Overdrive June 2009 Issue Preview

The Good GermansLess monstrous and more realistic than the Q7, Audi’s Q5 is here and ready to tackle the BMW X3

Words Sirish Chandran Photography Gaurav S Thombre

62 june 2009 www.OVERDRIVE.in

Comparo Audi Q5 3.0 TDI vs BMW X3 xDrive20d

The Good Germans

www.OVERDRIVE.in june 2009 63

Auto overloadScooter buyers are spoilt for choice like never before

Words Vijayendra Vikram Photography Gaurav S Thombre

Comparo Automatic scooters


In India, Honda and Suzuki are locked in an intense battle. I wish it was over the CBRs and Gixxers and

their marketshare. But it is actu-ally their made-for-India scoot-ers that the Japanese heavies are battling over. With its Activa, Honda has reaped rewards far beyond its expectations. Suzuki India’s motorcycles failed to make sizeable inroads but its scooter Access 125 has carved a niche for itself.

The latest entrant to the scooter arena is the face-lifted Honda Activa that is certain to

sway decisions of new scooter buyers. And it will come up against the Suzuki Access 125, that has proved its worth as a ver-satile family scooter even while scoring brownie points in the looks department over the age-ing Activa.

Other scooters in the game are women oriented ones like the Kinetic Flyte and Hero Honda Pleasure. The Honda Aviator and Dio target the metrosexual bri-gade. The entry level sphere is the domain of the TVS Scooty Pep+ and Streak as well as the Bajaj Kristal.

Scooters are now an indispens-able solution for urban Indian mobility and every city street is clogged with them. Every major India two-wheeler manufacturer has a scooter in its line-up. Some who don’t, like Yamaha, plan to launch one soon. The scooter clientele is varied, with college-goers, style conscious males and working women besides serving unisex family commuting needs.

With so many brands and scoot-ers to choose from, we decided to put every automatic scooter under scrutiny to help you choose the one tailored to your needs.



MonstertruckmadnessWords Bertrand D’souza Photography Gaurav S Thombre

Big is slow, what rubbish! The BMW xDrive50i trashes popular belief

Test BMW X6


What is the future of the automo-bile? I believe it is the BMW X6.

A hybrid of sorts, with no refer-ence whatsoever to its powerplant which is a standard IC engine but to its body style. A mating of two themes, coupe and SUV, result-ing in a car that at first may seem to have a lost identity but slowly assures you that there is a bright light at the end of what the world perceived as BMW’s tunnel vision. While not many manufactur-ers have taken to the idea of mat-ing an SUV with a sporty coupe or sedan, they are nonetheless trying out themes of their own, like an estate with the perform-ance of a supercar, or a van with the dynamics of a sports coupe. Effectively, you get the USPs of two cars rolled into one. The common thread being that people the world over are not looking purely at effi-ciency, utility or performance indi-vidually, but want utility that’s fun at the same time.

BMW is a pioneer in this regard and now is one of several manufac-turers slowly redefining the cars we drive. There is clearly a new breed emerging, one that cross pollinates various philosophies. The X6, I think is just the tip of an iceberg, and while this test lets you know just what it is capable of, I am sure there are going to be several more in the offing.

DeSIGn

Ever seen what a celebrated film star, especially a leading lady or a starlet looks like once the spot-lights fade? Quite stunning actu-ally, though you know this is a carefully manicured look with a practised personality. It’s a lustrous envelope that is simply too hard to resist looking at repeatedly, often through the corner of your eye lest you are spotted staring for too long or too hard. The X6 is like that star; it’s way too glossy and shiny to not command undivided attention. You will never casually glance at an X6 without skipping a heartbeat. You will unashamedly stare long

and hard, often way beyond the point of being embarrassing. If the X6 were a woman you would have mentally undressed her, stared at her, roved over every curve and every inch of her skin would have been scanned minutely but dis-creetly. Yet it instils a certain sense of apprehension, just like the star you are afraid of approaching, either to compliment or to seek an autograph from.

The lines and the stance of the X6 are one of Bangle’s last few contributions to BMW, and it is apparent that there has been some amount of internal turmoil over the design. It shares the X5 platform but elevates that design to a whole new and unimaginable level. There are all the classic cuts and thrusts that Bangle has infused in all his works but what sets precedence over all else is its sheer size coupled to har-monious, fluid lines. The raging debate the world over is whether this is a coupe or an SUV. To me the X6 is raw sensuality, far more erotic than Victoria’s Secret, and more akin to a Cavalli vixen. And while Victoria still has a secret, the X6 is openly sexual. Viewed from any angle, the X6 is a an eye grab-ber par excellence. It even has a sculpted and toned butt, one of the sexiest I have seen on a car. Large surface areas are sculpted curva-ceously not just for visual relief, but also to enhance the dynamics and airflow. You sense rather than see the strength exuded by those mus-cular tones while the wide perch asserts confident mannerisms. Yet the lofty stance and the fastback sil-houette raise doubts on the aspira-tions of the X6. Is this a handsome and rugged coupe or a handsome and rugged SUV?

