It’s a mega Mercedes-Benz month for us! The June 2024 issue of evo India is headlined by our review of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 that bounces and the Mercedes-AMG S 63 E Performance that goes from 0 to 100kmph in 3.3 seconds. That’s 0.3 seconds faster than the AMG GT-R even, that scored a record setting lap at the Nurburgring. We’ve also driven the all-new three-cylinder Maruti Suzuki Swift, the updated Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, the Aston Martin Vantage and the Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale.
Before the monsoon hits our city and the roads are half drowned, we go to Lavasa with the Volkswagen Virtus for a last drive in the calm before the chaos. Love food? We at evo India do too, and have set out on a mission to find the best burger in Pune city in the Nissan Magnite AMT. We pit two rivals against each other to see which comes out on top – the Mahindra 3XO vs Tata Nexon and the BMW M2 vs the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S. Not only two rivals, but we’ve also done a mega comparison with five major rivals in the mid-size SUV segment – Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Taigun, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder and Honda Elevate. We introduce you to the all-new warm hatch by Tata, the Altroz Racer and the Porsche 911 T-hybrid. To truly embrace the thrill of driving we show you a sleeper build drop-top tuned Mini Cooper that makes more than 325bhp and we take you for a tour ‘round the Akrapovic factory in Slovenia. In our two-wheels section, you will find the first ride reviews of the Bajaj Pulsar NS400Z, the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE, the Ather Rizta and the Yamaha MT-03. We also delve into the history of Maserati motorcycles, before they started making cars.
All this and more in the June 2024 issue of evo India – get your copy here
The new S 63 has received a stunning upgrade with the addition of a hybrid system, propelling its torque to a jaw-dropping 1430Nm while power goes up to 790bhp. This remarkable enhancement has earned it the new moniker: S 63 E Performance along with a price hike to 3.8 crore rupees for the Edition 1 featured exclusively in evo India.
Another exclusive, this time on the ultra-luxury side of things with the imperious Maybach GLS. It now gets styling tweaks, updated kit, the same base AMG engine as the S 63 and even the hip-hop bouncy suspension to go viral on social media.
Without doubt this is India’s favourite hatchback. Now in its fourth-gen, it is down one cylinder but adds a lot more to the features and safety list. Is this the hatchback you have been waiting for?
As if the Taycan wasn’t fast enough, Porsche have gone out and introduced a track-oriented version of its electric saloon. This is the most powerful Taycan yet and benefits from Porsche’s latest battery, powertrain and chassis technology. And the best part? The Weissach Package is included at no extra cost.
From fully electric to save-the-ICE, we introduce to you the 992.2-gen Porsche 911, now embracing the hybrid trend. But, Porsche being Porsche, none of the two e-motors will be used purely for fuel efficiency. In fact, the new 911 has zero electric range. This can mean only one thing – maximum driving pleasure.
We have already driven the ‘first road-legal XX model’, but that was on track and we had the coupe. Now, we're hitting Italy's open roads, and to make it even better, there's no roof!
The best Vantage yet (according to Aston Martin itself), is also the most powerful with peak figures of 656bhp and 800Nm. But Astons are more known for the driving experience. Is this one the best yet in that regard too?
It is not without good reason that this segment is known as the Creta segment. The mid-size Hyundai perfectly captured what Indians wanted, and delivered it in buckets. With the recent update we have pitched it against the Toyota Hyryder, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, VW Taigun and Honda Elevate to see if the Creta still retains the segment leadership.
The days of small radios and manual gear shifts are long gone. Modern cars have come a long way, some might even say that today’s cars are almost like aeroplanes. And that spawned an idea. We gave a super-luxury sedan to an airline pilot to see if they could make sense of all the tech and also tell us if car manufacturers are going overboard.
The 3XO has received mixed opinions on its design, but it won us over with its impressive driving performance. We now put both the petrol and diesel 3XO against the segment leader, the Tata Nexon, to see how it fares in terms of driving, comfort, and features.
Calling all Pune foodies! We're on a mission to find the city's best burger and who’s our companion? The Nissan Magnite in its AMT guise, making the drive enjoyable even in city traffic.
We haven’t forgotten Pune’s driving enthusiasts either. For those who love their morning drink with a dollop of fresh air and incredible views, we take you to Lavasa in one of our top picks on the market – the VW Virtus.
Make Hatchbacks Great Again! That would be our motto if we were spearheading the creation of the Tata Altroz Racer. Because that’s exactly what Tata Motors is doing – bringing back hot (okay, warm) hatches.
If you've got a bigger – much bigger – budget than the Altroz Racer, then you might want to consider these two. Both cater to the enthusiast crowd – one boasts AWD with an automatic gearbox, while the other features RWD paired with a manual. Priced almost identically, they present quite a challenge when it comes to making a decision.
Bajaj’s flagship takes the engine from the nearly decade-old Dominar 400 and places it in a fresh new body, creating the biggest Pulsar ever, and with a price tag that has left many surprised. But has this formula proved successful?
The V-Strom 800DE adventure bike replaces the older V-Strom 650 and gets adjustable suspension along with an engaging ride to make it a strong contender in the middleweight ADV segment
The pricing raised many eyebrows. But the package altogether is an extremely well-built one with performance on tap
It might come as a surprise to hear that Maserati at one point even made motorcycles. But it is true and noted automotive historian Adil Jal Darukhanawala brings you a brief history of the Trident’s bikes from the 1950s.
Minis can be easy to ignore. Maybe that’s why they make such good tuner cars. This owner has taken advantage of that fact and built a sleeper Mini.
The editor stops by Akrapovic’s headquarters in Slovenia to see how the world’s best exhaust systems are designed, engineered and manufactured. Spoiler alert – the sweet sounds are just a happy by-product in their relentless quest for performance.