April 2020

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#79

Editorial Email evo.editorial@gtopublishing.com Website www.evoindia.com Project GTO Publishing, No 5, Siddharth Terrace, Nagar Road, Pune - 411006 India Phone: +91-20-26684343

Editor Sirish Chandran

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Ed speak SIRISH CHANDRAN

I WRITE THIS AFTER WATCHING THE PM’S address, asking for the janata curfew to be observed on the coming Sunday. The message is clear. Covid-19 has arrived in India and it cannot be business as usual. The automotive industry was already reeling under the impact of the shutdown in China, every single manufacturer depends on China for something or the other, big or small — just a small example, shipments of the panoramic sunroof on the 2020 Harrier got impacted and that has slowed down deliveries. As for components for electric vehicles, you can only imagine the impact since almost all critical components are sourced from there. But those were blips compared to how serious it has now gotten. This magazine would have had the new Mercedes-Benz GLA but the drives in Spain were cancelled. The new Honda City would have been on the cover, but it evidently is not. We just about managed to get our hands on the new Hyundai Creta — the drives were cancelled but we went and collected the car ourselves. F1, MotoGP, Le Mans, INRC, all cancelled or postponed and there’s no sign of when sporting activities of any sort will resume. And as I write, for the first time in my twenty years as an automotive journalist, the calendar is completely empty. No launches, no drives, no events, no nothing.

We hustled to send the pages to press before the first curfew and then kept our fingers crossed that the magazine would get printed and reach your door step or the local news stand. I can only hope you’re reading this without too much of a delay. And I’m glad you’ve got the mag because we have a very nice cover story — AMG finally taking the fight to Porsche!

The GT R Pro isn’t yet available in India but it will because track days have become A Very Big Thing and Porsche has a lock-down on that market. I was at the Cannonball Supercar Weekend at the BIC earlier this month and it was almost like a Porsche track day with a line-up so out of this world that the GT3 felt, almost, ordinary. Not content with a ‘regular’ GT2 RS, one enthusiast even had Manthey Racing customise his car down to the springs and dampers tuned to his weight! It’s that audience AMG will tap into with the R Pro and if they can beat the BIC lap record, the entire India allocation is sure to sell out.

Let’s hope the BIC stays open for business and let’s hope the extraordinarily difficult times that we find ourselves in will soon pass. Stay safe, and enjoy the issue! L @SirishChandran

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EVO WORLDWIDE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Australia Jesse Taylor China Zheng Chen Croatia Nikola Curic Czech Republic Petr Ehrlich Egypt Ahmed Wakil France Patrick Garcia Italy Piero Bacchetti Korea Yushin Lim Malaysia Daniel Wong Middle East Bassam Kronfli Singapore Sheldon Trollope Slovenia Matjaž Korošak Spain Javier Arus Thailand Chettha Songthaveepol Turkey Bahadir Bektas UK Stuart Gallagher

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Contents

#79

F E AT UR E S

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G T R PRO v G T 3 RS

THE E-CL AS S OF SU VS

THE NE W LT

BIG M

Could AMG look at launching the GT R Pro in India to tap into the craze for Porsche’s GT cars?

088 CZINGER 21C

Pronounced Zinger as in the burger, the 1233bhp hypercar could be the most significant hypercar of the year

096 NE W DEFENDER

Reincarnated icon is the most technically sophisticated and advanced Land Rover ever

Visit

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evoindia.com for the latest news, reviews & videos

Behind the wheel of the newgeneration Mercedes-Benz GLEs. The GLEs have been completely redone for 2020, right from the exteriors, to the interiors and engines. We drive the GLE 300d, and the GLE 400d with its fully active suspension

110 FERR A RIS IN MUMBA I

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What makes the Ferrari experience special? We spend a morning with the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T and Portofino on the streets of Mumbai, indulging in their performance and soaking in the attention

NEWS The best resource online for the latest car, bike and motorsport news

The McLaren 720S was already a great car, but McLaren have honed it and made the 765LT. It is lighter than the 720S, with more aero, more power and parts borrowed from the Senna. This is the most extreme Longtail model yet and is bound to be special

CRE ATING THE CRE TA

A deep dive behind the scenes in to what goes in to making the Hyundai Creta, with uninhibited access to the production line in Chennai

VIDEOS Sideways cars, bikes on one wheel and interesting people (YouTube.com/c/evoIndia)

REVIEWS Full multi-page in-depth reviews of the cars and bikes that matter

Performance SUVs combine everything we love and hate about cars in to one hard-to-ignore package. The BMW X5 M and BMW X6 M are the latest culprits – the get more power, madder handling and can get to 290kmph if you find the road and the guts to take them there

137 PRI SHOW

A tradeshow with a focus on racing – we visited the Performance Racing Industry show held annually in Indianapolis, USA

SOCIAL Two-way Facebook, Twitter and Instragram policy. Talk to us now! (@evoIndia)

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Contents

#79

REGULARS

010

070

152

168

IGNITION

COLUMNS

MOTORSPORT

DE A D ON A RRIVA L

All the cool cars from the Geneva show that didn’t happen, headlined by the Porsche 911 Turbo and followed by the likes of the Aston Martin Speedster, BMW i4, Skoda Octavia RS iV and Mercedes-Benz E-Class facelift

034 FIRS T DRIV ES 034 HYUNDAI CRETA 040 TATA HARRIER 046 MARUTI SUZUKI VITARA BREZZA 049 VW TIGUAN ALLSPACE 054 BMW X1 058 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT 062 PORSCHE 718 BOSXTER GTS 066 FORD ENDEAVOUR

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Bijoy Kumar, Richard Meaden & Richard Porter

073 CONNEC T

Great conversations with our enthu fans on social media

142 BIKES BRIEFING

Loads of new metal led by the allnew Africa Twin, Royal Enfield’s Flat Track dreams and the new 999cc Indian Scout Bobber

144 FIRS T RIDES 144 TVS iQUBE 146 KTM 200 DUKE 148 KTM 390 DUKE 149 HONDA ACTIVA 6G

The Ed gets behind the wheel of the MRF F-1600 and Ameo Cup car, and the FMSCI awards

159 E VO FLEE T

The Triumph Lynx with its 3.5-litre V8 engine could have taken on the Capri in Europe, but it never came to be

176

The evo India fleet gets its first electric car in the Hyundai Kona Electric. We also get a Hyundai Venue diesel joining the line-up, while the S-Presso and Kwid go head-to-head

MOTORSPORT MOMENT

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The Czinger C12 supercar with its 3D-printed construction and 1233bhp, road tested

TRIED A ND TES TED

The Galaxy S10 Lite, Carbonado GT2 & Brutforce BFR 001

168 E VO ENCYCLOPEDI A

This month, the encyclopedia covers the letters E and F

The last ever V12 win in Formula 1

by Jean Alesi

179 NE X T MONTH

180 GONE BUT NOT FORGOT TEN

Ford Ikon: The car that established Ford’s fun-to-drive DNA that carries on to this day

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IGNITION N E WS , I NTERVI E WS , TEC H A N D E V ERY N E W C A R TH AT M AT TERS

The boss is back

New 3.7-litre flat-six with 641bhp makes the latest Porsche 911 Turbo S the most powerful yet ORSCHE’S ULTIMATE SUPERCAR all-rounder is back, evolved for the 992 generation of 911 both conceptually and technologically, and more potent than ever with it. In fact, the new 911 Turbo has made its biggest ever leap in power: up 69bhp to a massive 641bhp in ‘S’ form, and with 800Nm of torque from 2500 to 4500rpm. That’s still short of the 991-based GT2 RS’s 690bhp, but the new Turbo meets the forthcoming emissions regs, does without the water spray system and is naturally a less aggressive character by its very nature.

The 992 Turbo is being launched as an ‘S’ only initially, primarily because Porsche’s sales figures show that around 75 per cent of buyers opt for the more powerful, more expensive model. A regular, less powerful Turbo will follow, and both variants will be available in coupe and Cabriolet forms.

Under the engine lid lies an all-new 3.7-litre flat-six engine based on the 3-litre 9A2 unit currently found in the 992 Carrera. It features two turbochargers mounted symmetrically (with compressor and turbine wheels now rotating in opposite directions), with the intercoolers larger and no longer positioned in the rear corners as in recent Turbos, but above the engine as in the Carrera.

As always with heavily turbocharged 911s, dealing with the extreme heat generated in the engine bay has been a particular challenge, especially as the engine exhales through huge particulate filters so as to meet upcoming emissions regulations. Indeed, getting this engine to pass those regs has been the motivator for many hours on the

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test bench and is something the engineering team are very proud to have achieved. The intake and exhaust systems are all new, as are the piezo fuel injectors, and the variable vane turbochargers (VTG) have both larger turbine and compressor wheels within them. For the first time on a Turbo, customers can choose the option of a sports exhaust. Having heard it in action, it’s safe to say the soundtrack is still a gruff, heavily boosted roar and not a particularly musical one, although it is not without an appeal of its own.

As we revealed in our ride-along with Porsche’s prototypes, those expecting some form of electrification or fundamental repositioning of the Turbo model (given the regular 911s now also feature twinturbochargers) may be disappointed: the 992 Turbo simply offers more of the same – with the emphasis very much on the ‘more’. In addition to the jump in engine outputs it’s now 1900mm wide across the rear arches (20mm wider than the 992 Carrera family), and while Porsche hasn’t released a weight figure at this stage, evo understands the increase on the 992 Carreras is carried over to the Turbo, meaning a figure at the kerb of around 1640kg for the coupe and 1710kg for the Cabriolet. For reference, Porsche’s first fully water-cooled Turbo of 20 years ago, based on the 996 generation car, weighed 100kg less.

Porsche’s engineers did indeed experiment with various forms of hybridisation over a number of years, but were unable to achieve weight and performance targets that met their notoriously high standards. As it stands, the prospect of any form of electrification in

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P O RSC H E 91 1 TU R BO S (9 92) WORDS by ADAM TOWLER

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IGNITION a 911 appears to be a long way off, with the model slated as the last to receive any such tech in the future. One legacy of the hybrid development programme is the eight-speed PDK gearbox, used on all 992s, which has its gear shafts in a compact arrangement that leaves space for a theoretical hybrid element, but comes with a weight penalty over the old seven-speed PDK ’box. No manual transmission will be offered, as Porsche doesn’t have one that can handle the turbocharged torque on offer, and in any case, with this amount of power and torque you have to question the suitability of a manual transmission.

To counter the effects of well over 1.6 tonnes, Porsche has assembled a formidable suite of its finest chassis, braking and aero tech, with the latest generation of PASM variable damping, its PDCC active anti-roll bars, and rear-wheel steering. The Turbo’s tracks are wider by 42mm front and 10mm

rear than the 992 Carrera’s, and the fourwheel-drive set-up can send up to 500Nm of torque to the front axle if required, while the electric power assistance for the steering uses Porsche’s third-generation software, as used by the 991.2 GT3 RS and 718 Cayman GT4.

A sports suspension option lowers the ride height by 10mm and offers a firmer setup at the expense of some ride comfort, but it’s a tacit recognition that some Turbo buyers will be looking for a more overtly sporting flavour of car. Later this year a lightweight sports package will be available too, and although precise details aren’t yet known, it could potentially include items such as thinner glass and the removal of some sound-deadening material to save further kilos, all of which could take the Turbo into ‘GT2-lite’ territory, but with the additional qualities of four-wheel drive.

Nevertheless, even in standard guise the Turbo S’s performance is staggering: 0-100kmph in 2.7sec, hitting 200kmph in just

8.9sec (or 2.8sec and 9.3sec respectively for the Cabriolet), and a top speed of 330kmph. evo has experienced one of the new Turbo’s full-bore launch-control starts and can confirm it makes one’s head spin, so violent is the takeoff and subsequent lunge for the horizon. One up, with a low fuel level and stopping the clock at only 100kmph, expect that figure of 2.7sec to fall even lower (Porsche’s official figures are usually very conservative).

Turbos without a sunroof usually feature a carbonfibre roof panel as a way to compensate for some of the weight penalty of the extra hardware, and there’s a pneumatically extendable front splitter to cut lift at speed.

The rear wing is now larger, and the engine is fed by air from both the intakes in the rear arches and those on top of the engine cover.

Additionally, powered flaps in the nose are managed electronically, cutting drag at high speed while also providing optimum cooling when required.

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AUDI R8 PERFORMANCE This long-standing in-house rival may also be four-wheel drive, but it delivers its performance in a very different way, and is now also comprehensively outgunned by the new Turbo. The 611bhp Audi counters with an evocative tencylinder soundtrack and a true supercar profile, but no rear seats.

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P O RSC H E 91 1 TU R BO S (9 92)

expected to be around the `2.8 crore mark for the coupe and `3 crore for the Cabriolet, bringing it into supercar territory, even if its traditional value compared to Ferrari and Lamborghini’s entry-level offerings remains.

Whether the Turbo can thrill us as a driver’s car will hopefully be answered very soon, but in the meantime its performance and sheer breadth of ability look not to be in question.

For the first time a Turbo runs on differentsize rims front to rear (20- and 21-inch centre-lock items), with 255/35 tyres on the front axle and 315/30s on the rear. Brakes are carbon-ceramic as standard and suitably massive (420mm front, 390mm rear), with ten-pot calipers for the fronts. Early cars will run on Pirelli rubber only, with a Michelin option to follow – the tyre development programme for the Turbo is one of the toughest Porsche tenders for, the final product needing to cope

with very high speed and possess track ability while also delivering everyday comfort and all-weather security.

Inside, the Turbo is as you would expect: essentially a 992 with a very high standard of specification. But there are a few touches that lighten the tone, such as stitching that apes the type found in the original 930 Turbo. You’d have to know your Porsches to spot it, but it’s a nice nod to the firm’s heritage.

Prices for this mightiest of 992s are

BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT V8 A strange choice of rival? Not really: if the Audi R8 represents the Turbo’s typical mid-engined opposition, then the 542bhp V8 Conti sits at the other end of the spectrum. Far more dynamic to drive than Contis of old, it also offers four-wheel drive, 2+2 seating, and swallows long journeys with ease.

S PECIFICATIO N Engine Transmission Power Torque Weight Power-to-weight 0-100kmph Top speed Price

(Cabriolet in brackets)

Flat-six, 3745cc, t win -turbo 8-speed automatic 641bhp @ 6750rpm 800Nm @ 2500 -4000rpm 1640k g (17 10k g) 397bhp/ton (381bhp/ton) 2.7sec (2.8sec) 330kmph ` 2.8 crore (` 3 crore) (e s timated)

McLAREN GT McLaren’s take on the grand touring theme is an all-new car – honest. In reality it’s a well-developed version of the traditional McLaren recipe of carbon tub and a powerful (612bhp) but uncouth V8.

Dynamics and handling are still excellent, though there is a trade-off for a little more useability.

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IGNITION

Fast forward?

Crippling debt was holding Aston Martin back. Will Lawrence Stroll’s millions help deliver T’S UNLIKELY TO HAVE ESCAPED your notice that things got a bit wobbly financially for Aston Martin as 2019 came to a close. The bills for the DBX’s development were stacking up in the in tray quicker than Aston’s own invoices were being paid and, crucially, there weren’t enough of the latter going out compared to the number of the former coming in. New factories and an all-new car don’t come cheap and Aston Martin was quickly discovering just how expensive expansion is.

By the end of January, however, these financial issues appeared to have been addressed by a financial injection from billionaire Lawrence Stroll, which will prevent the company returning to the money markets to borrow nine-figure sums at interest rates payday lenders would consider excessive.

Stroll and his consortium of backers have secured a 16.7 per cent stake in the Gaydon firm for `1600 crore. A further share issue will result in an additional `3400 crore in new

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funds and Stroll’s share increasing to 20 per cent. It also buys Stroll a seat at the top table, the top seat in fact, as he will replace Penny Hughes as chairman, while Andy Palmer will remain the company’s CEO. Crucially, the `490 crore Stroll made

immediately available to Palmer and his team secures the launch of the DBX. Some 1400 orders for Aston Martin’s life-saving SUV were required at the car’s reveal in December to secure a release of pre-arranged funds by investors post the company’s IPO in October

Ultimate street fighter Developed by the marque’s ‘Q by Aston Martin’ bespoke customisation service, under the skin you’ll find a combination of Vantage and DBS Superleggera componentry, built upon the latest development of Aston’s bonded aluminium architecture, doublewishbone and multi-link

suspension and adaptive dampers. The body is crafted almost entirely out of carbonfibre panels and loosely reminiscent of historic racing vehicles, like the 1953 DB3S and 1959’s Le Mans-winning DBR1.

With marginally less power and torque than the Superleggera, the Speedster is a tenth

behind to 100kmph, at 3.5sec, while top speed is limited to a brisk and breezy 300kmph. A unique stainless steel exhaust system will make it louder too. It exits centrally through the rear diffuser and should be nicely audible even while your head is being battered by the elements.

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A S TO N M A R T I N V 1 2 S P E E D S T E R WORDS by STUART GALLAGHER

Left: Fighter jet theme of this car demonstrates how ‘Q by Aston Martin’ can customise a Speedster. Right: It’s hardly a grand tourer, but beneath the Speedster’s rear humps is some space for luggage

2018. With 1800 orders in the bag by the time the car’s new St Athan factory opened, on the surface Aston’s financial hurdles looked surmountable. However, once the RAF had completed its fly-past over Aston’s second home, the reality began to bite and the hangover kicked in.

The financial predicament that Aston Martin found itself in was down to a number of contributing factors. Those DBX development costs were, as expected and budgeted for, like nothing Aston had experienced before, and the Valkyrie hypercar has been an undertaking like no other in the British firm’s 107-year history.

Combined with the conversion of the former MOD site in south Wales to a state-of-the-art production facility and the debt mountain was

looking like a tough ask for the DBX to clear.

And then there was the sales performance of the current line-up.

While the Vantage, DB11 and DBS Superleggera have delivered an increase in market share, they have underperformed in terms of generating enough profit, primarily due to an oversupply of cars to dealers and having to offer discounts and incentives for them to stock them..

Aston Martin is continuing with the design and development of its own V6 petrol engine and hybrid powertrain. What hasn’t survived, or rather has been sidelined until at least 2025, is Aston’s intention to relaunch Lagonda as an all-electric luxury car brand in 2022. Finally, at the end of the 2020 Formula 1 season Aston

Martin’s partnership with Red Bull Racing will end, although the British car manufacturer will remain in F1 thanks to its new major shareholder renaming his Racing Point F1 team as Aston Martin Racing for the 2021 season.

S PECIFICATIO N Engine Transmission Power Torque Weight Power-to-weight 0-100kmph Top speed Price

V 12, 5204 cc, t win -turbo 8-speed automatic 690bhp 752Nm TBA TBA 3. 5sec 300kmph `7 crore (excluding Indian ta xe s and dutie s)

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Coach class

Bentley unveils its take on the completely roofless roadster – the Bacalar ENTLEY HAS SIGNED ITSELF UP TO the 2020 open season, joining the market for astronomically priced, limited-run cars that offer the ultimate in luxury and unique open-top motoring – and not only because a roof isn’t even on the options list. Its contender is called the Bacalar, and it’s the first new Bentley of many planned by the company’s Mulliner division. Based on the Continental GT Convertible, it will cost at least `13.4 crore (excluding Indian taxes and duties) before options, and just 12 will be hand-built in Crewe.

The Bacalar’s design takes inspiration from Bentley’s EXP 100 GT centenary concept car and, bar the door handles, it shares no exterior parts with any existing Bentley. Its pair of headlights replace the firm’s preferred quadunit arrangement and the Bacalar looks more striking as a result. Housed within a front end that is far more modern looking, with deeply sculpted intakes and sharp edges in lieu of Bentley’s more traditional softer, conservative

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approach, the Bacalar has a strong skunkworks after-hours feel to its design.

Carbonfibre is used for the front wings and grille surround, as well as the doors and the rear wings, with the rear clamshell and top deck fabricated from aluminium. The resulting upswept tail has a hint of Aston Martin about it – no bad thing – and the LED rear light units are pure theatre. With the Bacalar, the Mulliner division has pushed the design envelope further than you’d expect for Bentley, the sharp creases, exaggerated cooling inlets and the drama of the rear deck giving it a unique look.

That look is continued inside with a bespoke wraparound cockpit within the two-seater interior (there’s storage space for a set of bespoke luggage behind the seats). The centre console is more angled, rising up into a dashboard that sweeps into the door panels.

Dark bronze detailing is used for the controls, while the wood veneer is 5000-year-old ‘Riverwood’ from Cambridge, and Beluga leather is used throughout. The controls have been

redesigned for the Bacalar, too, with only the steering wheel cover being carried over from the GT (a replacement would have required homologating due to the airbag within).

Beneath the Bacalar’s barchetta body is an enhanced twin-turbocharged W12 engine producing 650bhp (up from the Conti’s 626bhp) and 900Nm, with the exhaust modified to fit the car’s new rear bodywork. The eight-speed gearbox and four-wheel-drive system are as per the Conti GT, while the three-chamber air suspension has been recalibrated to take into account the 100kg weight loss. The front track is 15mm wider, the rear 20mm, and the 22-inch wheels are also unique. Bentley is claiming a top speed of 322kmph.

The Bacalar represents a return to hand-built coachbuilding for Mulliner, with each car taking around three months to assemble after the components have been personalised for the customer, which could take up to eight months.

Mulliner did consider building the car without a front windscreen (as per Ferrari’s Monza SP1

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B EN T L E Y BAC A L A R WORDS by STUART GALLAGHER

MULLINER HAS PUSHED THE D E S I G N F U R T H E R T H A N YO U ’ D EXPECT FOR A BENTLEY

and 2, McLaren’s Elva and Aston Martin’s V12 Speedster), but the decision was taken that it wasn’t necessary and would prevent the Bacalar from being a GT you can use every day – unless it’s raining and you don’t enjoy getting wet.

But is this really an issue for the customers who will buy the Bacalar or any of the other aforementioned rivals that have been launched over the last six months? Not at all. Many question their validity, and the needs and requirements of those who think nothing of dropping a not-so-small fortune on a car

where its use is restricted by the weather and practicality. But they are no more indulgent than a Caterham, an Ariel or a BAC – they just cost a lot more and offer a very different take on the Thrill Of Driving. That they also add to the balance sheet – the Bacalar will make Mulliner money – is a not insignificant reason for their existence, too.

And yes, we did ask Bentley if it has considered a follow-up based on the same principle but with a fixed streamliner roof. It didn’t say no…

S PECIFICATIO N Engine Transmission Power Torque Weight Power-to-weight 0-100kmph Top speed Price

W 12, 5950cc, t win -turbo 8-speed automatic 650bhp @ 6000rpm 900Nm @ 2000rpm 2300k g 287bhp/ton <3.8sec 322kmph ` 13.4 crore (excluding Indian ta xe s and dutie s)

Left: Bacalar’s rear

haunches cover a 20mm wider rear track compared to a Continental GT’s.

Right: This being a Mulliner, the cabin can be completely customised

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BMW I4

IGNITION

WOR DS by A FZA L R AW UTHER

New beginnings

The Concept i4 arrives seven years after the i8 to lead BMW’s electric charge EVEN YEARS AFTER BEING AHEAD OF the curve with the revolutionary i3 and the i8, BMW is back in the game with a close-to-production model – the Concept i4, a low slung foor-door coupe.

While details are sparse, we do know that the Concept i4 with the fifth-generation BMW e-Drive will have a 530bhp motor and an 80kWh battery pack. BMW boasts of a driving range of 435km on the EPA cycle and 600km on the WLTP cycle, commendable considering that all this range comes from a 80kWh battery. The i4 also gets 150kW fast charging support that can charge the car to 80 per cent in 35 minutes. On the performance front, the sedan will accelerate to 100kmph from a standstill in four seconds.

The i4 concept has an aggressive front end

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and an extended, gaping kidney grille – BMW says that the grille will house a number of sensors – has already ignited debate among BMW fans online. The i4 Concept’s cabin borrows cues from the i3 and i8 before it and features a richly appointed interior with rose gold trim, white leather upholstery, and wood.

A standout feature on the inside is the large curved display stretching from the center of the dash to behind the steering wheel. The i4’s roofline though is far more dramatic than the 3-Series it shares underpinnings with, and gets a larger wheelbase and shorter overhangs.

The announcement came with the news that the i8 will be pulled out of production this month and this illustrates just how long BMW has taken to follow it up. Set to be launched in

2021, the Concept i4 points in the direction that BMW’s electrics will take. The four-door coupe will make its way to India to be the new halo product in the company’s lineup. It will compete internationally against the likes of the Tesla Model 3 and the Audi e-tron GT.

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KO EN I G S EG G G EM ER A

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WORDS by KURT MORRIS

Family Hypercar

Swedish hypercar manufacturer Koenigsegg introduced its first four-seater car, the Gemera F YOU ARE IN THE MARKET FOR A hybrid four-seater, a hypercar does not come to mind, Koenigsegg is looking to deliver just that with the Gemera, marking the brand’s first four-seater offering.

While most brands are moving towards the SUV trend, Koenigsegg has decided to make a more functional four-seater coupe and keep the unique dihedral door. Koenigsegg calls it the world’s first Mega-GT hypercar.

“The Gemera has an external shape inspired by an egg,” says Christian Von Koenigsegg, the brand’s founder, “with the main goal to make it a practical road trip vehicle,” adding he had this idea, for a spacious comfortable 2+2 hypercar to take the entire family in, since 2003.

The seats have been specially designed in carbonfibre and fixed to the monocoque, and along with the Koenigsegg’s dihedral opening scissor doors, makes getting in and out of the car much easier for all four occupants. The interior is also well trimmed in the latest tech and luxurious amenities with the wing mirrors replaced by cameras. The seats are heated and

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cooled, and a touchscreen infotainment system controls all the operations of this hypercar. An ingenious packaging design allows the Gemera to store up to four pieces of luggage, one in the trunk upfront and the remaining three in the rear boot.

Powering the Koenigsegg is a variation of the drivetrain used in the Regera, with two 500bhp electric motors for each rear wheel combined with a 600bhp combustion engine sitting at the back, along with a 400bhp electric motor for the front wheels. All this adds up to give the Koenigsegg four-seater a massive 1700bhp. Powering those motors is an 800V 15kWh battery pack located just behind the

front wheels, packaged with the drivetrain unit. Koenigsegg claims the Gemera can go up to 1000km before needing a recharge (and refuelling) and this setup also offers some mindblowing performance figures of 0-100kmph in just 1.9 seconds.

The company has not yet announced pricing for this mega GT hypercar, but if you can pony up the astronomical asking price, you’ll be among the lucky 300 customers (so far) facing an as yet two-year plus waiting period!

T H E M A I N G OA L O F T H E G E M E R A WA S T O M A K E A PRAC TICAL ROAD TRIP VE HICLE

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MERCEDES-BENZ E- CLASS WORDS by SUVRAT KOTHARI

Heart of the brand The India-bound 2020 Mercedes-Benz E-Class facelift gets electrified powertrains and subtle upgrades inside and out ERCEDES-BENZ IS PROMPT IN rolling out the next-gen versions of its cars. After selling 1.2 million units of the current W213 generation E-Class globally since 2016, Mercedes-Benz is building on its acute popularity by throwing in a bunch of upgrades in the 2020 E-Class.

The E-Class retains its unmistakable silhouette with the design changes being subtle rather than outright evolutionary.

The dual slat grille is replaced with a single slat diamond studded one, sitting between redesigned LED headlamps. At the rear, the upright taillamps have been replaced with wide and horizontal LED units merging into the boot lid, making for a more fluid design.

With the new E-Class, Mercedes-Benz will introduce a new 2-litre, four-cylinder turbopetrol engine mated to a 48V mild hybrid system. In addition to this, the global fleet will also include seven plug-in hybrid models with either petrol or diesel powertrains paired to the

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standard 9-speed auto in RWD or AWD guise.

Moving on to the inside, the overall cabin layout appears identical to the current E-Class, however, the instrument cluster and the central touchscreen are seamlessly blended with each other and can be upgraded to fullsize 12.3-inch units as well. The new Dynamic Select touchpad in the central console replaces the old touchpad and the rotary dial, while a swanky new steering wheel, with no less than four touch sensitive buttons, debuts on the new E-Class.

India currently gets the LWB E-Class, the German carmakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first product to get BS6 treatment and also its highest selling one in the country. Expect the same LWB variant of the 2020 E-Class to be launched in India soon after itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unveiled in China in the third quarter of 2020.

MERCEDES - BENZ HAS THROWN IN A BUNCH OF UPGRADES IN THE 2020 E- CLASS

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WOR DS by A FZA L R AW UTHER

Sea change

Plug-in hybrid RS breaks cover. Begs the question, ‘Is this the future of performance cars?’

IMES, THEY ARE CHANGING. THERE are winds of change blowing in the automotive industry too.

Electrification, is no longer a choice for manufacturers. And Skoda’s RS line too has received its first electrified model. The car in question is the Octavia RS iV which now gets a plug-in hybrid drivetrain for 2021. The electrified Octavia combines a turbo 1.4-litre petrol engine with an electric motor to offer a total output of 242bhp and 400Nm. A newer conventionally powered RS is scheduled to arrive later this year.

The 0-100kmph sprint takes 7.3 seconds and it gets a top speed of 225kmph. For reference, the current-gen RS 245 does it in 6.6 seconds.

Skoda says the Octavia RS iV will have enough battery juice for 60 kilometres of WLTP-certified electric range, which should be enough for most daily commutes. A full recharge from a household socket will take six hours though. The new Octavia RS iV comes exclusively with front-

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wheel drive and a six-speed DCT. The styling upgrades over a regular Octavia include LED lighting elements, 18-inch wheels (19-inch optional), and a redesign of the bumpers. Dual exhaust tips further accentuate the car’s sporty character. On the inside there are some subtle changes with faux carbonfibre trim on the dashboard along with a sporty steering wheel wrapped in perforated leather, and snug seats with integrated headrests.

The Skoda Octavia RS has become somewhat of a cult legend among enthusiasts in the country. Every Skoda Octavia to have ever been launched in India has sold like hot cakes.

The Octavia RS 245 launched at the Auto Expo was no different. Even with a `9 lakh bump in price over the last version, Skoda claims that the entire allocation has been sold out. This new electrified RS will be a sea change and only time will tell if the Indian enthusiast will be as keen to lap it up.

T H E S K O D A O C TAV I A R S H A S B E C O M E S O M E W H AT O F A C U LT L E G E N D A M O N G E N T H U S I A S T S

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K I A S O R E N TO

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WOR DS by A FZA L R AW UTHER

Full size

The 2020 Kia Sorento could make its way to India next year NDIA LOVES BIG SEVEN-SEAT SUVS. And recently we have fallen in love with a certain Korean brand. Even in the midst of the gloom and doom of an economic downturn and the looming Coronavirus threat, Kia Motors has managed to sell cars in huge numbers. Building on that momentum, the brand wants to bring a slew of products to India in the next few years. They include the Sonet that was showcased at the Auto Expo and the Sorento.

Now Kia does have a bigger SUV in its global line-up in the form of the Telluride but it is left-hand drive only and a great deal of re-engineering would be involved in trying to bring it to India. What we have instead is the Sorento – a mid-size SUV in the US of A, but a proper large seven-seat SUV for India. In keeping with American sensibilities, the 2020 SUV is decidedly brawny, muscular and gets quite a bit of chrome. For 2020, it has grown in size with

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an increase of 35mm in wheelbase and small increments in all other dimensions as well.

Now, the version unveiled is for international markets and comes loaded to the gills with kit. Much of what the Sorento will have in India depends on what pricing it will get. That said, we do expect it to be a Skoda Kodiaq competitor when it does arrive possibly late next year.

Highlights on the inside include large screen real-estate with an infotainment touchscreen

and a new digital instrument display, with a separate climate control panel. Kia has added improved cruise control that automatically realigns limits when cornering on a gradient. It also gets self-parking function accessed via the key fob, automatic emergency braking and a blindspot monitoring system that uses cameras mounted on the door.

The Sorento will come with two engine options initially – a 202bhp, 2.2-litre diesel engine and a 227bhp hybrid powertrain with a 1.6-litre petrol engine, a 60bhp electric motor and a 1.5kWh battery. A plug-in hybrid is expected to follow.

As of now information is sparse, but considering Kia’s strategy in India, we expect the Sorento to arrive in India with all the bells and whistles. The Sorento will be a great flagship SUV for the brand, and could ride on the success of the Seltos, to become one of the more popular seven-seater SUVs in the country.

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WORDS by KARAN SINGH & KURT MORRIS

Edgy Sedan Hyundai has unveiled the 2021 Elantra sedan, which now comes with more character and more tech HE SEVENTH-GEN HYUNDAI Elantra has made its global debut, the four-door coupe using Hyundai’s ‘Sensuous Sportiness’ design language. Despite global trends shifting towards SUVs and crossovers, Hyundai is committed to its sedan lineup that pulls in good sales numbers in the global market.

Visually the main highlight for the Elantra is the new 3D cascading grille, accented by a set of swept back LED headlights that look like horns at fast glance. The lower section gets sculpted ridges and the side of the car gets sharp character lines carrying on to the bonnet. It still looks a bit like a concept with coupe-like styling, but Hyundai has assured us that this is the production version.

Equipment wise, the base trims get an 8-inch touchscreen system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the higher-end trims will get a 10.3-inch touchscreen that is the same size as the instrument cluster.

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Turbo time

New Verna gets an overhaul, inside and out ACK IN THE DAY, THE HYUNDAI Verna didn’t do much to excite the enthusiast, something the latest-gen car has taken care of. Now, the upcoming Verna gets a turbocharged petrol engine.

Hyundai’s push to hone the ride, handling and steering of its cars saw the Verna take a significant step up, the facelift getting sharper styling and a BS6-compliant turbo-petrol engine coupled to a dual-clutch transmission. The 1-litre turbo-petrol is a familiar one, as we’ve driven it in the Venue and Grand i10 Nios. And if you are wondering, it makes 118bhp and 172Nm like the Venue. This peppy powertrain will also be complemented by a seven-speed DCT, again from the Venue.

