OVERDRIVE July 2012 issue preview

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A3 A3 July 2012 Volume 14 Issue 11 ` 125

Audi India’s game changer EXCLUSIVE

DRIVE

New sedan based on A3 hatch coming Sub A4 premium sedan segment Early 2014 launch, Rs 25 lakh expected

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COMPARED VESPA Everything else vs the new Vespa

64 page supplement VW Polo R Cup India 2012 TESTED MARUTI SUZUKI ERTIGA Affordable new compact MUV tested and compared

RIDDEN Bajaj Discover 125ST Husqvarna Nuda 900R n COMPARED CBR150R vs R15 v2.0 Q3 vs X1

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Subscriber’s copy

I N D I A’ S

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July 2012 Volume 14 Issue 11 ` 125

COLLECTOR’S SPECIAL EDITION

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motoringnews L o g o n t o w w w. ov e r d r i v e . i n / n e ws/

Hike of the matter Petrol price hike forces manufacturers to adopt extreme measures

• Maruti shuts down production of petrol cars for three days

• Hyundai offers ‘petrol price assurance’ discounts

• Union Minister suggests increase in taxes on diesel cars to bring parity

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ot so long ago, eyebrows would be raised in appreciation if you drove into a fuel pump in an exotic car.

Nowadays the same look is reserved for anyone who drives up in a petrol car. Or depending on how much fuel goes into the petrol tank, a look of sympathy from the pump attendant. The hike in petrol price by Rs 7.50 is the steepest the country has seen and despite the rollback by Rs 2, everyone from the common man to the manufacturers are feeling

the pinch. Even before the price hike, manufacturers were finding it tough to sell the petrol variants of their popular models while diesels are commanding a six-month waiting period. But now this hike has left them scrambling for solutions.

Maruti Suzuki has a lion’s share of the Indian market with their volumes coming from the Maruti 800, the A-Star, Alto and Wagon-R but those numbers have been falling rapidly leading to increased inventory in the stock yard and with the dealers. In order to correct the situation, JUL 2012 overdrive

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Audi A3

Rising star

Our exclusive drive report of the new A3 that Audi is keen on getting to India Words Bertrand D’souza

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DR I V E

po rsch e 9 1 1 car r e ra cabr i ol et

Top off the pops Shumi drives the 911 Carrera Cabriolet in Germany.

And soon you could drive one in India as well Words Shubhabrata Marmar

T

he Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet or 911TurboCab as I like to call it, is one of my favourite automobiles. And that list is dramatically short. Not many four wheels are ever going to get on that list if I can help it. But at the launch in Koenigstein near Frankfurt in Germany a couple of years ago, I swooned deeply as I blitzed a de-restricted autobahn stretch, maxing the car out with the top down. It hugged the road like a mother hugging a son returned to her after a kidnapping.

And it felt as secure at those speeds as a tank. But most importantly, it reminded

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me so strongly of a motorcycle that my affection for it was nothing but a natural consequence.

I headed back out on to the very excellent roads of the Black Forest once again to wrap my head around it. And Murphy and the weather gods were obviously on holiday for the clouds from the Boxster days evaporated, leaving behind a warmer day (7.5 degrees is more than zero degrees) and welcome sunlight for me. Just the ticket to be out in a top-down sportscar then eh?

The Carrera S (or 911 CarSCab as I like to call it) gets a 3.8-litre boxer making 400PS with a seven-speed manual or PDK, hits

100kmph in just 4.5 seconds and manages 301kmph. What I drove was the Carrera (or the 911 CarCab as I like to call it), with a 3.4-litre boxer making 50PS less (but 4.8 seconds to 100kmph and 284kmph flat out isn’t to be scoffed at, right?) and a sevenspeed manual gearbox.

And let’s get that gearbox out of the way.

It always takes me a long, long moment to adjust to gearboxes and shifting gears in a manual gearbox in a left hand drive car.

But the Porsche’s is brilliant. Short, sharp, precise shifts means you always slot into the right gear and never give it a conscious thought. That said, seven-speeds felt like

overkill. After a while I stopped trying to keep track of what gear I was in. There’s a convenient gear indicator on the central tacho, but the car has enough grunt for it to not matter too much. Besides, lower gears are better for pace, right?

And pace is something the CarCab seems not to lack at all. The engine is the same 3436cc Boxer that is in the Boxster S but now makes 350PS at 7400rpm, and more importantly, 390Nm at 5600rpm.

And the torque is abundant. Floor the accelerator and the engine rumbles cheerfully as the wheels scrabble for grip before spearing you smartly towards the horizon. I will

admit that the TurboCab would do this in an even shorter time slice but trust me, acceleration is phenomenal and makes the car rather exciting to drive around. On the autobahn, it’s easy to settle into a 200+ kmph cruise when speed limits permit and the car is even surprisingly quiet and composed at 130kmph when speed limits drop. The directness that comes from the engine being naturally aspirated is sweet and it is one of the reasons why manufacturers do not go around randomly slapping on turbos onto every engine they see. There’s something special about powerful, non-turbo engines.

