7 April 2016

carfeverindia


TATA ZICA (TIAGO) Review : 

Tata Motors India's Largest Automobile Manufacturer has launched it's Compact Hatchback named "Zica" in the Indian Markets this year. Zica is one of the best looking hatchback as compared to Celerio and Grand i10. Zica is not sharp and edgy but it has cuts, character lines in the front as well as at the rear and sharp headlamps makes the car more sporty. It has glossy black colored honeycomb grille with Tata logo in the center and air dams supported by fog lamps. It has a 170mm of ground clearance, wheelbase of 2400mm and 14 inch wheels. At the rear, it has glossy black spoiler which is meant for aerodynamic purpose, sporty bumper and taillamps. The car looks much broader at the rear and it has 242 litres of boot space slightly more than the Celerio and less than the Grand i10. Tata has provided some pockets in the boot to store the toolkit and other accessories as well.

 

Interior : Zica has an impressive interior and one of the best in Tata cars. You have the choice for color co-ordination on entertainment system, a/c vents and the door handles with respect to the color of the car. It has honeycomb texture plastic at the dashboard and rigid roofline, dual tone interior, comes with cooled glove box which opens with a button and not going to fall like before and there is space to store a tablet as well. 3-spoke electric steering wheel with multi-function buttons on it and 22 storage spaces inside the car. The center console looks premium and has small screen for information display. It consists of  ConnectNext Harman sound system with 8 speakers, TURN-BY-TURN Navigation system through Android App using MapMyIndia app, USB, AUX and Bluetooth connectivity, well cushined front seats, height adjustable driver seat, multi-info display.  In terms of safety Zica comes with  Driver and Front Passenger Airbags, ABS with EBD and reverse parking sensors with display. There is plenty of space at the rear in terms of headroom, legroom but there is lack of shoulderroom i.e. 3 people at the back is little tight, windowline is quite good, lacks under-thigh support. 



 

Engine : Tata Zica comes with both Petrol and Diesel Engines which is mated to 5-speed manual gearbox. The Petrol Engine which is all alluminium engine comes with 1.2-litre Revotron 3-cylinder which churns out 85ps of power @ 6000rpm and 114Nm of torque @ 3500rpm. The Diesel Engine which has alluminium cylinder comes with 1-litre Revotorq 3-cylinder which out 70ps of power @ 4000rpm and 140Nm of torque @ 1800-3000rpm. Both Petrol and Diesel variants comes with City and Eco Mode.


Ride Quality : For city driving the petrol engine works well with low noise levels but on the highway it is not powerful and quick enough like it's competitors. You will feel some noise and vibrations inside the cabin at higher speeds (above 3000rpm) but at the same time engine becomes smooth enough and it is stable at higher speeds.The Petrol engine is slow due to heavy weight of the car and weak clutch. You will feel confident as the electronic steering is responsive and body control is quite good around the corners. The A/c is not efficient i.e. cooling is not fast like Nano or the Bolt and blower makes noise at high speed and does not send out that much air. The Diesel engine works better than the petrol variant but you will feel noise inside the cabin. Diesel engine is not punchy but it performs well both in city and on the highway. On rough roads, Zica takes bumps and spotholes quiet nicely.

Fuel Economy : Tata claims a mileage of 23.84kmpl (Petrol) and 27.28kmpl (Diesel) as per ARAI figures.

Pricing : The Petrol Variant ranges from Rs 3.20 Lakhs to Rs 4.75 Lakhs
                The Diesel Variant ranges from Rs 3.95 Lakhs to Rs 5.54 Lakhs
                 (All Prices are Ex-Showroom, New Delhi)

 

2 October 2015

carfeverindia


Renault KWID Review :

The French manufacturer Renault has launched Entry Level Hatchback Car "KWID" in the Indian Markets. Renault has smartly positioned the KWID in comparison to the market leader "Maruti Suzuki Alto 800" and the Hyundai Eon. KWID's design is inspired by an SUV with similar style like the Duster. In the front it has a large chrome grille, black cladding lines at the bottom and on the sides are nice, stylish headlamps, foglamps and rounded taillamps. It has 180mm of ground clearance, it's a tall car, 13 inch wheels. There is ampty of space between the wheels and the wheel wells, shorter wheelbase and high groung clearence which is a mismatch in the KWID. The KWID comes in 4 different trims, 60 customization options and 25 different vinyl sticker to make your KWID unique from the crowd.


