Audi A3 Test Drive Review

Save the best for the last, that’s what the Audi believes in. Why do we say that because unlike Mercedes and BMW, they won’t in a hurry to launch the A Class and 1 Series rival here in India, The A3 in it’s Hatch back Form. What they have done is waited for the A3 Sedan version and brought that to India, because that some thing they believe is what Indian customer wanted. How good it is, let’s find out.

Well the A3 is really looks like a mini A4 Actually and it really looks very stylish and sophisticated from all angles. Well this is the advantage that the A3 has over the Mercedes A Class and BMW 1 Series. This Huge boot, well as you can see it’s a nice deep boot, there is little bit of a loading lip but I guess it will be quite ok to load your luggage in this. Again a great Idea when you really want to travel out of town with your family. Well now I am inside the A3 rear seats, and as you can see leg room is just about adequate, it’s nothing great. Well the seat them selves are very comfortable, they have got good cushioning and bull string which means when you step out of the cabin, you will be very refreshed and not tired at all after that long journey. You also get these nice air conditioning vents at the back but unfortunately this is really a two seater at back because this tall transmission tunnel means who ever sits in this middle seat will have a very difficult and uncomfortable time.

Well now we are inside the front seats of the Audi A3 and this is really a good place to be. Cabin quality is absolutely first rate. Well look at these nice circular ac vents which gives you a cockpit like feel, this car also gets an S-Tronic gear box and there is also a touch pad over here to feed in data and every thing really does work well and the quality is absolutely first rate. The instrumentation is brilliant and the gauges really do look sharp. Overall a great place to be and full marks to Audi on the interior trim and quality. Well there are lot of feel good factors that Audi have put in to this A3 and one of them is of course, is this pop up screen, it comes out from the middle of the dashboard every time you start the car, you can of course hide it as well by the touch of a button it you think it becoming irritating on that highway trip. But over all lot of feel good factors, great quality levels and you will enjoy spending time in the A3 when you are stuck in the city traffic or even when you are out on the highway.

So here we are inside driving the A3’s Diesel version now and I must say I am very impress with over all with the car, the 6 speed S-Tronic gear box is delight to use, the engine is supremely refined and its very quick. Its very responsive engine and it really does respond to throttle inputs in one go, its one of the best engine that the Audi family has. Well the car is very stable even when you do speeds of around 130 plus and it really does have that Audi characteristics about it. It’s very stable at high speed. Well the steering on the Audi A3 is very nice, its light enough in the city and once you on the highway, it really does behave nicely. Giving a good feedback and good drive inputs as well, and this car really does love to be push in to the corners because it’s very agile, the chassis is very agile and really is one of the most sportier car in the Audi line up. Well if you want to lay in the entry luxury car and you want to buy something different from that the Accord or the Camry, well then this is the car to go for, it really is a great product overall and we really count things of any negatives to talk about. Overall a great job done by Audi and really it has been worth a buy.

BMW X3 Exteriors And Interiors Review 2014

This is the new 2014 BMW X3 New Model which has been revealed for India today at an Ex Showroom price of around 45 Lakh Rupees. There are two variants of this car, the one you see here is the X3 2.0 d Diesel Variant. There are expeditions and ex line additions which are the two variants, both come with a 2 L Diesel engine from BMW. Under the hood of these BMW’s, you get a 190 BHP of power and around 400 NM of torque, which is a lot for a car of this size. It comes with twin turbo technology and has a top speed of around 210 KMPH. 8 speed automatic transmission and cruise control are standard over the new BMW X3. The new BMW X3 gets new front styling, new width, new grill design as well as head lamps which looks more sleek, stylish and more aggressive. It also gets electric sun roof. The door trim has been nicely finished, in wood finish, leather finish. This is the door side control for the driver and it is very nicely finished, has lot of cubby holes and storage spaces. It also gets memory seats which are electrically adjustable and you have premium looking instrument cluster. The fit and finish is top notch here. It also gets the digital display in the middle and there are two large analog dials here. Seats are very plush and comfortable. The sunroof controls are provided on the inside near the roof lamps which is here, the sunroof is right now open, it is electrically controlled, fairly premium and feels very nice. Let me take you to the rear seat of the car which also feels fairly plush and the premium, has a lot of space for three passengers at the rear. They can sit abreast and if there are two passengers, there is a retractable arm rest, which comes with storage spaces and retractable cup holders which are provided in the middle. There are rear air conditioning vents as well as power out let which is provided. Also there are some small cubby holes and storage spaces, there are pockets behind the front seats and the leg room is very relaxed and ample here. 

There are reading lamps provided in the roof at the rear as well for the convenience of the rear passengers. The styling at the rear of the car is fairly smooth and signature BMW would the kind of cuts and designs that you see here. The boot compartment is fairly large and can fit luggage for your adventurous weekend getaways. With premium interiors, choice of colors of interiors between black and beige, this gives you utmost comfort as well as customizability.

Summing up my quick walk around and review of the BMW X3 new model for India, I think it’s a premium SUV in luxury segment so if you are looking for something which gives a lot of space, is sporty to drive and you can take it to a long adventurous getaways with a lot of space for passengers as well as luggage, BMW X3 priced at around 45 Lakh Rupees Ex-Showroom Delhi is a very good choice.

Tata Zest Test Drive | Full Review

You first saw it at the Auto Expo and now with in a few days Tata Motors will launch one of its most awaited cars, yes we are talking about the new Zest but an important question remains, what is the Zest like to drive, well than let’s find out.

