Honda VTEC Review
Honda has finally launched the City with a VTEC heart, much to the enthusiast’s delight. The City’s revised looks now make it appear as if the car sits lower than the tall looking pre-face lift model.The reason for the same is increase in the car’s length, together with a higher bonnet design, all of which contribute towards making the car look broader than the earlier variant. The boot space too is increased to 500 liters. The 1.5-liter VTEC meanwhile is a different engine than the available on the older City VTEC. Besides being lighter and more
compact that the older engine, the new VTEC produces lesser horsepower at lesser rpm as well – 100PS at 5800rpm against 107 PS at closer to 7000rpm produced by the former. The new VTEC therefore, is expected to be an equally good low-and mid-range performer, as i-DSI The VTEC will sport fogs lamps at both front and rear, besides disc brakes at the rear. Other features include, an opititron meter and a self illuminating high visibility instrument panel. The revised looks have been carried over to the complete range, coupled with a slight increase in prices.
Ford’s Fiesta comparison
FORD has taken the wraps off its much talked about mid-sized sedan. The car, christened the Fiesta, is an all-new model designed and developed ground up, the Fiesta Will enthrall buyers with its outstanding driver dynamics, interior comfort, refinement and class leading fuel economy. The Fiesta which will be positioned as an upper C-segment offering competing against the likes of the Honda City and the Chevrolet Optra, will be available in both petrol and diesel variants. The former will be the 100PS 1.6 Duratec petrol engine which also does duty on the Fusion. The oil burner meanwhile, will displace 1.4 litres and will sport third generation common rail technology. The choice of a diesel engine is what will set the Fiesta apart form the current crop of cars, feel industry observers. The new TDCi unit which has already raised a lot of expectations, might make its way into the Ikon’s engine bay as well.
Maruti updates
I have come up with new updates of Maruti. Maruti’s forgotten child, the Baleno has finally got some attention firm their design and marketing men. Unlike any of the other ‘refresher courses’ meted out to their range, the Baleno gets marginal and nearly not noticeable exterior changes. The tail lamps get crystal lens treatment while the VXi gets new 14″ alloys and much wanted fatter rubber. Widely regarded by many tyre-fitters as the right combination between ride, grip and handling, the 185/65 R 14 tyres give the car much needed shoes to go with the gem of an engine. The interiors in the Vxi receive a new MP3 CD player from Ken wood and a welcome addition, a climate control system that is also found on the cheaper Swift ZXi. While all these changes are much appreciated, we hope that Maruti should take the opportunity to give the car the much needed push it deserves.
Nissa Pivo
Nissan has developed a concept car featuring an egg-shaped cabin atop a wheeled platform that can swivel 360 degrees, doing away with the need to reverse when emerging from narrow spaces. With this feature, parking in tight spots is a cinch. To be simple it is of a bubble-shaped, three-seater electric car.The car, named Pivo after the word ‘pivot’, operates on an experimental system called drive-by-wire, which eliminates the mechanical linkages between cabin and chassis t enable steering, braking and shifting through electronic signals. The system is the car’s version of fly-by-wire technology, which has controlled commercial jets for more than a decade. Other auto manufacturers such as General Motors Corporation and Daimler Chrysler AG have also developed drive-by-wire concept cars featuring cabin interiors that resemble cockpits.
Yugo rides again – as Fiat
The scramble of car manufacturers to get a foothold in the low-wage countr5ies of Eastern Europe has almost come to an end but there is one old Communist factory still ripe for development : Zastava. This was the national car company of Yugoslavia until the break-up of that country and now falls in Serbia. Zastava was established in 1950s to produce Yugo versions of Fiats, which were sold in western markets at rock-bottom prices. That was just as well because the quality was appalling. Recently the factory has been bombed by NATO forces but managed to resume production of the old model Fiat Paunto. The Serbian government made it clear that it was looking for a foreign investor to take over the factory in Kragujevac. Volkswagen showed interest but the Serb’s orginal collaborator Fiat seems more likely to make a deal. On 30 April, Fiat signed a memorandum of understanding with the Serbian government to acquire the Zastava business