MotorScribes Magazine - June 2016
MotorScribes Magazine - June 2016
MotorScribes Magazine - June 2016
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ISSUEN0004<br />
JUNE<strong>2016</strong><br />
ROYALENFIELDHIMALAYAN<br />
Butintheendit’sabouttalent,cozotherwise<br />
ShahRukhhasahead,arms,legs,etcjustlike<br />
therestofus.<br />
RENAULTLODGY<br />
butwhycompromiseon althegood stuf<br />
whenyoucangetitwith1.5-litres!<br />
AUDIA8LEXTENDED<br />
yup,it’swheelbaseislongerthantheoveral<br />
lengthofmostIndianhatchbacks!<br />
TESLAMODEL3
CONTENTS<br />
8<br />
RenaultLodgy<br />
06TeslaModel3
12<br />
RoyalEnfield<br />
Himalayan<br />
review<br />
22<br />
TataTiago<br />
launch<br />
24<br />
AudiA8LExtended
TEAM<br />
MuntaserMirkar<br />
WordProcessor<br />
Insomeotherlife,Muntaserwouldhavebeen<br />
designingcars,butinthisone,he'saseasoned<br />
Motoring Journalist with a decade of<br />
experiencebehindhim atpublicationslikeCar<br />
India&BikeIndia,ZigwheelsandZeegnition.<br />
Curently in charge ofshaping contentat<br />
<strong>MotorScribes</strong>,hepreachestheartofsarcasm<br />
when atplay and totaldedication when at<br />
work.<br />
Vikram Gour<br />
MarketingMan<br />
The second cog in the editorialteam at<br />
<strong>MotorScribes</strong>,Vikram Gourhashadtenyears<br />
ofautomotivewriting experienceaswel(in<br />
thesamepublicationsasMuntaser),buthis<br />
skilsgowaybeyond.Anemphaticoratorand<br />
aloverofalthingsthatgoof-road,Vikram is<br />
theGo-Toguyforbuildingbrands.Whennot<br />
atwork,he'sgeneralygetingorderedaround<br />
byhis2-yearolddaughter!<br />
GovindKumar<br />
CreativeGenius<br />
Advertising professional par excelence,<br />
Govind is responsible for al the visual<br />
wizardryyouseehere.Hiscreativeskilsare<br />
unquestionable,butareonlysurpassedbyhis<br />
loveformotorbikes–curentlyrevvingitup<br />
onaYamahaR3.BasedinChennai,heisalso<br />
anavidadventuresportenthusiastandevery<br />
sesecond thathe'snottoiling awayatdesign,<br />
he's probably scuba diving in an ocean<br />
somewhere.<br />
ManuGour<br />
TheNumbersGuy<br />
ManuisalabouttheBusiness–he'stheone<br />
to go to ifyou wantto talkaboutrunning<br />
thingsat<strong>MotorScribes</strong>.Healsogetstohandle<br />
theotherwise-mundanetasksofdealingwith<br />
legalities,paperworkandgovernmenttaxes!If<br />
itwasn'thisloveforfood–bothconsuming<br />
andcooking,he'dprobablyjustbetalkingin<br />
Mathalhislife.OK,sohelovestotraveltoo!<br />
PraveenRaja<br />
BehindtheScenes<br />
In today's day and age,no team can do<br />
withoutaTechGuruandthat'swhatPraveen<br />
is.Heletshisworkdoalthetalkingwhichis<br />
pretyevidentonthe<strong>MotorScribes</strong>website.<br />
While he'sone ofthe bestin handling the<br />
OnesandZeroes,hisbiggesttalentprobably<br />
lies in interpreting the absolute<br />
non-programming-gibberishfrom therestof<br />
theteam intoprogrammablereality.<br />
B2-103TuscanEstate,nearRaddisonHotel,Kharadi,Pune411014<br />
www.blendedmedia.in|info@blendedmedia.in<br />
https:/www.facebook.com/<strong>MotorScribes</strong><br />
https:/twitter.com/motorscribesind<br />
4
TheJourney<br />
Welcometoawholenew wayofenjoying alyourfavouritestoriesfrom<br />
<strong>MotorScribes</strong>.Forthoseofuswhostilliketoreadstructuredstorieswith<br />
great visuals,we proudly present to you the second edition ofthe<br />
<strong>MotorScribes</strong>magazine–what'smore;it'sfreeandit'sviewableonalyour<br />
devices.We kickstartthisissue with a quick look atsome ofthe best<br />
automobilestohavelaunchedinIndiarecently.<br />
Fornow,sitbackandenjoythisissueofthe<strong>MotorScribes</strong>magazineaswe<br />
promisetobringyoumoreinnovationsinthedigitalspaceaswelassomeof<br />
the bestautomotive stories foryourreading pleasure.Thank you for<br />
downloading,andcheerstothepetrolheadinusal!<br />