There is a possibility the turbocharged Verna will carry some visual differentiation, like the red accents and turbo badging like the Nios and Aura. There will also be other engines on offer, including a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol, mated to either a six-speed manual or a CVT, as well as a 1.5-litre diesel mated to either a sixspeed manual or a six-speed torque converter automatic. These engines, lifted from the Kia Seltos, will be BS6-compliant.

On the styling front, the new Verna features sharper headlights, a bigger grille and a touch of chrome adding more flair. The rear and side profile remain largely unchanged, but the subtle chrome touches make it look more upmarket.

As is the case with most Hyundais of late, the Verna will get a digital instrument cluster, wireless charging and the full suite of connected car features via Hyundai’s BlueLink software.

Hyundai has not released its pricing strategy, however since the BS6 updates will result in a hike of around `1-1.5 lakh, the new Verna may retail at about `9-9.5 lakh (ex-showroom).

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A unique feature for the car’s infotainment system is its ability to simultaneously connect two phones over Bluetooth. The interior design of the car is also a refreshing change from the current Hyundai lineup.

Hyundai’s 2021 Elantra is being offered with a new 2-litre MPI engine that boasts of similar performance as the previousgen model making 147bhp and 178Nm, mated to an automatic Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT). For the first time, Hyundai has also introduced a hybrid variant with a 1.6-litre GDI four-cylinder engine mated to a 32kW (43bhp) electric motor, delivering a combined power output of 137bhp.

As of now, Hyundai has not announced the pricing for the Elantra but with COVID-19 delays affecting the global supply chain, we can’t comment on when the Elantra will hit the road. But it’s safe to say the new Elantra will definitely spice up the sedan segment with its bold design.

HYUNDAI HA S AL SO INTRODUCED A H Y B R I D VA R I A N T F O R T H E 2 0 2 1 E L A N T R A

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F I AT 5 0 0

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WORDS by SUDIPTO CHAUDHURY

Nuevo Topolino Elettrico!

FCA has released the latest 500 in EV avatar, as part of the industry-wide push for electrics CA HAD BIG PLANS FOR THE GENEVA Motor Show before Coronavirus played spoilsport. However, the proverbial show went on, with the reveal of the third-gen Fiat 500, designed from the ground up as an EV on a brand new platform. The 2020 Fiat 500 comes as either a soft top convertible (the roof emblazoned with Fiat badging), a coupe, or a wagon called Giardiniera, harking back to the long roof version of the 500 sold from the 1950s to the 1970s.

Externally, the new Fiat 500 is instantly recognisable, its front fascia sporting the 500 emblem flanked by bright trim. The headlights are now mounted higher and integrated into the hood, and at the rear, the vertical lights return, with a more sculpted design.

Moving into the cabin, there’s a 60mm increase in width and length, as well as the lack of a transmission tunnel or physical gear selector, and a 20mm increase in wheelbase.

On offer is a two-spoke steering wheel and a configurable 7-inch digital instrument cluster, while a 10.25-inch touchscreen runs a new version of the Uconnect 5 interface, allowing for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Under the hood is a 42kWh lithium-ion

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battery coupled to an 118bhp electric motor.

FCA claims a WLTP-certified range of 320km, with 0-100kmph taking 9sec, and a 150kmph top speed. Normal, Range and Sherpa modes allow drivers to mimic the performance of an ICE-equipped 500, activate one-pedal driving or conserve charge respectively. Now, since charging speed is perhaps the most important factor for EV buyers, Fiat has included 85kWh fast charging as standard, for an 80 per cent top-up in 35 minutes or 48km in just five minutes. On the flip side, though, a full charge from a traditional socket will take 14 hours.

The Fiat 500 has already had its Indian innings, launched as a CBU in 2008 with a

1.3-litre diesel engine making 76bhp and 145Nm, unimpressive performance and an overall disastrous deal considering an almost `15 lakh (ex-showroom) price tag. Then, in 2015, we got the Abarth 595 Competizione, packing a 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine making 160bhp and 230Nm. However, its near `30 lakh sticker again led to dismal sales, and FCA took it off the shelves by end 2018. With Fiat having shut shop in India, there are almost no chances of the new Fiat 500 making it to our shores. However, with the rise of EVs and hybrid options, there might be chances of some tech trickling down into Jeep, FCA’s only brand in India, in the future. Either way, we’re keeping our fingers crossed!

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A L FA G TA & R U F R O D E O

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WORDS by STUART GALLAGHER & KURT MORRIS

Don’t wrap it, we’ll take it Alfa Romeo marks 110th anniversary with new Giulia GTA LAYING WITH A PROVEN formula, especially one that involves the Giulia Quadrifoglio, is a dangerous game. The potential to get it spectacularly wrong far outweighs the opportunity to improve on the recipe, but we’re struggling to find much to disagree with when it comes to Alfa Romeo’s 110th birthday present to itself. A lighter, more powerful Giulia Quadrifoglio sounds a pretty compelling recipe to us.

Called the Giulia GTA, its 2.9-litre, twinturbo V6 has been massaged and had an Akrapovic titanium exhaust fitted, resulting in an additional 30bhp being produced over the standard Quadrifoglio’s 503, while weight has been reduced by 100kg and a raft of new aerodynamic add-ons have been fitted. And for those who enjoy their four-door supersaloons without any rear seats, there is the more extreme Giulia GTAm variant.

The GTA’s weight saving is courtesy of plenty of carbonfibre. In addition to the regular Quadrifoglio’s carbon bonnet and propshaft, the roof, front bumper (with its larger air intakes), wheelarches, rear arch

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extensions and rear diffuser are all now produced from the lighter material. So too is the new design of side skirt, a revised active front splitter and the new rear boot spoiler, the latter two both considerably larger on the GTAm. Beneath the lighter body are new springs and dampers, lowering the ride height and increasing roll stiffness, and there’s new suspension bushing, too. Both the front and rear tracks are 50mm wider and those 20inch wheels feature centre-lock fixings.

Inside, both models are awash with Alcantara covering the dash, door panels and the seats. For the GTAm the rear seats get ditched, replaced by a roll-cage and somewhere to store your crash helmet, while the conventional door panels front and rear are swapped for simpler, more motorsport-inspired items that include a length of material in place of the plastic release handles. The GTAm also features Lexan polycarbonate side and rear windows in place of the standard glass. There’s no price yet, we expect a tag of about `71 lakh for the GTA and `90 lakh for the GTAm (UK prices, excluding Indian taxes).

Safari Time The Ruf Rodeo explores the concept of an off-road ready car with supercar levels of performance packaged in the iconic 911 body ERMAN SPORTSCAR MANUFACTURER and Porsche tuner Ruf unveiled the Rodeo Concept, featuring a 911-shaped carbonfibre tub and the possibility of churning out an output of over 700 horsepower. For those of you in the dark about the brand, it has a long history of tuning Porsche 911s with its most famous one being the ‘Yellow Bird,’ a 911 from the 80s capable of 320kmph!

Seeing the current trend for off-road 911s, Ruf decided to take a swing and say the car has been inspired by a number of its famous clients like automotive collectors Bruce Meyer, Phillip Sarofim and fashion designer Ralph Lauren.

The RUF Rodeo features the traditional 911 rear-engine layout and adds a four-wheel-drive system with knobby mud-shredding tyres and long-travel suspension. An additional detail added to the car is a knob in the centre console to adjust the power output ratio between the front and rear. Other off-road details include a custom roof rack, hood-mounted fog lights and a skid plate completing the off-road look.

Currently in concept stage, it might enter a limited-run production later this year.

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W E I G H T I S R E D U C E D BY 100 KG C O U R T E S Y OF PLENTY OF CARBONFIBRE

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WATC H E S WOR DS by A FZA L R AW UTHER

Tissot V8 Alpine `35,857* tissotshop.com This unique chronograph is inspired by 1960's race cars and celebrates the partnership between Tissot and Alpine. It honours the original model and the new version of the Alpine car A110, by keeping the spirit of the 1960s

Keeping Pace The Marquez special The Tissot T-Race Marc Marquez 2018 limited edition timepiece features a silkscreened 93 logo on the glass caseback with Repsol Honda Team inspired orange highlights on the watch’s face and is packaged in a box that replicates Márquez’ Shoei

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1973

Tissot partner Alpine won the World Rally Championship this year, with the Alpine A110

Tissot T-Race MotoGP 2020 Automatic Chronograph Limited Edition `97,756* tissotshop.com A mechanical wristwatch with a time reserve of 45 hours, this MotoGP-inspired piece is limited to 3,333 copies. It features a partially black PVD coated dial and a sapphire glass bottom

2001

The year that Tissot further strengthened its ties in motorsport by identifying itself with MotoGP and becoming its Official Timekeeper

Alpine’s scratch victory at the 24h of Le Mans with the Alpine A442b

2011

Tissot extends its association with motorsports by becoming a sponsor of the FIM Superbike World Championship

Tissot Heritage 1973 `1,58,519* tissotshop.com Tissot celebrated its historic ties to motor-racing with a re-issue of a seventies style chronograph.

The Tissot Heritage 1973 symbolises the partnership that brings together Tissot and the Kessel Classics racing team

* International prices, excluding Indian taxes and duties

Tissot’s association with the world of motorsport has led to some fine timepieces.

Here are our favourites

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TOYOTA VELLFIRE

The Vellfire is Toyota’s introduction to the luxury MPV segment in India, offering an unparalleled amount of luxury. The boxy exterior boasts of more than its share of chrome, as the real trick is when you step into the cabin via the electrically operated doors. There’s a massive sunroof for both the passengers and the driver with 3-zone climate control, and heated and cooled seats. In terms of safety the Toyota Vellfire gets 7 airbags, HAC, VSC, emergency brake signal and panaromic view monitor. The Vellfire is offered in only one variant, with a 2.5-litre 115bhp petrol engine working in conjunction with a 105kW motor on the front axle and a 50kW motor on the rear axle, making a combined 194bhp of power.

New arrivals

SUVs seem to be an overwhelming trend this month, don’t they?

Variant Price E xecu tive Lou nge

`79. 5 la k h

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

MERCEDES-BENZ GLC COUPE

JEEP WRANGLER RUBICON  Jeep calls the Wrangler Rubicon, an even more hardcore version of the Wrangler, its most capable SUV ever. Under the hood is a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol making 268bhp and 400Nm mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox. It also gets Jeep’s RockTrac 4x4 all-wheel drive system and a two-speed transfer case with a 4:1 low-range gear ratio, electronic locking differentials front and rear, and an electronically operated sway bar. And, with the 225-section tyres and 217mm ground clearance, the Wrangler Rubicon seems almost unstoppable!

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The Mercedes-Benz GLC coupe is the eighth SUV from the brand’s global lineup introduced in India. The GLC 300 gets a 1991cc inline-four petrol engine making 255bhp and 370Nm, achieving 0-100kmph in about 6.3 seconds, while the 300d features a 1950cc inline-four diesel making 241bhp and 500Nm, with a 0-100kmph time of a claimed 6.6 seconds. Both engines are mated to a nine-speed automatic ‘box and feature the 4Matic all-wheel drive system.

Variant Price 300 4Matic 300d 4Matic

`62.7 la k h `63 .7 la k h

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

The BS6 Endeavour is now powered by a smaller 2-litre diesel engine, replacing the prior 2.2-litre and 3.2-litre units, mated to a 10-speed auto ’ box. Visually, the refreshed Endeavour gets all-LED headlamps that claim to have 20 per cent better light penetration. Within the cabin, the Ford Pass connectivity solution adds a bunch of connected car features, allowing users to lock /unlock the car, start/stop the engine, and much more all via a smartphone app.

Variant Price Titaniu m 4X2 Titaniu m+ 4X2 Titaniu m+ 4X4

Variant Price Wrang ler Ru bicon

FORD ENDEAVOUR 

`29. 55 la k h `31. 55 la k h `33. 25 la k h

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

`68 .94 la k h

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

Pay When You Stay 6 EMI Waiver

No Principal repayment till possession for under construction projects* EMI waiver for Ready to Move Home* For information log on to www.lichousing.com

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Limited Period Offer

Apply through LIC HFL App and get voucher of `4000/- on disbursement

Feel at home Scan QR Code to download App now

*T&C Apply

2020 HOME LOAN OFFER

23-03-2020 17:46:50

L AU N C H ES WORDS by SUDIPTO CHAUDHURY

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VW TIGUAN ALLSPACE

BMW’s facelifted X1 gets a more imposing front end with new LED headlights and a larger kidney grille. Under the hood, it gets either a 2-litre turbo-petrol (189bhp/ 280Nm) mated to a 7-speed automatic transmission, or a 2-litre diesel (187bhp/ 400Nm) mated to an 8-speed auto ‘box.

VW’s new seven-seater SUV, based on the brand’s global MQB platform, packs a features list worthy of its premium positioning. Brought to India as a CBU, it gets a 2-litre TSI engine mated to our favourite 7-speed DSG, making 187.7bhp and 320Nm. Catering to off-roading fantasies is VW’s 4Motion, four-wheel drive system with snow, mud and rock modes. The cabin, too, is tech-laden, with a digital cockpit, triple zone climate control, parallel park assist, paddle shifters, and much more.

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BMW X1

Variant Price sD rive20i Sp or t X sD rive20i xLine sD rive20d xLine sD rive20d M Sp or t

`35.9 `38 .7 `39.9 `42.9

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Variant Price

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

Alls pace

`3 3.12 la k h

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VW POLO AND VENTO  The BS6-ready Polo and Vento get the new 1-litre TSI and MPI engines, mated to either a 6-speed MT or torque converter AT. Variant

HYUNDAI CRETA  The new Creta offers a range of segment first features like paddle shifters (in the higher trims), rear seat headrest cushions and remote engine start for MT variants.

Also on offer is a panoramic sunroof, wireless fast charging, and 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Variant Price 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 1. 4 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5

MPi MT EX MPi MT S MPi MT SX MPi IV T SX MPi IV T SX(O) Turb o GD i D CT SX CRD i MT CRD i MT EX CRD i MT S CRD i MT SX CRD i MT SX(O) CRD i AT SX CRD i AT SX(O)

`9.99 `11. 72 `13.46 `14.94 `16.15 `17. 2 `9.99 `11.49 `12.77 `14. 51 `15.79 `15.99 `17. 2

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Price (Polo/ Vento)

Tren dline Comfor tline Hig hline Hig hline Hig hline+ Hig hline+ (AT)

`5.82 / 8 .86 `6.76 / 10.09 `7.76 / 10.09 - -/ `12.09 `8 .02 / 11.99 `9.12 / 13. 29

la k h la k h la k h la k h la k h la k h

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

VOLKSWAGEN T-ROC

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The VW T-Roc comes to India as a CBU. Its USP, however, is the 1.5-litre TSI engine (mated to the enthusiast-favourite 7-speed DSG) which can shut off two of its four cylinders in relaxed driving conditions.

RENAULT DUSTER

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The BS6-compliant Duster doesn’t change much cosmetically. Under the hood, it gets a new 1.5-litre, four-cylinder engine with a 5-speed manual ‘box. Down the line, we might also see the BS6-compliant 1.3-litre, four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine (154bhp/250Nm) we saw at the Auto Expo.

Variant Price

Variant Price

RXE RXS RX Z

1. 5 TSI

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

`19.99 la k h

`8 .49 la k h `9. 29 la k h `9.99 la k h

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

Prices ex-showro om , In d ia

Pay When You Stay 6 EMI Waiver

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2020 HOME LOAN OFFER

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SUPERCAR WEEKEND 2020

IGNITION

PHOTOGRAPHY by MOHIT HAMBIRIA

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Supercar Weekend Organised by the Cannonball Club, Racetech India and Karr Krafts Automotive, the Supercar Weekend 2020 was India’s biggest supercar track day

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1: Porsche GT2 RS with the Manthey Racing kit is the current lap record holder for production cars at the BIC. 2: Any track day equals plenty of Porsches. 3: Ferrari 488 GTB with its monster twin-turbo motor was one of the faster supercars at the track day.

4: BMW M2 Competition at home at the BIC, with its driver getting expert tuition from race drivers.

5: The Bren Garage Porsche GT2 RS and AMG GT-R. 6: A special Women’s Day parade lap was held with ladies lapping the BIC in a range of Porsche SUVs and sports cars. 7: Ferrari New Delhi were out in force at the Supercar Weekend, occupying the first garages and having their range on display.

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HYUNDAI CRETA TURBO // TATA HARRIER // MARUTI SUZUKI VITARA BREZZA // VW TIGUAN ALLSPACE // BMW X1 // LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT // PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER GTS // FORD ENDEAVOUR

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H Y U N DA I C R ETA T U R B O

Test location: Pune

Photography: Rohit G Mane

Hyundai Creta Turbo Ready to take back their mid-size crown is Hyundai with the all-new Creta.

Is the party over for the Seltos and Hector?

OBODY SAW THE opportunity of a car-like, midsize SUV before Hyundai came along with the Creta five years ago. No, I haven’t forgotten the Duster, also a game changer, but that was more SUV than car. The Creta, it took everything that was good and great with the i20 and lifted it off the ground by a couple of inches. The ride height, the seating position, the whole shebang got jacked up, fresh new styling was slapped on, more features than you could wave a stick

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at were thrown in and — in the proverbial blink — Hyundai went from a maker of small cars with a `10 lakh price ceiling to a masspremium manufacturer that could easily command at least 50 per cent more. Just that one car achieved an image transformation for Hyundai, something that Maruti Suzuki required a whole new Nexa line of dealerships to match. It was an instant best-seller. In a year, in my very immediate family, there were over a dozen Cretas. Over the five years, 4.67 lakh units were sold in India and 1.93 lakh

were exported. It won every single group test, every single award, and funnelled profits into Hyundai’s coffers like nothing else. You wouldn’t be wrong to surmise that the Creta’s success gave the Hyundai Motor Group the cash and confidence to launch the Kia brand in India — and of course the unprecedented response to the Seltos proved they were right on the ball. In fact, it was only the arrival of the Seltos that knocked the Creta off the top ten charts; robbed it of the 10,000 plus volumes it clocked month after month.

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Right: Flat-bottom, fourspoke steering wheel is great to grip. Below: Good driving position, though the steering doesn't adjust for reach.

Bottom: Panoramic sunroof makes the cabin feel airy

Of course Hyundai weren’t sleeping. We knew a new Creta was in the wings and now it is here. Sure it hasn’t come at the best possible time — we scrambled to collect our test car, film and photograph it, clock some decent miles behind the wheel testing it and send it all to press before India went into the janata curfew, which will last for heaven only knows how long. Till we come out of the lockdown, till the Covoid-19 pandemic wanes, stay safe dear reader. And now here is our review of the all-new Creta.

Polarising to look at I’ll be honest. When I saw it in the metal at the Auto Expo, I baulked. This isn’t good-looking in the traditional sense — in the way the old Creta was universally liked and the Seltos universally turns heads in all round appreciation. It is all a bit radical, a touch overdone if we are being perfectly honest. There’s so much going on — headlamps in the bumpers with the LED DRL element on the inner edge that travels upwards into the eyebrow DRLs and the two linked by an added dot-like LED element. The same threeelement treatment carries on to the rear with the LED lighting element running through the three-piece taillamp cluster and via a dot-like element up to the eyebrows. There’s the added embellishment of the stop lamp above the Below: Cushions for the rear headrests. Bottom: Air purifier with an AQI index readout. Facing page: Unconventional styling but it sure is distinctive

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H Y U N DA I C R ETA T U R B O

Hyundai logo and the wide-and-bold Creta lettering on the hatch. The nose has a larger, wider and more chrome-embellished grille and below it the air-dam is blacked out to visually reduce mass and the black cladding runs along the flanks and to the rear bumper that has twin exhaust tips on this Turbo variant. These are not fake exhausts, I got on my hands and knees to make sure, and that gets the Creta brownie points in my books.

Our test Creta looks red but is actually called Lava Orange in Hyundai’s colour palette.

For a moment I thought I’d gone colour blind!

The Turbo variant also gets a blacked out roof, roof-rails and wing mirrors along with that Turbo badge on the boot lid and gun-metal grey 17-inch alloys. Those wheels are housed within large, flared arches that have prominent negative (concave) spaces to give it added definition. Every single panel, everything is pumped, pinched, flared, scalloped or worked on in some way or the other — this is Hyundai’s new Sensuous Sportiness design language

and whether you like it or not you will be seeing plenty of it in the days to come; just check out the new Elantra in the news section of this magazine.

Do I like it? At first glance, no I did not. But having spent two days with it before rushing this magazine to press, I can confirm that that it grows on you. It is brave. It is distinctive. It hasn’t been copied from anybody. It is uniquely Hyundai and will establish a future styling direction for the brand that doesn’t depend on any anybody else for inspiration. And it turns heads like crazy — more than the Seltos ever did, though it will be safe to assume that some of the reactions will be slightly uncharitable.

That said, you will spend more time sitting inside the Creta and it is a very nice place to be in. As unconventional as the exterior is, the dash layout is conventional with a separate speedo nacelle and a distinct centre console that eschews the current trend for floating infotainment screens. Pride of place is taken by the new 4-spoke steering wheel with a

This is Hyundai’s new Sensuous Sportiness design language and, like it or not, you will be seeing plenty of it in the days to come flat-bottom that feels as good to grip as it is to look at. The instrument cluster has a 7-inch high-resolution screen for the speedo that has different colour schemes for Eco, Comfort and Sport modes (the latter obviously red) and is flanked by analogue gauges for fuel, revs and

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temps. The Drive Mode selector also has Mud, Snow and Sand modes but, just like in the Seltos (which has the same dial, in the same place and operated in the same manner) this has limited effectiveness because the Creta is purely front-wheel drive.

The Turbo variant has an all-black colour scheme which would normally make the cabin feel smaller than it is but there is a huge panoramic sunroof that adds plenty of light and air into the cabin. In terms of space this is identical to the Seltos, down to the last millimetre, and that means slightly more space than the outgoing Creta though almost the same shoulder room. I’m 5-foot-9-inches tall and with me sitting comfortably in the driver’s seat I could be similarly comfortable in the back (though not with an abundance of free knee room). Five is still a squeeze, this is best used as a four-seater. The panoramic sunroof doesn’t pose any problems for headroom and you get cushions for the rear headrests, a la

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Mercedes. While not as cushy as the Merc’s, it is a nice touch. The seats are comfortable, if a little lacking in side support up front and the steering adjusts only for rake, not reach.

That said, the driving position suited me perfectly and the driver’s seat is also power adjustable. In fact let’s dive into the (relevant) feature list here — the front seats are cooled (absolutely brilliant feature for our Indian summers), the Blue Link app lets you remotely start and cool the car (now working on the manual gearbox also, not just the automatic), there’s a tyre pressure sensor, the sunroof opens with a voice command, there’s keyless entry and start, wireless charging, ESP, Bose sound system, a 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen and paddle shifters for the DCT. Enthu-cutlet This being evo India, we naturally had to grab the sportiest version in the line-up, the 1.4-litre 138bhp turbo-petrol motor, mated

to the 7-speed twin-clutch DCT automatic.

This is the same engine as in the Kia Seltos, the same gearbox, and it performs in the exact same way — which we love! It is an enthusiastic engine and in Sport mode the gearbox quickens its shift speed and holds on to gears longer while the steering weight also increases. The mapping for the steering is better tuned than on the Seltos — in the Kia, Sport mode makes the steering too heavy and rather difficult to effect quick direction changes in switchbacks (or when attacking a go-kart track like we did recently). The Creta didn’t throw up such problems on switchbacks (we have yet to take it to a track). It also sounds the same: powerful and a bit loud, but by no means irritating. And when thrown into a corner the front end grips very well.

The ride quality has this European setup to it (which we’ve praised so much on Volkswagen Group cars) where you do feel small ripples in the road but as you pick up

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BMW X1

HYUNDAI CRETA TURBO Engine 1353cc, inline 4-cyl, turbo-petrol Transmission 7-speed DCT Power 138bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 242Nm @ 1500-3200rpm Weight NA 0-100kmph NA Top speed NA Price `17.2 lakh (ex-showroom)

+ Punchy engine, good handling, premium feel - Polarising styling

evo rating ;;;;d

Clockwise from top: 7-inch digital readout for the speedo; paddle shifters for the automatic; 1.4 turbo engine gets only the DCT, not manual; cooled front seats are brilliant in the Indian summer

speed it stays unaffected by bumps on the road, doesn’t wallow or float, the nose doesn’t dive and you can drive it hard and fast over smooth and not-so-smooth roads. I thought the Creta would have a slightly more compliant suspension setup than the Seltos but they are dynamically identical. It even has the same brake feel, slightly spongy pedal feel but good retardation, thanks to all-round disc brakes.

Understeer is well resisted and the nose bites strongly, though that said the Nexen tyres on the Creta do not grip as well as the Goodyear’s we sampled on the Seltos. There is more understeer and significantly more tyre squeal when pushed to its limit. As for body roll, it is evident, but is not too much to throw your

passengers all over the place. All in all, the new Creta is good fun to drive and the addition of paddles for the gearbox makes it that wee bit more enjoyable on a twisty mountain road.

How different is it to the Seltos?

The answer is not at all. The wheelbase, length, width, height, weight, even price is bang identical. In fact Hyundai have resorted to giving the dimensions of the infotainment and speedo display in centimetres to differentiate it from the Seltos’ inches. The two are the same, and that’s a trend you will be seeing plenty of. The VW Taigun and whatever they call the Skoda will be the same. The next Mahindra XUV500 will be twinned with a Ford.

Eventually Maruti Suzuki and Toyota will have mid-size SUVs and both will drive the same, while looking different. And that’s the key, the styling. How easy they are on the eye is going to sway your buying decision. You might prefer the sportiness of the Seltos GT-Line or the, err, Sensuous Sportiness of the new Creta. Either way, you cannot go wrong, but with the Creta you do get a slightly better value proposition because it costs a few thousand rupees less while also getting a panoramic sunroof and paddle shifters.

Enough to take back leadership of what should rightly be called the Creta segment? I would hardly bet against it! L Sirish Chandran (@Sirishchandran)

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Test location: Pune

Photography: Sachin S Khot

2020 Tata Harrier More power, an automatic gearbox and a panoramic sunroof to take on the MG Hector while also providing a compelling upgrade to the Kia Seltos and Hyundai Creta

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2 0 2 0 TATA H A R R I E R

HIS IS WHAT THE TATA HARRIER should have had right at the start! In fact Tata Motors’ marketing head Vivek Srivatsa minces no words when he tells me, “We want to recover on lost opportunities.” And the lost opportunity wasn’t so much the engine power as the inexplicable lack of an automatic gearbox. In fact, over the course of the day, I discover that Tata Motors is still holding bookings for the Harrier that were made in late 2018. No, that isn’t a typo! Apparently people who booked the Harrier at the very start, before realising it would only have a manual gearbox, told Tata Motors to keep their `30,000 deposit on the condition that they’d be at the front of the queue when the automatic eventually hit the showrooms.

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I can confirm that they made a wise decision. Tata Motors have used the opportunity forced on by the BS6 transition to comprehensively update the Harrier and the 2020 version not only gets the auto ’box and more features to compete with the MG Hector but also sorts out some product issues including NVH and the ergonomic glitches.

170PS and 6-speed automatic gearbox So why did Tata Motors opt for the 138bhp spec of the FCA built 2-litre diesel engine in the first place? Turns out it was done to ensure good fuel efficiency though, turns out, a Harrier owner actually is more concerned about power, especially since they all know that this same engine is also there in the Jeep Compass and MG Hector. With the BS6

upgrade, the Harrier will now only be available with the 168bhp (170PS) spec of the engine, and that makes a definite impression when you mash the throttle all the way down.

Acceleration from a standing start is smart with a 0-100kmph time in the region of 11.5 seconds with the automatic gearbox. In fact now there’s enough power to make the front wheels squirm with torque steer, even in second gear when the engine comes on boost.

The torque steer is never unmanageable but it is a welcome addition, a clear indication that the 2020 Harrier is now a quick SUV. While the torque remains the same at 350Nm, Tata Motors have addressed the NVH issues — something that we had highlighted as a negative when we compared it with the Hector. The noise levels have gone down

The 168bhp spec of the engine makes a definite impression when you mash the throttle all the way down

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The 6-speed AT is sourced from Hyundai, and we have plenty of positive experience of this gearbox significantly and cruising on the highway, the engine is not at all intrusive. In fact, it is only during hard acceleration that you can hear the engine, otherwise it is well isolated. And the only time I felt vibrations was when the auto â&#x20AC;&#x2122;box was in Sport mode â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with the foot on the brake as you would at the traffic lights there is a fair bit of vibrations through the steering wheel and seats, like the engine is straining against a leash.

The automatic gearbox is a 6-speed unit

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sourced from Hyundai, a unit that we have plenty of (positive) experience of from the Tucson. Now, of course, the Tucson gets an 8-speed ’box. The 6-speeder is well matched to the power delivery and torque curves so the Harrier never feels out of breath, never drops out of the meat of the power band and you’re never struggling for a downshift. It isn’t as quick as a twin-clutch DCT automatic but for an SUV of the Harrier’s positioning and get-go, it does everything that is asked of it. It doesn’t drain the engine of its power. You get a manual mode when you tip the gear lever to the left, which activates Sport mode (default is City and there’s also an Eco mode) that quickens throttle responses, lets revs go all the way to the redline, holds on to gears while attacking a set of corners and even downshifting smartly when you leave it to its own devices. In fact the shift speeds of the auto are on par with the manual with an identical 0-100kmph time of 11.5 seconds.

On the fuel efficiency front the manual delivers 16.35kmpl while the automatic

delivers 14.63kmpl. And there’s no sign of a petrol engine with Tata Motors officials pointing out to “horror stories” around the fuel efficiency of small turbo-petrol engines in SUVs (no prizes for guessing who they are referring to).

Panoramic sunroof and ergonomic issues addressed Going by current trends it seems nothing will sell in India without a panoramic sunroof! This in a country where the summers are endless as they are blazing! The ways of the Indian customer are baffling to say the least, but Tata Motors have listened to their customers and given the Harrier the largest sunroof in its class. They claim it is even bigger than the Hector’s and it does make the Harrier far more airy and seem more spacious. There is no voice activation like on the Hector but it does get anti-pinch, a tint to shield the cabin from the Indian sun, rain sensors to shut it in the rain and auto close when you lock the doors and forget to shut the sunroof. The fact that the Harrier has noticeably better NVH is all the more commendable considering a big sunroof does let a fair bit of noise enter the cabin. However it is stuff like this, sourced from suppliers in China, that has slowed down production of the Harrier as supplies of components to the entire Indian automotive industry have been hit by the Corona virus.

Now to the ergonomics. The USB socket has been repositioned so you don’t have to engage in gymnastics to plug in your phone, though that does restrict access to the tray ahead of the gear lever. The wing mirrors on the Harrier were enormous, elephant ears as some called it, and that resulted in massive blind spots in the peripheral vision that would completely hide bikes in your immediate vicinity. Those mirrors have now been reduced in size, without really compromising on rear visibility, and the blind spots, while not eliminated, have been reduced to a large extent. The driver’s

Above: 170PS! In big and bold. Also new to the game is improved NVH levels. Below: Premium, roomy and airy cabin, now with good visibility for the driver

Top: Aircraft style handbrake lever, still a pain to operate. Above: The all-important panoramic sunroof. Facing page, top: Harrier works brilliantly over broken roads, the robust and compliant suspension flattening everything in sight without any wallow

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The Harrier delivers the best ride quality in this segment, pick up speed and it steamrollers over everything seat now has power adjust and mated to the excellent driving position you do get excellent visibility that makes city driving far easier than before.

The things they’ve left untouched is that aircraft-style handbrake lever which is still a pain to operate and has a mat underneath it that looks like it has been cut by hand. Your knees are ever-so-slightly twisted to the left, something that you get used to very quickly, and the footwell doesn’t have enough space for a dead pedal on the manual. And it cannot match up to the massive infotainment screen on its main rival. In fact the space given to Apple CarPlay on the touchscreen is very small so all the icons become too tiny to operate

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easily — the proportions of the screen don’t match with what Apple uses so there’s a lot of dead space on either side of the screen.

Excellent ride and handling balance The thing that I always liked about the Harrier was its balance of ride and handling and that continues unchanged with the 2020 Harrier.

The ground clearance has gone down due to shifting of some components in the BS6 transformation though I didn’t find any issues with the clearance when we went off-road to get some of the pictures you see here.

The Harrier still delivers the best ride quality in this segment, a little firm at low speeds but once you pick up speed it steamrollers over

everything. In fact, we had the Mercedes GLE on test at the same time as the Harrier and the Tata rides over potholes and broken patches even better than the steel-sprung Merc. That really amazed us! You can carry huge speeds over typically broken Indian state highways without either the Harrier or your passengers screaming at you to slow down. There is no pitch and wallow and even the steering, while not overflowing with feel, does deliver some degree of feedback and doesn’t feel overly weighted.

All of this doesn’t mean the Harrier freezes at the sight of a corner. There is body roll, a fair bit of it, but there is also good grip and you can carry rather high speeds through bends.

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2020 TATA HARRIER BS6 Engine 1956cc, in-line 4-cyl, turbo-diesel Transmission 6-speed auto Power 168bhp @ 3750rpm Torque 350Nm @ 1750-2500rpm 0-100kmph 11.5sec Price `20.15 lakh (ex-showroom)

+ Well matched automatic, ride and handling, styling - Spongy feel on the brakes, handbrake lever

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The only downside are the brakes. On our test car, the spongy feel robbed you of confidence, repeated heavy braking resulted in significant brake fade, and the actual braking distances should have been shorter too. On the upside all variants of the Tata Harrier get ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) as standard and then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that Terrain Mode dial that delivers different engine maps for wet road and off-road terrain, though this remains a FWD SUV with no sign of 4x4 being offered in the foreseeable future.

`20 lakh, ex-showroom Is a lot of money for the top-end automatic Harrier and, I fear, that could be pushing the affordability envelope for a Harrier customer.

