https://www.team-bhp.comrss-feed Team-BHP latest news and hot threads Fri, 08 Feb 2013 14:01:02 GMT Team-BHP en BHPian Mustang Sammy recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Last year, my car was clamped on Juhu Tara Road for being in a "No Parking" zone when the closest sign to this effect was more than 100 meters further away, with no way for anyone to know about this regulation. Upon confronting the traffic policeman, the pat response was that the entire road was a no-parking zone. One year later, "No Parking" signs are more ubiquitous on the road than a politician's birthday greetings, but enforcement is a big fat ZERO. Not to mention the inherent lack of logic in banning parking on the leftmost lane of a road when:The lane is undrivable for the most part, with trees, bends and sundry other barriers to the flow of trafficLack of alternate parkingAnd this while cars, trucks, water tankers and buses merrily park on narrow roads all over the city, blocking traffic and creating hazards. Often people will double or even triple-park and leave their chauffeur in the car so they don't get ticketed or towed. The situation is no better in Pune and other large metros. Here's what BHPian deathwalkr had to say about the matter:Stopped looking for logic behind many such cases on the roads. There are many stretches here as well with No Parking or No Stopping signages and people happily park there for the entire day. Randomly traffic cops on bikes pull over and start challaning everyone parked there. I just keep telling myself parking areas in the city are not based on my convenience.Here's what BHPian Rodie09 had to say about the matter:In Baner locality in Pune where I live, there is an arterial road of about 5 kms and the entire stretch has been marked by the corporation as a no-parking zone. The locality has been so developed that all major establishments are on this road and it's quite a hub for businesses. One must note that this is a 4-lane cement road with one dedicated lane built for parking on each side and then a very wide Smart City footpath which is usually encroached by multiple things/people. One would wonder if one cannot park their car on such a planned road where else can they? It can be understood if the measure was in anticipation of metro work that will run through this road. However, there is a good 2 km stretch that doesn't have any metro work. Then what's the logic of this inconvenience? Pune doesn't have great public transportation and most people depend on private vehicles. It's not simple to get a cab or auto for short distances. How are people supposed to go to markets, banks, and doctors without any access to parking in the full 5 kms. There are no dedicated parking lots either. Last but not the least, the implementation of the no parking is so sketchy that it's left to luck. People with connections and muscle power continue to park all the time and ordinary people who fear the fines have to suffer alone. Very sorry state of affairs.Here's what BHPian Vkap257 had to say about the matter:Many places in Delhi NCR also face this problem. However, I have observed that the MCD here actually does the smart thing and employs an agency which makes the whole roadside parking stretch as a paid parking zone. This deters many people from parking as they have to pay for it or if someone is willing to pay then he gets a proper parking spot which does not hamper traffic (to an extent).Here's what BHPian tilt had to say about the matter:If memory serves, Bangalore's top-cop had made an announcement that every street in Bangalore is by default a no-parking zone unless explicitly indicated with signs that parking is permitted. So, there need be zero no-parking signs and yet one could be ticketed (or worse) for parking.Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 16:12:00 +0530 American car giant, Ford, is reportedly working on developing a new tech to improve pedestrian safety on its large SUVs and pickups. According to reports, the carmaker has patented an "inflatable bumper". As per the patents, the front of the SUVs and pickups will feature two inflatable bumpers, one from above the traditional bumper and the second one positioned slightly below. The two behave similarly to traditional airbags, in that, upon sensing an impact the membranes will inflate immediately via pyrotechnic or gas inflators. However, the report also states that the "inflatable bumper" isn't meant to cushion pedestrians. Instead, the upper inflatable membrane will provide support to the pedestrian's knee to prevent a leg break, while the lower membrane helps prevent the person from going underneath the moving vehicle. The patent drawings clearly illustrate the tech on what seems to be a Ford F-150, clarifying the target models for the tech. The images also show that even with the inflatable bumper tech, there is still space or recess for tow hooks. Having said that, the tech is still in its patent stage and there is no confirmation yet whether or not it will actually make it into production. Source: Carbuzz]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 15:53:54 +0530 BHPian Candy$Cars recently shared this with other enthusiasts. My brother's Figo is making this noise when the car is in accessory/on position and also when the engine is on. We are in Chamba(HP) and need to return home tomorrow - 4 hours journey. The nearest FORD ASC is 8 hrs away in Mandi. Can Someone tell what the noise is and if it is safe to continue our journey back home? Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:That is a weird noise. As it also shows up with the key in the ACC/On position it must be something that is electrically driven. I don't recognize the sound as such. But is easy to troubleshoot where it comes from. Just pull the fuses one by one. Go with the fuses with the highest rating down to the lowest. As soon as the noise disappears you have identified what is making the noise. Are any aftermarket accessories installed? Good luck. JeroenHere's what BHPian MT_hyderabad had to say on the matter:The noise is from something that only should start when the engine is on. May be water pump or any fan etc. Due to some wiring problem, it is starting without the engine turned on. If I were you, I will drive to the nearest mechanic and get it checked. I don't have to go to authorised service centre for that. You should not investigate further with the engine off, as that part may run dry and get damaged. With the engine on condition your car should drive normally.Here's what BHPian svsantosh had to say on the matter:I think it is a petrol engine right? I suspect the coils have gone kaput. Else if it is the diesel pot check the injectors. The Rhythm/Beat is very similar to the firing sequence.Read BHPian comments for more insights and information. ]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 15:08:24 +0530 Hyundai claims to have sold over 1,000 units of the Ioniq 5 in India. The Ioniq 5 was launched in January 2023. By July, the carmaker had sold 500 units of the premium EV. It took another five months to cross the 1,000-unit mark. The Ioniq 5 is an electric crossover based on Hyundai's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). It features a futuristic design with dual LED headlamps, pixelated LED tail lights, flush-fitting door handles and unique dual-tone alloys. The EV has a minimalistic interior with a dual floating screen and a 2-spoke steering wheel. The Ioniq 5 is powered by a 72.6 kWh battery pack offering an ARAI-certified range of 631 km on a single charge. The car comes with a rear-mounted electric motor that makes 216 BHP and 350 Nm. It also supports 800V fast charging, which can charge the battery from 10-80% in 18 minutes.]