TEAMMOTORSCRIBES<br />
5
TeslaModel3<br />
CLICK HERETO READ THEFULLSTORY<br />
6
TeslahasjustlaunchedtheModel3intheUnitedStatesatacomparativelyafordable$35,000.TheTeslaModel3comesfitted<br />
withthecarmaker’sautopilotsafetyequipmentwitharangeof215miles(346km).Thereisalsoaprovisionforsupercharging<br />
thecarforlongerdistances.<br />
ElonMuskalsoassuredthatinkeepingwithTesla’sethosofmakingfastcars,theModel3candoazeroto100kmphinless<br />
than6seconds.<br />
AfterapplyingtheincentivesoferedforelectriccarsintheUnitedStates,thepricemaybereducedfrom thecurent$35,000.<br />
Apartfrom itsafordability,theModel3ismakingheadlinesbecauseofitsradicaldesign.Radical,evenforTesla.Thistime,<br />
they’vedoneawaywiththefrontgrile.<br />
Onlinebookingsat$1,000areonintheUSandaccordingtoaTweetfrom TeslafounderElonMusk,thecarwilbemade<br />
availableinsevenmorecountries,includingIndia.<br />
7
8<br />
CLICK HERETO READ THEFULLSTORY
RenaultLodgy<br />
highlymisunderstood<br />
extremelycapable<br />
Vikram GourownsaToyotaInnova–it’sdonewelover100,000km alreadyandyet,everytimewedriveit,thedamncarfeels<br />
likeit’sfreshoftheassemblyline.OK,somaybeIexaggeratedalitlethere–itfeelslikeit’sjustamonthold.There,that’sbeter.<br />
Whatmakesitsuchagreatvehicle?Wel,it’sspacious,hasgreatergonomics,comfortlevelsareroof-tophighandit’sgota<br />
mechanicalpackagethat’snotonlypowerfulandeficient,butsuperreliableaswel.ForgettheGTs,theInnovaisprobablythe<br />
bestlong-distancetourerinIndia.Butthisisn’tabouttheToyotaInnova.<br />
Quitefranklyit’salitledisappointingthattheToyotaInnovahasremainedunchalengedintheful-blownMPVspaceeversince<br />
itfirstlaunchedin2005.Withsuchahugemarkettocateryou’dthinkthatmanufacturerslikeHonda,Ford,Chevroletand<br />
Volkswagen which have competing productsin foreign marketswould jump atthe opportunity and bring in a proper<br />
Innova-competitorinsteadofmostofthem choosingtosteerclearandsettlewithsmalerpseudo-MPVs.Infact,forthelongest<br />
time,theonlyrealcompetitiontotheInnovacameinfrom twoIndianmanufacturers–TatawiththeAriaandMahindrawiththe<br />
Xylo.BoththesecarsthoughbroughtintheirownUSPtotheoferings–theXylowascheaperalongwiththecompromisesa<br />
lowercostcomewithandtheAriahad4×4andpeggedasamorelifestylechoice.Andthen,RenaultcameupwiththeLodgy.<br />
TheRenaultLodgyhasbeendismissedmany-a-timeintheMPV debateagainsttheInnova,butletmejustputitoutthere–it’s<br />
theclosestMPV availableinIndiathathasthepotentialtotakeontheToyotaInnova,andsometimeswintoo.Thebiggest<br />
predicamentwiththeLodgyisonpaper–the1.5-litredieselunitseemstootinycomparedtotheInnova’s2.4-litremil–andthat<br />
setsthetonefortherestofthedebate.Butifyou’reamorematurekindofperson,you’dlookrightpastthisissuebecause<br />
downsizingintermsofcubiccapacitydoesn’tnecessarilymeanlosingoutonperformance,especialywhenyou’relookingat<br />
twtwoenginesseparatedbyyearsofdevelopment.TheLodgy’s1.5dCipowerplanthasprovenitselftimeandagaininmanycars<br />
althewayfrom littlehatchbackstosedansandsmalSUVs.It’spotentialisofnolessmeritintheLodgy.<br />
AsintheDuster,the1.5dCiisoferedintwostatesoftune–85PSand 10PS.We’reconsideringthemorepowerful10PSversion<br />
here,simplybecauseintheRxZ7-seatertrim,itisthetop-of-the-linevariantaswelatRs12.3lakh(ex-showroom,Delhi).The<br />
engineisrefined and makeswel,10PS@ 4,000rpm butmoreimportantly,245Nm @ 1750rpm.Inon-paperterms,these<br />
numbersefectivelykilthe‘smalerengine’argumentthattheLodgyhaswiththeInnova.It’smorepowerfulandhasmore<br />
torqueaswel–two numbersthatnotonlytranslatehow fastyou can go,butalso go along wayin determining the<br />
power-to-weightratioofacarandinturn,it’sfueleficiency.TheLodgyisclaimedtoreturnabout15kmplinthecityandalmost<br />
20kmplonthehighwaywhichareactualyextremelyrespectablefigures.<br />
GetintotheLodgyanddriveitforthefirsttimeandyougetamazedwithhow car-liketheLodgyfeelsifyoudiscountthehigher<br />
