DC Avanti review, test drive

A QUESTION OF SPORT

The Avanti is powered by a 1998cc turbocharged engine developing 248bhp. The motor is an off-the-shelf, four-cylinder unit from a well-known French carmaker. Since DC is in the last stages of the engine deal for the Avanti, we’ve been forbidden from revealing the name just yet.But it’s not hard to guess what the brand is!. I thumb the nicely finished starter to get going, but surprisingly, there are no fire works from the exhaust, just a muted buzz from behind my ear. You only really hear the exhaust when you pull the two-litre turbocharged engine hard, but even then, it doesn’t sound like a sportscar. Production versions will have a louder, more sporty exhaust, DC says. The clutch is a bit heavy, but has good bite, and within the first 50 metres, you are impressed with the responsiveness of the engine. There isn’t too much turbo lag and the short gearing also helps in making a quick getaway off the line. What also helps responsiveness is the short, tightly stacked gearing of the six-speed gearbox. The engine isn’t very high-revving and has a conservative 6200rpm rev limit, but the shortage of revs doesn’t mean a shortage of performance. While the car we were testing had done a considerable 18,000-odd kilometres, we decided to run it against the clock all the same, just to see what it would do. It wasn’t easy launching it, with its big rear tyres and turbo, but we did manage to get it to 100kph in 7.75 seconds, which isn’t too bad. What blunts performance somewhat is the heavy 400-odd-kilogram space frame hassis of the car. Over-built to take on poor Indian roads and to play safe in general, DC, however, is likely to lighten it by around 100kg before the car is launched.

Also surprisingly good is the ride, especially considering this car uses 20-inch rims. The suspension soaks up even some of the bigger bumps on the mountain road and I’m surprised, because unlike other cars with a tyre profile like this one, I don’t need to slow right down for the really bad patches. Sure, the Avanti does get jiggly at times because of inherent stiffness in the chassis, but overall comfort levels are surprisingly good, all things considered. What I also found quite ample was ground clearance. Whereas sportscars and supercars normally hug the tarmac, the Avanti has a considerable 170mm between its underside and the road. So it sails over speed breakers and can even be driven over dirt roads that would otherwise beach a normal sportscar. What the Avanti likes in particular is dispatching corners. Yes, I have to push the Avanti hard for it to deliver a sporty drive, but once I’ve done that, I reach a point where I really start enjoying the car much more than I expect to. It feels nicely poised around corners and the flat attitude of the chassis goes a long way in allowing the fundamentally strong ‘physics’ of the mid engine setup to work well. The wide 295 rear tyres provide massive grip, the additional weight (approximately 100kg) over the rear wheels helps provide great traction and this allows the Avanti to accelerate hard out of the corners. There’s no sloppiness transitioning through corners and the weight transfer from side to side or fore and aft is minimal. Also nice is the fact that the brakes, despite needing a decent shove, work pretty well and provide ample stopping power. The conventional six-speed gearbox also has a wide gate and needs a firm and committed hand to swap cogs quickly. If there is one thing owners might miss, it is an automatic option with paddle shifters. This car’s electric power steering is yet to be resolved and changes need to be made to iron out the inconsistent feel. Still, there’s no shying away from the fact that DC’s Avanti really does have the potential to be a really good driver’s car.