Overdrive April 2011 Issue Preview

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April 2011 Volume 13 Issue 8 ` 125

ALL-NEW HYUNDAI

VERNA

SPECIAL REPORT

DRIVEN!

Shockingly stylish.

Here this April. ` 7-9 lakh

Geneva Motor Show 2011

Lambo Aventador, Ferrari FF, Pagani Huayra and more exotica!

Merc G55 AMG: ` 1.1cr super-SUV Renault Koleos: due here in Sept SX4 diesel vs Vento Ducati Diavel Triumph Speed Triple Etios on the G-Quad

DRIVEN

COMPARED

TESTED

India launch - June 2011

Top flight diesels

Merc/BMW/Audi rival?

Renault Fluence E350 vs 530d, XF VOLVO S60 D5

t e st

bmw 520d

Budget Beemer BMW’s entry level 5 Series is here

Words Halley Prabhakar Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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he previous generation E60 BMW 5 Series was the biggest selling car in its segment and most of the sales were contributed by the 520d powered by the smaller 2.0-litre 4-cylinder diesel engine. Offering both luxury and efficiency, the car was an instant hit. However, when the all-new F10 5-series was launched in 2010, the company introduced four engine variants which included the 525d and 530d diesels, both being 6-cylinder engines. However, the only variant missing was a four-cylinder diesel, until now. BMW has introduced the fifth engine variant in the form of the new 520d. This variant is now the entry level variant of the F10 5 Series and is powered by a revised version of the BMW 2.0litre diesel engine. Is the 520d the most sensible 5 Series to buy today? Let’s find out.

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ENGINE The 520d is powered by the same turbocharged, four-cylinder 1995cc diesel engine found under the hood of the previous 520d.

But it has now been revised and develops 184PS of maximum power, 8PS more than its predecessor. Maximum torque has increased by 30Nm to a healthy 380Nm that comes from as low as 1750-2500rpm. The engine is responsive and the throttle response is instantaneous. In fact while driving, it feels like a bigger engine is under its hood. The car can cruise comfortably on the highway and driving in the city is effortless due to the engine being mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox similar to the one found in other 5 Series variants. The ratios are well matched and extract the most from the engine. The engine is au-

dible at idle but excellent damping means there’s no cause for complaint inside. The overall weight of the car is also reduced because of the 4-cylinder engine. BMW claims that frictional losses have been reduced by around 3.5 per cent compared to the previous engine and fuel efficiency as well as power has increased. The engine may not be as refined and powerful as the 530d’s 3.0-litre engine or even the 525d but it does its job well.

PERFORMANCE The 520d is heavier than the 320d. With both the cars sharing the same engine; we expected the 520d to be sluggish. But the 380Nm of torque combined with an 8-speed gearbox enables the car to reach 0-100kmph in just 8.58 seconds. It is surprisingly quick com-

Geneva Motor Show

Swiss list

Supercars from Ferrari and Lamborghini lead the long list of debuts and annoucements from the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Here's our comprehensive report on Geneva's stars and what it means to you

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upercar makers are funny lot.

They never make as many cars as they could sell. And every car that they make takes up a lot more attention than their sales could ever justify. Such is the joy and allure of the supercar. But these extreme performance vehicles also have another bugbear to deal with. Their immense power, the necessary aerodynamics and the distinctive lilts of their designs are raised to the pedestal of an icon, of a fundamental element in the maker’s identity and history so quickly that creating the next generation of that same supercar can become a headache.

At the 2011 Geneva show, the headlines, as usual, were stolen by Lamborghini and Ferrari. The neighbouring and historically un-neighbourly Italians both presented replacements for cars that are considered special. Lamborghini’s hugely impressive Murcielago was replaced by the Aventador while Ferrari’s 612 Scaglietti - not pretty but a massively effective four-seater - was replaced by the FF. Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

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And in the presentations lay a dramatically different approach to how the supercar game is moved forward. Let’s take the Lamborghini first. Lambos are flamboyant, full of flair and gusto and the designs are fashioned by a master knife sharpener it would appear. If you could nick yourself on a Gallardo, you’d gash yourself nastily

The neighbouring and historically un-neighbourly Italians, Lamborghini and Ferrari both presented replacements for cars that are considered special in their spectacular line-ups on the Reventon and the Aventador is pure haemorrhaging territory. But there's also something very interesting. The car considered cutting-edge, scalpel-sharp and so forth, suddenly appears to have taken a very conservative step forward in terms of design. If you weren’t a Lambo-fanatic,

you’d also get away with a quip like the Lambo bull is stuck in the knife shop. It can get honed further, but it can’t break out! The Aventador, in brilliant, look-atme-now orange, was perpetually surrounded by a swarm of clicking cameras, whirring vidcams and surprisingly lackluster showgirls. But it looked like another Lamborghini, not the new bull that would impale the romping horse on its sharpened horns and leave skid marks on its backside.

Across the huge halls of Geneva, a glass

Ferrari FF

fence kept the latest Cavallino Rampante within sight, but out of touching distance.

And this time, the house of Ferrari had done something gobsmackingly out of form. Their car didn’t have the pinched supermodel waist, the come-hither eyes or the pert backside we expect to see at their booth. What stood in their booth was a shooting brake, aka upmarket estate.