seatingpositionandthemassivecavernofspacebehindyou.Evenwithafulload(weweredrivingitaroundwitheither5adults<br />
and2kidsorwith3adults,2kidsandloadsofluggageintheback),theLodgypowersupwelandremainsextremelydriveable<br />
throughthegears.Three-digitcruisingspeedsarenotaproblem atalandthefuelgaugeneverhadmeworiedeither.The<br />
secondbitthathitsyouistheawesomeroadmannersthattheLodgyhas–Renaulthasalwaysdoneagreatjobwithsuspension<br />
setupsandthiscarisnodiferent.TurningcircleistightforavehicleoftheLodgy’ssize,whichmeansmanoeuvringthroughcity<br />
traficisn’tabigdealeither.<br />
9
10
Asfarasthepassengersareconcernedtheygetpamperedwithloadsofroom,dedicatedairconventsonalthreerows,plush,<br />
comfortableseatsandingeneral,aniceandairyfeelalround.Thereareenoughgadgetstokeepeveryoneentertainedinthere<br />
andasupermusicsystem aswel.There’sabsolutelynotroublefindingdoorpocketsandcubbyholestostufbottlesandother<br />
thingsinto–youexpectalofthatfrom anMPVafteralandtheLodgydoesn’tdisappoint.Theotherthingthatyouexpectfrom<br />
anMPV andsomethingthattheLodgysimplyout-doeseveryothercarinitssegmentwith,isflexibility.<br />
ThevariousseatingconfigurationsintheRenaultLodgyareabigboon–youcouldhaveal7seatsdeployedformaximum<br />
humanoccupation–andthatthirdrow maybealitlecrampedforadults,butitisn’ttoobadeitherwhileatthesametime<br />
leavingadecentamountofspaceforluggagebehindit.Thenyoucouldsimplyfolddownthebackandtiltuptheentirethird<br />
row tomakespaceformoreluggage.Youcouldfoldupthesecondrow ofseatsifyouwantabenchforthepassengerswith<br />
loadsoflegspaceorifyouhaveabigdog.Youcouldfoldupbothsecondandthirdrowsformoreluggagespaceincaseyou<br />
mayneedthethirdbenchsometimealongyourtravels.Andfinaly,ifyoudon’thavetoomanypeopleinthecarbutneedto<br />
caryamassiveamountofluggagealthetime,thatthirdbenchcanbecompletelyremovedfrom thecaraswel–attheflick<br />
oftwoleversanditcanbedonebyasinglepersontoo!<br />
ProbablytheonlypointofcontentionleftinthewholeRenaultLodgycaseisalsothemostsubjectiveofalaspectsofowning<br />
acar–thewayitlooks.Forme,personaly,asitiswithVikram (whoownsanInnova,asmentionedatthebeginning),theLodgy<br />
isn’tabadlookingcaratal.Yes,itmaylookalitleweirdfrom someanglesowingtotherealylongwheelbaseandyes,itmay<br />
lookmoreminivanthanMPV,buttheelementsoftheLodgy’sdesignaretopnotch.Althewayfrom thefrontgriletothose<br />
veryspaceshiptaillights,theRenaultLodgyisagood-lookingcaranditwilgrow onyouwithtimeifithasn’talready.More<br />
importantlythoughtheRenaultLodgyisagreatexampleofhow form andfunctioncancometogethertocreateagreat<br />
product.It’sdefinitelyaviableoptiontoconsiderwhenyou’resomeonewithabigfamilywholovestotraveltogether.<br />
Withpricesrangingfrom alitleoverRs8lakhandgoinguptoabout12.5,theLodgysmartlystraddlesthetwo<br />
segmentsofMPVsinIndia.Ifyou’reconsideringacompactSUVsimplybecauseofpriceconstraintsthentheLodgy<br />
ofersthe85PSvariantsatgreatvalueformoney–whynotstepuptoabigger,morecomfortableandversatile<br />
vehiclethansetleforsomethingthatwilbecrampedforeveryone?Ifyou’reconsideringsomethingliketheInnova,<br />
theLodgyhasthe 10PSvariantswhichofertheperformance,spaceandflexibilitythatthebiggercompetitorofers,<br />
butatalowerpricepoint.Whicheverwayyoulookatit,theRenaultLodgyisapracticalalternative–andthatisits<br />
biggestadvantage.Ofcourse,ifyou’reabuyerinDelhi,youcan’tbuyanythingbiggerthan2-litresofadieselvehicle<br />
anyway–butwhycompromiseonalthegoodstufwhenyoucangetitwith1.5-litres!<br />
1
12
RoyalEnfieldHimalayanreview<br />
It’sbeenrainingalday.It’ssupposedtobebrightandsunnyhil-station-weatherinShimlathistimeoftheyear,butit’sbeen<br />
raining.Temperatureshavedroppedconsiderablyandthenitgetsworse–itbeginstosnow.Myhandsarebeyondbeing<br />
justsoakedandcoldundermygloves–they’reatthepointwherethetipsofmyfingershavestartedtopainunbearably.<br />
