Aprilia finally seems to be taking us Indians seriously; just a few months ago, it gave us the RS 457 at an astonishing price tag, making certain rivals feel ‘blue’. Now, it’s set to shock the audience once more, finally bringing the classic Tuareg nameplate to India. Don’t get confused; the car has an ‘O’ in its name, and the bike is not German. Prices will range between Rs 18.85 lakh to Rs 19.16 lakh (ex-showroom).
According to the Aprilia India website, the Tuareg will be available in three different paint schemes; Atreides Black, Canyon Sand, and Dakar Podium. Powering it is the parallel-twin from the RS 660, but tuned for more torque at lower RPMs, putting out 78.9 bhp and 7.13 kgm of torque. The tubular steel frame is suspended on 43 mm forks and a monoshock, both with full adjustability and 240 mm of travel. It also gets an 18-litre fuel tank and a dry weight of 187 kg.
While globally the Tuareg offers kit such as a 5.0-inch TFT screen, four riding modes, cruise control, engine maps, engine braking, and traction control, it remains to be seen how much of these things will be offered here.
The Aprilia Tuareg will go against the Suzuki V-Strom 800DE, BMW F 850 GS, and the Honda XL750 Transalp. Given how it caused shockwaves with the pricing of the RS 457, can we expect something similar with the Tuareg 660? Highly unlikely, considering this will be a CBU.