How does it look: -

At first Glance, it looks like the Tata Zest is one of the best looking cars ever designed by Tata Motors. There are obviously the shades of the Vista design but every thing is changed and every thing just looks better. It is a good looking design and has a lot of presence. To our eyes, the front is the most interesting part as it recognizable as a Tata but you know instantly that it’s new. Tata Motors says there is humanity line and the trust line at the front and these lines join the head lamps and the grill. The front bumper is sculpted and the projector head lamps along with the day time running lights look good. Move to the side and it gets bold character lines plus unlike some one rivals, the boot is neatly integrated. The rearing is lot soft when compared to the front, the LED Lamps and the obligatory chrome provides a premium look to the car. The Zest has 15 inches allow wheels. Built quality is also something we looked out for and we happy to say it is a massively forward compared to the previous Tata Cars plus the same goes is paint finish, you certainly love the Signature Blue color though we have to say Silver also looks classy.

What about the interiors: -

Step inside the Tata Zest and it represents a new look which is on a different level compared to the previous Tata Cars. The quality has gone up to several notches to being among the other cars, in fact we have to say it is even better than some of its rivals. Dual tone interior imparts a premium feel plus it looks and feels good. Tata Motors have certainly nailed the design bit with an attractively designed center console with Piano black finish and a three spoke steering wheel. Dials are also well designed and easy to read plus they also look good. The AC also works quite well. While the front seats are comfy the business end is the rear seat which offer very good head room and leg room plus one thing we notice is the angle of the rear seat actually makes it more comfy than the Manza. Though the boot is certainly smaller than some of its rivals.

What about the features: -

In today’s day and age, features are what pull customers in to the showroom and Tata Motors have stuffed the Zest with a lot of that. First of all, the main talking point is the 5 inch touch screen Harman infotainment system, this system has various features like voice control, touches screen AC controls and there is even SMS notifications and reads out. There are off course feature like climate control, steering mounted controls for Bluetooth and Audio plus power windows, follow me head lamps and parking sensors. The Zest also features dual air bags so then it seems Tata Motors have done well on the features cart.

What about the Diesel Automatic: -

The Zest Diesel has an F-Tronic 5 Speed automated manual transmission. A diesel engine is the familiar 1248 CC 4 Cylinder with 89 BHP and 200 NM of torque. Now in the gear box there is R, N and A Mode plus a button marked as S for Sports mode. There is obviously no park mode. The first credit in automatic and I have to say the shifts were decent but not exactly smooth, there is some jerkiness at low speeds but it all melts away at high speed. For steep progress though we find ourselves using the sports mode a lot and this is where the Zest diesel feels the best but the fact to the matter is that for most of the time, the Zest with this F-Tronic 5 speed automated manual transmission does the job and the main reason for buying automatics in the first place is for the convenience and you get that. When it comes to ride and handling, the ride is not as soft as other Tata cars but it handles really well and it is on the completely different level compared to the previous Tata cars. Its grip and stability is good plus steering is light and pretty direct. So, over all ride and handling department, the Zest impressed us the most.

What about the Petrol engine: -

Highlight in the Tata Zest range is definitely the Revotron 1.2 Turbo Charged Petrol Engine. This is a Segment’s first and under stand ably Zest Turbo Charged Petrol has a lot of advantages over it natural explicated rivals. The numbers are 89 BHP and 140 NM of torque, what really impressed us is the easy to use gear box plus adequate power on offer, refinement too was fantastic. We also like the smooth performance delivery and the general lag free nature. The Zest petrol engine has three modes, Sport, City and Eco. To we have say there is not much massive difference between the three modes. Over all though, the Zest Revotron engine lives up to its height some what and we have to say it is a lot more fun than diesel.

Verdict: -

As you can imagine, we have quite impressed with the Zest and we think as a package, the Zest is right up there at the top of its class. For us even more than the styling or the features, it is the driving dynamics that really impressed us. The way it drives, the way it handles, the gear box, the steering all have been an gigantically over the earlier Tata Cars. Now only thing remaining for the Tata Motors to do, is of course price it comparatively and knowing Tata Motors, they certainly build. So there, the Zest will be the comeback car for Tata Motors and well we think, its going to be a massive success.

Tata Zest Review And Test Drive | Diesel AMT Automatic | Petrol MT

Today we are going to give you a test drive report of the Tata Zest. We drove both Petrol as well as Diesel and the Diesel comes with an automatic this time. This car is pretty attractive is a compact Sedan under 4 meter, from the front you can see, there is large grill and air dams it looks really beautiful, sculpted bonnet design and bumper design, large head lamps with comes with projector head lamps and day time running LED lights which are near the fog lamp housing which in the top end variant. You also get smart alloy wheel when you look at the side and the side profile also have some dynamic lines which make it look good. The dynamic lines run from the front wheel arches all the way to the real tail lamp cluster and it gives it a very dynamic look. The rear also looks interesting, the large and chunky tail lamp cluster which is the combination cluster, some use of chrome on the sides as well as the rear. On the sides, you will see use of chrome around the windows and on the front and rear, around the grill as well as over the license plate area. The rear bumper is also very sculpted in design and comes with an integrated rear fog lamp as well. From design prospective, this car looks really well despites being a compact Sedan. Although the rear is not very proportionate as we are used to seeing in Sedans but this is the new design language of compact Sedans which almost all compact Sedans looks like, so we don’t have any major complaints here.