I’m beginningtowonderifit’stheonsetoffrostbite–andthatcan’tbeagoodsituationwhenyou’reonamotorcycle,stil<br />
afew kilometresawayfrom shelterofanysort.It’sashortconvoywe’reridingin–justthreebikes–withShawnofRoyal<br />
Enfieldleadingtheway(cozhehasGPS),Rumanfrom ‘TheMotoringWorld’crammedinthemiddleandmefolowingup<br />
asthetail.I’m beginningtowonderifI’m theonlyonefeelingthis.Thentheystop.We’vespotedasmalteastalonthe<br />
sideoftheroadandthefire-litstoveseemsGod-sent.Bythetimewe’vetakenourhelmetsandglovesof,thehotkettleis<br />
reducedtonothingbutacoldmetalsheetattheendsofourfrigidfingers.Thenthebloodslowlystartsrushingbackinand<br />
thepainshootsupevenmore.Weweren’tpreparedforthis.Weweren’tpreparedforanythingthatthisrideinShimlawas<br />
alabout.Weweren’tpreparedfortheRoyalEnfieldHimalayan.<br />
13
Ethos<br />
A new launchfrom RoyalEnfieldisn’ta<br />
noveleventin itself–they’vehad new<br />
productsinthelastfew yearsbutthefact<br />
thattheywerestilre-hashed from the<br />
age-old Buletpretymuchtookalthe<br />
newnessoutofthem.TheHimalayanis<br />
diferent–it’sal-new from theground<br />
up.New chassis,new design,new engine,<br />
new transmission,new suspension –al<br />
brandnew inthetruesenseoftheterm.<br />
It’sthefirstproductthathascompletely<br />
been designed,developed,tested and<br />
manufactured from scratch eversince<br />
SiddharthaLalandtheEicherGrouptook<br />
over the reigns of the iconic Indian<br />
motorcycle brand (which continued<br />
manufacturingthatage-oldBritishbike).<br />
Troubleis,whenyousay‘RoyalEnfield’<br />
youexpectacertainkindofmotorcycle<br />
based on years and years of their<br />
productsinthepastandtheHimalayanis<br />
nothinglikeanyofthat–yet,itispurpose<br />
builtforthe one taskthatevery Royal<br />
Enfieldeverhasbeenexpectedtohave<br />
done.<br />
The Chennai-based manufacturer has<br />
beenvisiting theHimalayasforyearsin<br />
some form ofriding-related activity or<br />
the other. The brand<br />
has become<br />
synonymous to riding to Leh and on<br />
manyanoccasionhasbecomethetopic<br />
ofhumouron thatfronttoo (we’ve al<br />
heardthatoneaboutREreclaimingthe<br />
guy’sbikejustbecausehedidn’trideto<br />
the mountains within 6 months of<br />
purchase). The Himalayan is Royal<br />
Enfield’s tribute to the most majestic<br />
mountainrangeintheworld and to al<br />
those who have time-and-again taken<br />
theirregularEnfieldstouringtothenorth.<br />
Instead offolowing popularpractices<br />
andmakingtheirownproductionversion<br />
of customised RE Bulets for the<br />
Himalayas though, this time round<br />
they’vegoneanddevelopedawholenew<br />
machine.<br />
14
RoyalEnfieldHimalayanreview<br />
CLICK HERETO READ THEFULLSTORY<br />
15
Form folowsFunction<br />
InmanywaystheRoyalEnfield Himalayanisaparadoxbutinagood way.Itrepresentsaltheriding inthe<br />
Himalayasoverthepastdecadesandyetitisawholenew directionforthemanufacturer.Thisisamotorcyclethat<br />
looksnothinglikeanythingfrom REthathascomebeforeit–theThunderbirdincluded.Everybitofmetaland<br />
plasticontheHimalayanexistswithaspecificfunctioninmind–ifitdoesn’thaveone,youwon’tfinditonthebike.<br />
Atthispoint,althosewholoveage-oldBritishbikesandthinkthateveryRoyalEnfieldeverwilbejustthatcan<br />
stopreadingfurther–theHimalayan’snew directionisnotforyou.<br />
Fastmotorcyclesneedtobeaerodynamicandthat’swhytheSuzukiHayabusaandtheKawasakiZX-14Rarethe<br />
waytheyare.TheHimalayanneededtoberugged,asexploratoryasamountaingoatandyethavethecapability<br />
tocaryloadsandloadsofluggage.Itneededtotakeafalwithouttoomuchdamage.Itneededtohavethe<br />
capabilitytoalow riderstogetrightbackonthemotorcycleafteraspilandbeabletorideitfar.Itneededtobe<br />
shortenoughfortheaverageIndianheightandyettalenoughtohavegreatgroundclearance.Thedesignbrief<br />