The X6 is also the largest pas-senger vehicle that BMW manufac-tures, much longer and wider but shorter than the new X5, though the coupe like silhouette effec-tively masks its dimensions. On the road it easily occupies a lane and a half which makes it a bit cumber-some to drive in rush hour. Even then it’s just so regal and powerful that other cars give it a respectfully wide berth.

Road Test no. 763OD Rating

Price Rs 1,09,00,000

ex-showroom Mumbai

+ The force of a nuclear warhead

+ Big yet supercar like dynamics

+ 0-100kmph in 5.9s

- Ride quality

- Own a fuel station

- Exorbitant options

CBR1000RR


Feature Fireblade History

Honing the ‘BladeHere’s how the Fireblade has been sharpened over the years

Words Vijayendra Vikram Photography Honda Press

CBR900RR (1992-1995)The CBR900RR debuted in 1992 and came with an 893cc engine nestled in a lightweight aluminium frame. It marked Honda’s ambition of mak-ing a focused sportsbike that out-handled every other bike of that era. Subsequent improvements included minor tweaks to suspension, more aggressive styling and an electronic speedometer towards the end of its production run. Honda’s efforts to shed weight resulted in a magnesium valve cover.

CBR918RR (1996-1997)It was not until 1996 that the Fireblade received its first major overhaul. Capacity was hiked consid-erably to 918cc but more work went into the development of chassis. The frame now featured a larger but thin-ner walled cross section to handle the extra power. The suspension was com-pletely redesigned too with revised spring rates adopted to improve han-dling over bumpy corners. The styl-ing changes were subtle but the 918 looked smoother than the 900.

CBR919RR (1998-1999)Though the capacity was increased by just 1cc, most of the engine was rede-signed to reduce weight and minimize friction. The bike got a more com-pact engine layout with aluminium composite cylinders, new pistons, a smaller and lighter clutch and revised gear ratios. Styling was taken care of and the Fireblade looked smarter with a new bodywork and stylish headlamp. The 919 was also equipped with larger brake discs bitten by rede-signed calipers.

CBR900

RR (1992)

CBR9

18RR

(199

6)

CBR919RR (1998)

CBR929RR (2000)CBR1000RR (2004)

CBR1000RR


CBR929RR (2000-2001)The 929 was Honda’s answer to the Yamaha R1. An all-new 929cc engine was fed by fuel injectors to smoothen the power delivery. A more over-square cylinder was devised to match the R1’s revvy motor and an all-tita-nium exhaust system kept a check on weight. It also featured a pivotless chassis with the swingarm mounted to the engine casing. The 16-inch front wheel was replaced by the prev-alent 17-inch size.

CBR954RR (2001-2002)The Fireblade became fiercer with 954cc engine and sharper bodywork. The 954 got larger injectors and a re-mapped electronic fuel injection system mastered by a more power-ful ECU. Handling was taken care of by an all-new frame and a more rigid swingarm. The riding position was heavily worked on with higher mounted pegs were for never before lean angles. Power peaked at 155PS at 11,250rpm while dry weight reduced to just 168 kg.

CBR1000RR (2004-2007)Honda finally broke its litre-class jinx with wthe ‘Blade blown up to 998cc in 2004. Designed by the same team working on the RC211V racer, the new Fireblade was lighter and had an even spread of power making it an instant hit among the first tim-ers. It also was the first production bike to feature an electronic steering damper. The chassis was a ground-up job and housed the engine front-ward for better weight bias. The 2006 update looked similar but was made even more aggressive with remapped power delivery that earlier was too smooth for enthusiasts.

CBR1000RR (2006- )The 2008 Honda Fireblade came closer to the RC212V in terms of design but generated mixed opin-ions. Honda had actually gone back to the first ‘Blade in terms of design philosophy that was now to make the bike lighter rather than giving it more power. Compared to its peers, it might be less tech laden but is more rider friendly owing to the smoother power delivery and forgiving handling.

CBR900

RR (1992)

CBR919RR (1998)

CBR929RR (2000)

CBR954RR (2002)

CBR1000RR (2004)


Test Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade

First ‘BladeTesting the Honda flagship motorcycle is just so easy!