Let me take you inside the car and door trim is nicely finished and has power window controls for all four power windows and there is also control for the out side rear view mirrors which are electronically adjustable. The door trim is finished in dual tone so is the interiors, the dash board looks good and smart, and it definitely looks premium. The steering wheel is three spoke designs, with large chrome finish Tata Logo in the middle. The steering wheel this time is also very functional and comes with multifunction control, you can control the voice command system of the car as well as the audio system using a multimedia system, and it also comes with key less entry. The central entertainment console is also very interesting, it comes with touch screen entertainment on top of the line variants and it pretty looks very good and premium. The instrumental console is also very attractive and has two large analog dials which come with a tachometer and speedometer. There is also a digital dial in the middle which  shows you the instantaneous fuel economy, average fuel economy, odometer. Talking about the front seats, they are nice and spacious, they are bucket seats and give good support, it is comfortable to drive and give you a good seating position as well. Talking about the rear seats, the cabin is very spacious and the rear seats feel very good to be in, the rear seats are wide, the under thigh support is good, there is enough cabin space, leg room, head room as well as shoulder room. So this car is fairly comfortable on the inside. The door trims come with lot of cubby holes and storage spaces, so you can put some nick nacks etc. the air conditioning is fairly effective but there is no rear ac vents on the Tata Zest, not even in the top end model. The rear seats come with adjustable head restrains, which is a good comfort feature. Talking about the cabin space, it is an over all a very spacious car, it gives good airy feel due to the large windows areas and soothing dual tone interiors. The boot space on the Tata Zest is also fairly good; it is just less than 400 liters of space which is fairly good for a compact Sedan.

Now let me talk about one of the most important factors about a compact Sedan is the ride and handling quality, we test drove both petrol and diesel and one thing which is common in both of these cars is the suspension which is very well tuned on both of these cars. We did drive the car on bad roads as well as the good highways and it drives well on both of the terrains. It is very well planted, feels very good, handling is sharp and the steering feedback is also very good. The petrol car is powered by 1.2 L Revotron engine which comes with multiple modes so you have City mode, Eco mode and Sports mode. The petrol engine is a turbo charged unit and comes with 90 PS of peak power and 140 NM of torque, the sport mode makes it drive really well. It comes with 5 speed manual transmission which has been nicely mated to the engine. We found that the drive was ezyle and it is fun to drive.

Talking about the diesel model, we drove the AMT or the Automatic Manual Transmission, it is not a true automatic transmission but for the driver, it is practically like an automatic transmission, How ever the internals are like a manual transmission. So you get the best of both world, you get the comfort of an automatic and mileage of a manual transmission. During our drive of the automatic manual transmission or AMT Automatic diesel, we found the car to be driving really well how ever near the RPM where the gear shift to place, the car feels a bit jerky when there is an up shift or a down shift. But with the AMT Driving comfort is very good when it comes to over all driving in city congested traffic conditions. There is also a sports mode in the automatic manual transmission car and you can also put it to manual mode by sliding the gear knob towards the left side.

Summing up are review of the Tata Zest, it looks good, it gives you a lot of space, it comes with a lot of features, bells and whistles and is very good value for money. We also expect very good fuel economy from this car, we expect the diesel to deliver approximately 20 KMPL in the real world and the petrol to deliver around 15 KMPL in the real world provided that you drive in a normal condition.

We hope you enjoyed this review. Don’t forget to give us a thumbs up by pressing the like button below. Do let us know what more you want in the comment section below. 

Maruti Celerio VXI Auto Gear Shift Price

We want convenience but we really don’t want to pay too much for it. Similarly many of us could love an automatic transmission in our cars, but we want it cheap and that’s why the Maruti Celerio VXI with auto gear shift priced at 4.6 Lac Rupees ex showroom Delhi has a winning preposition.

Now you have different kinds of automatics, you have the traditional torque converter automatic, you have the CVT or Constantly Variable Transmission automatic, you have the most sporty DSG or dual clutch transmission automatic which a lot of high end car and sporty cars use and then you have this, which is the automated manual transmission. All of these now have slightly different driving characteristics and you have to get used to it.

The automated manual transmission in the Celerio is identical to its 5 speed manual transmission counter part. The only difference is being the absence of Clutch and shifts taking place to an electro hydraulic unit mounted on the top of the gear box and that is what keeps cost down and there is no puff position, you need to use the hand brake to keep it from rolling when parked.

Now if going to blind fall me and ask me what car I am driving just by the engine note I would tell you it’s a Maruti Suzuki. This car uses the same K 10 engine, that’s in the Wagon-R and the Alto K10 but it has got some modifications made to it to enhance performance and to improve fuel economy. For instance, it doesn’t have an accelerated cable instead it goes drive by wire technology which means it got the electronic throttle.

The car puts out 67 BHP of power and 90 NM of torque but with the AMT you need to modulate your throttle inputs for shifts to happen smoothly.

Now the Celerio is easy drive transmission has a kind of lazy shift patterns to it, it takes its time to going about from one gear to the next but when you want some instant acceleration, put your foot down on the throttle and it as of its electronic brain have been given a toss of double espresso, 5^th gear to 2^nd gear and you get that instant bit of acceleration.

How ever don’t expect the shifts to be as smooth as the conventional automatic, there are some jerks felt between shifts although its not really bothers some.

How ever if you want some sporty performance for some quick overtaking for instant, shift it to manual, down a gear, accelerate, you get an instant pick up, up shift, up shift as and when you want and these up shifts are much faster and for more about how these auto gear shifts are work you can watch our video about the Celerio EZ Drive.

What this combination of automated manual transmission and the K10 Engine does give you though is decent fuel efficiency; claim mileage is 23.1 KMPL while we got nearly 16 KMPL in mix city conditions. The MID also shows you temperature, trip, odometer and instant consumptions besides the selected gear. The Celerio’s electric power steering is light and can get twitchy at speeds. The car’s suspensions are fairly stiff and you do feel a few of the bumps filter through. The 14 inch tyres are decent enough for this car. It’s not a car that likes to be driven in a hurry. In terms of looks, the car isn’t much too write whom about. Looking like a typical creation from standard Suzuki issue.

 Its not exactly a tall boy, the space is pretty good and comfort is decent despite the seats being rather thin. It can hold about 235 liters of luggage as much as of the Maruti Ritz, and has split folding seats to increase space when need it. This model only gets standard features such as Air conditioning and manually adjustable mirrors. Tachometers, multi speed wipers and four power windows are also standard.

Over all, is the Maruti Suzuki Celerio good value for money? We think it is. It’s a car that provides convenience of an automatic with the performance of a manual at a really good price point. No wonder, the car is seen in pretty good demand. 