This particular one is instantly likeable. It

is energetic like a six-year-old on his birthday, extremely smooth in feel and has singing voice of a celebrated opera god as well.

Don’t get me wrong, if I were buying, I’d still be aiming for the TurboCab. But after driving one, I wouldn’t dare dismiss the CarCab as a non-option at all.

Before I climb off the autobahn and head off into the smaller, curvier roads, let me just tell you about the car. As is with the new 911 Coupe, the CarCab is also longer, lighter and more powerful than the previous car. Styling, as is the norm with the Stuttgart company, evolves rather than changes dramatically. The CarCab also gets Porsche’s new electric power JUL 2012 overdrive

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po rsc h e boxst e r /s

Horizontally opposites attract Porsche India gets ready to bring the new Porsche Boxster S to India.

We go to Zuffenhausen to get a taste of it Words Shubhabrata Marmar

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I

t can be difficult to tell what the difference is between model changes in the Porsche family. But with the new Boxster, the changes, visually, are about as evident as it is ever going to get. The car looks sharper and smarter but distinctly a Boxster. But the big change up front are the vertically stacked head lamps which clearly mark out this car. The head lamps are inspired by the 917. Porsche likes to point out that this Boxster, the 981, is the first road going car that actually gets this head lamp format, Porsche’s go to format for racing cars that need headlights. At the rear, similarly, the boot lid spoiler is beautifully integrated, ending the car in a sharp edge that emerges in the tail lamp lens (and neatly incorporates the indicators on the lower edge of the spoiler). It looks stunning from most angles and it is the biggest identity element of the new car. On the sides, the door has been scalloped deeper and sharper leading to the distinctive air intake that is the mark of

the mid engined car.

Boxsters (and the 911) have been a bit strange in the way that the engine, despite being a boxer and positioned forward of the rear axles isn’t actually visible easily to the owner. It evokes emotions with its voice and behaviour but you aren’t allowed, as it were, the visual delight of looking at it. Porsche say the long maintenance intervals make this possible. I think it is just to stop people from drooling all over them.

That said, the new generation engines are pretty interesting. The base model, the Boxster, drops 187cc to 2706cc in displacement but gains 10PS of power while improving economy and CO2 emissions by 15 per cent. This brings up the 100kmph mark in 5.7 seconds with the PDK, dropping another 0.2 seconds with the Sport Chrono package. Top speed is 262kmph. The Boxster S with the 3436cc boxer engine does not alter its displacement, but gains 5PS more (310PS at 6400rpm, along with 360Nm at 4500-

5800rpm) while offering the same 15 per cent improvement in economy and emissions performance. This is a 4.8 seconds to 100kmph car says Porsche with the Sports Chrono package, 5.1 with the manual gearbox. Top speed rises to 279kmph. And lest I forget, all Boxster models lose between 25 and 35kg from the previous equivalent models.

The Sports Chrono package is a roundhouse punch of techno goodies, from the usual stuff like launch control to the more whazzat features like dynamic transmission mounts. Porsche uses magnetorheological fluid in the powertrain mounts to allow the mounts to be hard in full on Sports+ mode (lowest powertrain inertia, higher vibration from powertrain for track performance) and soft in other modes (isolates powertrain vibration for greater refinement and comfort).

It’s the S that will come to India in twothree months time at an estimated price around the Rs 50 lakh rupee mark. I drove JUL 2012 overdrive

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Going somewhere?

Love a long drive? With the new 640d Gran Coupe BMW have managed to plug another little gap in their line-up Words Ray Hutton

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Ro lls - Royc e p h antom s e r ies II

Luxury Good

Subtle revisions make the Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II a richer reward!

Words Bertrand D’souza

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Rolls-Royce was best sampled from the rear seat, that’s a belief I lived with for the longest time. A limousine of its stature being driven by its owner raises enough eyebrows, does it not? If someone could afford to spend a princely sum for a RollsRoyce Phantom, a driver for it would be a negligible cost. So when a Ghost pulled up outside the Nice Cote d’Azur airport with Adolf behind the wheel to pick me up I continued to profess faith in the idea that a Rolls-Royce big or small was best experienced perched on that ample gorgeously leathered rear seat.

Interestingly Rolls-Royce themselves don’t share the same belief. According to their surveys most of their owners are also people who prefer driving themselves. Probably not everyday but definitely on a regular basis. And so I was handed the keys to the new Phantom II at the lobby of the very exclusive Cap Estel hotel.

This new Phantom is still very much one of the most recognised grilles on the planet but a new age of buyers has inspired Rolls Royce to bring the Phantom up to date. The key I have been handed unlocks a three-door Phantom Coupe, which in abject size terms has exactly the same dimensions as the five-door limousine.

Er, the doors are longer, and it opens up in the suicide fashion, so unless you have an arm the size of Africa there is no way you can reach out from your seat and shut the door. Suddenly the ‘CLOSE’ buttons at the base of the A-pillar seems such a sensible touch!