Words Shubhabrata Marmar Photography Gaurav S Thombre


I’ve had many an occasion to doubt the stuff that I read in the British motorcycle magazines. Not that I’m

doubting their accuracy but the things they say sometimes - this motorcycle has no torque at all, for instance - fit their local riding perspective and isn’t an absolute truth. But I was just browsing one of these the other day and hap-pened on an article that said what I’d been struggling to say about the Fireblade for a day and a half. The

Fireblade is natural.In its gruff voice it suggests to

you that a knife isn’t automatically murder, an explosion isn’t auto-matically destructive and 178PS isn’t armageddon. And it leaves you in no doubt that it is a Honda. It has to be the most civilised, most well-behaved, most useable litre-class sportsbike I have ridden so far. Most of this isn’t news. Many Fireblades have been anointed with all of these traits but nothing does the business quite like this

Fireblade does. And none of those Fireblades, it goes without say-ing, have ever been on sale in India either. Honda is working furiously to set up the showrooms that will sell the Fireblade and its nude (but not denuded) sibling, the CB1000R even as you read this. We have the final on-road price in Delhi and we are expecting the Mumbai prices and showrooms soon after. While we wait for the ‘Blade to sweep the rest of this country, here is what the Fireblade feels like to ride.

Words Karanbir Singh Bedi Photography Gaurav S Thombre

Green sceneAssessing virtues of Mahindra’s FuelSmart system withmicro hybrid green technology

By the time you finish reading this sentence, the world will have consumed in excess of

8,000 barrels of oil, or 15,25,440 litres. At 1000 barrels per second, we’re using it up fast. India is the sixth largest consumer of oil using up 80 million barrels of crude every month. In a day we consume about 2.5-2.8 million barrels of crude oil and that’s a grim statis-tic considering we only extract 20 million barrels a month.

Boxed in by diminishing oil reserves and volatile oil produc-ing nations the west now blames India and China for sky rocketing oil prices. However, to put things into proper perspective, the state of California alone consumes more petrol and diesel than India. Chew on that.

But there’s no time for blame games and small talk since the crisis threatens the very existence of the automobile industry. Development, industrialisation and urbanisa-

tion mean we demand higher liv-ing standards and corresponding energy consumption increase. Despite the global recession, India’s oil imports are expected to more than triple between 2005 and 2020, going up to five million bar-rels a day.

While global population in 2030 will be double of what it was in 1980, there’s only so far we can drill for oil (we’re now looking for it in the Arctic circle) and so many forests we can raze. If we don’t real-

ise the gravity of the situation and act now, we could soon hit point of no return. We need to recognise that every drop counts and that’s where hybrids come in. For sure hybrids are not the solution to our problems but till hydrogen propul-sion becomes a reality hybrids are the best interim solution. In India the first steps in this direction were taken by Honda with the Civic hybrid and now Mahindra enters the arena with the Micro Hybrid.

The name might be a bit mis-


Test Mahindra Scorpio VLX Micro Hybrid

leading though since there’s no electric motor backing up the convetional engine, rather the Mahindra ‘FuelSmart system with Micro Hybrid technology’ is basi-cally stop-start.

How it works is when you stop at a traffic light and put the vehi-cle into neutral, the engine will shut down automatically within 10 seconds. When the signal turns green you depress the clutch and the engine cranks up. It saves fuel (M&M claims a 5 per cent saving)

and cuts down on emissions and that’s a very good thing indeed. Under normal everyday situa-tions the system doesn’t hinder any aspect of driving the vehicle. You only notice it when the engine cranks up at a traffic light (and diesel engines cranking up can be noisy).

Developed for the Scorpio and Bolero SLX variants, the FuelSmart system with micro-hybrid technology has been devel-oped by the Mahindra Research

& Development team with the support of Bosch. And if you so desire the FuelSmart system can be switched off by a button on the centre console.

We put the system to test in Pune traffic running the Scorpio over the same route at the same time with and without the system activated. With the FuelSmart system work-ing she returned a fuel efficiency of 10.09kmpl and switched off she returned 9.82kmpl. No, it’s not a significant increase but it is a sav-

ing nevertheless and the savings will be even better in more con-gested cities like Mumbai. On the highway the system has little to no benefits since you never encounter any stop-start conditions.

However one downside is that when the engine cuts off at the sig-nals the air-con also shuts off which in blazing 45-degree temperatures not many owners will appreciate. Also when the engine starts up the CD player reloads the disc which can test your nerves after a while.


Ritzy optionMaruti’s small car fleet gets seventh entrant called the Ritz

Words Sirish Chandran Photography Gaurav S Thombre

Drive Maruti Suzuki Ritz


Mighty heartThe new Mercedes-Benz E-Class is loaded with technology

Words Ray Hutton

Everyone knows the Mercedes-Benz E-class. With the famous three-pointed star positioned

like a gunsight on the top of a dis-tinctive grille, it has an unmistak-able presence. It is the definitive premium car, a rolling illustra-tion of solid German engineering and quality.

