Mega Exclusive! evo India gets aboard the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier with Mahindra SUVs
In what is possibly evo India’s biggest and most incredible story yet, we get aboard the INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenous air craft carrier. We also got an opportunity to drive down the flight deck with the Mahindra XUV700, XUV300 and Scorpio-N. INS Vikrant is a magnificent testament to make-in-India and to kick off the 7000km Sam No Varuna coastal drive, we have taken three made-in-India SUVs on board the flight deck. This is a story of epic proportions, where we got up and personal with a mega feat of Indian engineering, and the brave men and women that serve on board the carrier. It isn’t often that we don’t have cars on the cover of the magazine, but this is something extra special.
In this issue, we have also undertaken the epic K2K record run in the Tata Nexon EV where we drove 4000km from Srinagar to Kanyakumari in less than four days. We have reviews of the new Hyundai Verna, Toyota Hilux, Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica, Tata Harrier Red Dark and BMW M4 manual. We get a first look at the new Lamborghini Revuelto, while taking a look back the Volkswagen XL1 and Peugeot’s Le Mans icons. We have performance driving tutorials in the XUV300 Turbosport, a skiing trip in the Renault Triber and a track side look at the Red Bull Show Run in Mumbai. On two wheels, we have ridden the updated Bajaj Pulsar NS160 and NS200.
INS Vikrant indigenous aircraft carrier
This is easily our biggest story yet, aboard the INS Vikrant and driving down the flight deck with Mahindra XUV700, XUV300 and Scorpio-N. The INS Vikrant is an incredible testament to Indian engineering, a 45-tonne air craft carrier that has been indigenously designed and built. Appropriately we take Mahindra’s indigenously designed and made SUVs and get them on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier. The story talks you through what it is like being aboard the carrier, we meet the men and women officers of the Indian Navy who serve on the pride of the fleet and of course what it was like to experience SUVs on this hallowed strip of tarmac. And this is just the start — a teaser for the epic 7000km coast drive we are doing in Mahindra SUVs with the Indian Navy.
Lamborghini Revuelto supercar
The future of Lamborghini is here. The Revuelto is Lambo’s first ever plug-in hybrid and is a replacement to the flagship Aventador. The Revuelto retains a V12 engine, part of Lambo’s very DNA, though this is a completely new motor and is now hybridised. The chassis is also all-new and features extensive carbon fibre construction to save weight, add strength and take the Revuelto in to an even more exclusive space. In this story, we get into the details of this new supercar, with everything from drivetrain, chassis, styling, aero, the works.
Lamborghini’s V12s
The V12 is a part of Lamborghini’s core DNA. The company’s first ever car was the 350GT with a 3.5-litre V12. From that point till the modern day, the V12 has featured prominently in Lambo’s line-up of cars. With the Revuelto taking the V12 down the hybrid route, we look back at the engines and the legendary cars that they powered over the last six decades.
Toyota Innova Hycross vs Toyota Innova Crysta & Fortuner
The Toyota Innova Hycross is a radical step up on the Innova Crysta, with an all new monocoque platform and petrol engines. That said, the Crysta remains on sale with the 2.4-litre diesel and manual gearbox. We put the Innovas against each other to see whether the new Innova can take on the legend that the Crysta is. The Hycross’ styling is clearly SUV-inspired as well, and we bring the Fortuner to the party as well to answer a simple question — can the Innova Hycross replace an SUV?
Tata Nexon Kashmir to Kanyakumari record run
4000km in under 4 days. We did what many said was impossible — drive the Tata Nexon EV from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and we did so in record time. In addition to setting the record for the fastest an EV has done the K2K drive, we set 24 other records in the process. Read the account of this epic journey, where we detail out how we planned it, the challenges, and then finally how we executed the whole drive. This is not a story you want to miss!
