New 2013 Audi A4 2.0 TDI 174bhp review test drive

The A4 diesel’s always been down on power when compared to its German rivals. While the BMW 320d makes 181bhp and the Merc C 250 CDI a whopping 201bhp, the A4 made just 141bhp. Now, however, Audi’s taken steps to rectify this deficiency by launching a more powerful A4.
Powered by the same 1968cc four-cylinder turbodiesel motor, the A4’s engine now makes 174bhp and a higher 38.74kgm of torque. Thanks to the extra horses, the engine is more flexible and a wider powerband means overtaking is much easier. It’s more free-revving too, and does not feel out of breath at the top end of the rev band anymore.

Refinement is very good, performance is ample and this, coupled with the car’s good low speed ride, makes it a fine urban machine. The CVT gearbox works even better with this motor. It responds quickly to the change in position of your right foot at all times and ensures you are in the meat of the powerband. What also helps the A4 is the eight-step CVT that behaves like a regular torque converter transmission. The way it swaps its preset ‘steps’ in Tiptronic mode will make you think there’s a ’box with a full set of gears in here. It’s only when you step on the kick-down switch that you get the rubber-band effect typical of a CVT transmission.

Our VBOX revealed that the new car is much quicker than the old car. In the 20-80kph third-gear slog, the updated engine pips the old model by a 0.8sec, while in the 40-100kph run in fourth gear, it’s quicker by more than a second. In flat-out acceleration too the new car is faster - it does the dash to 100kph in 8.84sec, where the old car managed 10.96sec. The gap just gets bigger as you go faster and 160kph in the new car comes up in 23.84seconds - that’s a massive 9sec faster than the old car.
The rest of the car is the same. You get the same high quality cabin of the old car, and it’s spacious too. Front seats are big and accommodating, and the driving position is good. Rear seat, though good on space, are placed a bit low and lacks enough support.

Other than the more powerful motor, the mechanicals are unchanged, which means the suspension and other chassis bits are carried over from the older car. Though it’s dynamically not quite a match to the BMW 3-series, the A4’s ride and handling are quite acceptable, especially if you don’t push it too hard. This apart, the A4 is hard to fault.
And when you factor in the price, which is Rs 33.48 lakh for the Premium Plus edition, it priced on par with the  BMW 320d Luxury line, which makes it even more appealing.

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Fact File

Price Range (in lakhs)*

Ex-showroom price

Rs 33.48 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi)

Engine

Fuel	Diesel
Type	4cyls, 1968cc, turbo-diesel
Power	174bhp at 4200rpm
Torque	38.74kgm at 1750-2500rpm

Transmission

Type	FWD
Gearbox	8-step CVT

Dimensions

Length	4701mm
Width	1826mm
Height	1427mm
Wheel base	2808mm

Chassis & Body

Tyres

225/55 R16

Performance

0-40	2.41sec
0-60	3.95sec
0-80	6.04sec
0-100	8.84sec
0-120	12.64sec
0-140	17.62sec

New BMW 1-series review, test drive

A pair of four-cylinder engines power this smallest of BMWs, one petrol and one diesel. The 1,995cc ‘N47’ diesel is a familiar one; we’ve already seen it in ‘20d’ guise in the 3-series, 5-series, X1 and X3, as well as in the 525d. However, here, in the 118d, it makes 141bhp and 32.6kgm. These figures still compare favourably with the diesel engines of its closest rivals, the A-class and the V40 Cross Country.

A pleasant surprise is that it is quite refined; almost more so than a 3-series. The NVH levels are impressively low, both at idle and on the go, and it gets harsh only near the top of the rev range. This milder state of tune suggests less aggressive turbo-charging, which means less noise.

The power delivery is smooth. This engine is incredibly linear for a diesel, and while you enjoy the almost petrol-like journey up the power band, you do miss that characteristic surge of torque that you get in the mid-range with most diesel engines.