The ‘E’ nomenclature was intro-duced in 1993 but cars of this size and type have been the Mercedes mainstay for 60 years. The indus-

try knows them by their factory code-names. The first to have the distinctive four oval headlamps in 1995 was W210, the model of the last seven years, W211, and new E-class for 2009 is W212.

This is a car that crosses class boundaries. I don’t mean classes of car but the people who own and drive them. In most countries the E-class is synonymous with power and wealth, the transport for successful businessmen and government officials. In the USA

it is a status symbol, usually sup-plied laden with options and extra equipment. But in its German homeland the E-class is the arche-typical taxi.

Mercedes has been feeling the heat of competition recently. BMW sells more cars a year and Audi is catching up fast. Although its rivals have made most headway with their smaller and cheaper cars, both marques have ben-efited from establishing a more sporty image.

Drive Mercedes-Benz E-Class


Chrysler, one of America’s oldest companies, officially declared itself bank-

rupt on April 30, 2009. The com-pany had had its lows earlier, coming close to being bankrupt in the late 1970s and then, again in 1979. But after 80 years of business, the company’s strug-gle to compete with its larger, more technologically advanced rivals has ended in the toughest of options. When negotiations failed with Chrysler’s various creditors, the company had no option. It failed to meet the US Government deadline to come up with a viable business plan and solutions to clear nearly $10 billion (Rs 50,000 crore, approx) of debt.

The filing, under section 363(b) of Chapter 11, means that the US Courts are effectively run-ning Chrysler for now, offering the company protection from its credi-tors. The company plans to resur-face in thirty days time as a leaner, fitter organisation which will list Fiat as its joint owner. In the mean time, all the plants are closed from May 4 onwards till the pro-ceedings are complete. Chrysler

CEO Robert Nardelli will step down and become an advisor with Cerberus Capital Management LP at that time. Cerberus will release its 80 per cent ownership under the restructuring plan.

US President Barack Obama said in his national address on the issue that, “It’s been a pillar of our industrial economy, but frankly a pillar that’s been weakened by papering over tough problems, and avoiding hard choices, for too long Chrysler moved too slowly to adapt to the future, designing and building cars that were less popular, less reliable, and less fuel efficient than foreign competi-tors.” Obama noted Chrysler’s role in the US automotive heritage but said that the Fiat-Chrysler part-nership will help the company stand on its feet again soon.

Bankruptcy does not mean the end for Chrysler, of course. It will be able to build and sell cars and here are some of the highlights of its restructuring plan that it sub-mitted to the US Government.

Chrysler’s salaried employ-ees will take a two-week unpaid leave that will save the com-pany $21 million (Rs 104 crore)

while hourly workers have been shown the door. Chrysler’s incen-tive plans for its 3200 dealers will be cut by 23 per cent in May and 50 per cent in June, but the company is already losing 30-40 dealer per month, say reports.

Fiat Auto will gain a 20 per cent stake which could rise to 35 per cent if performance targets are met. 51 per cent is also pos-sible if the government loans are fully repaid. Until then, the US treasury will hold 8 per cent, 55 per cent lies with VEBA, a union-run trust fund and the govern-ments of Canada and Ontario will, together, hold 2 per cent. Daimler will give up its 19.9 per cent stake and Chrysler bond holders will receive $2 billion (Rs 10,000 crore) approximately

in cash for writing off their $6.9 billion (Rs 34,000 crore) debt. A nine-person board - six US gov-ernment and three Fiat - will run the company with Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne taking over as CEO after the proceedings complete.

The CEO will be tasked with turning the company around, restructuring to profit, repay-ing the government, integrating Fiat technology while retaining jobs wherever possible. Under the new US rules, the CEO will have to do this for an annual salary of just Rs 2.4 crore ($500,000) - Chrysler will be one of the first companies to toe US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s line.

What could happen is Chrysler-Fiat could become the world’s sixth largest car

The sun sets on ChryslerChrysler files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy


Motoring News

maker. Fiat will gain an auto-matic entry into North America. Chrysler will learn how to make smaller fuel efficient cars from Fiat. Chrysler’s US plants will be refitted to make small cars. The agreement is expected to go through the legalities shortly and the US Treasury will provide Chrysler $3.3 billion (Rs 16,000 crore) to support the Chapter 11 proceedings. On emerging from bankruptcy, Chrysler(-Fiat) will also receive $4.7 billion (Rs 22,560 crore) as a loan.