Ford Fiesta Facelift Launched in India

Ford has launched the 2014 Fiesta Sedan with an attractive price tag in India. 2014 Fiesta Sedan was first shown at the Auto Expo which was held a few months back. In India, Fiesta Sedan comes only with a 1.5 L 90 BHP Diesel Engine with 5 Speed Manual Gear Box. In India, the Fiesta also comes in just 3 variants with the base variant starting at Rs. 7.69 Lakhs and doing all the way to Rs. 9.29 Lakhs.

The Fiesta gets the major changes inside and out, at the front in the exteriors I am talking about, you will get much better looking grill, new head lamps and new alloy wheels while at the rear, you will get minor updates which over all makes it look much better than before. Inside again, there has been some minor update is being done and we have some new features being added. The Fiesta 2014 also gets the sing system from the Eco Sport with the emergency assist feature. The Fiesta with these prices actually is much cheaper than before and is definitely a lot cheaper than some of its rivals which mean the Diesel Ford Fiesta 2014 is quite a good buy. We have driven this car so expect a full review very soon. 

Hyundai Verna Fluidic 2014 Price Specification Review

The Hyundai Verna in its current generation of car has done extremely well for itself in fact it has done much better then the pretty excessive but now thanks to new competition, Hyundai has updated the Verna and so what you see here is the 2014 Hyundai Verna. So then lets take a look at what is new in this updated mid size Sedan.

How does it look?

The Verna has always been a good looking Sedan and now the facelift and the changes make it even better. The 2014 Verna can be easily identified by its front end. The front end now gets LED DRLS which certainly add style to the looks and actually this is something that many customers were wanting. 2014 Verna also has Projector head lamps and then there are the cool new allow wheels. The Verna also has safety escort head lamps and then LED turns indicators on the out side on the mirror. List of changes to 2014 Verna to exterior end there.

What about the Interiors?

Inside, the 2014 Verna doesn’t actually have many changes but the fact to the matter is that it actually didn’t need them in first place. The Verna always had a futuristic and a premium interior and of course with the long feature list. The changes in the 2014 Verna include the fact that the steering wheel controls and the windows switches have blue back light which certainly looks cool. The feature list is as expected quite long and it includes smart key with start button, rear view camera, Bluetooth, Steering controls, Cooled glove box, 2 Din MP3, USB and IPOD Cable, Audio Remote and well it is goes on and on.

What about the engines?

When it comes to the engine line up, Hyundai actually hasn’t changed any thing in this department how ever what they have changed is the suspensions which care to little bit. 2014 Verna immediately impresses in this regard. One of the biggest complaints of the earlier Verna was its overly soft suspensions which has now been addressed. The steering is much better and the ride is actually much better, its less soft now but actually this is the way we like it. The biggest difference though at high speed the stability is quite good, the handling again is also a lot sharper and over all 2014 Verna feels much better to drive and is lot more confident at high speeds which is some thing we quite like.

Verdict?

The starting price of around Rs. 7.18 Lakhs the Verna is certainly an impressive product. Hyundai has actually made the Verna even better and has addressed its few short comings as well. 2014 Verna is a great looking car, has got a lot of features endless now has a much better ride and hence there is Hyundai’s Massive sales and service network. So over all if you are going for buy a mid size car 2014 Verna is actually should be the one you are looking at.

Tata Zest Review | Price | Specification

This is a latest compact Sedan from Tata Motors and its call the Zest, it’s loaded with the interesting technologies many of which are a first in the segment. We took a drive in the petrol and the diesel TataZest. Both of which have great things to offer. First a quick look at the design of the Zest, the front gets a bolder look & set back with the projector head lamps but the over all design is not really all new as it been developed on the Vista platform. The car Zest is 4 meters long but supports a large cabin which gives it a very stubby rear. How ever they give it an impression of width the LED powered tail lamps with wraps up on the boot and have a chrome strip running between them.

Now let’s get down to worth really special about this 1.2 L Revotron petrol engine and Zest be a driving. For one, it’s a completely new turbo charged 4 cylinder petrol engine developed by Tata a first in a compact Sedan and two, its got multiple drive modes, Eco for fuel efficiency and Sport for power, well the default is City Mode. This 1.2 L Revotron unit puts out 140 NM of torque at a pretty wide RPM range allowing for good pick up in city conditions and for over taking. The refinement levels on this engine have good and the 5 speed gear box shifts quite positively without complaint. The clutch too is very light and the Electric Power Steering has decent feel to it like you get a quite an entertaining Sedan to drive on the whole. Fuel efficiency indicated on the MID of the Zest petrol was over 13 KMPL in a short test drive which is pretty decent. Next is 2^nd drive Diesel Zest, this one is special as it is the first diesel compact Sedan to come with 5 speeds an Automated Manual transmission for what Tata called the F Tronic Transmission. The Zest diesel is powered by 1.3 L multijet diesel engine putting out 90 PS of power and 200 NM of torque. The gear box is what special, it comes with 3 drive options, A for auto which is for what you normally driving and the car will handle the shifts for you, shifted to side and you can drive it like a manual shifting when you want although the car is intelligent enough to down shift if you drop the RPM too much and then there is Sport mode for a bit more punch. How ever the AMT units is bit of a lazy gear box and is best suited for stop and go city conditions, fuel efficiency though seems good as we were getting an indicated 16+ KMPL on it. The Zest is loaded with features as well, the most notable of which is the Harman designed infotainment system that features voice commands that can control things like the Automatic Climate Control “Climate Control” “Climate Control” or change radio stations and dial phone numbers. You also get safety features such as 2 air bags & ABS and quite interestingly cornering break control that helps with breaking in a turn. The interiors are pretty spacious and the seats are chunky and comfortable, a typical Tata trade, a nice car to traveling. The cabin is refined and feels solid, that boot though is felly tiny, enough for a couple of suitcases at best, smaller than the other compact sedans such as the Amaze and the Excent. Over all, we think the 1.2 L Revotron turbo petrol is quite a revolution and will be a game change for those who want power and efficiency from a petrol engine while the diesel with the automated manual transmission will be a good pick for those living in crowded cities. 