That said, the 2020 Tata Harrier is finally sorted. This is what it should have been right at the start but then again, better late than never, and the fact that the Harrier never really took off means it still looks fresh. In fact this is still the best-looking SUV in the segment and the red, even more so the black, makes it properly stunning. The 2020 Harrier, especially

with the automatic, is now an excellent SUV to do long distances in India with â&#x20AC;&#x201D; comfortable, fatigue-free, excellent visibility and the robust Land Rover-derived underpinnings to fly over the speed breakers and potholes that come at you unannounced. And on the peace of mind front, Tata Motors will also extend the standard two years / unlimited mileage warranty to five years and unlimited kilometres for just `25,690. No reason not to recommend a Harrier any more! L Sirish Chandran (@sirishchandran)

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Photography: Sachin S Khot

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza Out goes the diesel and in comes the petrol as Maruti Suzuki gets ready for its brave new no-diesel BS6 era

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HIS BS6 BUSINESS IS REALLY re-shaping the car market. Since getting small diesel engines to comply with the new emission norms is so expensive, a lot of carmakers are dropping diesels from their small cars entirely. The Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza is a case in point. All these years, it was available exclusively with a diesel engine but now, on the cusp of the BS6 rules going into force, Maruti has swapped out the diesel engine for a petrol one. In the process, they have also mildly tweaked the way the Vitara Brezza looks, to keep it fresh.

The changes are subtle. New headlamps with fresh DRLs that double up as indicators, a new grille with more chrome, reprofiled bumpers, new wheels and fresh taillamps.

Subtle, yes, but the new nose (especially the

headlamps) works well and makes the face of the Brezza contemporary. On the inside, the changes are even more subtle with the SmartPlay Studio taking centrestage and a new pattern on the seat fabric.

The big change is under the hood. It gets the 1.5-litre petrol engine from the Ciaz and Ertiga, that makes 103bhp and 138Nm of torque and comes mated to a five-speed manual, or a four-speed torque convertor automatic. The automatic Brezza is now a mild-hybrid (the manual isn’t), with an integrated starter motor generator, and a lithium-ion battery.

The engine is familiar. Being naturally aspirated, it doesn’t have the kick that you get from the turbo-diesel engine it replaces (or turbo-petrol rivals offer). What it is instead, is linear. Power builds up through the rev range and the real grunt is only after 3000rpm. With

the automatic gearbox, I found the drivetrain suited more to a relaxed driving style. It shifts well — without the head toss effect that AMTs have. However, with four ratios spaced apart a fair bit, the lack of punch in the engine is amplified. This drivetrain is far more suited to urban conditions, as it can feel a bit out of breath on the highway. At higher revs, it gets a little loud as well. I much preferred the manual gearbox. The ratios are tighter packed and the result is an engine that feels punchier. Since you have complete control of what the engine is doing, it is far easier to keep it in the power band and get the Brezza up to speed. The shift and throws of the manual gearbox are spot on — Suzuki really does know how to make a good manual. The clutch is rather light too, and this makes it fairly easy to use even in heavy traffic.

The rest of the Brezza’s driving experience

The changes are subtle, but the new face does well to keep the Brezza looking contemporary

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remains pretty much the same. The steering is quick and the car turns in well, though there is a lack of feel at the 'wheel. Ride quality is set up on the softer side and it remains comfortable and composed, without really compromising handling. The Brezza has always been a sorted car dynamically, and this one is no different.

Prices for the new Brezza start at `7.34 lakh for the base manual, but the automatic we are driving costs `11.4 lakh. These prices are a little higher than you would first think, but remember, the Brezza doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get sub 4-metre tax benefits any more due to the engine going above the 1.2-litre cap for petrols. That said, it remains on par with the competition for the most part. As to which variant you should get?

I would recommend the automatic if you are

restricting yourself to the city, and prioritise convenience over the driving experience.

However, if you enjoy driving or if you find yourself out on the highway a lot, the manual is the one to go for. L Aatish Mishra (@whatesh)

MARUTI SUZUKI VITARA BREZZA Engine 1462cc, in-line 4-cyl, petrol Transmission 5-speed manual/4-speed automatic Power 103bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 138Nm @ 4400rpm Weight 1130kg 0-100kmph NA Top speed NA Price `9.75 lakh (MT) / `11.15 lakh (AT), ex-showroom

+ Easy to drive, shift quality - Lacks punch

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Top: The 1.5-litre petrol engine is from the Ciaz.

Above: The mild hybrid system is only available on automatic variants

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Test location: Pune

Photography: Rohit G Mane

VW Tiguan Allspace The Tiguan gets stretched, adds a row of seats and gets a new engine under the hood. We get behind the wheel to see what it is like N THE MONTH FOLLOWING the Auto Expo, Volkswagen launched two new SUVs in India. It started with the Tiguan Allspace, and was quickly followed by the T-Roc that was launched on the day we drove this car. The Tiguan Allspace is essentially a stretched-out version of the Tiguan we are familiar with, using the length for a third row of seats. It also gets a new 2-litre TSI engine, with no option of a diesel right now. The

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Tiguan will be the SUV that holds the fort for the Volkswagen brand until it launches the Taigun next year, so it is an important car. Is it better than the older Tiguan? Will you miss the diesel engine? Is that third row actually practical? Read on, I’m going to answer all these questions for you.

Exteriors From the front, it's actually pretty hard to tell the Tiguan Allspace apart from the regular

Tiguan. The keen-eyed will notice that the new DRL elements in the headlamp cluster are different, but that is about it. It's so subtle that I was actually zooming in to old photos of our Tiguan longtermer to spot the differences.

It is when you move over to the side that you can actually tell the differences between the Tiguan and the Allspace. The Allspace is visibly longer — by 215mm, actually — and that is because the wheelbase is 110mm longer than the standard Tiguan, putting it almost on

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The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is extremely planted on the road and has that feeling of German solidity about it

par with the Skoda Kodiaq. Like the standard Tiguan, the Allspace runs 18-inch wheels but another differentiator is the lack of black plastic cladding between the wheels. This does give it a slightly less rugged, but a more sophisticated look. The Allspace also has a neatly integrated 4Motion logo on its flanks.

From the rear, the differences are negligible but there is a Tiguan Allspace badge to tell you what you’re looking at. Something that I really like on this SUV is the colour — Habanero Orange Metallic — and is a huge shift from the more sober colours available on the older Tiguan. This is the result of Volkswagen's new brand image that is young and funky. There’s a lovely red available too!

Interiors Up front, everything is pretty much the same as the outgoing 5-seater Tiguan. It has the same dashboard, same infotainment screen, same air-con controls, same gear stick and

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Top: Longer wheelbase and overhangs on the Allspace tell it apart from the 5-seater. Above: Drive mode selector remains the same

even the same drive mode selector. The only change is to the instrument cluster — the analogue dials have been swapped out for a fully digital cluster. The cluster is controlled by the buttons on the right side of the steering wheel. The digital display isn’t as flashy as Audi’s Virtual Cockpit, or even the Skoda's but is more understated and subtle like the rest of the Tiguan. The Tiguan is well kitted out — 3-zone climate control, auto headlamps, auto wipers, a panoramic sunroof, heated seats with memory function — it gets the works.

Space in the middle row is marginally more thanks to the longer wheelbase, and you will be more comfortable in this Tiguan if you are seating just four or five. The middle seat slides on rails, reclines, has a 60:40 split and passengers still get a pop-up tray table mounted to the front seatbacks with their pop-out cupholders..

Now coming to the third row, the fact that the second row can be slid forward makes it

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Top: Second row space has improved, and seats now recline. Above: Third row space is limited, but can be expanded by moving the second row forward.

Left: The dash layout is identical to the outging SUV

pretty versatile. In its forward-most setting, my 5-foot 10-inch frame could fit with my knees not touching the second row. But this leaves barely any kneeroom for second row passengers. The ideal position was with the second row somewhere in its middle setting — this left enough room for the passenger in the second row, and I could fit in the third row with my knees touching the seat back. Under-thigh support in the third row is non-existent as the floor is pretty high, and headroom isn’t much as well — my head would touch if I sat up straight. However, you do get extendable headrests in the interest of safety.

The fact that there is a third row also affects boot space. With all three rows up, you can fit

in a couple of small bags without trouble but if you have a decent amount of luggage, you’re going to have to flip down the third row. The third row folds down easily (50:50 split), and you can fold the second row (40:20:40 split) manually from the latches in the boot too.

Even the front passenger seat folds down and this frees up a total of 1274 litres of space for luggage in the car.

Behind the wheel First up, we have to talk about the engine.

This is a 2-litre TSI engine and it puts out 187.7bhp and 320Nm of torque. This means it is up on power by about 50bhp, though torque is down by 20Nm from the 2-litre TDI

engine it replaces. Setting off in the Tiguan Allspace, the first thing that strikes you is how much more responsive it feels with this new engine. There’s a slight bit of lag at low revs, but once you get past that, the engine comes on song and pulls strongly to the redline. It has a wider powerband than the diesel and revs more eagerly too, allowing you to pick up more speed in each gear. At low revs, the engine is rather refined and quiet, meaning you can pottle about, barely hearing anything, and when you ask a lot of it, it gets a little louder but it sounds rather good. This is a four-cylinder, so it was never going to be particularly evocative, but it does sound sporty when wrung hard. The 7-speed DSG is hard to fault, with its quick shifts. There are (plasticky) paddles behind the steering wheel too if you want to shift yourself.

As for the chassis, it remains extremely familiar. The Allspace is extremely planted on the road and has the feeling of German solidity www.evoindia.com |

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Driven VW TIGUAN ALLSPACE Engine 1984cc, in-line 4-cyl, turbo-petrol Transmission 7-speed DCT Power 187.7bhp @ 4200rpm Torque 320Nm @ 1500-4100rpm Price `33.12 lakh (ex-showroom)

+ Punchy engine, more practical - Third row is tight

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about it. At speed, it stays flat and barely gets unsettled by dips, crests and undulations. Ride quality is good too, helped in no small part by the 18-inchers it runs on. On the road it is far more comfortable than something like the Fortuner though it does not have the ability to hammer over broken roads like the Fortuner with its longer suspension travel. Handling has always been a highlight of the Tiguan. It feels planted around corners, and gives you plenty of confidence to chuck it in hard. The steering, typical of all VW Group cars, isn't brimming in feedback but there’s weight to it and it feels connected to the front. Also, you do get the feeling that this is a longer car when you look out of the mirrors and see how far behind you it stretches.

All in all, the updated engine finally feels like it does justice to the Tiguan’s chassis.

The diesel Tiguan lacked that enthusiastic drivetrain — out on the highway you needed to whip it hard and though the chassis was well set up, the engine would leave you wanting in corners. Not any more. This new engine puts a proper smile on your face.

Verdict At `33.12 lakh, the Tiguan Allspace is pretty expensive, but you need to remember that it is a CBU. And for that money, you are getting a punchier Tiguan, with added practicality.

The Tiguan’s main rival would ideally be the Skoda Kodiaq, but the latter hasn’t received a BS6 update just yet. So the other seven-seat

The updated engine finally feels like it does justice to the Tiguan’s chassis

SUVs it will go up against include the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and the Mahindra Alturas G4. These SUVs provide better space and off-road capability, but where the Tiguan shines is with its on-road comfort and dynamics. The monocoque chassis will out-do the body-on-frame set up of its rivals on the road, and the fact that it comes from the Volkswagen stable adds even more points in that department. The lack of a diesel may put off a few buyers, but there’s no denying the Allspace makes the Tiguan a more polished SUV than ever before. L Aatish Mishra (@whatesh) Above: Panoramic sunroof adds to the cabin's airiness. Left: New digital instrument cluster uplifts the driving experience. Left, above: New TSI engine is rather punchy

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Test location: Pune

Photography: Rohit G Mane

BMW X1 xLine20d The second-generation X1 gets a mid-life facelift â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which obviously means bigger kidneys

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HEY WENT AND MADE THE grille bigger. Of course they went and made the grille bigger. Of late, BMW designers have honed their grille-magnifying skills more than anyone in the business, and the X1 is the latest car to get a sprinkling of big-grille-dust. And while bigger is not necessarily better, I must say the X1 carries the kidneys well. Okay, the chrome isn’t really to my taste but I hear the people who have the money to buy this car like it. This facelift to the X1 is a little more comprehensive than just the grille though. Apart from changes to the exterior, there are a few tweaks to the interior and engines now meet the new BS6 emission norms.

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The Updates On the outside, the LED headlamps are refreshed and the DRLs get the new BMW signature as seen on the new X5. The bumper

is new too while, in profile, the X1 hasn’t changed too much with the only update being the new 17-inch wheels. From the rear, the taillamps receive an update with L-shaped signatures and that's about it apart from the twin exhaust pipes going up in diameter from 70mm to 90mm. A useless fact, yes, but the only reason it caught my attention is because these aren’t fake exhaust tips that are becoming infuriatingly common, but actual exhaust pipe tips! Good job, BMW! On the inside, it carries over the same architecture of the pre-facelift car. That means the buttons, layout and even the steering wheel is pretty much the same. It is hard to criticise in isolation, as it is well laid out and intuitive. However, when you look at what the latest generation of BMW interiors offer, the X1 does fall a bit short.

Coming to the back-seat, the X1 makes for a comfortable car. Knee room is adequate

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and under-thigh support is good. There’s a panoramic sunroof on offer to keep the cabin airy, and boot space is impressive — at 550 litres it is more than other cars in this segment.

Behind the wheel The changes under the hood are just as subtle as they are to the exteriors. The engines are now BS6 compliant, though their outputs remain the same. There's a petrol on offer, but we are driving the 2-litre diesel that puts out 187bhp and 400Nm of torque.

The engine is punchy, there’s no doubt about that. The 400Nm of peak torque is Top: The X1's interiors are well laid out, but feel a bit dated. Above, left: There's an 8.8-inch screen on the centre console. Above, right: New wheels are the only real change to the profile

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available from as low as 1750rpm and it picks up speed really well. BMW claims a 0-100kmph time of 7.9 seconds. It feels like a typical turbo engine, with a surge of torque when the boost comes along. Being a FWD car (this is based on the Mini platform, not the usual RWD BMW architecture), there is torque steer when you floor the throttle and this can be unnerving if you aren’t expecting it, but you get used to it and it adds to the nuttiness quotient of the X1.

The gearbox is a peach too — it shifts quickly and seamlessly, keeping you in the meat of the powerband. There are paddles if you want to take over, though the gearbox is pretty good when left to its own devices. Another highlight of the engine is how refined it is. At low revs, it is barely audible in the cabin and even when you turn the wick up, it isn’t too intrusive inside the car. In fact, sound insulation for the X1 is

The SUV is dynamically sound — there’s plenty of grip, a little roll that is very predictable and steering that feels direct

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rather good because in addition to cutting out the engine, it does a good job of keeping road and traffic noise out as well.

The balance of ride quality and handling is great too. The X1 is most composed on a smooth road, but it will tackle bad roads very well too. It isn’t fazed by small bumps, though you will find yourself slowing down for larger potholes. It has a very slight firm edge to the ride, and that is possibly because of the run-flat tyres it runs. Stability on the highway is top notch and the X1 makes for a great long distance mile-muncher. Being a BMW, it shines on the handling front as well. The SUV is dynamically sound — there’s plenty of grip, a little roll that is very predictable and steering that feels direct. It is actually a lot of fun through a set of corners and urges you to push it hard. The punchy drivetrain compliments

this nature as well, and you’re left with an SUV that delivers on the Thrill of Driving.

Verdict The BMW X1 is a versatile car that promises practicality, refinement and will indulge you with a bit of enthusiastic driving too. It is sorted when it comes to the driving dynamics and scores well when it comes to space and comfort. If there is anything to criticise, it would be that the interiors lack the modernness of the latest BMW cars. As things stand right now, the X1’s only rivals include the Volvo XC40 (which can only be had as a petrol) and the Mini Countryman, that shares its underpinnings. Prices for the X1 start at `35.9 lakh for the base petrol variant, while this xLine diesel costs `39.9 lakh (ex-showroom) and this makes it a great proposition. But

the question that needs to be asked here is: is this enough? This facelift comes at a time when Mercedes-Benz is readying the all-new GLA and Audi is bringing in a new Q3. The X1’s sorted underpinnings should allow it to hold its own, but only time will tell. L Aatish Mishra (@whatesh)

BMW X1 xLINE 20d Engine 1995cc, in-line 4-cyl, turbo-diesel Transmission 8-speed automatic Power 187bhp @ 4000rpm Torque 400Nm @ 17502500rpm Weight NA 0-100kmph 7.9sec (claimed) Top speed NA Price `39.9 lakh (ex-showroom)

+ Ride and handling, space - Interior don't feel fresh

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Test location: Pune

Photography: Rohit G Mane

Land Rover Discovery Sport Much like the new Evoque draws on the Velar for styling inspiration so too does the Discovery Sport draw on the full-size Discovery for its styling, while now getting the new JLR architecture

ROM THE OUTSIDE, IT IS EASY to look at the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport and say nothing has changed. But you’d be so very wrong . This Disco Sport is in fact all-new in more ways than one. Sure, the exterior design is decidedly similar with the only visible changes being a reworked face and new lighting elements that draw inspiration from the full-size Discovery. But under the skin, this is in fact based on the new Premium Transverse Architecture that all new Land Rovers will be based on and gets space for electrified powertrains in the future.

The Discovery Sport has, since its launch, been the most affordable SUV in the Land Rover line-up but has never skimped on the core fundamentals that make it a Land Rover.

It still looks brawny and muscular with great road presence and it keeps in step with Land

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Rover’s off-road DNA. The strong shoulder lines, character lines and bulging haunches look like they have been accentuated by the redesigned headlights and taillamps. The haunches house 18-inch wheels on this S variant that we reviewed over the course of more than 1500km (because whenever we have a Land Rover on test, the editor is seized with this inexplicable urge to drop everything and drive down to Goa).

It is on the inside however that you will see the biggest changes and they are evident the moment you step foot into the Discovery Sport. Materials on the whole are nicer to the touch. There aren’t too many plasticky bits, at least not within easy reach, and everything feels more expensive than before. The biggest change is to the infotainment system which now gets a thorough overhaul with the Touch Pro making an appearance on the Discovery

Sport as well as CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. Noticeably, it doesn’t get the Touch Pro Duo twin touchscreens as in the Velar but it is hardly a downgrade. Below the solitary touchscreen, you get a vast slab of glossy black that has dials for climate control with the right one doubling up for the Terrain Response 2’s modes when you press the tiny black button next to it. Below that, on the gloss black panel are tiny buttons for Hill Descent Control and All-Terrain Progress Control — all of which feels rather unsatisfying. One would think Land Rover would want to advertise the fact that it can do some serious off-roading rather than hiding all this stuff behind shiny black panels that attract fingerprints like you would not believe.

The steering is new and gets controls that transform when the need arises as you navigate through the menu. The instrument

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Driven console in this Discovery Sport is part digital with the screen eating into the analogue dials.

You get a fully digital high-res display in the R-Dynamic variant and it does make sense to splurge on it as traditional dials now look, erm, very traditional. As you climb into the supremely comfortable 12-way electronically adjustable seats, you do get a commanding view of the road that’s typical of Land Rovers and the chunky steering wheel is certainly great to hold. Visibility is great all-around and the ergonomics are spot on too.

The engine is a lot more refined now but when compared to the competition, it is on the noisier side and isn’t very fuel efficient either; delivered just around 8.5kmpl on our 1500km drive. The Ingenium 2-litre diesel is now BS6 compliant and makes 177bhp and 430Nm of torque. 0-100kmph is claimed to take a little over 10 seconds but this engine never feels as urgent or enthusiastic as, say, the BMW X3’s 2-litre diesel. It is paired to a 9-speed gearbox whose software urges it to shift to the highest gear at every possible opportunity to maximise efficiency. It does feel the ’box has one too many ratios to play with and at times you find it hunting for the right gear while sometimes you’re waiting too long for a downshift.

As you get going, you realise that very little has changed in the way that the Discovery Sport drives which, is very surprising to be honest. The chunky steering wheel still doesn’t

have much in the way of feel or feedback but is fairly accurate. Unlike how other luxury SUVs seem intent on trying to offer a car-like cornercarving experience, the Discovery Sport has no such pretensions. There is ample body roll that is amplified by the high driving position, the tyres start to squeal early in a corner and it feels cumbersome in quick direction changes.

The steering has relaxed gearing for the rack and it does not like to be hustled. There isn’t even a Sport mode or Terrain Response. And it is all the better for it!

This is an SUV that is at home cruising for miles and miles endlessly. The driving position is brilliant, the seats are comfortable and you simply do not get tired. The suspension soaks in the potholes, speedbreakers and what not that come at you unannounced on every road that you drive on in India. When road works block your path you can drive into the field

and get out the other side. It is an enormously relaxed way to do massive distances and that’s the key strength of the Disco Sport. And when you want to indulge in some off-roading the Disco Sport will go far, further than any of its rivals — the different modes in Terrain Response 2 make a genuine difference to the way it tackles different terrain or you can just stick it in Auto and the SUV will do everything for you from apportioning torque to reducing ESP interference to even locking the rear differential. ATPC even maintains a very, very slow walking pace (though it does go all the way to 30kmph) so all you need to do is steer it towards the lake and the Disco Sport will tip-toe over rocks and ruts to get you to your self-isolation zone.

Now I know most buyers will never subject their luxury SUV to any sort of off-roading, but the advantages of the Discovery sport’s off-road ability trickle down to everyday driving as well. It is very comfortable in the city. It is spacious and the glass roof makes the cabin even more airy. The third row is now standard. And it gets USBs everywhere, six of them including one each in the back of the front seats. If you head over to our YouTube channel, the editor has done a video on five reasons why India is SUV country and how the Discovery Sport fits the bill perfectly. The only downside he mentions is price. And like everything in this new BS6 era, the Disco Sport too has gotten more expensive. This version is `57.06 lakh while the R-Dynamic is four lakh rupees dearer. But then again, there’s nothing that can do what the Discovery Sport can do, its own stablemate, the Evoque included. And that’s why it remains one of our favourite SUVs for road-tripping across the country. L Afzal Rawuther (@afzalrawuther) Top: Pistol-grip gear lever replaces the rotary knob.

Facing page: Nothing in its class can go off-road with more confidence and ability as the Disco Sport

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When road works block your path, you can drive into the field and get out the other side

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT S Engine 1999cc, in-line 4-cyl, turbo-diesel Transmission 9-speed automatic Power 177bhp @ 4000rpm Torque 430Nm @ 1750-2500rpm Weight 2087kg 0-100kmph 10.1 sec (claimed) Top speed 188kmph Price `57.06 lakh (ex-showroom)

+ Mile-munching, 7-seater, off-road ability - Handling, transmission slow to react

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Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 With the 4-litre flat-six from the 718 Spyder and a lower price tag, is the new Boxster GTS the one to go for?

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HERE IS ONE SIMPLE REASON why Porsche appears to have shot itself in the foot somewhat by equipping the new Boxster GTS with the exact same engine as the pricier 718 Spyder and Cayman GT4: economics.

Fact is, turning the 911’s 3-litre turbo motor into an atmospheric 4-litre engine has cost Porsche a not very small fortune. So Weissach’s bean counters knew they couldn’t realistically just use it in one car, the GT4/Spyder. Hence the reason why the new Boxster GTS, and the new Cayman GTS, are both powered by the same six-cylinder engine as their two big brothers.

I’ll say that again, just in case you missed the significance: the new GTS is propelled by a six-cylinder engine, not by a curiously uncharismatic, turbocharged four-cylinder. This in itself is cause for major celebration.

Why the change of heart? Officially Porsche says it has dropped the (nasty, but more fuel-efficient and less polluting) four-cylinder engine merely as a stage in the evolution of GTS history, pointing out that this particular range of cars has been powered by all sorts of different

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engines over the last 60-odd years. Unofficially you’d have to conclude that it could no longer stomach the criticism, and that sales were beginning to suffer as a result.

Either way, the Boxster GTS is back with a bang, and with a proper engine mounted behind its rear seats this time. And it really is some engine. The only difference between its installation here and in the Spyder/GT4 is a loss of 200rpm at the top end, which means you lose out on 20bhp overall. Big deal. Torque is exactly the same at 420Nm, and the torque curve is also identical. In reality it’s the same engine, attached to the same six-speed manual gearbox, with the same long gearing (137kmph in second), albeit with throws that aren’t quite as short. A seven-speed PDK will become available at the end of the year – and will also be offered on the GT4 and Spyder – and will be specified on over 80 per cent of GTSs, reckons Porsche.

The chassis, on the other hand, is not the same at all, as you don’t get the Spyder/GT4’s rose-jointed front end, which as you’ll know was lifted pretty much lock-stock from the GT3. Nor

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do you get the extra stiffening bar at the back in the GTS. Chassis and suspension-wise, the GTS is therefore more of a tuned S rather than a knocked-back GT4, although its brakes are bespoke: bigger than those of the S, smaller than you get on the Spyder/GT4, with optional carbon-ceramics available.

But subjectively at least, perhaps the biggest difference of all between the Spyder/GT4 and the two new GTS models is the tyres they wear. The more expensive 718s both come on bespoke Pilot Sport Cup 2s, while the GTS models ride on regular P Zeros. On a track, especially, this makes a massive difference. As in two to three seconds a lap around almost any

circuit you’d care to mention beyond the very shortest ones.

Even on the road the more conservative tyres of the GTS, allied to the different front suspension design, can’t help but make a quantifiable difference. In the dry the Cup 2s will give any car more bite and precision at both ends, particularly at the front. In the wet, however, you’d much prefer to be on the P Zeros of the GTS, so in this respect you pays your money, you makes your choice.

And to be honest that’s how the GTS feels beside the Spyder/GT4, full stop. A tiny bit less focused, a little less manic, a touch more comfortable and, therefore, a fair bit more

The GTS is back, with a proper engine mounted behind its rear seats this time

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Driven useable as a road car overall, but still with the same magnificent flat-six at its core. Not that any of us at evo would regard the GT4 or Spyder as anything other than magnificent cars as well. It’s just that having spent a fair amount of time driving the Boxster GTS on the road for a couple of days in Portugal (and the Cayman GTS on track at Estoril, it’s hard not to come away wondering whether the Spyder is really worth all the extra cash, given that at times – quite a lot of the time to be honest – you’d be hardpushed to tell the dynamic differences between the two. That’s how good a job Porsche has done on the Boxster GTS. So what are the differences in the way the GTS drives compared with the Spyder? This car is fitted with the optional bucket sport seats (`2 lakh, in the UK) and carbon brakes (`4.7 lakh, in the UK), which means when you climb aboard, the driving position is almost identical to that in the Spyder, which is just about perfect. The cabin lacks the Spyder’s bespoke styling touches and its dials, of course,

The Boxster GTS is so similar dynamically to the Spyder, it has to be the better value car

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but is still a very sweet environment in which to find yourself, with big, clear dials and a 7-inch touchscreen in the centre of the console for the sat-nav and so on. You don’t climb in and think: ‘Where are the goodies?’ You climb in and think: ‘Wow, how much stuff is there in here to play with?’ Or get confused by, depending on your take on such things.

But what you do get is PASM adaptive suspension, the Sport Chrono package and the company’s new rotational mode switch in the bottom right quarter of the steering wheel, all as standard. The wheel switch is great and allows you to scroll easily from Normal to Sport, then to Sport+. Switchable drive programmes are a thing of debate at evo, true, but this one works as well as any, and it really does change the character of the car if you go from Normal straight to Sport+.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

Twist the key and the flat-six fires up with a reasonable level of decorum. It doesn’t erupt into life with a neighbourhood-shuddering explosion, in other words, which is surely a good thing in 2020.

Even at idle you can hear the exhaust note change if you scroll up to Sport+, the revs rising a fraction, the exhaust changing in both timbre and volume. Dip the lightish clutch, select first gear via the still short-throw, Alcantara-covered gearlever, dial up some revs via the exact same wonderfully connected throttle pedal, and away you go.

Within the first ten feet you realise the ride

is a touch smoother than a Spyder’s. It’s still firm and precise and rather lovely beneath your backside, with the same ‘I can feel every grain in the tarmac beneath my bum and via the steering wheel rim’ quality, but without the slight jounce you get in the Spyder, and with less road noise, too. That’s one key difference between the tyres and suspension of the GTS and Spyder, right there.

The steering feels very similar, however, and very lovely, the throttle response identical. Find a quiet, straight piece of road, open it up in second gear for the first time and – if you were a passenger and closed your eyes – I’m honestly not sure you could tell the difference between a Spyder and a GTS. In second gear, throttle wide open from 2000rpm, the GTS initially feels a touch flat, just initially. But as the revs begin to rise from 2500 to 3000rpm the acceleration begins to swell, and you start to think: ‘Here

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P O R S C H E 7 1 8 B OXST E R GTS 4 .0

Above from left: Alcantara features heavily inside; carbon-ceramic brake discs, as denoted by yellow calipers; unlike with the Spyder, open-top motoring is via the single push of a button

we go, here it comes’ – in exactly the same way you do in the Spyder and GT4. At this point the sound from the flat-six also begins to change, becoming both louder and sweeter in tone, although it still sounds menacingly guttural at these revs. You know there’s something special in the post, though, even down at 3000rpm.

At 4000rpm the GTS really does start to pick up, but it’s not until 5500rpm that it really, properly starts to go. By then the noise from the flat-six has pretty much doubled subjectively if you’ve dropped the roof – which you do entirely at the press of a button by the way, unlike the fiddly part-manual affair in the Spyder. Then from 5500rpm up to the 7800rpm

cut-out what happens in the GTS is something else again. It’s bloody marvellous, frankly, the level of thrust becoming much stronger, much more visceral, the sound from that motor and its exhausts filling the cabin, your ears and your heart with pure, child-like wonderment.

Ultimately its performance is all but identical to the Spyder’s, Porsche claiming 4.5sec to 100kmph and a 293kmph top speed, against the Spyder’s 4.4sec and 301kmph.

And you know what? The Boxster GTS also has the chassis, steering, brakes and gearchange to go with it. OK, it’s not as precise in its ultimate chassis responses as the Spyder, not at the front end for sure. But it’s sharp enough and steers sweetly enough for it almost not to matter. The turn-in is still crisp, the balance and grip mid-corner still absolutely delightful, if anything the GTS feeling a touch more approachable than the Spyder if you

really lean on it, the P Zeros allowing a degree of extra movement that makes it not as edgy as the Spyder’s rose joints and Cup 2s. And when you need to slow it all down the GTS stops every bit as good as it goes. Better than it goes, if anything, with typically fine Porsche feel through the pedal.

The gearchange isn’t as swift or precise as a Spyder’s, but you get the same brilliant autoblip feature on downchanges (which you can switch off if you’re a true purist) and the shift is still very, very good in isolation.

So here’s the bottom line. Unless you value the Spyder’s bespoke looks and are going to do lots and lots of trackdays, the Boxster GTS is so similar to it dynamically, and is so good to drive in isolation, it has to be the better value car, maybe even the better car full stop for pure road use. To all intents it feels like the same car from behind the wheel, give or take the last five per cent of the dynamic envelope. And that makes it quite some sports car.

Steve Sutcliffe

PORSCHE 718 BOXSTER GTS 4.0 Engine Flat-six, 3995cc Power 394bhp @ 7000rpm Transmission 6-speed manual Torque 420Nm @ 50006500rpm Weight 1405kg (285bhp/ton) 0-100kmph 4.5sec Top speed 293kmph Price `1.3 crore (estimated)

+ GT4 engine minus 200rpm; brakes, chassis, steering, looks - Gearshift not as crisp as a GT4’s, not much else

evo rating ;;;;;

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23-03-2020 16:04:21

Driven

Test location: Jaisalmer

Photography: Sachin Khot & Ford India

2020 Ford Endeavour BS6 Ford tweaks its flagship SUV in India to conform to BS6 norms and we test drive it in the dunes of Jaisalmer

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23-03-2020 16:00:50

2 0 2 0 F O R D E N D EAVO U R B S 6

UNE BASHING IS A PULSATING experience. There’s little to no margin for error and you need immaculate mastery in throttle and steering control to avoid being stranded.

Also, you need a capable machine, one that can be trusted wholeheartedly. We took the updated Endeavour to the dunes last February, and exactly a year later, we return to the desert, this time to drive its upgraded version.

The 2020 Endeavour gets a new BS6 heart, and is also paired to the world’s first 10-speed torque converter automatic. The Fortuner has been the default choice in the `30-35 lakh price bracket. Will the Endeavour, with its new underpinnings, give the Toyota a run for its money? Let’s find out.

There are minimal changes on the design front. The HID headlamps are replaced with

D

new LED units and they illuminate the road more evenly. Additionally, the side badging now simply reads ‘Endeavour’, replacing the engine displacement numbers (2.2/3.2). It also gets segment first connected car tech – via the Ford Pass app, you can remotely start/ stop, lock/unlock and take note of the fuel level and distance to empty among other functions.

The 2.2 and the torque-heavy 3.2-litre units have been discontinued and replaced with a new 2-litre ‘EcoBlue’ diesel engine. EcoBlue stands for improved fuel economy and the addition of the AdBlue fluid. Speaking of which, the engine now gets a standard SCR catalyst with urea injection to break down noxious NOx into simpler nitrogen and water compounds, meeting BS6 standards and improving fuel efficiency by 14 per cent. Despite the

downsizing, this engine churns 168bhp and a healthy 420Nm of torque, 10bhp and 35Nm more than what the 2.2-litre unit made and 20bhp and 50Nm less than the power and torque figures of the 3.2-litre engine.

How is the on-road performance then? The Endeavour was never an inadequate performer and the same can be said about this new 2020 version. What’s new here is the linearity and sophistication in the way it delivers power.

There’s no sudden burst of torque but a rather gradual build up, providing a more relaxed driving experience. Despite that, there’s ample torque on tap, enough to effortlessly hustle the Endy to triple-digit speeds. There’s vast improvement in refinement too. Engine noise is well-contained thanks to a 10mm offset crank design that minimises piston side load, reducing rubbing forces against the cylinder

What’s new here is the linearity and sophistication in the way it delivers power

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23-03-2020 16:01:13

Driven FORD Endeavour 4X4 AT Engine 1996cc, in-line 4-cyl, turbo-diesel Transmission 10-speed automatic Power 168bhp @ 3500rpm Torque 420Nm @ 2000-2500rpm Price `33.25 lakh (ex-showroom)

+ Smooth gearbox, off-roading prowess - Engine noise at higher rpm

evo rating ;;;;2

walls. The noise gets intrusive only beyond 3500rpm.

