Indian Autos blog

Filled with wires and electronics, this definitely is not how the production i40′s dashboard would look like. Last time we showed you the i40′s dashboard, it was blurry, not this time though.

Leftlane news has published a clean shot of the interior of the upcoming i40/Sonata YF. The dashboard has a range of shapes and objects, symmetric and non symmetric. The A.C vents is how chocolate would dissolve in hot milk. The tacho and speedo dials are like the big spot lights used in prisons to catch escaping inmates!

The car we’ve been waiting for all year is out in the open! Suzuki has released an exhaustive press release and set of images that will sweep you off the ground. Welcome everyone, to what would be the most beautiful car you could buy for under twenty lakh rupees – the 2010 Suzuki Kizashi

Did you know? We have been tracking the footsteps of the Kizashi since we started blogging last year.

To start with, the Nurburgring-honed Suzuki Kizashi will come with a 2.4-liter DOHC inline four-cylinder engine that is coupled to a CVT or a six-speed manual transmission, which would the preffered car for Indian customers when it comes here next year.

The Kizashi stands on gorgeous 18 inchers, comes with standard eight airbags, ABS, EBD and ESP.

Now that the Kizashi is launched in the U.S, all we want to know is when it would come to India. Is it going to steal the thunder at the Auto Expo 2010?

click past the break for images and press release

When you start the car, male or female, car lover or not, the exhaust grunt of the 3.2-liter V6 engine pumps up your adrenaline, it sounds like a sports car. Shift to drive from park, release the brake, and once you cross 1,200 rpm hurriedly, there is a massive power exchange between the engine and the wheels, which sucks you in. You’re pushed back into the seat, your head tries to cave into head rest. The acceleration is insane.

Steering feedback is tremendous. It is nothing short of a sports car’s steering system. The thick rubber also helps in this aspect.

Three modes namely Comfort, Auto and Dynamic are the drive settings. Comfort mode is for highway cruising, in Auto mode the ECU sorts out the the car and the dynamic mode is for the late night thrill ride. The suspension on the mode becomes stiffer (by a small margin), the throttle response also becomes sharper and the gear ratios are re-assembled closer.

Good view of the road after the high seat setting boosted confidence. The graphical park assist system helped in commuting through thick traffic. The suspension was a bit bumpy and shaky. If you were driving on continuous stretches of bad roads, you would end up with a headache.

The ground clearance is very low, and we had a few minor underbelly contacts with the speed breaker even when we took them at 10kph. We learned the best way to take the speed breakers was by driving the car at an angle through them.

We took control of the gearbox using the paddle shifters and in second gear, the car easily raced past 100kph. The paddle shifters are not advisable for the inexperienced.

Adaptive braking system helps in slowing the car at any speed. ABS and EBD work together, its braking system is the best in its segment.

We’ve explained the sensation of driving an A4 as short as possible. The painful part is the fuel economy of this thing – An average of around 5.5-6 kmpl of hard highway and city driving resulted at the end of the day. Around 200 kms, 60-70 kms city rest in the highway should not bring out such figures. It’s not going to be easy owning such a car. 200 bucks of fuel could run out the moment you pass the first intersection.

Just like this sexy car, the tacho, temperature, fuel and speedo needles are bright red. The MID between speedo and needle projects useful information like gear mode, range and also displays the speed, if you are not for analog displays.

In park mode, no matter how much you step on the accelerator, the engine will not cross 4,000rpm. It is a safety feature to protect engine from damage. The note of this car’s exhaust is addictive, and this feature could have been a result of few addicted owners, whose cars ended up in an overhaul section of Audi’s service station.

A.C vents have chrome lining. The dashboard material is soft and you can sink the edge of your finger into it. The engine can be started either by pressing the start-stop button (should not be confused with the fuel saving technology) or by slotting the whole key into the port between the A.C vent and steering wheel.

The main center LCD screen is not responsive to touch and not as big as on some of the other cars we’ve driven recently. The screen lets you control the radio station and CD sound track when you are not viewing information about the car, checking if everything is in working order.

Below the audio system, there are controls for two-zone climate control.

The inside of the deep glovebox is coated with soft material. This will protect books and papers from getting tattered, as you take corners at three digit speeds. There is no vent inside the dashboard to store perishables, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

The boot of this car is not its strongest point. We’ve not verified it, but it appears like it has less space than the C-Class, and unlike many cars, the loading pathway is wide, which is a big plus. You get a spare tire, which is non-alloy and non-radial. The spare tire is the “get me home” type, which is lighter and cheaper. Who said cost cutting is only for the Nano?

60:40 split seats help in increasing storage volume.

in the next update we’ll talk about the engine, gearbox, ride and handling. So stay tuned!