So, is the mid-range weak? No – it’s just a bit flatter than you’d expect, and if you’re worried about being able to pull off an overtake on a whim, the gearbox is there to help. The eight-speed ZF automatic, also shared with the bigger Bimmers, works brilliantly in the 1-series. With the ‘Driving Experience Control’ switch set in the default Comfort mode, the shifts are soft and seamless, and the gearbox is still decently quick to react to pedal inputs. In Eco Pro mode, the ’box can’t wait to upshift, and even if you’re cruising at 60-70kph, that’s good enough for eighth gear

Put it in Sport or Sport+, however, and you’d better have a clear stretch of road, because the engine responses quicken and the transmission just darts through the gears. Keep your foot in, and it won’t shift up until its 4,800rpm redline. Overall, the power delivery gets in its stride at about 1,500rpm, and builds strongly till about 4,000rpm. The 118d hits 100kph in 9.02sec, just 0.4sec after the V40 and much ahead of the diesel A-class.

The petrol is a 1,598cc, direct-injection, turbocharged motor that makes a healthy 134bhp and 24.47kgm of torque on overboost. Like the diesel, it is only available with the ZF automatic and that’s a good thing. Unlike the earlier, naturally aspirated BMW petrols that loved to be revved but had weak mid-ranges, this turbo-petrol has a meaty and wide torque curve. The ZF ’box masks whatever minimal turbo lag there is and the engine will spin happily to 6,500rpm, accompanied by a nice exhaust snarl and a muted turbo whistle.

It’s quite an enthusiastic motor overall, and though it won’t set pulses racing like Skoda’s 1.8 TSI, its broad powerband makes it effortless to drive. It’s no slouch, with a reasonably quick 8.8sec 0-100kph time and a top speed of 210kph.

New BMW i8 review, test drive

ust a handful of hard laps on the flowing road course at the Miramas circuit in the south of France in a BMW i8 is enough to tell you what an incredibly unique sportscar this. Unique, not because it’s an advanced hybrid or because it’s made from carbon fibre, but simply because of the way it drives – it feels superglued to the road like no other sportscar I have driven. And it’s all down to weight distribution. Forget the 50:50 balance, which is a given in any BMW – what gives the i8 its inimitable dynamics is that the weight is all concentrated within the wheelbase and skewed right down the floor of the carbon-fibre body shell.
Like with most hybrids (and especially EVs), the biggest enemy is weight, thanks to the hefty battery pack and electric motor. To offset the weight of the hybrid powertrain, BMW has used a lightweight carbon structure for the body and aluminium for the sub-frames, resulting in a kerb weight that, according to BMW, is less than 1,490kg. By supercar standards the i8 is still no featherweight, but it’s the way BMW has juggled the weight – using ultra-lightweight bits in the top of the car whilst keeping the heavy bits low down – that has given this sports coupé its incredibly low centre of gravity.
The 94kg battery pack, for example, sits inches off the floor in a protective housing and is carefully placed to get the best front-rear balance. The compact 228bhp, 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine in the BMW i18 sits just ahead of the rear wheels, whilst the 96kw (129bhp) electric motor sits just behind the front axle, again for the best weight distribution. BMW has saved the carbon-fibre bits for areas like the roof and body panels to avoid raising the centre of gravity.

The i8 from BMW looks like a sportscar for the future. The stretched kidney grille makes sure that you don’t mistake this low-slung coupé for anything other than a BMW, but it’s at the rear where things get interesting, with the sharply cut haunches and flying buttresses creating a layered effect. Also very sci-fi are the butterfly doors that swing open to reveal the cabin. The familiar iDrive controller and gear selector are present and the interiors look futuristic. The i8 is the first production car to use high-tech Gorilla Glass – the kind that’s used on cell phones – on the rear screen for sound insulation. This thin piece of glass (to save weight) is scratch resistant and incredibly tough.
Starting the stunning-looking BMW i8 is a bit of an anticlimax, because it doesn’t fire up like a conventional sportscar. Press the Start button and there’s no whirring starter motor, but instead a soft chime to tell you that you’re ready to go.
BMW’s familiar driving modes are carried over, and the default setting is Comfort – the middle of three hybrid settings. With the battery sufficiently topped up, you can pull away under electric power alone, the compact motor driving the front wheels. Press the throttle a touch more and the petrol engine behind you immediately kicks in and the result is a combined 357bhp driving all four wheels.

The way the three-cylinder engine revs is pretty smooth but not entirely seamless. There are some noticeable jerks when drive to the rear wheels is engaged, but BMW’s engineers say they will certainly iron those out before launch. 