Where the Aventador stood its ground rooted in tradition, Ferrari showed immense bravery in presenting a four-seater

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Dr i v e

n ew h y unda i v e r na

Hitting the high C Hyundai is all set to launch the new Verna in April and with pricing between ` 7 to 9 lakh, it’s all set to set the cat among the C-segment pigeons Words Martin Alva

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elcome to the brave new world of Hyundai where flowing streams in Switzerland, shapely rocks in the Arizona desert and weirdly shaped branches of African trees end up influencing car design. Bizarre as it might sound but that’s the presentation that we sat through at the new Verna’s international press launch in Dubai as designers tried to relate the meandering path of a river to character lines running across the length of the car while explaining what ‘fluidic sculpture’ stands for.

This is of interest to no one. What is of interest is all this newfound design mojo has transformed the Verna from the proverbial duckling into a swan. Hyundais were never great looking cars – sensible, practical and

great value – but never good looking and the Verna was the biggest offender of them all.

The original Verna was dull, bulbous and plain odd to look at. Last year’s Verna Transform then exaggerated it all to the point where you couldn’t look at it without wincing. And now all that gets consigned to the history bin.

The Sonata launched in international markets in late 2009 (one generation ahead of the car we have in India) was the first to employ this ‘fluidic sculpture’ language to great effect and has now evolved into a cohesive design language employed across the Hyundai range.

This includes not just the big sedans but also SUVs and even small hatchbacks (the nose of the face-lifted i10 being a good example) and has built a strong brand identity for Hyundai, in line with what more mature European manufacturers like Audi and BMW have done.

With the Verna almost the entire range has been fluidified with only the Santa Fe and i20 left (which means a face-lift for the latter is only a matter of time).

The new Verna breaks away from the usual three-box design and presents a more coupelike profile bravely dubbed ‘sleek on dynamic’.

Wordplay aside it makes the Verna look handsome and allied to the upwardly riding shoulder line and narrowing glass house lends a sporty look to the profile. There’s even an integrated boot-lid spoiler and chrome-tipped twin-exhausts to highlight that new found dynamism. It’s the front though that screams with intent, the now trademark hexagonal grilled flanked by swept back headlamps with rather elaborate graphics (dubbed two-tone bezel) and relatively large L-shaped fog lamps which fit neatly at the extremities of the bum-

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RE N AULT F LUE NC E

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French open Renault marks out its Indian territory with the Fluence Words Bertrand D’souza

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hablis, a small town and commune in Burgundy, is 10 kilometres further north of where I’ve parked. It is known for just one thing, its wine. Chablis wines are one of the most famous white wines in the world and are made from the Chardonnay grape. These wines are popular for their flinty taste, and are renowned for their distinctly dry, full bodied and very acidic flavors.

Unfortunately the most I got to see of Cha-

blis was the signboard pointing the direction in which it lay. No regrets since I am not very keen about whites, red is more my colour.

But there I was, driving the Renault Fluence in the Burgundy region which despite the name has more shades of green than red.

The Fluence though could make the Germans, Japanese, the Koreans and even the Indians see red, no kidding!

The Fluence is Renault’s comeback car for India and will be instrumental in rebuilding

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re n ault kol eos

Escargot it ain’t!

Renault’s first and only crossover is India bound Words Bertrand D’souza

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omeone somewhere has written a textbook on how to introduce your automotive brand to an entirely new market. Start off with either a flagship sedan, one that’s expensive and desirable, follow it up with an SUV that’s also targeted at the more affluent buyer, one that boosts your brand recall and increases desirability. Then once you’ve generated enough noise in the market push your volumes player in for those who were yearning to buy themselves into your brand, sit back and listen to the tinkle of money pouring into cash registers.

In the case of Renault it’s a reintroduction of their brand but the rules of the game don’t change. They will first introduce the Fluence, a mid-sized sedan in June, follow it up with the Koleos in September, and then later next year will have their volume segment hatch and small sedan ready for domestic consumption.

For now what concerns us are the Fluence and the Koleos. The Fluence you’ve just read about and here’s our impression on Renaults first ever crossover, the Koleos, which incidentally shares the same platform with the Fluence and the Nissan X-Trail.

The Koleos will be positioned at the luxury end of the SUV segment, and it will aim to take on the Yeti and the Fortuner. But those are two of the best selling SUV’s presently in the market and trying to convince buyers otherwise is not going to be an easy task. Especially for Renault who will have several hurdles to overcome, for one their brand recall and dealer network.

Now the Koleos was designed by Renault but was developed by Nissan who possess a lot more experience and know how building SUV’s than Renault. The Koleos is based on the Renault-Nissan alliance C platform, a front wheel drive platform which extends to include 4x4’s by Nissan such as the new XTrail and Qashqai. The Koleos is however built at Renault Samsung Motors Busan plant in South Korea and like the Fluence is rebadged as a Renault for European markets.

That it’s manufactured in Korea should not reduce interest in the Koleos which is

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built to the highest manufacturing standards.

Driving it around Paris you realize that this is a very well built car, one to whom comfort is elementary. And that sense of comfort extends to all aspects of the car, comfort when driving on roads, in the twisties or off-road.

