all the same. Mechanically, it is identical to the Gixxer with the same 155cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine producing 14.6bhp and 14Nm of torque.

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Suzuki clearly wanted to build a comfortable motorcycle practical for daily use and not a track tool, hence the carried-over mechanicals. The aspirational value of a small capacity, faired motorcycle remains unchallenged, as buyers in the 150-200cc segment want machines that look racy, but which do not skimp on comfort or cost a bomb. Given the success of the Gixxer, it isn’t hard to see the SF doing well.

On the styling front, Suzuki has done a good job. The bike looks smashing, especially in this Suzuki Racing Blue which is, in fact, the official livery of the Suzuki Ecstar MotoGP team. The ‘Suzuki’ emblazoned in large letters on the sides, the fluorescent yellow rim tape and the blue colour conjure up a sporty aura, unique to this segment. The bike also comes in black and white, but I doubt it’ll look as good. The fairing complements the stubby exhaust and fat rear tyre, giving the SF the look of a larger capacity sportsbike – which buyers in this segment will appreciate. The Gixxer SF is easily the best looking motorcycle this side of the 200cc faired machines.

The pictures you see here were shot in India, but my first rendezvous with the Gixxer SF was in Japan, where

Suzuki Gixxer SF

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Bajaj Pulsar RS 200

Pulsar RS 200

Test location: Chakan, Maharashtra

Words by d i paya n d u t ta P h o t o g r a p h y by s ac h i n k awa n k a r

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Love them or hate them, Pulsars have always been annoyingly omnipresent. Right from the original 150cc/180cc naked street design to the game changing NS, Bajaj has always ensured that Pulsars have been one step ahead of the game as far as sports motorcycles in the subcontinent are concerned. One of the things that have set the Pulsars apart has been their perpetual state of evolution. Every new Pulsar has extended the limits of its predecessor; bigger and better has always been their modus operandi.

Which brings me to the Pulsar RS 200, the faired sibling of the 200 NS. It’s a beautiful sunny day, the Bajaj test track that’s just outside Pune is at my disposal, and it’s time to find out what they have been up to over the last three years. Straight up, let’s talk looks. From the moment you set eyes on it, the Pulsar is an assault on the senses. The ultramodern Transformer-esque design may alienate the slightly older folk, but from a freshman perspective, where making an impression counts, the RS will not disappoint. Even though the front end is slightly busy, and may come off as a tad overdone, it has its merits. Quality, for one, which has always been Bajaj’s Achilles’ heel, is leagues ahead of even the NS. Bajaj has even been thoughtful enough to use the split and build philosophy on the front fairing to clamp down on replacement costs should the need occur.

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