The new 10-speed torque converter automatic transmission adds to the sedate driving experience. The shifts are smooth and you barely notice the Endeavour switching cogs. The 10-speed architecture helps mask turbo lag and improves responsiveness thanks to the closely spaced ratios, making sure there’s ample torque available at all times. On the downside, the upshifts are slightly jerky when you’re aggressive with the throttle.

The Endeavour retains its off-roading prowess with a full-time 4x4 system, lowrange function, an electronic locking rear differential and the Terrain Response System with Sand, Snow, Mud and Rock modes that alter the mechanicals to suit the terrain. The 10-speed gearbox is the cherry on the cake here. We ventured into the Sam dunes and the ‘SelectShift’ technology helped tackle the dunes effectively. Via the ‘minus’ (-) switch on the gear lever, you can select a set of gears and the transmission won’t shift beyond, helping maintain momentum by providing maximum torque to the wheels with maximum traction, using the selected set of gears. Its effectiveness was evident in the way the Endeavour plugged through the soft and

The 10-speed architecture helps mask turbo-lag and improves responsiveness

sinking dunes, maintaining peak torque using the correct gear.

The Endeavour strikes a great balance between its on-road and off-road performance. Factor in the price and the Endeavour gets brownie points. At `29.55 lakh, the base 4x2 variant undercuts the similar spec Fortuner by `2.5 lakh while the top-ofthe-line Fortuner costs `70,000 more than this range-topping Endeavour we are driving.

With the addition of a cleaner BS6 engine, an excellent 10-speed AT and the segment first connected car tech, the Endy is a great alternative to the Fortuner and there’s a special treat for those who book it before May 1 — the prices will go up by `70,000 after that, with the full impact of the BS6 tweaking being passed on to the customer. L Suvrat Kothari (@suvratkothari)

Far Right: Commanding driving position. Above: Start the car via the Ford Pass app. Right: The 10-speed AT is truly impressive

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EVO 215X 274MM (3MM BLEED) R E S P O N S E F E AT U R E

Artificial Intelligence: Prepping to impact the future of Marketing?

"In this fast-paced development era, in order to succeed in the competitive market, it would be the top priority for businesses to invest in AI"

by Bhavya Kukreja, GM, PR & Marcom, Plaza Premium Group India

We are living in the times when seconds hold the value of days and the tactics for what society says, moving along with time, have changed. Dynamicity is what defines the life closest to its meaning, and the world of digital marketing is naught but a live model of this phenomenon, which has now taken the driving seat for the journey of humanity ahead. Today in the era of virtual reality, what does not exist digitally, doesn`t exist for the majority.

It is the only way to reach out to the huge audience it makes accessible since as the virtual world grows bigger, the real one ceases to exist a step further.

Artificial Intelligence is slowly leaving significant footprints in various sectors and easing the job of humans at multiple fronts.

Today, the human workload has reduced remarkably with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence. AI deals with creating machines that are enabled with skills through adaptive data to perform tasks with incredible accuracy. Being evolved with time, today it can be easily seen around us in the form of Voice Search, Programmatic media buying, propensity modelling, predictive analysis, ad targeting, navigation apps, streaming services, ride sharing, Chatbot and in smart home devices.

Various online communicational arrays majorly affecting strategies these days such as social media, websites, online search engines, emails etc., are well utilised for user engagement. One builds on it by tracking user engagement and generating strategies to formulate a data-driven approach to achieve the desired results. However, with the technological advances, newer tools are being introduced with much newer prospects for the industry to flourish. AI is going to lead all the communicational decisions based on analytics.

AI simply adds creative intelligence in the existing work frame, to improve capabilities of existing products. In addition, AI is tailored through progressive learning algorithms, acting as a classifier or a predictor that acquires the skill through the data and continues to update with new additions.

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It achieves incredible accuracy by deeply analyzing the data using neutral networks and its accuracy keeps increasing by training to learning models with the help of heaps of data. For each marketer, the key still remains in gaining quality data for insights into differing campaigns which, although, wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t readily available earlier but now, robust analytics has opened doors for them to understand their customers better. I believe, in this fast-paced development era, in order to succeed in the competitive market, it would be the top priority for businesses to invest in AI. AI has already made its mark through Google, Alexa or Siri, a few more of its implementations are remarkably visible in Google Maps, directing people to opt for better route options by predicting shorter driving routes through any city or place.

Similarly, a major impact can be seen on the way we search through various search engines. They have also begun adapting to the language processing and semantic search wherein AI does not just recommend another product but also suggests similar items and auto-corrects mistakes as well! This only eases the customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work process and gives them a personalized experience, too.

23-03-2020 19:18:38

BIJOY KUMAR Y

Working with automotive enthusiasts keeps things interesting for Bijoy

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HE GOOD THING ABOUT WORKING WITH a bunch of hardcore automotive enthusiasts is that there is never a dull day at the office parking lot.

They keep succumbing to their passion and let their wallets loose – to mostly end up with lemons. Then there are some glorious exceptions that brighten up those dull days we at Mahindra Adventure are forced to spend behind a desk.

Allow me to start with my deputy and arguably one of the finest off-road drivers in the country (just to keep him happy), Vinod Nookala. Now, he is the quintessential Mahindra fanatic and used to drive a MM 540 much before he joined Mahindra. At Mahindra Adventure he literally lives out of Thars but when the company offered him a CTC car, he opted for, you guessed it right, a brand-new Thar!

His idea of keeping his off-roader interesting is changing the colour of his wheels – so far, he has tried Kawasaki green, Desert Storm yellow and a metallic bronze. But when he came across a red 1995 Mahindra Classic, he couldn’t resist himself and brought it home.

You will see him driving the Classic top-less on winter mornings in and around Thane where he lives. And yes, when he needs four doors and a metal roof, he goes to his firstgeneration Tata Nano.

Manish Sarser, who runs the Mahindra Adventure 4X4 Academy, amongst other things, has rather interesting taste when it comes to cars. His regular driver is a silver 2007 W203 Mercedes-Benz C 200 Kompressor which he has maintained very well. But you

cannot keep an offroader away from 4X4s, right? So, when he is tired of the diesel/Thar diet, he escapes to his 2015 Maruti Gypsy which he enjoys driving despite not having power steering or airconditioning. Currently he is working on two projects – a 1969 CJ3B Hurricane and, hold your breath, a 1990 Premier Padmini which he picked up from Pune.

Selvin Jose bought himself a 2012 Skoda Laura vRS the moment he joined us. The car looked immaculate and the ex-Autocar road tester had to have his need for speed! But soon he realised that going fast is expensive business. The bills started adding up and he bid goodbye to the turbo-petrol and bought a Suzuki Swift for regular use. Between these two cars, he also had a 2013 Maruti Gypsy and is now fiddling with a 1969 WW2 Jeep which I am yet to see in the office parking lot.

Ryan Lee proudly possesses a 2010 Fiat Linea T-Jet, which was rather reluctantly sold to him by Vinod who had to make space for his Mahindra Classic.

The newest recruit. Alexander Mathew (of course he answers to the name Alexa!) rides to work in his Mahindra Mojo. Trust me, it won’t be long before the bug bites and he gets something interesting on four wheels too!

We are expecting an all-new Thar any time soon, and I expect at least three to come to Mahindra Adventure team members, considering the fact that we are especially fond of this Thar as many of us worked on it at various stages of development. Interesting times ahead then. L

Glorious exceptions brighten up those dull days we are forced to spend stuck at work behind a desk

@bky911

Bijoy Kumar is the founding editor of BS Motoring magazine and now heads Mahindra Adventure

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23-03-2020 15:53:49

RICHARD MEADEN

Meaden’s love for the Impreza always leads back to those early Turbos

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HIS HAS BEEN A MONTH OF MEMORIES for me. Fond and vivid memories that stretch right back to my earliest days as a road tester. And all triggered by spending a terrific couple of days with one of this issue’s star cars, the Subaru STI S209.

We all have certain cars that resonate with us on a special level.

I’ve been fortunate to drive many, many incredible cars, some worth many, many millions of rupees. And yet, if asked to compile a list of the cars that have played the biggest part in my life, the Impreza would be right up there. Possibly even at the very top.

It helps that the Impreza and I grew up together, with the original 2000 Turbo being one of the earliest cars I drove and wrote about as a junior road tester for the long since defunct Carweek. Looking back, it was quite a strange car, what with its frameless windows, fabric seats and scratchy interior plastics.

But it was already inextricably linked with rallying and that made it very, very cool.

It was also properly rapid, nailing 0-60 in comfortably less than 6 seconds and good for a solid 225kmph. With all-wheel drive and a price tag of just under `16 lakh in the UK, it was an Integrale Evo II for the working man.

About 18 months after that first drive I found myself working on Performance Car magazine, where as the new boy I was generously entrusted with the magazine’s unloved Ford Probe 24v long-termer to run.

Thankfully, sweet revenge came when the Ford went back, for as luck would have it the next available long-termer was a Deep Green Impreza Turbo, complete with a set of gold Speedlines from Prodrive. I adored every moment I spent in it, which was a considerable amount of time as I was commuting daily from Camberley in Surrey to Peterborough. By this time there was a very real sense of the Impreza Turbo being the car of the moment, yet its popularity was only just getting started.

I’m sure many of you will have watched Chris Harris’s eulogy to Colin McRae’s epic 1995 WRC season. Well, another source of fondness for the Impreza is that for the whole of the pivotal RAC Rally I was riding in the management car with Prodrive’s David Lapworth. It seems too extraordinary to be true, but there I was, sitting in the back of Lappy’s STI (well before the days when STIs were seen in the UK), bombing around the UK listening to Derek Ringer radio-in stage times, and witnessing one of the greatest moments in motorsport history unfold in real time.

McRae’s performance was surely every bit as remarkable as Senna’s legendary ‘out-of-body’ Monaco qualifying lap, the difference being he was doing it mile after mile, stage after stage, day after day. I honestly don’t think Lapworth, Ringer, David Richards or indeed Carlos Sainz could believe what was happening.

However, whenever Colin’s mischievous voice came across the radio you could tell he knew exactly what he was doing.

McRae’s stunning victory and that green long-term test car got another Meaden – namely my father – hooked on Imprezas. His first was a Mica Blue five-door, which he bought from a dealership in Carlisle, a long trek from home, because they were so hard to get hold of. It was followed by an RB5 and then a P1, complete with the Prodrive Performance Pack. Oh to have them in the garage now!

By this stage we’d launched evo and those special-edition Imprezas – plus all manner of Japaneseimport STIs – would feature heavily for the first decade of the magazine’s life. They were its lifeblood in a way; cars you could build big tests around, or wild cards you could throw in to upset the order. The tuning legend that is Iain Litchfield knew this better than most, building his reputation on brilliantly optimised Imprezas. None more impressive than his first Spec C. Wearing the L17 CHO registration plate, that bright red machine made numerous appearances in evo, including the two-stage eCoty in 2003. It beat all comers in the ‘Real World’ element, but rather bemusingly – looking back 17 years later – finished seventh in the ‘Surreal World’ leg.

Like all good things, the Impreza’s appeal and relevance faded as the rest of the world moved on. The bigger, 2.5-litre motors somehow lost the fizz and warm aural character that was such a defining aspect of the earlier cars, while the transition to hatchback should have worked, but didn’t. No matter, for what the original Impreza gave us is something we lack in today’s fast car market.

Genuinely affordable and utterly unpretentious, its pace, character and abilities surprised all who drove one. That it was also quite ugly fostered a cult appeal, which then exploded into huge popularity thanks to the rallying heroics of McRae, Burns and Solberg.

The STIs, P1s, 22Bs and the like might have got faster, sexier and more hardcore, but my fondest feelings are still reserved for those early Turbos. They really did possess a kind of magic.

Special times, special cars. L

With all-wheel drive and at just under `16 lakh in the UK, it was an Integrale Evo II for the common man

@DickieMeaden

Richard is a contributing editor to evo and one of the magazine’s founding team

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23-03-2020 15:53:51

RICHARD PORTER

Australia fell out of love with Holden, and it’s paid the ultimate price

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S YOU MAY WELL HAVE ALREADY HEARD, Australia’s only car company is slated to, well, die. In a move of apparent corporate can’t-bearsedness, General Motors has decided to ‘retire’ Holden as of 2021, sending it on a one-way trip to the same vet that attended to Oldsmobile, Saturn, Pontiac and Saab. And that’s kind of sad, isn’t it, even if you’re not an Aussie.

Truth is, Holden for the past two years has been a shadow of its former self, flogging rebadged models from elsewhere in the GM empire with shrinking success. The Commodore, once the flagship of the range, became a Vauxhall Insignia with a Holden logo slapped on each end. The real Holden died in 2017 when the lastgeneration Commodore was killed off (along with the Elizabeth factory and, with it, Holden’s ability to make cars on home soil).

Bullet-headed Austin Rover boss Harold Musgrove once declared that a car company that didn’t make its own engines couldn’t call itself a car company. I’m sure Morgan might disagree, but a car company that doesn’t make its own cars really does feel like a mangy Trojan horse trying to fool inattentive punters into backing a home team. It’s why Vauxhall’s recent Union flag-waving ad campaigns have felt so hollow. Holden has long plumped up its range with rebranded imports, but that’s been OK because they all sat in the shadow of that local hero, the Commodore.

Of course, for many years even the Commodore owed a great deal to donor Opels, but they were re-engineered in a distinctly Aussie way. Legend has it that when the GM central machine decreed the very first Commodore of 1978 would be based on the Opel Rekord and dispatched a German-built prototype to Holden’s test centre with its realistically rough Strine-spec road network, the car managed just 1500km of testing before it was written off.

The disbelieving team in Germany demanded to see the data from load gauges on the chassis, discovered that the readings were 300 per cent higher than anything they had seen in their own testing and, assuming the Aussies were using the equipment incorrectly, jumped on a plane to see what the hell was going on.

When they accompanied a second prototype on a real-world testing session in the outback and witnessed the entire shell break apart at the firewall, they began to understand the unique

challenges of making a car fit for Australia. The first-generation Commodore may have looked like an Opel Rekord cabin married to the nose of the bigger Senator (so the ’Stralians could get a V8 in there), but it was beefed up underneath so ordinary Australians in a pre-SUV world could use an everyday saloon to venture into the untarmacked interiors. The casual brutality of God’s own country was also the reason for moulding the parts-bin cabin from a bespoke plastic compound, to better resist the relentless heat of an outback summer and its ability to turn Euro-spec plastics to goo.

This pragmatic Aussiefication carried on over successive generations, reaching its zenith with the VE-series Commodore of 2006, the first to be home-grown from scratch and therefore the only large saloon in the world with a pre-production test regime that included multiple collisions with a crash test kangaroo. Even the stability control on that car, though based on Bosch hardware, had a distinctly Aussie calibration, mainly because it was so laid-back. ‘How you going, mate?’ it seemed to ask as the back wheels began to spin up. ‘Looks like you might be having a bit of bother? Want me to help out…?’ As someone who ran a Holden longtermer (crudely disguised as a Vauxhall VXR8) I can say with confidence such things were what made that car so loveable. It was big, a bit oafish and wore its origins on its sleeve in a truly wonderful way. As with Saab, when Holden was allowed its own way, you couldn’t help but get little shots of local flavour in the solutions to the unique challenges of the cars’ homelands.

Unfortunately, the people of Holden’s homeland didn’t seem to appreciate their only national car. The rise of the SUV diminished the need for large saloons that could cope with 500km of constant battering down a dusty washboard on the way to visit a neighbour.

Greater environmental concern and Australia’s tough stance on speeding squeezed the need for huge saloons running hungry, hearty V8s. The Commodore was the heart of Holden, but it was also a symbol of an old Australia, of mulleted blokes in vests skulling schooners of VB and rocking over-engined cars. Nowadays Australians buy the same cars as the rest of the world. The need for the Commodore has gone, and with it, sadly, the need for Holden itself. The demise of Holden in that context seems inevitable. But that doesn’t stop it also being a little bit sad. L

The Commodore was a symbol of an old Australia, of mulleted blokes in vests skulling VB and rocking over‑engined cars

@sniffpetrol

Richard is evo’s longest-serving columnist, and an astronaut, stuntman and liar

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23-03-2020 15:53:57

Special bits from the incredible conversations we have with our fans on social media

More power!

Durgesh Kodnani Tata Motors is actually producing amazing and competitive cars for the last couple of years. The Harrier also does impress a lot. Such a proud feeling for the country, especially the automobile enthusiasts.

The 2020 Tata Harrier BS6 gets a more powerful 167bhp heart, a six-speed torque converter sunroof and a number of small improvements. All of them were things that Tata’s ardent fans were demanding for a while and as soon as the news broke, we were inundated with comments.

Neel Patira So the Harrier finally ticks off all the right boxes well. I think the only gripe consumers might have is the rather small infotainment system that supports only the basic functions and not the connectivity tech - a bandwagon ubiquitous with so many cars in its segment. It might not take a beating as such on the sales front but it is something everyone fancies these days and would have made it a more tantalising proposition on the whole.

Grim Reaper GTR I find it so hard to believe that it’s a Tata. Well yes, the gearbox is from Hyundai and the engine is from Fiat, but this car just opens up one’s mind to what Indian manufacturers can do. The cherry on the icing is that it is still focussed on handling and driving very well. Truly the driver’s car in this segment.

A step too far?

Karn Sagar I think as a package Harrier is unbeatable. I’m complaining for the tech it misses because most of the time anyone would be behind the wheel and enjoy the experience it has on offer. Harrier is a mix of many manufacturers like the platform from the Land Rover, engine from Fiat and the gearbox from Hyundai.

Karthikeyan Chidambaram The Nexon is a little small, The Harrier is a little big for our city. The Hexa is again a large SUV. What Tata really needs is a Seltos, Cretasize car which they currently don’t have. I don’t know how Tata Motors regularly manages to get themselves in tricky positions like these. There’s nothing to fault really on the Harrier. it’s just that competition has become so much better.

The i8 will no longer be BMW’s flasghip electric offering by the end of this month. In its place will be the four-door coupe that the BMW Concept i4 will lead to in 2021. Its headline power and torque figures and impressive range from an 80kWh battery has us enthusiasts interested. Its gaping kidney grille however, has stirred up debate online. Has BMW gone too far? Netizens seem to think so.

Sudeep Kapoor I wish all Indian manufacturers move to DCTs rather than automatics, AMTs and CVTs.

Raghav Kumar Take me back to last gen BMW 3 series design phase. Please!

Akhil Nayak Tata missed a major shot. This is what the Harrier should have been in the first place. Tata Motors is like that guy who comes to a theme party, realises he is under dressed, comes back with a killer outfit clearly outshining everyone else, but then the DJ goes “Thank you for coming, good night!”

Shafeeq MB It shows how far Tata Motors products have come and how Tata has upgraded their products.

evo.editorial@gtopublishing.com

Kudrati Number10 The kidneys have grown larger to now almost resemble....umm....*urns Ramkrishna Barla With a grille like that I am sure it’ll swallow the entire competition Dr. Tuono This kidney grills are going out of hand Paplooney Looks like it got its teeth knocked out.

What’s wrong with them?

evoIndia

evo India, Project GTO Publishing, No 5, Siddharth Terrace, Nagar Road, Pune - 411006 India

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23-03-2020 16:19:21

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CROWN WO R D S by H E N RY C AT C H P O L E

P H O T O G R A P H Y by D R E W G I B S O N

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DUEL

Can Mercedes’ most driver-focused AMG GT yet, the R Pro, dethrone our reigning road-racer king, Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS?

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‘H

OW MANY THOUSANDS OF WORDS OF utter cock,’ says the know-it-all up at the bar, ‘have been written by journalists about the Porsche 911 over the years? Engine’s in the wrong place, the weight balance is all wrong. And that one out in the car park is snot green. Ghastly.’

A chill draft whistles in under the pub door and the fire sparks and crackles in the hearth as a brief silence follows this somewhat forthright proclamation. I’m just considering how best to diplomatically respond to our new-found friend when he saves me the trouble, launching into his next monologue, taking the Corona Virus as his tantalising theme. I briefly think about interrupting to point out that it’s actually Lizard Green, but the moment seems to have passed.

Returning to the comfort of my pudding, I leave photographer Drew Gibson and driver Nick Stafford to listen to the tipsy tirade and instead ponder the test that lies ahead tomorrow. Much has indeed been written about the 911 over the years and some of the most fulsome (and, now I find, apparently misplaced) praise has been for ones with GT3 RS written on their rump. In fact, few cars have come close to challenging them, particularly at the price points they have occupied, but the latest challenger to Flacht’s finest is sitting in the car park outside: the Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro. With 577bhp and 700Nm the Pro has more power (64bhp) and significantly more torque (230Nm) than the RS, but at 1575kg is 145kg heavier. But the beauty of the RS has never really been in the numbers, and what the Pro promises with its new adjustable coilover suspension is the sort of tactility and interaction upon which those Porsches have built their collective reputation. Tomorrow should be a good day.

Right: GT3 RS is based on the older 991 model, and as a result the cabin is starting to feel dated; driver sits more upright in the bespoke bucket seats than in the Merc

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MIST SHROUDS US THE FOLLOWING MORNING and the dense white duvet of moisture rather suits the demeanour of the AMG. Lurking in the corner of the car park with its snake-like eyes and aggressive proportions it looks pugnacious and menacing. Swing open the lightweight door, drop down into the bucket seat and the intimidation continues. It’s a dark interior, and not simply because of the black leather tailoring. You sit low and the windscreen is not only shallow but feels far away, so your view of the outside world is a little restricted. Curiously, although you feel snug you also feel quite isolated from the passenger side of the car thanks to the layout of the AMG GT being very much front-mid-engined. With the 90-degree V8 tucked right up under the dashboard it forces the packaging of the cockpit to place the seats relatively far apart, so there is definitely no rubbing of shoulders.

THE GT R PRO PROMISES THE SORT O F TA C T I L I T Y A N D INTE RAC TION UPON WHICH THE GT3 RS H A S B U I LT I T S R E P U TAT I O N It’s a curious mixture of race car on the one hand, with the seats, the cage and the slight claustrophobia, and a luxury car on the other, with the plethora of buttons on the steering wheel, the large glossy screen perched above the four central vents and the Burmester speakers.

There certainly feels like there is room for an even more stripped-out Black Series version of the AMG GT in the future, but that would no doubt lift the price even further away from the GT3 RS’s.

Two colours stand out in the otherwise monochrome interior of the dormant AMG: the yellow traction control adjuster and, when you put your foot on the brake pedal, the glowing red starter button. Press the latter and you’re treated to a guttural rumble that seems to lightly jingle your kidneys in a not unpleasant way. To set off you now need to select Drive, which is awkward because reaching for the stubby lever makes you feel like you’re imitating a T-Rex (the short arm bit, not the roaring or overtly carnivorous bits). It must be partly due to the prominent sides of the bucket seats, but mostly it’s just the position of the gear selector, which feels like it’s behind you.

Slowly out into the mist and the Pro feels firm and reactive underneath you. The bonnet is long and broad, stretching out of sight, yet the steering is quite light and responsive. You’re again reminded that all the weight is behind the front axle so the nose can turn with startling speed. There is also a curious sensation from the rearwheel steering at low speed, as though the rear tyres need more air in them.

The intimidation factor certainly remains when you’re on the move, especially if you venture through tight towns. At 2007mm wide, the GT R Pro is 127mm wider than the GT3 RS. It is also 68mm wider than a standard AMG GT, 108mm wider than an S-class, 9mm wider than a Bentley Bentayga and just 11mm narrower than a RollsRoyce Phantom VIII. It is w-i-d-e. Although at 4551mm long it is 6mm shorter than the 911.

After a few miles along the top of the moor, we drop down out of the mist and through a village (breathe in!).

Watching Nick pilot the GT3 RS through the streets I’m struck by how purposeful the RS looks even compared to the GT R. For a start, I’m sure that rear wing gets bigger every time I see one. It really does look as though it’s been pinched straight from a pitlane on a race weekend.

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Then there are the pressure-relieving vents over the front wheels, which have been aped by others since but, with their curved trailing edge like an apostrophe’s tail, have never been bettered for beauty – certainly not by the Pro’s rather slapped-on slits.

I’ve seen this particular RS before (it’s a non-Weissach Pack example) but the last time I clapped eyes on it there were black graphics down the side. For some reason they have been removed and I can’t decide whether I like the naked ‘Gen 1’ look more. What a relief I don’t have the money to pressure me into such decisions! For what it’s worth, if I was buying a GT R Pro then I would certainly go without the sill stripes and the off-centre one down the bonnet and over the roof. There is, after all, plenty to look at already with the carbonfibre aero addenda.

Drew wants to have a look at a potential photo opportunity, so Nick and I take the chance to swap cars.

It’s quite a shock how different the 911 feels inside. The fixed-back buckets are more bespoke, but you sit more upright, as though you are in a saloon car, and the whole cabin feels airier. Older, too. Perhaps it’s because we’ve now been exposed to the 992, but this 991.2 interior suddenly feels rather dated. As with the GT R Pro, there is also still part of me that feels as though an RS should be stripped out and devoid of infotainment, but then again I guiltily like the fact both these cars feel useable and not just utilitarian.

We buzz over a cattle grid onto the sort of road where the pace would probably pick up a bit if the mist had not

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T H E W AY T H E Y BOTH FIDGET AND F I R M LY R E S P O N D TO THE ROAD IS R E M A R K A B LY SIMILAR

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Y O U F E E L T O TA L LY AT T H E C E N T R E O F BOTH VEHICLES, A PA R T O F T H E PROCESS also returned. As raw as the GT R Pro feels, there is a tightness and toughness to the RS that instantly makes it feel more focused. It’s as though another layer has been stripped away compared to the Mercedes. It feels smaller and more wieldy too, which is no surprise, but the way they both fidget and firmly respond to the road at this sort of sedate speed is remarkably similar. Neither feels entirely happy and you begin to wonder if they are both going to be able to cope with the rough and tumble of a typical UK road at speed. Then with the abruptness of a cinematic scene change, the headlights seem to cleave through the cotton wool and present us with the glorious sight of a sunny morning and a twisting road. I hear the AMG change down a couple of gears and I find that I have already done the same. We’re about to find out.

It’s a fascinating and fantastically fun morning, switching back and forth between the two driver’s seats.

What is immediately obvious is that as soon as you start to drive them quickly they feel happy. Suddenly, with greater loads going though them, the dampers start to reveal the deft control that they are capable of. The cars shrink around you a little more and yet their characters grow in stature. It’s a transformation akin to seeing Kimi Räikkönen leave a long press conference and hop straight into a wet race situation at Spa. There’s a particularly good, flowing section of clearly sighted bends that twists through the rusty heather and both cars are brilliant here. Their response to a tricky tightening line or a wicked crest is to double down on the capability that you have felt so far, turn harder and give you more confidence. You feel wheels occasionally leaving the ground over bumps, but such is the connection with the cars that the unweighting isn’t unnerving. You feel totally at the centre of both vehicles, a part of the process.

To that extent I would love to have the optional harnesses in both cars, just to remove any last elements of slack.

There is certainly no slack in the Mercedes’ brakes.

In fact the huge carbon stoppers feel a little too eager at times, with an over-servoed feel that can make them hard to Left and top left: Both cars feature huge modulate. There is certainly no carbon-ceramic brakes; lack of power and they feel OK stopping power isn’t if you are simply smashing the under question in either pedal as hard as you can, as you case, but the AMG’s can would on track, but on the road it be difficult to modulate

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YO U F E E D T H E R S ’ S FRONT END INTO A B E N D I N A W AY T H AT FEW IF ANY OTHER CA R S A S K YO U T O can make a more nuanced approach to corners tricky.

What about once you’re into a bend? I think the perfect corner in the Mercedes is long, with a relatively constant radius and probably taken in third gear. Ideally it will be well sighted too, because you want to commit the front end early. Tip that long bonnet quite aggressively into the corner with the quick steering, loading up the suspension and transferring the weight to the outside rear wheel. For best effect this would be a left-hand bend in a right-handdrive car and vice versa, as it means the driver gets the best sensation of sitting right on top of the wheel that is taking the strain.

Once you’ve got the Pro set like this it is a glorious feeling, because the nose seems to stay easily locked onto a tight line and you can just adjust the angle of the car through the length of the corner using the throttle pedal.

With the diff locked and the car leaning into the sidewall of the 325-section Cup 2 you can just tease it constantly, managing the slip on a seemingly microscopic level, all the little variations in grip being transmitted directly to your backside. The longer the corner, the greater the chunk of time you get to enjoy this wonderful sensation.

There are a few things specific to the Pro I’m sure AMG would claim help this sense of precision and connection.

First is the carbon panel on the underbody at the rear, which increases the rigidity of the bodyshell. Second is the rose-joining of the upper wishbones at the rear (the lower were already rose-joined for the GT R). Third is the recalibration of the dynamic engine and transmission mounts. If it’s one or all of these, the end result is terrific.

One of the wonderful things about the GT3 RS is that your interaction with a corner starts the moment you turn the wheel. That might sound like a truism, but a 911’s balance is such that you feed the front end into a bend in a way that few if any other cars ask you to. Yes, a modern RS has incredible bite and response from the front tyres, but the engine remains in the rear and so you still subtly tease and coax the nose into a corner, certainly when driving quickly. This is why steering feel is so vitally important in a 911, because so much of its magic lies in your assessment of grip through the front tyres in these moments.

Such is the traction that on the road in the dry you won’t be spinning up the Porsche’s N-rated version of a 325-section Cup 2 rear tyre in the same way you do in the GT R. However, that’s not to say you don’t work the rear

end. It’s just that rather than focusing all your attention on the throttle and the back of the car as you do in the GT R Pro, you tend to work the whole of the GT3 RS through a corner. From turn-in to apex and then exit there feels like there is adjustment available at every stage of the Porsche’s trajectory.

Then as the road straightens, your focus returns to the engine. In isolation the Mercedes hot-V turbo motor feels incredibly keen – it is incredibly keen – but it doesn’t take anything more than a brief acquaintance with the Porsche’s four naturally aspirated litres to know that the RS is another level of alert. The Mercedes’ thumping torque is addictively muscular and shrugs off the slight extra bulk, but its delivery, although impressive, is like the soundtrack that accompanies it.

I don’t have synaesthesia (or chromaesthesia to be precise), but it has always fascinated me and if I were to imagine the noise the twin-turbo V8 makes as a colour then I think it would be a deep but vibrant red. It is a really lovely colour; warm yet exciting. However, the exhausts only produce that one colour in varying volumes. A sample pot at tickover, then a whole swimming pool of the stuff under full throttle.

By comparison, the GT3 RS has a full autumnal palette, the colours morphing sometimes quite suddenly from one striking shade to another as you climb through the revs.

It’s a dizzying kaleidoscopic ride if you choose to hold

Opposite page: Both cars bristle with details; GT3’s rear wing makes the Pro’s not insubstantial offering appear a little apologetic; Porsche wins the battle of the wheelarch vents, too

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the throttle down all the way and keep pulling gears.

Sometimes it’s nice to short shift and immerse yourself in one particular shade, a bit like lingering and looking at an Yves Klein painting, but there is always variety available with a change in angle of the throttle pedal.

Then there are the brief bursts of colour that the PDK gearbox adds into the picture. Depending whether you are changing up or down a gear and how much load there is, you get very different results. I’m slightly obsessed by the satisfying noise that occurs when you change down at around 2000rpm. It’s (and I’m afraid I shall have to leave the hues behind at this point and revert to more regular sound similes) a sort of combination of the thud made when a big firework launches and the hollow phut you get from taking the lid off a nearly empty tube of Pringles. And the nice thing about this is it occurs at such low revs it’s available for your auditory amusement almost whenever you want.

By the end of the day we have traversed the length and breadth of the moors, investigating almost every type of road they have to offer. Running south along the wide

I LOVE TH E S E SORTS OF CARS, O N E S T H AT E V I N C E E XC I T E M E N T A N D A D E D I C AT I O N T O D R I V I N G . C A R S T H AT M A K E YO U F E E L ALIVE

PORSCHE 911 GT3 RS Engine Flat-six, 3996cc Power 513bhp @ 8250rpm Torque 400Nm @ 6000rpm Weight 1430kg Power-to-weight 364bhp/ton 0-100kmph 3.2sec Top speed 310kmph Price `2.74 crore

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open ridge that could have been the deepest valley for all the view it afforded this morning, we are now treated to a spectacular sunset. They burn patches of heather up here to maintain the habitat and for all the world it looks as though one of these fires has got wildly out of control and is lighting up the clouds. The road swings right momentarily and I decide to go for the Ari Vatanen Pikes Peak salute rather than bother putting the sun visor down.

I love these sorts of cars, ones that evince excitement and a dedication to driving from the moment you get in.

Cars that make you feel alive. Earlier in the year we had a group of them (Ferrari 488 Pista, McLaren 720S Track Pack, Lamborghini Aventador SVJ and this very Porsche) and it’s interesting to think how the GT R Pro would have fitted into that quartet. Exceptionally well, is the conclusion that I reach. For a start, at `3 crore it would have been cheaper than everything there bar the GT3 RS, making it look very good value. I also think that it has more than enough presence to hold its own amongst the mid-engined crowd in a car park.

But just as there was no denying that the 991.2 GT3 RS

was the best on that test, so the Porsche retains its crown in this duel. It is simply the definitive road racer of its generation. And the way that the Pro demolishes a road is tremendous too, with steering that is almost as sharp as a Pista’s, a ride that has the same toughness as in a GT3 RS and an SVJ, and a responsive rear end that is all its own.

So there we are: a few more words to add to the reams of ‘bull’ written about the 911. I know not everyone buys into the 911 thing. I do understand that the rear-engined balance isn’t for all, but I defy anyone who has driven one, even those who ultimately prefer a pointier front end or more playful rear, not to be blown away by the other parts of the package. The feel through the steering, the soundtrack provided by the flat-six, the response to the throttle, the sense of connection to the road through the suspension. Its refined rawness is simply beautiful to be at the centre of.

