autox january 2012

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Finest Selection of Small, Luxury, Classic, Sports Cars and SUVs

JAGUAR XKR & ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE

7 0 | V O L U M E 6 | I S S U E 3 | J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 2

HERO IMPULSE

RENAULT PULSE

JAGUAR XJ vs BMW 7 SERIES+

DRIVEN:RR EVOQUE

38 | autox.in | january 2012

FEATURE

EYE OF THE TIGERTRIUMPH IS ONE OF OUR FAVORITE BIKE MANUFACTURERS, THE TIGER IS OUR FAVORITE ANIMAL, AND EXPLORING NEW PLACES IS OUR MOST EXCITING PAST TIME. BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT ALL OF THEM TOGETHER? TEXT JARED SOLOMON

january 2012 | autox.in | 39

TRIUMPH TIGER 1050

TEXT JARED SOLOMON


TEXT SHAHWAR HUSSAIN IMAGES KAPIL VASHIST


RENAULT HAS MADE A RE-ENTRY INTO THE INDIAN MARKET. AFTER JUST SIX MONTHS, THE FRENCH MANUFACTURER HAS LAUNCHED ITS THIRD PRODUCT, BUT THIS TIME IT’S AIMED AT THE MASSES. IT’S THE PULSE, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE NISSAN MICRA. OR IS IT ?TEXT JARED SOLOMON IMAGES ASHISH JHA

FRENCH INVASION


DRIVEN


RENAULT PULSE

TEXT ISHAN RAGHAVA IMAGES ASHISH JHA


evident with the car even eager to turn

in and never feeling overtly heavy or

ponderous. The ride, however, remains

a mixed affair with good comfort and

confident high-speed ride, but at low

speeds the suspension can transfer a few

jolts – especially when equipped with the

optional larger alloy wheels.

The other contender in the test is the

BMW 730 Ld, which has long been one

of our favourite cars in the segment

and has, till date, offered one of the

best driving experiences amongst the

competition. So, does the XJ – with its

new design language and new standards

of ‘Jaguarness,’ which include enhanced

driving appeal – have enough to topple

the 7-Series from the top spot?

Traditionally, the 7-Series has always

been known to be the car of choice for

people who like to step into the drivers

chair of their own luxury car on occasion,

in addition to merely being chauffeured

around most of the time. Needless to

say, the BMW has always been brilliant

from behind the wheel, but the current

generation has also raised the bar a few

notches when it comes to luxury and

standard equipment. The interiors are

terrifically finished and laid out – with

the design being relatively simple and

uncluttered. What it lacks, though, is the

XJ’s flamboyance – where the Jaguar has

theatrics such as the rising gear knob and

jet engine-like chrome AC vents that shoot

air at you, the 7 offers a much simpler

layout with things that just fall easily to

hand. Depending on your outlook, you

could call it comfortable or you could term

it as being boring.

On the outside as well, the 7 doesn’t

appear as special or striking as the

XJ. But, then again, this could well be

because the BMW is a victim of its own

success – having sold well for the past

two years, this generation of the 7 has

become a far more common sight on our

roads than the Jag. What it nevertheless

offers, though, is a supremely well

balanced chassis and a superb 3.0 liter

diesel engine that never feels like it’s a

diesel – pulling this nearly two-tonne

machine to 100km/h in just 7.3 seconds.

And while it may not be as quick in

the sprint to 100km/h as the XJ, the

dynamics of the 7 are such that it seems

to shrink around the driver and feels like a

much smaller car, which makes stepping

behind the wheel truly an enjoyable

experience. It really does feel as though

every part of the 7 series has been

engineered to near perfection.

So, how do they square off against each

other? Well, the Jaguar clearly has more

presence. The large chrome mesh in the

front and the claw-like tail lights in the rear

ensure that the Jag shouts out its presence.

The interiors too are unique and well made,

but in places it can seem a tad overdone


and chintzy. And the looks, while striking,

do tend to polarize opinion – especially with

the blacked out C-pillar, which can stand

out quite awkwardly against lighter colours.

Imposing yes, pretty no!

The 7, on the other hand, looks almost

like an ordinary car when compared to the

XJ – but, make no mistake, it too is a good

looking car. Sure, it might be pretty popular

already, but if one isn’t looking to make an

overt statement, it makes for a great car.

So, in the end, it boils down to whether

you value presence and style versus

driving appeal and relative anonymity.