 

In Sport mode, the 1.5 motor doesn’t disengage, and what you get is max performance along with sharper steering and throttle response. Acceleration is fantastic and you can easily believe the 0-100kph claim of 4.5 seconds. But it’s the utterly seamless way the i8 rockets forward that is quite fascinating. There is no lag at all, and with the electric motor delivering max torque instantly, you can feel a strong and linear tug. The accompanying sound, unfortunately, isn’t too exciting and, whilst the thrummy three-cylinder engine has been made to sound sporty, there’s a fair bit of whine from the electric motor. 

 

 

The BMW i8’s handling is what simply blows you away. With a low polar moment of inertia (thanks to all the weight being concentrated in the middle of the car) it feels incredibly agile and changes direction faster than a confused mamba. The electro-mechanical steering is remarkably direct and the overall balance is completely neutral. Upping the pace and pushing hard into corners, the i8 felt like it was on rails and, near the limit, there’s just a hint of understeer. The fact that there’s hardly any body roll through corners has allowed BMW to get away with using skinny 215/45 tyres in front, because the i8’s flat poise ensures a wide contact patch. The i8 rides on extremely lightweight 20-inch aluminium wheels that have been designed for aerodynamic efficiency.  

 

BMW is on to something big with the i8. It’s intriguing and completely unconventional, which is a huge part of its appeal. And let’s not forget the i8’s green credentials, for which BMW has invested in cutting-edge tech. The proof of the pudding will be the 40kpl figure the i8 is expected to give in the European driving cycle. 

 

However, genuine enthusiasts will be blown away by the way it handles, which makes it utterly addictive to drive. At its heart, the i8 is a BMW, but this one could make even Sunita Narain smile when it comes to India in mid-2014.    

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Fact File

Price Range (in lakhs)*

Ex-showroom price

Rs 1.2 crore (est, ex-showroom)

Engine

Installation	Mid, transverse, RWD (petrol engine); front transverse,FWD (electric motor)
Type	3 cyls, 1499cc , turbo petrol, with electric motor and power generator
Power	357bhp (combined)
Torque	58.06kgm (combined

Transmission

Gearbox

6-speed auto (petrol engine) 2-speed auto (electric motor)

Dimensions

Length	4689mm
Width	1942mm
Height	1293mm
Wheel base	2800mm

Chassis & Body

Weight

1490kg (estimated)

Suspension

Front	Independent double wishbones, coil springs, anti-roll bar
Rear	independent, multi link, coil springs, anti-roll bar

Brakes

Front	Ventilated discs
Rear	Ventilated discs

Performance

0-100

4.5 secs (claimed)

Economy

Tank size

42 litres

JA Motorsport Inde 2.0 review, test drive

n the flesh, the JA Motorsport Inde 2.0 looks a touch unimpressive. Yes, it is as low slung as a squashed bug and slippery looking too, but it looks a bit too tiny to be seriously quick. The wheels, for example, measure a dinky 13 inches. They just don’t look like they can generate serious amounts of grip. Then, although the shape is similar to a Le Mans car, the sub-four-metre length makes it look scaled down, and the engine capacity isn’t too impressive either – it only has a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine. How quick could it possibly be? Could the Inde 2.0 really blow past something like a 518bhp Audi R8 V10?

As it happens, I’m about to find out; very quickly. Narain Karthikeyan, already strapped into the driver’s seat, gestures that I get in next to him. This should be fun. I place my right foot on the seat and lower myself into the nest that is the tubular chassis of the car. Safety harness locked, helmet on, we are ready to go. Herr Karthikeyan is already nicely warmed up. He’s done a couple of really hard laps in the car and is pretty impressed. He’s also got a lot of pent-up energy; we’ve just made him do three slow laps behind a camera car and he isn’t happy.
He’s hard on the gas even before we’re properly out of the pit lane, and my head is suddenly tossed back. I look across and there’s an evil grin on his face. Acceleration is strong, much stronger than I’d expected, but it isn’t brutal. And the snarl from the barely silenced exhaust is more rally car than track racer.


What comes as a bit of a shock, however, is just how hard the suspension is. It’s so rigid, I can literally feel the Inde thudding over every pebble and every patch of gravel on the less than perfectly paved pit exit. And the thuds are so hard and unyielding it feels like there’s no suspension at all. No springs, no dampers and no give; just nothing.