Like any crossover the chassis is a monocoque with a MacPherson link at the front and fully independent multilink rear. Its aptitude to soak in bumpy surfaces and deliver a cosseting drive is top notch. However handling isn’t one of its strong suits. Despite some of the underpinnings derived from the X-Trail which we tested and found to possess superb dynamic abilities, the Koleos has been set up to be much softer.

The steering is vague and there is a fair amount of body roll with the Koleos feeling top heavy and that makes this less fun to drive than any of its competitors. I would have in fact expected the suspension to be a lot stiffer keeping in mind that the Koleos was developed for European driving characteristics but a flat cornering nature and feedback through the steering are both lacking. If you are looking for a sharp handling softroader, the the Skoda Yeti is certainly a much superior option.

Off-road though the Koleos has genuine 4x4 abilities and it will muck around competently in the muck. Thanks to Nissan lending a hand to the development and providing the 4x4 solutions, the Koleos can comfortably attend the remotest of farm parties. In normal conditions the Koleos by default resorts to front wheel drive alone, but the system automatically detects wheel slip and delivers traction to all four wheels instantly. In extreme conditions up to 50% torque can be delivered to the rear wheels and if the need arises or rather a traffic light drag ensues instant throttle powers all four wheels. As for harder off-road work, you can manually lock the centre differential which will take the Koleos further than most other crossovers. And adding to the capabilities of the 4x4 package is the hill start and hill descent control which like we’ve seen in the Yeti allows the Koleos to descend a gravelly off road patch without the driver having to use either the brakes or

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T e st

M e rc ed es - b e nz G 5 5 AMG

Gone crazy The Mercedes-Benz G55 leaves one weakkneed and tongue-tied... in love?

Words Sirish Chandran Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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his is quite possibly the stupidest car on sale in India right now. And also the most heartachingly desirable.

With that, dear reader, we wrap up the test of the Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG. Or I would have except there are a further five pages to fill up which forces me to elaborate. And what better place to start than the stupidest number you will see in this story (actually in this magazine): ` 1.1 crore.

I repeat, ` 1.1 crore.

That’s how much the G55 AMG costs which doesn’t even include taxes, registration, insurance and what not, which will

probably be another 20 lakh rupees. Maybe more. Sure this is not the first car in India to cost over a crore of rupees. Over the years we’ve actually gotten over the shock of seeing so many zeroes tacked on to a price tag but ` 1.1 crore for something that looks like a hopped-up Sumo or Trax? Wow! Our sister magazine Forbes India says there are 55 billionaires in India (ten times that if all the black money is accounted for). But getting somebody to splurge that kind of cash on the G-Wagen when he could have got an S500 and spare cash for fuel, that’s the ultimate indicator of the disposable income floating around in the country.

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VO LVO S 6 0 D 5

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Scandinavian slick Will India take to the Volvo S60?

Words Sirish Chandran Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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hat do we make of Volvo? It’s a pertinent question to ask before we delve into the S60: is it a rival to German luxury brands or just a step up from VW and Skoda? Where do Volvo cars fit? What’s their brand image? And most importantly why should you be seen in a Volvo – after all when all’s said and done the over-riding attraction of these cars is to be ‘seen’ in them.

Five years since Volvo began Indian operations we still don’t have clear answers.

I’ve always got the sense that Volvo has been stuck in a wait and watch mode – first its

parent, Ford, wasn’t too keen on making the required investments to build the brand in India. Then there was the limbo period while the company was up for sale and suitors being evaluated. Finally with the Chinese taking control nobody really knew what the future would hold. It’s an attitude exemplified by its dealers who, in some cities, have been operating for nearly a year without so much as a showroom.

Credit where credit’s due – instead of chasing its tail trying to answer a million questions, Volvo is now getting its products to do the talking. The XC60 SUV has impressed us no end (we’re actually astonished) APR 2011 overdrive

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C om pa ro

M arut i Suzuk i SX4 D D is

vs

Vo l kswagen V en to T D I

Diesel derby The Maruti Suzuki SX4 is out. We pit it against the segment’s best, the Volkswagen Vento TDI Words Shubhabrata Marmar Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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ert argued mathematically in a recent article that owning a diesel isn’t all the fun and games, wallet-wise, it is supposed to be. But it’s always mind over matter and owning a diesel has one aspect that you cannot argue against. As long as diesel subsidies exist, taking a road trip, filling up and economy figures are all psychologically easier on the owner. This you remember, the lifecycle cost you don’t. Hence proved: diesels are a better choice for all. Qout erat demonstrandum.

But the question here is simple. Can Maruti’s new SX4 diesel demonstrandum that it is better than the Volkswagen Vento TDI or not.

And that question is being posed to crystallise the SX4’s place in the diesel C-segment sedan arena - the Vento is currently our pick of the lot. What Maruti has done is shoehorn its all-purpose, delightfully eager 1.3-litre diesel (the Fiat-designed Multijet wonder) into the SX4.

Calling it the Super Turbo DDiS is perhaps a bit of an over-reach, moniker-wise but there is the matter of the variable geometry turbo.