Indian companies are also affected by Chrysler’s bankruptcy. A lot of Chrysler’s off-shore out-sourcing will be scaled down. Chrysler currently outsources software and back-office projects worth around $200-250 million

(Rs 960-1200 crore) to India-based service providers. The com-pany has shifted some customer service projects from its Bangalore centre in India to Rochester Hills, Michigan, and Salt Lake City in the US. TCS currently has a $120 million (Rs 580 crore) contract with Chrysler but given the uncer-tainty around which product lines the auto maker will continue with, some of the software application and maintenance contracts have become smaller. Reports suggest that TCS will now be given $30-40 million (Rs 150-200 crore) annually. Other Indian IT com-panies like Wipro and Satyam (now owned by Tech Mahindra) also have tie-ups with Chrysler. These software companies help Chrysler with managing their

supply chains and with Chrysler having halted production, these projects may not be needed.

GM, like Chrysler, faces its day of reckoning on June 1, a date given by the US administration for it to come up with its own restruc-turing plan. GM has announced thousands of job cuts, plans to halt production for weeks and has also offered the government a majority stake in the company as it battles to meet the deadline.

What will happen to Chrysler’s mega office with its 500-acre site that’s crowned by a glass tower with a 35-foot tall Pentastar? The architect reportedly designed in such a way that it can be easily converted into a shopping mall if, due to unforeseen conse-quences, bankruptcy happens.


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Stop preSSRitz pRices announcedJust as we were about to go to press, Maruti suzuki announced prices for its latest model, the Ritz. As expected, the Ritz has been priced a little below the swift. the base version Lxi petrol is priced at Rs 3.90 lakh, with the Vxi petrol going upto Rs 4.20 lakh. the top of the line Zxi petrol is priced at Rs 4.80 lakh which is slightly over the swift Vxi. the Ritz will come in two diesel variants, the Ldi and the Vdi, with prices being Rs 4.65 lakh and Rs 4.99 lakh respectively.

Born again Facelifts, revamps and upgrades have given these popular motorcycles a new lease of life.

Survival of the fittest has been the name of the game. Always. Auto manufacturers

stay ahead in the game by plan-ning for competition and coun-tering them with upgrades of their own products. When that isn’t enough, they will launch a new model. Consider the first line of attack. We all know how inter-

national manufacturers upgrade existing models with newer tid-bits and fancy electronics to keep sales graphs pointing skyward.

Besides helping maintain or grow market position, this also helps the motorcycles live up to its image – and the litre class and supersport segment motorcycles are a classic exam-ple of this. Indian manufactur-

ers too make attempts to keep their motorcycles looking fresh constantly. Although it must be said, that our refreshes are never as intense. The improvements are mostly cosmetic and do not always do justice to the hype they are launched with. In many cases, the upgrade simply does not do as well as the original, often leaving potential customers disappointed

and manufacturers puzzled.We however believe the Indian

motorcycle market is on the brink of a major change. There is now a more distinct divide between recreational motorcycles and commuter machines. So this is the perfect time for a quick reflec-tion on how some of the popular motorcycles were born and how their replacements have fared.


Words Abhay Verma Photography Gaurav S Thombre

Feature Old vs New

RememBeR the CBZ? Of course you do. It represented a milestone for the Indian motorcycle market. It was ‘the’ bike then, the one motorcy-cle that had enthusiasts drooling and the competition sweating. even today we meet riders who fondly remember the iconic CBZ and the great times they had with it. Such was the aura of the CBZ then, that I remem-ber peeking into my neighbourhood Hero Honda showroom whenever possible to chance a glimpse of the CBZ. But, unfortunately for the CBZ, Hero Honda enjoyed the success without actively stoking the fires

that the CBZ lit. It ran for almost a decade without any changes at all - except for a stickering and call-ing its the ‘CBZ Star’. Hero Honda assumed sales of the CBZ would continue thanks to the dearth of competition. But in fact, the com-petition had woken up and was already trying to overpower Hero Honda’s icon. The market rapidly filled up with motorcycles hunting down the CBZ and its coveted spot

as numero uno. CBZ fans decried Hero Honda’s lack of attention. But by the time Hero Honda responded with the CBZ X-Treme, the market had moved too far forward and the X-Treme had not changed enough to regain glory. The latter motorcycle was quicker, but it was never going to be as iconic as the path-breaking CBZ. It neither aimed for a new position nor offered new thrills. The CBZ had several firsts such as the 240mm disc up front, 100 section rear tyre, box section swingarm and rear set pegs. It was the first bike with a stylised bikini headlamp fairing and it’s svelte looks had boy racers drool-ing from Kanyakumari all the way to Khardung La. The X-treme’s styl-ing on the contrary was a hard pill to swallow even though it felt much larger and comfortable than the out-going model. Its performance how-ever was class average and it lacked the focus shown by the competition and thus simply didn’t rise to the top of the 150cc charts as much as we would have like to see that ascent.