It’s one of the traditional items that stays just where it is and the way it is. There are other things in the new Phantom however that are not so immovable. From the outside it’s things like the new rectilinear LED headlights that possesses a slimmer outline than before but is still regally positioned up high. The oval xenon driving lamps are no longer there, in hindsight they did look a bit odd and out of place and the bumper and the area immediately under the head lamp is remodeled to look busy in an elegant fashion. Apparently Rolls Royce owners are also very discerning and have a very strong eye for details, which is why the new grille is made from a single piece of stainless steel rather than the three it took in the older car.

The oligarchs, dictators, generals and directors who can afford these cars wanted a Michelangelo like hewn from a single block of metal work of art, not a machine tooled component! The one

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M a rut i Suzu k i E rt iga ZD i

Family planning The Ertiga offers you the flexibility of an MUV with the handling of a car Words Joe Koraith Photography Gaurav S Thombre

S

hooting in the dark requires skill. You need to be an excellent archer, have the right equipment and at the same time hope that your guess about the position of the target is bang on. The Ertiga was Maruti Suzuki shooting in the dark. Surely they must have had reams and reams of research data to back this new product. Surely they can firmly claim to have their finger on the pulse of the Indian automobile customer but still the element of risk, however miniscule, of the Ertiga becoming a Kizashi would have crossed their mind. But now, having received about 32,000 bookings in the first month after its launch, India’s most preferred automobile brand can pat themselves on the back for having created a new segment. One where now there will be a flurry of activity from the other manufacturers trying to play catch up.

We have already put a magnifying glass to the Ertiga when we drove it in Goa dur-

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ing the unveiling of the car to the media and came back impressed with the product or more to the point with the relevance of the product in today’s market. But we wanted to get a feel of how it feels like to live with the Life Utility Vehicle (LUV). Here are our observations.

Two things have played a key role in the success of the Ertiga. The competitive pricing and the familiarity card. We will come to the price later. The design of the Ertiga, as we have said in our first drive report, is one which doesn’t polarise opinion. ‘No marginalisation’ is the motto of the design people at Maruti. The front has the Ritz look mated to the Swift head lamps. When you look at it head on, you won’t be able to make out that it’s a seven-seater. And that becomes a drawback when you are out driving on the road.

We took it for a couple of trips to Pune and on the expressway the sight of an Ertiga in the rear view mirror is not intimidating enough for the vehicle in front to move

aside. It doesn’t look like a seven-seater unless you look at it from the side where the length gives it away.

Step inside and the Swift interiors greet you. Taking away the all-black theme and replacing it with the black and beige theme has helped increase the feeling of space. This is where Maruti have played the familiarity card well. The Swift customer looking to upgrade will have no problem adapting to the Ertiga’s interiors. Even my mom, the last possible expert on anything to do with automobiles, said that the inside looked similar to the Swift we had for a while (Of course she didn’t know it was called the Swift). This observation was made by my mom when the Ertiga was being used to ferry my sister and her three-month-old bundle of joy to her place. The entourage included, apart from me, three women, one uber energetic five-year-old and three month’s worth of baby ‘equipment’. So apart from the baby the rest of the configu-

ration could be what, on an average, you can expect an Ertiga to handle. And it was a perfect fit. The kid went in the third row with his toys and the 135-litre boot was used to hold two duffel bags. Two adults sat in the middle row but a third adult would have been a bit of a squeeze. The journey was comfortable with the air-con vents in the roof, above the front row of seats providing ample cooling. The only complaint I have is that, even in the topend variant of the Ertiga, you get knobs for the air con instead of the automatic climate control available in the Swift and Dzire. So overall, interiors that feel similar to the Swift and offer the same high level of comfort. And a layout that doesn’t need getting used to.

Now let’s get behind the wheel. The first thing that you notice is the high driving position. It feels like a Swift on stilts. In fact if it weren’t for this high position you could have safely assumed that you were in a Swift or a Dzire. That is until you look back and see the rear windscreen a little farther away than you would expect. This car-like feel is evident even when the vehicle is on the move,

TWO things have played a key role in the success of the ertiga. The competitive pricing and the familiarty card Interiors are a black and beige version of what you get in the Swift. Even the top ZDI doesn’t get climate control. Roof mounted AC vents keep rear passengers cool. 135 litres with the third row up expands to a generous 735 litres of space with seats dropped. 90PS diesel from the SX4

especially when you push the Ertiga into a corner. The heavy steering provides you with the required feedback and the planted feel of the vehicle doesn’t give you the sense of it being a MUV. The suspension is softer than the hatchback, translating into a plusher rider over bad roads with only a marginal increase in body roll. Within the city the Ertiga feels nimble and again, it’s the car-like feel which helps you steer it with ease through traffic (the 5.2-metre turning radius helps) but the only catch is that you have to keep reminding yourself that, even though it’s not as big as other MUVs, it’s not exactly a small vehicle.

Under the hood the Ertiga sports the 1.3litre DDiS engine from the SX4. It also comes with a new K14B petrol engine – 95PS of power at 6000rpm and 130Nm of torque at 4000rpm but petrol vehicles currently are JUL 2012 overdrive

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E rt i ga Z D i

vs

Dz i r e Z D I

Upgrade time Looking to move up from a hatchback?