But before we dive into the players’ strengths, I have to point out right at the outset that this is a good looking playing field. I do like the Volkswagen’s sleek, classically clean lines that project a no-nonsense, never-aging sort of look. I also like the pumped up, Japanese tuner car look that our skirted SX4 exuded. If the Maruti wasn’t painted this inoffensive gold, a brighter, solid colour would have made the SX4 look still more pumped up. I drove a skirted SX4 all over Rajasthan a while ago and I know that ground clearance is a bit of an issue but not prohibitively so. Besides, you can always not opt for the skirt - think of it like this, do men wear skirts?. Skirtless, the SX4 is a more calm

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looking car in a well-muscled, well-fed sort of way. Two good looking cars, then, embodying the philosophical difference between Japanese and German automotive engineering. The Vento feels heavy, solid and indestructible, the SX4 is light, effortless and well-built.

But we’ve driven these cars before and talked about these aspects.

So let’s focus on the new thing, the engines. The SX4’s variable geometry turbo brings 15PS more, 90PS at 4000rpm, the same peak power point, while 10Nm more torque, 200Nm arrives 250rpm earlier, at 1750rpm. This makes the SX4 easy to drive. The turbo spools up early, you hardly notice any turbo lag and the car behaves like an eager OD intern, always ready to go on the slightest whiff of the throttle. Which isn’t to suggest that we throttle interns at OVERDRIVE, of course. Credit must go to Suzuki’s powertrain guys, who seem to have a magic tuning solution to practically every engine they chance upon, creating sublimely useful, tractable and enjoyable powertrains. In the case of the Super Turbo DDis, they did work on engine calibration for two years but their track record with powertrains is much longer and stronger than just this instance. On the highway though, at elevated speed, you do note the wind and tyre noise that creeps in but mechanical noise isn’t really an issue with good sound isolation taking care of the Super Turbo DDiS’ natural diesel voice.

The Vento, once again, is a direct contrast. It suppresses wind and tyre noise better than mechanical noise, making quite a clatter when cold and at low revs. Warmed up and at street speeds you barely hear the engine but it’s always audible, if slightly, at highway speeds. The VW 1.6-litre TDI does have a significant displacement advantage

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F e at u r e

ET I OS YAT RA

NEW DELHI Jaipur

Agra Kanpur Allahabad Varanasi

Udaipur Dhanbad

Ahmedabad

KOLKATA Surat

Baleshwar

Bhubaneshwar MUMBAI

Pune

Vishakapatnam Kolhapur

Vijayawada Hubballi

Bengaluru

CHENNAI

Kanchipuram

Team OD was flagged off by TKM DMD production Shigeru Tomonaga, MD Hiroshi Nakagawa and DMD marketing Sandeep Singh

Indian odyssey Team OVERDRIVE heads out for an India Yatra on the Golden Quadrilateral in the Toyota Etios Words & photography Martin Alva

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his story seems like one for our anniversary issue, where such epic drives and road trip extravaganzas belong. For the first time in over a year the entire editorial team was involved in an extraordinary drive encompassing the Golden Quadrilateral. We considered the exotic cars and then decided to drive the Toyota Etios on instead. Toyota claims this car has been conceptualised, designed and built for India and this would be the claim’s ultimate test.

With the Toyota a few things are a given like reliability and quality but can Toyota’s first car in the volume segment cut the Indian mustard? Well, the Etios has shone through our road tests and comparos, impressing us so much that it even won 2011 CNBC-TV18 OVERDRIVE Car of the Year. But nothing comes close to a long and gruelling real world test so roll on to the G-Quad.

In context of a long haul drive in summer, the Etios has an outstanding feature. It can hold and cool five one-litre bottles of water or six half-litre bottles of your favourite soft drink. Not even the Prado chiller holds as much. And nothing like having enough chilled fluids while driving across India.

Since Toyota intended to build a car for

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India from the ground up, it opted for the bigger sedan version now that there is a fast growing number of Indians with disposable incomes who splurge on automobiles. The Etios is not a hatchback with a boot strapped on but a car designed to have a three-box layout from the start. Though there are hatchbacks that cost half of what an Etios does, it is sold out and commands waiting periods of over 4-5 months. And the company has announced an annual production of 70,000 units, no less. The Liva, which is a hatchback version of the Etios is due for launch in India and is aimed at those who do not want a boot in their car nor want to shell out extra dough for a larger car but the Etios is clearly aimed at the growing middle class family.

Like the Etios, the Golden Quadrilateral symbolises India’s prosperity. The then BJP government deserves kudos for laying the foundation stone for this mega highway connecting the four metros. Connectivity is crucial to development and nothing comes close to the role this highway has played. The GQuad has significantly cut travel times especially for the trucks and buses and has also aided in development of the surrounding areas. I’ve travelled on its highways a number of times over the years and there is noticeable

development wherever the highways run.

The OVERDRIVE Etios Yatra involved an over 6500km journey. We drove for 12 days (in four legs) starting from the Toyota factory at Bengaluru, and onwards to Mumbai on the NH8. We then proceeded to Delhi via Gujarat and Rajasthan. Heading east, we then drove through the heart of India all the way to Kolkata before driving south and reaching Chennai and returning to Bengaluru. The brief was to put the Etios through the ultimate test and verify its suitability for India.

