Honda Civic Review by CarSingh.com

The day finally arrived for me to test drive the Honda Civic 1.8v MT. When I had a glance of the car the first things that strikes on mind was advanced technology, plush interiors, stylish look and an exhilarating drive - this is what Honda Civic offers you. The automobile is loaded with advanced safety features and offers value for money, with its superior performance and fuel economy. The Civic places itself in the entry-level D Segment and competes with Toyota Corolla and the Skoda Octavia.
I was all set to test drive a Black Pearl Civic 1.8 V MT .

Engine:
With its peppy engine and buttery smooth transmission, the Honda Civic comes with a high-tech and revolutionary 1.8L inline-4 engine that cranks out 130 bhp at 6,300 rpm and a peak torque of 172 Nm is achieved at 4,300 rpm. The incorporation of variable timing control for the single overhead cam enhances engine performance at high speed. The all-aluminum engine is ultra smooth and almost silent at low revs. Equipped with the 5-speed manual or an optional automatic (1.8V variant only), the Civic is quick. The 1.8L SOHC i-VTEC technology of the engine is coupled with Drive-by-wire Throttle System that ensures high efficiency.

Build and Styling:
According to me, the grandeur of Honda Civic is purely reflected in its looks. The kick-up eye shaped headlamps leave a sharp impression. The car's front grille, with the symbol of Honda imposed on it, looks classy. Adding to the impressive frontage are clear lens fog lamps, body colored mirror, front and rear bumpers, and door handles. Honda Civic ensures that a family of five members enjoys a comfortable ride in the sedan. All this makes the Civic look a lot more sporty and lively compared to the Skoda Laura in my opinion.
Interiors:
When I saw the interiors of the car I was very impressed. The cockpit style dash is really impressive and practical. The glove box has a handle on the right that makes it convenient for the driver. Dual Airbags, ABS with EBD and Brake Assist, Automatic Climate Control, 6-CD integrated Audio with 6 speakers, leather seats, an out-of-the-world dashboard among other minor things like electrically retractable ORVMs, integrated turn-indicators make the civic a dream car. There is absolutely no complaint about the head space, leg space in front and rear. The Digital speedometer of the car is eye catching.

Ride and Handling:
I was very satisfied with the ride; it was a very smooth and comfortable drive both on the highway and in the city as well. The organ-type accelerator pedal of Honda Civic minimizes effort and gives a good feel while operating it. A stable ride at high speeds is offered by double-wishbone suspension in the rear and McPherson strut suspension at the front. The Height adjustable driver's seat and three-spoke steering wheel gave me an overwhelming comfort while driving the Honda Civic.

Safety:
With the Anti Brake locking System (ABS) of Honda Civic we can avoid skidding and preventing locking of wheels, when brakes are applied on slippery roads This feature made me acquire full control over the car. In addition to this, the Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) distributes braking force between the front and rear wheels. Adding to the safety of the driver and co-driver are the dual front SRS air bags, which automatically deploy in the event of sudden collisions. But when we compare the safety of Civic to the safety in Laura, the later definitely has a upper edge. The Laura features six airbags against two offered in the Civic which makes the Skoda boast a better safety quotient.
Fuel Economy:
With the new i-VTEC engine the fuel efficiency is improved and I found that the Civic gives mileage of 9.2 kmpl in the city and around 13 kmpl on the highway.
Variants, Price And Color:
The Honda Civic comes in these colors- Misty Violet, Carbon Bronze Pearl, Alabaster Silver, Bluish Silver, Habanero Red, Taffeta White and Black Pearl.

Honda Civic is available in 3 variants

Honda Civic 1.8S MT –Rs.14,24,670 (On Road - Bangalore)
Honda Civic 1.8V AT –Rs.16,06,601 (On Road - Bangalore)
Honda Civic 1.8V MT- Rs.15,19,853 (On Road - Bangalore)


Honda Civic has futuristic sporty styling, roomy interiors and is a high performance power train but then while test driving I felt that needs frequent downshifts at low speed and also has less ground clearance and the car feels Delicate compared to the Skoda Laura
My verdict on this car:
It is a head turner for sure. What looks like a demure cat easily turns into a beast if you wish it to. The car will get you noticed as you arrive in style!
(Thanks to Vinay for his contribution)

Toyota Corolla Altis Review by CarSingh.com

Corolla Altis is another kid of most reputed family in the world called TOYOTA. Everyone blindly trusts in this family and they always deliver the best to the world. Toyota Corolla Altis is one of the most reliable cars running in Indian roads. It’s having a style, luxury and comfort. You really feel richer when you hold the steering or sit on the rear seat.