Hyundai Verna
The Verna gets a comprehensive update — with radical styling on the outside and new engines on the inside. The Verna gets the new 1.5 turbo-petrol engine which comes mated to a DCT and makes the most power in its class. This is a significant step up from the 1.0 three-cylinder turbo under the Verna’s hood earlier. Does this, along with the changes to the styling, interiors and features list make it a worthy enthusiast car? The likes to take on the Volkswagen Virtus GT and Skoda Slavia? Find out in our review!
Toyota Hilux
We’ve finally driven Toyota’s legendary pick-up a whole year after its India launch! Closely related to the Fortuner that it shares a platform and engine with, we’ve tested the Hilux both on road and off-road. Spoiler alert: it’s very similar to the Fortuner on road. Question is, does it really have those legendary off-road capabilities when the going gets rough, so you can live that outdoorsy lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of?
Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica
The Lamborghini Huracan Tecnica is the final iteration of the V10 supercar (save for the limited Sterrato) and it is meant to sit between the road-biased Evo RWD and track focussed STO variants. It gets the wild engine from the STO but with chassis elements and aero dialled back for road use. We head over to the streets of Doha to drive it in the city and on the highway to understand if these road credentials actually stand.
BMW M4 Manual
The BMW M4 is a monster — putting out 473bhp and 550Nm of torque. It has launched in India as well, in its Competition variant with an automatic transmission. However, the M4 can be had with a manual in Germany and the US. We get behind the wheel of one and discover that M hasn’t lost its mojo, and sometimes the less powerful, simpler variants are actually where the magic happens.
Renault Triber Adventures
The Renault Triber is an extremely versatile MPV. In this new series called Triber Adventures, we’re showcasing the sheer breath of ability that the Triber has by taking it out to try our hand at various adventure sports. Part 1 coincides with the last snows of the season, and we took the Triber to Srinagar and beyond, to try our hand at skiing!
Volkswagen XL1
At the height of Volkswagen’s might in 2013, they pushed boundaries in ways few others thought possible and the XL1 is a clear example of that. This two-cylinder diesel hybrid looks like it belongs on the moon, but with a weight of just 795bhp and a super low coefficient of drag, it is also incredibly efficient. The brief to the team that created it was to have a car that could go 100km on a single litre of fuel. They succeeded and how. We get back behind the wheel of one in 2023 to see where the performance car could have gone if VW had continued down this road.
Tata Harrier Red Dark: Behind the wheel
Tata Motors has finally handed us the keys of the Harrier Red Dark, that we first saw at Auto Expo 2023. We take you through the updates: to the styling and interiors, yes, but also to the infotainment screen and the additional ADAS safety features. These improvements make the Harrier a far more desirable SUV than it already is!
Peugeot to Le Mans
Peugeot’s Le Mans challenger, the 9X8 is a strange race car — it has no wings! But it goes to show the unique interpretation of the rules by the current crop of hypercars has taken. Peugeot is no stranger to Le Mans, and in this story, we get under the skin of this new 9X8 racer and also a few of its predecessors.
Tata Tiago around town
The Tata Tiago may have been around for a while but what makes it such a formidable car in the ultra competitive hatchback segment? We spend a day behind the wheel of one, driving it around town and revelling in the comfortable cabin, enjoying the spread of features on offer along with the sorted underpinnings it is based on.
How to launch a manual car, Thrill of driving tutorials with Mahindra XUV300
In this season of the Thrill of Driving Tutorials, we’re behind the wheel of the new Mahindra XUV300 Turbosport to teach you advanced driving techniques. In the first of a three part series, we teach you the correct technique to launch a manual car so you can be champ at those traffic light drag races!
Bajaj Pulsar NS160 & NS200
The Bajaj Pulsar NS 160 and 200 have received updates — upside down forks and brakes form the Pulsar 250s, along with updated clusters with more informations. The improvements aren’t radical, but do they improve the way these motorcycles perform? We ride them on the road and track to find out!
Red Bull Showrun
Red Bull put on a proper show, bringing their championship-winning RB7 Formula One car to the streets of Mumbai. We bring you the full story — right from the building of the car at the Supercar garage, to letting it loose on the Bandra bandstand sea face with David Coulthard at the wheel.