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 14:32:30 +0530 BHPian Chetan_Rao recently shared this with other enthusiasts. I'll give you an apples to apples comparison. Drove the i20 N-Line pre-facelift and facelift back-to-back. Pre-facelift had a Sport mode on the gearbox, but Hyundai took it off the facelift (only D & M on the gearbox now), and added Eco-Normal-Sport engine drive modes instead. It solves two issues people had with the pre-facelift:When you want to potter around town and don't care about lag because you're not getting anywhere in a hurry, Eco-Normal works great to mute throttle response and remove the turbo-lag induced low-speed, mid-rev jerkiness. It's slow(er) and smooth(er), perfect for traffic and avoiding PDA with the car ahead of you.Sport drive mode actually makes the motor more responsive lower down; combine that with a proper M mode, you can really have some fun around twisties and B-roads. It's not a night & day difference, but you can tell the peppier drive mode is more fun that just the gearbox holding revs and delaying upshifts.I was skeptical going in and not a fan of removing things, but I prefer the newer setup. Friendly BHP-ian ChiragM's pre-facelift N-Line on some fantastic B-roads along the Arkavathi river near Ramanagara. Small packages can be fun with the right bits! Read BHPian comments for more insights and information. ]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 14:08:35 +0530 The third-generation Porsche Panamera made its global debut earlier this week. The new model is priced at Rs 1.68 crore in India, and bookings are set to commence soon. The new Panamera gets subtle styling changes that are more evolutionary than revolutionary. The car has a different front bumper with larger vents and a reprofiled headlamp unit. The rear end features sleek, wraparound LED tail lights with an LED light bar in between. Inside, besides the standard touchscreen infotainment system in the centre, the new Panamera gets an optional 10.9-inch display on the passenger side. The car gets a digital instrument cluster and a new 3-spoke steering wheel. The gear lever is now mounted on the steering column. Currently, Porsche has listed the Panamera V6 on its Indian website. This variant uses a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 engine that develops 343 BHP and 500 Nm. The engine is mated to an 8-speed PDK automatic transmission that sends power to the rear axle. Porsche claims a 0-100 km/h time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 270 km/h. The latest generation Panamera comes with a fully active suspension that controls the car's dive, pitch and roll characteristics. However, entry-level variants like the V6 get a semi-active air suspension similar to the previous generation.]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 13:21:08 +0530 BHPian spaceunicorn recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Finally had a long drive of around 700 km during the last weekend. We took a trip to Guruvayoor (Thrissur, Kerala) from Trivandrum. The Diesel was filled until the auto cut off kicked in. The ODO was at 350 and it took 41.44 liters to fill the tank. The entire journey was split into three legs. Trivandrum to Kollam, Kollam to Kochi and Kochi to Guruvayoor. The entire stretch of NH is under construction, and you hardly get to see real highways. The initial stretch till Kollam was driven at around 70 - 80 kmph and the mileage was shown as 15.8 in dash. The second stretch was quite hectic with traffic and road construction. Here the mileage was 11.8. The third stretch was like narrow roads and potholes, with construction of NH going on. Here the average mileage was 11.7. We came back via MC road, where the average mileage came up to 12.8 (its average mileage and not the mileage for that stretch of trip). The drive was quite comfortable, acknowledged by both my wife (Front passenger seat) and Mother, middle left side. Kids too were happy as MC road normally make the elder one a bit claustrophobic, but this was not felt in Safari. Throughout the journey the speed never crossed 85kmph and never put any hard acceleration. FtF showed a mileage of 12.1 kmpl. This almost matched dashboard mileage as well. Pros:Very comfortable drive.Music system was extremely good.Good average mileage of around 12.8 (within Kerala, where you dont have any 2 or 3 lane highways and with moderate to heavy traffic mostly).Good road presence. May be because this was the first Safari facelift in Kerala on road.Good sound insulation. Twice I missed ambulance behind me - sound was insulated properly and the music system was quite good - both seems to be the reason.Cons:Software glitches - The Music stops for wireless car play(already shared above), The dashboard map navigation fails to detect phone connected to car etc. Had to reset the system three - four times. But nothing alarming.The TPMS is completely wrong - seems it needs to be calibrated. TPMS shows 44 while I checked at a local Tyre shop and ensured 34 for all four Tyres.The Windshield water sprayer is not working as expected -the water spray is focused to the bottom of windshield, and it doesn't even reach the middle. Need to get it corrected during service (already due for the first service at 1000 - 2000 km)Citi Mode sometimes feels quite laggy - sports mode is better and peppier. Not sure about the impact on mileage, i haven't used it extensively.iRA app update: The iRA app seems to be connected when i turn on the car. It gets disconnected after a few minutes after i turn off the car. I believe it uses my mobile connection to connect and update status while i turn on the car. The purpose of the remote app is not that, I believe. Looks like it may take some time to get that ready. Gave a good wash to the Lion after the trip: After wash: Read BHPian comments for more insights and information. ]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 13:05:32 +0530 BHPian MotorDev recently shared this with other enthusiasts.Introduction In our country where factors like fuel efficiency, affordability, and reliability dominate the automotive market, several cars have failed to capture the attention and wallets of Indian consumers. Let's take a closer look at some of these automobiles that failed to gain popularity in India despite their global appeal.Tata Nano Tata Nano was a small car dreamed up by Ratan Tata to provide a safe and affordable option for middle-class families and those who used bikes as their main mode of transport. At first, people liked the idea, but it didn't do well in the end. One big reason was how it was marketed - not as an affordable car, but as the cheapest one. This made people think it was low-quality, which didn't go well with Indian customers.Nissan Evalia Nissan Evalia was one of the few compact MPVs that provided ample space. It was practical, but it didn't appeal to Indian buyers. The boxy design wasn't attractive, the interiors lacked a family car's finesse, and it was more expensive than competitors like Maruti Suzuki Ertiga and Renault Lodgy.Tata Safari Petrol The Tata Safari petrol version faced challenges primarily due to its fuel efficiency and market competition. In a price-sensitive market like India, fuel economy is a critical factor for consumers. The petrol variant of the Tata Safari didn't offer impressive mileage figures, which significantly impacted its appeal, especially when compared to its diesel counterparts and competitors in the SUV segment.Renault Captur Among Renault's disappointments in India, the Captur stood out as the most significant failure. Renault aimed to build on the success of the Duster by offering a more upscale experience with the Captur, equipped with a stylish design and reliable engine options. Despite its appealing features, the Captur's crossover design failed to attract customers. Moreover, the overwhelming popularity of the Hyundai Creta further overshadowed the Captur, causing it to fade in the Indian car market.Opel Vectra Opel's Vectra launch in India was a hopeful move, aiming for the premium D-segment sedan market. Priced at Rs 16.75 lakh, it was costly for its time, positioned above Opel's other premium models. The Vectra came with a powerful 2.2-litre 146 bhp petrol engine but had poor fuel efficiency. Despite its features, it suffered from reliability issues and high maintenance costs, making it less appealing to buyers.Ford Fusion Ford tried to be ahead of the trend by introducing the Fusion, a compact crossover blending a hatchback and an SUV. However, its boxy design and upright stance were new to India, and people didn't like it much. Additionally, Ford's maintenance and fuel economy weren't great back then, which made the Fusion unpopular. It had a 1.6-litre 105 PS petrol engine and a 1.4-litre 68 PS diesel engine during its short time in the market.Chevrolet SR-V Even Chevrolet fans couldn't ignore the failure of the SR-V, the biggest disappointment from the American car brand in India. The SR-V was essentially a shorter version of the Optra sedan, having the same engine and interior. However, Indians weren't willing to pay a high price for a hatchback back then, and the SR-V was relatively expensive, leading to its lack of popularity in the market.Mahindra Nuvosport Mahindra faced trouble when they introduced the smaller version of the Xylo, called Quanto. They later redesigned and renamed it Nuvosport, hoping to make it more appealing than