Car Details

WWW.TOPGEAR.COMOCTOBER 2014 `150 Only

M A R U T I I S N O LO N G E R A B O U T S M A L L C A R S . E N T E R CIAZA Times of India publication

FREENEW LOOK ISSUE

BENTLEY CONTI GTvs TIME

MERC CLA45 AMGvs THE MASTER

LAMBORGHINI HURACANvs MONEY

BUGATTI VEYRONvs AMERICA

AUDI A3vs 24-HOURS

GURKHA 4X4vs HELL

MM SCRAMBLERvs NO ROAD

HARLEYSvs INDIA

LAMBORGHINIPOSTER INSIDE

GLA – MERC’S ALL-NEW COMPACT SUV DRIVEN

WE RIDE THE NEXTBIG ONE FOR INDIA

YAMAHA R25EXCLUSIVE

T O P G E A R . C O M → O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 0 0 3

ISSUE 110 OCTOBER 2014

The last time we ended up at an endurance race, there were a lot of people. And, there was an incredible amount of noise. And, the atmosphere was electric. It had to be – we were at Le Mans. This time, there was none of that. Instead, there were a lot of tense moments, because we were not just spectators. Instead, we were running quick circles around India’s oldest surviving racetrack at Irungattokottai, near Chennai. We, too, had an Audi – a brand new A3 - albeit one with a humble 2.0-litre diesel engine. But, it was up against the same challenge the Le Mans-winning Audi car faced – survive 24 hours on a racetrack.

For the ninth anniversary issue of TopGear India, we set ourselves a variety of challenges. But, these were not simply challenges that were attempted for the sake of it. Each of these tasks gave birth to engaging stories. For example, we put a supercar – nothing less than the all-new Lamborghini Huracan – through a serious fuel test that required us to wrest top performance from it on rationed fuel. And, if that sounds impossible, how about putting one of the most powerful Bentley Continental GTs ever made in a race against time, which saw us cutting across the length and breadth of UAE? All the challenges we set ourselves were certainly ambitious but not rubbish, except, maybe, the one where we challenged an AMG instructor at his own game.

It’s all there in this issue, including everything you wanted to know about Maruti’s latest Ciaz sedan, the whole story from the global launch of the Jaguar XE and a complete road test of the all-new Hyundai i20. Obviously, we haven’t left out the bikes. We have an India-exclusive ride of the Yamaha R25, which is headed here in a slightly modified avatar, and our own rendering of the yet-to-be-revealed KTM 390 Adventure. Plus, there’s some good news for Honda Gold Wing fans – yes, the bike is headed to India.

TopGear India gets an all-new look with this issue. But it’s not just the design that has changed. We have reinvented some sections, added some more relevant bits and given it a different look and feel. The challenge was to ensure that you don’t leave the issue midway. We await the results.

GIRISH KARKERA, EDITORTwitter.com/karkeragirish

‘OUR CHALLENGES WERE ALL AMBITIOUS BUT NOT RUBBISH, EXCEPT, MAYBE, THE ONE WHERE WE TOOK ON AN AMG DRIVING INSTRUCTOR AT HIS OWN GAME’

SPECIAL SUBSCRIPTION OFFER ON PAGE NO 072

FEATURES

Audi A3You’ve seen Audi dominate at La Sarthe, France. Now, we toss one of them into the ring at Sriperumbudur

Bentley GT V8S We go emirate-hopping in one of the most powerful V8s ever built. And get a discount on a speeding ticket!

Moto Morini ScramblerIt’s big. It’s expensive. It’s Italian. So we did what anyone would do, naturally. We threw it into the mud

Gurkha 4x4Greenpeace says that India’s forest cover is depleting. Devastated, we get up and go off-roading in Goa

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Harley DavidsonAttention animal lovers! See how two hogs pig out on some delectable Indian kilometres

Bugatti VeyronHere’s how our guys in the UK kicked into hyper drive and got their kicks down the legendary Route 66

Yamaha R25We hop aboard the Japanese twin-cylinder to answer all your questions in this TopGear exclusive

Lamborghini HuracanWe already know that this bullish beaut is a hoot to drive. But how long can it last off the hot sauce?

Mercedes CLA45 AMGA pro driver has Devesh Shobha running around in circles. Can our man beat the master?

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Jaguar XEThis XE thing could have the Germans very worried

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEW CARS THIS MONTH

01 Comp ny desc ip i nJust who re y u dea i g wi h he e?

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02 The TG Ra i gSimply t anslated how good is the ehicle in n mber ? O t of ay 10?

03 P ice in your c tyInd c t ve ex howr om r ces On oad for Mumbai

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07 Fuel e fici ncyA er ge k t a ha ? The eal w r d f gu e f r r al wo d ituat ons

08 DimensionsMaki g su e you k ow f our ar w l f t n yo r pa k ng slot Y ah ha ’s go ng to be imp rtant too

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THE TOPGEAR NEW CAR & B KE

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141–176All you need to know about the best cars on sale today. Your car not there? Sell it, and buy one,

then...