Words Joe Koraith Photography Gaurav S Thombre

B

igger ooking for an upgrade from a hatchback? The best options now are the Ertiga or the Dzire. Both possess the same DNA since they are based on the Swift platform. But still one is better than the other. We tell you which.

The new Dzire, after going under the subfour metre knife, looks better than its predecessor. The stubby rear now gives it a more proportional look. The Ertiga looks and feels more premium, especially from outside, and has this very European sense of design which is more noticeable and likeable than Dzire.

The interiors are the same, even the width is the same but you get a more spacious sense in the Ertiga because its taller design means more head room.

Both have 1.3-litre engines under their hood in different tunes. The one in the Dzire produces 75PS of power and 190Nm of torque while in the Ertiga it produces 90PS of power and 200Nm of torque. The Ertiga not only produces more torque but also does it earlier than the Dzire giving it more pulling power. The overall fuel efficiency is 17.64kmpl for the Dzire and 15.21kmpl for the Ertiga. The Ertiga engine is equipped with a VGT making the power delivery more linear than the Dzire.

When you get behind the wheel of the Ertiga, the vision from the higher up seating is more commanding which enhances driveability in the city since you have a much larger view. In terms of handling, in spite of its bigger size, the Ertiga is on par with the Dzire.

The heavy steering on the Maruti gives you slightly more confidence around corners.

There is slightly more body roll as compared to the Dzire though. The soft suspension setup means the ride quality on the Ertiga is supple which tackles undulated roads better.

The NVH levels in the Dzire cabin are better with the Ertiga suffering from wind noise at highway speeds. The Dzire does have more engine noise though.

If we compare the top-end diesel models the difference is one lakh. So the question is whether you would pay that much more for an extra row of seats.

This jump from a hatchback to something bigger is governed either by an increase in family size or increase in mass of ego. The Ertiga will appeal to the first case.

Specification Maruti Suxuki Ertiga ZDi

Road Test No.

1157-1158

SHOOT-OUT SPECIFICATIONS

Maruti Suzuki Dzire # Star ratings apply to this comparison only

WINNER

Engine

Engine capacity

Inline 4-cylinder turbo diesel 1248cc

Inline 4-cylinder turbo diesel 1248cc

Max power

90PS@4000rpm

75PS@4000rpm

Max torque

200Nm@1750rpm

190Nm@2000rpm

Transmission

5-speed manual

5-speed manual

0-100kmph

13.33s

14.16s

Top speed

169.13kmph

159kmph

15.21kmpl

17.5kmpl

Type

Performance

Fuel Efficiency Overall

GENERAL DATA

The Dzire has 316 litres of space in the boot. On the other hand the Ertiga has only 135 litres with the third row up. With the third row down there is a monstrous 735 litres of space available

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LxWxH (mm)

4265x1695x1685

3995x1695x1555

Wheelbase (mm)

2740

2430

Kerb Weight (kg) 1235

1080

Price (ex- delhi)

`7.09 lakh

`8.45 lakh

C om pa ro

Marut i Suzuk i e rt iga z d i

vs

toyota i n n ova 2 . 5 vx

Third row country In the people mover segment does the Ertiga pose a strong enough challenge to the Innova?

Words Joe Koraith Photography Gaurav S Thombre

F

irst things first. This can’t be a straight comparison. Though the two vehicles subscribe to the MUV segment, the Innova is bigger and powerful and the Ertiga is trying to create a segment on its own. But those are technical details that can easily get brushed under the carpet when the requirement is just a seven-seater.

In terms of looks, both the Innova and the Ertiga have minimalistic designs with neither of them looking to stand out. The refresh Innova got early this year has helped it keep up with the times. But step inside and the age begins to show. The Swift-derived interiors in the Ertiga give it a much more polished look as compared to the dated design of the Innova.

Under the hood, the Ertiga has a 1.3-litre

engine which produces 90PS and 200Nm while the 2.5-litre unit in the Toyota produces 102PS and a similar 200Nm of torque.

Though the Innova is more powerful, the 445kg extra weight translates into 4.4kmpl less fuel efficiency than the Ertiga. As for the ride and handling, the smaller Ertiga exhibits strong car-like characteristics which help it perform in the city as well as on the highway with ease. The ladder frame construction of the Innova makes it a better bet over bad roads but the Ertiga doesn’t do too badly either.

So has the country’s favourite people mover finally met its match? It’s all about space isn’t it. You will be able to seat seven people comfortably in the Innova but that becomes a bit of a squeeze in the Ertiga.

The Innova also offers a boot space of 300

litres with all the seats folded as compared to the 135 litres in the Ertiga. But the third row of the Ertiga folds flat which is not the case in the Innova. The Maruti’s middle row also slides more to liberate more space for the boot or legroom as per your requirement.

Another crucial thing that swings it in favour of the Ertiga is that despite being a less powerful engine, with a full complement of passengers, the Ertiga will perform as good as the Innova because of the similar torque output. That is clever engine design by Maruti.