Honda Mobilio V 1.5 i Vtec Petrol Price Review

This badge, Honda Mobilio is every thing any one with the practically bent of mind who want for under 10 Lakh rupees. Its spacious, it’s refined and it can carry the whole family on a road trip while being quite peppy to drive. The Mobilio is not what you called out track attractive but if you want a bit more style, there is also the RS Variant with the Body Kit and the Projector Headlamps. The lighter colours do bring out the contrast in the rear styling though.

Space is the Mobilio’s main selling point. The Petrol and Diesel variants have identical interiors with 223 litres of luggage space which can be extended to 521 liters by folding the last row. What a diesel Mobilio to review for more on the space aspect. Petrol Mobilio buyers are likely to be those who are looking for refinement and the power, both of which the Mobilio has. As it has the same engine that the Honda City uses.

Now the Honda Mobilio petrol has 119 PS of power from its 1.5 L I-Vtec engine and 145 NM of torque. You can really feel that 119 PS when you are out on a highway. This car is very eager to pull away. If you want a fast MPV this is probably one of the best in this segment in terms of power to weight during its 1160 Kilos kerb weight. Being a petrol, it’s very refined, you hardly hear any thing in the cabin but the sound insulation compared to the diesel is too less so you do get little bit of road noise in this car but not so much in the diesel. The Mobilio V variant gets standard features like the powered windows and mirrors, 2 airbags, ABS and 15 inch allow wheels. The instrument panel has an ECO light that urges you to drive in fuel efficient manner. The other difference between the Petrol Mobilio and the Diesel is in the Steering, the diesel steering actually felt slightly heavier, this one is pretty light. The petrol variant is lot of fairly fuel efficient with claiming the efficiency of 17.3 KMPL that is pretty much other petrol sedans in the segment. During our drive, it gave about 13 KMPL. If you want a refined MPV that is spacious, fairly fuel efficient and yet powerful enough to get you and your family to the destination faster, the Mobilio petrol is a pretty decent choice how ever we think it’s the diesel that will be the bigger draw. 

Maruti Suzuki Celerio 2014 First Drive Review

Now, whenever you see delicious food, you tend to get greedy and when you get greedy you put on some extra wait and when you put on extra wait you want to go on a healthy diet and that healthy diet includes a Salad and a Salad includes an ingredient called Salary. Now let’s look at this from an automotive point of view. Maruti Suzuki saw a big delicious pie of the Indian Small car market and got greedy and then they created an extra weight like the A-Star and the Zen Estilo and now they are on a Diet Plan and the Diet Plan includes a very important ingredient called the Celerio.

The Celerio is based on the Suzuki’s a win concept and the production version retains the aggressive design. The Swift back head light have a conical theme for the detailing which matches that of the fog lamps. The Celerio is not a tall boy by design but thanks to a generous 165 MM ground clearance it does look tall yet wide. The glass house is much similar in design to that of the Estilo and the large windows makes the cabin in grooming. The front end has thinks of the Etios Liva in it also in the blue color. The side of the Celerio is reminiscent of the A-Star while the tail gate looks like the minor revolution on the Alto 800 at the back end. In fact the Celerio comes across as a bigger Alto than an all the new hatch back and that can act as a double if saw at.

The design of the Celerio’s interiors is not a big departure from the theme what we have seen in other Maruti Suzuki’s car. In fact all the switches that you have seen inside the car, you will know that they have came from the common parts meant. The design isn’t any thing extra ordinary but it isn’t outdated either. The familiar three spoke steering wheel now gets control for audio and telephony and these should filter down to the other Maruti Suzuki’s hatchbacks in the recent future. The audio system how ever is only available in the top variant ZXI. The instrumentation is quite features and is apart from the usual gauges like Speedo, techno, trip and consumption computers the unit also allows the driver to customize the locking and unlocking patterns and allows changes to the sensitivity levels of the antitheft system, set the sensitivity low and your car will not scream every time if some one burst the crackers. The Celerio is quite spacious hatch back for its size and has the room in the cabin more than the A-Star and the Estilo. Quality of plastic and the fabric is at par what we have seen in the Grand I10 but the lighter color makes the Celerio’s cabin feel roomier, the cabin also features quite a few storage spaces for bottles and nick knacks. The Celerio is powered by an improved version of the 1 L three cylinder K Series petrol engine and claims to have a better thermal efficiency and less of frictional losses. Lead up to the key next, it produces 68 PS of power and 90 NM of torque. It retains the rev happy nature and is noisy yet a smooth operator unless you flag to rev it to it’s limits. This engine can be had with 2 transmission options, a 5 speed manual transmission and a 5 speed automated manual. Now unlike your regular automatic transmission which makes you as pullies and a torque converter this particular system uses a same 5 speed gear box that the manual transmission uses how ever this has a computer that does all the calculations, it will send what is your throttle positions and what is speed you are carrying and then it will make the optimum gear changes. The advantage of this system is that it gives you better fuel economy than a regular automatic transmission. In fact Maruti Suzuki is claiming 23.1 KMPL for both the manual as well as the automatic unit. The 5 speed transmission is new and it is low on maintenance, while the transmission fluid in the out going gear box recommended a change at around 50000 kms the new gear box need a fluid change at about 160000 Kms or 10 years which ever is earlier. Since this remains the same for the automated transmission as well it makes quite a more economical proposition then a conventual’s automatic. The automatic gear box feels a tag jerky at slow speeds but the convenience that it offers more than makes for it. The roads in Jodhpur haven’t really offered us a big variety, we haven’t really gone on a awkward surfaces or something that has surprises with a lot of pot holes. The roads are quite smooth but still I can tell you that the right quality of this car is quite good. There are the occasional heard of chords but then you don’t feel them all that merge, its not all that sharp. You don’t get that choppy effect when you are driving on these road surfaces. In fact the suspension set up is much better then what we have in the A-Star and the Estilo, the bounciness is much lesser, it feels the little stiffer so taking turns doesn’t really impart a lot of body role in to the vehicle. The steering system is also quite good, it is quite light at slow speeds, so maneuvering car through the city in stop and go condition isn’t a big problem and even out on the highway it raise up quite well so those making lane changes isn’t a problem either. With the healthy list of features and youthful styling, the Celerio is definitely a contemporary vehicle from the Maruti Suzuki’s labels but while it addresses the concerns of styling and space we had with the A-Star it still doesn’t get a diesel motor and that could act as a detrain. But that’s said it achieves a balance between peppy performance of petrol engine, the convenience of an automated transmission and the good fuel economy and the low maintenance cost that a manual gear box has to offer and it is that combination that would help the Celerio to makes some noise for itself. 