We divided the drive into four legs with two members of the team driving each leg.

The first leg began at Bengaluru where Sirish and I were flagged off at 12:30pm from the Toyota Kirloskar Motors factory by TKM bosses H Nakagawa (MD), Sandeep Singh (DMD marketing) and Shigeru Tomonaga (DMD production). Our plan was to be on the road by 11am IST but hey, IST also stands for Indian Stretchable Time. I rode shotgun armed with a smart phone and a wireless keyboard for documenting the trip on our blog. We got on to the crowded highway next to the industrial area in Bidadi where the TKM factory is located and hung a left for ‘NICE’ road (literally) and headed north.

Being the gadget freaks that we all at

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C om pa ro

x f- s 3.0d

vs

5 30d

vs

E 350 cd i

Crude burn If these are crude runners, god save petrols!

Words Bertrand D’souza Photography by Gaurav S Thombre

uite frankly I’m getting a bit overwhelmed by the German car brigade, not to say a bit exhausted too. I know as an automotive enthusiast and scribe I shouldn’t be saying this but just how many cars do the Germans make? I firmly believe that the Germans believe that any variant of a particular car series they offer anywhere in the world must not just have a cosmetic difference. The engine outputs and perhaps drivetrains must also differ considerably. And so you have Audi selling nearly 20 models in India, all significantly different from each other; BMW around 25; and then there’s Mercedes-Benz with over 30 if you count the AMG range as well. Effectively then we are looking at least 20 comparison stories between just the big three every issue. And if any one of them updated a model, or even so much as changed an engine on a model six days after we’ve done a comparison story we’ve got the 21st comparison test lined up. Did I say this was exhausting?

That brings us to one more, and I’ve lost count of which of the 20

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odd stories lined up for 2011 between the big three Germans this is.

And just in case someone notices the absence of Audi, it is shortly going to introduce the all-new A6, so rather than include a car on its way out, we’ve got an altogether more interesting car – a Brit at that. So is Earl’s Grey a better blend than Weiss beer? We brought our tea cups and beer jugs to the party.

THE CARS BMW has rapidly been expanding its market share in India and a lot of credit goes to their diesel cars. Both the 3 Series and 5 Series are hugely popular and though the X1 will now be the volume driver, it is the 5 Series that attracts the connoisseur, one who truly knows his BMWs. And in that respect the 530d is the cream of the diesel enthusiast Bimmers. It’s got all the aggregates of any 5 Series and then packs in a tremendous punch with an engine that is truly remarkable as far diesels are concerned.

Mercedes on the other hand had introduced the E350 CDI quite some time ago, close to a year ago actually. We’ve driven it extensively, or at least Sirish has, as his long-termer and he’s kept gushing over it.

The E350 brings cool back to the 3-pointed star with its blend of elegant effortless motoring when its effusive energy isn’t required anymore. It’s a motor that has been Mercedes’ strong suit, the flagship diesel in the Mercedes range and the second most popular E-Class after the E250 CDI only because the 250 is cheaper.

The third car in this pack is the Jaguar XF-S 3.0D. We’ve never had the Jag taking on the likes of the Merc or the BMW ever before. That in itself is a coup of sorts because trying to get a hold of a car has been as tough as trying to get sight of the elusive cat in the wild. This is also the newest XF introduced in India. The S affixed alongside makes it even more interesting as it hints at a certain little thing called performance, but it’s diesel and we’re expecting it to be as sensational as its petrol counterpart is. Is it?

THE DESIGNS

When the Jag rolls in, men turn in their tracks, stare and slightly yank the crotch of their pants to make some breathing room. If there were anything as auto erotica, the Jag would be the one you’d pay for to see gyrating live in front of a webcam.

The BMW and the Merc, well, they’d belong in the free download spaces. But that’s not to say they aren’t attractive. Since their 2010 makeovers both German autos have got a lot younger, dynamic and stylish. The most remarkable makeover though must be that applied to the BMW. After having experimented with everything from geometric lines to flame surfaces, BMW is now trying more fluid expres-

sion. It’s certainly working in its favour and the new 5 Series is a much nicer and appealing car both stylistically and dynamically. Sirish on the other hand thinks quite the opposite and laments the deletion of flamboyance compared to the old 5 Series. Not a fan of understated elegance is he which just goes to show how polarising styling can be.

Whatever we think though there’s no divergence of opinion as far as the E is concerned. It has evolved in a sort of midlife realisation that it’s time to hit the treadmill and get rid of the ovals and portly edges. It is now rather nicely chiselled ( perhaps a bit too much over the rear wheel arches) and the square-edged four-lamp look is universally appreciated. It is still a distinguished car but with hints of cardio prepped muscle all over.

After all the gazing and poking around you’d hit alt/tab and jump back to the Jag’s live streaming. The XF-S is captivating with its sporty and elegant tones blending to make an alluring cocktail. The chrome honeycomb grille is its most attractive feature topped by slim headlamps and those chromed fins slicing across the air pods on either end of the front bumper.