Specification Maruti Suzuki Ertiga ZDi

Road Test No.

1157-1158

SHOOT-OUT SPECIFICATIONS this comparison only

Engine Type Engine capacity Max power

Toyota Innova VX # Star ratings apply to

WINNER Inline 4-cylinder turbo diesel

Inline 4-cylinder turbo diesel

1248cc

2494cc

90PS@4000rpm

Max torque

200Nm@1750rpm

Transmission

5-speed manual

102PS@3600rpm 200Nm@14003400rpm 5-speed manual

0-100kmph

13.33s

17.69s

Top speed

169.13kmph

150.5kmph

Performance

Fuel Efficiency Overall

15.21kmpl

11.8kmpl

GENERAL DATA

The third row of the Ertiga (left) is best used by kids but the middle bench can be slid forward more than that of the Innova and this creates enough space for an adult

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LxWxH (mm) Wheelbase (mm) Kerb Weight (kg)

4265x1695x1685

4780x1895x1780

2740

2750

1235

1680

Price (ex-delhi)

`8.45 lakh

`13.19 lakh

Dr i v e

VW Jetta TS I

Small soldier VW shows off the much awaited Jetta TSI but surprises with a quite literal ‘small’ capacity engine Words Rishaad Mody Photography Gaurav S Thombre

W

e all knew this was coming. Numerous test mules were spotted running between Mumbai and Pune. Word then got out that VW wouldn’t be using the 1.8TSI engine from the Laura but instead use the smaller 1.4 TSI. Now that’s no bad thing considering the range topping 1.4 TSI Twincharger can make up to 200PS by the combined use of a supercharger and a turbocharger (hence the name). Needless to say this was one eagerly awaited car, especially

1.4-litre engine uses a turbo to make 122PS and 200Nm. Returns a credible 12.39kmpl

after we drove the Polo R-Cup car with a 182PS version of the same engine.

Then came the government’s slap across the face in its new fuel price hike and suddenly the word petrol was taboo. Nevertheless VW decided to go ahead and let the

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media experience the new Jetta TSI anyway. And then came the big surprise. As it turns out we aren’t getting the fire breathing 200PS version nor the more mildly tuned 160PS unit (which would be on par with the Laura TSI’s output). What we get instead is a 1.4 TSI sans the supercharger.

Power stands at 122PS while the turbocharger helps produce a healthy 200Nm of torque that peaks from a low 1500-4000rpm. After the initial disappointment it was apparent that this is a smooth (the 1.8 is smoother still) and refined engine. Power delivery is linear with no sudden surges or flat spots but without the ferocity of the 1.8TSI. The engine pulls strongly from as low as 1500rpm but drop below that and you will experience lag.

0-100kmph is dispatched in 11.1 seconds and the car hits a top speed of 196kmph. The engine is mated to a snappy, short throw sixspeed manual gearbox. Again we’d expected VW to go one up on Skoda and offer a DSG automatic but you can only get a manual transmission for now. The car retains its diesel sibling’s slightly stiff yet composed and stable feel.

The Jetta will be available in two variants for now, namely the base Trendline and the mid spec Comfortline model that we drove.

Interiors wise the car is identical to the diesel Jetta. This means you get a well laid out cabin with great build and quality of materials, albeit at the expense of some basic features like climate control.

TSI badging on the boot is the sole give away of what’s under the hood

Specification Type 1.4-litre, four-cylinder

turbocharged petrol Max power 122PS@5000rpm Max torque 200Nm@1500-4000rpm LxWxH 4644x1778x1453mm Price ` 17-19 lakh on

road Mumbai (estimated) Comfort, luxury Wish it had more power

+ -

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Make it

large Is it a mini SUV? Is it a crossover? Is it a big hatch?

No, it’s the Mini Countryman Words Halley Prabhakar Photography Gaurav S Thombre

L

ast month, everybody at OVERDRIVE was after the keys of the Mini Cooper S. Ashok and I got lucky but the rest didn’t because they just couldn’t fit at the back.

However this time we received the third car in the Mini line-up for India, the Countryman.

It’s the answer for those who wanted a Mini with enough space to seat four and their luggage. It aims to be a more practical and family friendly Mini and at the same time retains most of the fun bits from the hatch. We last drove the car in the UK but it was the diesel version. India gets the turbocharged petrol Cooper S instead. Hang on to your seats!

Design & Styling All Minis have been small except for the Countryman that is only ‘Mini’ by name and definitely not by its size. The car has literally grown from all sides and is as big as a Skoda Yeti. The higher ground clearance and bigger wheels make the Countryman look like an SUV which it most definitely is not. In fact sometimes I think it is a giant hatchback. It is based on the BMW X1 and thats why Mini likes to call it a crossover SUV. However, one glance and you know it’s a Mini.The big frog eyes and inverted front grille have all evolved from the standard Mini. The design is unique and yet somehow brings to mind the characteristic Mini look. The front bumper houses the air scoops just like in the Cooper S hatch while the front fender features a diagonal band that’s seen on most Mini Cooper models but is more prominent here thanks to the use of chrome. The rear view mirrors too are similar to the other Mini models.