Corolla Altis is having a bold and sophisticated body style. It designed in a way so it gives more upper class look. It’s aerodynamic and advance design doesn’t let you to take your eyes off. Headlamps are very classic and well integrated in the body. Headlamp washer is another good feature. I was trying to use it but there was no water in my testing car Altis. Corolla Altis grills almost same as you will get in Camry and it makes car little bigger. But I have no issue with this look.



Interior is very wide and spacious. It gives enough leg and head room for driver and passengers. I really like the curved style centre console design and silver finishing edge that gives an up market feeling. Tiltable Steering wheel is well designed with audio control on it. Toyota also added the cruise control in it for more comfort driving. The only thing I don’t like in interiors is the quality of wood used. Wood finishing looks little cheap and fake. It has inbuilt 6 CD changer music system with remote control. Seats are really very comfortable and electric adjustable. It has lot of small storage space like 2 layer glove box and armrest that opens in two layers. Gear box feels glossy and decent.



Corolla Altis is powered by a good engine; it is 16 valve 1794 cc VVTi (Variable Valve Timing) that generates 132PS. This engine is old corolla engine and I hope from the next model they bring the new one as they are giving in other new Corolla’s. Still performance and efficiency is unmatched. This car cruises gently and delivers excellent performance. It give close to 12.2 kmpl in city and 19.1 kmpl in highway. Indian customers always look for efficiency and reliability and this car delivers both.

Ride and handling is very good and you can still feel small bumps in Indian roads. This car is having excellent safety features as well. It comes with front dual SRS airbags for extra safety. ABS with EBD gives a smooth stopping in case of sudden braking.

Price tag is also very reasonable around 12.79 lakh for Toyota Corolla Altis 1.8 VL. I think it’s more suitable for mature car buyer.

New Honda City Review by CarSingh.com

Finally I got a chance to take a ride of new Honda City iVTEC. I drove other Honda cars before and they never disappointed me. With great hopes I started the ride in 4 lane highway of Mysore Road. This Honda City with iVTEC technology engine gives it more muscle than the prior models. Let me tell you some facts about this nice car:

Looks:
The new Honda city has a very stylish and classy look.Although, a lot of people love the older city, with its sedate 20th century grand old dame saloon look, I prefer this because it looks more aerodynamic and an Integrated engine with ZX series. The Headlights are also very elegant and crystal clear.

Space and Comfort:
The comfort is just fantastic! There is lots of leg room in the front and rear seats. I feel that the comfort and space is good as it is in Skoda Octavia and we get it for 5 lakh lesser too. There is more than enough space for 5 and maybe a child squeezed in too. In my opinion compared to the old Honda City this flavor is roomy and very comfortable. The headspace is good enough for a 6ft tall person. And now coming to the Dashboard, it is packed with advanced looking Instrumental Panel with classy looks. In short I can say you will love it in first sight.

Mileage:
With the new i-VTEC Engine the fuel efficiency is improved compared to the earlier VTEC engine and the car gives an average mileage of 14 km per litre on roads and roughly 17 km per litre on highways which I feel is very nice in its class.

Power and Engine:
The New Honda City is equipped with a well refined 1.5L, 1497cc, 4 cylinder i-VTEC petrol engine with the 5-speed manual transmission gearbox and produces power 118 PS @ 6600rpm. On the other hand it delivers a torque of 146Nm at the rate of 4800 rpm.The i-VTEC Engine provides superior efficiency of the car. The Engine noise can hardly be heard when the motor runs which tells us that the Engine is designed nicely.

Pick Up:
When I test drove the car the drive was so smooth and the pick up was just awesome. It took around 11 seconds for 0-100kmph and the top speed is around 172kmph

Handling and Safety:
The handling of Honda cars is one of the best I have ever felt. With the ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) and EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) technologies, instant braking has a good safety. The basic model of the car also has 2 Airbags for safety .The car provides a decent ride on Indian roads

Stereo System:

The New Honda City comes with an improvised Music System compared to the older version. It has a Integrated Audio system with attachments provided for iPod,Mp3 player, USB etc. and the BASS effect is really good.