The pit lane exit is a tight right-hander, but Narain’s right foot stays pinned as his fingers flick up the ’box. Now we’re fast approaching C2, a 90-degree right. We sail past the normal braking point, still hard on the gas, still accelerating. The speed is colossal, the kerbs come rushing at us and it seems there’s just no way we can make the corner. But the car just grips, and after a slight lift, a dab on the brakes and a flick of opposite lock, we sail nonchalantly past what looked like a certain trip into the gravel trap. One thing’s for sure, in a normal road car, we’d be picking foliage out of our ears now. The lateral grip is just mind numbingly insane.
Narain’s already hard on the gas again, even before my brain has had time to process what’s just happened. The next few corners pass in a blur as I struggle to come to terms with the high g forces this little car is throwing up. It just sticks, sticks and sticks. But Narain is going so hard that it’s beginning to slide around now, India’s fastest driver wrestling the wheel like he’s grappling with a gator. This car feels like it is regularly making twice as many gs as the supercar we’d only recently been driving on this very same track. It isn’t really difficult to come to this conclusion. All you have to do is pay attention to your stomach. In this car, you can feel your innards getting squished from side to side as the car rides from apex to apex.


A hard left follows a high-speed left-right combination, but all I’m doing is hanging on, trying to prevent myself from falling over Narain. And that’s with my right hand grasping onto a chassis tube on the left of the car, my forearm held across my chest like I’m holding a shield.
The track-biased gearing of the car also makes it feel quicker the faster it goes. At higher speeds, the more tightly stacked gears multiply the power of the car with greater effectiveness. So, while it isn’t really quick from a dead stop, it can still hit 120kph in just 6.5 seconds. We hit around 180kph on both back straights, which is really quick and not too far off from the top speed of the mid-engined R8 V10, which hits around 190kph in the same places.
What the Inde lacks in straight-line speed it makes up in other areas. Every time Narain hits the brakes hard, I’m lifted off the seat slightly and can feel the straps digging into my shoulders as the car decelerates. And Narain is going even harder now, attacking corners with an almost demonic abandon. This is a proper track car, and watching Narain on full attack feels like I’m perched on his shoulder during one of his single-seater races. What an experience!

So, what is it that makes this car so quick? Think of it as a two-seat Formula 3 car and you’ll understand it better. Of course, it isn’t really the same thing. There’s no carbon-fibre monocoque chassis like in a single-seater – this car uses a tubular chassis, and with the Inde 2.0, there’s the added weight of the second passenger too. But otherwise, it is as track car as it gets. The rear half, in fact, is all but identical to an F3 car. The engine, gearbox, transaxle and even rear wing are pure single-seater. Take a look. The different bits start forward of the big roll bar. There’s that heavy roll cage, an FIA-spec crash box and a modified suspension system. JA Motorsport used thicker-diameter springs, thicker wishbones and larger AP brakes due to the extra weight of this car. A Dallara F2000 car, which JA Motorsport also produces, weighs 520kg. This car weighs in at around 595kg, and has the added weight of two passengers. Other interesting bits on the car include bag-type fuel tanks for greater safety, and aerodynamics that channel air past the nose cone, through the radiators and out the splitter at the rear. J Anand says the shovel-type nose should be delivering plenty of downforce; they don’t exactly know how much as the car hasn’t been in a wind tunnel yet. MRF slick tyres, an essential bit of kit, round off the package.  

JA Motorsport’s Inde 2.0 isn’t fully ready; it’s still a bit of a work in progress. Yet it managed to pip MRF’s F1600 single-seater around Irungattukottai with a time of 1:43.3 seconds. That was with no setup and no practice. Narain just got in, did three laps and got out. He reckons the car, once properly set up, is capable of a 1:39, which is bloody quick, even for a single seater. What this Rs 48 lakh car will be like to drive for one of us mortals is anybody’s guess. One thing’s for sure, this one should go straight on your bucket list.

