Setting 80 national records with the Mahindra XUV700 to celebrate eighth anniversary of evo India!

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We had to do something epic for our eighth anniversary issue, and it doesn’t get any bigger than smashing and setting over 80 national records! We took four Mahindra XUV700s to Mahindra’s incredible SUV Proving Track, in an attempt to break the 5-year-old national record for the maximum distance travelled by a car/SUV in 24 hours. Of course we broke the record, setting a new benchmark of 4364.73km, and all four XUVs went on to cross 4000km creating history in the process. This is a story of endurance of both man and machine, being pushed to their absolute limits. Sharing space on the cover is an incredible road trip we took with Mercedes-AMG owners on the AMG Emotion Tour. There was so much desirable metal on the road that day — from the A 35 and GLA 35 all the way up to the mental GT 63 S and GLE 63 S.

There is plenty more inside the issue: we’ve got reviews of SUVs from either end of the spectrum, the Tata Punch on one end, and the Aston Martin DBX on the other. That’s not all the SUV action we have — we’ve also reviewed the MG Astor, Force Gurkha and Renault Kiger CVT. We’ve gone on epic road trips with the Skoda Kushaq, Volkswagen Taigun and Mahindra Bolero Neo. We’ve taken on the most incredible passes in Ladakh in the Mahindra Thar. And we’ve got proper supercar action in there as well with the Ferrari Roma taking on its rivals, Lexus LC500, Bentley Continental GT and Aston Martin DB11 AMR. We’ve also set off on a road trip with a bunch of Lamborghini owners for a weekend of thrills, in an Urus.

Add to that all the action on two wheels: the ballistic Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS, the TVS Raider, Honda’s CB200X and the TVS Jupiter. Our tuned section has fan favourites including the VW Polo GT and the Mahindra Thar, not to mention a feature on 10 years of Race Concepts.

This issue is packed with incredible content and it is not an issue you want to miss!

The XUV700 is smashing records left, right and centre! After breaking the internet with the number of bookings it racked up, the XUV700 took on its greatest challenge yet in the 24 Hour Speed Endurance Challenge. Four XUV700s — two diesels and two petrols — ran non-stop for 24 hours, stopping only for refuelling, tyre changes and driver swaps. Running at average speeds of 190kmph, this was the ultimate test of the Mahindra XUV700. In the process, the XUV700 smashed the existing record of 3161km and went on to set a new national record at 4384km. This is the story of how it happened.

MG’s latest SUV for India has its eyes firmly set on the Hyundai Creta. It brings to the table sophisticated styling, a really plush interior and a whole host of features including first-in-class stuff like an AI-enabled digital assistant and Level 2 autonomous driving functions. It will only get petrol engines — a nat-asp 1.5-litre petrol and a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine. With competitive pricing, this seems to be a proper threat!

Force Motors has completely revamped the Gurkha from the inside and out! The new Gurkha gets a completely new platform that is now compliant with modern crash regs, a torquey 2.6-litre diesel engine, fresh styling and an all-new interior. However, it still retains its off-road ability with a proper low range gearbox and the two differential locks. Does the G-Wagen-inspired SUV have what it takes to offer an alternative to the Mahindra Thar?

The iconic British marque finally goes down the SUV route. With a 4-litre twin-turbo V8 sourced from AMG and a completely bespoke chassis built in-house by Aston Martin, it certainly looks to have the ingredients to make a thrilling super SUV. Is it the perfect Aston Martin for India? More importantly, can it take on the Lamborghini Urus on the performance side of things, and the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan on the luxury side of things? Find out in our review!

Tata Motors calls it a ‘white space’ product. An SUV-inspired compact car, it brings to the table Harrier-inspired styling, a really compact footprint and a fair amount of features. We also tested it on some light off-road tracks and it really impressed with its capabilities. Could this be the death knell of the premium hatchback? We break things down in our review!