Maruti Suzuki Celerio Price Specification Review

Hello and welcome to H beats Cars, this is Maruti Suzuki’s all new car the Celerio which replaces the A Star, Zen Estilo and the Indian market. For the Celerio is touted to be against the Hyundai Grand I10 a car which has won many accolades in India as well as globally. Now we had a brief instinct with the Celerio and the first thing is that this car really can not compete with Grand I10 because Grand I10 is superior in every way. What Maruti Suzuki has done has tried to play the weight game, the Celerio weighs very little and that helps getting very good fuel efficiency. How ever due to this there is lot of vibration in side the car, the seats also vibrates, the engine also vibrates, the gear lever vibrates and this 1 L K10 engine which has been updated still it is as good, yes Maruti Suzuki has improved the performance but as far as it competing with the global model goes the Celerio just doesn’t cut it. First of dynamic from the Celerio go, the Celerio has softly spunk Suspension and ride quality is pretty good. Handling is very good too especially in the city where the Celerio is very easy car to drive. What we don’t like in the Celerio is the design, the Celerio looks very confuse. There is lots of expect from the various cars in the Celerio like the rear has been inspire from Alto 800 and side resembles a bit of a A-Star. As far as the interiors go, the interior has been similar been Maruti Suzuki’s car since a very long time. There is decent amount of space but what is really lacking in this car is under thigh support, look at this and you will absolutely know what is under thigh support. Maruti Suzuki has done a very good job in giving a lot of head room over here and this decent amount of leg room right here but the quality is very flimsy. This 235 liters of boot space, what would I really don’t like is the Celerio looks like just as an Alto 800 from the rear. Maruti Suzuki is betting bit on the new Transmission which is an Automatic Manual Transmission but this what Maruti called is easy drive but easy drive isn’t it conventional Automatic Gear Box because you doesn’t use it as talk converter instead you uses an electronic system to shift gears. 

Maruti Suzuki is the king of small cars, and the Celerio is going to fit in right where the A-Star and Estilo has left. Both these cars till work at all in the Indian market but the Celerio is here to replace it and boost Maruti Suzuki’s market share in the competitive hatch back segment but the problem with the Celerio is its not a master in any thing how ever it’s a jack of most rates. What is going to go in the Celerio’s favor is it’s a very to easy drive car, it has having very good fuel efficiency and the new easy drive automatic gear box is going to be competitively priced. This is going to be the cheapest automatic in the country which is sure to appeal the city goes. The Maruti Suzuki’s habit of pricing its car is very aggressively we can expect the Celerio to be yet another success from India’s largest Car maker Maruti Suzuki but the only thing is that it can not really compete with Hyundai’s Grand I 10.              

Tata Zest Compact Sedan Price Specification Review

The compact Sedan segment is one of the hottest segments in the Indian market especially with the recently launched the Hyundai Excent, the Honda Amaze and of course the Maruti Dzire and now there is going to be a new entrant in the form of the Tata Zest. This is  just a not new car in fact this is one of the most important car, the Tata Motors will ever roll out. So the big question is what that Tata Motor’s Zest all about is. Well let’s find out.

The Tata’s Zest is all about the new design language and it all starts from the front, with the new Tata signature grill, the new sharp cut headlamps and the aggressive front bumper design. The Zest has also projected headlamps with Chrome Extants, DRL’s, Rear LED’s, 15 Inches Alloy Wheels plus the snazzy color options that you see. The over all design is much better than I think Tata has ever made. And also in first impression, the build quality has also been improved. Inside there has been Massive improvement over the Manza and the Vista, the better quality material and ultra modern designed. You certainly like the most sporty steering like the one in the Vista. On the features front Tata Motors has packet in a lot and they really mean by that. You get a new infotainments system over here, Bluetooth, Smart Phone Recognition, Smart Phone Integration which also supports phone in built navigation, Social Media Integration and Touch Phone Control Interface. When it comes to space, the rear seats are very comfortable, and of course head room and leg room, a Tata Motors Strength remains. Over all the Zest Cabin is really good place to be in certainly with its Rivals and other competitors in this regard.

The Tata Zest will have 2 Engine Options, starting with the new Riverton 85 BHP 1.2 Turbo Charged Petrol Engine. Now the Turbo Charged 2 is the new beginning for Tata Motors and one of the biggest benefits is of course Fuel Economy. Tata Motors actually has not revealed the figures but we expect the Zest has to deliver good economy figures. Now the Tata Motors has also launched the Zest with 90 BHP Diesel with 200 NM of torque. The talking point is that the Tata Zest diesel will have a 5 speed automated manual gear box. The Tata Zest also features new electronic power assisted steering, new ABS and dual part suspension for a better ride. Tata Motors is likely to launch the Zest around June 2014 as the company is already heavily promoting this car, now Tata Motors will only release the Variants and Prices by its official launch but looking at the Technology and the features, it seems the Tata Zest will become a threat to the segment leaders. Now we expect to have the Zest’s Starting Price for petrol base model that will be below 5 Lakhs to compete with its rivals which means the Zest will certainly be value for money. 