• Multi page

Fact File

Price Range (in lakhs)*

Ex-showroom price

Rs 48 lakh (ex-factory)

Engine

Type	RenaultSport 2.0-litre, 4 cyls, dry-sump lubrication
Power	210bhp

Transmission

Gearbox

Hewland 6-speed sequential

Dimensions

Length	3800mm
Width	1490mm
Height	1117mm
Wheel base	2530mm

Chassis & Body

Tyres

200/R13 (f), 240/R13 (r)

Brakes

Front	AP Racing Brakes with brake-bias
Rear	AP Racing Brakes with brake-bias

Performance

0-20	1.16sec
0-40	1.85sec
0-60	2.95sec
0-80	4.03sec
0-100	4.96sec
0-120	6.56sec

2013 BMW i3 electric review

We tend to think of electric cars as highly utilitarian and basic, and this isn't wrong. Only used as golf carts or milk carts, electric cars have for years been ultra basic. And so too has been the way they drive.  BMW, however, has taken it upon itself to launch a compact city car with all the virtues of a 'driver’s car'. Its objectives are clear. The car should be stylish, well crafted, fun-to-drive and clean. 

It looks stunning to begin with; BMW’s new language of curved panel-like surfaces and multiple layers work wonders. It looks edgy, modern and stays away from being whacky; which is a lot. And it isn't long either, at 3999mm.

You step into a slightly alien environment, a blend of techy modern shapes and unfamiliar controls. There's a modern BMW steering wheel and familiar i-drive and HVAC controls, but there are no instruments up front, just a screen. And you select drive modes via a rotary dial-like stalk near the steering. Accommodation up front is excellent, with the i3 imparting an airy and upbeat ambience. The rear suicide doors allow you easy access, and space is decent here too. The seats are very comfortable and the pillar-less rear section gives you a good view outside.

Under the floor sits a 230kg battery pack. The BMW i3 uses a very expensive combination of aluminium, carbonfibre and steel construction for the chassis. But this means it weighs just 1195kg, offsetting the heavy batteries. By comparison, the Nissan Leaf hits the scales at 1525kg. Further weight-saving measures are evident throughout; the outer body is a combination of thermoplastic panels, the windows use thinner glass than you find in more traditional BMW models and interior trim is especially light too.

The advanced carbon monocoque shell also helps endow it with what BMW describes as class leading rigidity. This inherent structural strength has, in fact, allowed designers to do away with traditional B-pillars. Drive is sent to the rear wheels with the choice of three modes: Comfort, Eco Pro and Eco Pro +.

The electric motor puts out the equivalent of 168bhp, and that and the electric motor's instant torque mean the car takes off the moment you brush the throttle. In fact, performance is good enough to out-sprint many hot hatches with 0-100kph taking 7.2sec. The sporting performance is complemented by a light but direct steering. In combination with a low centre of gravity, this allows the i3 to dart in and out of corners. There's no doubt, this new BMW is extraordinarily agile and fun to drive.  



There is a bit of roll at the back but the tall, narrow tyres provide relatively strong adhesion. Still, with so much performance on hand it doesn’t take much to get the traction and stability control systems working. One thing you have to get used to however is the dramatic driveline braking. Strong regenerative braking starts the moment you step off the throttle, and this takes a bit of getting used to, because you can't cruise comfortably with a light foot on the throttle. And like a lot of BMWs, ride is a bit thumpy too. The bigger issues however are the limited range, around 130km in the real world (there is a range extender R EX version with a two cylinder BMW bike engine on the cards as well) and the fact that it will cost as much as a 3-series. It will also take six to eight hours to charge it on a regular low voltage mains socket. 



BMW has made a real fun-to-drive electric car, there is no doubt; mission accomplished. However, It is unlikely that the unique i3 will make it to the Indian market. It's too expensive for its size and there are no real sops for electric cars in our market. And that's a shame, because it's quite a brilliant little car; and a real BMW on top of it

Fact File

Engine

Installation	Rear, transverse
Type	Synchronous electric motor
Power	168bhp
Torque	23.22kgm

Transmission

Gearbox

Automatic, fixed ratio

Dimensions

Length	3999mm
Width	1775mm
Height	1578mm
Wheel base	2570mm

Chassis & Body

Weight	1195kg
Tyres	155/70 R19 (f), 155/70 R19 (r)

