Car Thrills
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At this page you will see posts on many cars, my personal Experience and ownership reviews
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Friday, December 4, 2020
TATA Harrier sales up by 170 %
Tata Harrier stars with a price tag of 13.84 Lakhs ( ex-showroom ) to 20.30 lakhs. Harrier rivals MG hector, Mahindra Xuv 500, Jeep Compass, Hyundia Creta, Nissan Kicks , Renault Duster etc.
Saturday, September 12, 2020
Verna is a value for money deal if you can't afford a City
The Hyundai Verna got its facelift recently and it was heavily updated but after some time it’s so called rival the Honda City has introduced its new generation too. Most of the buyers regard the city as a better car for decades now. But when I was going through the brochure of the Verna and saw the pricelist of both of the cars, I realized that if someone can’t afford a Honda city then going for a Verna is surprisingly good. The base variant S/S+ and the 2nd base variant SX have a price tag less than the base variant of the Honda city and seem to be offering good packages. The other two variants don’t really seem to be value for money packages. We will talk about them at the end, now let’s focus on why the base two variants are really practical and value for money
Base variant (S/S+)
For the base variant the starting price is 9.3 lacs ex showroom Delhi, and in this price you will get practical features like dual airbags, day-night mirror, speed sensing auto door lock and impact sensing unlock, keyless entry, seatbelt pretensioners for driver and co driver, dual horn, power windows (dr. side auto down), Manual AC with eco coating technology, rear AC vents, emergency stop signal, cooled glovebox, tilt steering, front and rear USB charger, electrically adjustable orvm, steering mounted audio, Bluetooth and trip meter controls, gear shift indicator, front adjustable headrests, central armrest with storage, rear armrest with cup-holders, a 8 inch touchscreen infotainment system along with Arkamys premium sound system with apple carplay and android auto . So if you are thinking of buying the base variant of the Verna then you will have a lot of useful and practical features. Base variants in this price range, don’t come with luxuries usually and Verna is not an exception but just in case if you want to buy a mid size sedan then as a base model, it doesn’t disappoint you.
SX (2nd base variant)
Now let’s talk about the 2nd base variant which has a starting price tag of 10.7 lacs (ex showroom Delhi). This one also has quite good package to offer. At a price increment of 1.4 lacs from its previous variant, it will have cornering projector headlamps, LED DRLs, 16” alloys, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear knob, electric sunroof, push start/stop button, driver side auto up/down power windows, auto AC, wireless phone charger, driver rear view monitor, cruise control, electric folding ORVMs, rear parking camera, projector front fog lamps, electro-chromic mirrors, auto headlamps, smart key, rear defogger with timer, height adjustable front seatbelts and driver seat, digital instrument cluster, front tweeters etc. Some features like telescopic steering adjustment, adjustable rear headrests should have been included in this variant but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Still it’s a good option.
The other two variants SX(O) and SX(O) Turbo
Well, when I went through the brochure, I noticed that the upper two variants SX(O) and turbo doesn’t seem that much value for money. Most probably buyers will prefer to go for the Honda City at that price. But still if we talk about the 2nd top variant SX(O) which has a 1.9 lacs price increment(starting price: 12.6 lacs) over the previous one, it adds on some features like full LED headlamps, Diamond cut alloys, telescopic steering, ventilated seats, adjustable rear headrests, leather upholstery, connected car technology and as safety you get ESC (Electronic Stability Control), VSM (Vehicle Stability Management), HAC (Hill start Assist Control), TPMS (Tyre Pressure Monitoring System) and 6 airbags. Doesn’t seems to be a great deal if you look at the price increment. Same case for the top variant SX(O)turbo which comes with four disc brakes, front parking sensors, a DCT gearbox with paddle shifters, twin tip muffler and some changes in looks than the other variants at a price tag of 13.99 lacs (increment of 1.39 lacs over SX(O)). And yes it has got a 1 litre turbocharged engine that is significantly smaller than the 1.5 litre NA engine provided in the other variants. Maybe Hyundai could have installed the 1.4 litre turbocharged engine which is available in the Creta, to make the turbo Verna a super hot sedan in the market right now. Doesn’t feel like a good gig to me. Things could have been better in the top variants. What do you think?
Friday, September 4, 2020
Tata Altroz : Do the optional packages confuse the buyers? Here's a quick look
Tata is focusing on the safety and build quality of their current lineup of non-commercial vehicles and the newly added mid-size hatchback Altroz is one of their flagship products. It has got a 5 star safety rating by the Global NCAP but the fact is that safety is one of the most important characteristics of a car but it’s not the only important feature. So here in this article we will figure out which variant of the Tata Altroz makes sense to buy and does safety come with enough practicality in competitive prices?