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REGUL ARS

NEWS PL ANET TOPGEAR DRIVES

Mr YezdiChatting with the man who’s witnessed the birth and death of the Ideal Jawa factory

SriramThinks that when it comes to cars, old isn’t necessarily gold. It can also be platinum...

ShreenandCan’t get Ducatis off his mind. Seriously. It’s his third column on the Italians to date

Nissan GTAWe follow virtual racers on their journey to becoming real-life racers

Monastery EscapeOur version of Temple Run. And it’s better than the one on your smartphone

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Driven this month…Maruti Ciaz 048Mahindra Scorpio 052Renault Duster AWD 054Fiat Avventura 056Mercedes GLA 058Hyundai i20 060Hero Karizma 062Mahindra Reva e2o 064Audi Q3 Dynamic 065Scooty Zest 066BMW X3 067Suzuki Gixxer 068Skoda Yeti 070

AMG GTThis one’s looking to take a big slice of some Porsche 911 and Jaguar F-Type pie

Aston MartinGet the low-down on two special and unique cars from the British marque

Midual Type 1Look at what the French have come up with after nearly a decade in the shadows

Mazda MX5The hottest-selling two-door sportscar in the world goes on a diet

KTM 390 AdventureThe Austrians reveal to us more adventurous undertakings for our country

Honda Gold WingHeads-up, bikers! A big bird is ready to make India its new nesting place

Volvo XC90The Scandinavian brand has rediscovered its groove with this new SUV

L-R Discovery SportHallelujah! A new seven-seat Land Rover is born

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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 → T O P G E A R . C O M0 0 6

CEO Tarun Rai

Editor Girish Karkera

Managing Editor Murali K. Menon Features Editor Abhinav Mishra Assistant Features Editor Christopher Chaves Senior Features Writer Devesh Shobha Senior Road Tester Agasti Kaulgi Copy Editor Amaan Ahmed Senior Art Director Kiran Jadhav Deputy Art Director Jagdish Limbachiya Senior Graphic Designer Laxman V. Sarmalkar Senior Editorial Coordinator Tejal Bhatkar New Media Editor Gagan Gupta Photographers Nitin Rose, Rajeev Gaikwad Contributors (India) Abhishek Mishra, Debabrata Sarkar, Sriram Narayanan, Rishaad Saam Mehta, Shreenand Sadhale Contributing Photographers (India) Bajirao Pawar, Hashim Badani, Himanshu Pandya, Parag Parelkar, Shashank MB, Somdutta Nhawkar Assistant General Manager Marketing Abhishek Krishnan Senior Brand Manager (Events & IPs) Aakash Mishra Deputy Brand Manager Sajid Hussain Assistant Brand Manager Raees Ahmed Basri Assistant Marketing Administration Manager Asha Karandikar Chief Financial Officer Subramaniam S. Publisher, Print & Production Controller Joji Varghese

INTERNATIONAL TEAMIMMEDIATE MEDIA

Chairman Stephen Alexander Deputy Chairman Peter Phippen CEO Tom Bureau International Partners Manager Anna Brown

TOPGEAR UK TEAM Managing Director Top Gear, UK Adam Waddell Publisher Simon Carrington Editor in Chief Charlie Turner Associate Editor Tom Ford

BBC WORLDWIDE MAGAZINES UNIT Director of Publishing Nicholas Brett Head of Publishing Chris Kerwin Head of Editorial Jenny Potter Publishing Coordinator Eva Abramik

BBC TopGear is edited by Girish Karkera and printed & published by Joji Varghese for and on behalf of Worldwide Media Pvt. Ltd., The Times of India Building,

TopGear

licence by Immediate Media Company London Limited. Copyright © Immediate Media Company London Limited

The publisher makes every effort to ensure that the magazine’s contents are correct. However we accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Unsolicited material, including photographs and transparencies, is submitted entirely at the owner’s risk & the

publisher accepts no responsibility for its loss or damage. All material published in TopGear is protected by copyright and unauthorised reproduction in part or full is forbidden.

Corporate Identification Number (CIN): U22120MH2003PTC142239

SUBSCRIPTIONS

National Manager Consumer & Retail

Priyadarshi Banerjee

[email protected]

Assistant General Manager (RMD Magazines)

Suparna Sheth

[email protected]

North: 011-39898090; East: 033-39898090;

West: 022-39898090; South: 080-39898090

SMS: TGSUB to 58888

AD SALES

DIRECTOR AD SALES &

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Jyoti Verma

[email protected]

NATIONAL SALES HEAD Viral Panchamiya

[email protected]

WESTBusiness HeadGautam Chopra

[email protected]

MUMBAIAdvit Sharma

[email protected]

PUNEEkta Dang

[email protected]

AHMEDABADNishi Shukla

[email protected]

NORTHDELHI / NOIDAGunjan Gulati

[email protected]

Nitin [email protected]

SOUTH

Business HeadVikram Singh

[email protected]

Karthik [email protected]

EASTAssistant Vice President

Alka [email protected]

Bijoy [email protected]

Here are some responses to Sriram Narayanan’s July column on the compact sedan phenomenon...I read Sriram’s Column in the July issue of TopGear, about the sub- four metre vehicle length rule. I certainly agree with him on this matter. This sub- four metre rule has lead to the birth of many cars, which have evolved out of their hatchback counterparts. Barring a few, I think most of them are a design disaster, and would not work in any other country other than ours. As mentioned, the new Hyundai Xcent is a good example, the Ford Ecosport being another and the recently-launched Tata Zest is a promising one.

