Autocar India June 2012

Autocar India Magazine

Issue: 154  |  Autocar India June 2012

In the June 2012 issue of Autocar India, we take a look at the next big contender in the seven-seat MPV segment, the Nissan Evalia. We’ve also got a number of significant road tests, fun drives, exciting comparisons and a whole lot of motorsport.

• Nissan Evalia – The march of the new wave of seven-seat MPVs has begun, and next in after the already popular Maruti Ertiga, is Nissan’s Evalia. We’ve had an exclusive drive in Nissan’s new seven-seater to see if it can cut it in our very discerning market.
• Audi Q3 vs BMW X1 – The success of BMW’s most affordable car yet had long gone unchallenged, but Audi’s very capable Q3 is now here to take it on. Our first impressions were good, but now it faces not only the X1, but also the rigours of the Autocar India road test.
• The Mini special – The iconic Mini brand is finally here, and we sampled one of each of the three body styles available in India. A drive of the Maxi Mini, the Countryman S, followed by a fun jaunt in the Cooper convertible along with some very special guests. Finally a thorough road test of the Cooper S hatchback, one of the best-handling front-wheel-drive cars we’ve ever driven.
• Audi A4 facelift – With last year’s C-class update and an all-new 3-series just around the corner, Audi has given its A4 saloon a mid-life facelift. We take you through the subtle but effective upgrade of Audi’s smallest luxury saloon.
• Renault Twizy – In the future we will travel around in small, near-vertical pods that run only on electricity. This may have sounded fantastical about 15 years ago, but it is 2012 and the Twizy is one such pod. Can it change the face of personal transportation?
• Mercedes-Benz ML 350 CDI – The latest M-class offers more of what we loved about the previous version. It is luxurious, comfortable, refined and now more fuel efficient too. But can it hold its own in the face of its seven-seater competition?
• Skoda Fabia Scout – It’s hard to peg the Scout’s positioning in the market. Is it a beefed-up premium hatchback or a pared-down crossover? We spend some time behind the wheel to see if we can answer the questions.
• Hyosung GT250R  – After an eight-year sabbatical, Hyosung is re-entering the 250cc segment with the fully-faired GT250R. We give it our full road test treatment this month and find if it has what it takes to keep pace in this hotly contested segment.
• Honda CBR150R vs Yamaha YZF-R15 – Age-old rivals Honda and Yamaha face off once again as the 150cc versions of their CBR and YZF motorcycles go head to head in a road test comparison.
• Motorsport – We’ve got full reports of the Chinese and Bahrain Formula 1 grands prix as well as a look back at F1 legend Ayrton Senna’s six victories at Monaco during his illustrious career. Then, gravity goes out the window as we marvel at the epic tricks at the first leg of the Red Bull X-fighters world tour.
• FREE! 8-page booklet – A detailed look at the car that created the compact SUV segment in India, the Premier Rio, in this eight-page supplement, free with this issue of Autocar India.