Interior : The interiors of KWID is nice and spacious than the Alto 800, headroom and shoulderroom is quite well, front seats are extremely comfortable but it lacks under-thigh support. The rear seats are flat i.e. you will feel uncomfortable on long journeys. Rear seat belts do not recoil to save on cost. There are plenty of storage space in the KWID like 3 glove boxes on the dashboard, 3-spoke steering wheel, glossy piano black finish to the central console, chrome finish on A/C vents, 7inch touchscreen media navigation system with bluetooth connectivity (First in it's class). There is a large and clear digital meter. on the dashboard. The quality of outside rear view mirrors and door handles looks cheap, otherwise the KWID is a well packaged car. 300 litres of boot space which is largest in the class and can be expanded to 1115 litres by folding the rear seats.

Ride Quality : KWID is powered by 3-cylinder 799cc petrol engine which produces 54bhp @ 5700 rpm and 72Nm of torque. It is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.The engine is smooth and works well in the city. The 799cc punchy engine gives its best on the highway but it takes time before speeding-up. In terms of handling, it has nice body role and is quite impressive how KWID handles the spot holes. On bad roads, you doesn't feel jerks inside the cabin due to improved suspension. You need to work hard with the steeing wheel as KWID didn't turn too easily. Otherwise, it's steering is light and responsive at high speeds.

Fuel Economy : Renault claims a mileage of 25.17kmpl as per ARAI figures which makes KWID "The most efficient petrol car in India". Renault has reduced the weight of the car by 50-60kgs less than the Tata Nano and Alto 800 to 660kgs which makes the fuel figures practical.

Pricing : Renault has priced the KWID smartly to give a tough competition to Maruti Alto 800 and Hyundai Eon.  
KWID ranges from Rs 2.56 Lakhs to Rs 3.53 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, New Delhi).



1 August 2015

carfeverindia


ALL NEW HYUNDAI CRETA REVIEW :

The South Korean manufacturer Hyundai has launched it's Compact SUV  ix25 but it is renamed as CRETA for the Indian markets. Hyundai has made Creta's exterior look llike the  Santa Fe to give it a premium look and attract customers to the showrooms. The Creta has a long bonnet with squarish SUV stance, 3 slate front chrome grille, big front bumper and new fog lamps. It has a flowing roof lines, ground clearance of 190mm, in the rear it has wraparound taillights, steepy windshield  with a wiper and a spoiler. It comes with 16inch alloy wheels but also offers 17inch diamond-cut alloy wheels in the top end variant.

Interior : Creta has a premium interior i.e. good plastic material has been used. It has some special features like a big door handle, steering mounted controls, 5inch touchscreen infotainment system which comes with audio visual navigation system, AUX, USB, Bluetooth connectivity, climate control, comfortable leather seats which makes it premium. It also has engine start/stop button, 6 airbags, rear view camera, rear ac vents (now positioned correctly i.e. upwards), ABS with EBD, impact sensing auto-door lock,Vehicle Stability Management, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Assis tand 6-way driver adjustable seat and you get a good view of the road. In the automatic variant (SX+) you will get 2airbags, 16inch alloy wheels and no leather seats, other features remain the same.
It has a massive 400Litres of boot space.


Road Test : When you will drive the 1.6L diesel (manual) version, the engine  is very smooth and refined but you will hear some engine noise inside the cabin. Hyundai uses the same engine used in the Verna which churns out maximum power of 126bhp @ 4000rpm with a healthy torque of 26.5kgm @ 1900rpm. It is a nice punchy diesel engine good for highway driving specially during overtaking. Below 1700rpm Creta feels lack of power during climbing the hills, you have to work constantly with the gears. The gearbox is smooth enough, Steering is quite responsive as it gives confidence through the corners but it has a soft suspension and as it is not a 4x4 so if you push it hard you will not feel enough confidence and feel jerks inside. It isn't made for driver enthusiasts as it is not a proper SUV, it is more of a crossover type. It is meant for day-to-day commuting. When you will drive the 1.6L petrol (manual) version, the engine is extremely smooth,refined and you will feel a burst of power just as in the 1.6L diesel option. The petrol variant churns out maximum power of 121bhp @ 6400rpm with a torque of 15.4kgm @ 4850rpm. The engine is made for city drive and relaxed highway drive as well. Creta also comes with 6-speed automatic gearbox (diesel variant) which is first in the segment. The rear seats are quite comfortable with plenty of leg-room and head-room inside the cabin. The rear seat is placed somewhere low and the window line is little high.