wasfulofparadoxesbutitwashandledwithfinesse.<br />
Theresultantmotorcyclewasspiedmanymonthsagoandthenrenderedbyartistsoverandover.Theresultswere<br />
alitleconfusingandsomedidn’tlikethewayitlooked–meincluded.LikeIsaid–weweren’tpreparedforthe<br />
Himalayan.Onelookatthemotorcycleinthefleshandyourealisehow capablethismachineisgoingtobe.The<br />
practicalityofitalisoverwhelming–thiscouldonlybeaproductfrom acompanythathasaleadershipwhich<br />
understandsmotorcyclesnotbyreadingaboutthem inbooksandmagazinesbutbyactualygoingoutthereand<br />
ridingthem intheconditionsthey’remeantfor.RoyalEnfield’sdesignteam needstogopartylikeneverbefore<br />
becausethemotorcyclethey’vegivenusistrulyextraordinary.<br />
Mostregularpeoplestayawayfrom adventuretourers(despitethem beingextremelypracticalindailyriding<br />
conditions)mainlybecausethey’retoobigandbulky–intimidatingeven.WhatifI’m tooshortandmyfeetdon’t<br />
reachwhentheyneedto?WhatifIdropit?Thenthere’stheenginecapacityaswel–mostofthesebikeshaveno<br />
lessthan800ccwhichcouldbeawholelotofpowerforsomeonewhowantstostartofwiththebusinessof<br />
adventuretouringbutdoesn’twanttobewheel-spinningalthetime.Yep,someofthesemachinescomewith<br />
tractioncontroltoavoidjustthatbutthenthepricetaggoesnorthandtheridergoesnowhere.Thereexisteda<br />
specificneedforamiddle-weighttourerthatcouldansweralthesequestionsandyetbelightonthepocket.It<br />
neededtolooktheparttooandtheHimalayandoesthatextremelywel.<br />
ThisRoyalEnfieldiscomfortingtolookat–itinvitesyoutohoponandhaveago.Onceyou’reon,itamazesyou<br />
withhow litleefortittakestogetusedtowherealthecontrolsareandhow easyitistoride.TheHimalayanisa<br />
visualandergonomicsuccessaswel–therehasbeennoothermotorcycleIhaveeverriddenthatdidn’tgiveme<br />
evenahintofbutpainalthewhilethatIwasridingit.Itletsyoustanduponthefootpegsasnaturalyasstanding<br />
upfrom achairwithoutfeelinglikeyou’resobentforwardthatyou’lgetthrownofoverthehandlebarsthe<br />
momentyouhitabump.Thefueltankislargeenoughtotakeyoutofaroutplacesandifthatisn’tenoughyou<br />
couldatachauxiliarycansonthefrontframe.Ofcourseyou’vegottheprovisionforhardcasepanniersoneither<br />
sideontherearaswelasanadditionalrackbehind thepilionseat.ThewayIseeit,mostpeoplewhoget<br />
themselvesaHimalayanshouldgotheextradistanceandgettheluggageatachmentstoo–it’lbewelworthit.<br />
16
RoyalEnfieldHimalayanreview<br />
17
RoyalEnfieldHimalayanreview<br />
LS410&otherbits<br />
No,that’s not a code name for anything – it’s what the<br />
Himalayan’sbrandnew engineiscaled.RoyalEnfield’sengines<br />
haverecentlygonethroughabitofanevolutionalthewayfrom<br />
theCastIronpiecesearlyontotheUnitConstructionbutthe<br />
LongStroke410isal-new.Infactthisone’ssonew thatifyou<br />
didn’tknow whichbikeitbelongsto,you’dneverguessitwasa<br />
RoyalEnfieldmil.Itrevswelandthere’snosignofalazythump<br />
either.<br />
Atthisstage,althosewhobuyRoyalEnfieldsjustforthelazy<br />
thumpingthattheBuletsareknownforcansimplystopreading<br />
furtherand cary on with whatevermundane taskyou were<br />
doinginthefirstplace–thisbikeisnotforyou.<br />
Whatyou getwith the LS 410 single-cylindermilon the<br />
Himalayanis25PSand32Nm alongwithasingleOHC,4-valves<br />
andanoilcooler.Whatyoudon’tgetwiththeLS410 onthe<br />
Himalayan is the elbow-jerking handlebarvibrations orthe<br />
I-have-a-mind-of-my-own mirors that either always show<br />
bluredreflectionsorsimplyturnontheirjointstoadiferent<br />
angle.TheengineersatRoyalEnfieldhavedoneagreatjobin<br />
comingupwithanenginethatisnotonlyradicalydiferentthan<br />
whatthey’vebeenmakingaltheseyears(exceptforthelong<br />
strokebit)butin factisahugeleap forward in being more<br />
technologicalyacceptableto themodernriderwho maynot<br />
necessarilyhaveboughtanREproductbefore.A lotofthathas<br />
alsogottodowiththethroatynoteemanatingfrom thevery<br />
