October issue of OVERDRIVE hits stands

After our colossal 13th anniversary issue we were a ragged bunch. Tired and exhausted from the exhilaration. But as the wise men say, the show must go on. Alright, enough with the drama then. While last month we od-ed on our North East trip, this time around we decided to don our detective hats and get you some exclusive juicy bits. Topping the charts is the Hyundai Eon. We have driven the Alto challenger but more importantly we have an artist's impression - the closest that anyone has got. And we believe we have got it inch-perfect, down to those outrageous taillamps. Next on the menu is an exclusive picture of Mahindra's XUV 500 (five double O, as they like to call it) and some interesting information about it.

It has also been the month where Honda has woken up. The behemoth has been challenged and it has responded. It started with discounts to the City, then announced jaw-dropping price cuts for the Jazz, that's right the premium unattainable hatchback is now within reach, and then revealed its primary weapon - The Brio. This 'anime' hatchback is bound to be a game-changer, an affordable Honda for the masses? â€" that's almost an oxymoron. But it's here and is already causing quite a bit of excitement with its styling - that all-glass transparent boot is definitely a must-have. We know what you are thinking: Does this mean the Swift finally has a worthy challenger? So we pit Honda's newest baby versus Maruti Suzuki's cult vehicle. Wait a minute. Haven't the Jazz prices dropped too? Doesn't that mean it also becomes a Swift challenger? So we compared those two too. Yes, we can read minds...

Nissan too has decided to flex its muscles and the result is the Sunny, their candidate for the busy Indian C-segment. And it looks certain to carve inroads into the market. And while the Japanese are making their presence felt can the French be any far behind. Renault has launched its Toyota Fortuner challenger, the Koleos. The beast's appearance has been knocked down into a presentable form. Erm... it also has a Bose sound system. The devil is always in the details. Mercedes have also revamped their SLK350 (gets more aggressive) and the C250 CDI.

With petrol now almost more expensive than beer, the magic word in the automobile industry these days is diesel. Toyota have launched the diesel versions of the Etios and the Liva and declared war on that front. Volkswagen have also launched the new Jetta with only a diesel engine and that is bound to create some waves.

And then we have the mundane stuff. We decided to pit Yamaha's old warhorse RD 350 against the newbies - Ninja 250 and the Honda CBR 250 â€" in a quarter mile dash. Will the two-stroke devil still reign supreme? Now we are sure you have imagined a situation where you had to cross a minefield to rescue your girlfriend. How would you do it? We can read minds - presenting Mahindra's mine protection vehicle - the MPVi. And we also do the mother of all mileage runs. We attempt to get the Liva from Bangalore to Pune on a single tank of fuel.

If you want some easy reading we have the Range Rover Evoque, the SUV that puts you at ease on a red carpet and when the world comes crashing down. Need a car that you can take to the track and to office. The Deronda Type-F answers your prayers. In a blur.

And somewhere lurking in our pages is Bajaj Auto's revamped Boxer. It has a 150cc engine and can take your entire harvest to the market at one go. There's also the ATV from Polaris with a steering wheel and called the side-by-side!

Then there's India's historic date with Formula 1. The Indian Grand Prix is taking place on October 30th. What better than getting Karun Chandhok to give you a complete lowdown about it.

And this is just the preview. There's motorsports, opinions and much more inside. We sure had fun producing this issue and we hope you do too reading it. Be sure to let us know how you liked the issue on our Facebook page (

overdrive.in/facebook) or on twitter (@odmag). The issue is out now.

Click below for an e-preview

http://issuu.com/infomedia18/docs/od102011