THE PICTURE YOU’RE LOOKING AT doesn’t make any sense. Octavia and Tucson? As far as weirdly off-beat comparison tests go, this is pushing one’s creative license. But grab a coffee and settle down, because this is exactly the challenge the new Octy faces. You see, there is no straightforward rival to the Octavia! Sure there is the Elantra but truth is this segment of cars have been all but wiped out under the onslaught of SUVs. Honda has canned the Civic. The Jetta has with drawn three years ago. Even Maruti and Toyota decided it wasn’t worth the effort of slapping on a Suzuki badge on the Corolla Altis and selling it from Nexa showrooms.
This fourth-generation Octavia has a heavy cross to bear. It needs to make the car relevant once again. And to find out if it can, we’ve brought along what we consider to be the best SUV in this price bracket — the Hyundai Tucson — which also matches the Octy on size, space, comfort and dynamic polish. But first, let’s go for a drive in the new Octy.
THE BURDEN OF EXPECTATION
Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av evo India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra June 2021-utgaven av evo India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
FAST STEAD
This Skoda Octavia RS 230 is fast enough to blow your mind but not its engine
Ford Fusion
Practical, great engine and dynamics, but weird styling ensured buyers stayed well away
Mahindra Bolero Neo
Armed with an iconic badge, a fresh face and a mechanically locking differential, the Bolero Neo could just be the compact SUV you’ve been looking for
RISING FROM THE ASHES
The third generation Suzuki Hayabusa is one of the fastest production motorcycles in the world, and a bike that truly deserves to be ridden flat out at the High Speed Track at NATRAX
BIJOY KUMAR Y
Bijoy is quite looking forward to what the recent space launches could mean
DOA: HSV HRT 427
This racing-inspired 7-litre Holden Monaro garnered more than enough interest for its limited production run to sell out. But sadly the sums didn’t add up
Mini Cooper S Convertible
Mini gives the Convertible a more modern front end, more technology on the inside and a very bright paint scheme
VW Taigun GT
Good news! With two GT variants, Volkswagen are set to make the 1.5 TSI motor even more accessible to us enthusiasts
THE DOCTOR CHECKS OUT
As Rossi decides to hang up his boots after 26 seasons, we take a look back at his journey through MotoGP
“IF THE RATING IS DONE, NATRAX COULD BE ONE OF THE TOP THREE PROVING GROUNDS IN THE WORLD”
Speaking to Dr N Karuppaiah, additional director and centre head, NATRAX