The worst example coming out of this is the Maruti DZire. In my opinion, the engines and the Maruti tag are the only things it’s worth. It’s one of the best sellers, but I am quite surprised that people do not think before buying that car. I am a fan of the Swift and hate the lines ruined when I see the DZire.

I really like Sriram’s idea of giving excise cuts to cars which offer higher fuel efficiency or have class-leading safety features. The Euro NCAP has deemed many of our Indian cars unsafe, and almost all have received zero or one stars in their safety ratings. If the excise cut is given to cars which are safer and stronger, it would lead to the advent of better cars in the country and greater safety standards.Rushabh Shah

I couldn’t help but be quite impressed with everything Sriram wrote about in his column in the July issue. Personally, I don’t like how any of these ‘ hatchbacks with boots’ look, however, what I liked the most was the idea of having excise benefits for real and good reasons like having good mileage, or having safety features.

Indian buyers are as always occupied with the price, first and foremost. However, there are people who are willing to give safety a priority, and even small reductions in the price for extra safety features would go a long way.Manav Sanghavi

Why F1 should fear Max Verstappen tinyurl.com/tg max v

McLaren P1 vs Porsche 918tinyurl.com/p1vs918

My @BBC_TopGear @TopGearMagIndia collection

over the years...@BEEAYEANOOWHY

Made this racetrack screamer combining the Zonda F & Huayra.

Race Decals etc.@ASH_HAYABUSA

W H AT ’ S N E W O N TO P G E A R .CO M

L E T T E R S TO TG

INTERWEB, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, LETTER, CARRIER PIGEON. YOU SEND IT, WE PRINT IT

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BBC TOPGEAR MAGAZINE INDIA, 4TH FLOOR, TIMES OF INDIA BUILDING, D.N. ROAD, MUMBAI 400001

T W E E TS & S T U F F

How can someone do this to a Landie?

ASHIRBAD PRAHARA J VIA EMAIL

Someone parked their X-Wing in the gym parking lot. The force

is strong with this one!ANAND SUNDARAM VIA FACEBOOK

s I’m sure you know by now, I am no fan of the bus. In rural areas, I accept, of course, that it is a necessary evil because people who are too old to drive a car need to be able to get to the shops so they can buy potions for their phlebitis and tuna chunks for their cats.

But in cities? No. In cities, everything you ever need is only a short walk away, and if it isn’t you can use a bicycle. And if you don’t want to ride a bicycle, because you are, say, an adult, then you should buy a car. There is simply no need, then, in urban areas for a bus. It is too big, too noisy and as often as not it’s full of rambling drunkards and murderists.

However, I’ve spent the last week or so in continental Europe, and it seems that many cities there have something even worse. It’s called a tram, and I simply cannot see the point.

If you look on the internet, fans of the idea say they are trains that operate in city centres, but as we know, everyone on the internet is a swivel-eyed lunatic and so we must dismiss this notion straight away. A train is a long-distance tool which runs in a straight line. It cannot be converted to operate in a city centre, because it cannot turn left or right at a set of lights.

No. A tram is a bus, which as we’ve already explained is a waste of space. But it’s worse than a bus because its power comes from overhead electricity cables. This means that many streets in the city have to be blanketed with high-voltage cables, which is extremely dangerous not just for tall people like me but also for small children. Because, as we keep being told, electricity, whether it comes from windmills, mobile phones or power stations, causes many different types of cancer.

There’s another problem. Because the tram has to remain in contact with the wires that feed electricity to its motors, the driver

cannot swerve if someone runs into his path. He must just sit there until his windscreen becomes all red and meaty.

I am always gripped by terror when I’m in a city that uses trams, because I know that if I accidentally stray into their path, I will definitely be killed. In Rome recently, I misread a sign while driving a Lamborghini Aventador and found myself sucked into a tunnel that was full of the damn things, and I don’t mind admitting that quite a lot of poo came out.

It’s bad enough trying to mix cars, pedestrians, cyclists and lorries. That’s a recipe with disaster written all over it. But when you introduce blinkered unidirectional trams as well, you’re going to address the housing shortage in double quick time, that’s for sure. Because everyone will be dead.

What staggers me is that we have the ability today to build monorails. We see them at airports running on maglev synergy drive systems. This lifts public transport above the heads of the city’s shoppers and is undoubtedly the solution. But instead, those in charge always say: “No. Let us use instead something from Dickensian times.” It’s madness, as stupid as saying you want to go to America in a sailing boat, rather than in an A380.