Viewed from the side, one will notice

three prominent windows and rear doors too. The Countryman is in fact the first ever Mini Cooper to feature four doors. This makes the car long but even with the addition of two rear doors, the Countryman looks quite proportional to the regular Cooper while the trademark floating roof design is smart and slopes down well to blend with the rear quarter glass. The rear is dominated by a big plain looking door and has a big Mini badge sitting on it that also doubles up as a boot release handle similar to the Volkswagen Polo. Just like the head lamps, the tail lamps are also chrome outlined and are vertically mounted like in all Minis. Since we get the Cooper S variant, additions such as the bigger wheels, twin exhaust and a mock diffuser give the car a sporty touch.

The Countryman overall is a bit quirky yet interesting enough to attract attention.

Thankfully it wasn’t a red car with black stripes like the Cooper S hatch we tested last month but a not so catchy but evocative Oxford green, so nobody ended up driving into the back of the vehicle in front of them while staring at the Countryman.

Interiors Step inside and the interior is similar to other Mini models and follows the same funky circular theme. It’s evident everywhere, from the dashboard to the seats. The frisbee-sized centre-mounted speedometer catches one’s eye first. It’s a retro looking unit and not only displays speed but cleverly houses the car’s infotainment screen as well. The quality of materials used are slightly better than the Mini Cooper hatch which itself is a class apart. The three-spoke steering wheel is JUL 2012 overdrive

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Evoque

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vs

count ry man s

vs

Q3

Get gorgeous Money no object, these are the most stylish crossovers available in India today Words Rishaad Mody Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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BMW X1

vs

Aud i Q3

Locking horns

The BMW X1 finally has some serious competition in the form of the Audi Q3 Words Halley Prabhakar Photography Gaurav S Thombre

M

onopoly makes you feel comfortable and invincible. You feel like you’re the king of your ring.. But sooner or later someone will show up and proceed to eat some of your delicious pie. BMW created the compact luxury SUV sphere and then ruled it in India with the X1 over the past two years. The X1 became quite easily the natural alternative to entry-premium sedans. The new kid comes from the same neighbourhood, and has been giving the Beemer a run for his money abroad. And now the battle arrives here. Enter the Audi Q3.

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Design & styling The X1’s styling is part of its success. The large kidney grille and the corona rings in the headlamp are unmistakable. From the front it resembles its X-brothers which is a good thing, however when viewed from the side the long bonnet and the short height makes it look a bit estate-ish. The rear is a simple design with smart tail lamps. An updated X1 is set for end 2012 but the minor changes expected means it won't look very different.

All Audi SUVs look similar, and the Q3’s on that same boat. But it isn’t a problem - the Q7 is so desirable in India! But not everyone can afford one so they get the Q5. Now for

those who can’t afford that either there is the Q3. The Q7/Q5 lineage is clear in the overall form but since it is a much newer design, the Q3 gets the latest Audi face. The front grille is a hexagon while the headlamps are inverted giving it an edgy look. The daytime running LED strip is a single beam like on all new Audis . The side profile and the wraparound tailgate are very similar to the Q-family and is very steeply raked to give it a more dynamic look while the tail lamps are also more edgy and with striking LED lighting. Though the Q3 is shorter than the X1, it sits taller giving it an proper SUV like stance and style, making it more appealing.

Interiors The X1 is based on the 3 Series so it feels familiar in layout and design and built to last.

You do note the cost saving hard plastics though you can pick from a selection of twotone trims. The Q3 also showws its cost face in that material quality is definitely below the Q5/Q7 level. But despite it employing even more hard plastics than the X1, it manages to pull off the premium feel so you cannot really complain, especially given its price. The biggest cost saver noticeable is the high-res MMI screen (the X1’s screen is better) which is operated by you. As in you push it into the dash to stow.

To talk space, it’s close at the front and the X1 is slightly more spacious at the rear. Three in the back is tight in both. The Q3 though nails the comfort end of things and offers a marginally bigger boot at 460 litres. The Q3 has plusher seats, rear aircon vents and one clever trick. The rear seats are mounted lower in the Audi so the sloping roof does not mean less headroom either - the seat backs are sloped more to compensate as well. Rishaad, the rear seat dummy for the test noted that the X1 felt tighter and that the Q3 had better knee room. The big miss? Audi forgot the rear arm rest. The X1 has that as well as two pop-out cup holders in it.

Engine and Performance The BMW has a 2.0-litre diesel (think 320d) produces 177PS at 4000rpm while peak torque is 350Nm between 1750 to 3000rpm and a conventional 6-speed automatic. The also has a 2.0-litre diesel (think A4 2.0 TDI) and it makes an identical 177PS (at 4200rpm) while torque is higher - 380Nm from 1750 to 2500rpm. A 6-speed automatic is the choice of transmission in the X1.

On the road, the X1’s engine is noisy and not very refined, the Q3 in comparison is super refined and one can’t tell it’s a diesel even. Turbo lag is minimal and one can hardly feel the boost kicking in since max torque

The Q3 (right) offers slightly more room than the X1. The upright seating position also makes it more comfortable over long distances.