slickupsweptexhaustpipeontheHimalayanaswel.<br />
Thentherearethecycleparts–awholenew chassisforawhole<br />
new enginewhichbytheway,forthefirsttimeinRoyalEnfield’s<br />
history,get’sanoilcooler.Thisnew typeofchassisiscaleda<br />
‘halfduplexdoublecradle’frame.IfthatsoundslikeRealEstate<br />
marketing lingo fora tiny South Bombay apartmentwith a<br />
storageloftandtwobunkbeds,thenweforgiveyou.Inreality<br />
though,itsimplyisoneofthebestbitsontheHimalayanand<br />
somethingwehopeweseemoreofinthefuture–especialy<br />
consideringthatchassiscanhandlealotmorepowertrainthan<br />
whattheLS410curentlyis.<br />
18
There’sthickforksonthefrontandhugebrakerotorswhicharedecentlyefectivethoughinsomeinstancestheycould<br />
dowithalittlemorebitefrom theByBrehydraulicsystem.Andthenthere’sthatother‘first’forREthatcomesinwith<br />
the Himalayan –monoshockrearsuspension.It’srealy notaboutthe factthatthey’ve finaly moved on to this<br />
technologythathasexistedfordecades,butabouthow welithasbeendesignedwithalitslinkagesandspringrates<br />
comingtoacommonconsensuswithridequalitybothonandofroad.<br />
Althe information you’leverneed on yourridesisprety much available on the instrumentclusterwhich isa<br />
combinationofdigitalandanalogdials.Itevenhasacompassthoughthatmaybeatadconfusingtoreadattimes.The<br />
speedoandtachohavebeendeliberatelykeptanalogtooferquickvisualreferencestotherespectivereadoutswhen<br />
you’reinthemiddleofarideandshouldbespendingaslitletimeconcentratingonreadingthingsratherthanridingthe<br />
motorcycle.Thespeedoinfactismarkedoutinbothmphandkm/h–anothersimpledetailthatcansoeasilybemissed.<br />
Thereasonfordoingthat–alotofforeignerstraveltoIndiaandtheygetthemselvesmotorcyclestoridearoundand<br />
consideringtheymaybemoreusedtomphforspeedmeasurement,theydon’tneedtobecalculatingtoconvertfrom<br />
km/hanymore.<br />
Experience<br />
It’snoteverydaythatamediarideliketheonefortheRoyalEnfieldHimalayanhappens.Everythingabouttheplanned<br />
routeswasinkeepingwithshowingofthecapabilitiesofthemachinethateveryonehadbeenwaitingeagerlytoride.<br />
Whatwasplannedthough,gotheightenedmorethankstotheweatherinShimlawhichtookadrasticturnjustaswe<br />
startedcabbingitoutfrom Chandigarhtoreachourdestinationinthenight.Ithadrainedthateveningandthehil<br />
stationwasenvelopedinablanketofbone-chilingcoldwinds.Themorningofthenextdaythoughstartedoutwiththe<br />
sunshininginalitsglory–buttheforecastwasn’tlookingsogood.Itwastheexactsortofweatherthattestsa<br />
motorcycleasmuchasitteststheenduranceofitsrider.Andthenitgotworse.<br />
IwasstaringdownatthemapforRoute1–theoneIhadchosentoridethefirstday.Itstartedofwithsometarmac<br />
ridinginthetwistiesgetingoutofthehotelandthenthescenerykeptchanging–therewassomeseriousof-roading<br />
tobedoneanditwasn’tgoingtobeeasy–therainhadmadethebrokenrocksonthetrailextremelyslippery.Thenext<br />
timeI’dbeseeingthecomfortofawarm firewasgoingtobeover100km later.Thatwastheleastofmyworriesthough<br />
–I’veriddenwaylongerdistancesatastretchinthefreezingcoldbefore.WhatIwasshakingwithfearaboutwasthatI<br />
hadneverriddenof-roadinmylife.<br />
I’m going to sparethedetailsofwhathappened along therouteand how thebikebehaved and how greatthe<br />
suspensionisandeverythingthateveryone’sbeentalkingabout.Instead,I’m justgoingtosaythis–iftheRoyalEnfield<br />
Himalayancouldmakemince-meatoutofRoute1onthatcold,rainydayinShimlawithanof-roadrookieon-boardit,<br />
thenitdefinitelyhasmyvote.Yousee,whenexperiencedguystaketheHimalayanoutinthoseconditions,therecould<br />
beahugeelementoftheirridingskilsthatinfluencetheachievementsofthemotorcycleitself.Whenaself-proclaimed<br />
of-roadnoobcomesbackfrom aridelikethatwithoutasinglespilthough,thenthat’salmotorcycleandzeroskil–<br />
whichmakestheHimalayananevenmorerespectablemachineinmymind.<br />