Pricing : The Petrol Variant starts from Rs 8.60Lakhs to Rs 11.20Lakhs 
               The Diesel Variant starts from Rs 9.47Lakhs to Rs 13.60Lakhs 
               (All Prices are Ex-Showroom, New Delhi)


                  



9 July 2015

carfeverindia

Maruti Suzuki DZire vs Hyundai Xcent vs Honda Amaze: Diesel Comparison

Maruti Dzire looks the most stylish due to recect changes done by the company as compared to hyundai xcent which looks smarter & solid whereas honda amaze is built on Brio's platform and it is considered as one of the better looking sedan in the segment. 


1. Interior : Talking about the boot space: Dzire has 316litres, Amaze has 400litres and Xcent has 407litres which is best in the segment. The interior of the Amaze looks good but the plastic used does not feel as good as the other two. Amaze has best-in-class leg room and head room as compared to other two. Dzire has enough leg room in the front but it compromises in the back. The interior of Dzire is the best in the segment. Xcent interior also feels good as in the verna. Xcent has some additional features like engine start/stop button, cool glove box, bluetooth telephony, climate control with rear a/c vents and parking sensors with a reversing camera. 


2. Road Test : Xcent has the smallest engine i.e. 1.1L , 3-Cylinder engine which produces 72PS of power @ 118Nm of torque. The engine noise is not audible inside the cabin. The car is very convenient for the city drive and it drives well. Dzire has the best steering control in this segment. Dzire has 1.3L , 4-Cylinder Multi-Jet engine which produces 75PS of power @ 119Nm of torque. When driving in the city you will feel more requirement of power at lower rpm. After 2200rpm dzire feels a burst of power and it feels more confident on highways even during overtaking a vehicle. Amaze has the largest engine i.e.  1.5L , 4-Cylinder engine which produces 100PS of power @200Nm of torque. Amaze is best for city as well as for highway use. The overall performance of Dzire is the best in terms of city as well as for highway. Maruti has shifted from mineral oil to synthetic oil, the engine noise has been reduced considerably. Amaze has the biggest engine in the lot but it is the most noisiest in the segment. Amaze has best ride quality and gives confidence when you throw the car through the corners. On highways, the Dzire feels more stable in the lot as there are no speed limit governing it and it is more powerful than the amaze whose speed is limited to 140kmph. The 15-inch alloy wheels provides better stability on the road as compared to other two. Amaze is the best in terms of safety as Honda provides ABS as a standard feature in all variants but we get Airbags in mid and top-end variants only. Xcent and the Dzire provides ABS and Airbags in top-end variants only.


3. Fuel Efficiency : The Dzire has a mileage of 13-14kmpl (city) & 17-20kmpl (highway), The Xcent has a mileage of 12-13kmpl (city) & 15-18kmpl (highway) and The Amaze has best-in-class mileage of 14-15kmpl (city) & 19-22kmpl (highway).

4. Price : Dzire range from Rs 6 Lakhs to Rs 7.82 Lakhs , Xcent range from Rs 5.87 Lakhs to Rs 7.75 Lakhs and Amaze range from Rs 6.21 Lakhs to Rs 8.21 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, New Delhi).







30 June 2015

carfeverindia


2015 Hyundai Elite i20 vs Honda Jazz :  Diesel Comparo

1. LOOKS : The Honda Jazz  impresses the public by its looks: angular design, smart muti-element grille, wide headlamps, wide windshield, strong character lines across the side and the angular taillamps with vertical reflectors. The proportion of metals used makes the tyre look under-sized. Whereas the i20 looks mature in terms of styling like the flat bonnet, large hexagonal grille that makes it attractive and wide headlights in the front. The black C-Pillars and slim taillamps makes it aggressive.