Honda City iVTEC MT got an ex-showroom price tag of 8.50 Lakh in Bangalore city. With this price tag city is giving you every thing – performance, comfort, style and safety.
While there is always room for improvement, the car does not disappoint in any aspect.

Honda City comes with two variants:

Honda City 1.5 S MT:
This variant of Honda City offers some additional features in comparison to base variants (discontinued 3 months back) that are – Steering wheel adjust (REACH), Remote locking, Driver seat height adjust etc.
Price – Rs. 10,06,466 (On Road in Bangalore)
Honda City 1.5 S AT:
This variant of Honda City offers same features that Honda city 1.5 S MT carries only the difference is that, it comes with Automatic transmission option with Paddle Shift.
Price – Rs. 10,90,739 (On Road in Bangalore)

Maruti Estilo Launched in New Delhi

Maruti Suzuki India Limited launched the Estilo with all-new overall looks and advanced technological features. The bolder new Estilo is designed to meet the aspirations of the Indian customer, is a heady-mix of sculpted features, bold designs, new exciting colors like dusky brown, quantum orange and superior white.

The new Estilo equipped with a new engine and a transmission system. It has a popular 998cc K-series engine, the Estilo delivers a superior fuel efficiency of 18.2 kmpl (ARAI test results). This BSIV compliant engine makes the Estilo the second car in Maruti Suzuki stable that meets the BSIV norms. The New Estilo comes with a new efficient transmission technology and advanced 'Detent pin' gear shift mechanism that provides a smooth and precise gear shift feeling.

It comes in four variant LX, LXi, VXi and VXi with ABS. the basic model LX is available at the price tag of Rs. 3,19,142 (ex-showroom, Bangalore) and top end variant VXi with ABS cost Rs. 3,96,400 (ex-showroom, Bangalore).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Shinzo Nakanishi, Managing Director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki India Limited said, "The new Estilo, with a new technology engine and a new transmission, is sure to delight the customer. We are confident that the new Estilo with its bolder new design and interiors will add to the competitive edge of Maruti Suzuki in compact car segment."

The new Estilo flaunts expressive, bold frontline looks owing to new swept-back headlamps, dynamic front and rear bumpers, sculpted fog lamp surrounds and a new hood design with crease lines. The rich chrome detailing in the grille and the stylish wheel covers add to the premium feel. The side door mouldings and ORVM's have been given a new design to add to the bold looks.

The interiors of the new Estilo have been done up in a posh-looking two-tone beige/chocolate brown complimentary combination, which adds to the refreshing feel inside the vehicle. The seat-covers, embossed with new organically designed geometric patterns heighten the posh looks of the car's interiors.

The dash-board is in a dual tone chocolate brown and beige combination with new attractive and bright silver accent prominently on the center console, instruments cluster, steering wheel, AC louvers and gear knob. The instrument panel has an all new design speedometer, digital fuel level indicator and multi-function display.

The New Estilo has better safety and security features. Now it has more space between steering wheel and front bumper that increase frontal impact absorbing area. In top end model it has Driver side airbags and ABS (anti-lock braking system). It also has front and rear fog lamps, rear wiper with washers. VXi is equipped with better security features - it comes with i-CATS integrated keys, five-door central locking and anti-theft alarm.

The New Estilo is more environments friendly, it is also ELV compliant and 89% of the parts are environment friendly meeting ELV norms.

Maruti's New Grand Vitara

Maruti did a makeover to it’s SUV Grand Vitara. New Grand Vitara got a powerful 2.4 litre petrol engine, previously Vitara had 2.0 litre engine. The new engine also added the cost to it’s ex-showroom price, now new Vitara came with 2.5 lakh more than the old 2.0 L Vitara. New Vitara got an excellent performance and response time. This new Grand Vitara generates power of 163 bhp and 23 kgm of torque. With new version you can touch the 0-100 kph mark in just 11.8 seconds which is close to 3 seconds less than old machine. You will also enjoy the off road performance of this SUV and you will get a pretty stable ride in bumpy roads. Handling is very good and with 4 WD you get a better grip on the road.