20 AMGs, a group of enthusiasts and one epic road trip. As part of the AMG Emotion Tour 2021, the evo India team hosted AMG enthusiasts on a road trip from Bengaluru to Chikkamagaluru. We had Mercedes-AMG’s entire line-up — right from the A 35 and GLA 35 to the popular GLC 43, the E 53 repping the hybrid capabilities of AMG, and the mental V8 powered E 63 S, GLE 63 S, GT 63 S and the G 63. Hard driving, great conversation and even better coffee — this truly was a road trip to remember.

The Kushaq’s biggest strength is its driving dynamics, and to put them to the ultimate test, we took the mid-SUV to some demanding tarmac rally stages. The Rally of Maharashtra was among the best tarmac rallies on the INRC calendar, and the windmill stages should prove to be the perfect proving ground. Can the Kushaq stay composed, and put a smile on the driver’s face at the same time?

We get uninhibited access to a Lamborghini Urus for a weekend, on a road trip from Bengaluru to Hampi with a whole bunch of Lambo owners and their super cars/SUV in tow. A truly remarkable experience that lends insight in to how Lamborghini has been so successful in India.

We take the Volkswagen Taigun on a road trip to Kanyakumari in search of a great sunrise. The Taigun is VW’s all-new SUV for India, and signifies the dawn of a new day for the brand. Just like a good sunrise, it is all set to breathe new life in to Volkswagen’s operations in India.

The Roma isn’t your traditional track-focused Ferrari but instead has the capability of being a brilliant long distance GT car as well. In this story, we pit it against rivals like the Lexus LC500, Aston Martin DB11 AMR and Bentley Continental GT to find out which provides the most engaging driving experience.

This month, we take the Bolero Neo on a road trip to Rajasthan where we explore an abandoned village that is said to be haunted. The Neo is a SUV for the new India, one that signifies progress, youthfulness and fun. And there’s nothing more exciting than exploring the ruins of a village that is said to be haunted!

The old warhorse on an epic adventure through the upper Himalayas. We take the old Thar to explore some of the most treacherous high altitude passes in western Ladakh, the unique culture of this region, and witness some of the grandest landscapes on planet earth!

Triumph’s most powerful motorcycle yet — the Speed Triple 1200 RS takes the mental performance of the older Speed Triple and dials it up to 11. With close to 180bhp, it is incredibly fast and has the chassis to match, featuring top shelf components from Ohlins and Brembo. This is proper super naked territory.

TVS has returned to the competitive 125cc commuter segment with the Raider, bringing plenty of funk with it. The Raider is radically styled, and it also comes kitted out with a number of really cool features that have never been seen in this segment. With good performance and impressive dynamics, commuting has never looked this fun!

Honda is dipping its toes in the entry level ADV space with the CB200X. Essentially a Hornet 2.0 with additional fairing and a wind screen, the CB200X is merely a cosmetic upgrade from the Hornet. After all, it doesn’t have any changes to the suspension, ergonomics or ground clearance. Has Honda done enough to justify the X in its name?

The Mahindra Thar is a true enthusiasts car. And like every good enthusiast’s car, it lends itself very willingly to mods. The TUNED section kicks off with some of the coolest mods for the Thar including audio upgrades, performance upgrades and off-road equipment that will allow you to take your Thar even further than it can already go.

This tuner favourite is back, but with a difference! This is the first Polo GT with the new EA211 1.0 TSI engine to feature in the TUNED section of the magazine. Built over the course of the lockdown last year, this is a properly accessible tuner car that won’t cost an arm and a leg to build!

Joel Joseph’s Race Concepts has, over the last 10 years, built an incredible reputation both on the track and off of it. In this story, we trace the origins of Race Concepts — how Joel started with building race motorcycles, then moved on to cars and has now decided to come back to racing motorcycles in 2021. Along the way, he found his niche in building souped up road cars and has earned a reputation for being the VTEC whisperer!