But before we begin there are a few informations you should know about the Altroz. Firstly, it is currently the only mid-size hatchback that is available in both petrol and diesel engines but unfortunately it offers no automatic transmission options. Secondly, Tata offers some packages with selected variants so that buyers don’t need to go for the upper variants just for a few features they need in the lower variants. So keep patience as there are 5 variants and 4 different packages, it will be a long article. Now let’s get going-
Base variant XE MT Petrol Price: ₹ 5,44,000
In this entry level variant you will get practical and convenient features like umbrella holder in front doors, driver foot rest, two drive modes- Eco and City, central locking, front power windows, adjustable front seat headrests and front power outlet . There’s a lot of safety stuffs too like ABS with EBD and corner stability control, ISOFIX child seat anchorage, seatbelt reminder, immobilizer, drive away locking, high speed and seatbelt alert, auto door lock if no entry for 30 sec and impact sensing auto door unlock, child lock in rear doors, electric power assisted collapsible steering and front seatbelts with load limiter. As you can see regardless of being a base variant Tata has poured a lot of safety stuff in it along with adequate practical features for this price. So if someone is looking for a cheap and safe hatchback of this size then this is the one to go for or Ford Trio - Figo, Freestyle and Aspire (ignore Swift and baleno here because they are not safe :-P).
With Rhythm pack XE is better
Well, most of the customers of base variant install aftermarket music systems after buying the car but here you can go for the Rhythm pack by paying 26k extra as it adds on Harman Kardon infotainment system with 4 speakers along with remote key and dual tone horn. So it is good to buy the XE variant but it is just a better decision to add the Rhythm pack.
XM MT Petrol Price: ₹ 6,30,000 lacs
This is probably the worst and useless variant of Altroz as in this variant the price hikes to a whooping 86k over the previous one and in that increment you will just get rear parcel tray, Harman’s infotainment system but with only 2 speakers, all power windows, electrically adjustable and auto fold ORVMs and half wheel covers!
We don’t really understand how is it possible to create this type of dumb feature distribution with a good car!!
Packages with XM
You can opt for the Rhythm pack by for extra 39k in this variant which provides a 7 inch touchscreen infotainment from Harman with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters, steering mounted controls, reverse parking camera, remote key and dual tone horn. You can also opt for the style package which costs 34k extra and includes black contrast roof, body colored ORVMs, 16” wheels, front and rear fog lamps and DRLs.
To be honest, if you look at the packages and the variant itself, you will find that at least half of the features of these two packages could have been included in the main variant. Unfortunately that didn’t happen and this variant along with its packages do not seem to be a good deal if you are looking for a value for money deal.
XT Petrol MT Price: ₹ 6,99,000
Well in this variant you have to pay 69k over the last variant which will add on LED DRLs, Full wheel covers, 15 litre cooled glovebox with illumination, reverse parking camera with dynamic guideways, voice alerts, front fog lamps with cornering function, anti glare IRVM, perimetric alarm system, dual horn, 7” dashtop touchscreen infotainment by Harman with 4 speakers and 2 tweeters, fast USB charger, steering mounted infotainment controls, apple carplay and android auto, idle start stop function, cruise control, remote keyless entry, automatic AC, follow me home and find me function in headlamps etc.
At this price point it comes loaded with practical and convenient features. But I wish they had provided rear defogger and heignt adjustable driver seat in this variant which would make this variant the most practical yet value for money buy of its line up. It is a value for money variant but maybe it is not enough practical for a lot of people. So if it fulfills your needs then you should go for it.
Packages with XT
XT comes with a package called Luxe and it costs 38k in which it adds 16” wheels, black roof and body coloured ORVMs, rear fog lamp, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, 16” wheels, height adjustable driver seat, rear armrest and metal finish inner door handles. I realized that it is better to avoid this package and buy the top variant which comes with more practicality and premium features and costs just 12k more than this package.
Top variant XZ Petrol MT Price : ₹ 7,49,000
At a price hike of 50k over the last variant, you will find some really practical additions like dual chamber projector headlamps, 16” dual tone alloy wheels, 7 inch TFT digital instrument cluster, retractable tray in glove box, sunglass holder, rear fog lamps and defogger, height adjustable front seat belts and driver seat, wearable key, one shot auto down driver window, rear adjustable headrests, rear AC vents, front sliding armrest with storage, rear seat armrest, steering mounted instrument cluster control, front and rear power outlet etc. You will also find some premium features like auto headlamps, rain sensing front wipers, leather wrapped steering wheel and gear lever, metal inside door handles and piano black ORVMs with chrome accent etc.