Dash was detailed for its time,replete with tachometer,

fuel gauge, and tripmeter.The rear end was sports bike like

Clocks on the new bike lookquirky. Indicators integrated

into fairing and seat cowl whileLED cluster adorns rear end

SpeciFicationSHero Honda cBZtype 156.8cc 4-stroke,

single cylinder

Max power 12.7PS@8000rpm

Max torque 12.3Nm@6500rpm

LxWxH 2090x755x1115mm

0-60kmph 5.4s

top speed 102.4kmph

price (otR, pune) Rs 61,648

SpeciFicationSHero Honda cBZ X-tremetype 149.2cc, 4-stroke,

single cylinder

Max power 14.4PS@8500rpm

Max torque 12.8Nm@6500rpm

LxWxH 2080x765x1145mm

0-60kmph 5.77s

top speed 111.9kmph

price (otR, pune) Rs 64,775

HERO HONDACBZ/CBZ X-Treme


Fresh allureThe new Skoda Laura sure has some strut

Words Bertrand D’souza Photography Gaurav S Thombre


Test Skoda Laura

First things first, I know there are a lot of Octavia lovers out there, so here’s the good news.

You can still walk into a Skoda dealership and buy an Octavia this month, next month, and sev-eral months later. That’s because the newly launched Laura is still not going to replace the Octavia in India. Showcased at the 2008 Paris Motor Show for the first time, Skoda India had no doubts that the new Laura could live alongside the original Octavia in harmony. Skoda has absolutely no intention of upsetting the Octavia applecart even though it is begin-ning to show its age. Here’s some more good news. Come 2011 we could probably see a new Octavia and it will be very interesting to see just what emerges then from Skoda’s facility at Chakan. In addition there will also be the Yeti, Skoda’s take on a mid-sized SUV, which will feature in a forth-coming issue.

But for now the new Laura, which incidentally is not just a face-lifted version, is all set to write a brand new chapter for Skoda. At the launch three engine variants were announced, while the old 1.9-litre in both diesel and petrol variants would still be available. It is a splendid engine, frugal and a decent performer, so it should retain its value. New to the fold however will be a 2.0-litre TDI (which you can read about in the July 2009 issue) and the 1.8-litre TSI turbo petrol on test here.

But despite an illustrious track record in India in its previous guise, the Laura will have a tough act to follow. Both the Fabia, launched last year and winner of our 2009 Car of the Year award and the simply super Superb that has been in the market for a cou-ple of months only, have set very high benchmarks in terms of qual-ity, refinement and performance. So will the new Laura be able to keep up with the lofty standards set by the Skoda stable? Will it enjoy a fruitful innings and enrich Skoda’s total? The answers may amaze you.

Road Test no. 764OD Rating

Price Rs 13-14 lakh est

+ Bright interiors feels spacious

+ Fiery engine

+ Best in class performance

- Short on features

- Lacks electric seats

- Could have been styled better

DeSIGn

The new Laura is not a reinven-tion; minor cosmetic changes refresh the car without tamper-ing too much with the previous elegant and chic avatar. Does the new Laura exude that stylish aura? I think it does. Drawing inspiration from Skoda’s new design philoso-phy makes it a distinct creation with several old school values.

Most of the style revisions are focused at the front with the rest of the car getting minor refurbish-ment. This focus on the grille and the immediate area around it is critical part of Skodas new design ethos, the first signs of which were seen on the Fabia and then made more elegant in the new Superb. However where the Fabia and Superb had very distinct nose jobs that made them look a bit gaudy, the Laura’s appearance is far more distinguished and understated. It’s a very confident and solid attire, and I found myself quite drawn to it’s rather modest appearance.

The narrow and broad grille continues the vertical slats theme seen on all modern Skodas but the stretched headlamps now wrap themselves around the front, pushing out into the fenders. The lines and the dimensions are typi-cally European, solid and stately. The nose does not seem to taper to a point like several Japanese models and the otherwise huge and boring body panels are visu-ally relieved by neat and strong shoulder and waist lines that run right across from the hood across the front fenders and all the way to the rear. Newly designed flared wheel arches add a touch of mus-cularity though the stance is much the same as the older Octavia.

At the rear the design is pretty much the same as the Octavia’s. It’s a notchback and the boot opens all the way to the roofline, though the clearly defined bootlid makes it look a bit like a 3-box. The front and rear bumpers have also been redesigned with fog lamps added at the front and reflectors at the rear and there’s a new tail lamp array as well.