2. INTERIOR : i20's interior feels premium on the inside, fit and finish is also quite good like the plastic used inside and the controls on the dashboard and on the steering wheel is ergonomically placed. The Jazz's interior is also similar to the i20 but it provides touchscreen navigation system but it does not give you the feel of a premium hatch like we get in the i20. The plastic used are good but the glossy central panel that catches up fingerprints and looks shiny. The jazz has a lot of storage space like plenty of small spaces around the cabin, the bottleholders are smartly designed.It has amassive boot space of 354 litres as compared to i20's which has 285 litres of boot space. In the top end variant of Honda Jazz we get magical seats i.e. we can adjust the rear seats upto the floor level to get additional space. The rear seats can be split-up in many combinations as per our requirements. The front seat holds down flat to provide a business-class experience. Jazz's has colorful meters which lit day-night and changes color according to our driving style. 


3. FEATURES : If we talk about the top-end variants of both the cars then it provides bluetooth, AUX and USB ready audio systems with steering mounted audio and telephone controls. Automatic climate control where jazz uses a touchscreen system. We get push start/stop button on the i20 which is not seen on the Honda jazz.The i20 gets rear a/c vents with cooled glove box in the front but the Jazz lags behind. Jazz has much more legroom and headroom in the rear as compared to the i20. Jazz losses out the thigh support. In the i20 the rear seats are comfortable but placed lower towards the ground and it does not feel airy like in the back seats of the jazz.

4. ROAD TEST : Honda jazz is better insulated, engine feels more refined but we still hear the noise inside the cabin specially in the rear. Jazz has the same 1.5L i-DTEC engine that we see in Amaze, City and Mobilio. Honda jazz produces 98bhp @ 3600rpm and peak torque of 20.4kgm @ 1750rpm. It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The engine works well during city driving as well as highway driving. On the other hand, the i20 has 1.4L CRDi engine that makes 89bhp @ 4000rpm and peak torque of 22.4kgm @ 1500-2750rpm. The i20 has a much refined engine as compared to honda jazz. The engine is also much silent than the honda jazz. It is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Easy gearshifting makes the city drive a fun and it provides a lot of power after 1800rpm on the highways. The i20 covers 0-100kmph in 12.58 seconds slower than the Jazz which takes 12.33 seconds. The jazz feels more connected on the road during high speeds as compared to i20. Jazz's steering is much lighter and easy to drive in the city and on highways it is much more consistent and provides confidence to the driver when we go through the corners. Whereas the i20 does not feel much consistent on the highways. i20 provides tilt and telescopic steering adjustment whereas honda jazz provides only tilt steering adjustment.

5. MILEAGE : Honda Jazz claims a mileage of 27kmpl(highway) and 23.4kmpl(city) whereas the i20 claims a mileage of 22.5kmpl(highway) and 19.3kmpl(city).

6. PRICING :  Honda Jazz range from Rs 6.49 to Rs 8.59 Lakhs (Diesel) whereas the petrol variant range from Rs 5.3 to Rs 7.29 Lakhs and the Elite i20 range from Rs 6.42 to Rs 8.05 Lakhs (Diesel) and the petrol variant range from Rs 5.3 to Rs 6.93 Lakhs (Ex-Sowroom Price, New Delhi)



30 May 2015

carfeverindia

Honda city vs Hyundai Verna vs Maruti Ciaz : Which One To Buy

1. Looks: The hyundai verna has winged shaped radiator grille with chrome and projector headlamps with boomerang shaped fog lamps, 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels, at the rear we have new taillamps with LED effect with a conceiled exhaust. The maruti ciaz has a pleasing shape with projector headlamps, big taillamps similar to the honda city, 16-inch diamond cut alloy wheels.Ciaz is the longest and the widest among the three. The honda city has a 'H' design philosophy, front has a typical honda face with sharp headlamps and oversized grille. From the rear the car has been changed i.e. it looks wider.


2. Interior: Verna's design is same as before and the cabin is spacious and quality-wise it feels the best among the three. The seats are comfortable but the rear seats looses out the leg room when compared to the other two. Ciaz's cabin is airy and the quality is good. There is plenty of space for the rear passengers and the seats are also quite comfortable. City's interior has been made trendy as it looks from the outside with respect to the previous model but quality-wise it does not feel solid as compared to the other two. There is enough space in the front as well as in the rear which improves the legroom due to the extended wheelbase.