Which, of course, brings me to Edinburgh. Its new tram service opened a few weeks ago and was hailed by the BBC’s online news service as a great success. But it’s no such thing. The people of the city had to put up with closed roads and construction traffic for six years, and all they got was one 14-kilometre line that eventually cost north of `7,000 crore. Twice the original estimate.

`7,000 crore works out at `1.40 lakh for every man, woman and child in the city. It would’ve been cheaper to provide every commuter in the city with a brand-new BMW i3. It is a criminal waste of money, just so you can get from

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the city centre to the airport about six seconds faster than before.

The only good thing to come out of the fiasco is that every other city in Britain is now quietly dropping their plans to build a tram network. But even this comes with a worry, because we are talking about local councillors, and there’s no telling what idiocy they may come up with instead. A new network of canals perhaps. Or a space hopper docking port.

Well, as usual, I have a plan which could be of some use. Since everyone is obsessed these days with the environment and living in the past, why not scrap all public transport and provide the residents of each city with a fleet of horses. Horses are sustainable and organic, and their exhaust discharge can be used to make the roses on all the municipal roundabouts much more vivid.

Horses are quieter than trams and don’t need to be serviced very often. They are also cheaper to run. You don’t have to plug a horse into overhead cables – unless it is behaving badly - and you don’t need to fill it up with diesel every few hundred kilometres. Simply leave it in a city centre park while you’re at work, and it will refuel itself on nothing but grass…

I will admit that horses are not comfortable. James, Richard and I went for a ride in Burma recently and after just a kilometre, I had a crushed teste, James had a ruined anus and Richard had a sprained wrist. But this is because we are unskilled. With a bit of practice, I think we could probably get the hang of it and then…? Well, certainly, I’d rather use a horse to get around London than a bicycle. A horse never gets a puncture, its chain never comes off and you don’t have to pedal it, which means it’s easier to get to the top of Notting Hill. Maybe they could be sponsored by Barclays and called Boris Horses.

I admit there would be one or two issues. If there 150,000 commuter horses in London, that ould result in around 40,000 gallons of horse urine splashing onto the streets every day. As well as 30 lakh pounds of manure, which would attract flies, which would spread diseases such as typhoid.

Also, we’d have to reckon on around 40 ses dying every day. Which would be yet

er environmental hazard unless they were collected promptly. Which they wouldn’t be if it were a council-run enterprise. So pretty soon, there’d be a dead bloated horse on every street corner which…

Hmm. Actually, the more I think about this, the more I reckon it won’t work. So how’s this for another plan? We stop messing about with Victorian solutions and accept that realistically there’s only one sensible way of getting about these days. It’s called “a car”.

It won’t give you typhoid, it doesn’t cost `7,000 crore, it can be steered round jaywalkers, it doesn’t attract flies, it doesn’t ruin your anus and it won’t wander off in the night. Sounds perfect? That’s because it is.

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TO TOPGEAR.COM

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“DIPPING MY TOE INTO THE SHARK-INFESTED, THRASHING WATERS OF FOOTBALL FANDOM WAS NERVE-WRACKING”

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ne of the team making our telly show – I shan’t name him (it’s Richard Porter) – knows everything there is to know about cars. It’s as simple as that. His mind is largely a device for

storing information about cars. He can tie his own shoelaces, operate a computer and he recently became a father, so he has other functions too, but mostly his brain is a sort of fleshy cupboard for car trivia... although this nameless man (it’s Richard Porter) would refuse to recognise the automotive clutter in his head as trivia.

There’s so much of it in there that sometimes it spills out spontaneously. Should a question regarding an old Cortina or the designer of an Italian bumper crop up in a planning meeting, this man (it’s Richard Porter) has absolutely no control over his mouth.He simply supplies the answer. Immediately. It’s a reptilian response as automatic as a crocodile’s mouth snapping shut on its prey. Only a crocodile doesn’t make itself look like a tit when he does it.

I’ve counselled this man (his name is Porter, Richard Porter) against these outbursts, pointing out that in any social situation beyond a TopGear planning meeting, which leaves a pretty broad spectrum of situations really, showing himself to be a man whose head houses a Big Book of Car Facts instead of an actual mind, leaves him open to accusations of anorakacy and chumpishness of the first order. But he can’t help himself.

Here’s the thing, though. During the recent World Cup, I took my first, tentative steps into the world of football fandom. I’d never paid any attention to it before, not because I was uninterested in the game – it looked to be really rather good – but because I was scared off at an early age by the way everyone around me seemed to know all about it. They could recite lists of names and criticise the bearer of each name for their performance in a certain match decades ago.

Some of their talk wasn’t even about playing football but was, from what I could gather, mostly about the various businessmen standing around in grey suits and terrible coats at the side of the pitch. A clash between two teams was, for them, as redolent with meaning and context and history as the Bayeux Tapestry is to David Starkey. Their minds were, like the man in the office (R Porter) given over entirely to the storage of facts pertaining to their chosen enthusiasm.