Honda Mobilio V1 5 I Dtec Diesel Review

It is compact on the out side but it is incredibly spacious in the inside. It can seat 7 and is more fuel efficient than a Hatch back. And that’s the Honda Mobilio for you. An MPV Based on the Amaze and Brio plat form. The front has been Superb a bit lot but the average person will have to look hard to spot the differences. The changes are in the bumper and the fat chrome grill mainly. They have given it a slightly more macho look. The rear look is pretty good with wrappers on tail lamps and floating roof giving it a station wagon like feel. The dimension platform has been stretched to 4386 MM in length and wheel base is generous 2652 MM. What’s amazing about the Mobilio though is the space inside it. It’s the three row 7 seater which offers excellent flexibility in space, with all rows in place it still gets 223 Liters of boot space bigger than most hatch backs and enough for two big suit cases. Flip and fold the 50-50 split third row and you will be free up for a Sedan riding with 521 liters of boot space. The middle row too can be folded for even more flexibility. Now I have to say the Honda Mobilio has one of the best middle row as far as the MPV Has go. This row is really comfortable, you have lot of leg room and you have things like drop down arm rest as for your comfort and you get also can recline the seat if you want to. Not only that you can also push it forward and backward to increase legroom for the rear passenger, which by the way for third row which is not really bad. There are enough comfort features in the middle row too, such as an AC Panel which has separate condenser and blowers to increase cooling at the rear. Getting in to the third row is really easy but you do have to crow chip for it. Now the third row in any MPV is usually a punishment mostly because you really have not much space but not so with the Mobilio. This is one of the most spacious third rows you could find among in MPV’s of the segment. Not only that, you also have things like me able to recline the back rest for added comfort and you have decent knee room over here except that probably you knees are little raise because its height is little low but other wise this row is really comfortable and very usable as in term.

The nice large windows make sure the passenger won’t really get hanged over back there. The beige interior may be a paint to keep clean but again to add feeling of space. The Mobilio isn’t that great in the features though, its got all though I expect, two air bags in front and ABS to ensure safety, the dashboard is the same as the Brio and the Amaze but the instrument panels is slightly different with the blue rings surrounding the 3 pod meter console. It does not have automatic climate control and speed sensing locks or extra charging points even but it has steering audio controls, powered outside mirrors and power windows as standard.

 So right now I am driving the Honda Mobilio Diesel which has the 1.5 L i-dtec engine 100 PS of power and 200 NM of torque, this engine is very familiar with the Amaze and the Honda City but here what Honda has been done, is they have lowered the gear ratio a bit and that has make a world of differences in this car the Mobilio. Pick up is instant, hardly any trouble like and they have also worked from Amaze’s level a bit which means it is very refined inside the cabin, you hardly hear the engine noise here.

What’s even better is the ground clearance, the 15 inch 185 width tyros are the wider as seen at this plat form, and has got an SUV rivaling 189 MM of ground clearance which is pretty re assuring. Body role is hardly evident and it drives pretty much like a car. I think this car can be afforded very sorted as far the MPV is go, nothing much to think about here. What’s really good is the fuel efficiency, 24.2 KMPL, even during our drive, we got close to the 20 KMPL overall. That will be one of its biggest selling points. Overall for some one looking for a versatile vehicle that can seat 7 and carry luggage, with car like handling and of course excellent fuel efficiency, the Honda Mobilio seems to be the near perfect vehicle in its segment. 

Tata Zest vs Maruti Swift Dzire Car Comparison

Tata Motors has just launched the Zest and now its time to do the next best thing which is obviously to compare it with its rivals. Now we are getting a lot of questions regarding which is the better buy, The Zest or well the segment Champ that is the Maruti Swift Dzire. So then here’s a short comparison between these two compact sedans.

Now the styling is a completely subjective issue but you have to say both of they do not have quite match the complete Sedan look which is like the Amaze and even the Accent have. Still it seems Tata Motors have done a much better job to integrating the boot then what Maruti had done. One of the biggest problem with Swift Dzire have always been its styling, it just doesn’t look like a proper Sedan when you view it from the back but when it come to over all styling, Tata Motors has done a pretty good job here. Head Lamps with LED’s DRLS, Lot of Chromes plus those lines definitely gives the car lot of presence and we think this is pleasant looking car. The Swift Dzire, well it’s been around for some times now and its styling has become aged now. Still its face lifted will be coming soon which will change it. So then overall when it comes to styling, the Zest wins the battle.

Step inside and you will be surprised by seeing the Tata Zest cabin and you may say it is a pleasant surprise as this one is the best cabin ever designed by Tata Motors. The design look and feel is definitely very good and now you have to say that it is now the class’s best. What we really liked was the steering wheel, the clean dials plus the center console but what was the major surprise is the quality which is far better than the previously Manza. On to the Dzire and it is one of the strongest point of this car and we think the interior looks much better than the exterior. The quality is good and design is clean and well laid out which is the strength of this car. So then, when it comes to interior, it is definitely a close battle and you have to say on design and space terms both of them have even chance. Now space at the rear both of them are pretty good but for seating 3, the Zest has much more spacious cabin than even the Swift Dzire even the boot of the Zest is slightly bigger than the Swift Dzire but both can’t match the space of the boot with Honda Amaze and even Hyundai Accent.