3. Features: We talk about the top models of all the three which includes a long list like steering controls, push button start-stop, auto climate control, visual auto functions and a rear view camera. The verna has additional features like cooled glove box, 1GB internal memory, auto headlamps and ergo lever. The ciaz has a touch screen navigation system whereas the city has an electric sunroof, cruise control and paddle shift gear. Both city and ciaz gets rear a/c vents while the verna has a powerful a/c in the front. In terms of safety, verna gets six airbags whereas both city and ciaz gets only two airbags.


4. Drive: The new verna has a widest range of engines to choose from: it has 1.4L and 1.6L petrol and diesel engines. The 1.6L diesel engine with 6-speed manual transmission feels the quickest as power delivery is smooth and the clutch is also light and power requirement is also segment best. The steering is too light but stability has been improved at high speeds. Maruti ciaz has 1.4L and 1.3L petrol and diesel engines.The ciaz's engine is refined and provides good ride quality. The diesel engine does not make noise and there is no turbo lag. Honda City has 1.5L petrol and diesel engines.The city has the best steering in the lot but looses out in terms of refinement and ride quality. The 1.5L diesel engine is quite impressive but not explosive as the verna. The Automatic Transmission is available in both petrol and diesel variants of the 4S Verna whereas in the city and ciaz we get automatic transmission in petrol variant only.

5. Efficiency:  Maruti ciaz is the most fuel efficient car with diesel engine having fuel economy of 26.2kmpl(highway) & 22.4kmpl(city) followed by honda city 26kmpl(highway) & 23kmpl(city) followed by hyundai verna 24.8kmpl(highway) & 20.8kmpl(city). Maruti ciaz is also the most fuel efficient car with petrol engine having fuel economy of 20.7kmpl(highway) & 15kmpl(city) followed by honda city 17.8kmpl(highway) & 14.3kmpl(city) followed by hyundai verna 17.4kmpl(highway) & 14.2kmpl(city).

6. Pricing: Maruti Ciaz range from Rs 7.2 - 10.3 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, Delhi), Honda City range from Rs 7.5 - 11.8 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, Delhi) and Hyundai Verna range from Rs 7.7 - 12.1 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, Delhi)

22 May 2015

carfeverindia

2015 Mini Cooper S Review:

German Car Manufacturer BMW has launched the all new Mini Cooper S which is available in both 3-door and 5-door options in the Indian Markets.It is built for young, enthusiast and thrill lovers.It is increased in length and width than the previous model.If we look inside the centre console,music system and all the switches are designed to be trendy rather than ergonomic.The giant centre console has been replaced by an even bigger music system that is easy to operate.The power window switches has moved to the doors and now it is much easier to understand its control functions.It still uses toggle switches for rest of the functions including the big red button for engine start/stop.The 3-door car has a second row which can be used for occupying additional space and it has a sufficient 210 litres of boot space.It has two airbags as a standard feature, ABS with EBD, hill control with hill assist, cruise control and ESP.



Now we will talk about it's performance. It has a new 2.0 litre in-line four cylinder engine with forced induction, now it has two turbochargers which manages to pump out 192PS and 280Nm of torque.It uses the 6-speed automatic transmssion that is not the quickest but well enough in the Sports mode.It reaches 0-100kmph in just 6.7 seconds as it is built for city driving as well.There is no turbo lag makes a huge difference,the peak torque delivery begins at 1250rpm and the power is linear all the way to the red line at 6500rpm.



The new Mini Cooper S is an all wheel drive car which has a lot of power and looks attractive as well.The steering wheel, the engine and it's wheels are very quick and responsive according to the needs of the driver.The car turns rapidly during a sporty ride i.e. driving in a zig-zag way.It is the best premium hatchback in terms of ride and quality available in the country but it lags behind in terms of space, comfort, feature-rich or even economical as compared to its competitors present in the Indian and Global Markets.

The company has priced the Mini Cooper S at Rs 34.65 Lakhs(Ex-Showroom, Delhi)