In front of such a panel of expertise, daring to raise my voice with an opinion during a discussion in a school playground, I would have felt like a mouse shouting into a hurricane. So dipping my toe into the shark-infested, thrashing waters of football fandom was a nerve-wracking moment, but I did it anyway.

As I was away on tour with the TopGear Live show, matters were made rather more intense by the fact that I would be popping my football fan cherry in the company of m’esteemed colleagues on TopGear. We watched a few of the early matches in hotel bars, and I slowly built up the courage to squeak my approval of a certain shot, and even to shake my head and tut quietly at what I considered to be an ill-considered pass or a ballsed-up shot on goal. Naturally, there came a moment when my humble squeaks and mutterings were picked up by the bigger, more seasoned fans around me, and, yes, I came in for some stick.

On a match we watched following an informal, garden kick-about of our own during which I had demonstrated exactly the ineptitude as a footballer that left me standing lonely and unpicked before every match I ever nearly played at school, it was pointed out by someone in our crowd that I was suddenly drawing on my own experience as a player to criticise those playing on the TV in front of us and that this was, perhaps, a bit ambitious. I threshed about a bit in the ensuing tsunami of abuse, panic rising with the waves around me. And then assistance started coming from a most unlikely direction.

A certain one of m’colleagues (it was Jeremy Clarkson) threw me a rope, pointing out good moves, agreeing with some of my opinions on tactics and play and pointing out where I might, perhaps, look closer and understand more.

Jeremy also came late to football fandom and perhaps had weathered a similar nerve-shredding baptism – though I can’t imagine it. My point is that we should sometimes stop and consider what effect our fact-packed observations concerning cars have on those who might, perhaps, carry a fledgling interest in the subject, but be scared of sharing it in case they do so in front of a Richard Porter who stammers and sputters with disbelief that they don’t know the name of the man who employed the designer of the wheels on the Lamborghini Miura – he will know that, by the way, definitely.

I for one, whilst possessing a mental filing cabinet a thousand drawers short of Porter’s towering edifice, shall wait a moment in future before sneering at someone’s misidentification of a car. I have learned through my baptism into football fandom that the tiny candle of initial interest is very easily blown out. And that might be a shame. Somewhere there is the person who will one day solve all our car problems, sorting hydrogen fuel cells or anti-gravity wheels, but right now they may have got no further than thinking, “Ooh, I quite like cars. Wonder what my mates think?”

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. BUT IT CAN ALSO BE SOCIALLY CRIPPLING AND HORRIBLY INTIMIDATING TO OTHERS. USE IT

WISELY OR KEEP SCHTUM, SAYS RH

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“ IN BRITAIN, A HARLEY SPORTSTER IS A STATEMENT, BUT OVER IN THE STATES, IT’S KINDA LIKE A BIKE”

d never ridden a Harley-Davidson Sportster, which is an odd state of affairs. I’ve been to the US a lot, and I’ve tried lots of motorcycles, but never the one that says “American

bike” like plastic cheese says “American dining experience”. So I borrowed the 1,200cc V-twin for the day and headed into the hills.

Up ahead, Richard Hammond was on an even bigger hog; something like the Heritage Big-Boy Bob-a-Job Fat B*****d. The motorcycle seemed to have run away by itself.

After a couple of hours, we stopped and swapped. Then, after another couple, we stopped for a cheeseburger. The Sportster, we decided, was the default Yankie Mo’cycle, the one you get if you ask someone to pick up a bike for you when they pop out to the shops for groceries somewhere in the Midwest. In Britain, a Harley Sportster is a statement, but over there, it’s kinda like a bike. We named it Postman Harley. I can’t remember a time when some incarnation of this bike wasn’t in production.

Usually it happens in a restaurant or hotel, maybe at a sporting event. Now it was while I was pulled over at the roadside, but the question was the same: can Europe and the US really be so far apart? Their tomatoes are big and bland, while ours are small and intense, because America celebrates excess while we celebrate flavour. We like to eat strawberries in strawberry season from a punnet, for sheer joy, whereas an American strawberry is a decoration or votive offering that’s as likely to appear on your returned laundry as it is on an omelette. Perhaps more importantly, their roads are broad and largely straight, while ours wander around, still in thrall to some ancient itinerants who trod the first routes.

Maybe this explains it. Bikes from small countries – the UK and Japan, for example – are shaped by matters of efficiency, of dealing with scarce fuel, expensive resources and unexpected turns. Lightness, sharp handling and high revs in exchange for displacement are the result. A bike should, to some extent, and perhaps to a large one, be minnow-like.

But America is big, and even if you start in the right state, the way to San Jose is likely to be a long ride, so you may as well relax. So you sit far back and low, feet forward. The bars are broad and the steering responses are leisurely. You could probably take your hands off and have a bit of a kip. I bet people have, but I bet they woke up still rumbling along on a Harley.