New Vitara also got a bigger 17 inches wheels that give a little taller look. From outside it looks more muscular and stylish and also got a modernized grill. Interior is quite decent but Maruti should use better quality of plastics at least in this new model. Seats are very comfortable. This new SUV can easily accommodate taller persons, thanks to have a enough leg and head room. The other upgrades are climate control system and trip computer. Integrated CD changer and user friendly buttons are really nice. Stylish steering wheel with audio control is pretty cool.

At price tag of 16.5 lakh, New Grand Vitara offers a lot which is not a bad deal. You are getting almost everything from looks to performance and of course it’s a SUV. Don’t forget Maruti also got the best service network in India.

Fuel Efficient Small Cars in India

Now buyers have more choices and some time it becomes hard to pick the best one. But here carsingh.com will give you some options on the basis of fuel efficiency for small cars.

Our top 2 fuel efficient small cars are:

1. Tata Indica Dicor:

It has a common-rail Dicor diesel engine which is very efficient. In city you will get, mileage close to 14 kpl and in highways it touches 17.5 kpl which is pretty good. Don’t forget diesel is cheaper so you will end up saving some more money.

2. Maruti Alto:
Maruti always delivers the affordable cars for Indian buyer and Alto is one of them. Alto is having petrol-engine which gives 13 kpl mileage in city and 17 kpl in highways. It’s a small car so it will be easy for you to drive in city traffic and easy to park. You will also enjoy the best service network in India.

Bentley Mulsanne Unveiled

Bentley Motors unveiled its super luxury Mulsanne at Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in California. Mulsanne is inspired from 1930’s old Bentley 8-litre. The Bentley 8-litre displayed alongside the Mulsanne in California was first shown at the 1930 London Motor Show. Bentleys’ Mulsanne is designed and engineered at it’s headquarter in Crewe, England. So far only 100 units of those cars were built in 1930-31. The Mulsanne will go into production in 2010 and will be available in US and Europe market by mid of 2010.

For more product information Mulsanne will also be displayed at coming IAA Frankfurt Motor Show which will be held on 15th to 27th Sep 2009. Bentley Mulsanne will come with 6.75 litre V8 engine.

Skoda Laura Review

Skoda Laura is beautifully designed luxury car with Pumpe-duse diesel motor which delivers high performance and great efficiency. It gives close to 18 kpl on the highways and 13 kpl in the city, it’s really amazing. Along with performance, it has an excellent build quality, very well designed cabin, full of all latest technology and features. It’s very difficult for me to count Laura features in hand so you better read the following:

Features:

1. Electronic Stability Program
2. ABS & ASR
3. Tyre Pressure monitoring
4. Projector headlamps
5. Curtain airbags
6. Side air bags
7. Dual front air bags
8. Three point rear seatbelts with pretensioners on side seats
9. Height adjustable front seatbelts
10. Front seats with active safety head rests
11. Two isofix child seats fitting on rear seats
12. Front and rear fog lamps
13. safety warning lights on front door panels
14. Driver side mirror with defogger
15. Rear windscreen defogger
16. Central locking remote control key
17. Engine immobilizer
18. Electric sunroof
19. Climatronic dual zone AC
20. Mechanical rear window sunshade
21. CD/MP3 Player
22. Integrated 6 CD changer
23. Multifunctional Leather steering wheel
24. 12 front and rear speakers
25. Electronic adjustable driver seat
26. External mirror with memory function
27. Heated front seats
28. Adjustable front armrest with cooled storage space
29. Folding rear center armrest
30. Height and reach adjustable steering wheel
31. Height adjustable front seats
32. Adjustable lumbar support front seats
33. Electrically adjustable external mirrors
34. Auto dimming rear view mirror
35. Leather Upholstery
36. Front and rear parking sensors
37. Cruise Control
38. Rain sensor with automatic wipers
39. Integrated pop-out headlamp washers
40. Boarding Spots in External Mirrors illuminating the door area
41. Multifunctional Trip indicator
42. Automatic gear box

May be I missed some of them so better run to Skoda showroom and take a test drive. If you have money in your pocket you will buy this car straight away. But wait let me tell you 2 more points - first Skoda service network is not big, so for servicing side you may get some hard time and second point, parts are really expensive and take time to deliver. If something happened to your Laura then there are more chances that it will be in dealers showroom for at least 2-3 weeks, waiting for its parts to be delivered.