Quanto. However, it failed even more, mainly because of its strange appearance and bad driving experience.Tata Bolt Tata Motors had high hopes for the Bolt. However, the Bolt didn't capture attention. It was meant to replace the old Indica Vista, but its design resembled the outdated model too much, making it unattractive to buyers. Tata shifted its focus to the Tiago, which became very popular. Consequently, the Bolt didn't do well and gradually faded away.Mitsubishi Cedia Mitsubishi aimed for more success after the Lancer with the Cedia, a sportier and premium car. However, it didn't become popular, even with enthusiasts. The Cedia faced tough competition from the Honda City, which was liked by both enthusiasts and regular buyers seeking a luxurious car. In India, the Cedia was available with a 2.0-litre 115 bhp petrol engine, but it couldn't make a mark.Fiat Urban Cross Fiat wanted to attract Indian buyers with the Avventura, but many people found it hard to open and close the boot. Fiat tried to fix this problem with the Urban Cross by moving the spare wheel from the back to the usual spot in the trunk. However, the Urban Cross didn't do well because Fiat wasn't seen as a reliable brand in India. It came with a 1.4-litre 140 PS turbo-petrol engine and a 1.3-litre 93 PS diesel engine, but it still didn't catch on with customers.Maruti Suzuki Kizashi Maruti Suzuki introduced the Kizashi in India through the CBU route. However, its high price and the Indian mindset of not wanting to spend a lot on a Maruti car led to its failure in the Indian market.Datsun Go+ Datsun faced a slow start with the Go hatchback, contrary to their expectations. To cope, they introduced a more practical 5+2 seater version, the Go+. It had three rows of seats, but the last row was suitable only for children. Powered by the same 1.2-litre 68 PS petrol engine as the Go, it was decent for its size. However, like the Go, the Go+ suffered from issues, mainly the noticeable cost-cutting measures affecting its build quality.Datsun Go The Go was designed to be an affordable and practical urban car, offering basic features and decent interior space. It came with a small engine suitable for city driving and aims to provide a budget-friendly option for consumers in emerging markets. However, it faced criticism for safety concerns and build quality issues, which affected its popularity in some regions.Chevrolet Sail U-VA The Chevrolet Sail U-VA failed in the Indian market due to intense competition from well-established brands, a weak brand image, limited marketing efforts, product design and quality issues, reported mechanical problems, and an inability to adapt to changing consumer preferences towards SUVs. These factors combined to hinder its popularity and contributed to its market failure.Rover Montego The Rover Montego, part of a joint venture between Rover and the Indian brand Sipani, was a car inspired by the Austin Montego. Sipani, based in Karnataka, introduced this vehicle in India before its closure in 2002. The car featured a 1.9-litre engine producing 81hp and 158Nm torque. Although it was an interesting collaboration, the Rover Montego didn't gain widespread popularity in the Indian market.Mahindra Verito Vibe Mahindra's Verito Vibe didn't do well due to its basic design and limited features. It faced tough competition from popular cars like the Hyundai i20 and the Honda Amaze. Mahindra could sell only 619 units in 2015, leading them to stop production in 2016. They realized they needed to work harder to succeed in the sedan and hatchback market.Peugeot 309 The Peugeot 309, introduced in India by Peugeot and Premier Automobiles Limited, was well-received for its unique design and style. It had a 1.12-liter engine producing 59hp and 87.5Nm torque. However, due to labour and financial issues, the joint venture was discontinued, and the 309 was discontinued just three years after its 1994 launch. Additionally, poor after-sales service and difficulty in finding spare parts in the Indian market contributed to its downfall.Standard 2000 Standard 2000 was a fancy car made in India a long time ago. It had cool features like electric windows and air conditioning, which were rare back then. The car was powerful, thanks to its big engine, and was seen as a luxury vehicle. However, the company that made it closed in 1988, so the car didn't stay in the market for long. Nowadays, it's super rare to find this car on Indian roads, even though it used to be one of the more affordable luxury cars of its time, costing Rs. 2.2 lakhs.Maruti Baleno Altura The Maruti Baleno Altura was one of the few station wagons in India, but people didn't really buy it. Indians didn't seem interested in this type of car, so the Altura didn't sell well. Even though it was roomy and practical, it didn't do well in our market. Interestingly, this was Suzuki's first station wagon in India. It had a lively 1.6-litre petrol engine that could generate 96 bhp of power and 130 NM of torque.Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara The Maruti Grand Vitara, introduced in India from 2009 to 2015, was Maruti's only full-size SUV. Despite its popularity abroad, it didn't attract Indian buyers searching for a large SUV. The problem was its high price and low fuel efficiency since it was an imported product. These issues didn't match Maruti's usual affordable and fuel-efficient car standards. As a result, it was discontinued in India in 2015.Chevrolet Forester In the early 2000s, Chevrolet sold a car called the Forester in India, which was essentially a rebadged Subaru. It had a powerful 2.0-litre petrol engine and Subaru's special AWD system. Despite cool features like frameless doors, its high price of INR 14 lakh made it too expensive for Indian buyers. Eventually, it was discontinued when GM sold its stake in Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru's parent company.Fiat Palio Adventure The Fiat Palio Adventure was an estate version of the Palio hatchback, featuring a robust 1600cc 4-cylinder engine with 100 Bhp power and 138 Nm torque. It was sturdy, had a powerful engine, and handled rough roads effectively. Despite these qualities, Fiat was losing popularity when they launched it, so it didn't gain much attention in the market.Maruti Zen Classic The Maruti Suzuki Zen was a well-known and beloved car in India, but its sibling, the Zen Classic, didn't enjoy the same level of popularity. Its retro design didn't resonate with Indian buyers, and it failed to make a lasting impression in the market.Tata Aria The Tata Aria was a crossover SUV introduced by Tata Motors in India. It was designed to be a luxurious and spacious family car, offering features like seven seats and advanced technology. Despite its promising features, the Aria struggled to gain popularity in the market. One of the reasons for its lackluster performance was the stiff competition it faced from other established SUVs and crossovers. Additionally, some customers found its design and pricing less appealing compared to other options available in the market, leading to its limited success in India.Opel Corsa Swing The Opel Corsa Swing, a station wagon introduced between 2003-2007, faced a common trend in India: station wagons never really appealed to the Indian public. Despite their practicality, they failed to capture the market's interest. Even though models like the Tata Estate initially did well, station wagons as a category didn't gain traction. People preferred other car types, leading to the Corsa Swing's limited success during its time in the Indian market.Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo holds a special place in the hearts of Indian car enthusiasts. When Ford ventured into the luxury segment in 2002, the Mondeo garnered significant attention. However, its high price tag made it unappealing to many potential buyers, impacting its overall success in the Indian market.San Storm The San Storm, a two-seat roadster by San Motors India, debuted in 1998. Designed by the French firm Le Mans Group, it was powered by an 1149 cc Renault D7F engine. Marketed as an affordable alternative to imported sports cars, it gained attention in India but didn't sell in large numbers. Despite this, it was exported to European markets, primarily the UK, until production ceased in 2013.Sonalika Rhino The Sonalika Rhino, a 9-seater SUV-MPV crossover, aimed to capitalize on the success of the popular Qualis. Despite offering a diesel engine and spacious seating, it couldn't compete with established players due to stiff competition and being a new entrant in the market. Eventually, it became less known and forgotten. Read about more such cars listed out by BHPian MotorDev.]