However, if you prefer adjustability predominantly measured through the medium of slipping rear tyres then the GT R Pro is a mightily appealing alternative in this road racer genre. L

MERCEDES-AMG GT R PRO Engine V8, 3982cc, twin-turbo Power 577bhp @ 6250rpm Torque 700Nm @ 2100-5500rpm Weight 1575kg Power-to-weight 372bhp/ton 0-100kmph 3.6sec Top speed 318kmph Price `3 crore (estimated)

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WORDS by J E T H RO B OV I N G D O N

GAME CHANGER With its 1233bhp 21C hypercar, California-based Czinger aims to be more than just another hypercar builder. It wants to change the world for the betterâ&#x20AC;¦

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HIS IS NOT THE CONVERSATION I’d expected. I’ve been at Czinger’s headquarters in Torrance, Los Angeles, for barely half an hour and we’ve talked about battery technology, obscure BBC science documentaries, Edward G Budd’s innovation in creating all-steel cars with Dodge in 1916, hot-rod culture, life cycle analysis, sustainable methanol fuel and the Terminator movies. Kevin Czinger is intense and driven, like all self-styled supercar trailblazers, but with a much wider focus than most of these people allow themselves. He doesn’t just want to build the world’s best hypercar. He wants to save jobs, revolutionise manufacturing and, just maybe, save the planet along the way. He’s convincing, too. Maybe it’s the jet lag, maybe Czinger is just damn clever and makes compelling arguments, but I’m already starting to believe a 1233bhp hypercar fitted with a 2.9-litre twin-turbocharged V8 might just be the most significant car of 2020.

There’s a fascinating tale behind this car, this team and the technology used to create it. However, the success of the project will, of course, soar or sink without a trace on the merits of the car itself. So let’s look at the new 21C before delving into the intriguing backstory. Typical of the Czinger mindset (pronounced ‘Zinger’, like the burger), the 21C is not at all conventional but it almost pulsates with potential. It’s defined by its fighter jetstyle tandem seating arrangement and narrow build, but packs a huge amount into a compact footprint. Power comes from a mid-mounted proprietary twin-turbocharged V8 good for 937bhp at 10,500rpm and an electric motor for each front wheel contributing 120kW apiece, giving combined peaks of 1233bhp and 1440Nm of torque. A crank-driven generator keeps the ‘dynamic high-power’ fast-charge and discharge lithium-titanate batteries primed.

The largely 3D-printed structure comprises unique alloys, titanium and carbonfibre for an all-up weight from 1165kg for the launch-edition non-homologated track car (it can still be registered on the road in the UK and US), to 1250kg for the homologated road car (a similarly crash-compliant track car will slot in at 1218kg). Czinger, rather unbelievably, claims 0-100kmph in 1.9sec, a top speed for the road car of 431kmph and 0-300kmph-0 in 15 seconds dead. Expect to pay around `15 crore plus local taxes and duties.

So it looks like nothing else, it appears to offer performance to humble even the mightiest of the competition and, seemingly, it’s almost ready to go. So where the hell did the Czinger 21C come from? The answer is complex and starts, rather bizarrely, with an EV project called Coda Automotive, a venture designed to create mainstream EV saloon cars in the US and that built a megafactory in China to convert existing ICE-powered architecture into fully

Left: Only 80 21Cs will be built, priced around `15 crore (before all taxes!), although with individual customisation this will likely just be a starting point

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electric vehicles for the massively Above: Kevin Czinger (rear) and chief technical growing new market. Former college officer Jon Gunner. Right: football star, federal prosecutor and In-house 2.9-litre twinexecutive director of media, telecom turbo V8 drives the rear and technology for Goldman Sachs wheels via a seven-speed Kevin Czinger founded the company, automated manual ’box raised a huge amount of capital and then realised his ambitions to create something good, clean and useful to future generations was ‘looking in the wrong direction’.

‘So imagine, you’re in front of this factory in northwest China,’ he explains. ‘You think you’re changing the world. But very soon after, the National Academy of Sciences starts to talk about life cycle analysis of vehicles. All of a sudden you learn that tailpipe exhaust is just one factor in the life of a vehicle’s impact on the planet. You go, “Okay, that all makes sense.

That’s pretty straightforward logic.” And number two, it all depends on whether that tailpipe or non-tailpipe has a particular energy source – coal, or sustainable methanol if it’s an internal combustion engine, renewables, etc, right?’

Czinger spent a long time looking into this and did a complete about-turn on the brave new EV world. Not only did he conclude that EVs were not the answer, but he also felt that traditional manufacturing techniques and mining of resources was the real killer for the environment. ‘I had to raise close to half a billion dollars for Coda,’ he explains, almost incredulous at what he was involved in. ‘And you know what? My technology probably took $30million out of that. You know what took all that money?

Taking an existing vehicle and an existing assembly line – and this is in China, so you could really leverage the cost advantage, right? Simply re-engineering, re-tooling the body in white of that vehicle, re-fixturing a factory line, getting that set up. All of the metal-bashing part of the car industry is what soaked up all that capital. A system that’s essentially 100 years old.’ Czinger wanted to find a new way, and the birth of 3D printing provided an answer.

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It’s fascinating to see a project born not just to shake-up the supercar sector, but to make real a hitherto hypothetical approach to manufacturing as a whole. Later I’m shown around the ‘factory’, which is tiny compared to a traditional supercar facility, let alone a mainstream production line. Most impressive of all is a ring of sophisticated robots that build up the chassis from the mostly 3D-printed parts. I guess you could fit the set-up into, say, the floor area of three conjoined double garages. ‘These machines can produce 100,000 chassis per year,’ says Czinger with a matter-of-fact chuckle. ‘This is the magic.’

Convinced? It’s not easy to take that leap of faith, is it? Kevin Czinger, I can tell you, is fiercely intelligent, forensic in his approach to problem-solving and clearly has the funds and vision to create something new and exciting. But he alone – a guy with only a defunct EV car company in his motoring CV – probably won’t convince you that his new creation is that different from any number of wannabe hypercars that get launched every year.

His chief technical officer might, though. Jon Gunner joined Czinger over three years ago and left his role of technical director at Koenigsegg to do so. The 21C might utilise technology and certain ideas that formulated in Czinger’s mind, but the vision, performance attributes and engineering are all from Gunner, an affable Brit with a penchant for understatement. Which is odd, as engineering cars with well over 1000bhp has become his thing…

‘I got really excited by the idea when they contacted me,’ explains Gunner. ‘Ironically I’d been looking at this technology in the original video they put out [of the rudimentary “Blade” concept, which shared the 21C’s seating layout]. I guess I just saw the opportunities it presented… and then I got a call from Kevin.’

It was fortuitous timing and clearly Jon was looking for a new challenge. ‘I was at a point in my career where it was a good time to move. Koenigsegg was in a good place, the Jesko was done, and so I felt I wanted to try something different. Coming here with a blank sheet of paper was about as exciting as it gets.’

Czinger – or Divergent 3D as it was then – was really in its infancy, despite the Blade prototype suggesting the technology was some way towards finished. ‘To start with it was ten of us in a conference room for six months, trying to understand how big the problem was and how we were going to attack it,’ remembers Gunner. ‘The Blade was printed but then hand-assembled. We knew we wanted an end-to-end solution. As we worked through all of the problem-solving needs of the business, we really understood we needed to develop new materials, new processes, faster and bigger printer technology, and to assemble these things without design-specific tooling. A lot of problems.’

Gunner’s only real constraint was the tandem seating layout.

‘Like everyone, I was a little sceptical at first,’ he candidly admits.

‘However, the more I dived into it, the idea made a lot of sense.’

The small frontal area has really freed up the aero concept; the car is slim (1750mm, or 15mm wider than a Mazda MX-5) and should be extremely useable even on narrow canyon roads in its native California or stone wall-lined roads in the UK. Plus, if the central driving position is good enough for the McLaren F1…

Yet for all its advantages there are some serious challenges inherent in this configuration. Gunner explains: ‘It’s not easy having a mid-engined, tandem-seater car without having a giant wheelbase. We’ve kept it at 2700mm [similar to a McLaren

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720S] and developed this tiny powertrain – a 2.88-litre V8 with 80-degree banks, and coupled that with a very strong hybrid.’

The engine sounds like a real jewel. ‘It revs to 11,000rpm and makes peak power at 10,500rpm,’ explains Gunner. ‘Our propulsion scientist, John Bucknell, is a genius. He’s worked in various space programmes and is a rocket scientist.’ Of course he is. Things in the world of Czinger feel uniquely Los Angeles.

This is a strange place, but there’s no question there is some unbelievable talent here and a sense that with the right backing you can do just about anything. The engine is hooked up to a seven-speed automated gearbox. The track car gets a proper dog ’box, whereas the road car will benefit from synchromesh.

Suspension is by double wishbones all round with dynamic dampers to control ride height and ensure a stable aero platform.

‘We really wanted to play with the ride height and pitch to optimise downforce and handling on the track,’ says Gunner. The 21C in track configuration produces almost 800kg of downforce at 250kmph as compared to 250kg for the slippery road set-up.

The production cars will also forego anti-roll bars for active roll control. Czinger is also working on a wide-body variant with even more extreme aero. The beauty of the additive manufacturing process is how quickly you can iterate with zero tooling costs, and you almost sense Czinger needs to slow down and get through

this first phase before throwing more and more ideas at what seems a pretty astounding ‘base’ car.

The chassis itself is made up of a number of materials and Czinger claims its modelling software and manufacturing approach allows it to focus intensely on using the right material in the right location. And, crucially, to mimic nature by using the correct forms and mass and nothing more. Hold one of Czinger’s intricate suspension components and it really does call to mind a spider’s web or the beautiful structure of a leaf that’s evolved over thousands of years to adapt to its environment. There’s real beauty in the detail.

Kevin Czinger is passionate about this approach and proud of the lightweight and extremely stiff chassis it provides to the 21C and so many of its suspension and engine components. ‘Nature tells you, be as frugal as possible with material and energy,’ he begins. ‘So you only put material, whether you want to call it molecules or atoms, whatever it is, you only put it where it’s necessary. Where it needs strength, you put it, where it doesn’t, there’s nothing. So, do you think you can create something that’s lighter, stronger, more durable by doing that? Hell, yes. You don’t do that by incrementally changing current unibody construction, OK? You do that with a clean-sheet approach.’

Brit Gunner is less overtly enthused but clearly feels the same.

IT FEELS LIKE A P R O J E C T T H AT C O U L D O N LY B E BORN IN CALIFORNIA

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‘What this technology allows us to do is get the right material in the right place. And only the material that’s required to do the job,’ he agrees in his typically quiet way. ‘So we have a mix of 3D-printed specific aluminiums. The main one is an alloy we developed ourselves, which has very high ductility and very high strength. That was a big enabler for crash structures. We mix that with standardised material like honeycomb carbonfibre – for the floor, for example. The whole chassis is around 100kg and over 30,000Nm per degree at the wheels. A lot of competitors will give you their chassis stiffness but they’re only talking about the tub.

We look at it as a full vehicle system.’

Just a few hours with the team behind Czinger and absorbing some of the technology that’s been harnessed and refined in the creation of the 21C is eye-opening. It’s a million miles from the artistry of Pagani or the brutalism of Koenigsegg and feels like a project that could only be born in California. And I mean that in a good way. The California where private individuals send rockets to space, or change the way we interact with technology,

the California where big dreams have a habit of crystallising into realities that can transform the way we think and live.

Whether Czinger’s technology, so spectacularly demonstrated with the 21C, can be as significant to manufacturing, society and the environment as Kevin Czinger believes – due to the low barriers to entry, he believes additive manufacturing will effectively empower anyone to become an artisan manufacturer in their chosen field – remains to be seen. And until we drive this extraordinary creation it remains a collection of astounding numbers and intriguing technology. However, I love the thinking behind it, the purity of the vision, and it’s impossible not to admire Kevin Czinger’s intellect and conviction. And wouldn’t it be cool if the car to ultimately save personal transport as we know it was small, light, crazily fast around a racetrack and powered by an internal combustion engine that revs to 11,000rpm? Even if it isn’t, the Czinger 21C is a hypercar that spits flames in an ‘X’ pattern from its 3D-printed exhaust outlet. Which works for me, too. L

CZINGER 21C Engine V8, 2880cc, twin-turbo, plus 2 x 120kW electric motors Power 1233bhp (combined) @ 10,500rpm Torque 1440Nm (combined) Weight 1250kg (road car) Power-to-weight 1002bhp/ton 0-100kmph 1.9sec Top speed 431kmph Price `15 crore (estimated, before all taxes)

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DEFENDER OF THE FAITH

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L A N D ROV E R D E F E N D E R

WORDS by S T UA RT G A L L AG H E R

Land Rover’s all new Defender proves to be worth the wait and is now as capable on road as it is off it. It’s no driver’s car but as a do everything machine it’s hard to fault and we wouldn’t be embarrassed to have one share garage space with a more traditional evo car

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L A N D R OV E R D E F E N D E R

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T’S NOT THE CAR THAT WILL APPEAR on many, if any evo reader’s list of dream cars for a dream drive, but we’ve always said that The Thrill of Driving comes in all shapes and sizes, on and off road, and we think you’ll be interested in how this all-new Defender fares. Available as both a five-door 110 and three-door 90, the new Defender is offered with a variety of four-cylinder 2-litre petrol and diesel engines and a 3-litre mild-hybrid straight-six petrol, and while it the latter that we spent most of our time driving it is the former that will be coming to India. And it’s really rather good. Impressively so, an example of what’s achievable when you set out to design and build a car fit for the purpose it’s meant for rather than crudely adapting what you have in the parts store and pretending it’s something that it clearly isn’t. Rivals could learn a great deal from this approach.

Land Rover’s Ingenium mild-hybrid engine was first introduced in 2019 for the Range Rover and now finds its way further down the food chain in the new Defender to join two four-cylinder turbo diesels (the D200 and D240) and a P300 four-cylinder petrol. This P400 mild-hybrid is currently the only straightsix available in the Defender, although a diesel will arrive soon enough, with the 3-litre unit featuring both a conventional twin-scroll turbocharger and a 48V electric supercharger. There’s also a belt-integrated starter motor in lieu of an alternator, with a 48V lithium-ion battery that stores recuperated energy as the car slows.

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Combined, these two elements produce 394bhp and 550Nm of torque, making this the most powerful Defender in the company’s history. The quickest, too, with a 0-100kmph time of 6.1sec and a 210kmph maximum if you go for the optional 22-inch wheels, otherwise you’re pinned back to 190kmph. Drive is via an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox, with twin-speed transmissions providing both high and low ratios, the latter for towing and off-road fun.

As for the technical highlights this is the most connected, the most technologically advanced, and the most advanced car Land Rover has built. Built on an all-new aluminium monocoque chassis Land Rover calls internally D7x, the new Defender is available as a three-door 90 or five-door 110 — both of which will be made available in India — as well as a commercial vehicle, which India will not get for obvious reasons. The 110 is available with three seating configurations: five-, six- or a five + two, with the 90 limited to a maximum of half a dozen seats. Defender, S, SE, HSE, First Edition and X make up the trim line, the last of those only available with the P400 straight-six engine. Four accessory packs are also offered: Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban.

Beneath Gerry McGovern’s design is the full complement of technical kit to take the Defender anywhere it cares to go. There’s a two-speed transfer box within the eightspeed auto, centre and rear locking differentials and, of course, permanent four-wheel drive. Independent multilink double wishbone suspension is fitted at the front, with an integral link axle at the rear, while air suspension is standard across the 110 range, with the X model also featuring as standard an electronic differential, Terrain

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THE THRILL OF DRIVING COMES IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES, ON AND OFF ROAD

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L A N D R OV E R D E F E N D E R

Response 2, configurable terrain response – think driver modes for sports cars but for a car designed for riverfording rather than lap times – and all-terrain progress control (an off-road cruise control system).

And the tech makes the new Defender nothing like the Defender to drive — which some of you will be more than happy about while others will head straight outside to hose out the interior of their ‘real’ Defender. But it’s 2020 and having a car that drove like it was designed to survive being dropped from a plane makes for a lovely piece of nostalgia, but not such a great car.

In the new Defender you’re driving a car that works on road as well as it does off it. It doesn’t lurch around or pitch itself into a corner or around a motorway slip road curve with the grace of an elephant on skates. It drives like a normal car. It drives better than most car-based SUVs.There’s a suppleness to its ride quality that puts the Discovery 5 to shame and its body control is superior, too.

It certainly responds to being hustled along better than the 5, and aside from the slightest evidence of vagueness from the steering around the dead ahead when the optional offroad tyres are fitted, you find yourself travelling quicker than expected.

The thump from the straight-six helps considerably here, neither troubled by the 2443kg kerb weight nor aerodynamics that probably raised a snigger from the wind tunnel operators. Its step-off from stationary is instant, the mid-range punchy and responsive beyond all expectations, and it even enjoys troubling the red line.

Unlike its predecessor and so many of its ilk, it lets you set the pace rather than dictate it. For those long road trips and too far away places that Defenders are drawn to, the road part will no longer be a chore.

Your overriding impression of the new Defender is just how complete it feels. How nothing has been compromised or sacrificed and every need has been catered for. It will still crawl up a rock face or submerge itself in a bog and haul itself out the other end, but crucially it will no longer suck the life out of you when you need to travel any distance on a road.

Land Rover has launched the Defender in India at `69.9 lakh for the entry-level Base 90 variant and `76.6 lakh for the Base 110 variant. Its natural rival is a Mercedes-Benz G350, that costs `1.5 crore, ex-showroom, and the Jeep Wrangler that starts at `63.9 lakh. Despite the charm and transformational driving characteristics Mercedes achieved following its comprehensive overhaul in 2018, the G-Class will feel very last century to drive after a new Defender. It will be tough to outscore the Defender and it’s unlikely to beat it off-road or in the charm stakes.

Audi, BMW, Bentley, Porsche, VW… none has dared to go diff lock to diff lock with the Defender in the past. Their problem now is that the Defender is able to match them on the road as well as beating them off it. And for those who dismissed Land Rover’s utilitarian model previously, they now have a strong reason to consider one. L

IT DOESN’T LURCH AROUND OR PITCH ITSELF INTO A CORNER WITH THE G RACE OF AN ELEPHANT ON S K AT E S

LAND ROVER DEFENDER X P400 Engine In-line 6-cyl, turbo-petrol, mild-hybrid Transmission 8-speed auto Power 394bhp @ 5500rpm Torque 550Nm @ 2000-5000rpm Weight 2343kg (7-seater) 0-100kmph 6.1sec (claimed) Top speed 191kmph (claimed) Price `76.6 lakh (ex-showroom, P300, 4-cyl variant)

Right: Clever cameras give you a view of the tyres through the bodyworks. Looks even better with mud on its flanks!

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‘THE 2-LITRE SIX FEELS TORQUIER T H A N YO U ’ D INFER FROM THE FIGURES’

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A C T I V E The Mercedes-Benz GLE has been given a complete makeover, and can now jiggle to a beat as well. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the GLE 300d and GLE 400d together to bust a few moves

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B O D I E S WORDS by A AT I S H M I S H R A P H O T O G R A P H Y by RO H I T G M A N E

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R E N AU LT M Ã&#x2030;GA N E RS

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IP HOP EDITION. THAT IS THE SUFFIX Mercedes-Benz India has added to the GLE 400d’s name to remind you that it is packing active suspension that can make it ‘dance’. We aren’t in the 90s any more! They may as well have called it the Bounce Edition. Or the Jump Edition. Or if our in-house gym-freak Abhishek had his way, the Workout Edition. He even challenged it to a push-up competition — there’s a video on YouTube, go check it out. Silly names aside, the GLE 400d’s active suspension is a wonderful bit of engineering. Sure, this feature that allows it to bounce will more likely be used to spam Instagram then actually get the GLE out of sticky situations, but the rest of what it can do is really amazing. But before we talk about trick suspension, let’s dial things back. The GLE has finally got a generation change and there’s just so much to talk about!

Top right: The 400d (above) gets a longer features list than the 300d including Burmester sound.

Facing page, top: Massive infotainment is now a touchscreen and has the MBUX operating system

The New Generation There’s no such thing as too many GLEs, which is why we have two on test here. First up, the GLE 300d (in Mojave Silver with beige interiors and no silly suffixes) and the 400d Hip Hop Edition (in Emerald Green with brown interiors). As I look at the two SUVs at the shoot location, there isn’t too much to tell the two apart from the outside, save for the badges and the wheels — the 300d runs on 19s while the 400d gets 20s as standard.

Close inspection, however, will reveal that the two actually have different headlamps too as the 400d gets Multibeam LEDs with the ability to switch off individual LEDs to not dazzle oncoming traffic, while the 300d gets regular LEDs. The GLE is a handsome looking SUV. The proportions are pretty much the same as the older car, and I particularly like the fact that Merc chose to retain the forward-sloping C-pillar. As with most new gen cars, the GLE has grown a bit — 105mm in length to be precise, with 80mm of that between the wheels to free up more space. The GLE looks imposing — big grille, big badge, the power dome on the bonnet and wide stance, all make it look like serious business when it rolls down the road.

The interiors are what really make the GLE feel special though. While most of your attention will be drawn to the twin 12.3-inch screens, it is the smaller things that actually lift the ambiance in here. Like the little leather wrapped palm-rest to make using the MBUX trackpad easier, the open pore wood trim that feels really rich, the metal finish on the switches, and even the chunky grab rails (with some cool ambient lighting integrated in to them) around the centre console. The 300d and 400d share the same architecture, but the former misses out on a few features like Burmester speakers,

massage seats up front with heating and ventilation, nine airbags (the 300 gets 7), electrically reclining (and folding) rear seats, a 360-degree camera and a head-up display. I really wished it got memory seats and electrically adjustable steering wheel too — this degree of cost-cutting in a car as expensive as the GLE is a bit of a let-down. Both variants, however, do get four-zone climate control as standard and both get connected car features that allow you to control functions from your smartphone. The backseat is rather comfortable too.

Space is more than enough, and three can sit abreast without trouble with the sense of airiness amplified by the panoramic sunroof.

Start Small If you can call anything the size of the GLE small. The GLE 300d gets a smaller 2-litre engine and I was a bit apprehensive before I started driving it. Would a motor that displaces this little be able to move the GLE confidently? The spec sheet gave me a glimmer of hope: the engine puts out 241bhp and 500Nm. And once I actually started driving it, all apprehensions went out of the window. Getting out of the city, the refinement

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I HAD TO REWIRE MY BRAIN TO CORNER THE GLE 400D HARD IN CURVE MODE

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Bottom, left to right: Four-zone climate control is standard on the GLE; 400d’s inline-six has plenty of torque; 12.3-inch screen makes up the instrument cluster; the air suspension on the 400d can be lifted to increase ground clearance, not available on the 300d

was what stood out — it is fairly quiet and non-intrusive inside the cabin. And as we got out on to the highway, I could be more liberal with the throttle pedal and get a sense of how the GLE moved. It actually has good responses, and will pick up speed well. I could overtake slower moving traffic with ease, even on inclines with the gearbox willing to kick down when asked and pulling the car along confidently. I was under the assumption that the 300d would be caught out earlier, but when I was actually driving, I never felt the engine lacking for grunt.

The ride and handling quotient is good too. The GLE rides solidly and can really be hammered through some bad roads without getting unsettled. It is set up for comfort, yes, but not at the expense of handling despite the fact that it doesn’t have active suspension. The 300d rolls an acceptable amount and will corner with a fair bit of enthusiasm. It doesn’t feel as tied down and connected to the road as a BMW X5 (or an X3, the GLE slots in between the two), but it gets close. The steering feels pretty direct and though there isn’t much by way of feedback, it turns in well and weighs up nicely at speed. But the GLE 300d doesn’t get a Sport mode, and you have to make do with Comfort, Eco or Off-Road.

So don’t expect the car to tighten itself up and become more responsive at the touch of a button. The 300d, thoroughly impressed because this is the GLE that most people will go for. But with a 400d staring back at me, I couldn’t help wonder how good that would be.

Level Up The stickers on the side of the GLE 400d aren’t standard equipment, in case you were wondering. I suspect this

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was the car that was bouncing around all over the place at Auto Expo and they haven't removed the stickers just yet. And why would they, when that one feature makes such a difference to how the GLE behaves. The difference when you hop in to the 400d from the 300d is apparent.

The 400d immediately rides better, flattening out the little vertical movement that the suspension in the 300d is susceptible to, and feeling far more confident.

The Active Suspension is a wonderful thing. It works in conjunction with the air-suspension that the 400d gets, to deliver a far more polished driving experience.

So the GLE has all the party tricks that any of these other air-suspended SUVs have — it can tighten or slacken the suspension depending on which mode it is in, and raise the ride height to give it more clearance and drop it at speed to make it more aerodynamic.

Then there’s the active suspension features, like Curve mode. I had to rewire my brain to corner the 400d hard in Curve mode. When you chuck an SUV in to a corner at speed, you expect it to roll. You expect to be shoved in to

the side bolstering of your seat. You expect to feel weight transfer to the outside wheels as you feel for the limits of grip. These are sensations that my brain has been conditioned to expect when it sees a corner approaching fast from so far above the road. But, it didn’t happen.

Instead, the GLE stays flat, you barely move in the seat and the front-end of the GLE dives in to the corner with unbelievable ferocity. The sensation is unnerving at first but then you get more confident with each corner you attack, pushing the GLE more and more every time. The Curve mode also stiffens up the suspension slightly — doing what the missing Sports mode would ideally have done. The active suspension also works to reduce pitch when you stamp on the accelerator and brake hard. As for the bouncing, the GLE does that to rock itself free in case it gets stuck while off-roading and you can also control the ride height of each individual wheel manually from the infotainment screen.

The 400d also comes with an engine to back up the dynamic chassis. The inline-six turbo diesel makes

MERCEDES-BENZ GLE 400d Engine In-line 6-cyl, 2925cc, turbo-diesel Transmission 9-speed auto Power 326bhp @ 36004200rpm Torque 700Nm @ 1200-3200rpm Weight NA 0-100kmph 5.7sec (claimed) Top speed 245kmph (claimed) Price `1.25 crore (ex-showroom, India)

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326bhp and a mega 700Nm of torque. Turbo lag is negligible and the throttle pedal delivers bucketloads of torque, hustling the GLE with some intent. I mean, a ton comes up in just 5.7 seconds! I had to recheck that there were no AMG badges on this car. I didn’t feel like the 300d was under-endowed until I drove this — the creamy delivery and character of the engine suit the luxurious-slash-powerful image that the GLE has going for it. There’s always torque in reserve and you don’t have to work the engine half as hard to get it to move.

It’s a diesel and there’s no scintillating soundtrack but the refined growl of the six-cylinder does mean business when you really open up the throttle. And again, the nine-speed automatic does a fine job of keeping it exciting.

Pick One? The full fat 400d, hands down. I love the fact that this SUV is so versatile. There’s addictive power, it rides well and you actually look forward to a set of corners instead

of dreading them. It is well kitted out on the inside too and the whole experience feels special. But there’s a rider. The `1.25 crore price tag will shock a fair few prospective GLE buyers, who will most likely settle for the 300d. The 400d is the SUV to have, but it won’t be for everyone.

You may be able to point out flaws in the MercedesBenz GLE 300d, but that is only when the 400d is parked alongside it. In isolation, the 300d manages to impress and does everything you ask of it without breaking in to a sweat. Except probably taking on Abhishek in a pushup competition. You won’t find the engine lacking and save for a few missing buttons in the cabin, there’s really nothing to complain about here. The long-wheelbase E-Class has been flying off the shelves at Mercedes, and it's a sedan! The GLE, with its added length and contemporary interiors, should do well for itself in this market that seems to have an insatiable appetite for SUVs. Expect to be seeing a lot of twin-element DRLs smack bang in your car’s rear glass very soon! L

MERCEDES-BENZ GLE 300d Engine In-line 4-cyl, 1950cc, turbo-diesel Transmission 9-speed auto Power 241bhp @ 4200rpm Torque 500Nm @ 1600-2400rpm Weight NA 0-100kmph 7.2sec (claimed) Top speed 225kmph (claimed) Price `73.7 lakh (ex-showroom, India)

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WORDS by A AT I S H M I S H R A P H O T O G R A P H Y by RO H I T G M A N E

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T T E R

D A Y

What makes a Ferrari special? Our man finds out from behind the wheel of the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T and Portofino on the streets of Mumbai

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Facing page, top: No better feeling than turning the Manettino dial to Sport; the cockpit of a Ferrari feels special. Right: Who said a Ferrari can’t be practical?

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MY HEART WAS POUNDING AGAINST MY ribcage. It’s just another car, I tried to tell myself as I pulled up to the dealership. Dawn had yet to break, though the doors of Ferrari Mumbai opened to let me in. Two cars sat there in the silent stillness, waiting to be ripped out of their slumber — the Ferrari GTC4Lusso T and the Portofino. Ever since I started as an automotive journalist, I looked at driving a Ferrari as some sort of milestone. It takes some of us years to get our hands on one, and others bite the dust before they even get the chance. And here I was, with the keys to two of them. F**king pinch me. I remember roaming these very streets as a college student, dreams as lofty as the buildings around me, wondering if I could ever say I made it in life. That morning, I felt like I had.

The first V8 fired to life and even at idle, the exhaust buzzed more intensely than any other V8 I have ever been close to. Almost like a hornet’s nest when whacked with a stick. Don’t ask why I know that. As the fluids got up to temp, I sat and admired the machine in front of me, resplendent in Rosso Scuderia. The GTC4 Lusso T sits on the comfort-end of the Ferrari spectrum. The long bonnet and shooting brake derriere gave it the most gorgeous stance, with swooping bodywork peppered with lovely details like the slatted vents on the side.

Even on the inside, it’s not as stripped-out as, say, a 488 GTB. There was lovely beige leather everywhere, from the seats to the dash and even the door trims.

But all of that is incidental, what really sucks you in to the Ferrari experience is that steering wheel. Flatbottomed, carbonfibred, and resplendent with all sorts of buttons and the unmistakable Manettino dial, it drips with Ferrari’s F1 legacy. Right behind it was a yellow

analogue tachometer. Cars that cost a tenth of the Lusso T come with fully-digital clusters, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It was still dark when I set off. It was a weekday, the maddening traffic of this city would soon swallow us up and I didn’t have much time. So I set about drinking in as much of the Ferrari experience as I could, as fast as I could. I eased myself into it. I’d like to say I dialled it up to the max and laid down elevens as I pulled away from the dealership (the Lusso T is rear-wheel drive unlike the V12 Lusso), but that was lightyears away from what happened. I was feathering the throttle, getting used to the sensation of my arse being so close to the ground, scanning the road for the slightest undulation and trying to figure out how to roll the windows up, all at the same time. It took me a whole 10 minutes to figure out that last bit — the buttons are on the centre armrest.

Window winders sorted, it was time to let loose.

Nothing prepares you for the drama of flooring the throttle on a Ferrari. The GTC4Lusso T is a grand tourer so was all civilised while I was being gentle with it. But

SINCE I BECAME A J O U R N A L I S T, I L O O K E D AT D R I V I N G A FERRARI AS A MILESTONE

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FERRARI GTC4 LUSSO T Engine V8, 3855cc, twin-turbo petrol Power 602bhp @ 7500rpm Torque 760Nm @ 3000-5250rpm Weight 1865kg 0-100kmph 3.5sec (claimed) Top speed >320kmph (claimed) Price `4.26 crore (ex-showroom, India)

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FERRARI PORTOFINO Engine V6, 3855cc, twin-turbo petrol Power 591bhp @ 7500rpm Torque 760Nm @ 3000-5250rpm Weight 1664kg 0-100kmph 3.5sec (claimed) Top speed >320kmph (claimed) Price `3.54 crore (ex-showroom, India)

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YO U A R E D O I N G T H E SAM E O RDINARY THINGS, BUT IN A FERRARI, IT ALL FEELS LIKE MORE OF AN EVENT

Top: The Portofino’s hard top roof tucks away neatly in to the boot. Right: Your correspondent, Aatish needs to invest in some sunscreen

then I turned the Manettino to Sport, clicked it clockwise once more to turn ESC off, and floored it. The violence that follows is something that has since been seared in to the deepest recesses of my memory with a permanent marker. There was no lag. The tachometer flung itself at the redline, as I was bazooka’d towards the horizon. The exhaust yowls — I never thought a turbo engine could yowl like this — as the LEDs on the steering wheel lit up F1-style, a visual representation of what my heart was doing inside my chest. I pulled in the column-mounted carbonfibre paddle (one of my favourite sensations in the car, it’s soooo tactile) to engage second and the car doubled down on its fury. I struggled to fight tunnel vision from inside of what felt like a rocketship as we clawed at the road. I took the one curve faster than I ever had before, and got a sense of what the steering feels like. So direct, brimming with weight and feedback, and allowing me to understand exactly what the car was up to. With rear-wheel steering and a hydraulic rack, the car felt perfectly balanced and very composed. And then I let off. Revs dropped, the car went back to being docile and the only thing I could hear was the hammering pulse in my temples. What a rush!

I spent some time in the GTC4Lusso, returned it to the dealership and then got into the Portofino. It’s pretty much the same engine under the hood, dialled back by some 10 horsepower, but with the added drama of no roof to keep out the sound. By the time we got it out though, the regular morning Mumbai traffic had begun and there was no way I could let it rip. So instead, I got to enjoy the other facet of Ferrari ownership — the attention. A red drop-top Ferrari turns heads like nothing else. Everyone, and I literally mean everyone, turns to look at you. I almost felt unworthy of the attention, and I really don’t think I would be able to handle it every day.

School kids scream and point, women raise eyebrows and even a guy sitting in the back of an S-Class turned around to take another look.

That morning, behind a steering wheel with the prancing horse on it, it all came back to me. Sitting in my father’s lap as a child, watching the shrieking Ferrari of Michael Schumacher win weekend after weekend.

Turning to the buyer's guide at the end of the magazines I used to buy as a teenager, and scouring the price lists.

Reading the words of writers I looked up to, praising the F40, the 288 GTO and the Enzo to the heavens. The Thrill of Driving the F430 simulator at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, wondering if I would ever drive the real thing.