This variant is the most value for money variant of the Tata Altroz. It is indeed the best one to buy if you have no budget barrier and just need a proper premium midsize hatchback.
Packages with XZ
There is one package called Urban which costs 30k and includes black roof, body coloured ORVMs and exterior colour co-ordinate interiors. You can also opt for the black roof option separately by paying 16k with the XZ variant (Tata calls it XZ optional). These packages only provide cosmetic additions so it is the your personal preference whether you will buy them or not.
Conclusion
Basically all the variants of the Tata Altroz are value for money offerings from the maker except the XM variant and all its add on packages. It's lineup satisfies mostly all kind of budget with adequate features. So if you want a new hatchback, then go and experience it. Just remember to avoid the XM variant.
Monday, August 24, 2020
Without this you can't Renew Motor Insurance
The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDAI) on Friday and issued a new circular saying Insurance companies to not renew Motor Insurance without a valid pollution control (PUC) certificate for the vehicle
Interestingly, in July 2018, the Supreme Court had first issued directions in this regard instructing all insurance companies to not issue an insurance policy for a vehicle unless the owner furnishes pollution under control certificate for it. Clearly, this order by the honorable Supreme Court was not complied with, thus necessitating the new order by IRDAI.
What is PUC certificate?
It is a certificate that vets that the emissions passed from
vehicles meets the pollution control standards. The pollution
standards/emission levels are fixed for all types of motor vehicles in
India. Once a vehicle undergoes a PUC test successfully, a certificate
is provided to vehicle owner. Therefore, with the help of the
certification, you get to know that your vehicle’s emissions are in
alignment with standard pollution norms and are not harmful to the
environment.
- Certificate of insurance;
- Certificate of registration;
- Pollution under control certificate;
- Driving licence;
Monday, May 18, 2020
Nexon Ownership review - Was Nexon a mistake ?
Was Nexon a mistake?
Tata Nexon ownership review
In today's world everyone wants SUV. In the price range of 10-15 lakhs, compact SUVs rocks. When you will ask people around, they will say go for Maruti Suzuki Brezza. YouTubers say to go with Ford ecosport or Tata Nexon. Well, I was also in the same kind of situation. My budget was of around 13 lakhs and I was The production-ready model was shown in 2016. It is based on the X1
platform as same as of indicas' but with modifications. Engines are made
by Tata Motors and AVL, an Austrian engineering company.It is Tata's first and only crossover SUV to date this article is written.
Many people want to buy a Tata car because of their value for many and safety characteristics but as you would have heard this proverb "The past is the past, you can't change it", the same thingalmost confused about what to buy. Ford ecosport's clutch was heavy for me. I went to the Tata showroom and took a test drive of diesel manual, without having a second choice I booked it, and the next day it was in my garage. Now you all will think why I didn't buy Brezza? Brezza's interior quality was equivalent to my decade-old Maruti Suzuki Ritz Lxi ( sold now ). And neither me nor my dad is a great fan of Maruti Suzuki's car. It was all happiness around, I booked my on 31st of December 2018 and got delivery on the 2nd of Jan. After using it for around a year, we have clocked around 23k Kms. And now I can confidently tell the positives and negatives of this car, so without wasting any time lets go.
Before starting, if you are bored sitting at home join amazon prime now to spend lockdown time.
Well let's talk about some sour things i.e NEGATIVES
1. NVH level-
My Nexon is a diesel manual and it so noisy that it can be irritating sometimes. Thought after playing some music and turning on the air conditioner, it won't be an issue.2. A and C pillars-
A and C pillars are so huge that it will be very difficult to park in a tight spot. It can be a difficult task to drive around cities full of traffic. I drove this car in Mumbai and Delhi. A pillar is a big blind spot and c pillar too.3. Front seat Comfort -
We went Mumbai-Delhi twice , it is not at all comfortable for front-seat passengers.4. Headlights-
Headlights are not so powerful, I have upgraded it with HID and LEDs. Don't do it as it may risk your car's warranty.5. Touchscreen-
This touchscreen is too laggy, sometimes it won't even respond to your touch.6. Steering Rod-
The steering rod and the clutch pedal is too close, which makes it sometimes uneasy.7. Dead Pedal -
Dead pedal is of almost no use as it is very near to the clutch.8. Gear Shifting-
Gear shifting is not smooth, you will have to put some effort to slot the gear in.9. Visiting service center-
In 23k km, I have visited the Service center almost 23 times. Sometimes any software issue, some time and suspension problem, sometimes they won't do service properly.1. Road presence-
4. Clutch-
Clutch is very light comparing to ecosport. It won't make you feel that you are driving a diesel car.5. Steering-
Steering feel's very enthusiastic around the corners, it is not better than ecosport but not less than it. It weighs perfectly on highways.6. Mileage-
Mileage is decent considering more of city use.7. Rear Seat-
Rear seat space is better than of ecosport and xuv3008. Features-
This car is feature-loaded, like cornering foglamps, voice commands, follow me home headlamps, voice alerts, etc.9. Service cost-
Service cost is economical, around 4-6k INR.