Honda’s nR750 was a bike much ahead of its time when launched in early 80s. nR stood for ‘new Racing’ series of V-four racers. The most revolutionary feature of the engine were the oval pistons with two connecting rods. This layout facilitated eight valves per cylin-der and allowed better fuelling to extract more power form the

engine. In its road-going form, the nR750 developed 125Ps of power at 14,000rpm. Packed with tech-nology and exotic metallurgy, the nR was heavier in spite of its car-bonfiber monocoque chassis and fairing. It sold in limited num-bers at its exorbitantly high price of $50,000 (Rs 25,00,000) and is still sought by collectors.

Honda nR750

THe ducati 916 was a rev-olutionary motorcycle in more ways than one.

It not only rewrote the rulebook for sports-

bike performance, it also estab-

lished ducati as a mainstream manufacturer, being like noth-ing Bolog na had churned out before. The bike featured

a 916cc 90-degree twin engine that was an evolu-tion of the desmoquattro (four valves per cylinder actuated by desmo valves) family that produced 114Ps at 9000rpm. The output was considerably lower than its in-line four counterparts, but the 916 won hearts and races with its linear power delivery. styled by Massimo Tamburini, the 916 will go down as one of the sexiest looking bikes of all time.

ducati 916

THe Honda CBR900RR when launched in 1992, weighed roughly the same as the CBR600F2 and was considerably lighter than the litre class bikes of the time. designed by Tadeo Baba, the CBR was developed as a powerful track racer, which could leave every other bike behind on the race track. The first CBR had a 893cc

engine that developed power in excess of 100Ps and set new benchmarks in terms of refine-ment and smooth power delivery. The bike suffered from twitchy handling but subsequent improve-ments in suspension sorted this out. This is how Honda created a legacy that we know by the name of Fireblade.

Honda cBR900RR FiReBlade

Sports modeOVERDRIVE’s top ten sports bikes

Words Vijayendra Vikram


Feature World’s greatest sports bikes

THougH the Honda CB750 was the first inline four, Kawasaki Z1 is the one hailed as world’s first superbike by purists. Its 903cc engine produced 83Ps and pulled a sub 13-second quarter mile, enough to keep the crowds queuing up for it. It was way more powerful than the two-strokers of that era, yet friend-lier and far more predictable for

on-road use. The design too was a classic in that era and the bike remained roughly unchanged for a whole decade. The Z1 sent every other Japanese manufac-turer in to making high capac-ity four-stroke inline fours. The trademark trumpet exhausts were a rage and an iteration can still be found on Kawaski’s latest Z1000.

KawasaKi z1

THe norton Manx was devel-oped with just one intention - to win the Isle of Man TT races. It was purpose-built for racing and it showed in its no nonsense body work and lightweight frame. It was the perfect tool for priva-teers and budding racers. The design of its 500cc single cylinder engine dates back to 1927. Initially designed with a single overhead camshaft, it was

later upgraded to a doHC val-vetrain in 1937. norton racing team engineer Joe Craig headed the design team. another major development came in 1950 with the featherbed frame with a low centre of gravity and short wheel-base that gave it an edge over the challenging TT course. In 1950 the featherbed Manx recorded a double hat-trick of podium posi-tions at the TT.

noRton Manx

THIngs don’t get mad-der than this. Though all suzuki gsX-R 1000s are highly regarded, it was the 2005 version that

struck the perfect bal-ance between insan-

ity and refinement. It was also the best look ing gi x xer

b e f or e su z u k i started experiment-

ing with dual exhausts and

weird looking front ends.

The engine made just under 160Ps of power at the rear wheel and its bursts of power surprised even the most experienced of riders. It was also consid-erably smaller, roughly the same size as a 600 and han-dled beautifully. The tri-angular titanium muffler gelled well with the sharp aggressive stance. over the years, the gixxer has become easier to ride but it is the K5 that remains the most exciting.

suzuKi gsx-R 1000 K5



Touring story Bullet, R15, FZ, Hunk, T-bird

Highway starsTeam OD gets astride fave rides to hit the highway

Words Bertrand D’souza Photography Martin Alva & Sirish Chandran


Eight and a half years in the business and I get spat on. A big thick glob of slime deposited right

across my face. But then thats the life of a biker and especially one who loves to tour. There is always the possibility of getting spat on, especially from passengers sitting in a state transport bus. Thank god I had my lid on and the visor down. The boys night out was long

pending, too many weekdays were spent working on every single issue and weekends challenged to keep the WAGS club content. So one fine morning with little planning, pre-paring or scheduling, we decided to slip into riding gear and hit the road. A ride to the coast was scut-tled in favour of cool and close-by hill station of Mahabaleshwar. Of course some pre-ride organisation was essential, on the crucial aspect

of wheels for everyone. Two days and a flurry of phone calls after, Team OD was more or less set, each rider being assured provision of the motorcycle of his choice, be it commuter, cruiser or perform-ance machine. As it panned out, there we were, Vikram astride the Hero Honda CBZ X-Treme, Abhay aboard the Yamaha FZ 16, Sirish and Martin thumping on the Royal Enfield Bullet 500 and