Performance

0-100

7.2 seconds

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Triumph Bonneville review

When Triumph rose from its ashes 21 years ago, the last thing its brand-new owner John Bloor wanted to be associated with was a standing air-cooled twin. It was not until ten years later when Triumph had convincingly made clear that English motorcycles were no longer synonymous with unreliability and oil stains on the sidewalk that it dared to introduce a contemporary version of the legendary Triumph Bonneville. Still, there was no guarantee for success by any means. Now this important bike, ranked amongst the most iconic models in motorcycling history, is about to be introduced to the Indian market. If you were to take a vote for the most famous motorcycle name ever, you could count on Triumph’s Bonneville to be a strong contender. The original Bonneville made its first appearance back in 1959 when it was introduced at the Earls Court Motorshow. True to form, the most classic of all Triumphs derives its name from the salt plains at Bonneville in the American state of Utah.   

 

In no time, the 650cc parallel twin, with its 46bhp output and four-speed gearbox, became hugely popular, and rightly so. Today, one out of two Triumphs sold worldwide is a Bonneville or one of its derivatives (T100, SE, Thruxton or Scrambler).

 

Since its magnificent comeback in 2000, the ‘new Bonneville’ has evolved drastically. Right from the start, Triumph had injected the inspired vintage look with modern technology, but in 2005 capacity went up from 790cc to 865cc and the power output increased to 67bhp from 61. The Bonneville features four valves per cylinder, these operated by a double overhead camshaft, in turn driven by a belt. The air-cooled twin develops 6.93kgm of torque at 5800rpm. Admittedly, it’s impossible to compare the Bonneville to current sportsbikes,  but you can spot some remains of its racing personality from back in the day. The Triumph likes to rev, not inviting you to redline all the time, but the engine has been tuned for an active riding style. Ask your dad and you will learn how standing twins carried an unenviable reputation for vibrations. Those times are thankfully gone. The Bonnie runs remarkably smoothly with virtually no vibrations.

Unfortunately, this refined engine isn’t coupled to the gearbox it deserves, with shifting down not feeling without glitches and neutral proving a bit tough to find at times. Sitting on the Triumph is an interesting experience. Compared to the very low seat the Bonneville had earlier, the 790mm seat is a bit higher, but still more than okay for shorter people. Typically, the Bonnie encourages the feeling of sitting ‘inside’ the motorcycle. The Triumph tips the scales at 225kg of kerb weight. The low centre of gravity, 1490mm wheelbase and 17-inch wheels work beautifully together to ensure great handling. Pointing the Triumph in the right direction is no sweat; quite the contrary in fact, because the Bonneville corners effortlessly, behaving very neutral and heading flawlessly into whichever direction you have in mind. Last-minute corrections when your head is slightly off-course are a piece of cake. The Triumph always feels secure, both in fast and slow situations, and we also like its handlebar position.

 

The suspension of the Bonneville is quite firm and sporty. Quite simply, Triumph’s retro naked motorcycle inspires confidence and remains tight even on very twisty and challenging roads. On bad roads, as are so common in India, you pay the price for excellent handling, which is reduced comfort. Also Bonneville-typical, there’s no need to fiddle around to get better performance out of the bike like Joe Bar and his counterparts needed to in the Sixties or Seventies. Yes, the British bestseller looks a classic, but under its skin it’s pretty sophisticated. One can imagine how riders used to curse their spongy brakes in the era of the original Bonneville. Anno 2013, the Bonneville now has plenty of stopping power thanks to a 310mm front disc with Nissin twin-piston-caliper brakes. At the rear, the Triumph is equipped with a capable 225mm rear disc, with dual-piston caliper.

Thanks to electronic fuel injection, the Triumph is also up to date when it comes to fuel economy; during our test we averaged 18.9kpl. In reality, this gives the Bonneville a usable range of over 250km. Although you’ll find much better rivals if you want pure performance, our test would remain incomplete without a thorough speed check. The Bonnie behaves terrific up to 190kph, but that’s also where the story ends, because it doesn’t have a lot more to give beyond that. Ideal cruising speeds of up to 130-135kph are a given. Cruising and commuting comfortably with a Bonneville is also doable. The metal tank offers the possibility to attach a tank bag, and Triumph offers a wide range of accessories to customize your bike with. 