Just another car? Hell no. It’s an experience like you would not believe. You’re doing the same, ordinary things as you would in any other car — punching the accelerator, tapping the brakes, tugging at the paddles, feathering the steering wheel — but in a Ferrari, everything feels like more of an event. Right from the moment you hold that key fob in your hand, you know it is going to be an elevated experience. These red cars have captured the imagination of people across generations.

And I finally understand why. L

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M C L A R E N 76 5 LT

M E A N

M

Based on the 720S, but with more power, less weight, a revised chassis and aero and a

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by S T UA RT G A L L AG H E R

P H O T O G R A P H Y by A S T O N PA R RO T T

M A C H I N E sprinkling of Senna magic, the 765LT is McLarenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most extreme Longtail model yet

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M C L A R E N 76 5 LT

D

OES McLAREN’S 675LT GET THE recognition it truly deserves? An eCoty runnerup in 2015, it was the first of its breed from Woking’s most famous export and is able to stand splitter to splitter with any competitor from Stuttgart or Maranello that you care to mention.

It’s a car that alerts your senses like few others, smothers you with excitement whether you’re just looking at it or are gripping its Alcantara steering wheel with one hand, index finger of the other hovering over the ‘start’ button.

Find yourself in the latter situation and what awaits will make you re-evaluate your perception of raw, undiluted performance. Few cars have picked apart the ingredients of what makes a driver’s car and reconstructed them with such purity, and the 675LT demonstrated that behind McLaren’s machine-like facade was a soul that had finally broken free of the algorithms and the spreadsheets.

The 600LT that followed three years later – and which claimed an outright eCoty victory – proved comprehensively that the 675 was no fluke. And now there’s a third LT McLaren. An LT that follows the same recipe of more power, less weight and improved aero, but goes further still in terms of detailed changes to chase those incremental gains.

Before seeing the 765LT and understanding what lies beneath (and on top, for that matter), it’s easy to ask what else you might

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actually need from a 720S, the model upon which the new LT is based. The answer is that you don’t know until you see it. And upon seeing the 765LT we want one very much. McLaren hopes 765 of you with deep enough pockets will, too.

However, this third instalment of McLaren’s LT game plan carries some heavy baggage in evo’s eyes: the aforementioned 720S was the first McLaren to claim an eCoty victory (2017), and with the 600LT doing the same just 12 months later, the 765LT is following in some mightily impressive tyre tracks. Promisingly, McLaren’s key measurement for its newest Longtail model was driver engagement. It’s a car that should stimulate your senses both on road and on track because, according to McLaren, ‘cars such as this need to be exciting every time you drive them and not just when you leave a pitlane’.

Which is easier said than done. Woking’s team also wants the driver to feel more connected to the powertrain both through the car’s structure and acoustically. The steering needs to feel more connected than that of any McLaren that’s gone before, which is an admirable target when you consider it already makes one of the most organic feeling and connected systems on the market. And the responses from the throttle, gear ratios and damping all need to be improved upon in terms of response times.

As with previous LT models, weight saving is the key factor here, but for the first time McLaren has also got its fingers dirty, adjusting some of the 765LT’s inner workings too. We’ll get to the details of this shortly, but first, the weight loss.

As headline figures go, the 765LT’s 80kg reduction compared

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with a 720S sounds admirable (two 23-inch wheels and tyres on an Audi RSQ8 weigh more), but it’s drawn into sharp focus when you consider that the 720S is already more fly half than prop forward.

The 765LT’s 1339kg claim means it is lighter than the 600LT and only 11kg heavier than the 675LT. Savings come by fitting the seats from the Senna (the optional Senna lightweight seats save a further 12kg) and a set of ultralightweight wheels (22kg lighter than those fitted to a 720S), and by removing the air conditioning. The side glass is thinner, the engine cover is polycarbonate, and there are no carpets. There’s a new carbonfibre centre tunnel and door cards, lighter springs, brake calipers and vacuum pump, the high-flow fuel system is taken from the Senna, and the titanium exhaust system is all new, too, and weighs 40 per cent less than its stainless steel equivalent. The front floor, rear bumper and the active rear wing are manufactured from thinner carbonfibre than previously used by McLaren (and the first to be made in the company’s Sheffield carbon HQ), and you can reduce the car’s weight further still if you also replace its rear wings, door skins, front wings and bonnet with the lighter weaved material in place of the standard aluminium panels.

The 765LT looks sensational, like it was the car Rob Melville and his team penned first when sketching and detailing the 650S’s replacement and they’ve been waiting for it to have its moment in the spotlight ever since. The headlamp openings are smaller, the detailing around the front splitter, ahead of and after the front wheels, is pure race-car-intricate functional design that’s right on point. The openings atop the front wings are beautifully formed

with an unexpected level of precision and finish. Along the flanks the 720S’s sculptured shape is retained but the aero is wound up to 11. Yet there are no jarring bolt-ons, no unsightly additions to make apologies for.

And where to start at the rear? McLaren has never shied away from leaving the gizzards of its machines on show and the 765LT has near-P1 levels of exposure. Those gaping holes behind the rear wheels accelerate the turbulent air out of the wheel housings; the rear diffuser, suspended on a pair of slender carbon struts, does the same but from under the car and along its near totally flat floor.

And then there is the air brake. First seen on the 675LT, when it’s not helping to slow the fastest accelerating Super Series McLaren to date – 2.8sec to 100kmph, a tenth quicker than a 720S – it’s integral to increasing the car’s overall downforce by 25 per cent.

(It also adds 9mm to the length of the car, just about justifying the Longtail branding, although with the front splitter adding 47mm at the other end, perhaps the 765 is really more of a Longnose…)

After the 600LT’s pair of top-mounted, flame-splitting exhausts, the 765LT features a quad-tailpipe configuration for added Instagram likes – and a reduction in back pressure and increase in power from the venerable 4-litre, twin-turbo V8. Some may think it’s time McLaren found a newer, much fresher power source for its cars. After all, this Ricardo-built unit can trace its lineage back to before Apple launched the iPhone. But before a smaller, hybridised six-cylinder engine comes along in the next generation of Sports Series cars, the V8 has more work to do. So McLaren has given it some attention courtesy of the Senna, in the shape of that car’s

‘ T H E 7 6 5 LT I S F O L L O W I N G I N S O M E M I G H T I LY IMPRE S SIVE T YRE TRACKS’

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M C L A R E N 76 5 LT

T H E L O N G TA I L D I E T Race seats -18kg Ultra-lightweight wheels -22kg Air con delete -10kg New carbonfibre panels & meshes -14.3kg Lightweight battery -3kg Audio delete -1.5kg Lightweight glass & polycarbonate engine cover -6kg Removal of floor carpets -2.4kg Carbon transmission tunnel & door cards -2.5kg Lightweight springs -1.5kg Titanium exhaust -3.8kg Total weight saving 85kg

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forged pistons and higher-flowing fuel system that includes an additional fuel pump. Combined with a new intake system, the exhaust, and an engine map that sits part way between 720S and Senna, the new car gets an increased power figure and its name: 765. That’s PS, because 754 – the peak output in bhp – doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

When you factor in the 15 per cent improvement in in-gear acceleration times due to optimised gear ratios, combined with faster shift speeds and stiffer engine mounts, that increased connection between driver and car claimed by McLaren gets a clearer definition.

Lighter, more powerful and therefore quicker are givens, of course, but for the 765LT McLaren is striving to present its most focused car outside of its Ultimate Series family to date. To this end, as much has gone into developing its chassis as finessing its aero and massaging its V8.

Naturally, MonoCage II underpins the 765LT, as it does the 720S, but at each corner the springs are lighter, bespoke to the car and feature helper springs, and the dampers are retuned to take advantage of the weight reduction while also managing the increase in downforce and the enhanced mechanical grip. The latter is provided by the most advanced Trofeo R tyre Pirelli has developed for McLaren, which will be fitted to ultra-lightweight forged wheels that are secured with titanium bolts.

There’s a drop in ride height by 5mm at the front, while the rear stays the same as on the 720S for a downforce-increasing rake.

There’s a 6mm wider front track, a quicker steering ratio and a Above: It’s no coincidence that 765 examples of this third LT Super Series model will be built, the number representing the model’s PS power output

stiffer torsion bar, while the linked hydraulic active suspension remains and benefits from a comprehensive software update. Roll stiffness is increased by nearly 20 per cent at the front compared to the 675LT and over 20 per cent at the rear.

Along with the engine’s internals, the Senna has also donated its carbon-ceramic brake system (discs and calipers), with a new brake booster also developed for the latest LT model. Brake caliper cooling is now done via integrated ducts that McLaren’s automotive division has pinched from the Formula 1 team. The result is a claim that 193kmph to a standstill takes less than 110 metres – just 24 car lengths.

It’s a mark of McLaren’s confidence in the 765LT that at the car’s reveal it namechecked three rivals it considers the model capable of besting across any discipline on the table – a bold move when two of the three are Ferrari’s 488 Pista and Porsche’s 911 GT2 RS. The third car is the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ. When we pitted the 720S Track Pack against two of these three, plus the 911 GT3 RS rather than the 2RS, it was impossible to draw a conclusion as to who builds the most special special, so distinct are their personalities and how they go about thrilling you . With the 765LT, McLaren believes it has developed a clear winner. L

MCLAREN 765LT Engine V8, 3994cc, twin-turbo Power 754bhp @ 7500rpm Torque 800Nm @ 5500rpm Weight 1339kg Power-to-weight 572bhp/ton 0-100kmph 2.8sec Top speed 330kmph Price `3 crore (in the UK, excluding duties and taxes & limited to 765 units)

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S P EC I A L F E AT U R E : TOYOTA M A K I N G CA O FMHRY Y UHN YDAB RI ICDR ETA

U LT I M AT E WO R D S b y A F Z A L R AW U T H E R P H O T O G R A P H Y b y G U RU S H A N K A R S U B R A M A N I A N

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C R E AT I O N We witness the birth of a new generation of the SUV that created the mid-size segment in India

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S P EC I A L F E AT U R E : M A K I N G O F H Y U N DA I C R ETA

HE MID-SIZE SUV SPACE IS A HOTLY contested part of the Indian automotive market right now. Most brands are targeting the high volume segment with new products and the nameplate that is synonymous with the segment is now due for an update. In fact, it was the Hyundai Creta’s success – more than four lakh units sold in India – that prompted every other manufacturer to throw their hat into the ring.

Close on the heels of the unveiling of the new Creta at the Auto Expo, Hyundai offered us the opportunity to have a look behind the curtain to witness it being made from scratch at the plant outside Chennai, and we couldn’t say no. The launch of the new Hyundai Creta is also around the corner and in what proved to be a surprise, we could actually trace the production of the car that will join our evo India fleet in a short while.

The facility at Sriperumbudur is an integrate unit where all of Hyundai India’s cars are made and it produces more than 700,000 units every year. Hyundai has its order books full and the Creta is rolling out in large numbers ahead of an expected launch later this month.

It all starts at the body panel workshop. Hundreds of rolls of stainless steel arrive at the workshop everyday and all eyes are on the 5400-tonne capacity press that bears down on the sheets

T H E F A C I L I T Y AT SRIPERUMBUDUR PRODUCES MORE THAN 700,000 U NIT S EVE RY YE AR

of metal to produce individual body panels. There are two smaller 3400-tonne units too, but they are generally reserved for smaller parts and panels of the cars. The dies to produce these panels are made months in advance and trialled for a full three months before production actually begins. This, Hyundai engineers on the shop floor tell me, was to ensure that by the time production begins, the panels are created with a very high degree of dimensional accuracy.

At the plant, the name Creta is replaced by the code-name SU2i and the purple colour code for the dies makes Creta parts easy to spot in the massive facility. The number of purple dies in the body shop speak volumes about the demand that Hyundai India is anticipating for the new Creta. After the press, cuts and forms the metal, it goes through a few other processes in the same machine before shiny new panels are ejected out to the plant workers who stack them up. One in every 50 panels is checked for defects and an oil stone is used by technicians to check for deformities. If an imperfection is found, the entire lot is re-examined.

After the panels are made, they are transported to the next stage of the process, the body shop, where the magic really happens as the high strength shell of the Creta is put together. The material for the panels in the new Creta is high-strength steel and together with the chassis members – also made from high-strength steel – forms what Hyundai likes to call the ‘Superstructure’. The company claims the ‘Superstructure’ is strong enough to hold a weight of more than two African elephants combined. More than 650 industrial robots take up the job of machining and welding parts on to the body panels. The robots have an efficiency of more than 98 per cent and errors are kept to a minimum. There seemed to be fewer human operators than robots in this part of the plant, with their role visibly limited to feeding the parts and components to be put on the rig for them to be welded together with the body panels. Are humans becoming obsolete in the body shop then? Not quite. The critical job of programming these robots is handled by skilled operators. Technicians informed us that the robots can easily reach spots that are difficult to find and have a high accuracy for repetitive tasks.

Left top: The purple dies being used to stamp out panels of the Creta.

Left: A few of the 650 industrial robots in action. Facing page, top and bottom: The ‘superstructure’ transported across the shop floor; robots precision weld the Creta

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S P EC I A L F E AT U R E : M A K I N G O F H Y U N DA I C R ETA

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S P EC I A L F E AT U R E : TOYOTA CA M RY H Y B R I D

A HIGH-SPEED C A M E R A TA K E S 6 0 IMAG E S A MINUTE AS THE ENGINE IS BEING ASSEMBLED

To ensure the panels and body parts can be repeatedly made with such high precision, Hyundai India is employing some innovative measures. With 50 data scientists on the shop floor, data from billions of data points is relayed and analysed in real time, ensuring that possible problems or issues can be diagnosed and rectified before they snowball into something major.

After the body panels have all been fabricated and put together to form the body of the car, it is now time to get the cars painted. At the paint shop the cars are given an anti-rust treatment followed by multiple coats of paint and finally the clear coat which gives the cars that great shine. The painting is done by robots and due to the presence of hazardous chemicals no one is allowed inside the paint shop during operation. The paint shop is equipped with robots that can apply different colours on the same line. The paint shop uses an advanced electro-deposition method on the Creta. The Creta gets ten colour options which include two dualtone options and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;deep forestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; colour option reserved for the enthusiast-friendly variant with the 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine and DCT combo.

Meanwhile in the engine shop both the diesel and petrol motors are put together on the same line with 684 CNC machines assisting the skilled workforce. There are a total of 58 verification tests done while the engine is being manufactured to ensure the most critical component of the Creta is free of any possible defects.

A high speed camera captures 60 images a minute as the engine is being assembled to help operators diagnose and treat issues that might crop up. Available with the option of three engine options, a 1.5-litre diesel, 1.5-litre petrol and the turbo petrol, the new Creta also gets a number of automatic transmission options including the, DCT, CVT and torque converter.

The assembly shop is easily the most human intensive part of the process. The underbody chassis elements are first attached and then the body panels are precision welded. Then comes an extremely critical part of the process called chassis marriage.

Here the driveline components are attached to the chassis of the car. Mechanised platforms carry the engine components while the body is lowered from a conveyor for extremely skilled operators to attach the two in a matter of seconds. Oh, and by Facing page, top and bottom: Robotic arms drill holes for wiring and peripherals; a Creta undergoes the shower test. Top to bottom: A freshly formed panel; robots performing vital operations on the engine; the Creta after the PDI

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S P EC I A L F E AT U R E : M A K I N G O F H Y U N DA I C R ETA

the way conveyors are everywhere. Every component and part to be attached is transported by way of gigantic conveyors across different levels of the assembly shop. After the driveline is married to the chassis, everything else is attached sequentially by workers manually. There are numerous steps involved where sub-assemblies are seamlessly attached to the body by skilled technicians at each station. The cars on the assembly line are constantly on the move and operators only have a few seconds with each car to get it right before another car arrives. The fact that the assembly line includes a variety of cars and operators work on different cars one after the other without missing a beat, demonstrates how streamlined the entire process is.

ON TO THE PDI LINE, EVE RY FU N C TIO N A N D F E AT U R E I S E VA L U AT E D I N J U S T 800 SECONDS

After all the components are assembled, the blue protector panels attached after the paint shop are removed and the car proceeds for a number of critical tests. It is during this phase that the finishing touches are applied to the car. The Creta gets its wheel alignment done and passes through an enclosure where water is sprayed on it to check for leakages. At the end of the assembly line, the car is switched on for the first time. After a few cranks every car on the line starts up and is driven to the holding area for the final step of the process – the Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI). I ask the technician if they’ve come across a car not starting up and, with a grin, he says that every couple of months a car is sent back for a thorough check. Moving on to the PDI line, every function and feature is evaluated over 800 seconds. A total of 150 checks are done in the course of those 800 seconds. Only after the car passes every test is it sent to the customer. Hyundai executives stressed on how important it is to drive every car that they produce. A staggering 97 per cent of all cars get the all-clear in PDI stage at the very first attempt. The rest do so soon after.

A car rolls out from the assembly in just over half a minute at the Hyundai plant. Even with such high production numbers, the fact that Hyundai can deliver remarkable levels of quality is a testament to the enormous faith Hyundai places in its processes and its personnel. No wonder then that Hyundai’s customers reciprocate with enormous trust in Hyundai’s cars. Operational 295 days, every year, with three shifts around the clock, Hyundai India’s Sriperumbudur facility delivers high quality cars that have made Hyundai a leader in the Indian automotive industry.

Now with the new Creta, we can only expect the brand to scale new heights and reinforce their dominance in the segment it created. And of course, we can’t wait for the car we witnessed being built to arrive at the evo India offices for a comprehensive road test very soon. L www.

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FAST WO R D S b y S I R I S H C H A N D R A N

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B M W X 5 M & X 6 M CO M P ET I T I O N

BACK

How much is too much? Not a question that is ever asked at BMW’s M Division…

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Below: Both the M SUVs get the M1 and M2 buttons on the steering wheel that can be individually programmed to the engine, transmission and ESP settings. Gear lever is also unique to the M monsters.

Facing page: Optionally you can spec 21-inch wheels on the front and 22s at the rear

ITH 616BHP THERE CAN ONLY EVER BE ONE VERDICT on BMW M Division’s two new megamonsters; a rather obvious one involving two thumbs, both pointing skywards. After all, how do you not laugh at the ludicrousness of a 2.3 tonne SUV flinging itself to 100kmph in a scant 3.8 seconds? How do you not marvel at the tarmac-destroying potential of 950Nm of max twist called to action by launch control? How dead do you have to be to not flip out over the sheer insanity of an SUV that maxes out at 290kmph? And how desperately enthusiastic about EVs does one have to be to not go hallelujah over the excessiveness of a 4.4-litre V8 forcecharged by two turbos, spewing out a volcano of heat, spitting out anger, and via the speakers, amplified awesomeness?

How flipping amazing are the BMW X5 M and X6 M! It will cost a pile of money as enormous as that grille — which you didn’t notice because the M Division guys have blacked it out — but if you do have mountains of cash to burn, I would enthusiastically point you in the direction of the closest BMW dealership. The only question I really have to address is which of these mad things do you make hay in while oil prices get absolutely decimated with the pandemic.

Cut from the same cloth They weigh practically the same. From the nose till the B-pillar they are the same. The nostrils are wider on the X6 but even on the X5, the over-sized kidneys take a while to get used to. And the motor, the transmission, the drivetrain, the wheels and tyres, the interiors, the big red M buttons on the steering wheel, everything is the same. The only real difference is that the X6 M trades the headroom, airiness and the practicality of the X5 M for a fashionforward slope-back.

Practicality? Probably not the word I’m looking for; there’s nothing practical about 600bhp in an SUV! And that’s the mere

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B M W X 5 M & X 6 M CO M P ET I T I O N

THE M DRIVER’S PACK MURDERS THE SPEED LIMITER LETTING THESE MONSTERS BLUDGEON A TOP SPEED OF 290KMPH

M version where the chassis has been uprated with dynamic dampers, dynamic anti-roll bar up front and enormous Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres — 295/35 21-inchers up front and 315/30 22-inchers at the rear. The Competition, which I suspect is what will come to India, adds a further 16 horses for 616bhp. Or 625PS if you prefer your horses to speak in German. The Competition also brings to the party a strut brace to hold the suspension towers together, more leather and Alcantara on the inside, more blacked-out surfaces, a more sinister exhaust and a Track setting on top of the usual Sport Plus — so you can do a Tourist Day at the Nurburgring with your wife, kids and dogs in tow.

Oh, that’s not where the insanity ends. No sir. For some more cash (`8 lakh, but before taxes), you can opt for the M Driver’s Pack which murders the speed-limiter, letting these monsters bludgeon a top speed of 290kmph. That’s absurd. It’s too much. It is a triumph of mental petrolhead-ery over any sense. And what’s not to love about that?

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BS MP EC W IXA5L MF EAT & XU6R ME : CO M AMKPI NETGI TOIFO NC R ETA

BMW X5 M & X6 M COMPETITION Engine V8, 4395cc, twin-turbo, Power 616bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 750Nm @ 1800-5800rpm Weight 2370kg (X6 M), 2385kg (X5 M) 0-100kmph 3.8sec (claimed) 0-200kmph 13.2sec (X6 M), 13.4sec (X5 M) (claimed) Top speed 290kmph (with M Drivers Pack) Price `2.3 crore (ex-showroom, estimated)

Defying physics I hit the big red M1 button on the steering wheel, slot the gear lever into D and attack the mountain roads we’ve found ourselves on just outside of Phoenix in Arizona, USA. It’s a desert state, all along the road for the past hour were picture-postcard-perfect cacti and the terrain was flat but here we are, in hills of some sort, and we have the cops with us to shut off traffic to make photography and filming safe and easy. Of course I’m going to take advantage of that! I stick a Go Pro inside the SUV, get mic’d up, and belt up the hills with everything the X6 M has got. I’m only filming, officer.

Gott im Himmel. I’m in the X6 M (not that it would matter if I was in the X5 M either) and the sheer grip is insane. It is physically painful, and even with super-reactive active dampers the X6 M squats on its haunches, I see a bit of sky and am flung towards said sky. The corners come faster than I can say God in Heaven. The sickening violence of the acceleration is one thing, then there’s the wave of torque that you ride between corners, a wave that

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makes tsunami seem like such a tame word. It’s a relentless force.

Inexhaustible. You got to realise the X6 M Competition is just 25 horsepower shy of the Lamborghini Urus. This is a Super-SUV, no question about it. The shove just goes on and on, without a pause for breath, or even to shift gears. Says a lot about the 8-speed ZF ’box! And then there’s the handling itself.

This is a huge motha. Massive, in fact. Yet, defying physics seems to be the name of the fast-car game. With rear-wheel steer the X6 M virtually shortens its wheelbase, making it more agile round the quick and tight corners, shrinking itself, darting in with immediacy, and delivering rather little in terms of feedback as to where the limits lie. These fast SUVs, they do not roll. Their tyres are immense, have the footprint of a medium-sized runway and the spec I’m driving has the optional 22-inchers. The active damper and active roll stabilisation cut out all body roll. It stays so flat that you just have to trust it. Fling it into a corner, hold on, and marvel at the amazing speeds the X6 M is pulling through corners. I pull into the lay-by and the camera crew tells me the cops are freaking out with how I am driving. I reply that I’m filming and the cops are here to assist in the filming, right?

Next time round I hit M2 which slackens the ESP and sets everything to max-attack, just half a step below the all-out Track mode. There is no Drift mode on the X6 M, like on the M5 — X cars have to have full-time 4x4, that’s the rule at BMW. Fair enough.

One of the corners has a bit of water running across it and it’s a tight corner, high second gear, and I floor it on the exit. The rear steps out, easily caught, and that reveals the heavily rear-biased torque split that gives it that sense of agility, that sense of pushing the tail out while giving full-gas. Even the steering is rather dialled in and if you can intuitively wind on half a turn of lock without losing your shit and freaking out at the rock face staring at you — well, it does the job pretty well, doesn’t it? That the X6 M can manage a sense of agility and adjustability on a narrow and difficult mountain road, speaks immensely of how dialled-in the

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YOU GOT TO REALISE THIS IS JUST 25 HORSEPOWER SHY OF THE LAMBORGHINI URUS. THIS IS A SUPERSUV, NO QUESTION

Below: The coupe rear end of the X6 M gives it better aerodynamic performance allowing it to hit 200kmph in 13.2 seconds, two-tenths quicker than the X5 M

23-03-2020 14:41:35

B M W X 5 M & X 6 M CO M P ET I T I O N

ON TARMAC THESE HAVE TO BE DRIVEN WITH THE INTENSITY OF A BARKING MAD LUNATIC HELL BENT ON QUALITY JAIL TIME TO GET ANYWHERE CLOSE TO THE CHASSIS LIMITS suspension is; the manner in which M engineers have tied things down in this big momma. It’s a triumph of engineering over real driving skill to be honest. You just trust in it and hold on.

You probably won’t see the X6 in India At the drives in Phoenix, BMW confirmed they will bring the X5 M to India by June-July. Their logic is that (higher) CBU pricing means the regular (read diesel) X6 isn’t coming to India so what sense is there in bringing the X6 M. They’d rather focus on the X5, the thundering M at the very top of the range, adding sheen and sparkle to the volume (diesel) X5s. So there’s BMW saving you the time and trouble of choosing where to park your money.

There’s logic in that as well, after all the whole point of buying a fast SUV is that you have both the practicality of space and the impracticality of mad horsepower. And then the Covid-19 pandemic struck, so now all bets are off Later in the afternoon then, after getting hopelessly lost thanks to streams in the desert that had formed due to unseasonal rains, I swap to the X5 M Competition. And I immediately prefer it. It looks a damn sight better. The cabin feels more airy. You sit like you would in an SUV — like a king with plenty of space above your head, around your elbows, everywhere. And the drive out of the lunch stop in a ranch is over dirt roads where the X5 M, with ESP in its slackened mode, will power oversteer and hold

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slides like a rally car. To be fair, so too will the X6 M, and its better aerodynamics mean it gets to 200kmph two-tenths quicker than the X5 (13.2 to 13.4 seconds), though both will hit an absurd 290kmph. Meanwhile on the loose and slippery stuff, the torque means you can play with the big ol’ rear, steer it on the throttle and generally have way more fun than you would on the road.

On tarmac both have to be driven with the intensity of a barking mad lunatic hell bent on quality jail time to get anywhere close to the chassis limits, to get it to wriggle and just pretend like it is working for its supper. The limits are absurdly sky-high. The capability on another solar system.

Have M engineers gone overboard? Of course they have! There is not one single reason in the world to have such an absurdly powerful, over-endowed and excessive SUV. It’s conspicuous consumption at its very peak. It is too much. And that’s exactly what makes it so appealing. You don’t covet; lust after the mundane, sensible stuff, do you? As I pull into the hotel parking lot and hand over the keys, the X5 M radiating so much heat it feels like lava is going to spill out of the gaping kidneys, I say a silent thank you to the German obsession for mad horsepower.

The next AMG will have to make an SUV with near-about 650 horses. And if M and AMG are snapping at its heels, Lamborghini will need to do 700. And the race will go on. Until electric cars come along and say enough is enough. L

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23-03-2020 14:41:41

P R I S H OW

I

CAN HELP YOU GO faster,” says a genial-looking man behind a booth, as I walk past him. I’m no racing driver, but I was keen to see what he had to say. Maybe he could give me a few tricks to beat the lads at our weekend karting sessions at the local track. He couldn’t, but what he showed me was very interesting. The man was Kamal Amer, from Race Technology and he was at the Performance Racing Industry show, showcasing a data-logger that allows the driver to analyse his inputs.

I know a couple of questions probably popped in to your head there, and I’m going to try and answer them. First, what is the Performance Racing Industry, or

WO R D S b y A AT I S H M I S H R A

RACING IS SERIOUS BUSINESS

At the PRI show, we were privy to what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to racing and the entire industry that fuels our passion www.

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P R I S H OW

Above: Your correspondent Aatish, along with the maker of the Speed Seat, of the winners he picked at the PRI show. Below: Pro stock drag cars are a sight to behold

PRI, show? It is a trade show for racing.

Yep, so everything from retailers and manufacturers for parts, engine builders, trailer suppliers, tuners, racecar drivers — they all gather under one roof to showcase their products, and hopefully do business.

And what in the world was I doing there?

Well, I was there as a judge on behalf of India, to see which products have the most relevance to our market.

The differences cannot be more apparent. In the land of cheap gas, big engines rule and that is such a stark difference to what we have here. In India, we race the engines we use. So more often than not, the race and rally championships see cars with small four-pot engines. Sure, they may be some of the most powerful 1.5-litre naturally-aspirated engines in the world, but they are dwarfed by the

sheer scale of racing in the USA. There, the engines they use tend to be much larger and much growlier. V8s, to be precise.

Right from Nascar, Indycars, Supercars and drag — the V8 engine is king and is extremely popular. And this trickles down to the grassroots too. Grassroot racing in the USA is vibrant and is backed by the rich car culture the country has. Engines can be bought in crates, modified, juiced up and raced. India is a stark contrast where engines need to be sourced from donor cars, and worked on extensively before they can be race ready.

The sheer variety of racing series helps too. Dirt track racing is hugely popular in the US and the number of sub-classes will make your brain hurt. Drag racing also has a massive following and right from top-fuel drag cars which need engines rebuilt after

OUR TOP SIX PICKS FROM THE PRI SHOW

AMSOIL CETANE BOOST + CLEAN

FAST WIRELESS AIR/ FUEL K IT

QUANTUM COOLER

Sure, we do not have too many diesel cars in racing but there are plenty of diesel cars on our roads with drivers looking for quick performance upgrades. This formula from Amsoil cleans injectors and provides a cetane boost of up to eight points. Probably the easiest way to get your diesel car running better.

Getting the right air/fuel mixture is essential to keep the engine running well and the Fast Wireless air/fuel meter kit from COMP Performance Group makes it real simple. Oxygen sensors hook up to a Bluetooth transmitter so you can monitor how rich or lean your engine is running from your smartphone.

Racing in India can get very hot, as outside temperatures can soar to 40 degrees Celsius and in-car temperatures can be significantly higher. The Quantum Cooler from Chillout Systems is an ice-less cooling system that pumps coolant around a driver’s torso in a specially designed inner.

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23-03-2020 16:59:28

G RA S SRO OT RACIN G IN THE USA IS VIB RANT AND IS BACKE D BY T H E I R R I C H C A R C U LT U R E every couple of runs to beat up old bangers that race at amateur races — everything flies. At the show, tuners and builders showcased their finest products and it was utterly mind-boggling.

Honestly, it was hard judging these products for India. The products that were relevant for a country like ours, with the level of racing we have, was limited. There were turbochargers and superchargers Left, top to bottom: Buyers and retailers network at the show; suspension components on display; massive supercharger can boost an engine to 3500hp. Above: The show had visitors from all over the world

bigger than the engine blocks we use, but in the midst of it all, I found some relevant stuff. I found a few driver cooling solutions, pistons for the TSI engines from Volkswagen and even a fuel pump for the Polaris ATVs that are so popular in rally raids around the country.

The show brought together everyone — right from giants like Bosch and ZF, to passionate people like Kamal who are providing for simpler, but just as effective solutions. As someone who is passionate about the sport, it is heartening to see the sheer buzz at a show like PRI, and the potential to where motorsport can grow to in our own country. L

PISTIONS FOR V W 2.0 TSI

AIR-COOLED SEAT

TITANIUM LUG NUTS

Volkswagen Motorsport is extremely active in India, and though they don’t race cars with the 2-litre TSI, the engine is popular amongst enthusiasts.

These JE Pistons are stronger and promise better performance in cars running these engines like the Skoda Octavia vRS.

This system designed and made by Speed Seat is an insert that blows air to cool the driver in a racecar. It gets a 12V DC blower, has lightweight construction and even gets ports to connect a helmet cooler.

Staying cool during the race is so essential to putting in a solid performance!

FTG Performance titanium lug nuts are stronger, more durable and lighter – helping you save all that unsprung mass at your wheels. In addition to being useful on track, running them on your street car would make it instantly cooler and bump up its performance cred.

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2/25/2020 8:11:43 PM

YADVINDER SINGH GULERIA HMSI’s senior VP of sales & marketing on the current state of the Indian 2-wheeler industry

Trail Blazin’ Honda brings in its flagship adventure tourer, the Africa Twin Adventure Sports to India ONDA HAS LAUNCHED THE NEW Africa Twin in India, with prices for the manual starting at `15.35 lakh, while the DCT variant costs `16.10 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The new Africa Twin features a bigger engine, new chassis and hardware.

The 2020 Africa Twin receives new rally-style bodywork, a raised handlebar, a slimmer tail section and narrower seat. It also gets a bolt-on aluminium subframe, a 24.8-litre fuel tank, extended wind protection, adjustable screen, tubeless tyres, aluminium carrier and heated grips as standard. Available in India only in the Adventure Sports variant, it gets threestage cornering lights managed by IMU and automatically adjusts the field of illumination depending on the lean angle. Optionally the bike also gets electronically adjustable Showa forks.

Honda has retained the 8-valve SOHC setup but the displacement has gone up to 1084cc.

Now the Africa Twin pushes 100 ponies instead of 93 in the previous model. The torque too has gone up from 99Nm to 105Nm. With updates

H

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like aluminium cylinder sleeves, it has managed to shave 2.5kg off the manual powertrain and 2.2kg off the DCT. In addition to all this, the exhaust end-can now features a variable exhaust control valve that opens at high rpm to add raunchiness to the exhaust note. In 2018, the Africa Twin received throttle-by-wire, allowing Honda to add their selectable torque control and for 2020, the upgraded suite now works in conjunction with the six-axis IMU. Though the seven level HSTC still exists, it works with real-time input from the IMU. This system also offers four levels of power and three levels of engine braking.

The Africa Twin gets a 6.5-inch multicolour TFT touchscreen display, complete with Apple CarPlay. There’s an emergency stop signal function which turns on the hazard lamps during hard stops over 50kmph.

The bookings are already underway for both variants and deliveries are expected to commence from May 2020.

“We were the first mover in September 2019 itself. We had enough time to get that feedback and raise awareness, and we are very happy that despite the customers having a choice between BS4 and BS6 models, they still bought a Honda BS6 at a higher price point. We have already dispatched more than four lakh units as we speak.”