Audi doesn't offer a rear armrest in the Q3 but it does feature rear air con vents which is absent in the X1

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motorcyclenews L o g o n t o w w w. ov e r d r i v e . i n / n e ws

Hyosung switches partners... ... and signs with DSK MotoWheels. DSK plans Indian plant and puts the GT250R goes on sale at Rs 2.75 lakh, more motorcycles to follow

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• Hyosung to launch naked GT250 by October, could be priced at around Rs 2 lakh

• GV250 cruiser to be launched by December

yosung’s adventure in India continues. Now Garware Motors has handed over its role to DSK MotoWheels, a Pune-based company, part of the DSK group that, among others, is in the real estate business and owns automotive dealerships. With Hyosung as their technical partner, DSK MotoWheels plans to set up a Rs 300-350 crore Indian assembly plant in 18 months and intends to pursue as much as 90 per cent localisation across models. These announcements came at the commercial launch of the GT250R which we tested last month. The price is Rs 2.75 lakh ex-Delhi, on the high side in

our opinion. DSK MotoWheels director Shirish Kulkarni then added that in local production he intended the price to drop to Rs 1.5 lakh, indicating that the GT250R will be among the first locally manufactured Hyosungs. DSK is currently finalising factory location while assembly at the Garware facility in Wai, Maharashtra is their preferred location but recent state government policies have led to dissatsfaction amongst Maharashtra-based auto manufacturers. DSK will also inherit the 18 dealers that sell Hyosungs in India. DSK intends to launch the naked GT250 as well as the GV250 Aquila and GV650 cruisers in India with launch slots before Diwali this year and in December this year.

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ma hin d ra rod eo rz

Status update Mahindra Two-wheelers updates their Rodeo - meet the RZ

Words Shubhabrata Marmar Photography Ashok George

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he jokes began when we realised that the new scooter’s tag line was Let’s Do More and that one of the moto-journos (who wasn’t present) had a surname that matched the last word of the tagline. But once the press conference started, it ended fast. Mahindra are hard at work getting their two-wheeler ship through the stormy weather and though the motorcycle business is yet to really kick off, the Rodeo RZ marks the next step for them.

The scooter looks exactly the same as the old Rodeo but for some new paint and stickers, the changes are under the skin. The RZ employs what Mahindra calls the new Zseries engine - referring to a new carburettor and a dual-map ignition system. Mahindra says this allows them to return as much as 59kmpl on the ARAI cycle which is quite promising for daily use on the street.

On the chassis front, Mahindra have raised the scooter and consequently its seat height by about 20mm in response to customer worries about the undercarriage scraping when two-up. To be honest, I haven’t really scraped a scooter in a while

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(well, not while upright or with pillion) so I don’t know if this is that serious an issue. But knowing our roads, extra clearance can only help. And if I were (and only the timing prevented this) to chuck the Rodeo into our track test the extra clearance may actually have delayed the grinding down of the hard parts and actually worked for the Rodeo in lap time terms.

But all that mastication came to nought as the rain came down. The first of the season, that too, leaving the roads extremely slippery and me extremely jittery. Riding through this, I can only say that the ride quality is promising and the handling should be tidy and responsive.

The ride did remind me of just how strong and refined that SYM-based 125cc engine still is and the Rodeo pulled nicely from the standstill. Journalists who went on the 15-minute fuel economy runs came back duly with frost tinged raised eyebrows too.

What this means is that Mahindra, when they announce the price in a week or so and then roll out the scooter nationwide in a few weeks after that, will have a promising scooter in the stable. One that seems correctly positioned, promises to have a good price and offer exceptional economy. Awesome.

Now Mahindra only needs to figure out how to repeat the same trick with motorcycles, right?

Specification Type

Air cooled, 124.6cc, single cylinder

Max power 8.16PS@7000rpm Max torque 9Nm@5500rpm

Fully digital instrument panel from the old scooter has been retained

LxWxH

1790x650x1110

Price

TBA

+ Refined engine, higher ground clearance - Looks the same as the old Rodeo

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ducati 1 19 9 pani gal e s

Red heat Harriet rides Ducati’s most revolutionary motorcycle yet Words Harriet Ridley

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New discovery Bajaj Auto attempts to jazz up the 125cc segment with a sporty new Discover Words Abhay Verma Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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ajaj Auto has always been clear about one thing – the Pune-based manufacturer has always maintained it will never make uninteresting motorcycles. True to its word, Bajaj has always tried to make interesting motorcycles – creating new sub segments in the process.

And they have done exactly the same with the new Discover 125ST. Bajaj is billing the Discover 125ST as a ‘sports tourer’, which is why the ST suffix. ‘Sports tourer’ is an acronym we generally associate with large touring motorcycles like the Honda VFR1200F, and hence Bajaj using it for a 125cc bike is a bit confusing. The Pune-based manufacturer says this bike is for commuters who travel longer distances every day, or go for weekend rides and highway jaunts on their bike.