Meanwhile, in the Old World, we are bolt upright at best, and on my own Triumph I’m spinally extended into a yogic pose. Now Hammond tells me this goes back a lot further than the dawn of internal combustion, because the cowboys of the Wild West rode like this, stirrups extended, slumped in the saddle for days on end, one hand on the reins. So it might be Rocky Raccoon’s fault.

Again, everywhere is a long way away where Harleys live. The engine is massive, but not that powerful. The Triumph develops almost twice the power with not much more than half the capacity, and is a riot of mechanical action. Progress on the Harley is achieved one firing stroke at a time, each one an event in itself rather than part of a bigger scheme. I’m guessing the oil-change intervals are less critical than they are on a V4 Honda.

Gearchanges? You might need one occasionally. On a Japanese crotch-rocket, it happens a lot, and takes a stab of the toe. On the Harley, I lifted my leg, performed a flourish with my ankle, and stabbed the next one home. That’s as it should be if it only happens after 500 kilometres on an interstate.

I found myself lovin’ ma hog. The road and the scenery helped, as ever, and the pure pleasure of riding along displaced any real concerns over motorcycle technological progress or the finer points of dynamics. Funny, isn’t it? I’ve always looked at them and thought them ridiculous, at least at home. Unsuited to our European sensibilities. Bulky, slightly crude, more a badge of nervous midlife than a means of sustaining the biking muse.

But maybe I’m ready now. The big V-twin is not a perfectly balanced 90-degree job. It’s a thumper, and it transfers its mechanical shortcomings to bars and pegs which vibrate But this is a good thing

I’

ENLIGHTENMENT HAS ARRIVED. THE AGE-OLD QUESTION OF WHY DESIGN VARIES IN DIFFERENT

COUNTRIES HAS BEEN ANSWERED. READ ON...

hing. and pegs, which vibrate. But this is a good thI’m 51. I knew I was still alive.

O P G E A RE A R . C O M → O C T O B E RR 22 0 1 4 0 1 3T O P G

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT NEW CARS THIS MONTH

Watch out, 3 Series. The Brits are coming for you TURN OVER

“The XE’s a real alternative to other cars in the entry-level luxe segment”

B I G T H I S M O N T H

big ambitionsJaguar is betting big on the XE. Is this going to be the 3 Series-killer

G E A R . C O M

UM ENGINESed in-house, the Ingenium family of petrol and diesel engines is the next generation of motors to power JLR vehicles. Thoughion is scarce at the moment, we know that there will be two four-cylinder mills: a 2.0-litre petrol, and a 2.0-litre diesel. The first engine off the line will be the diesel, which will make around 161bhp and 380Nm in the base variant. Jaguar says more powerful versions of gines will be available at a later date.

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 → T O P0 1 4

INGENIDevelopeinformatito come othese eng

he world has been waiting for? B Y A B H I N A V M I S H R A

T O P G E A R . C O M → O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 0 1 5

JAGUAR X-TYPEThis was Ford’s idea of taking on the German Big Three in the compact luxury sedan segment. Enthusiasts did not warm up to a front-wheel driven Jaguar that was based on the Ford Mondeo, and Ford struggled to push many of them off showroom floors. This car brought along quite a few firsts for Jaguar, including the first Jaguar estate, Jag’s first all-wheel-drive variant and also, Jag’s first-ever diesel engine.

t’s hard to a judge a book by its cover. Similarly, it’s harder to judge how a car will perform on the basis of its looks. We were introduced to the all-new baby Jag with much fanfare. The XE wants to be a segment-buster by offering something that the current crop of

premium executive sedans doesn’t. This is not the first time Jag has tried to launch a car in

the German-occupied premium mid-size segment. In the last decade, it was the ill-fated X-Type, which was a re-skinned Ford Mondeo, and though it was sold for eight long years, it found very few takers.

Thankfully, the XE has not been spun off an existing model. Jaguar has invested in an all-new platform to rival Germany’s finest. The stakes are high for Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), because this architecture will also form the basis for all future JLRs.

As Nick Miller, Chief Programming Engineer, JLR, puts it, “The XE is developed on a flexible platform that can be lengthened or shortened as per requirements.” When asked if there would be a four-door coupe derivative of the XE, Miller brushed the question off by saying that the focus is only on the XE for the time being.

The XE’s design isn’t path-breaking in any way. Up front, the headlights and grille look too similar to the larger XF. The same goes for the rear, which gets a pert boot, but very generic tail-lights. We’re not too happy with Jag for playing it safe with the XE’s design. But with the ‘family look’ trending, we guess Jaguar has chosen to follow the herd.

On the surface, things might look familiar, but dive deeper, and you’ll see that the XE has an all-new

‘Handshake’ gearlever’s in place. Dash is slightly dour

Pair your smartphone to it,start engine through an app

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BERTONE JAGUAR B99This was famous Italian design house Bertone’s take on a baby Jag, shown first at the 2011 Geneva motor show. It had blocky styling, as opposed to Ian Callum’s aggressive designs. Powering it were two electric motors, with a 1.4-litre petrol engine acting as a range-extender. The concept was appreciated by the general public, but clearly, Jaguar had other plans.

the best of both worlds: a good ride, and even better handling. Going by the wide stance and the 21-inch wheels, we do think the car will be a good handler, especially in ‘S’ guise.

