Winners all!

...and the Bike Of The Year is

It's been a dreadfully slow, deadpan year. Motorcyclists who were waiting with baited breath for new launches have had to either resign themselves to asphyxiation or mark 2005 off their calendars as a zero year. While the motorcycle business boomed in commercial terms, we saw consolidation of existing models and the launch of a series of cosmetic variants. The only people who were excited by this year's motorcycle crop were the chaps who deal in stickers.

However, when we sat down to shortlist the contenders for this year's awards, we realised two things. First, we could not select a Business Standard Motoring Scooter Of The Year 2006, because there were no contenders.

The Bajaj Wave was the only launch "� plus the delay of the Hero Honda Pleasure "� and we did not think it moved the game on significantly. We were expecting the Bike Of The Year Award to go the same way, when towards the end of the year, we tested the Bajaj Avenger, Hero Honda Achiever and the TVS Apache in staccato succession.

All the three products are based on previous models to some extent, but feature significant engineering work to create what amounts to almost-new products. The Avenger still wears the clothes of the Kawasaki Bajaj Eliminator, but sports a lightly modified chassis and a re-tuned version of the Bajaj Pulsar 180 DTSi motor.

The resulting motorcycle is an eye-opener. It features the Eliminator's sorted handling package, loses out on ride quality (to be expected from the cruiser format) but returns excellent fuel economy, thrilling performance and a price tag that's hard to match.

On the other hand, the Achiever is an excellent re-interpretation of the Honda Unicorn. The first sample of the Honda-Hero Honda combined R&D turns out to be very tasty indeed. The Achiever is even smoother to ride than out outgoing BOTY winner, the Unicorn.

Hero Honda chose to return to the tried and tested twin-shock format and that's helped the Achiever too. The ride quality is excellent and fits right into a supremely refined and capable motorcycle. The Honda-sourced 150cc motor is without peer in terms of refinement, and the Achiever takes that characteristic a step forward with its excellent comfort, handling and class-par price tag.

Like the Avenger's ride quality, it was the styling package, a heavy handed rehash of the Ambition's body panels that lost the Achiever points in the evaluation, and ultimately allowed it only to take second place in the points tally.

The TVS Apache is the successor to the Fiero F2 and FX, but only in a chronological sense. In ever other way, the Apache is leaps and bounds ahead. TVS based the motor on the old F2's unit, but stretched it taut and created a motor that's fast, entertaining and still frugal enough to be widely acceptable to 150cc buyers.

Further, they created an all-new chassis to create what is easily one of India's best corner carvers and added in their usual engineering excellence to leave the BSM jury looking for an excuse to take points away from it. So thorough was the Apache, that even the usual TVS Achilles' heel "� styling "� left us falling over each other with compliments.

Even naysayers who thought it looked like the current market leader in the photographs fell silent when they first cast eyes on it. Ladies and gentlemen, the Business Standard Motoring Bike Of The Year 2006 is the superb new TVS Apache. Congratulations, TVS!

