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052 MERCEDES-BENZ GLA 45 AMG 024 FIAT AVVENTURA v TOYOTA ETIOS CROSS

030 MARUTI SUZUKI ALTO K10

The smallest AMG-engined SUV is a hoot to drive, but is it better than the CLA 45 AMG?

058 KOENIGSEGG ONE:1

091 OFFBEAT DRIVING DESTINATIONS

Christian von Koenigsegg called it the world’s first ‘megacar’. It’s the fastest road car evo has ever tested

034 AUDI A3 PETROL

036 VW VENTO v SKODA RAPID

Bob Rupani takes us off the beaten path to some unusual destinations

070 LAMBORGHINI HURACÁN The Gallardo replacement is here. Has the Huracan traded its edginess at the altar of ultimate performance?

107 FOOD TRAIL 078 THE SUMMIT DRIVE We go with Mahindra Adventure on a once-in-a-lifetime drive through Nepal and Tibet to the 5,200m Everest base camp

evo India | November 2014

Scouring the back lanes of Mumbai and Pune to ease the seafood cravings of a hard-toplease foodie

ISSUE 14 NOVEMBER 2014

CONTENTS

R E GU L A R S

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010 NEWS Showcasing cars from the Paris Motor Show. Tramontana’s XTR coming to India (evo exclusive), selfdriven rentals, and more

112 SCORPIO v SAFARI STORME v DUSTER AWD Just how good is the new Scorpio. We pit it against the Duster AWD and Safari Storme

121 RAID DE HIMALAYA The coming-of-age rite of passage, aka the Raid

132 HYDERABAD BENTLEYS Own one Bentley, you want one more, and one more...

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042 COLUMNS

R I DDE N 152 INDIAN SCOUT

157 TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD LT

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Gautam dwells on what ails Indian motorsport, Bijoy laments the disorganised used car trade in India, Bob wishes for better organised car rallies, and Gaurav talks of the intense rivalries and stormy relationships in motorsport

162 MOTORSPORT The final rounds of the one make series, MRF national racing championship and the 4th round of JK go-karting

050 LETTERS Readers shower us with wishes and greetings on our first anniversary

164 LONG-TERM TESTS We bid the Octy and Polaris ATV adieu. The Honda City arrives

168 EVO KNOWLEDGE The joys and anguish of owning a Bentley, an action cam on the top of the world and the latest games and peripherals

186 ART OF SPEED The dihedral synchro-helix actuation doors that are a Koenigsegg signature

November 2014 |

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Radar

PAREEK MOVES TO TATA Snippets

Mayank Pareek, a 29 year veteran of Maruti Suzuki and its former head of sales and marketing, has moved to Tata Motors as President of their passenger vehicles unit. Ranjit Yadav, meanwhile, will head International Business for Passenger and Commercial vehicles.

News, new metal, investigations, interviews, technology and more…

S I L E NCE OF THE L A M BOS Up close

Under the skin of a future star car

This hybrid Lamborghini supercar can summon 897bhp – or travel in all-electric silence Words: Sam Sheehan

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evo India | November 2014

LAMBORGHINI PULLED the wraps off a stunning plug-in hybrid supercar at the Paris Motor Show. Described as ‘production-ready’ but not yet confirmed for production, the Asterion LPI 910-4 packs a naturally aspirated 5.2-litre V10 and three electric motors for a combined power output of 897bhp (910PS). That gives the Asterion enough shove to race to 100kmph in just 3sec and on to a top speed of 320kmph, placing it just behind the V12 Aventador for outright straight-line pace. And yet, in tests, it can achieve CO2 emissions as low as 98g/km. The mid-mounted FSI V10 has been borrowed directly from the Huracán – producing the same 602bhp and 560Nm of torque – with the remaining grunt coming from the trio of electric motors. The first plays the role of starter motor and generator and

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EXCL USI V E

Tandem supercar Tramontana case the R version wasn’t nutty enough, the XTR coming to India InSpanish F1 supplier has you covered

Words: Shami Kalra

WELCOME TO Tramontana, an extreme sports car company you may not have heard of yet, but one which could potentially make a name for itself among the hardcore. This isn’t a boutique firm borne of marketing, however. Based in an industrial complex just north of Barcelona in Spain, there’s a factory brimming with engineers who have for years made parts for Formula 1 and other motorsport categories. Since 2005, they’ve been working on a car that’s heavily based on their motorsport involvement, designing and placing parts carefully on to a carbon fibre chassis. However, unlike a parts-bin special or hopped-up production model, this is a groundup, bespoke sportscar. Starting with the 2009 Tramontana R, a tandem jet fighter cockpit with wheels, the company is now working on the even more insane XTR, in case somebody accused them of being subtle. Responsible for this concept is unassuming Albert Foncillas. An analytical and modest man, whose one aim is to use his motorsport design and engineering knowledge and translate it into the best driving road-legal sportscar car that you could drive comfortably in the city at 50kmph, or drive to a track and achieve a little more than that. However, to be fair, to drive the XTR at 50kmph in the city, you’d need to

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be about as camera-shy as a Kardashian. Each car is made to the customer’s specifications, and the customisation goes well beyond interior trim and body embellishments. Prefer a little more downforce because you have great roads, or perhaps a little more ground clearance up front? Maybe you’d like a different style of rear wing? If you do decide on a balls-out bespoke sportscar, Tramontana will ask you to visit the factory to take your measurements for components such as seats, steering wheel reach and even to choose the aperture of the windscreen. There are 23 different styles of wheels on offer. It’s a bit like going to the Savile Row of motor cars. We haven’t even got to the best bit yet: the engines. There are two options on offer: an Audi-sourced 5.2-litre V10 (also used by Lamborghini ) producing 600bhp or a Mercedes V12 Twin Turbo producing 888bhp. This, on a vehicle weighing approximately 1200kg (depending on final specs). Both power plants are crackers in their stock guise but Tramontana makes their own tweaks as well. We had the opportunity to discuss the car with ex-F1 driver employed by Tramontana, Dani Clos. He’s the nicest of guys and will discuss things such as the set-up of the car, or if you need any pointers with how to drive it. Then it hits you that he retired as a racecar driver at the age of 25, while you’re

about to pretend to be one. It gets better. Tramontana are coming to India. With the passion of Virendra Mittal, they are looking to open a showroom in Mumbai, backed by a full service centre able to look after what can only be described as a unique work of automotive art. At present, they are working to get type approval from the Indian government, but since this has been done in the world's most stringent markets already, this is just a matter of time. There’ll be just a handful of cars a year with price tags well north of `3 crore before duties and taxes. If you want one, register soon! L

Above: Visit the factory for measurements such as seats, steering wheel reach and even to choose the aperture of the windscreen

Test location: Lavasa, Pune

Twin test: VW Vento TDI AT v Skoda Rapid TDI AT Torn between two siblings, does one let basic instinct decide?

WORDS by T U S H A R B U R M A N P H O T O G R A P H Y by V I K R A N T DAT E

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evo India | November 2014