When it comes to features, it is clearly advantage Tata Zest, it completely blows away the Swift Dzire. First of all, the main talking point here is the Harmon infotainment system which is one of the major highlights of this car but along with this you will get a Bluetooth, climate control, parking sensors, auto headlamps plus even voice commands. I think this all just not present in the Maruti Swift Dzire which has got basic feature like auto AC but what is good thing is that both them having ABS and airbags. So then overall when it comes to features, it is major advantage for the Tata Zest.

When it come to engine options, Tata Zest is available with a 1.2 L Riverton Petrol delivering 89 BHP and 1.3 L Diesel delivering 2 power outputs of 74 BHP and 89 BHP. The Zest diesel also has the AMT Gear box while the petrol has 5 speed manual gear box. The Swift Dzire 1.2 L Petrol and ever popular 1.3 L Diesel engine while the petrol delivers 85 BHP and Diesel delivers 74 BHP of power. The petrol has also an option of 4 speed automatic while the diesel comes only with 5 Speed Manual gear box. When it comes to fuel efficiency Dzire is slightly more fuel efficient than the Zest but when it comes to driving and dynamics the Zest really impressed us with it smooth turbo petrol. You will like the smooth power delivery and general lag free nature of the engine. The Dzire well its also quite fun to drive, we like the diesel engine lot. Both also have similar ride and handling characteristics.

Price of the Zest starts with Rs. 4.64 lakhs while the Dzire start with Rs. 4.85 Lakhs which ultimately sieze the deal. You see the Zest is cheaper, better looking and better equipped than the Maruti Swift Dzire which means also the fact that Zest has and advantage of being a Diesel Automatic. Yes you could say that the Dzire has an advantage of massive Maruti sales network but that is just not enough. So then it seems the Zest job well done by Tata Motors and if you are shopping for a compact Sedan, you should give Zest a serious look. 

Nissan Sunny First Drive Review

The Nissan Sunny has been in the Indian car market almost from last 3 years, Over the time this car has been known for its space offerings, the feature list, the value for money tag and of course the proven diesel engine. How ever, other models that have got up in the competition and this is where I think it was a matter of time before Nissan would get this new Sunny to India as well. It was shown to us at in Auto Expo earlier this year and finally this is under us to experience the car. So can the new Nissan Sunny spice things for the company in India, well lets find out.

The new Sunny is not drastically different than the outgoing version. Of course a lot has been done in terms of style changes but instantly even a non enthusiast can make out that this is a Sunny that has paid a visit to the beauty parlour. Upfront we love the new sharper and bigger head lamps and the way designer has skirted the bumper with new fog lamps insert and of course the order of chromes that can seen at places, Nissan says Sunny is the most chromed car in the segment. The overall effect in this new shape does look pleasing and impart the sense of premium ness. Some thing that the company wanted to achieve. At the back, not much have changes apart from a bigger chrome garnish and a new bumper with sharper edges. You also notice the rear parking camera with sensors. Side profile remains intact except the new wheel caps for the lower versions and white shaped alloys for the higher version. On a personal note, the diamond cut design seen on the Terrano alloys would have looked fantastic here. So while new Sunny looks better the higher version reach to 10 Lakh Rupees mark in terms of on road price and at this price point, cars like the new City and the Verna looks more appealing.

Thankfully Nissan designers have worked equally hard in the inside and immediately you can make out the new better looking steering that seems to have been borrowed from its international siblings. This new wheels looks fabulous with the chrome inserts also houses well damn buttons for audio system and answering calls with blue tooth. The other big change is the centre console that now gets a Piano black finish first seen in the Micra last year. The centre air con vents are rectangular now as compare to round ones for the earlier versions. The XV model also gets the 5.1 inch screen for the audio system and this doubles up for rear view camera, a feature missing on the older version. This new system sounds better as well. Nissan seems to have improve over all quality of material used and there are two premium pack to pick up. Pack 1 gives you leather seats while pack 2 gives you side air bags. What remains unchanged is the ackles of room in the car which, even at tall passenger in the front there is more than ample of space at the rear for 6 feet plus people. No other car can comes close to Sunny in this regard. That’s it. We have been appreciating rear air con vents for the rear passengers’ bench these air re circulation vents.

 So while it looks and feels better, technically the Sunny remains un changed. Making use of same 1.5 L Petrol Engine and the famous 1.5 L Dci Diesel engine. The former also comes with an optional CVT transmission that is actual more fuel efficient that the manual one while the diesel continue to come with same 5 speed manual gear box. Power and Torque on both the engine remains un change, while the diesel puts out 5 % more economy. The certified figure now stands at 22.71 KMPL compare with 21.7 KMPL for the earlier version. The diesel engine continuous to impress us with its negligible turbo lag and linear power delivery. NBH levels has been improved and with Air con running, intrusion of diesel clattering to cabin is pretty well controlled. While this engine might not offer terrific out ride performance most users won’t have reason to complain. The CVT automatic makes your life easier but does become noisy when want to get going faster.

 So while this Sunny has change, Diesel has priced up what remains un changed is how car behaves on road and this is not a bad thing at all. The Nissan Sunny is very specific car to drive and it’s a car that can play different role, it can be a self driven car, it can be a chaffer driven car and depending on your age, your sister, your daughter, your  mother, your wife can drive the car as well. The steering remains light and is good for city use and yet has bigger feedback for highways and the mountain roads. The big windows have an airy feel and visibility part how ever on personal note the road noise has been less.

 First launched in September 2011, the Sunny was a pretty tempting deal how ever that hasn't been the case lately with the all time low sales of less than 500 units per month. Can this new Avatar change the fortune of Nissan’s only mass segment sedan in India. The new Nissan Sunny is more than just an upgrade, it looks better, it feels better, the diesel engine has an economy better and finally the feature list impressive as well. Further on, Nissan is not saying the support by offering a tempting pick up price making the whole packet value for money deal. For well this car might not offer you terrific performance or driver’s package. As a all-rounder, as a family car, this car is till manage to take the right boxes.