March 01, 2025

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The confluence of life

Over the years, Hyundai's Great India Drive has been an opportunity to explore the immense beauty our country has to offer. It's been an unprecedented effort to showcase the unseen and uncharted corners of India, in all its fantastical glory. This time around, our journey began in the great state of Gujarat. The epic voyage kicked off with a short drive from the Ahmedabad airport to a location just outside of Little Rann of Kutch. After an overnight stop with a gala dinner and celebration of eight editions of the Great India Drive, it was time for an early start to one of the naturally occurring gems. The flag-off ceremony began with the top brass of Hyundai Motor India, waving the brand's flag high, and then eventual entry into the Little Rann of Kutch. After driving in a convoy for about an hour or so, we entered the fabled land, which is a sight to behold, thanks to its unique topography. As far as the eye could see, the saline desert dominated the wide expanse, with the horizon constantly reminding us just how easy it is to get our bearings wrong. Nevertheless, the convoy stuck together, with occasional stops for refreshments and of course, picture opportunities, which were ample. It was a treat to witness the varied lineup of Hyundai SUVs, strutting their stuff in this

The everyday corner carver

Aprilia is synonymous with sporty and fun-to-ride two-wheelers, es- pecially motorcycles. Their range is more or less divided into three forms which include the Touareg, which is the adventure tourer, the RS, which is the fully faired sports bike and then there is the Tuono which is the street naked. Aprilia launched the RS 457 last year and now close on the heels is the Tuono 457. So is this the street naked which is a worthy challenger to the throne dominated by the KTM Duke 390? Let's find outThe Touno 457 being a street naked does away with the fairing seen on the RS. The front end is dominated by the Triple FullLED headlight which comes complete with LED DRLs. Right below sits a small spoiler which not only adds to the look but also works as an aero aid. Overall, there is a very `insecty' look to the bike and we love it. The fat forks house a small front mudguard which leaves the well-designed alloy wheel exposed. In profile, one can see the large tank shrouds which add muscle to the design. The tank has been redesigned as compared to the RS and has lost out just a couple of hundred millilitres in capacity which now stands at 12.7 litres. The exposed aluminium frame in between not only adds to the looks but also is extremely lightweight and helps cap the overall weight of the motorcycle to just 175kg wet. The tail section is rather compact with the LED tail light taking centre stage. Overall, the Tuono 457 sure looks rather inviting and at the same time, quality is top-notchOne of the major differentiating factors between the Tuono and RS 457 is the riding position. The Tuono 457 is endowed with a repositioned and wider handlebar which makes the rider's triangle less aggressive. The footpegs though have not been moved and as a result, it is more of a middle ground between sport and comfort position. Manoeuvrability is also not a problem as the wide handlebars offer ample leverage. The seat height of 800mm is also extremely comfortable for those who are not too tallWhen it comes to the features, the Tuono 457 comes properly loaded. It gets a 5-in TFT display which beams all relevant information to the rider. The switchgear also