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 12:19:00 +0530 BHPian WhiskeyTangoFox recently shared this with other enthusiasts.Riding Gear Update: Ventilated Gloves:As I had blabbered about somewhere on this thread earlier, I had picked up the Viaterra Tundra a little over a year ago and was using it for my daily commute and for touring as well. I'll drop an update about the gloves on the Riding Gear Thread separately. When I visited @shyamg28 sometime in April, the man was shocked seeing me use Winter/Non-Breathable WP Gloves every day in Bangalore, irrespective of the weather To be honest, I had completely forgotten what ventilation while riding in the palm area felt like at that point and had grown completely accustomed to riding with the Tundra. He gave me a pair of basic ventilated gloves (Royal Enfield Strident) until I could pick up a proper pair of ventilated gloves. I wore them on the ride back to my place from his, which was some 30km away, and my god, it was bliss in comparison. I used them whenever it wasn't cold or rainy outside for the past few months, but they were starting to show signs of wear and tear. Plus, they weren't protective enough for even my daily commute (I commute on Hosur Road from E City at around 7:30 a.m., where there isn't too much traffic), where I do hit 80kmph regularly. Hence I decided to pick up a pair of full gauntlet riding gloves that I can use both in the City and on the Highway. Protection was of top priority. A good pair of full gauntlet gloves can easily run into thousands. I wasn't looking to spend more than Rs 7000 at the moment and wanted to get the best I could at the price. To do this, I first read up about the CE Rating system In addition to this, the gloves being full-gauntlet was also a must for me just for the added wrist protection. The Initial Contenders Were:Rynox Storm Evo 3 (Seemed Like Great Value, shortlisted)Viaterra Grid (Tried and Tested Product, shortlisted)Scala Trekker (Saw a post by a Bhpian, whilst intriguing, the lack of CE certification made me disregard the same)Solace Furious V2 (An underrated player in the market with some great products, shortlisted)Shield Viper X (No CE Certification, Okayish for the price. Disregarded)Rynox Storm Evo 2 (Older Version of the Evo 3, whilst cheaper, lacked a lot of features, hence disregarded)Korda Track (No CE Certification, Not too much information. Disregarded)Onward to the Comparo: To keep this brief, I made a small table that enumerates on the pointers that I think are fairly essential while choosing the glove: On the Spec Sheet, the Grid pulls light years ahead of the competition, and the 10% discount that Viaterra provides to repeat customers sweetened the deal. I picked them up for Rs 5399 all-inclusive. The small things that Viaterra do, like dropping you an email after you've placed the order to confirm your palm measurements and providing a lifetime repair service, make them stand out IMO. Negatives:Whilst my experience with the gloves is mostly positive, there are two negative ones that stood out to me, especially in comparison with the Storm Evo 3. The latter is simply much, much more comfortable to wear in terms of the padding on the interior of the glove. I think Viaterra should up their game in this department. Secondly, the gloves are stitched in such a way that it is a little too precise with the finger measurements of an ideal hand. Everyone's hands will have variations, I discovered on trying this glove that there are a few Millimetres of difference between my left and right palm in terms of both length and width, apparent at the area where the fingers join the palm. Because of this, the gloves felt weird the first few times I used them, but now seem better. I'll keep the forum updated on this front. The Storm Evo 3 in comparison had a just little excess leather on the joint areas making it a comfortable fit right from the get-go. Overall though the exemplary protection at the price point bolstered my decision and I'm a happy rider. Cheers! Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 11:02:03 +0530 BHPian Sahil recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Ottoman Seats are the best thing that happened to rear seat comfort since the introduction of the air suspension decades ago. Infact, they provide more tangible comfort than a cushy suspension does. In a chauffer driven market like ours, these seats are fast catching on but I think they further need to gather some pace. They now exist in cars right from the GLS Maybach to Toyota Innova Hycross ZX. This one feature is enough to make a car a hit even if it looks like a 'dabba' aka The Vellfire. Several others have done well in our market such as the Kia Carnival. From the Sedans currently only the higher end models like the S,7 and A8 offer this. I hope with the new E LWB and 5 LWB due next year, we see this feature catching on. I simply love it and when I find myself in a car with a calf support, I use it even for a 20 min car ride. What your take on it? I hope this poll compels more car makers to explore adding this to their rear seats! Or even front passenger seat like the Nissan Tian did over a decade ago! Here's what BHPian Shreyas_Jain had to say on the matter:Frankly, not enough people have had the experience of ottoman seats to have a poll of consequence. This is still a feature beyond the mass market. The closest it has come to being democratised has been the top ZX model of the Innova HyCross. But even that has been a blow hot - blow cold kind of car with its extremely limited availability and overall cost cutting which kills the interior ambiance and feel. Ottoman seats require a big car with a very long wheelbase and loads of legroom. Indian mass market cars are simply not big enough for this to catch on and become a trend like sunroofs.Here's what BHPian ron178 had to say on the matter:Tried them in a Toyota Vellfire and they made the whole experience a lot better. But in shorter-wheelbase models like the Innova Hycross they can at best improve thigh support when set to their mid-position (feet just below the front seat). Even with the seat as far back as possible, for most people they will be impossible to extend fully without flexing their knees. Given the option, I would certainly choose "depends on car".Here's what BHPian Haze had to say on the matter:As a 6'0" guy, I have tried them in various overnight Volvo buses, and disliked them in every single one of them. So my vote would have been "Strongly dislike".Here's what BHPian Jeroen had to say on the matter:Can't say I ever had the pleasure of sitting on such a seat on a car. However, I do have such a reclining leather seat as a stand alone chair at home. It has travelled with me all over the world. Nobody sits in my chair other than me. As soon as I sit down and recline the cat will jump in my lap. She knows I ain't getting up. My wife and my kids call it my old git chair! I don't care, super comfy and relaxing JeroenRead BHPian comments for more insights and information. ]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 10:05:45 +0530 BHPian Ashutosh_kumar recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Ioniq has completed 20 days in our household & has crossed 3000 km today. Our initial confidence in making the right choice has only deepened as the car consistently surpasses our expectations. Over these 3000 kilometers, we've utilized a total of 359 kWh, with 300 kWh charged at home (6 Rs/kW) and an additional 59 kWh (24 Rs/kW) charged using Tata Power's fast charger. The city average stands at just above 7 km/kWh, reflecting the car's efficiency in urban settings. Transitioning from a diesel vehicle involved a definite learning curve. The initial drive home from the dealer in Andheri was nerve-wracking. After covering 200 km and adjusting the settings, I found the sweet spot with the car set to Regen level 3 and eco mode on. It suits me perfectly. Previously considering myself a spirited yet safe driver, I've transformed into a calm and safer driver, with no sudden urge to accelerate or aggressively navigate the road. The Ioniq's quiet operation has made me much more aware of my surroundings. The only downside so far is that motor noise does penetrate the cabin. The Ioniq has not only been a reliable companion for city commuting but has also excelled during two outstation trips. One journey took us to Parsi Dairy Farm, Palghar, covering a total distance of 350 km, including navigating through a