10. Saftey-
Saturday, May 2, 2020
5 Best Concept Cars of Indian Manufacturers
Hello ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my new article. In this article we will be talking about 5 Best concept cars of Indian manufacturers
The first question will come to your mind that what is concept cars? Well here is the explanation-
Concept car is a concept or prototype made to represent new designs, platforms, and technology. These cars never go under production directly as keeping practicality, safety, and other few things in mind.
Thursday, April 16, 2020
5 reasons why Tiago is best
Tata Tiago is an entry-level hatchback from Tata Motors. Tiago has achieved a special place in people's hearts. Based on Tata's platform X1 the same chassis as of older tata cars but with heavy modifications. In this article I will be telling you about 5 reasons why Tiago is the best car to buy in the segment.
1.Safety
As per seeing the number of accidents increasing day by day people need a safe car to travel in. Many people say that safety depends on driving well you can't predict there are infinite ways your car could end up and so can you. Seeing this thing, Tata made Tiago very strong. It scored 4 Stars in Global Ncap whereas none of its competitor cars are near it. Safety features such as dual airbags, ABS, EBD, Follow Me Home Headlamps, Rear Camera, Anti-Theft Device, Speed Alert, Speed Sensing Auto Door Lock, Corner stability control, etc
2. Excellent Music system
Everyone loves driving around with good music which makes them enjoy their driving. But what if your car's music system is not up to the mark? Well, that's not the case with Tata Tiago. Tata has offered 4speakers and 4 tweeters sound system from Harman Kardon, the same brand which comes in Mercedes and BMWs
System will easily go near full volume with any audio quality issues though you would never need to turn full volume. Bass is perfect. You will easily feel the base in your body.
3.Interiors
Everyone loves to be in a very comfortable and good looking place. Tiago is there for you my buddy
This interior seems to be awesome looking. The flat-bottom steering wheel is icing over the cake. All digital instrument cluster is adorable. The same cluster can be seen in Tigor and Nexon.
3. Space
Tata knows we Indians love more storage spaces. Tiago got many practical storage spaces. 22 to be precise
4. High-speed stability
In my last post as I said I can't comment on high-speed stability as we never took it to. But now we did one of our friend's Tiago. Believe me guys this car feels very confident at high speed such as over 130kmph where most of its competitors can't touch this speed if they don't have a 'khatron Ke Khiladi' driver.
Thanks to the chassis.
5.Price
As we all know Tata is known for its value for money products, here also the game is the same. Tiago stars with a price tag of 4.6lakhs INR to 6.6lakhsINR. Features you are getting such as touch-screen, auto-folding wing mirrors, automatic air conditioner etc worth for this price. The most important thing is the safety of your loved ones. No car in its segment is above 2-Stars of global NCAP whereas Tiago scored 4-stars which is as same as of premium hatchback Volkswagen Polo.
Thanks everyone for reading my article. Let the haters it me.
Shaurya Sharma, Author
Wednesday, April 15, 2020
Why Nexon is the Best Compact SUV
1. Price-
2. Ground Clearance-
3. Posh Interior
4. Audio System
5.Space
6. Design
7.Punchy Petrol Engine
Monday, April 13, 2020
Honda City- The legendary Car!
First Generation City 1998-2003
First-gen city was out on sale from 1998-2003. It was available with 2 engines1.3L and 1.5L, no diesel unit was available. In 2000 Honda launched Legendary Vtec engine producing whopping 106bhp. This much power is still cant be seen in many cars in India in today's date, think about that time. It was incredibly popular among youths and car geeks. People even in 2020 is mad for this beast. This particular city can be seen in many local rallies around the country. Honda sold 59,378 units of this generation city.
Second Gen City 2003-2008
1,77,42 units of this generation.
