Motoring World - August 2024

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What is Freedom?
For those who love anything with wheels attached to engines, it’s that moment when you’re behind the wheel (or the handlebar), you floor the accelerator, and suddenly a weight lifts off your shoulders, your responsibilities become a distant sight in the rear-view mirror as you keep barreling down the road, while the machine sings its exquisite melody.
Of course, this is just one example, and there are various definitions of freedom. For example, Samir Kakkad — a differently-abled person who pushed past every physical and mental boundary to drive from Ahmedabad to London; that’s liberation. Yogi Chhabria, the man who restores two-wheelers and turns them into works of art; that’s freedom of expression.
We’ve celebrated freedom in our own unique ways, too; Pablo took off to Italy and blazed through the countryside in the Lamborghini Revuelto, and later also checked out numerous Skoda exotics in the Czech Republic. Kartik got to experience Royal Enfield’s next Sherpa-engined step in Spain with the Guerrilla 450, while Manaal and Keshav decided to embrace the #wanderlust feeling by heading off on an adventure on their own, also on Royal Enfields. Heading to a tank museum in Ahmednagar in the Jeep Wrangler was Kurt’s idea of celebrating freedom, but that didn’t stop him from ‘breaking free’ with the Maruti Suzuki Jimny either.
In our regulars, we’ve checked out the new long-wheelbase BMW 5 Series, the Nissan X-Trail, the smallest EV from Mercedes-Benz yet, and the Kia Sonet X Line. On the other hand, we also got to experience both sides of sustainable mobility on two-wheels, quite literally; from natural gas to battery-electric.
Overall, the definition of freedom basically is whatever you make of it. So go ahead and break free, even if it means the end of something, because it’s leading to the start of something new. Here’s to the open road and the endless opportunities it brings!