evo India (English)

Title: 2000s was the golden decade of motoring in India and we drive and ride iconic cars and bikes from that era for the 152nd issue of the evo India mag-book Intro: We put together 2000s icons like the Mitsubishi Pajero, Ford Endeavour, Honda Accord, Honda City, Toyota Qualis, Skoda Octavia, Hero Honda Karizma, Honda Eterno, Honda Activa, and more. Also in this issue, we drive the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro, BMW M440i, Audi SQ8, and MG Majestor. The 2000s was the decade that shaped modern motoring in India. Liberalisation had already opened the gates for manufacturers in the 1990s, but it was in the new millenium when enthusiasts and laymen alike got truly spoilt for choice. SUVs like the Ford Endeavour, Mitsubishi Pajero, and the OG Scorpio brought proper road presence and showed how tough cars could be. Sedans like the Honda Accord, Skoda Octavia, and Honda City mixed luxury, performance, and everyday usability in a way we hadn’t experienced before. Family cars like the Toyota Qualis, Indigo Marina, and Maruti Suzuki Baleno Altura were perfect for ferrying the classic big Indian joint families. On two wheels, the Hero Honda Karizma introduced performance motorcycling on a budget, while the Honda Activa and Dio were responsible for reshaping how daily commuting looks even today. The Pulsar democratised performance and manufacturers were even experimenting with products like the Eliminator. It was a decade when cars were loaded with mechanical hardware instead of electronics, and every person found a vehicle to fall in love with! Also in this issue, we drive the V8-powered Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro, put the MG Majestor through its paces on road and off-road, and compare the B58-powered BMW M440i against the all-electric MG Cyberster. To understand the all-new SQ8 at full length and where it sits in the lineup, we bring along the Q8 and RS Q8 Performance. The long overdue facelifted versions of the Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun are here, and we drive both to see what all has changed. On two wheels, we ride the much-awaited BMW F 450 GS and the Triumph Scrambler 350, and also go racing in the TVS ARE GP and KTM Cup. We at evo India have been frequenting the Buddh International Circuit and this time around we headed there with the Renault Duster to set a lap record for being the fastest Indian-production SUV. All this and more in the 152nd issue of evo India. evo Eras: 2000-2005 The first half of the 2000s were the golden era as India opened up to the world. We bring together the most iconic cars and SUVs from that era - Mitsubishi Pajero, Ford Endeavour, Honda Accord, gen 2 Honda City, OG Mahindra Scorpio, gen 1 Suzuki Swift, Skoda Octavia, Fiat Palio and Toyota Qualis. We even have two estates – the Indigo Marina and Opel Corsa. Mk 1 and Mk 4.5 Skoda Octavia vRS The Octy RS introduced India to the joys of a turbo-petrol along with a whole host of go-faster mods and blooding a generation of enthu-cutlets. Does the new Octy RS carry on the legend? We bring both together to understand why people have been obsessing over the RS for over two decades. 25 years of Porsche 911 GT3 If there’s a common thread running from the very first 996-generation to current 992.1 generation GT3 it is the rev-crazy naturally-aspirated flat-six and motorsport-grade suspension for exceptional lap times. Evo eras brings together the two icons of Porsche’s GT department. 2000-2005, biking in India Bikes like Bajaj Pulsar and Hero Honda Karizma rocked the 2000s and kickstarted the enthusiast revolution. Other icons in the 2000s special include Kawasaki-Bajaj Eliminator, Honda Activa, Dio, Unicorn and Eterno. Mercedes-AMG GT 63 Pro AMG’s 63 is back to being a big, fat V8. No more plug-in hybrid business, the AMG GT 63 Pro gets the twin-turbo V8 with 604bhp and makes a lot of noise as it hurls itself from 0 to 100kmph in 3.2 seconds and continues on to 317kmph. Yours for ₹3.55 crore, without options. BMW M440i v MG Cyberster Convertibles cars are probably the most niche segment in India, but both the BMW M440i and MG Cyberster come with interesting propositions to attract a wider audience. The M440i gets the M340i’s famed B58 engine, while the MG Cyberster is the only performance-focussed electric convertible car on the market. Audi SQ8 v RS Q8 Performance v Q8 The new SQ8 gets the 4-litre twin-turbo V8 from the RS Q8 Performance but with a lower state of tune and at a price that slots it in neatly between the Q8 and RS Q8. Is the SQ8 then the sweet spot of the range? We bring together all three Audis. Harley Davidson Breakout and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Freedom, excess, convenience, and bling are the four pillars of being a true-blue American, and these two are the perfect embodiments of the genre. The Breakout gets a whopping big 1923cc engine that thunders through twin shotgun-style barrels. The Rubicon gets chunky 33-inch mud-terrain tyres that let it go wherever it pleases. Where does this story take us?