For me, personally, I prefer cars that tend

not to stand out – but, then again, for a

customer spending nearly a crore or so

of their own money, presence and style

may matter more for them, in which case

the XJ is a no-brainer. For those looking

at a beautifully engineered machine that

could potentially stay beneath the radar,

the 7 is the way to go.


TEXT AMEYA NAIK IMAGES ASHISH JHA

JAG OF ALL TRADES


TRADITION EVOLVED


TEXT & IMAGES ASHISH JHA


TEXT DHRUV BEHL IMAGES ASHISH JHA


fi nish on the center console looks like it’s

come from a grand piano, the glass key is

a work of art, but, believe it or not, Aston

calls it an ‘Emotion Control Unit,’ and the

‘Power, Beauty,’ and ‘Soul’ readout that

appears as you start the car – it’s all there

to let you know that you’re seated in a car

that is James Bond’s choice of chariot.

But, the question is – does it go as well

as its exhaust note seems to suggest?

Well, one look at the 275/35 R19 rubber

mounted on some of the most exquisite

multi-spoke wheels that I’ve ever seen,

and you would think so. And, it must be

said, the long and the short of it is that it

goes pretty darn well indeed!

The 4.7 litre V8 produces 420

horsepower and pulls like a freight train.

The best part, though, is that it’s naturally

aspirated, and, therefore, is extremely

linear in its power delivery – allowing you

to exploit the relentless torque (470Nm

from 1500rpm) of the engine even within a

city like Mumbai.

For our anniversary issue in November

this year, we had a pretty impressive

selection of machines at the Yas Marina

Grand Prix circuit in Abu Dhabi – this

included the Audi R8 V10, the Maserati

Gran Turismo MC Stradale, a Maserati

Trofeo Cup car (which we didn’t actually

get to drive), a Radical SST, and an Aston

Martin GT4, which is the race-spec

Vantage. And, I have to admit that, while the

Radical was the most exciting, my favourite

car of the test was the Aston because it

was pure unadulterated GT magic.

Now, the street going version isn’t quite

as powerful – or light, seeing that it’s

equipped with every leather clad amenity

known to man. As a result, you do feel

a little bit of its girth from behind the

wheel, but it still feels imminently direct

and chuckable from the driver’s seat.

The chassis is incredibly neutral and the

steering is brimming with feel – allowing

you to play with the rear end at will, even

within the restricted confi nes of the most

populous metro in our land.

The only downside, of course, of all this

driver involvement and feedback is that

you also get to experience every single

expansion joint on Marine Drive. Plus, I

would have much preferred a traditional

manual transmission rather that the

paddle shift semi-automatic that most

people seem to opt for these days. Yes,

you can sense the shifts taking place

in the transaxle behind you, which is

nice – the transaxle, by the way, has the

transmission and axle housed together in

the rear to ensure even weight distribution.

But the transmission can be just a little

fussy and cantankerous at slow speeds.

Besides, Aston Martin is one of the few

manufacturers who still offer a proper

manual gearbox, and I salute them for that.

Speaking of which, the XK-R is offered

only with Jaguar Drive Select – Jag’s rotary

knob that greets you by rising up from

the center console – which means that

the Jaguar doesn’t even offer a manual

transmission. To its credit, though, this is

a 6-speed automatic that offers manual

shifting – again through paddles on the

steering wheel. The up side is that the

transmission is decidedly good natured

and the shifts are incredibly smooth. And

that’s quite useful actually because the Jag

truly has explosive power.

To merely say that this really is a leaping

cat would be an understatement. It’s

more like a feral feline on the prowl – it’ll

sneak up on you innocently, and then

TEXT & IMAGES ISHAN RAGHAVA

Travelling in India is

usually an action-packed

adventure with its own

share of events, sights,

sounds, and, of course,

smells! As a result, when

even seasoned and experienced road

warriors start a trip, they know that (despite

thinking they’ve seen it all) there’s a surprise

on every journey. So, with our expectations

firmly in place, we started off on another

journey. The plan was to pick up the new

BMW X3 – a car that I’ve been looking

forward to driving, given how positive the

reports have been about the car.

At first glance, it’s evident that this

completely new generation of the X3 is a

tremendous improvement over the last-

gen product, which received a lukewarm

response in our market. With the new

design and interiors, the X3 offers a

contemporary product for its class.

Understanding the penchant of Indian

consumers for diesel SUVs, the X3 is

available with two diesel engine options.

The smaller engine is the ubiquitous

2.0-liter diesel producing 181bhp and

380Nm of torque, while the larger option

THE SECOND COMING


DRIVEN


BMW X3

autox january 2012

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