Even from the rear the XF-S is nothing short of dramatic, accentuated by a thick chrome strip running horizontally across the boot with either end merging with the tail lamp clear lens bits. It’s a slinky piece of ornament but immensely seductive like a gold cummerbund around a comely woman’s waist.

The Jag then is a remarkably refreshing change from the designs that leave the clinical beehives of Stuttgart and Munich. And that same dramatic exuberance is instilled without any filtration inside the obscenely dramatic cabin. This is phallic salutation of the most intense kind. Press the starter button that throbs with a dim red glow like

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R i de

dUCATI D IAVE L

Dark desires Ducati’s menacing powercruiser put to the test Words Harriet Ridley

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ucati’s Diavel stunned the assembled press at its launch in sunny Marbella. The Bologna manufacturer’s devilish new offering has a surprisingly good chassis powered by what must be the best engine in motorcycling – and that’s some statement!

We weren’t too sure what to expect when Ducati displayed its unusual take on a muscle bike at the end of year bike shows. Here was a huge, hunched motorcycle with a brawny chassis, a tank that mimics the vast bonnet of an American muscle car, a big round single headlight, sawn-off rear end with cool under-seat lights and super-trick way of displaying the number plate that doesn’t detract from the bike’s lines, and twin-sided silencers. It looked like Ducati’s iconic machine, the Monster, had taken a load of steroids and spent the winter down the gym.

But rather than perform like a big bulky machine, the Diavel (which apparently is Bologna dialect for devil) proved to be edgy and sophisticated; exhilarating on the twisties, with the ability to trounce anything on a straight piece of road – including its supposed rivals, the Yamaha V-Max and Harley V-Rod. The engine is the same 1198.4cc, 90-degree V-twin, Desmodromic eight-valve used in the latest Multistrada, but with a year’s extra de-

velopment refining the fuelling to perfection.

Other improvements bring power up to 161PS, so 12PS more than the Multi. While the Diavel makes less power than the V-Max’s impressive 198PS, it weighs a massive 100kg less which makes a huge difference to acceleration. The Diavel costs ` 6 lakh less than the V-Max too; a piece of Italian exotica costing a lot less than a Japanese model belonging to the same class?

The motorcycling world turned on its head!

But back to acceleration, and the Diavel storms 0-100kmph in 2.6 seconds – faster than Ducati’s own 1198 superbike! It also has the shortest braking distance of any production Ducati ever made, including the MotoGP derived Desmosedici, thanks in part to the efficient ABS system. Seriously guys, pull the brake lever in hard from high speeds and you’ll suffer decompression it stops that fast.

It’s so good in fact that the front suspension gets a little overwhelmed and the bike ends like it’s on a pogo stick... But I’d love to take it to a place such as Bruntingthorpe, where here in the UK we take bikes for speed and brake testing, just to find out what it’s really capable of...

And the Diavel has the technology to back up its prowess – hello Ducati traction control.

This lets you open the throttle far wider than you’d ever thought possible without launching into orbit as the engine management

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Golden jubilee Celebrating 50 years of the Jaguar E-Type Words Ray Hutton

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he Jaguar E-Type may be the most famous car in the world.

It was the poster car when your father and grandfather were young, before Lamborghinis, Paganis and the Bugatti Veyron even existed: simply the most gorgeous, most glamorous car of its era.

The E-Type made in its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 1961. In the days before instant electronic communication, all important new cars were unveiled at motor shows.

There were no car launches like today, with detailed engineering briefings and extensive driving routes for journalists, primed in ad-

vance with preview releases or spy photos.

William Lyons, the founder and chairman of Jaguar Cars, sent an engraved invitation card to a small number of motoring writers to attend a press conference at the Restaurant des Eaux Vives, in a park overlooking Lake Geneva, at 4.30 in the afternoon on the eve of the show’s opening. By all accounts, this was not much more than a photo-call and an opportunity to chat to William Lyons and Bill Heynes, Jaguar’s chief engineer, but immediately afterwards and during the show, journalists and prospective customers were given the opportunity to experience the car on a short route in the hills behind the restaurant.

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Top Speed

The Triumph Speed Triple has been completely revamped for 2011 Words Harriet Ridley

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riumph’s Speed Triple has been a massive success since its 1994 launch. It put the Hinckley manufacturer back on the map and sold 65,000 models to date. The Speed Triple represents everything Triumph stands for: a bold and unique take on a popular category, in this instance the naked bike class, with original looks that have become unmistakably Triumph, matched with awesome performance from the chassis as well as from the unusual yet brilliant three-cylinder engine.

Triumph’s most iconic motorcycle has even appeared in Hollywood blockbusters including ‘Mission Impossible 2’ and ‘The Matrix’. No wonder Triumph boss John Bloor reportedly said, “Don’t f@ck it up” to the team in charge of the bike‘s first serious overhaul since its launch.

That’s right. The Speed Triple has been revamped for 2011, and it’s not a fine-tune along the lines of the changes carried out to the 2008 model. This time it’s a comprehensive overhaul including – shock horror, a face-lift. The bug eyes are no more! But fear not - the new look Speed Triple is as cool and unique-looking as ever. Unveiled for the first time at the Cologne Show not that long ago, Triumph has already formerly launched the Speed Triple to press - to get it to the showrooms soon. Apart from the engine, which is an evolution of the existing three-cylinder, 12-valve 1050 offering more power, the 2011 Speed Triple is new from the wheels up.