Ride Triumph Daytona 675

Class apartThe Triumph Daytona 675 stands out from the superbikes crowd

Words Harriet Ridley Photography www.britishsportphotography.com


It’s not often that Britain’s motorcycl ing industr y launches a bike so success-ful it beats the might of the

Japanese at their most successful and competitive game. Yet that’s exactly what happened in 2006 when Triumph released the 675. I remember taking this new arrival to the Jerez MotoGP circuit with foreign track day organisers Track Sense as soon as I could get one.

That test stood out for its unex-pected turn of events. I’m a real 600cc sportsbike kind of girl: I’ve owned or ridden most production supersport models out there. I love the way you can take them by the scruff of the neck and throw them around corners thanks to light-weight handling and power that

doesn’t overwhelm. The Triumph has an extra 75cc but because it has only three cylinders, it’s allowed to race in the world’s supersport championships so it counts as a 600. But I felt sceptical about just how good it would be. I didn’t think much of Triumph’s previous effort, the Daytona TT600. Surely it was too much of a task for a small man-ufacturer from Blighty to take on the Japanese technology giants?

But as the 675 stood gleam-ing in the Jerez paddock on that sunny spring day three years ago, I got my first inkling of how wrong I’d been. The combination of that gorgeous trellis frame, sleek lines and upswept exhausts is stunning – it looks like the bike into which Ducati’s 916 should have evolved.

Jump on board and the 675 is exceptionally slim with a relatively tall seat. It took only a few laps to decide this was the best machine in the class that year. I returned to the pits whooping with excite-ment. Not only did the Triumph perform and handle superbly, but it was different from all other con-tenders to the supersports crown. The 675 basks in individuality in a category where bikes have always tended to look and perform much the same. How refreshing.

The 3-cylinder configuration is unique to the class. Press the starter button and a deep bur-ble reverberates from the engine – not quite the sound of a V-twin, and certainly not the sound of a screaming four. But it’s as you


Ride TVS Apache RTR 180


The TVS test track at Hosur isn’t a regular circuit. Instead of sharp and flowing corners,

maybe even a chicane, all I see is a long straight and a long loop at the end of it. There isn’t even scope for knee-down antics. In fact it’s got a proper shocker - a bump in the middle of a fast sweeping corner which can do all sorts of things to a bike. And riders bones. Stone the crows! But this initially uninviting track had me hooked for the rest of the day. This is where Apache’s are ridden day in and day out and this is where the new RTR 180’s han-dling was fine tuned. No wonder I kept going round and round till the crows came home.

My day starts by cranking the new 180cc engine and a deep, throaty exhaust note permeates my senses. Slot it into gear, dump the clutch and the 180 shoots for-ward with gusto. On the inviting long straight I see 120kmph on the digital speedo. The heady acceler-ation makes me forget that I was on a sighting lap, ideally taken at 60kmph. But there’s no time to think as the loop entry appears all too soon. I squeeze on the brakes as we enter the long, seemingly never ending loop. No room to

relax as the aforementioned bump appears. I manouvre past slow as slow can be.

As I reeled in the laps my pace increased markedly. The RTR 180 accelerated purposefully through the straights, braked spiffily in the shortest of spaces and felt superbly planted when leaned over on the loop. The suspension ensured that the rear wheel never lifted off the tarmac across the scary bump no matter what my speed. The whole experience was so engaging that two hours had whizzed by before my first pit stop. The 180 is eons ahead of the 160 in terms of pure thrills. So what makes it so?

The new Apache RTR 180 is strikingly similar to the RTR 160 since the new flagship is attired exactly like the bike it has evolved from except for the new decals. The TVS designers and marketing honchos did not want to meddle with the looks but focused entirely on performance. The new bike fea-tures broken racing stripes like the RTR Fi’s. The RTR moniker is more prominent on the tank extensions. It also gets sportier gold finished front forks and rear suspension canisters. The white shade is exclusive to the RTR 180 and is similar to the Ducati Monster’s.

Devilmay careThe new TVS RTR 180 is devilishly quickand handles like an angel

Words Vijayendra VikramPhotography Gaurav S Thombre

Overdrive June 2009 Issue Preview

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