challenging 2-hour jam at Ghodbunder road. Even after this demanding day, we returned home with a remarkable 33% battery charge remaining. The second outstation trip was to Shirdi, involving travel from Panvel to Trimbakeshwar via Kasara Ghat and from Trimbakeshwar to Shirdi via Samruddhi Mahamarg. Negotiating steep inclines proved to be a test for the Ioniq's range, with a 1% charge loss every 2 km on the ghat. However, the Samruddhi Mahamarg was a delight, providing a smooth and pleasant drive. Despite the challenges, we reached Shirdi with a commendable 22% range left after completing 350 km. During our stay at Shirdi, we used the Tata Power 30 kWh charger at Marigold Residency, charging the car to 100% in 2 hours and 39 minutes, incurring a billing of Rs. 1420. The next day, our return journey via the Mumbai Pune Expressway covered 332 km, and we arrived home with a substantial 44% battery charge. All our outstation trips were with trunkfuls & all occupants seated in the car, aircon set to 22 Degrees & blower set at 3. Having traveled this route multiple times with our trusty X1, the unanimous family consensus is that the Ioniq provides the most comfortable and relaxed travel experience. It has left us with the anticipation of opting for more long journeys with the Ioniq in the future. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sun, 26 Nov 2023 09:32:00 +0530 BHPian GKU recently shared this with other enthusiasts. 10,000 KMs and 2nd service update. The vehicle is performing really well. I am unable to find any real cons after 10K KMs. In summary, positives continue to be positives, and no new niggles as such. Personally, this vehicle is a pleasure to drive in the city, highways, bad roads, no roads, and whatnot. I had to fill DEF at 11K KMs and there was a warning saying the vehicle would not start for another 2000 km if I didn't fill the DEF. 2nd service experience at Chrome Motors Mysore Road. I gave it to service at 91xx KMs as we were planning a road trip. Overall service experience was good. The total bill came out to be Rs. 3500. They forgot to reset the service reminder and vehicle delivery was delayed to the next day. They also did a wiring harness inspection which I did not ask for. The service adviser told me that " wiring harness inspection is a part of recall ". I guess there were some issues with Scorpion N's wiring harness, but I did not recognize any. Since there was a DEF warning and crackling sound from the speakers, took it to Chrome Motors again. They flashed /reset the music system and did firmware updates for ECU. This happened at 11300Kms. Since the crackling sound from speakers are intermittent issue and happened only twice, there is no way to ascertain that the problem is solved. The total bill was 900 for DEF. Video of crackling noise. This happened twice and the issue disappeared after a few minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOMc9bWTRI4 DEF Fill ECU Updates FE has settled to ~15 KMPL on highways and 11 to 12 on peak Bangalore traffic (AC on all the time). Does anyone know what is it trying to tell here (red circle)? This is visible most of the time and disappears sometimes. I could not find any info in the user manual Off-roading in Scorpio N 2WDThere are many nature tracks near my home and wanted to test my humble 2WD ScorpioN there. It performed beautifully on very bad roads. No scraping, no rattling. I don't say these trails are for serious off-roading but difficult for usual sedans and hatchbacks nevertheless. Road Ahead This looks not that difficult in the photo but in reality, it was very steep. Cheers! Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sat, 25 Nov 2023 17:00:00 +0530 BHPian PreethamNag recently shared this with other enthusiasts. A short review from an ADV 390 owner's perspective: Borrowed my friend's Speed 400 for a solo ride that lasted 1380 kms, out of which I covered around 1200 in 2 days. The bike had done 1800 kms before I started my ride.1. The engine is smooth and revs easily without complaints till 6-6.5k rpm. This wasn't the case when the bike was new - the engine felt like it was not very refined.2. That low-mid rpm torque is very nice.3. Smooth and accurate gearbox.4. Above 6-6.5 rpms vibes are felt mainly through the seat, vibes on mirrors and pegs can be ignored.5. Speeds around 100-110 are very comfortable with more torque available for overtakes, above that windblast is very bad (not complaining it's not a tourer).6. The stock seat is very soft at least for riders on the heavier side. As more time is spent on the saddle, it just sinks.7. The rider triangle is very good, surprised with such a comfortable handlebar position. The seat-to-footpeg distance might be less for people above 175 cm.8. Heat management is decent, the fans do switch on-off a bit more frequently than on the 390 but the heat doesn't hit the legs. Some heat is felt during slow speeds.9. FE achieved was around 32, tank full to tank full.The range estimator in the bike (DTE) is flawed, and not trustworthy.10. Handling and suspension setup needs a special mention Though the suspension travel numbers on paper are better for other bikes including ADV 390. The setup on the Speed is very good. Works great on broken roads and in corners. Maybe during offroading, the travel might be a hindrance. I didn't feel it bottomed out when while passing over bad patches or potholes even at high speeds. Overall very impressed with the bike After I returned my favour to my friend by getting the seat work done after his permission Got the stock cushion layered with a 40-density (pink) and the 28-density foam (green).The seat feels comfortable now, also the angle of the leg between the seat and the footpegs is a bit more relaxed. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sat, 25 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0530 The XUV300 facelift has been spotted testing once again, this time near Chennai. The latest spy images reveal a few design details of the upcoming sub-4 meter SUV. The XUV300 will receive a thoroughly revised rear end. As you can see, the tailgate has a more angular design with new C-shaped tail lamps on either side. Keeping with the latest design trend, the SUV could also get an LED light bar at the back. While the short rear overhang has been retained, the car gets new dual-tone alloy wheels. The XUV300 facelift will carry forward the same 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engines. Currently, Mahindra offers a choice of 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic on all engines.The all-electric XUV400 could also receive similar updates in the future. The new XUV300 and XUV400 will compete with the updated Tata Nexon and its pure-electric counterpart. Thanks to BHPian matchvan for sharing these images with other enthusiasts!]]> news Sat, 25 Nov 2023 15:44:40 +0530 BHPian AlokSharma recently shared this with other enthusiasts.Skoda Slavia PPF - Detailing Dons (Navi Mumbai)I had booked a Skoda Slavia Lava Blue way back in mid-August and had started researching on getting a PPF. I was getting wary of the ever-increasing city traffic especially that of two-wheelers and rickshaws and how they try to squeeze every possible space out there in Mumbai traffic. Add to this the stone chippings and the public parking nightmare (It is often here where how far the doors can open are tested). I also read in detail about the advantages and disadvantages of PPF and how repainting a panel would also almost cost the same. But felt the advantages of a PPF outweighed all of its drawbacks. I spoke to 4 detailers in Mumbai at length and took quotes from all of them.Optimum DetailerzGarware 5-year warranty PPFCost : 129000 rsDuration: 7 days3M Car Care SeawoodsSeries 100 7-year warranty PPFCost : 150000 rsDuration: 2.5 days3M Car Care VashiSeries 100 7-year warranty PPFCost : 115000 rsDuration: 2.5 daysDetailing Dons Kharghar, Navi MumbaiGarware 5-year warranty PPF/ Tint and Orange 5-year warranty PPF (180 microns)Cost: 100000 rsDuration 2.5 daysOut of the above, I had multiple lengthy calls with both Mr Amol at Optimum Detailerz and Mr Junaid at Detailing Dons to try and understand small nuances related to PPF. Both went to great lengths to explain in detail. Two of my friends had got their car PPFed at Detailing Dons and were happy with their workmanship. I finally decided to go with Detailing Dons as it was both cheaper and the duration was also 2.5-3 days as against 7 days of Optimum Detailerz. Finally, after taking the delivery of the Slavia on 3 Nov, I called up Junaid at Detailing Dons and told