Mahindra Xylo Review

Looks may be deceived and it’s true for the Mahindra Xylo. When I first saw this machine from outside it looks just OK kind of thing. But from inside it has lot of thing that you will love to have in this segment vehicle. From inside it’s very spacious, seats a very comfortable and little high. Interior quality is good, but Mahindra can use better plastic quality (don’t think it’s bad, it’s considerable). Music system is very decent looking; good sound quality and they gave USB port as well. The main purpose of this vehicle is to carry people not luggage. It has less luggage carrying capacity. If you want to carry more luggages like more than 2, 3 medium bags then you might need to use third row seats or better install a luggage carrier at roof.

Mahindra didn’t compromise in features and Xylo came up some nice features like Split AC, remote locking, rear wipers and ABS. Xylo mileage is close to 15 kpl at highway which is pretty decent. Xylo gives you a very smooth and comfortable ride even in bumpy roads. You can enjoy the long driving without being too tired, it’s really very comfortable.

This MUV can accommodate 7-8 peoples comfortably. I drove Xylo at 150 kph and It was very steady and smooth but you can also feel little engine sound from it.

Xylo’s 2.5 litre, 4 cylinder mEagle diesel engine delivers the maximum output 112bhp at 3800 rpm which is very good and promises a decent performance. It also comes with digital drive assist system which gives you the information about the mileage, current speed, indoor and outdoor temperature.

Xylo comes with 5 variant E2, E4, E6, E8 and E8 ABS with price tag (ex-showroom) of 6.34, 6.80, 7.48, 7.83 and 8.00 Lakh respectively. Definitely these prices give a competitive edge over its rival Toyota Innova. India’s own home grown Xylo will give you full value of your money.

Volkswagen's Beetle ready to grip Indian roads

Volkswagen’s Beetle, will hit the Indian road in three months. Beetel is world’s longest running and most produced car of a single design. It will land in a luxury segment because of high price tag (Close to 20 lakh) and full of features like cruise control, acoustic rear parking sensors, rain sensors, ABS, traction control, anti-skid system and front & side air bags. It will have a great sporty look and powerful 1.9 litre TDi diesel engine with five speed manual transmission. Definitely price is little high for Indian market and it’s because of 110% import duty and high safety specifications. Selling this car with price tag of 20 lakh is a very big challenge for the company and company is working aggressively on Beetle’s debut in Indian market. There is no such competition for this small car in Indian market, as Fiat 500 launched last year with price tag of Rs. 15 Lakh and they managed to sell out only 58 units so far. Volkswagen doing a smart job launching this car in three months because its rival BMW is not in mood to launch it's baby (Mini) in India until 2010.

Nissan's Zero Emission Car - Driving in Green Road

Nissan Motors, a Japan car manufacturer, becomes the first major automaker to bring the Zero emission vehicle in the market. On Sunday 2nd August 2009 wrap off its much awaited electric car called ‘Leaf’. Company will begin selling of first ‘Leaf’ cars in the US and Japan by 2010.

CEO of Nissan Carlos Ghosn, unveiled the 100% eco friendly car by driving up to the stage at Nissan’s new global headquarter in Yokohama, South of Tokyo. 'We celebrate today the start of a new chapter of our company's life,' Mr Ghosn said. He also said in company press release that “We are convinced that the mass availability of affordable zero-emission vehicles is the most significant breakthrough our industry could deliver, and, together with Renault, Nissan intends to be the breakthrough leader,”

"It's going to take some time before we have a complete, full (electric vehicle) product line-up from entry level to the top,"

"In the meantime, you just cannot abandon the market--you're going to have to continue to develop your product line-up with combustion engine, clean diesel, hybrids, etc."

The day before the company announced its green plans for the U.S., it said it will be heading into India, too. Nissan announced together with French Renault and Indian Bajaj Auto that the companies will form a joint-venture to develop, produce and market a low-cost, energy efficient car targeted at the growing Indian market. The wholesale price of the low-cost car, called ULC, will start from $2,500. The ULC will be manufactured at a new plant, with a capacity of 400,000 units per year, to be constructed in Chakan, India. The sales are to start in early 2011.

Nissan's Leaf has a top speed of over 140 km/hour and a cruising range of at least 160 km.