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RoyalEnfieldHimalayanreview<br />
WindingDown<br />
TheRoyalEnfieldHimalayanwasquiteanexperiencebutit<br />
wasstilanincompleteone.There’soneaspectofthebikethat<br />
wedidn’tgetto testoutataland anyonewho’sbeento<br />
Shimlawilknow why.Thereareabsolutelynoopenstretches<br />
whereyoucanwringtherightwristtothestopandtestout<br />
whatthemotorcycleiscapableofontheopenhighway.So<br />
untilI’veriddenitinregulartouring mode,Iwilreserveal<br />
judgementabouttheHimalayan’slong-distancecapabilities.<br />
Asfarasgoingupintothemountainsandtheirbrokenroads<br />
andtacklingtoughtrailsisconcerned,theHimalayandoesits<br />
jobwel.Motorcycleridersalwayswantmorepowerandwhile<br />
somewherearound 35PS would havebeengreatfrom that<br />
LS410mil,thecurrentlyavailable29PSiscompensatedforby<br />
the32Nm oftorque–whichrealyiswhatthismotorcycleisal<br />
about.It’seasytorideandit’sinvitingtoride.Iseeawhole<br />
bunchofbuyerswhoareawedbytheAdventureTourerspace<br />
going ahead and lapping up theHimalayan.Morethanthe<br />
Himalayanbeingagreatmotorcyclethoughisthechangeto<br />
theRoyalEnfieldbrandthatitwilmostlikelybringabout.<br />
TheHimalayanisn’tjustagood RoyalEnfield –it’sagreat<br />
motorcycle.It’strulyasmodernamachineasanyotherout<br />
thereandinthatsenseithasthepotentialtomakeitswayinto<br />
theheartsofmanyriders–regardlessofwhetherthey’vebeen<br />
RoyalEnfieldenthusiastsornot.Ilovedthepracticalityinits<br />
design.Ilovedthepowerdelivery(intheconditionsthatwe<br />
rodeitin).Ilovedtheergonomics.Iespecialylovedtheseat–<br />
ititseemslikeit’sbeenstufedwithloveandpamperingrather<br />
than foam.Iloved theaccessoriesthatgo along with the<br />
Himalayan.Ilovethatthebikeistruetoitsnameandthatit’s<br />
beenverywelthoughtofandtestedintherightway.<br />
Thenthere’sthepricetag.ClosetoRs1.75lakhon-roadisn’t<br />
realytoomuchmoneyforamotorcycleliketheHimalayan.<br />
Let’sface it–you’re notpaying thatamountforjustthe<br />
numberofhorsesitmakes(ifthat’syourargumenthere)–<br />
you’re buying a motorcycle – parts,performance and<br />
potential.The argumentagainstthe Himalayan’svalue for<br />
money islike saying Shah Rukh Khan doesn’tdeserve his<br />
paycheck.Butintheendit’sabouttalent,cozotherwiseShah<br />
Rukhhasahead,arms,legs,etcjustliketherestofus.Infact,<br />
bringthatpaycheckbackShahRukh,cozyoustammer!<br />
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21
TataTiagolaunch<br />
It’sbeencomingforawhilebuttheTataTiagoisfinalyhere.ThefunlitlehatchbackthathasbeenknownastheKitewhenit<br />
wasundergoingtestsandthenshownofastheZicahadacompleterechristeningafterthedeadlyvirusofthesamename<br />
begantowreakhavocaroundtheworld.TataMotorshasfinalylaunchedtheTiagotodayanditisthekindofproductthat<br />
wilnotonlyfurtherenhancethemanufacturer’sportfolioaftertheZestandBolt,butwilalsokickstartacompletelynew<br />
directionofyoungproductsfrom thebrand.<br />
TheTiagocomesarmedwithachoiceoftwoengines–athree-cylinder,199ccpetrolanda1047ccturbochargeddiesel.While<br />
thepetrolmilmakes85PSand 14Nm,theal-new RevoTorqdieselisgoodfor70PSand140Nm.Bothcarscomeequipped<br />
withtwodrivemodes–EcoandCity.ARAIfueleficiencyforthepetrolanddieselcarsisclaimedtobe23.84kmpland<br />
27.28kmpl,respectively.BoththeenginesontheTiagocomematedtoa5-speedmanualtransmissionatlaunchbutthere<br />
couldbethepossibilityofanAMToptioninthefuture.<br />
OntheinsidetheTiagoisnotonlythoughtfulydesignedandwelbuilt,buthassomegreatergonomicsandisvastlyspacious<br />
too.There’senoughroom forafamilyoffiveanddecentbootspaceaswelat242litres.Withitsadvancedtechnologyand<br />
solidbuildcoupledwithatractivedesigntheTiagowilbespearheadingthemanufacturer’sfutureproductdirectionand<br />
makingthewayformoreexcitingcarsliketheNexonandtheHexatorolin.TheTiagoisavailableinfivetrimsandpricesstart<br />
