Subscribe: July 2019 Issue

Our very special 250th issue hits stands right as the monsoons do, and we have an exclusive drive of Audi's flagship Q8 coupe-SUV, coming to India soon! The Q8 promises to better on what the Q7 already does so well, by offering great comfort and luxury, with an added dose of jaw-dropping good looks for good measure. We also drove its upcoming competition, the full-size Mercedes-Benz GLS in its latest generation, which promises to do one better and be the S-Class of SUVs!

Closer to home, you can find all the details on two brand new vehicles destined to shake up their respective segments – the Kia Seltos which brings the power of choice, and the Renault Triber, a compact 7-seater which blurs the rules of the segment even before arrival!

Our first drive section overflows with our impressions of the all-new connected cars, the MG Hector and Hyundai Venue, apart from the hardcore diesel automatic Jeep Compass Trailhawk and AMT-equipped Mahindra XUV300. Also in this issue, reviews of the soon-to-be-launched Hyundai Kona EV, and Skoda Karoq which should occupy roughly the same space when it gets launched in 2020, but offer conventional petrol/diesel powertrains. Rounding things off is a quick drive in Skoda's record-setting Kodiaq RS, in truly treacherous conditions.

As if there weren't enough SUVs in this issue already, we have a mega-comparo of the Hyundai Venue against all of its compact SUV rivals. Can the Venue better Maruti Suzuki's Vitara Brezza as a package? At the other end, we pit the new BMW X5 against the Audi Q7, to see which one does better. Of course, to find out, you'll have to read the story – and trust us, the verdicts will surprise.

Our two-wheelers section reaches a fever pitch, with a ride on the next-generation of Ducati's "most evil", the Diavel 1260 S. We also see India's small-capacity sportsbike segment take off with Suzuki's Gixxer 250 and 150, ridden at the Buddh International Circuit, while we take to the Madras Motor Racing Track astride the mildly updated TVS Apache RR 310. That's not all, either. We rode the new Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC down trails, and experienced the achingly beautiful tricolore MV Agusta F3 800 RC on one of our favourite stretches of twisties.

In our Motorsport section, we try and say goodbye to a man who already cheated death once, F1 great Niki Lauda. We also have a colourful recollection of the 1983 Monte Carlo Rally, with 250 on the grid, to commemorate OVERDRIVE's milestone! And, as usual, our list of regulars round up the magazine.