him that I could get the car as soon as possible. Unfortunately, he said the next 4-5 days are booked due to the festive season. The next 3-5 days seemed like eternity and I just passed the time just driving around within Navi Mumbai with sparse traffic. Finally, on 9 Nov, I reached Detailing Dons at around 11 am and started discussing the formalities. Junaid suggested that I should look at Tint and Orange with a 5-year warranty. I had read and heard a lot of issues cropping up with Garware with regard to yellowing and stretch marks. A couple of PPF applicators in Mumbai confirmed the same. Junaid said that they have been doing Tint and Orange for almost a year now and the complaints were rare. I decided to trust him and went ahead with his suggestion to opt for Tint and Orange with a 5-year warranty. He said that since they are the authorised dealers for Tint and Orange in Mumbai, they will address any issues with it. The whole PPF process involved the following process:Full body clay-bar decontaminationFull body Paint correctionFull paint body PPFRoof top CeramicAlloys (ceramic)Front & back windshield (ceramic)Fibres ceramicEngine rodent coatDetail Interior cleaningI was told that I would get the car on Saturday evening and I was eagerly waiting for the same. Junaid kept me updated with pictures and they have quite an active page on Instagram. Finally, I reached the store on Saturday evening and there it was shining in all its glory. It looked drop-dead-gorgeous. The attention to detail was extremely good and I was pretty happy with their work. The car will now go for a small inspection after 8-10 days for any abnormalities related to bubbles or anything else showing up.Attached Thumbnails Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sat, 25 Nov 2023 12:48:00 +0530 Royal Enfield has unveiled the Shotgun 650 at Motoverse 2023 in Goa. The bike was presented alongside the new Himalayan 450. The Shotgun 650 is a bobber-style motorcycle and the fourth model based on the 650cc platform after the Interceptor, Continental GT and Super Meteor 650. Initially, Royal Enfield will build 25 units in hand-painted liveries. These will be sold to 25 attendees of the Motoverse event at a price of Rs 4.25 lakh (ex-showroom). The Shotgun 650 features a circular LED headlamp and a twin-pod instrument console. It has bar-end mirrors and a single seat with a chopped rear fender. The bike that was presented at the event had a bright blue livery. Powering the Shotgun 650 is the same 648cc parallel-twin engine that powers the Super Meteor 650. While the exact specifications haven't been revealed, the engine is likely to produce around 47 BHP and 52 Nm and will be paired with a 6-speed gearbox.]]> news Sat, 25 Nov 2023 12:23:46 +0530 BHPian TrueSagittarian recently shared this with other enthusiasts. It's been quite some time since my last post, been quite busy with life and to be exact till 2nd service I didn't feel like I had driven the car much for a proper long-term experience, so I chose to wait till 3rd service. So here it goes. In my last update on 9th March 2023, the odo was at 1350 kms and today 8th Nov 2023 the odo reading marks 10238 kms. In between I had several short trips to other cities and one long trip to Himachal. As I have WFH so mostly I drive on weekends only and the round trip usually ends up being around 100 kms. After 1st service in March, it was mostly weekend city driving and I took one trip in April to Kotdwar for a friend's wedding, I had five people in car including me and boot completely full of luggage. The route is same which I mentioned in my first post and the car performed well enough with full load I would say. There was no lack of power in terms of highway cruising and careful overtaking. Three passengers (medium build) sitting in the back were very happy with car and they had no issues whatsoever in terms of space and comfort. My next short trip was in June first week to The City Beautiful - Chandigarh, it is my maternal home, just a quick short weekend to meet up with my cousins and hang around. As expected, a smooth trip and no issues with car whatsoever. In between these two trips a lot of city driving was done, In June itself I sent the car for 2nd service and as always it was quick and no fuss, Maruti's service track has always been great and will remain great that's why they sell the most cars in almost every segment. In these 5k Kms I had no major issues with the car it ran smoothly, I faced issue with android auto in which my voice on calls was not audible to the other person and I checked this with multiple people they were not able not hear anything from my end, but it was fine with Bluetooth only mode, I got the software updated from service centre and it has been working fine since, other than this issue the head unit and android auto works flawlessly even switching between the devices is also very smooth, there are modes also for phone connectivity that if you want android auto or just a bluetooth connection, yes there are times when it fails to auto connect or identify phone but that is very rare, and it resolves after ignition off and on but in that case also your Bluetooth connectivity will be there. Auto start stop also works perfectly I think as I have come to understand it. It always keeps some battery power in reserve for ignition on and off, I have never seen the battery level drop less than two or three bars, for e.g. : if you stop at lights and the ignition turns off the first thing it'll do is that it'll turn off the AC and yes in summers it is irritating because you won't notice that only blowers are working until they throw hot air on your face. However, if you turn ac back on manually it'll start the engine or if your head unit is playing music at a higher volume, basically if your car is drawing more power than it can be run on battery, or if it'll make the battery go to reserve levels it'll use engine power that's it. This viewpoint is just from my observation only I have not researched or have any technical data to prove this I could be wrong also, any folks with more knowledge to this feature are welcome to enlighten me. I have found this feature useful only. After second service, I did a couple of trips to Chandigarh and majorly city driving in Delhi NCR, and recently did a long trip to Tirthan valley, Himachal in October. It was exactly 1k Kms round trip, The car performed well on climbs, and is easily manoeuvrable on sharp turns. I didn't take the car to Jalori pass which could have been a real test for the car and for me also as I was the only driver and I have less experience on driving such steep height and slopes as I didn't want any mishap to happen maybe next time when there is someone more experienced is with me. The car went for 3rd service on 31st October, it was just usual experience this time also. Cons and design issues which I have found in the 10k kms of driving and I think are major are listed below:Zero visibility from A pillar, it can hide an elephant behind it, and you won't notice until you're about to hit it. It is too thick, and it absolutely becomes a blind spot in corners or right turns, several times I got lucky that just in last moment I saw a biker or a person whom I was about to hit, and they were not a bit visible, you must lean towards the driver side window to look. I think it's because of the side mirrors being to close to pillars and if you have rain visors installed then it is adding up to the problem only.Foot AC vents throwing more air on legs than the face vents. Yes, this is an issue in GV and it is a design error, a lot of people won't be able to understand this but If you have tried to find a sweet spot in balancing the AC flow by turning on both the face and foot vents then you'll get my point. In GV when you turn the foot vents on, the air flow drastically reduces from face vents as if there is no air flow from them and in couple of minutes or so your feet will start freezing up and you will turn off the foot vents. I got this checked in service centre in other GV's also, same thing. I asked this question to one of the Powerdrift YouTube channel presenter as they recently got the hybrid version, he confirmed the same.Door pockets bottle holder section could have bigger to hold one ltr flasks and on back doors why just a bottle holder, could have easily accommodated the complete door bin.360-degree camera should have been provided, considering the blind spots I feel like this.Remote AC option is only available in automatic.Well to GV it is a great car to drive and live with, till now the car has been consistent in terms of ride quality and comfort. In terms of performance yes the power is a little less and it doesn't match up with how rest of the car has been set up, I felt this especially after this long trip to Himachal, as on my way back, I was so used to the power output that it started feeling dull to me, or may be it is just me or when you drive to such long routes. For overtaking you can always drop a gear and get the power down as the engine can rev to quite higher rpms easily. No rattling or squeaking sounds yet, and I have driven the car in rough patches quite hard I would say, it just handles them fine. I'll end the post here with a picture from inside the car. Thank you! Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sat, 25 Nov 2023 11:02:22 +0530 BHPian pheru8b recently shared this with other enthusiasts. The Jimny: my thoughts on making a good car, into a great one! After 4,400 km on my Jimny AT Alpha across 3 months, I must say that I still take every excuse to take it out for a spin. It makes me smile. A lot. And I've never enjoyed any car as much as my Jimny! After reading the complaints people have mentioned on this thread, and I personally do agree with some of them, I feel that most of them are not really major, and on driving the car, would not honestly matter much in terms of the overall package the Jimny offers. It is a good, good car! But if I were somehow put in charge of the Jimny by Maruti, and were given a free hand to imagine all the changes that would make this good car great, this is what I would do:Add another gear or two to the AT to improve fuel efficiency. Or perhaps add a "city" drive mode which reduces fuel consumption in traffic. My Jimny gives around 15 on the highway, but just 7 to 9 km/l in the city with the AC on. That needs to be corrected.While the brakes do their job, they just don't seem to have adequate bite. Spongy would best describe their performance. Would be good to have sharper brakes a la Hyundai or Toyota. And oh yes, yellow disk brake calipers to set off the bluish-black Jimny would go a long way in terms of adding some major MOJO!For a top-end model, the Jimny does miss out on some creature comforts that are expected of our times viz, wireless charging, connected car features, ambient lighting, auto-dimming rearview mirror and a tyre pressure monitoring system. These would've been nice to round off the package!For the entry-level, rather than giving a discount (shudder!), I would add a new 2-wheel drive variant, meant for cities. The car is a dream to drive around crowded cities, and many people would like to use it accordingly, but balk at the price!I would improve the turning radius, at least at lower speeds. I understand tall cars can't have a tight turning radius, but there are ways around that.For the little off-roading that I did, I would have loved to see a compass, a front-back and left-right level indicator, and a forward camera. Useful items, all these. But more than useful, very very cool! Like the Thar which has some of these, they make a statement!Finally, change the voice and tone of the "aunty" who welcomes you every time you start the car. I know she can be shut off, but she does sound rather like my old school principal on occasions when I was sent to visit her for not keeping to the expected norms of behaviour. Would be good to get the welcome message in the voice of Megan Fox, or perhaps Shakira. Or Akshay Kumar.That's it. Seven ideas from my side that could make the Jimny stand out further from the crowd, gallop ahead on the x factor, and become truly great! She's a wonderful car already, but so much more is possible! Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Sat, 25 Nov 2023 09:32:00 +0530 Royal Enfield has announced the launch of the Himalayan 450 at Motoverse 2023 in Goa. The new ADV is available in four variants, with prices starting at Rs 2.69 lakh (ex-showroom). The Himalayan 450 replaces the Himalayan 411 in Royal Enfield's line-up. It is based on a twin-spar tubular frame designed to handle rough terrain. The bike is equipped with an LED headlamp and a 4-inch digital instrument console offering Bluetooth connectivity and a Ride-by-Wire system. The Himalayan 450 is powered by a 452cc, liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine that produces 39.5 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and 40 Nm @ 5,500 rpm. The engine is paired with a 6-speed gearbox via a slip-and-assist clutch. There are two riding modes - Eco and Performance. The ADV comes with a 43 mm upside-down front fork with 200 mm travel and an adjustable monoshock at the rear, also offering 200 mm of travel. The brake setup comprises of a single 320 mm disc at the front and a 270 mm disc at the rear, supported by switchable ABS. The bike rides on 21-inch front and 17-inch rear spoked wheels shod with dual-purpose tyres. The Himalayan 450 competes with the KTM 390 Adventure, BMW G 310 GS and the Yezdi Adventure.Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 ex-showroom prices:Base (Kaza Brown) - Rs 2.69 lakhPass (Slate Himalayan Salt, Slate Poppy Blue) - Rs 2.74 lakhSummit (Kamet White) - Rs 2.79 lakhSummit (Hanle Black) - Rs 2.84 lakh]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 20:54:53 +0530 BHPian Dr.AD recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Since the last update, I did a couple of long drives (apart from some short breakfast drives) and also reached 90,000km on the odo. The car has been great to drive, as always, but was also parked for a while in the last two months because of our other travels. We did a long vacation to Ladakh, but we flew there, and then we did a few weekend trips in Thar. In all that, I did not get a chance to update this thread much. But recently, I managed two good drives in the 320d to make up for all that lost time, and this is a story of those drives. Solo Drive Around Hampi: I love solo drives, and it has been a long time since I did a nice solo drive in my 320d. Therefore, on one recent weekend, when my wife was busy with her work events and I was all alone, I decided to use that weekend for a quick solo drive. The idea was to just enjoy the car on some fast highways, and not spend a lot of time at any destination as such. I had done a few Thar drives recently, on some bad roads and forest trails, and I wanted this solo drive to be the opposite of that (just for the sake of variety!). So I chose to stay on fast 4-lane highways and just drove around randomly on highways all day. By driving around the highways from Bangalore to Hospet (via Chitradurga), and then exploring some newly built highways around Hospet, in the afternoon I reached my favorite place, Hampi! I have been to Hampi so many times recently, and therefore, this time the plan was not to visit any sites in Hampi, but just to drive around enjoying my car. Somewhere on the lovely fast roads to Hampi: Since the agenda was just to drive around, I did exactly and only that. Drove around the beautiful countryside roads in Hampi: Since I have visited the popular sunset points in Hampi multiple times recently, this time I decided to skip all that and just watched the sunset from the road, while still driving around. In the end, it was just a nice and enjoyable solo drive in and around Hampi, got to stretch the legs of my 320d, and also got a good quality solo time which is like a meditation for me. Loved that weekend. Goa Drive and Vacation: On a recent long weekend, we (I and my wife) spent 4 days in Goa. Goa is a special place for us. We used to drive to Goa very often in the past. There was a period of a few years when we went to Goa every year (and sometimes twice a year), and then over time got bored of Goa. Our Goa vacations stopped due to that boredom. And now, we visited Goa again after a gap. That gap seemed to have done the trick. We loved Goa all over again. We had a great time and a great vacation in Goa. We stayed at "Lalit Golf and Spa Resort" in South Goa. We have stayed here in the past too, and we like this place. This place is almost at the border of Karnataka and Goa and is very easy to access (with good highway connectivity) from Karnataka. Plus, this is located at a very quiet and remote location, compared to the busy and touristy areas of Goa. We like this peaceful location. The property is very big and spacious, and usually quite peaceful and not crowded too. The rooms are quite big, nice and luxurious! Overall, this property is quite different from the usual busy resorts in Goa, and we like it for all these reasons. So usually when we drive to Goa from