I’m happy the motor is merely an improved version of the old lump and not an all-new effort, as I’ve always loved the Speed Triple‘s bonkers powerhouse.

The Speed Triple’s engine has always been its strength, smooth and strong… But now it punts out 133bhp, that’s 5bhp more than the older version, and more importantly, a load more torque has been squeezed out of it seven per cent to be precise. Torque now stands at 111Nm. This is thanks to the bigger crankcase vents, revised ECU settings, a much bigger airbox and a freer flowing exhaust system. It’s this extra dollop of torque that you really notice when you ride it.

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Optimus Prima The Tata Prima looks set to rule the highways Words & photography Martin Alva

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ancy dress affairs at school used to be comical. My mates and I invariably dressed up as soldiers or truck drivers. I donned the truck driver attire nine out of ten years. The types who emulated doctors or engineers weren’t my friends. After all, doctors and engineers don’t hang out with truck drivers, do they?

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Anyway, that school days snippet suggests that I’ve been craving to drive a truck before I knew how to spell the word t-r-u-c-k.As luck would have it, my dad runs a transport business which only intensified my go-trucking cravings. My parents remember well my weeping tantrums if my dad did not take me along on his monthly truck maintenance regime. No surprise, I was better acquainted

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Turning a new Leaf The start of a new era: Nissan’s electric car captures Car of the Year in Europe. It also drives better than you might expect Words Ray Hutton

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few weeks ago, I took the Nissan Leaf out on the Grand Prix circuit at Silverstone. Electric cars have many attributes – and some downside as well - but, with the exception of the Porsche-priced Tesla two-seater, race track performance is not one of them.

Drive the electric Leaf in town and it is as quiet and gentle as any of the new generation of battery-powered cars. Put it on a track and a different character emerges: flat-out acceleration brings it to an indicated maximum speed of 158kmph; set it up for a fast bend and it steers accurately and stays composed; power it out of a slow corner and, with the traction control turned off, it will spin its wheels ferociously. It’s not a sports car but it is lively and more fun to drive than you would ever have expected.

The Silverstone test was part of day for the British members of the Car of the Year jury to assess the seven finalists for the 2011 title, prior to the final voting. On November 29 in Paris their votes were counted along with the other 51 jurors from 23 European countries. The Nissan Leaf emerged the winner, nine points ahead of the Alfa Giulietta and 13 clear of the third-placed Opel Meriva.

The Leaf is the first Car of the Year that does not have a combustion engine. Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn said that winning the award endorsed his claim that the

Leaf is ‘the start of a new zero-emissions era for the automobile’.

The Nissan was not the only plug-in contender for Car of the Year. The Mitsubishi iMiEV, also sold as the Citroen Z-Zero and Peugeot iOn, did not make the final seven. It was judged to be a less complete car than the Leaf, which is purpose-built rather than an adaptation of an existing model, and has better accommodation and performance for the same (high) price.

I will come back to the cost of buying and running one of these new electric cars.

First, let’s examine what makes the Leaf. It is a five-door hatchback, a touch bigger than a Volkswagen Golf and with similar interior space. The styling is fairy conventional, though the LED headlamp units stand proud of the bonnet to divert air round the door mirrors in the interests of a low drag coefficient: 0.29.

The Leaf does not stand out from the crowd; that was intentional for Nissan wanted it to be accepted as a normal car rather than a symbol of environmentalism.

That even extends to the engine, or rather the motor, bay where at first glance the cover over the motor and power electronics looks like the cam box of a combustion engine.

The electric motor drives the front wheels and produces a maximum of 80kW (110PS), about the same as a regular four-cylinder engine in this class but with 280Nm, the torque

of a bigger V6. It needs no variable-speed gearbox, so drive is engaged by selecting ‘D’, as with an automatic transmission.

The Leaf’s platform is unique and houses the 24kWh battery pack – comprising 192 laminated lithium-ion cells – under the floor and within the wheelbase. Placing this 250kg battery pack low down at the centre of the car benefits ride and handling.

There is nothing unusual about the suspension layout, with MacPherson struts at the front and a torsion beam at the rear. The steering has electric power assistance – arguably, a little too much - but the brakes are conventional hydraulic. When braking or coasting there is energy regeneration back through the motor which acts as a generator but, unlike some other electric cars, this response is not too fierce. In fact, it feels natural, like conventional engine braking.

A characteristic of all electric cars is the eager step-off from rest – 0-50kmph acceleration. This smooth, instant response makes the Leaf seem quicker than it actually is. The official figures are 0-100kmph in 11.9 seconds and a top speed of 145kmph – though in hot laps at Silverstone the speedometer climbed well beyond that.

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Beyond vertigo Upside down with the Red Bull Flying Bulls Aerobatics Team Words Halley Prabhakar

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he five-dayAero India Air Show in Bengaluru concluded with a spectacular performance by the Red Bull Flying Bulls Aerobatics Team. OVERDRIVE was in Bengaluru for Asia’s biggest air show and we had the opportunity to spend a day with the Flying Bulls in the Red Bull pit. To our surprise, they happened to be much older than we expected. Lead pilot, 62-year-old Radoslava Machova is a mother, a veteran who has logged over 29 years of flying. The fourmember team comprising of Machova, Miroslav Krejci, Jiri Veprek and Jiri Saller together has logged more than 35,000 flying hours.