With the Discover 125ST, Bajaj is hoping to bridge the gap between what is ‘just a commuter’ and entry-level performance motorcycles. Today’s motorcycle buyer is a wellinformed individual who wants more value for money, and aspires to own a motorcycle that looks good, is comfortable, offers decent performance and is frugal as well. I straddled the Discover 125ST for a quick ride to see if it does that.

At first glance the 125ST impresses with its fresh styling. The bikini fairing has subtle hints of the XCD135, which was also one of Bajaj’s attempts at offering a stylish commuter motorcycle. The alloy wheels look nice, and are from the Pulsar 200NS. The front alloy sports a 200mm petal disc which is a segment first. The 125ST’s fuel tank is perhaps the biggest looking amongst commuters today. The design looks fresh, but reminded me of the Suzuki GS150R from certain angles. It has nice-looking knee-recesses as well, but these are purely cosmetic, since at 5 feet 11 inches I was unable to find the sweet spot on the tank while riding. The only eyesore on the nice-looking fuel tank is the fuel-cock. The instrument cluster is an all-new unit, and is a welcome departure from the dated twin-pod units the Discover has had. The seat is well-contoured, and feels plush – it instantly felt more comfortable than most commuters I have ridden. At the rear, the 125ST uses a stepped LED stoplight, an evolution of the previous Discover’s, and this looks nice along with clear lens indicators. The biggest draw on the 125ST though is the gas-charged monoshock sitting underneath. This is another segment first, and Bajaj say the mono-

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Nothing but a smile on... ...seems to be the Husqvarna Nuda 900R’s attitude in life.

We welcome the brand to India before the official prices get announced Words Shubhabrata Marmar Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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usqvarna is a great name for a motorcycle. Honest. I’ve been too scared of the idea itself to actually be into dirt bikes but even I think that is a cool name, and its abbreviation, the affectionate Husky is cooler still. And then there are our friends at Indimotard in Bangalore who all swear by their Huskies which go to Ladakh every year and evidently never break into a sweat. But I’m guessing not everyone reading this is familiar with the brand so let me give you a glimpse into their past.

The original Swedish Husqvarna was into weapons and only started making motorcycles in 1903. Having made their share of small motorcycles and raced on the street, including at the Isle of Man TT, Husky were doing well enough. They entered their golden age, as it were, post the second world war when they started making off-road motorcycles that quickly became famous. They were the bikes Steve McQueen and company rode through the desert in On Any Sunday and they absolutely killed them competition in the dirt track arenas through the 60s and the 70s. Cast now as an off-road brand, Huskies enjoyed some success in the Supermotards as well in the past decade. But it is this motorcycle, the Nuda 900R and its lower spec cousin, the Nuda that effectively bring the brand back to making road bikes.

The brand, though, is more Italian than

Swedish today. It was acquired by Cagiva in the 50s before it became part of MV Agusta.

You might say it became an Italian brand, even. But in 2007, when MV Agusta was in deep trouble, BMW Motorrad (the motorcycle division) swept in and picked up the name, and now near Varese in Italy, Huskies emerge from a new plant propelled, er, by the propeller but operated largely as an independent outfit.

That said, the Nuda is based off the BMW F800R. The Husqvarna engineers took the engine and bored and stroked it to 898cc.

Their updates are cohesive and comprehensive. The compression ratio is up, firing order has changed, valves are larger, cam profiles have changed, a counter rotating balancer shaft is employed and so on and so forth. The result is a brilliantly throaty, large-chested engine that delivers 100Nm of torque as well as 105PS of power. With red painted rocker panels as is the tradition with Huskies.

But what isn’t a tradition is the frame.

Some say it is based on the F800R’s frame and others say it is all new. What I know is that the front end is raked sharper than the F800R and in the process the trellis frame feels more rigid and more responsive. Bolted to the trellis frame on the Nuda R is a fully adjustable Sachs upside down front fork and at the rear, an adjustable Ohlins monoshock unit. The R is imspeccable, (I mean an impeccable spec, of course) with monobloc JUL 2012 overdrive

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C om pa ro

h onda c br 1 5 0r

vs

yamah a yz f r 1 5

Smokin’ aces The 150cc class champion takes on its latest challenger

Words Ashok George Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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C om pa ro

act i va

vs

dio

vs

maest ro

vs

swi s h

vs

v es pa

Small wheels,

big fun!

The Honda Activa faces its competition, the Hero Maestro, Honda Dio, Suzuki Swish, TVS Wego and the new Vespa.

At a go-karting track!

Words Shubhabrata Marmar Photography Gaurav S Thombre

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vs

wego

Downtown Racing, Pune We went to the karting track at Downtown Racing at Kharadi near Pune for the scooter shootout. The 400-metre long tarmac karting circuit has straights that allow all the scooters to hit just about 85kmph, and so full engine performance can be extracted while a good mix of fast and slow corners and some bumps work out the chassis and suspension.

The challenge was further heightened by the fact that the width of the track varied greatly around most of the corners, entry speed thus being one of the most crucial factors for a good lap time.

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