Life on the leather-lined inside seems quite promising. It doesn’t feel as special as, say, an XF’s cabin, but the XE has quite a few gadgets to keep the social media generation entertained. The ‘InControl’ infotainment system comes with a large 8-inch screen, which you can hook up to your smartphone to access important apps from your phone. The system also allows you to remotely operate the climate control system, or even start the engine from your mobile phone.

Other driving aids include the laser heads-up display, which provides information such as speed and navigation. Further driving assistance includes autonomous braking, which employs stereo camera technology as seen on the new Land Rover Discovery Sport. The camera can gauge speed, distance, and, up to a speed of 50kph, can automatically apply the brakes to avoid a collision. Though most of this high-tech stuff will be reserved for the high-end variants, we expect to see the infotainment system on the base variant as well.

With the XE, Jaguar seems to have created a real alternative to the other cars in this segment. The styling may not be revolutionary, but it still looks sharp. There are lots of features, and if the XE is capable of doing all that it claims to do, you may probably be looking at the new king of the hill. Yes, the Germans have a reason to be worried.

aluminium frame. Jaguar claims that 75 per cent of the structure employs aluminium, while the rest is high-strength steel. At 1,474 kilos (for the XE S), it is a whole 300kg lighter than the XF. Choose the four-pot motor, and you can knock off a few more kilos. The weight savings mean there’s less stress on the engine. What it also does, is make the car more nimble, and this was one key reason why Jaguar extensively used this lightweight material.

In ‘S’ trim, power comes from the F-Type-sourced, 3.0-litre supercharged V6 that makes 335bhp and 450Nm of torque. Going by how eager this engine feels in the F-Type, we have a fair idea of the kind of acceleration and tyre-smoking potential the XE S possesses. To put that adrenaline rush into figures, the XE can sprint to 100kph in 5.1s, before reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 250kph.

Transferring all that power to the rear wheels is an 8-speed ZF auto ‘box, which, too, has been nicked from the F-Type. What is interesting is that abroad, the XE will also be sold with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The new 2.0-litre Ingenium engines will surely be paired with the manual, but we are not sure if the high-performance S variant will get it. Expect JLR to give the manual a skip in India, as luxury car buyers here prefer the convenience of an automatic.

To make it handle better, Jaguar has given the XE double-wishbone suspension at the front, while the rear gets a multi-link set-up. Jaguar claims this particular type of rear suspension is a first in the segment, and provides

Audi A4

BMW 3 Series

Mercedes C-Class

THE XE’S FOES

e knew that the SLS was going to die, and we also knew that from its ashes, a brand-new AMG sportscar would rise. It has now, and this is it: the AMG GT.

Merc had said that this would be the second most beautiful Mercedes ever made, with the first being the legendary 300SL. They were right about the SL, but this... isn’t exactly pretty, is it? Yes, it’s low, wide, has a hood that’s long enough to span districts, and there is more than a hint of SLS to the whole stance. If you observe closely, you’ll even see a bit of Porsche 911/Jaguar F-Type in the roofline. But sadly, the SLS’ gullwings have been clipped, and most of us at TopGear aren’t particularly taken by the way the GT looks.

One more thing that died along with the SLS was that glorious 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8, which has now been replaced by a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo V8. In base GT trim, it makes 462 horses and 600Nm. Suffix ‘S’ to GT, and it’ll put out 510hp and 650Nm. Not the most powerful motor hand-crafted by the AMG boffins, this V8 is paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch ‘box that sends the power to the rear wheels. 0-100kph is done away with in 4 seconds by the GT (3.8 for the GT S), and top speed is 304kph, 6kph down on the S’ top whack. Not that much of a gap, is it?

There are a few more differences between the stock GT and the S: the GT has a

mechanical differential, the S has an electronic diff. The S has bigger disc brakes, bigger wheels, electronically-controlled dampers, and it can also be specced with dynamic engine and transmission mounts.

It may use some of the SLS’ underpinnings, but the GT is decidedly more compact. The spaceframe makes extensive use of aluminium, the whole bodyshell weighs only 231kg, and both GT variants weigh less than 1,600kg. The reason for this is simple: AMG’s kept it small and simple, and has deliberately shied away from making it unnecessarily powerful, to make it more manageable and precise on a racetrack. That’s to take care of the 911. And then there’s the V8 soundtrack (which can be further enhanced by specifying the AMG Performance Exhaust) to match the F-Type R on the drama front.

On the inside, you get S-Class-like AC vents, and mounted on top of the centre console are buttons of the ‘AMG Drive Unit ‘ which are laid out like the cylinders in a V8 arrangement. One of the eight buttons is for the Electronic Stability Program, which can be switched off completely when you’re in the mood for some sideways action.

