On The Right Track

We experienced the NATRAX testing facility with Skoda’s range of cars in India and here’s what we thought of it

- Afzal Rawuther

The speedo clocking over 200 kmph is what gets the likes on Instagram, but there is much more to NATRAX than just the silly highs. We spent some time with Škoda India's line-up of cars at the automotive testing grounds. This included three activities - pedal to the floor sprints on the high-speed test track with the Kodiaq and the Slavia, cornering on the tight handling track with the Slavia and the Kushaq and finally, an off-road trail drive in the Kodiaq.

An hour outside the city of Indore, NATRAX is a premier automotive testing facility in the country. It also happens to be the largest of its kind in Asia. Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) utilise the facilities for all manner of testing and development for new products before rolling them out. For the high-speed track (HST), these can include coast down, brake, and constant speed fuel consumption tests, speedometer calibration, noise and vibration measurement, and mileage accumulation. Of course, OEMs also use the large 11.3km oval for top-speed and high-speed stability tests. And that's precisely where we headed after a short briefing session by the Czech automobile manufacturer's representatives.