“Today, a customer has to pay more than 20-25 per cent premium than what he would have paid in August 2018. This is what has happened in these months so whether it is insurance premium or a CBS to ABS or BS6, all these things have added a cost to the customer.

Once you go to a higher price point, for some, the two-wheeler has already gone beyond budget so they have deferred their purchases or opted for a pre-owned two-wheeler. “ “Moving forward, there would be a big contribution from such enablers like how much we are able to realise retail from good retail schemes for the customer. Other things are economic factors which are not in control of Honda or the market as such, so we need to wait. NBFCs initially struggled so all those factors which are external factors, are also having a big impact on the demand.

Combining all those things together and what we see in the next five-six months, this challenge is going to continue, it is not going to be any demand revival, any sudden growth in demand may be only visible in the next festive season. There have been some expectations from budget that also did not materialise especially for the auto industry. Whatever measures have been announced are not short term, they are good things but they are long term for us to see.”

evoIndia.com | April 2020

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23-03-2020 14:53:39

NEWS WORDS by MANAAL MAHATME

LAUNCHED

The American Dream

Royal Enfield takes its flat-tracking dream to the American Flat Track competitions FEW MONTHS AGO, ROYAL ENFIELD sent shockwaves in the country after announcing its intention to get into flat-tracking and by starting the Slide School to nurture new talent. Now, RE has stepped up the game by announcing its entry into the American Flat Track scene.

Unlike Harley-Davidson or Indian Motorcycle, RE isn’t directly involved in the sport but has tied up with veteran Johnny Lewis and Harris Performance to develop the Twins FT, based on

A

Black is back Indian adds a minimalistic 999cc version of the Scout Bobber to its portfolio

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the Interceptor 650 for the 2020 AFT season in the Production Twins Class on selected tracks.

The Twins FT sports a brazed steel tube frame along with new suspension, tyres and Dunlop flat track tyres. To keep the weight down, the bike gets complete carbonfibre bodywork and S&S exhaust. The bike also flaunts a big-bore kit developed by Harris Performance.

RE will have its FT 411 at the races as part of the Slide School and will allow the general public to have a go at the flat tracker at select events.

NDIAN MOTORCYCLE DECIDED TO give the bobber treatment to the Scout Sixty. The Scout Bobber Sixty gets the same 999cc engine from the 2019 Scout Sixty and staying true to the Bobber genes, gets chopped fenders, a blacked-out engine, new tank badge, perch-mount mirrors, minimalistic headlight and new 5-spoke blacked-out alloy wheels.

The Scout Bobber Sixty will be available in Thunder Black and Thunder Black Smoke paint.

Riders looking to customise their Scout Bobber Sixty can do so by selecting from more than 140 authentic Indian Motorcycle accessories, including Indian Motorcycle’s all-new colour matched comfort seat and passenger seat options. We expect the Scout Bobber Sixty to make it to our shores by the end of this year, at an estimated `12 lakh (ex-showroom).

HUSQVARNA SVARTPILEN AND VITPILEN 250 

The Huskies share their components with the 250 Duke, including the engine and the frame. However, they get a smaller fuel tank. The Svartpilen is the scrambler, while Vitpilen is the Swedish brand’s idea of a café racer.

Variant Svar tpilen 250 Vitpilen 250

Price

`1.80 la k h `1.80 la k h

Prices ex-showro om , D elhi

I

BAJAJ DOMINAR 250  The Dominar 250 gets the 248cc, singlecylinder engine from the 250 Duke and produces 26.6bhp and 23.5Nm. It gets slimmer 37mm USD forks and a smaller, 300mm disc at the front. The 250 is heav y, tipping the scales at 180kg.

Variant Price Dom inar 250

`1.60 la k h

Price ex-showro om , D elhi

23-03-2020 14:53:45

TVS IQUBE

WO R D S B Y A F Z A L R AW U T H E R PHOTOGR A PH Y BY A BHISHEK BENN Y

OF BOTH WORLDS The newest entrant into the electric scooter space straddles the line between comfort and sportiness 144

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HE ELECTRIC SCOOTER MARKET is growing and with increasing demand, the government and infrastructure companies are trying to keep pace.

Adding to the demand are mainstream manufacturers that now getting into the game. Leading the pack was Bajaj when it launched the Chetak and now TVS has launched the iQube to gain a foothold in the space. We rode it on TVS’ test track in Hosur and here are our first impressions.

Most manufacturers try to distinguish their EVs from the regular crop of fossil fuel driven products and even TVS has left no stone unturned to do so.

It gets a short, stubby nose with a glass bar running across it with LED lamps and a black panel insert above the iQube logo. There are daytime running lamps positioned higher above and they separate the black windshield and the rest of the fascia finished in white. The sides are relatively unremarkable save for the glowing ‘TVS electric’ badge near the rear wheel which, lights up when the scooter is stationary. The rear has a bar that runs across with the brake and indicator lights integrated into it.

Once astride the TVS iQube, the first thing you notice is that the ergonomics are spot on and unlike other electric scooter manufacturers, TVS has resisted the urge to overwhelm riders with a host of controls that they might not use – opting for a 5.0-inch infotainment console that only displays pertinent information. There are switches for the hazard lights and ‘Q Park Assist’ that allow you to move the bike in forward or reverse direction at crawling speeds.

On the go, the TVS iQube aided by the 4.4kW hub motor is quick and easily builds up speed all the way to the limit of 78kmph (we did get to an indicated 87kmph though) in Power mode and 50kmph in Eco mode. The 140Nm of torque at the wheel does play its part and from a standstill, the scooter accelerates to 40kmph in just 4.2 seconds.

Letting go off the throttle gets the regen to kick in.

It can be used to ride efficiently with minimum use of the brakes. When you do need to use the brakes, they have loads of bite and great feedback too. The 220m disc at the front combined with the 130mm drum at the rear mean that the brakes are great for enthusiastic riding. The 12-inch, 90-section rubber that the scooter comes shod with offers good grip and doesn’t protest even under heavy braking.

The concentration of weight towards the centre

TVS iQUBE Battery 2.25kWh, Li-ion Transmission Single-speed Power 4.4kW Torque 140Nm (at the wheel) Weight NA Price `1.15 lakh (ex-showroom)

THE TUBULAR FRAME CONSTRUCTION MAKES THE IQUBE INHERENTLY STABLE AT SPEEDS in the tubular frame construction makes the iQube inherently stable at speeds and you have to make a few corrections. Tipping into corners, the iQube feels eager and the weight transfer is smooth and effortless, inspiring confidence. Through a corner, it handles predictably too, staying flat and composed and you are never unsure about where the limits are.

With a price tag of `1.15 lakh, the iQube is on the pricier end of the market, but it marries TVS’ sporty DNA with an electric heart and could turn out to be the right balance between sporty handling and a pliant ride. However, the low range of 75km and 55km in Eco and Power mode respectively could prove to be a dampener. L www.

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Clockwise from top: The iQube offers a comfortable riding position; the TVS Electric badge lights up when stationary; the instrument console is easy to read even under a bright sun; the charging station uses an RFID card for authentication

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WO R D S b y M A N A A L M A H AT M E PHOTOGR A PH Y by A BHISHEK BENN Y & RO H I T G M A N E

OG HOON! The KTM that started the orange revolution gets its long due update

E

IGHT YEARS. THAT’S HOW LONG WE’VE HAD the KTM 200 Duke. And in all these years, the only update the Katoom was subjected to, was mild cosmetic updates and recently, the addition of single-channel ABS. Despite carrying the same design all these years, the 200 Duke topped the charts for KTM, until the 125 Duke arrived. Now, for 2020, there’s a lot more than new livery.

For starters, the 199.5cc powerhouse now sits in a chassis and bodywork borrowed from the 250 Duke. The upside of using the 250’s underpinnings is that the tank capacity has gone from a measly 10.5 litres to 13.5 litres, there’s a roomier seat and a commanding riding posture. However, on the flipside, the kerb weight has shot up by 11kg and the seat height is now 835mm.

The new frame along with the new exhaust has dropped ground clearance by a massive 20mm.

To suit the new chassis and engine, the suspension has been tweaked and now the WP pogos offer 142mm of travel (same as the 250 Duke). The 10-step monoshock remains the same, offering 60mm travel. Though the braking hardware remains the same, the 200 Duke now flaunts dual-channel ABS, replacing the singlechannel unit from the outgoing model.

The moment you swing your leg over, you’ll find the riding position to be more engaging. The very familiar digital display welcomes you and when you fire it up, the difference is obvious.

The engine retains its frantic nature, coming to life only after

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23-03-2020 14:12:26

KT M 2 0 0 D U K E

2020 KTM 200 DUKE Engine 199.5cc, single cylinder, liquid-cooled Transmission 6-speed Power 24.7bhp @ 10,00rpm Torque 19.3Nm @ 8000rpm Weight 159kg 0-60kmph NA Top speed 138kmph Fuel capacity 13.5 litres Price `1.72 lakh (ex-showroom)

Facing page, top to bottom: The headlight is straight off the 250 Duke; instrument console is informative but feels dated; the Duke loves to corner.

Above: Despite the 11kg flab, the bike remains fun around corners. Right: The exhaust is now rerouted, which results in better heat dissipation

6k rpm but now is noticeably more refined. The vibrations have dropped drastically, creeping in only around the redline. However, with the 11kg flab, the bike felt a tad slower on the track, compared to the older model. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get me wrong, It is a fun bike to hoon around on and the short gearing only adds to the experience.

When attacking corners, the story is no different. Though the length of the bike has increased by 79mm, the wheelbase remains the same at 1357mm and the bike is stable in corners. The front end, however, is twitchy compared to the 390 and the Metzelershod 390 Duke is more confidence inspiring, especially after riding it back-to-back with the MRF REVZ. Nothing much has changed on the braking front. The 200 Duke retains the same 300mm/230mm brake setup offering adequate stopping power. I would have preferred more feedback, especially from front but the ABS has been calibrated well, even at the rear.

The 200 Duke has always been tempting, and now with more refinement, a capable chassis, better quality, it is back in the game.

At `1.72 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the bike demands a premium of over `10,000 but, despite that, it continues to be a great valuefor-money proposition in my opinion. If you are in the market for a spirited 200cc motorcycle, look no further! L www.

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3

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1: Same mean-looking headlight for 2020. 2: Quick shift+ can be turned off. 3: Trellis frame remains unchanged. 4: The 320mm disc has a ferocious bite

Quick ride

2020 KTM 390 Duke

The Austrian hooligan now gets a quickshifter to make it even more irresistible Words: Manaal Mahatme | Photography: Abhishek Benny and Rohit G Mane

T

HE KTM 390 DUKE REDEFINED performance motorcycling in India seven years ago and in 2017, KTM took things up a notch with a new chassis, TFT display and even ride-by-wire. Now with BS6 norms around the corner, the Duke has gone under the knife again.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new?

The biggest highlight is the addition of a bidirectional quickshifter, which we have already seen on the 390 Adventure and it is the only bike in the segment to get one. The TFT display has undergone some mild changes as well.

Despite meeting the new emission norms, KTM managed to retain the same performance figures as the outgoing model. The exhaust has been rerouted to accommodate the new cat con which has resulted in better heat dissipation. However, this has dropped the

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ground clearance by a massive 24mm, and the weight has now gone up by 4kg.

Once a hooligan, always a hooligan

With no changes to the ergonomics, the riderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s triangle remains the same, almost like a supermoto. The 390 continues to be a joy to ride and guarantees a wide grin every time you crack open the throttle. The quickshifter works flawlessly for upshifts while downshifts were smooth most of the time.

Specification Engine 373.2cc, single-cyl, liquid-cooled Transmission 6-speed Power 42.9bhp @ 9000rpm Torque 37Nm @ 7000rpm Fuel tank capacity 13.5 litres Price `2.52 lakh(ex-showroom, Delhi)

The hardware too remains the same as the previous model. The 43mm WP Apex USDs work brilliantly on the track, and as we have seen with the previous models, can handle the everyday hustle. Brakes are amazing too, the front having a ferocious bite and both the brakes offer ample feedback and stopping power.

Worth the splurge?

At `2.52 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the 390 Duke has witnessed a hike of `4,716, which is not a big amount when compared to the hike other BS6 two-wheelers have seen especially when you are being offered a bi-directional quickshifter as standard. If you are in the market for something that can be relaxing, you should probably look elsewhere, but if you are on the lookout for something that will bring out your inner teenager again, the 390 Duke continues to be the right choice. L

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Quick ride

Honda Activa 6G

20 years on, the country’s most loved scooter gets an overhaul. But is that enough?

Words: Manaal Mahatme | Photography: Sachin S Khot

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T WOULDN’T BE A STRETCH to call it a game changer in the Indian two-wheeler scene. The Honda Activa didn’t pack overthe-top design nor did it have mind-boggling performance. What it promised was reliability and it delivered. Now, 19 years and 2.3 crore units later, Honda has added another chapter to its success story in India, the Activa 6G.

What’s new?

With the underpinnings shared with the 125cc sibling, the Activa has now grown in size and features. For the first time, Activa gets telescopic suspension and a 12-inch wheel at the front which has contributed to the best-inclass ground clearance of 171mm. It also shares features like external fuel lid, multi-function key and LED headlamp with the Activa 125.

The Activa’s 109.51cc, single-cylinder engine produces 7.79bhp and 8.79Nm, which is a

tad lower than the outgoing model. Honda, however, has worked on improving the refinement and efficiency of the engine.

Typical Honda

The Activa is very refined and the vibrations aren’t felt until 80kmph, after which a few creep in through the footrest. The acceleration is super smooth and the scooter feels quick to the 60kmph mark and then things get boring.

The handling has improved tremendously. It

Specification Engine 109.51cc, single-cyl, air-cooled Transmission CVT Power 7.79bhp @ 8500rpm Torque 8.79Nm @ 7500rpm Fuel tank capacity 5.3 litres Price `65,412 (ex-showroom, Delhi)

now feels much more confident while flicking around in city traffic and also tips in easily into corners. However, there’s little feedback from the front, but then again, you wouldn’t be going all Marquez on a scooter. Just like the older models, the suspension is on the stiffer side. The brakes on the Activa work well too, offering enough stopping power and feedback, especially at the rear.

Still worth the splurge?

At `63,912 for the standard version and `65,412 for the Deluxe version (all prices ex-showroom, Delhi), the Activa is pricey, especially with its arch rival, the TVS Jupiter, in the picture. The Activa 6G surely woos you with its superior build quality, refinement and the 3+3 year warranty, but from a scooter that revolutionised the segment in India, one would expect a lot more than just bringing it in at the same level as the competition. L

1: No digital fuel gauge for 2020. 2: External fuel filler cap is a go. 3: Engine kill switch is new. 4: Telescopic suspension for the first time

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A P P L E S WO R D S b y S I R I S H C H A N D R A N

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O R A N G E S P H O T O G R A P H Y b y S R I K A N T H T I RU PAT T U R & A D I T YA B E D R E

How different is a touring car from a single-seater? The editor races both in the MRF Challenge weekend to find out

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Right: The seat fitting where they make your seat and adjust the pedals for height; for oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s width the gym is the only solution. Above: Corner weights getting checked prior to the races. Facing page: Rayo towering over the Ed

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T R AC K T ES T: M R F F -1 6 0 0 & V W A M EO C U P

“THEY’RE WAITING FOR YOUR SEAT fitting, c!*tiya,” hollers Farad Bathena, proceeding to then question my gender, provenance, life choices and sexual orientation. A racing and more so legend of rallying with the most extravagantly flowery prose in a paddock not known for its political correctness, Farad now runs the MRF Formula 1600 program.

Which leaves me confused. I have nothing to do with his end of the pit lane. I’m at the MMRT to race the VW Ameo Cup car in its swansong race, and as far as I know, touring cars do not need a seat fitting.

“You’re driving the 1600, c!@tiya,” booms Farad.

“Wait, what?”

Turns out the good folks at MRF Tyres decided that throwing me into the races would be the best way for me to test their F-1600. And that’s how I found myself suited up and wriggling my buttocks on a warm bag of gooey stuff on the floor of the MRF Formula 1600 single-seater. It’s the first indication of the F-1600s being a serious bit of kit. The seat is custom made, the pedals are adjustable and are now being moved as far forward as they will go to account for my height, and reams of padding are strategically being stuck inside the tub to account for my girth.

“Okay, saar!” shouts my mechanic — yeah, my own mechanic!

— and he then tries his best not to laugh at the sight of me struggling to get out of the tub. The first of many realisations of the weeekend — race drivers are proper-fit to be able to jump out of their cars!

No such fitness worries, or even demands, with the Ameo Cup. The seat adjustment is relatively straight forward, and this is a pit where everything feels familiar. I share my name with VW’s motorsport head Sirish Vissa! I know almost every member of the VW race crew — familiar faces from when I worked closely with the factory as we setup our rally team in 2013, and of course I’ve done the odd rally as a factory driver (2018’s Popular Rally) and race (Vento Cup in 2016). And the Ameo is a ‘car’ as we know it.

You aren’t lying on the floor, visibility is like in a normal car, and things are easy… there’s enough and more space to move around, there is power steering, an automatic gearbox, assisted brakes, easy-peasy.

The first practice session is with the Ameo and I’m way off the pace, second from the bottom of the timing sheets. I didn’t know it before I signed up but I was in a grid made up of all the past Polo, Vento and Ameo Cup champions — all vying for a `3 lakh prize money purse. Right royal way to get my ass handed to me on a platter, I mutter to no one in particular. Little did I know about the whupping I was going to get in the single-seater.

about a performance disparity, there are never any mechanical failures and the cars look box fresh. It runs a Ford 1.6-litre 100bhp engine, but this is the last race with this naturally-aspirated motor before a turbo-engine is put in for the 2020 season. A Hewland 6-speed sequential gearbox is operated by a short stubby lever next to my right knee, while the clutch is used only to launch the car.

The Van Diemen chassis is similar to what used to run in British Formula Ford, but with an added level of reliability and strength thrown in. And they run on the best racing slicks in India. Actually the best racing slicks are on the MRF F-2000; the 1600 and Ameo are the supporting races for the final round of the MRF Challenge series.

Anyway, back to the driving and turns out spinning is the only way to find where the limits are. J Anand looks at my one-sessionold MRF tyres and tells the mechanics not to put me on new rubber for the next; I am not even scrubbing it in. “Drive faster, man”, he adds trying to be as polite as possible.

I sit down with Karthik and my data sheets. I don’t need him to tell me I am dog-slow, that I am braking far too early, getting on the gas far too late and not carrying enough corner speeds. What I need him to tell me is how not to embarrass myself.

“Don’t brake for C1.”

Turns out the faster guys don’t even give a full lift off the throttle for the first corner under the MRF arch, but Karthik tells me to take it with a lift. “The car will get unsettled, fight it,” he adds before reminiscing about the number of times he spun at C1 in his debut year in the F-1600 trying to find the limit. I’m too old to hurt myself, I mutter to myself.

C4, he tells me to get on the gas early to get the rear to rotate and square off the corner. I remember what Anindith Reddy, another

TURNS OUT SPINNING IS THE ONLY WAY TO FIND WHERE THE LIMITS ARE

FWD vs RWD What I am attempting to do is race two completely different race cars that demand completely different driving styles — hustle the 1600, be patient with the Ameo. My brain is more preoccupied with keeping me alive so I fall back on Karthik Tharani to tell me how I should drive the F-1600.

“Spin!”

Right then, not the advice I’m looking for.

“Spin!”, adds J Anand, the J and the A in JA Motorsport, the outfit that has built and runs these race cars, the best Indian-made single-seater in competition right now. It’s now in its tenth season but has been looked after so well that not one driver complains

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Above: Wires of the electrical cut-out shorting meant starting from the back of the grid. Left: VW’s pit crew also has a bunch of ladies, here sorting out the wiring on the Ed’s car. Bottom: Two Sirishes (kneeling) and the ace VW Motorsport crew. Facing page: Super grid had a massive 15 rows

1600 & VW Cup champ told me on the way to the track, “Wind off lock quickly, the tail won’t snap out then.” The long D at the back, Karthik again tells me use the power to get the tail to rotate rather than just use the steering. No brakes and not even a lift for the left after Anand’s corner. No brakes for the kink before the slow left.

No brakes, just a lift to downshift for C12 before the main straight.

Basically swallow some brave bills and do not brake. “And you need to drive faster”, says Karthik in the nicest possible way.

Commit, trust that the car will grip, and fight the car — it will slide, you gotta catch it and be on it.

“Competitor number 7, report to the stewards room,” comes the announcement over the loud speakers. That’s me. I haven’t made the 115 per cent qualifying cut off and the stewards, in their stern steward-ly fashion, instruct me to pull into the pits after four laps and not get in the way of the faster car that will come to lap me. I readily agree — I don’t think I’d physically hold up for more than four laps in any case.

The Ameo, in contrast, is the complete opposite to drive. I’m not 25, but 2 seconds behind the pace of the front runners. For me, as I guess anybody who has access to and has driven fast cars, getting to a not-embarrassing pace in a touring car like the Ameo is not a Himalayan ask. In fact VW Motorsport has deliberately tuned the car to be easy to drive, this is after all where everybody starts their careers and then moves up the ladder. The Ameo doesn’t slide or snap. The brakes have ABS so if you’re overenthusiastic they still will not lock. It is front-wheel drive with an LSD, but because of the electric power steering it does not snap or bite. There is a sequential gearbox but it is connected to an electronic actuator activated by steering wheel paddles so it is easy to use and has a fail-safe so you don’t downshift too early and blow the engine.

In the 1600 you get on the gas to rotate the rear and finish the corner quicker; getting on the gas too early only pushes the Ameo’s nose wide and exacerbates the understeer. In fact shaving those tenths to the front-runners is all about patience, letting the car settle, get the nose to kiss the apex before getting on the gas, wait and find the grip, straightening the steering as early as possible to maximise traction, and exploit the power of the 1.8 TSI engine.

The opposite of the single-seaters! Where I should be hustling the 1600 I’m taking it easy. And where I should be waiting for understeer to get scrubbed off, for the nose to point to the apex, to not lean on the ABS, I am unnecessarily hustling the Ameo.

I also realise why. With the power steering it is easy to hustle the Ameo. Without power steering it is physically demanding to hustle, fight, and work the F-1600.

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Confidence Lift There is a reason why race weekends are for three, sometimes four days — your brain needs the time to process information. And once everything slows down in your head, your lap times start to drop. Over the weekend, in every single session with the 1600s, my lap time dropped by 5 seconds. Of course it also shows how ridiculously slow I was to start with.

In the first MRF F-1600 race I pulled in not after 4 but 6 laps and even then there was nobody in my mirrors. Second race I did the full 10 laps, aided no doubt by a 3 lap safety car period, but my race pace had improved by 5 seconds and my times were well within the qualifying cut out. The third and last race, time to give it my all.

C1 — a big lift, confidence lift as the racers call it, but at least I didn’t touch the brakes. I trust the car, trust the grip of the MRF tyres. It gets ragged, I have to catch the tail once, twice, but I’m clearly quicker — something that I feel in my neck as it struggles against the g-forces. When driven with commitment, that’s when the F-1600 starts to work, the wings start to generate downforce, the tyres get heat and grip, and the car starts to deliver. It is harder work but as a driver you begin to enjoy it more. The tail does move around but it’s a peach to catch; super-intuitive really. I have t-shirts and stickers that scream ‘rally drivers do it sideways’, but truth is racing drivers also get sideways. Getting the car to oversteer is the only way to get the lap time — it’s just that racing drivers catch the slide in a blink and are back on the gas. Slide, catch, gas, slide, catch — all in a blink.

The single-seater is a pure, unadulterated, uncorrupted driving experience. There’s no electronic safety net. It is you, your reactions and your right foot. There’s no filter between the MRF tyres and your palms — this is as pure as steering feel can get.

Similarly the brakes, no ABS, it’s your sensitivity that keeps it at the very edge of lock-up but not locking up. There is no roll and no understeer, the limit is when the tail comes round. At the limit it snaps, over the limit you spin, and that’s how you know what it can do and what to do to get some more out of it.

I didn’t spin. I was too nervous, too scared to over cook it. But I

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T R AC K T ES T: M R F F -1 6 0 0 & V W A M EO C U P

did get quicker, finally clocking a 1:45.787 in the last race. That’s still 7 seconds slower than eventual race winner Sohil Shah but 15 seconds faster than where I started, earning me a, “Not too bad c#@!iya,” from Farad.

Easy does the time I’m not having an easy time with the Ameo Cup. In second practice the fuel pump cuts out due to dirt in the fuel and I have to sit out the session. The issue isn’t sorted in time for qualifying so I sit that out too. In the first race, I start at the back of the Ameo grid, make two places at the start, drop a place half way through the lap and then cut out at the hard braking going into Anand’s corner. It’s eventually traced to the external electrical cut-out wires shorting and every lap my car dies braking into Anand’s corner, I pull into the grass, wait for 10 seconds, and the car starts up. After four laps I pull into the pits and retire, and that means I will be starting the next race from the absolute back of the grid.

The MMSC, organisers of the MRF Challenge, have put all the touring cars together in one grid — the ITC, Super Stock and the Ameos, all together — and I’m on the 14th row in 27th spot for the second race. I’m so far back I cannot even see the start lights. My starting box is actually behind the last corner. I use launch control at the start but then have to get off the gas to turn for C12 and

then back on the gas for the straight. I have four rows of slower cars to get past — the Ameo Cup cars are so quick only the top two ITC cars have a quicker lap time. A faster, more aggressive driver would have scythed through the field much quicker, but in the overtaking melle I was forgetting to brake, missing my markers, running wide and then being over aggressive with the car and understeering too much. But I had a blast, eventually overtaking over a dozen cars, and finishing 8th out of 10 Ameos — a fitting way to bid it farewell.

These cars now go back to Pune where the powertrain will be yanked out, push-to-pass added, and the shebang squeezed into the new Polo Cup cars for the 2020 season. Polo, Vento, Ameo and now we are back to the Polo, each successive generation of the Cup car getting faster, more technically sophisticated and safer; ten years of setting the benchmark for single-make racing in India. And the recent reorganisation of the VW Group in India has only strengthened the motorsport program with the Volkswagen brand and its motorsport activities now closely integrated and synergised. Maybe we will finally see a Cup edition of the Polo with motorsport-inspired go-faster trickery.

As for the racing, the season kicks off in June. Which gives me enough time to hit the gym and hopefully not embarrass myself when I bag a race seat. L

I HAD A BLAST, OVERTAKING A DOZEN CARS, AND FINISHING 8TH OUT OF 10 AMEOS — A FITTING WAY TO BID IT FAREWELL

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WO R D S b y S U D I P T O C H AU D H U RY

Sports minister awards the champs

Narain Karthikeyan, Aishwarya Pissay and Jehan Daruvala received top honours at the hands of Minister Kiren Rijiju VER 110 CHAMPIONS IN THE field of motorsport, including 2019 Arjuna awardee Gaurav Gill, were felicitated at the 2020 FMSCI awards, held in New Delhi on 29th February 2020.

Honourable Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju, awarded and personally congratulated the winners.

Praising their achievements, Rijiju said, “Every sport needs heroes to inspire the next generation of champions. I want to commend all the winners for scripting the stories that will motivate new talent in motorsport and continue to make the country proud like you all have. Seeing the achievements of Indian racers at the national and international level has made me believe that the dawn of Indian motorsports is finally here”.

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The year 2019 was a remarkable year for Indian motorsport, with Gaurav Gill becoming the first motorsport athlete to be awarded the Arjuna Award, the highest civilian honour for sports in India.

Similarly, 17-year-old Yash Aradhya is the first motorsport athlete to win the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Shakti Puraskar.

Talented budding racer Lal Nunsunga, who was conferred with the Upcoming Motorsport Person of the Year award.

The awards also witnessed a strong outing by female racers, signifying the rise of women in the sport. Motorcycle racer Aishwarya Pissay was awarded the Outstanding Achievements in World Motorsports. Shriya Lohia, Muskan Jubbal and Aashi Hanspal were also recognised as Outstanding Women in Motorsports.

The first Indian F1 racer and Padma Shri awardee Narain Karthikyen was bestowed the Outstanding Achievements in World Motorsports Award in the four-wheeler category.

Jehan Daruvala, multiple round winner of FIA Formula 3 Championship, was also recognised for his historic signing

by Formula 1’s Red Bull Racing for their junior programme. Arjun Maini, winner of the Shanghai round of the Asian Le Mans Series and Abhimanyu Gautam, FIM Asia Cup of Road Race podium winner, were also honoured for their outstanding performances at the international level. L

Top and above: Gaurav Gill and Yash Aradhya received the special award from Kiren Rijiju, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, flanked by FMSCI VP Shivu Shivappa and president J Prithviraj

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evoIndia

evo Fleet NEW ARRIVAL

Hyundai Kona Electric

Can you live with an electric car?

We are going to find out!

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LOVE THE NOISE OF A SWEET petrol engine revving its nuts off. I like the gurgling torque of a diesel engine that ebbs and flows with your right foot as you hammer down a fast road. I like shifting gears, even if nowadays it is just paddles operating an automatic gearbox.

Engines give cars life; a distinct character; soul even. And I write all this having spent the past two months commuting around Pune in an electric car.

Welcome to the world of EVs — something I have been very vocal in expressing my absolute hatred towards. I don’t want to be driving a washing machine, I remember myself hollering. And now I’m hunting for that tweet, in a desperate attempt to delete it.

Electric cars are not bad at all! In fact, for city use, they’re actually rather good.

Silence is a given but the thing that I’ve noticed is electric cars are easier to drive than their IC-engined equivalents. I’m not sure why, after all, the other cars I drive are also automatics, but the Kona Electric takes that wee bit less effort. You’re a little more

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Above: A full charge gives us 312km in Eco mode, 302km in Comfort and 299km in Sport. Which works out to a ridiculously low running cost of `1.2 per km

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relaxed, you get a little less worked up by traffic. And the thing moves! I drive it in Eco mode with regeneration at Level 2 most of the time and even then when you floor it, the front wheels squirm with torque steer. In Sport mode the Kona is a Traffic Light Grand Prix champion. Nothing can keep up with it.

Yes, there’s no emotional response when gunning it but there’s enough speed to keep your mind focussed.

In terms of charging infrastructure, we’ve done nothing apart from calling a chap from Urban Company and fitting a 15-Amp plug point in our office parking lot. This is the slowest way to charge the Kona but it works fine for me — when I’m in office I spend at least 7 or 8 hours and plugging it in two days in a row tops up the batteries from nearempty.

The range? The car now knows my driving style (and Pune’s traffic) so on a full charge I get just over 300km. The office is just 5km from home but even if I were working at one of the car factories in Chakan with a daily round trip of 60km, that would still mean the Kona Electric would only have to be charged twice in a week. There’s another plus point — you don’t waste time going to the pumps.

Park the car in the office, a minute to plug it in with the supplied cable that sits in a box in the boot, and I’m done. And the running costs

In Sport mode the Kona Electric is a Traffic Light Grand Prix champion are next to nothing — `370 for 300km, which is cheaper than a scooter, a rickshaw; heck it’s half the cost of taking a bus!

As for the Kona itself, it is a smallish SUV so you don’t have an abundance of space, some of the interior bits and pieces could have had better quality to justify its price, and the stereo needs more bass. But then again the car draws plenty of attention, particularly with the green number plates. Even my neighbour, who never talks to me, actually stopped me for a 5-minute conversation on cars! Keeping the environment and the neighbours happy. That’s what the Kona Electric is doing. L Sirish Chandran (@SirishChandran)

Date acquired February 2020 Total mileage 4944km Mileage this month 510km Costs this month `0 Overall kmpl `1.2/km running cost

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INCE THE BOSS SEEMS TO BE enjoying his time with the Kona Electric so much, I managed to get hold of the keys of the long-term Hyundai Venue. Turns out this isn’t the same Venue that was part of our fleet not too long ago.

That one was whisked away for the Great India Drive, and in replacement, we got this – the diesel manual. And within days of getting my hands on it, I took it for a weekend out of town.

First impressions? It is a great car to drive.

I remember that the Venue impressed when we put it up against its rivals back when it was launched, and it continues to do so. The 1.4 diesel is refined and moves the Venue’s weight well. The turbo-petrol is certainly the enthusiast’s choice, and honestly, I was looking forward to adding it to my garage, but there’s no denying the allure of a frugal

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I remember that the Venue impressed when we put it up against its rivals after its launch

Hyundai Venue

NEW ARRIVAL

A trip down to the seaside reminded Aatish of how good a car the Venue is to drive diesel engine. The best compromise between performance and practicality, eh? The Venue is set up stiff, and over the really bad patches on my way to the coast I could feel the road in the cabin. Mind you, I was running the recommended tyre pressure. Maybe I should drop it slightly to see if that improves things.

That said, on a fast road and up the wellsurfaced parts of the ghats, the Venue was a treat. It is a car that likes to handle and puts a smile on your face. It is comfortable for long distances, the infotainment system works like a dream and the cabin is well-designed with plenty of cubby holes.

I do have one complaint, there’s an annoying rattle emanating from the rear suspension. These cars are passed around to different magazines on rotation, and not always are they treated with mechanical sympathy. I suspect that this is some sort of unnatural wear and tear because of really rough use, and will get it checked in the next service. Apart from that, the Venue is

doing well to serve on as a support car on the shoots we go for and will continue to for the next few months. Stay tuned for more reports, and if you have questions, don’t hesitate to write in! L Aatish Mishra (@whatesh)

Date acquired February 2020 Total mileage 9990km Mileage this month 425km Costs this month `0 Overall kmpl 15

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Maruti Suzuki S-Presso v Renault Kwid

Two mini cars in our fleet (sorry but we are not going to call these SUVs) thoroughly tested over three months

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UMBERS OFTEN TELL YOU ALMOST everything that you need to know in a comparison. 67bhp and 91Nm. Those are the numbers that took the Renault Kwid to the top of the sales chart in a segment it created. Our fixation with SUVs must have played a part in the cars in this segment being called micro-SUVs. When Maruti Suzuki threw its hat into the ring with the S-Presso, it was obvious who they were targeting. And they matched the Renault Kwid spec-to-spec.