Business Standard Motoring Executive Car Of The Year 2006   Challenging Honda and Toyota in their very own game is what Hyundai did with the newest Sonata. And they have done considerably well too. The new Sonata Embera manages to match the established Japanese players when it comes to fit and finish and overall build quality. No efforts were spared to ensure that only quality bits went into the car. A seemingly bulletproof powertrain settles most of the performance issues too.   As an automotive design, there will be a few who say that Hyundai aped Audis of early 2000s with the new Sonata  but we don't think there is anything wrong with getting inspired by Ingolstadt. But what got the vote of the jury is the ability of the new Sonata to waft huge distances without tiring out the driver and the passengers  something only good executive cars manage. The Business Standard Motoring Executive Car Of The Year 2006  the Hyundai Sonata Embera.   Business Standard Motoring MPV Of The Year 2006   Do know this before you read on. The Toyota Innova could have easily won the Car Of The Year 2006 title. It scored better than the Ford Fiesta and Maruti Suzuki Swift in the performance parameters and followed it up with an impressive show in the subjective rankings and features rankings  in short, the only area where the big Toyota failed to impress is on the price front (the diesel version top-scored on the fuel efficiency stakes) and that too, thanks to our strict benchmarks which favour affordable cars.   The Innova diesel engine scored maximum points in our evaluation and the jury found it extremely driveable and its cabin ergonomically correct. Seriously, the Innova is the best thing that could have happened to the people-mover segment in India. It is well built, well finished, has built-in safety features, rides well on our roads... phew!   While the diesel scored handsomely on the fuel efficiency count, the petrol version chipped in with performance numbers. If we had moved our price benchmark a notch above from where it is now (Rs 5 lakh), the Innova would have won overall honours. The Business Standard Motoring MPV Of The Year 2006  the Toyota Innova.   Business Standard Motoring Jury Award 2006   The Indian launch was a global debut for the Ford Fiesta. When Bill Ford himself landed in the country to introduce the car to the world, it was quite clear that Ford India was very, very serious about their new model. Which meant they would leave nothing to chance.   That's why the Fiesta comes with three engine options to cater to three diverse segments. Its play-safe appearance was designed to appeal across demographics and psychographics. And its value-for-money price tag was arrived at to appeal to us value-seeking Indians.   Though the Swift and the Innova were too strong for the Fiesta to make a serious challenge for the COTY Award, there's no doubting that Ford's no-holds-barred strategy for the Fiesta will make it a marketing success in the country.   Besides, you cannot deny the strong points of the Fiesta: a hot, 100 bhp fun-to-drive version, two frugal petrol and diesel engines and exemplary ride quality  perhaps the best in its segment today. It was therefore not difficult for the BSM jury to give away their special award to this deserving car. The Business Standard Motoring Jury Award 2006  the Ford Fiesta.

Business Standard Motoring Import Car Of The Year 2006

The mighty Audi A6 was the first car to win an award this time even before the final evaluation drive began! The jury comprising BSM testers who drive cars on a day-to-day basis was of the unanimous opinion that the A6 wins the Business Standard Motoring Import Car Of The Year 2006 Award.

It beats the brilliant yet too-sporty-for-most-Indians Porsche Boxster S and the magnificent yet too-pricey-for-even-the-rich Bentley Flying Spur to the crown.

The Hyundai Tucson was also an import all right, but the jury thought the Korean 4x4 was not special enough to win the crown. Though the Import COTY was decided, we didn't mind taking one along for the final evaluation drive just for the sake of driving the World Car Of The Year 2005 all over again.

The A6 is certainly one of the best engineered cars ever, and it marries comfort, safety, technology and sterling performance in a beautiful envelope and hence it wins the Business Standard Motoring Import Car Of The Year 2006 title.

 

CAR OF THE YEAR METHODOLOGY

The eligible candidates were rated on 22 automotive-testing parameters classified across five categories: Performance, Subjective, Features, Fuel Efficiency and Price. Each parameter was weighted as per its importance and a total of 500 points was divided into these categories, based on their relative utility.

Accordingly, four Performance parameters were weighted at 25 points each 100 points total. Ten Subjective utilities were allotted 15 points each  150 points total and five individual passenger-comfort features took 20 points each  100 points. Since Fuel Efficiency and Price are the most important factors governing automotive purchase in our country, they both receive heavy weightage at 25 and 125 points respectively.

The actual performance of each car tested was compared to a benchmark. The closer the car was to the benchmark, the more points it got. The standard for fuel efficiency was set at 12 kpl, and the price mark was Rs 5 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai. BSM's exclusive formula awarded maximum points for the price closest to the benchmark.

Test data and objective observation (Performance, Fuel Efficiency and Features) were accorded more importance  which is why they constitute 45 per cent of the total points, while Subjective parameters accounted for 30 per cent.

The price took the leftover 25 per cent of the total score. Points allotted to each contender based on this scheme decided the Business Standard Motoring Car Of The Year 2006.

BG Shirsat,
Business Standard Research Bureau