atRs3.2lakh,goingupto5.54lakh(alpricesex-Delhi).ForanadditionalRs18,000,youcanspecyourTiagowiththesafety<br />
pack.<br />
Ex-DelhipricesfortheTataTiago:<br />
Trim Petrol Diesel<br />
XB Rs3.2lakh Rs3.94lakh<br />
XE Rs3.59lakh Rs4.29lakh<br />
XM Rs3.89lakh Rs4.69lakh<br />
XT Rs4.19lakh Rs4.99lakh<br />
XZ Rs4.75lakh Rs5.54lakh<br />
Ex-MumbaipricesfortheTataTiago:<br />
Trim Petrol Diesel<br />
XB Rs3.3lakh Rs4.18lakh<br />
XE Rs3.8lakh Rs4.54lakh<br />
XM Rs4.1lakh Rs4.95lakh<br />
XT Rs4.43lakh Rs5.27lakh<br />
XZ Rs5.00lakh Rs5.84lakh<br />
Forevenmorein-depthinformationontheTataTiago,checkoutthefolowinglinks:<br />
FirstDrive–<strong>2016</strong>TataTiago.A new wave!<br />
TataZica–Prologue–theirmostimportantcaryet?<br />
DesignDiary:<strong>2016</strong>TataTiago<br />
22
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23
AudiA8LExtended<br />
It’stimetoreminisceandthinkhard–haveyoueverhadasituationwhenyouwereheadingoutforamovieortothe<br />
malinyourcarandyouhadfiveotherfriendswithyou?OfcourseinIndia,thisisn’tregardedasaproblem atal–<br />
justcram fourblokesinthebackseatandyou’resorted.InplaceslikeEuropethough(orAmericaifyouprefer),you’d<br />
havetobringoutanothercarorhireacabfortheextrapersonoverandaboveyoursedan’sdesignatedseating<br />
capacity.#ProblemsInTheWest.Butthisisprobablythesituationforthatstretchlimotocomepickyouup.<br />
Theterm ‘stretchlimousine’isoftenmisusedalaroundtheworld.You’dthinktheconceptispretysimple–geta<br />
regularcar,cutitinhalf,addafew panelsbetweenthem dependingonhow longyouwantittobeandstickital<br />
together.Carsaren’tmadefrom cardboardthoughandneitheraretheylikerubberbands,sothere’sawholelotmore<br />
thatneedstobedonebeforeyoursedancanstretchitselfintobeingcaledalimousine.Whenyou’reamanufacturer<br />
ofsomeofthebestluxurycarsintheworldthough,yousometimescomeacrosscustomerswhohavealthemoney<br />
intheworldandaltheyrealywantnow isastretchlimousine–becauseobviouslythepersonalhelicoptercan’tland<br />
everywhereandtravelingintwocarsisjustsuchawasteoffuelmoney.We’renotmakingthisup,‘cozAudihasjust<br />
grantedonecustomerhiswishandseemslikeit’sonemodjobthattakesalotmorethanapower-saw,grinderand<br />
aweldingmachine.<br />
BeholdtheAudiA8LExtended–Iwaswonderingwhatthesufixtothisonewouldbeconsideringthe‘L’already<br />
signifiesLongWheelbase.Kindofironicisn’tit–consideringasufixisanextensiontoawordinthefirstplace!So<br />
therequestAudireceivedwasfrom somewealthyEuropeanclientwhowantedhisA8Ltoseatsixpassengers,look<br />
asgorgeousastheproductionsedananddrivejustasweltoo.Thatobviouslymeantitwasnojobforaroad-side<br />
custom builder.TheA8LExtendedisalof6.36metreslongandthewheelbaseisnow ashadeover4metres–yup,<br />
it’swheelbaseislongerthantheoverallengthofmostIndianhatchbacks!<br />
Thebiggestlosswhen‘stretching’acaroutshowsitselfindepletedtorsionalrigidity.Audiactualyspentclosetoa<br />
yeardesigningandbuildingthisone-ofandtheengineerselongatedthealuminium spaceframeusingextruded<br />
aluminium sections.There’sadoublebulkheadseparatingthebootandtherearpassengers.Theroofgetsextra<br />
aluminium tubingtomakeitmorerigidandthesunshadesonalthewindowsmakesurethereisnooverheatingof<br />
thecabinarea.There’sa2.4metreglassinsertintheroof andaltheseatsfaceforward.There’sa3.0-litreTFSI<br />
enginewith310PSand440Nm feedingalitspowerthroughaneight-speedtriptronictransmissiontothe19-inch<br />
wheels.<br />
What’s so striking about the A8L<br />
Extended hasto be the attention to<br />
detailonthecarincludingthefactthat<br />
Audireworked the roofline from the<br />
A-pilarbackwardsto make sure this<br />
cargoesaswelasitlooks.Andthen<br />
there are performance figures –<br />
0-100km/hcomesupin7.1secondsand<br />
that’spretyrespectableforacarthat<br />
weighs2,418kg!<br />
24
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25
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