A head-to-head comparison looking at

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the spec sheets of the two yields very little, and both cars seem to follow a template.

High ground clearance? Check. 1-litre petrol engines? Check. Even a straight driving comparison seemed futile. Until, it so turned out that we have both parked in our garage.

Over the last three months that we have spent with the two micro-SUVs in our evo India fleet, it seemed only natural to want to delve a little deeper and try and paint a more nuanced picture. And instead of the rigmarole that we usually subject our test cars to (city driving, lap of Mutha, some highway

driving) we decide to do something a lot more comprehensive this time.

How easy are they on the eye?

Now this was one aspect where one car was miles ahead of the other. The Kwid is easily the more handsome of the two. The split headlamp, attractive paint job and wide, muscular face in particular are eye-catchy.

The S-Presso on the other hand with its boxy, unusual design might not be to everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taste and looks odd when compared to the Renault Kwid.

The Kwid is easily the more handsome of the two. The S-Presso on the other hand is, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just say, unusual...

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evo Fleet

Central speedo is a novelt y

Can they fit five?

The Renault Kwid with its macho, muscular face looks like the one that will have more space inside. But surprise, surprise it is the S-Presso with its tallboy (almost) design that wins this round. The S-Presso has more room on the inside, especially with plenty of head room making it more airy, and while three abreast is tight in both, the S-Presso, does have more space. When it comes to boot space, the two are evenly matched and the Kwid is slightly better with a wider boot opening.

They have to be efficient, right?

With 1-litre petrol engines, both the S-Presso and the Kwid focus on fuel efficiency than outright performance. We put the two through a spirited run on our favourite mountain road just outside Pune and it was the S-Presso that returned a better fuel efficiency figure. With 13.3kmpl as against 12.6kmpl, the writing was on the wall.

However if you look at the claimed figures the S-Presso’s 21.7kmpl comes second to the Kwid’s 22.5kmpl.

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The S-Presso has ample room on the inside, especially with plenty of headroom making it a lot more airy Plenty of head toss?

Driving through our traffic ridden cities has become a hassle and that’s why both of them get the AMT transmission, and its biggest issue is the head toss when the clutch is automatically activated to slot the next gear. AMTs have gotten smoother and Maruti Suzuki is at the forefront of it. The S-Presso’s ’box shifts smoother, delivers quicker downshifts and is generally a far better performer. The Kwid, you either drive it very sedately or flat out (where it makes a whole load of noise) – drive it with a little eagerness and the gearbox gets frustrating.

AMT on the S- Pre s so is far smoother

Enough legroom in the S- Pre s so

Three abrea s t seated comfor tably

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Ins trument console in the Kwid

Reversing c amera not in the S- Pre s so

Jos tling for space in the Kwid

Skinny tyres means no handling?

Yes. These two understeer. Quite a bit. The steering too lacks any feel but the Kwid has better steering than the S-Presso that is not only completely lacking in feel but has play around the dead centre and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even self-centre. Both cars hate to corner hard but the Kwid with its lower height feels a lot more reassuring going through a corner; sitting so high up in the S-Presso really amplifies the body roll and makes you nervous.

Soft or stiff?

The suspension on the Kwid is softly set up and is a lot more comfortable on rutted, broken city roads. The S-Pressoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s firm setup makes for a more unsettled ride on

everything but the smoothest of surfaces but it is more robust and that allows you to go over potholes and at speeds that the Kwid just would not be able to take.

Conclusion Although fairly similar on paper, in reality the cars are vastly different. The Kwid is better looking, gets a pliant suspension and more features. The S-Presso on the other hand feels better built and has a far better engine and transmission combo. Considering that this is an entry-level segment, price is a critical factor and the Kwid does offer more value. But the S-Pressoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s superior powertrain gives it an edge over the Kwid. L Afzal Rawuther (@afzalrawuther)

Legroom in the back is at a premium

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TRIED & TESTED TH E B EST M OTO RI N G PRO D U C TS , PUT TH RO U G H TH EI R PAC ES BY E VO I N DIA

SAMSUNG GALAXY S10 LITE `39,999 flipkart.com SAMSUNG MAKES GREAT FLAGSHIP PHONES LIKE the S10 and more recently the S20 and S20 Ultra, they also make great affordable phones like their A-series lineup. So what tempted them to make a mid-range phone like the S10 Lite and give it the Galaxy ‘S’ moniker usually reserved for flagships?

Well to put it simply, it’s a clever marketing strategy, a flagship name on a mid-range device. Think of it like what BMW’s M Sport models are compared to their

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M cars — exciting, yes, but not quite extraordinary.

However, the S10 Lite is still a great phone. It has a huge display, slim bezels, a great processor and good build quality, minus the frills of the flagships, and what’s left is actually pretty damn good.

Let’s start with the display, Samsung knows how to make a good display and this one is no exception.

It might not be as high resolution as their flagships, but it is still great. The colours are vibrant, blacks are deep, whites are bright, it supports HDR10+ and thanks to the real estate on offer, it makes the S10 Lite a very enjoyable device to watch content on.

The small bezels only add to the experience. The big screen means it needs a big battery too and the 4500mAh battery pack in the S10 Lite doesn’t disappoint. You can easily get through a full day without having to hunt for a charger and when you do, the fast charging means you’re not hanging around too long. The S10 Lite also gets an in-display fingerprint sensor. It works fairly well most of the time, although it is sensitive to the angle of your finger. It also takes slightly longer to unlock than a regular fingerprint sensor but that is the case with most in-display sensors and it is a trade-off I’m willing to take.

In terms of performance, to put it simply — the S10 Lite is fast. Gaming, browsing, switching between apps, nothing makes the S10 Lite stutter even slightly. This performance is due to the snappy Snapdragon 855 sitting inside the S10 Lite. Yup, a Snapdragon, in a Samsung, in India. It takes everyday tasks and eats them for breakfast, fancy some long hours of PUBG? That’s easy too. RAM management is good too, I can have a bunch of apps running and if I decide to hop between any one, it will start exactly where I left off.

Now let’s talk about the camera, or cameras rather. There’s three lenses in the back — 48 megapixel main sensor, five megapixel macro lens and a 12 megapixel wide-angle lens. At this price point a triple camera set up is great and if you get the lighting right then these cameras are actually fairly good. The wide-angle lens is especially fun to play around with. On the front is a 32 megapixel selfie camera which has a fairly wide angle too. The camera on the front is nothing great, it can take decent selfies, but the pictures do look slightly washed out. These aren’t flagship cameras. Details get lost, some pictures turn out soft or grainy and low light performance isn’t great either. Basically this isn’t a phone to flaunt your photography with. That aside, the new OIS technology works very well, the videos come out very smooth and even if you record while walking, it does not pick up any jittering.

Overall, the S10 Lite is a great phone — the screen is big, bright and vibrant, the battery life is fantastic, it will handle CPU intensive tasks with ease and it’s got decent speakers too. However, it does miss out on stuff like IP68 (or even IP67) water resistance, wireless charging and dual speakers but with that price tag, I’m not complaining.

Karan Singh (@karansinghh_)

SPECIFICATION BODY Dimensions : 162.5 x 75.6 x 8.1 mm (6.40 x 2.98 x 0.32 in) Weight

: 186 g

Build : Glass front, polycarbonate back, aluminium frame

DISPLAY Type

: Super AMOLED Plus capactitive touchscreen, 16M colours

Size

: 6.7 inches

Resolution : 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~394 ppi density)

PLATFORM OS

: Android 10.0, One UI 2

: Qualcomm SM8150 Chipset Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) : Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & CPU 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.78 GHz Kryo 485) GPU

: Adreno 640

MEMORY Card slot

: Micro SDXC (shared SIM slot)

Internal

: 128GB 6GB RAM UFS2.1

MAIN CAMERA Triple : 48 MP, f/2.0, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0”, 0.8µm, PDAF, Laser AF, Super Steady OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide) 5 MP, f/2.4, 25mm (macro), 1/5.0”, 1.12µm Features

: LED flash, HDR, panorama

: 2160p@30/60fps, Video 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS

SELFIE CAMERA Single : 32MP, f/2.2, 25mm (wide), 1/2.8” 0.8µm Features

: HDR

Video

: 1080p@30fps

BATTERY

: Non-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh battery

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T R I E D A N D T EST E D

CARBONADO GT2 `4,399 bplugd.com

Most backpacks don’t offer even the slightest protection against accidental drops and bumps. This protection is key especially if you carry a laptop or a camera with you at all times. It becomes critical if you commute on a motorcycle. Carbonado stepped into resolve this very issue with the GT2.

‘Urban mobility gear’, as Carbonado calls it, is designed from the ground-up for someone with an active lifestyle and you notice it the moment you pickup the backpack for the first time. The strong polycarbonate shell is woven with Eva backed

900D reverse fabric for a lightweight yet robust construction that can take a serious beating. In fact it has been tested for a shearing force of 1000Nm. As we travel around the country and the world, the all-weather proof qualities do come in handy and the waterproof zippers and the hard case top pocket has kept the contents of the backpack dry. Designed keeping in mind an active, on-the-go lifestyle, the backpack features an aerodynamic design as well as sternum strap to ensure that the backpack stays snug on your back even when riding a motorcycle. We found it to be particularly useful and the backpack does come across as a great riding backpack.

On the functionality front, the GT2 comes with a concealed external pocket that can easily hold a 15inch laptop. The pocket also gets protective padding for the laptop. It also gets a thermal insulation pouch that keeps food or beverages at their ideal temperature for hours. There is a USB port with a 3.5mm jack that ensures that you don’t have to carry a powerbank in your hand.

As you open the GT2, you will see that there are a number of compartments that have been ergonomically designed and positioned.

Compartments for the things you need the most are placed on the outside and larger items can be stowed away.

All in all, amazing functionality, great looks (we got the GT2 in a unique colourway) and top-quality construction with premium materials ensure that the Carbonado GT2 is hard to not recommend.

Afzal Rawuther (@afzalrawuther)

BRUTFORCE BFR 001 `8,999 www.asimindia.com

COMMUNICATION IS KEY. AND THAT IS ESPECIALLY true for us automotive journalists as we travel the length and breadth of the country. The stunning imagery that you see on these pages is only possible with a great deal of planning and coordination between the photographer and the writer. Often, the photographers find themselves perched on top of hills or hidden in the bushes to find that elusive perfect click. There is a gadget that has been particularly helpful on shoots over the past few months – specifically the BrutForce BFR 001.

The BrutForce BFR 001 is a sturdy product and feels built to last. Ensconced in a hard polycarbonate shell, the Walkie Talkie is fairly compact and weighs just 266gm making it very portable. It can be operated between -25 and +55 degree Celsius temperature and is fairly straightforward to use.

The buttons are very tactile allowing you to use the Walkie Talkie even when not looking at it – very important when acting as a traffic spotter on our shoots.

The option to use any one of 16 channels makes it easy to avoid interference from other people communicating using a Walkie Talkie nearby. The volume dial gets a number of levels and at its highest it is very loud and is often very useful while coordinating in crowded or loud places. It gets an

in built low battery alert but with a solid 2200mAh battery, we never managed to run out of charge even on day-long shoots. Another alert that is particularly useful is the one that is sounded when you are stepping out of range. It is a critical feature and has often stopped us from getting lost while on a shoot.

The BrutForce BFR 001 is light, versatile, sturdy and extremely functional. Over the past few months, we have taken it to some demanding locations and it has always done remarkably well, even outperforming a number of Walkie Talkies that we have used before when it comes to battery capacity and range. For anyone looking at a Walkie Talkie, the BrutForce BFR 001 comes across as a great option and should definitely be part of your kit if you find yourself travelling for adventure.

Afzal Rawuther (@afzalrawuther)

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ENCYCLOPEDIA

THE

In the latest instalment of our motoring A to Z, Richard Porter explores everything from the eccentric to the full beam THIS MONTH E-F 168

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Eccentric

Electric

Eco

Electric aerial

ECU

Electric handbrake

Converting rotary motion into linear motion by means of offsetting the centre of rotation. Or just someone who polishes his Padmini every Sunday.

Originally a contraction of economy or ecological, now a stand-alone word tacked to something else meaningless to imply virtue, e.g. EcoBoost, Ecotec, EcoDynamics, etc.

Engine control unit.

Increasingly complicated management computer controlling fuelling, timing and idle and interacting with gearbox and stability control units. Also a good catch-all excuse for a garage to charge you a lakh of rupees to fix any car from the mid-90s onwards. As in, ‘Yeah, it’s your ECU, bro.’

Egg crate

A type of car that’s going to become a lot more popular according to car makers. Also a type of blue that looks good as accents on the electric Nexon.

Decadently motorised radio antenna, formerly a signifier of great luxury until rendered obsolete in the 1990s, a fact that somehow didn’t reach the design team of the 2007 Jaguar XK.

Powered replacement for traditional cableoperated parking brake, much liked by car makers for interior packaging advantages, lack of need for adjustment and ability to easily add extra features such as hill hold and automatic application at ignition off.

Also because if you hold the button or switch for a few seconds the designedin safety system will give you a really spectacular emergency stop.

Style of radiator grille named after evenly divided poultry ovum transportation system, seen on Ferraris and late Ambys.

Elastokinematics

Flexible bushing on an axle permitting advantageous changes in toe and camber under load. Although technically it’s also the way twist-beam axles work. Wasn’t talked about much until the original BMW 8-series came along and someone in marketing realised it was a cool sounding word.

Above: ‘Eco Pro’ mode, because plain old ‘Eco’ simply wouldn’t do. Top: Electric cars – coming to a charging point near you soon (if an Indica isn’t parked in the bay)

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T H E E VO E N CYC LO P E D I A : E - F

Clockwise from above: An estate (being more fun than an SUV would), ergonomics, endurance racing, and an Evo (Mitsubishi flavoured)

Electric windows

Powered glazing facility, formerly for plutocrats in Rolls-Royces, now fitted to almost every car on sale. Purists were up in arms when they arrived on the Lotus Elise, even though the motorised system was lighter than the hand-cranked version.

Electric power steering

Assistance system using an electric motor on the steering column that adds a proportional amount of extra force aligned to the rate and amount of input from the driver. Enjoyed by car makers for efficiency gains due to lack of parasitic losses compared to hydraulic set-ups and the compatibility with steering assistance systems. Not enjoyed by keen drivers because most used to feel like weird computer simulations of steering.

Elk test

Scandinavian heavy swerve simulation that made the original Mercedes A-class and Matiz fall over. A popular and more pertinent equivalent is the ‘Cow Test’.

Endurance racing

High-mileage, multi-hour motorsport that tests the stamina of cars, of drivers, and of spectators’ abilities to keep drinking.

Enfield

As in The Enfield Cycle Company that built the first Royal Enfield in 1901 making it the longest motorcycle brand in continous production thanks to the weird love affair

for the Bullet. Now called Classic.

Euro NCAP

The one that’s often the most fun to drive.

European New Car Assessment Programme. Standardised car safety testing regime, founded in 1996 and whipped into shape by first chairman Max Mosley. Responsible for a marked increase in both the safety of new cars and the number of amazing super slo-mo videos of cars being smashed into walls.

Entry speed

EV

Ergonomics

Evo

ESP

Ex-demonstrator

Engine out

The kind of word pairing that leads to large bills, sometimes of the kind marked ‘divorce’.

Entry level

A thing you don’t want too much of. Or, for that matter, too little.

The science of arranging things for operation by humans in the most efficient and effective way. Unless you were the old interior design teams at Fiat, in which case you believed interior control placement should be like a game of matching pairs.

Elektronisches Stabilitätsprogramm or Electronic Stability Programme.

Computerised chassis system co-developed

by Mercedes-Benz and Bosch that can use individual brakes to alter the trajectory of a car in the event of severe under- or oversteer. Lots of brand names exist, but any car maker calling it ESP® is using a Bosch system.

Estate

The second car made by TELCO, the Tata Estate. Also what family cars used to be called before they became tall and stupid.

Electric vehicle. What the government wants all of us to drive in a decade.

A contraction of ‘evolution’, as used on rally-bred specials such as the Lancer Evo, Integrale Evo and RS200 Evo. Also the name of this very magazine and far better than the original suggestion, which was ‘Roadsport’.

Traditional way to buy a low-mileage, nearly new model for a saving, as long as you don’t mind a car in which the junior salesman has repeatedly dropped the clutch at 5000rpm and attempted to achieve sexual congress with the woman off the parts reception.

Exhaust note

Sound made by hot gases escaping the engine and making their way through the pipes, silencers and catalytic convertors of an exhaust system. Also the name for the small piece of paper left under the wipers of

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Clockwise from right: Motorsport’s governing body, a flywheel (attached to a crankshaft), an Enfield, a filler cap (on the right-hand side of a German car, as you’d expect), and one of the many flat things in motoring

cars such as the Aston Martin DBS, Jaguar F-type and Ford Mustang V8 reading, ‘Can you PLEASE not start your car so loudly so early in the morning. Yours, all at No.11.’

Facelift

Mid-life car refresh when a manufacturer can sort out the poor NVH, lack of power and disastrous wing mirrors while pretending they’ve not changed a thing.

For some reason, a facelift at BMW is called an LCI or ‘life cycle impulse’. As in, ‘Wow, Sachin’s wife suddenly looks a lot younger now she’s turned 50. I wonder if she’s had a life cycle impulse.’

Failure to proceed

How you might describe a breakdown if you had a Classic car. Or a Padmini.

FAP

Filtre à particules. The name Peugeot gives to the particulate filter fitted to its diesel engines, not unreasonably because it’s a French company and that’s the French expression for it, and if you pointed out that it means something rude in anglophone countries they would just think you were being a total fapper.

Fastback

A sporty car with a shallow-angled sweep from the rear of the roof down to the trailing edge of its tailgate. Sounds more exciting than the cars it’s sometimes attached to, e.g. Hyundai i30 Fastback, Standard 2000 Fastback.

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Feather

What one might do to a throttle or brakes.

Federal spec

Archaic term to explain why an otherwise perfectly nice looking car has less attractive headlights and a rubber-wrapped RSJ bolted to each end so that it can be sold in the USA.

Feedback

What one would like to receive from steering, but often won’t.

Ferodo

British firm founded in 1897 by Henry Frood for the purposes of making brake components.

Fettle

The act of fiddling with a car with the purpose of making it better (while probably having the opposite effect).

FIA

Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.

Global concern founded in 1904 to represent the interests of motorists and motoring groups, now better known as those people who govern motorsport under the control of what appears to be a talking toad.

Fibreglass

Versatile and cost-effective composite plastic material combining thin strands of glass with resin to give a panel that is

strong, both physically and in smell – hence why the San Storm always ponged back into shape like a canoe.

Filler cap

Fuel insertion point, the location of which is generally (but not exclusively) determined by its manufacturer’s country of origin and which side of the road they drive on, as a hangover from when fuel was dispensed at the kerb and a nearside cap was desirable.

Fin

A thin plate presented parallel to the prevailing airflow for aerodynamic or thermal management reasons or simply because it’s a cool shape to make a radio/ satnav aerial. Often celebrated at the end of French films for some reason.

Fire

To start an engine. Also a thing you do not want to see emerging from that engine.

Even if it is one of Fiat’s long-running FIRE engines (as in, Fully Integrated Robotised Engine, so-named because it was designed to be built on a highly automated assembly line… Sorry, we seem to have drifted offtopic a bit here).

Firing order

The sequence in which the spark plugs of an engine ignite the fuel air mixture in each cylinder. Lamborghini likes to print the firing order on its engines, which is very cool, though also one of those pieces of information with which you can do very

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T H E E VO E N CYC LO P E D I A : E - F

Clockwise from above: A fibreglass-bodied San Storm (odour not pictured), a flagship from Mercedes-Maybach, Formula 1

little (see also: signs that say ‘traffic light priorities changed’).

Fixed seat

when made into a convertible.

Flood

Bolted-in seating, as found in race cars and amongst people who’ve got tired of their wives taking the car and messing with their perfect driving position again.

In engine terms, when a fuel-air mixture too rich in fuel has entered the cylinders, overwhelming the spark plugs and preventing combustion. What engines used to do before fuel injection and ECUs.

Flagship

Floor it

The biggest and poshest car in a maker’s range, the term derived from the naval vessel upon which the commanding officer resided and which would, as a result, carry the admiral’s flag. Not a literal comparison since the largestengined BMW 7-series doesn’t have flags on it unless it’s chauffeuring the consul general of an unheard of African country.

Flat

A puncture; a depleted battery; a nonmetallic type of bodywork paint; a fully depressed accelerator pedal; a spot in the rev range where power delivery drops off; a torque output consistent across a wide rev range; a type of engine in which the cylinders are horizontal; a spot on a tyre caused by wheel lock under braking or a long period of disuse; a gearshift performed while keeping the throttle pinned open, such as one might perform in a low-powered hire car. One of the hardestworking words in the car world.

Flex

Something a car is prone to do undesirably

What passengers often say just before an accident.

Floor mats

One of the best weapons in the car dealer’s bargaining arsenal. See also, ‘mud flaps’.

Flywheel

Large, heavy disc fitted to the end of a crankshaft to smooth out the power pulses of multi-cylinder internal combustion.

Often now dual mass, especially in Catholic cars.

Fog lights

Bright additional lamps designed to be used only in poor weather but often switched on at inappropriate times by idiots.

Formula 1

Motorsport in which 20 petulant children drive round in circles trying not to damage their tyres until eventually Lewis Hamilton wins because he’s better at it than the others.

Frameless windows

Car glazing system in which the door glass has no visible support while open. Much seen on high-performance cars, although it’s not clear why. Except that it looks cool.

Freewheel

To depress the clutch or put an automatic car into neutral while driving downhill, usually because you’ve put off stopping for petrol.

Front-wheel drive

Propulsion by sending power to the leading set of wheels. Brought to mass production

by Citroën, popularised in small cars by the Mini, referred to ever since as ‘wrong-wheel drive’ by tedious bores on the internet. A FWD Maruti 800 is more fun than a RWD Padmini so, you know, go figure.

Fuel efficiency Also translated as Kitna Deti Hai... the reason why 2-strokes died, why Hero Hondas proliferated and why weedy 1.2-litre petrols still rule the roost.

Fuel light bingo

Self-imposed game of chance in which the player must see how long they can keep driving after the ‘low fuel’ warning light comes on before they panic and stop for fuel.

Full beam

Like the water heater and keyboard clicks on a phone, a thing morons – particularly in Ubers and Olas – forget to turn off. L www.

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D E A D O N A R R I VA L WORDS by RICHARD PORTER IMAGE by NATIONAL MOTOR MUSEUM

DOA: Triumph Lynx With a 3.5-litre Rover V8 under the bonnet and TR7 fastback styling, the Lynx could have been British Leyland’s answer to the Ford Capri HIS COULD HAVE BEEN A BRITISH Capri killer. It could have vanquished its German-made rival with modernity, sophistication and something no Euro Capri could offer: a thumping great V8. Instead, it was felled by the mix of poor planning, questionable design, and industrial unrest that came to define Britain’s national car maker in the ’70s.

Plans for a four-seat Triumph coupe had been pitched without success since the 1960s under the codename Lynx. In 1971 the project was started again and paired with the upcoming TR7, BL’s ‘corporate sports car’ intended to replace the TR6 and eventually, with some restyling, the MGB. The Lynx would be its longer-wheelbase brother, stepping in for the troubled Triumph Stag, taking the fight to the Capri in Europe and providing a logical range mate to the TR7/8 in the US. It would run the 3.5-litre Rover V8 to give it a Stag-style rumble, and eventually there would be a fourcylinder model to supersede the MGB GT. Compared to the bonkers logic that underpinned much of Leyland product planning at the time, this was all very sensible.

Plus, the new model would take up some of the spare capacity in Triumph’s Speke factory on Merseyside, a need that became more urgent soon after TR7’s launch in 1975 when it became clear that its avant-garde design and

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underwhelming launch spec had poisoned sales projections. In 1977, however, new British Leyland boss Michael Edwardes whipped up an accelerated plan to save BL from ruin, part of which was to tackle excess production capacity. The underused Speke facility was a prime example of the problem and its staff didn’t help their cause by going on strike the very day Edwardes assumed office. In February 1978 he announced that the plant would close and production of the underperforming TR7 shifted to Coventry where, it seemed, there was no capacity to make the Lynx as well.

It’s sometimes claimed that the drastic action at Speke killed this car, but in truth the project didn’t stop when they closed the TR7’s Merseyside home. Indeed the green Lynx that still lives in the British Motor Museum, sole survivor of 18 prototypes, was registered several months after the Speke line stopped. When the

T H E LY N X W O U L D BE THE TR7’S B R O T H E R , TA K I N G THE FIGHT TO THE CAPRI IN EUROPE

Lynx finally died it wasn’t because it couldn’t be made – BL still had plenty of factory space and the tooling had already been ordered – but because there was no appetite for it.

Technically, it sounded promising, what with its V8 and a chassis that had Caprishaming potential in its marriage of TR7 front end and coil-sprung Rover SD1 rear. But the styling was a curious mess, mixing the nose of the TR7 with a fastback body blighted by huge bumpers, oversized tail lights and the dead hand of committee thinking. There was a good-looking car trying to get out, but it wasn’t having much success. Worst of all was a ride height so tippy-toed that when the American importers showed a prototype at US customer clinics they stuck concrete blocks in the boot to try to make it sit better, and still the feedback was dismal.

This, along with a shortage of cash, sealed the Lynx’s fate. The TR7 was already faltering because it wasn’t pretty enough, and the last thing BL needed was another hard-to-sell sports car. An alternative scheme to put the gorgeous Triumph Stag back into production running the Rover V8 was swiftly scuppered when it was discovered that some tooling had already been scrapped, and in the end BL decided it could enter the ’80s without a four-seater sports car at all. By 1979 the V8powered Capri killer was dead.

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M O T O R S P O R T

M O M E N T

Jean Alesi and the last V12 win in F1 Frenchman Jean Alesi’s solitary victory, in a Ferrari 412 T2 at the 1995 Canadian Grand Prix, was to be the final hurrah for Formula 1’s V12 era N AN ERA WHERE THE MONOTONE, SYNTHETIC drone of the hybridised small-capacity V6 defines Formula 1’s soundtrack, it’s not uncommon for fans of F1 to reminisce about the previous 2.4-litre, naturally aspirated V8 screamers. Yet I think it’s fair to say those little torque-lite motors had nothing on the larger ten- and 12-cylinder engines that powered the sport, along with the trusty V8s of course, between 1989 and 2005. These were engines with unique voices, shattering exhaust notes and a very real physical projection of power. And none more so than Ferrari’s V12.

When F1’s first turbo epoch came to a close at the end of 1988, Ferrari reverted to its beloved V12 configuration as it has so many times across all forms of motorsport, and the shrill, operatic note once again became a feature of Grand Prix weekends.

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M OTO R S P O R T M O M E N T WORDS by ADAM TOWLER PICTURES by ALAMY & MOTORSPORT IMAGES

After a dismal 1993, 1994 had been a year of improvement for the Scuderia, with Jean Alesi and Gerhard Berger finishing 5th and 3rd respectively. Just as Ferrari’s road cars were being transformed – think 456 GT, F355 and, later, 550M – under new boss but old hand and Ferrari legend Luca di Montezemolo, so the F1 team, under LDM’s chosen man, Jean Todt, were also on the march. But 1995 was to be a year of significant change in F1, following the tragic deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and then Ayrton Senna at Imola the previous year. A number of rule changes were introduced to slow the cars and make the sport safer, including a contraction in engine displacement from 3.5 to 3 litres as well as a reduction in downforce.

Enter the evocatively named Ferrari 412 T2. While it was John Barnard’s sublime 1990 Ferrari 641 that was displayed in the New York Museum of Modern Art, I would humbly suggest his 412 T2 was its equal. For a start, yes, it was simply beautiful; it just looked ‘right’, exactly like a race car should.

But it was also a car of significant milestones: the last F1 Ferrari to feature a ‘low nose’ design philosophy, inherently more attractive than anything on stilts; the last F1 Ferrari to run on Agip fuel; the last to bear the numbers 27 and 28 that stretched back to the 1970s; the penultimate to be proper Ferrari red, not a shade of Marlboro-infused orange. And most of all, the last to feature a V12. The following year would see

W H AT A N O I S E : PIERCING, VICIOUS, I N T I M I D AT I N G many changes again, and a realisation that the added weight and thirst of a V12 was not the best solution.

The 412 T2 was powered by the new Tipo 044 engine, a 75-degree V12 of 2997cc producing nearly 700bhp in ultimate spec, at 16,800rpm (and pushing 595kg, remember). That lofty figure put it higher up the rpm scale than its largely V10 rivals, although in later years those V10s would breach 19,000rpm and the ultimate 2.4-litre V8s would go even higher than that. But in 1995, a high-pitched scream meant only one thing: a Ferrari V12. And what a noise: pure, piercing, vicious, intimidating.

From the start it was obvious the T2 was fast, in what was a classic Grand Prix year by any standards: Schumacher in the Benetton-Renault, Damon Hill in the Williams-Renault, the Ferraris, the emergent Jordan-Peugeot team, and so on.

It turned out to be a torrid year for Hill, despite him seemingly holding many of the cards, and another title for Schuey.

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Above: The Ferrari V12 would make its last appearance at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide, before making way for the V10 in 1996

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M OTO R S P O R T M O M E N T

THERE’S SOMETHING HEROIC ABOUT FERRARI O F T H E 1 9 9 5 V I N TA G E

Over 17 races Alesi had the edge on Berger. The Frenchman narrowly lost to Schumacher at the Ring, retired through wheel bearing failure while leading the Italian Grand Prix with just eight laps to go, and suffered driveshaft failure at Suzuka after a blistering drive back through the field. All in, it was eight retirements, four second places and, at last, one victory for Alesi.

That win came in Canada, where the number 27 on Alesi’s car matched the number on the Ferrari of the late Gilles Villeneuve, a true national hero. Jean Alesi probably deserved many more F1 victories, but his do-or-die driving style and loyalty to the Scuderia even through its troubled years meant this would be the only time he made it to the top step of the podium. Fittingly, it’s his name that will forever be remembered as giving the V12 its final victory.

When Schumacher tested the T2 after his move to Maranello for 1996 he is quoted as saying it was ‘good enough to win a world championship’. Was that the honest truth, a motivational quip or a slight dig at the outgoing driver pairing? Whatever, he was good enough, of course, along with Todt, Ross Brawn and Rory Byrne, and all the other individuals who then built an F1 juggernaut. It took time, yes, with 1996 bringing a new V10, 1997 a near miss after a not near miss with Villeneuve’s Williams, and the Häkkinen-McLaren-Mercedes partnership in ’98 and ’99, but five straight titles from 2000 was the reward.

Yet there’s something heroic, slightly chaotic and most

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of all overwhelmingly passionate about Ferrari of the 1995 vintage. Truly, the end of an era. So if you want a YouTube wormhole this month courtesy of Motorsport Moment, I urge you to search for Jean Alesi in 1995, preferably in the wet. He may have only won once, like the T2, but if there’s a more vivid demonstration of man and machine forged as one furious entity, I’ve yet to see it.

Above: Jean Alesi’s win in Montreal would be his and the 412 T2’s only triumph, although he and Gerhard Berger clocked up 11 podium finishes between them in 1995

NEXT MONTH IN

GROUP A HEROES Road-going rally-rockets that filled our bedrooms walls including the Mitsubishi Evo 6.5, Subaru Impreza Type RA, Delta Integrale, Toyota Celica GT-Four and Ford RS Cosworth.

Plus experiences of owners whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve run them here in India

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02-04-2020 16:35:10

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

WORDS by SIRISH CHANDRAN

Ford Ikon The josh machine!

THAT THE HONDA CITY WAS THE number one enthu-cutlet of the 2000s is in no doubt but we must not forget that the Ford Ikon ran even the VTEC rather close on pure Thrill of Driving. In fact there were some who rated the Ikon over the City, especially after Narain Karthikeyan popped a few eyeballs with his wheelsmanship, giving passenger rides at the media launch. As a mere intern I never saw or experienced it, but I did hear plenty of stories of Narain’s car control, how his reflexes saved a cow that sauntered in front of an Ikon driven with josh. And of course we were all swept up in patriotic josh when two years later, Ford got Jaguar Racing (that was before they sold it to Tata Motors) to give Narain an F1 test.

The Ikon didn’t really have any inputs from NK but it drove really well and it established Ford’s driving DNA that continues to this day. The Figo, the Aspire, they might not sell in great numbers but truth is they drive appreciably better than their rivals and Ford remains one of the

few manufacturers whose top guys still talk about handling.

Of course, unlike a Type 1 City VTEC, nobody covets an Ikon anymore. It sold in considerably more numbers and with considerably more powertrains (two petrols, two diesels) so it wasn’t rare or expensive. And that’s why nobody took care of these cars, making it a task and a half to find one, especially this SXi trim.

Which is a shame because driving one is an absolute joy – and I say that in reference to modern cars.

The 1.6 ROCAM engine is a simple unit,

THERE IS MASSIVE BODY ROLL AND UNDERSTEER, BUT IT ALSO WORKS THE FRONT HARD ENOUGH TO LIFT ITS HIND LEG

8 valves and single cam, but it revs almost as enthusiastically as a Japanese unit while making sounds that are surprisingly happy and rowdy. The gearbox: wonderfully short throws and very precise; in fact even more fun to use than a hot-knife-throughbutter Jap ’box. And the handling — oh, it’s entertaining as hell. You have to give props to the chassis, it works really hard. There is massive body roll and massive understeer, characteristics of the era, but at the same time it also works the front end hard enough to lift its hind leg. It isn’t doing that in this picture because the owner was with us and I was a bit restrained. The steering wheel is small in diameter, sporty and is from the era when the rack actually felt connected to the front wheels. By modern standards you’re not carrying that much corner speed though, rather counter-intuitively, I ended up having way more fun! The Ikon is like a little puppy dog brimming with excitement and energy. It may not win races and gets exhausting after a while but such a joy when in its sweet spot. L

*This is not a page for vintage cars. We will drive modern classics, made in India, and we’re going to apply the only sensible filter we can think of — to drive cars that came with seat belts.

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