 

Whether the Bonnie is really made for you or not depends a lot on your taste and your individual riding style. In any case, count on the Triumph Bonneville to give you the pure and essential flavour of motorcycling. So even if the vintage theme goes only skin deep, the new Bonneville will evoke sensations that make it every inch a true classic for India, all while maintaining a very attractive price point. The Bonneville launches in India Nov 28, at an expected price point of around Rs 6 lakh, and its Thruxton variant is also tipped to be India bound, a sporty Bonnie, with exciting café racer styling

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New Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R review

Kawasaki has been building its portfolio in India since 2009, when it started out with the Ninja 250R. Today, Kawasaki has the Ninja 300, 650, ZX-10R and ZX-14R on sale in the country. The ZX-10R is a track-focussed motorcycle equipped with all the bells and whistles you could ask for when riding at the race track; a serious rider’s motorcycle. The ZX-10R was last updated in 2011, when it received cosmetic, engine, frame, suspension and brake upgrades.

The ZX-10R holds a commanding presence; its razor sharp nose sporting dual eagle-eyed headlights on either side of Kawasaki’s ram-air system duct. The all-digital instruments under the bike visor show the rider speed, a tachometer, an odometer, trip meters, time, riding mode and gear engaged. The bike's bulbous, two-tone fuel-tank uses a hinged fuel-filler cap and flows back into a two-piece seat that accommodates the rider and pillion. The 10R shows-off a two-tone, sharply chiselled fairing, with racy decals. At the rear, the ZX-10R get an LED tail-light, with smartly integrated and clear lens turn indicators. This Ninja rides on black, three-spoke alloy wheels and there’s an exposed drive chain as typical on a sportsbike like this.

Kawasaki’s ZX-10R houses a 998cc, four-stroke, in-line, four-cylinder and liquid-cooled engine which comes thoroughly prepped for race track duty. The fuel-injected engine generates a whopping maximum power of 209.9bhp at 13000rpm, while peak torque made is 11.42kgm at 11500rpm. Kawasaki’s ram-air system helps achieve such healthy output. The ZX-10R’s engine ran smooth and vibe free throughout our ride, and Kawasaki is offering various riding modes, that help tame this much power. The 10R comes with full, medium and low power modes, three levels of traction and wheelie control, plus ABS. The litre class powerplant is allied to a six-speed gearbox, shifted in a one-down, five-up pattern via a sporty toe-shift lever. The close ratio gearbox comes backed by a slipper clutch, allowing for more aggressive downshifting when riding really hard. Acceleration is as expected, fearsome and calling for an experienced pair of hands to handle safely.

The Ninja ZX-10R is held together with a twin spar alloy frame with fully adjustable, inverted telescopic fork suspension and horizontally mounted gas-charged monoshock at the rear, bolted onto an alloy swingarm. The ZX-10R seats its rider with a pronounced lean into the handlebars, arms outstretched to the handlebars, as is typical on a track focused motorcycle. The ZX-10R uses wide and grippy front (120/70) and rear (190/55) tyres, fitted to 17-inch alloy wheels. Handling is lightning sharp, and with quick turn in, the motorcycle steering exactly as asked of it. The ZX-10R corners on rails, and comes with serious stopping power, with twin 310mm petal discs up-front and a single 220mm petal disc at rear, both offering ABS.

The Kawasaki ZX-10R comes into India via the CBU route, which makes this an expensive motorcycle, at Rs 15.7 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune). This, along with the Ninja ZX-14R are only available in Pune as of today. Detailed ride report coming up soon. 

Fact File

Price Range (in lakhs)*

Ex-showroom price

Rs 15.7 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune)

Engine

Type	998cc, Inline four-cylinder, liquid-cooled, four-stroke
Power	209.9bhp at 13000rpm
Torque	11.42kgm at 11500rpm

Transmission

Type	6-speed, 1-down and 5-up

Dimensions

Length	2075mm
Width	715mm
Height	1115mm
Wheel base	1425mm

Chassis & Body

Weight	201 kg
Wheels	3-spoke alloy
Tyres	120/70 x 17
Spare	190/55 x 17

Suspension

Front	USD forks
Rear	USD forks

Brakes

Front	310mm petal discs (ABS)
Rear	220mm petal disc (ABS)

Economy

Tank size

17litres read more