At the back seat -

Getting into the back seat is a bit of a struggle. But once you manage to get in, you’re back into the comfort zone of the A4. The rear seats offer good support to your back, there is plenty of thigh and support for your head and neck. The roof is cut out in two places, which maximize head room.

The leg room is average, wait, it is ordinary. By our calculation, the Skoda Superb, which we drove a while back, offers two times the leg room of the A4, and costs almost half as much! OK, that’s not a fair comparison, but this is to give you an idea.

There is a hand rest on the door which suits people of various sizes (and shapes). The rear seats have pores in them which channel cool air into your torso. Ahh! It feels like heaven.

The hump at the rear is dreadful. I think international governments should abolish the hump once and for all. It intrudes into useful cabin space, and makes life for the middle passenger like victims of Nazi concentration camps. The hump here is noticeably higher than the C-Class. Perhaps it is so because we’re seated lower.

There’s a central arm rest, which contains cup holders and a first aid kit. A remote sun visor on the rear windshield keeps sunlight at bay, makes life of the A.C easier. Talking about A.C, a feature that we appreciate – rear A.C vent.

There are in fact two A.C vents on the slab, which beneath has an ash tray and power outlet. The netted map holder is a simple and brilliant idea – you never pick the wrong magazine if you are a bit of a voracious reader. The reading lamp, likewise is at your serice when it gets dark.

The power window switches are placed on the doors, but unfortunately, the window does not roll down completely. We’re seated lower than usual, and with the rear glass jutting out, some rear comfort is lost.

But the sound! you have to listen to the Bang&Oflusen play Coldplay. Its whimsical. The speaker looks elegant, it should have complex diodes and circuits inside it, working hard to make such crystal clear music. By far the best audio quality we’ve been prone to inside an automobile.

The niceties continue with the keyless entry thing. As long as you have the key in your pocket, the Audi is your car, dancing to the tunes you play.

Next update, we’ll run a check on the dashboard materials and boot space, followed by the suspension and performance.

Comprehensive details of the next Porsche Cayenne was laid out in a previous post. We’ve even shown you a set of spy shots.

As Autocar explains, the new Cayenne is milder and more elegant. The tough and rough SUV looks have been traded off for something a bit more beautiful.

The vehicle is smaller, lighter and hence more fuel efficient. Reports claim 200 kgs will be the weight lost. The design is also more aerodynamic, aiding fuel economy and acceleration.

Day time running lamps are cool.

The new Cayenne will share a lot in common with the Panamera five-door, including a stop-start system and a hybrid model with a supercharged V6 engine.

The new Porsche Cayenne, like the existing vehicle, will share its architecture with the VW Toureg.

From the driver’s perspective -

Good bits -

The A4′s seat’s got a blower inside it. This air circulation inside the seat keeps your back dry all the time. Remember, no matter where the A.C is, it can never cool your back!

The driver’s seat on the A4 is big and cozy. It offers good shoulder, neck and thigh support. The seat also has a 2-slot memory capability which is useful if your wife is using the car. You prepare the seat to your settings by using the button on the door.

The rear view mirror needs special mention. It’s not too big or too small. It won’t be knocked off by careless cyclists. At least that’s what we think. The car’s A-Pillar is slim and does not create any sort of a threatening blind spot.

The A4′s steering feels good to grip. The steering on one side has controls that take care of the FM station, MID display and bluetooth operation. On the other side, there’s a control for volume and mute.

Bad bits -

Due to the absence of a clutch pedal, we needed a place to rest our left foot. Even if they had not provided this so called dead pedal, we would have found it more comfortable! The dead pedal is almost flat. Maybe someone used an ironing box on it?

The ingress and egress, for a tall, well built person, is like entering a cave. The A4 sits lower, and that does not help tall people like me. I think I should kneel down and try entering the car.

The Indica Vista is bigger than the regular car, the Indigo Vista is expected to be bigger than the Indigo. The Grande sits on an elongated Sumo chassis. This naturally means the expanded Nano, would tuck in between the Nano and the Indica and cost accordingly.

Photoshop whiz kid SRK, is quick to learn this. He’s used cues from the Nano, Indica and the Indica Vista to draw a car, which could ply the Indian streets (and the world, considering Tata’s new found fondness to go international) in the future.

SRK’s even written about the tech specs of the car, providing an idea or two by deriving information from the existing models and the company’s tradition. He claims Tata could employ an electric or hybrid powertrain to hussle it along.

Heck, this could even be Fiat’s low-cost car using the Nano’s platform, couldn’t it?

DESIGN REPORT:

Features:

• 800cc 45hp 3 cylinder engine.
• Front engine front wheel drive.
• 5 speed manual gearbox.
• Rack & Pinion type steering.
• Front Disc, and rear drum brakes.
• Independent wheel suspension.

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