Back in 1960, the foundation was laid for the establishment of a brilliant aerobatic formation team. Four friends, Czech-mates Tlusty, Struz, Bezak and Klimenda formed the aerobatics group called ‘Box Trener’ and

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began their training with the best aerobatics aeroplanes of the 1960s.

Within a very short time, the team’s fame spread far beyond the borders of the Czech Republic, and Box Trener were frequent performers at large European air shows.

In 1989, the year of political and social change in the former Czechoslovakia, the team was revived. The team began a new era with Zlin 50 aircraft under the new name of ‘Unimax Devils’. In 1990, Tlusty and Struz were joined by well-known solo pilot Jiri Saller, and flight-pro Daniel Polonec. The team landed a new sponsor and new Zlin 50LX aircraft. With these new additions and new manager Martin Nepovim, the team took off internationally under the name ‘Sky Box’, a name derived from a special aerobatics formation known as ‘box formation’ or ‘diamond formation’.

Clockwise from above: Flying inverted is normal for the Flying Bulls. Precision flying takes years to perfect. Flying sideways above the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru

In 2001, the team became the newest member of the big Red Bull family and was christened ‘Flying Bulls Aerobatics Team’. Red Bull literally gave the team wings and since then it has won various championships besides performing around the world.

Flying isn’t just about strapping into an aircraft and taking off; you could say it’s the fastest form of motorsport in the world. The Flying Bulls perform aerobatics which is a stunt form of flying like freestyle motocross or stunting.

So how does one become an acrobatic pilot? None of the Flying Bulls pilots are from the Air Force. Mostly Czech, they started with basic aerobatics, improved their skills, joined

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Dance lessons Tushar Burman, our internet man, goes to riding school!

Words Tushar Burman Photography Raghu Atluri

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t took less than five minutes to demolish ten years of self-assurance on two wheels and two full, exhilarating days to bring it back up and way beyond what I thought was possible.

While the bike boffins at OVERDRIVE have often had their way with machines at various tracks, this was a first for me and I was, in some sense, prepared to be embarrassed.

OVERDRIVE has been associated with IndiMotard Adventures for their TWO Track Schools for a while, so we thought we’d go the whole hog, ride with them and report

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our findings. And if I learnt something in the process, that couldn’t hurt either, right? First up: the chaps at the track are a delightful, if slightly off-kilter bunch who could probably race your flight back home on their bikes.

And I’m still just talking about the students.

It’s quite hard to articulate just how much difference a bit of track training will make in your riding, but we sure will try.

The format What started off as a bunch of friends renting out a track collectively to keep costs low

has grown into a full-blown track school.

Various skill levels are catered to from complete newbie (Level 1) to expert (Level 3).

Being first-timers, Shumi and I were naturally slotted into the former category and got friendly green track numbers for our bikes.

IndiMotard has a number of instructors who will monitor your progress through the days and provide personalised input when required, as I learned on a recce lap with Joshua Crasto (who knew you could slam a Karizma on its side two-up at 50 clicks and live?!)

While there’s plenty of riding to be done

over the two days of TWO, each session of laps is preceded by a classroom session that attempts to communicate the finer points of riding a motorcycle. Most of our compatriots in Level 1 had been riding for several years, but this made the theory no less essential.

The thing about riding motorcycles is this: you’re doing it wrong. Learn to love the taste of humble pie. Cherish it. Look forward to it. Because at TWO you’re getting served a lot of it.

Touchdown While stay and transport of your own bike

isn’t included in the package, the organisers of TWO are nice enough to grease the wheels (so to speak) and make it easy for you.

Thanks to our friends at Yamaha India, a pair of pristine R15s were delivered right to the track for Shumi and I. Even without the good graces of manufacturers, it’s still possible to rent a track-prepped Honda Stunner on location from Apex Racing, or in the worst case, transport can be arranged from Bengaluru in IndiMotard’s trucks. All said, it’s a hassle-free and relatively inexpensive experience.

Bikes and travel sorted, we landed in

Coimbatore on a pleasant Friday evening and checked into the Park Inn, the preferred destination for the aforementioned off-kilter folk. The hotel staff must be used to the loud, disorderly but generally jovial biker folk by now, because nobody batted an eyelid to the hailing, chest-bumping and good-natured sailor-blushing verbal abuse.

After all of us had dumped bags and changed into mandated off-track kit (shorts and hawai chappals), it was off next door to sample some Chettinad cuisine. The food was carefully prepared by feeding unidentifi-

Shumi was the fast guy, for once, in the slow group while I learnt the ropes. In the lead pic, Anand of Indimotard watches Shumi get better. Going off track is part of the learning curve for some (left), Joshua, another instructor, coaches one of the riders, Anand points out the apex. And in this pic, one of the sublime pleasures of riding at Coimbatore - riding into the sunset APR 2011 overdrive

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