Third Generation of City 2008-2014
As always Honda does, 3rd generation city came with an all-new look. It came with abs and airbags standard. This time Honda increased the power. The same vtec engine was now producing 117bhp. This was an overall good package with superb power, space, comfort, efficient and adorable looks.This generation got a mid-life facelift offering segment-first Sunroof and an AVN system (Audio Video Navigation). Honda sold more than 1,92,939 models of this generation.
Fourth-generation city 2014-2020
As the city was among the first of Indian Buyers, it was losing some sales because of the absence of diesel motor. 2014, again Honda launched the new generation of its legendary car. Diesel motor was launched. This time to looks was absolutely different. The city even got a new CVT gearbox which was more efficient than the manual variant. Though fun is in manual Vtec only. In 2016, the Isofix child seat was also added.While in 2017, City got a mid-life facelift with new drls as standard and new alloys, new model, 6 airbags and a 20th-anniversary edition.
Fifth-generation of city 2020- unknown
Thursday, April 9, 2020
Tata Tiago Automatic - The Untold Truth Personal Experience And Ownership Review
As an Indian buyer usually do, I also went to youtube for search. I found Tiago XZA (automatic version ) appealing. Without spending any time, me and my dad went to Tata Dealership. We booked a grey color Tiago XZA nov-18 model as we were getting a 50k discount also. Ok before you will go and comment that " you are a car enthusiast you should be knowing that amts are bad " Me and my dad took a test drive of Tiago XZA and found no issues at all! It was running pretty good considering its price. After the test drive, we continued further procedure and paid a final amount of 6.52 lakhs INR. We were happy, one new member in our garage. Mr. Yuvraj Singh Paygude, CRM of Bafna motors, Tathawade, Pune was very helpful to us. Thanks sir for your support.
That happiness of a new car was on our mind for more than a month as it is common for every Indian buyer. They neglect any issues in new cars as they got one thing in their mind fitter "its a new car, so no issues." Two months gone, even Tiago didn't give many issues to us. But one day on an incline what we noticed our car was going back despite being automatic it was going back. Maybe we got a taste of good automatics that was the reason for it. But it was not the only issue. Sometimes car was not giving proper throttle response. For eg. in 25% throttle car should only 25% throttle response but it was sometimes giving 0% response and sometimes 100% response. This was the serious one. Took car to Tata Authorised service center for more than 20 times, changed fuel pump, ECU update accelerator pedal position sensor replacement. Nothing worked out. Believe me, I never took that car on freeways/highways. Reason, it was not at all fun to drive. I was afraid what if I am in the middle of overtaking and suddenly there is a power drop...it can be deadly. What I understood that this thing is having a gearbox issue. But wait my friend, this is not the only issue. That 1.2 L engine sucks at driving. I was getting mileage return of 11kmpl. Polo GT TSI gives better fuel economy. Refinement is NOT AT ALL present. Vibration in a car is of another level though vibrations are not there every time. As I already mentioned gearbox is the lowest quality possible. Every time you will jerks. I was wondering why there was not such an issue in Test Drive car? Well, this is still a mystery. After getting frustrated, we finally sold it for 1lakh loss. This was my experience with Tiago. One thing worth mentioning here
Now let us talk about some pros and cons-
Sweet thing first, so Pros are-
1. Segment best audio system- Stock audio system will AMAZE you in its sound quality. 4 speakers and 4 tweeters did a great job in Tiago.
2. Driving comfort - Steering is feather-lite! You will never feel tired. Never took Tiago to high speed so can't comment on high-speed stability.
3. Boot space - Boot space is enough if you want to travel in the city only.
4. Build quality - Build quality is superb. Once a honda city rammed my Tiago in the parking spot, nothing happened just bumper lock got broke.
Now its turn of Cons-
1. AT gearbox- As this whole blog is on account of my personal experience, the automatic gearbox is of the worst quality possible.
2.Space - Rear space is not good. It is fine for two people. Legroom is good, under-thigh support is not at all present, Tall people will face brushing of their hair.
3.Refinement- The petrol engine is not refined. It sounds like a remote control car. Vibrations are around the corner when idle.
These are the pros and cons I felt. I would suggest you instead of taking a demo of the test drive car, see your car and drive it a bit in a safe area. This is my experience with the Tata Motors flagship car TIAGO. I hope you liked you. Please don't forget to share and comment.
Thanks for reading
Shaurya Sharma, Author
Wednesday, April 8, 2020
5 Ignored Cars Of India in 2019
1. Mahindra Alturas G4- On 24 November 2018, M&M launched a rebadged version of second-gen Rexton.