It’s aiming to do two things at once, the GT. On one side, it’s fighting an icon, and on the other, a complete beauty. And we’re curious to know if it can win two battles at the same time. A three-way comparo should sort that out, no?

e knew that the SLS was going to mechanical differential, the S has an electronic

Two birds, one AMG GTThe 911’s precision, and the F-Type’s madness, is what AMG seems to be keen on offering with its new sportscar B Y A M A A N A H M E D

T O P G E A R . C O M → O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 0 1 7

This is the new Aston Martin Lagonda, yet another ridiculously luxurious and exclusive super saloon that you can’t buy, unless your passport states that you’re a permanent resident of the Middle East. Even then, you can’t drive

home in one, not as long as Aston Martin doesn’t deem you worthy enough to own one. In terms of styling, the Lagonda takes inspiration from the much sought-after William Towns-designed Lagonda saloon from 1976, and that explains its long, sleek and

low stance. Engine specs are still a mystery, but we won’t be surprised to see an uprated version of the 550bhp, 6.0-litre V12 from the Rapide S. As for the price, only people who have received a formal invitation would be able to confirm that.

Aston turned 100 in 2013, and if you thought the celebrations had ended, you’d be absolutely wrong. Why? Because Zagato has revealed images (and a few details) of its latest one-off model that’s a part of Gaydon’s 100th

birthday bash.It’s called the Aston Martin Virage Shooting

Brake Zagato, and as we said, only one unit will ever exist. If you think you can barter your life’s savings for this model, sorry, you can’t. This one already belongs to a gentleman in Europe.

Not many details are available, but you won’t be wrong in assuming that it has the same 6.0-litre V12 engine with an output identical to that of the regular Virage. We’re not really fond of the new SB’s backside, though. Rarely hear that about Italian models, do we?

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 → T O P G E A R . C O M0 1 8

The Lagonda is back!

Zagato does Aston... again

The Middle East does not like the Rapide. So, Aston’s resurrected an old nameplate

Zagato brings out the Aston Martin Virage Shooting Brake to complete Aston’s titanium jubilee-celebrating trilogy

T O P G E A R . C O M → O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 0 1 9

azda recently pulled out all stops and revealed the all-new MX-5. The MX-5 has been around for over 25

years. With over 9,47,000 cars being produced, it holds the Guinness World Record for being the best-selling two-seater sports car of all time. This MkIV model, which will go on sale in Europe in 2015, is expected to be a hoot to drive, as it weighs 100kg less than the outgoing model

of

gravity than the outgoing model. Though Mazda saw fit to not release many technical details, what we can tell you is that the new car boasts Mazda’s SKYACTIV technology, which includes SKYACTIV-G petrol engine, and the first rear-wheel drive model based on the SKYACTIV chassis. The new MX-5 is at a level comparable to the original model, which revived the market for affordable lightweight sportscars when it was launched back in 1989.

single-piece cast aluminium frame will be available in a wide range of finishes, while a number of high-quality materials have gone into the making of this highly-customisable machine, like the oak wood instrument panel, and the leather knee grips.

The finishing reveals the highly reputed expertise of some seriously skilled French craftsmen. Only

35 Type 1s will be produced and sold to European customers in 2016. Don’t feel too bad, because a single Type 1 will inflict a Rs 1.4 crore dent in your bank balance. But on the brighter side, each motorcycle will feature its owner’s

name on a plaque on the top of the frame. Not all bad news now, is it?!

A

M

The new French model you’d want to know all about

Meet the new Miata

French Excess

MX’d signals

weighs 100kg less than the outgoing mand surprisingly, has shrunk in terms osize, and has an even lower centre of

More than 45 types of leather are offered

as standard

fter spending over a decade in the dark, luxury French motorcycle manufacturer Midual is back in the limelight after showcasing its spanking

new Type 1 at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The Type 1 is powered by a unique 1,036cc boxer engine (developed completely in-house) that spits out 106bhp and 100Nm of torque. The sculpted,

elieve it or not, the touring bike market in India is growing by leaps and bounds. Harley has been around for a while, Indian

Motorcycle’s brought along the Chieftain, its long-distance tourer, and now, it’s Honda’s turn to offer a bike that can handle cross-country trips. And it’s got just the product: the Gold Wing.

Widely recognised as one of the finest touring bikes in the world, the Gold Wing gets pretty much everything you’d ever want on a motorcycle: a stereo, navigation system, heated grips, footrests and seats, ABS, and, you can also have it fitted with an airbag!

A 1.8-litre, liquid-cooled six-cylinder engine, mated to a five-speed transmission, is responsible for propelling this 400-420kg two-wheeler.

As you may have guessed, it won’t be cheap. At all. Since it will be a direct import (and thus, we’ll have both variants - the standard Gold Wing, as well as the F6B) when it is launched before the end of 2014, it’ll end up with a price tag of `35-40 lakh. Look at it as a more adventurous, slightly pricier way to tour the world.

B

Adventure calling

Honda’s globe-trotter is headed straight for the Indian market

Incoming!

TGEXCLUSIVE

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 → T O P G E A R . C O M0 2 0