Karnataka, this is our preferred location to stay in South Goa. (Earlier when we used to drive to Goa from Pune, we usually stayed in some resorts in North Goa). We spent time relaxing in the resort and on the so-called "private beach" at the resort. And then in the mornings and evenings, we drove around to other parts of Goa visiting a few scenic locations, restaurants, and a few other beaches. I love the forest roads in Goa. Driving around those narrow, winding roads with thick trees all around, enjoying the turns and intermittent sea views, is a great experience in itself. As much as I like the beaches of Goa, I enjoy these Goan drives too! In one of these morning drives, we visited the "Cabo de Rama Fort", which is an ancient fort on a seaside hill. Quite a nice place. Drive up to this place is beautiful, and the place itself offers great views from all around. I also did what I love the most - took my car to a scenic spot and spent some time in a car photoshoot. Thanks to friendly moderator @Vid6639 for recommending a few locations and areas for a car photoshoot! Many of these locations are around Cabo de Rama Fort. That area offers great views of the sea from the top of a cliff. We also visited beach shacks and had a nice lunch there on the beach. For example, we loved the clean and uncrowded Agonda beach and found a very nice beach shack there that was peaceful and served great food. And of course, evenings on the beaches are always wonderful. Our resort was located directly on a beach and had private access to the beach. We spent some time walking around there and enjoying an evening in the beach next to our resort. Dinner at "Cape Goa" Restaurant: On one of the evenings, we drove to the famous Cape Goa restaurant and had dinner there. This is a very beautiful place and is one of the most "happening and sought after" restaurants in Goa. It gets quite crowded in the evening. Table reservation is strongly recommended. We went there without a reservation, but thankfully got a table albeit after some wait. This restaurant is located on a cliff and requires going down a few rough steps built into the cliff. The location is breathtaking! The views from the restaurant as well as from the top of the cliff (and also from the stairs) are all amazing. The restaurant was very crowded and service was painfully slow. But all those things were fine due to the amazing views we enjoyed. And yes, the food was great too. Overall, we had a great time there. 90,000km Up! As I type this, the car is at 91,000km and still feels nice to drive. The car has proved to be extremely reliable, and a great car for my type of driving. It is fast enough for my needs, and the ride and handling balance are just perfect for my tastes. My wife loves this car too, and she appreciates the lovely ride quality and "relative" lack of body roll even in the ghats (when we talk of cars, "relative" is always the keyword; nothing is absolute, it is all relative to your expectations and benchmarks). This car has proven to be a great companion for our travels, and 90,000km without breaking a sweat is a great testimony to this car's abilities! CBS Strikes Again! While the car is very reliable and I have no complaints on that front even at 91,000km now, one thing that I am not a big fan of is the "Condition Based Servicing" (CBS). CBS can catch you by surprise and can potentially ruin road trip plans, as I have documented previously in this thread. This time, when I started the drive, the next service requirement was an engine oil change at 10,000km. The front and rear brake pads both had more than 15,000km of life left, according to CBS. So I did not even think of these things when I started my drive. It was all fine. However, when I reached Ankola stopped for a coffee break, and then restarted the car, the message popped up that the next service due was in 2,100km! Surprised and alarmed by this, I checked the details, and it was the rear brake pads! The life of rear brake pads had dropped from more than 15,000km (I did not even care to remember the exact number because that was so far ahead in the future, or so I thought) to 2,100km in a short drive of around 550km when I reached Ankola. This is the crazy part of CBS. While it was still all OK, this sudden non-linear drop was worrisome! If this dropped further sharply while I was driving in Goa, I would have been in a spot of bother. After that, I drove around for another 200km in and around Goa, and in that, the brake pad life dropped linearly to around 1,900km. When I started my return journey to Bangalore, I started with that 1,900km of rear brake pads life. And in the 620km drive back to Bangalore, it dropped down to 1,100km when I parked my car at home. So in the end it is all fine and I have ample time on my hands now to book a service appointment and change the brake pads. The drive itself was uneventful and the brakes lasted long enough for me to finish the drive. However, these sudden drops in brake pad life can catch one by surprise and render the whole CBS pointless. In reality, there was just no meaning to that 15,000km of brake pad life shown earlier. At any point, that 15,000km can drop to 2,000km (exactly what happened to me; and this was not even the first time - it has happened many times in the past), and if you are on a long drive, this can catch be a nasty surprise in the middle of the drive. This makes the whole CBS useless to me because you can't trust its numbers anyway, and you have to be prepared for such surprises during a long drive. I have documented my issues against CBS many times before in this ownership thread. It would be an understatement to say I do not like CBS. By the way, the rear brake pads were changed at about 73,700km mark, and this means that I got about 18,000km of life on those brake pads. Not a great life at all, but somehow par for the course with BMWs. The problem is not the short life of brake pads by itself, but the sudden end of that life with a huge unreliable number shown by CBS just before than sudden end of life, that is the problem. It can mislead you, and you never know when that sudden end of brake pad life can occur. But other than the idiosyncrasies of CBS, the car has been really great and my ownership experience so far has been full of joy and great memories. We did so many memorable road trips in this car. Now looking forward to reaching the 100,000km mark, which should happen in the next six months! Well, that is all for now. Thank you very much for reading! Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 18:02:00 +0530 Triumph could soon introduce a third model to its 400cc range of bikes. The Speed 400 and Scrambler 400X are likely to be joined by the Thruxton 400. Triumph's new 400cc cafe racer-style bike was recently spotted testing on public roads. Spy images reveal a bubble-type fairing similar to the Thruxton big bike and a round headlamp. It also has clip-on handlebars, while the rest of the bike looks identical to its sibling, the Speed 400. The Thruxton 400 is expected to share the same chassis and suspension as the roadster. The test bike is equipped with an upside-down front fork and a monoshock at the rear. It has disc brakes at both ends and rides on alloy wheels. The Thruxton 400 will also share its engine with the Speed 400. The 398.15cc, single-cylinder unit puts out 39.5 BHP and 37.5 Nm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox via a torque-assist clutch. Source: Autostreet.in ]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 17:52:04 +0530 BHPian JDMBOI recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Hi, BHPians. As much as I am obsessed with JDM cars, I have mad respect for Porsche, especially their 911 GT cars. This thread is for the Porsche Purists, enjoy. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Wrttemberg, Germany.OriginFerdinand Porsche (1875-1951) founded the company called "Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche with Adolf Rosenberger and Anton Pich in 1931. The main office was at Kronenstrae 24 in the centre of Stuttgart. Initially, the company offered motor vehicle development work and consulting, but didn't build any cars under its own name. One of the first assignments the new company received was from the German government to design a car for the people; that is, a Volkswagen. This resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle, one of the most successful car designs of all time.Company logoPorsche's company logo stems from the coat of arms of the Free People's State of Wrttemberg of Weimar Germany of 1918-1933, which had Stuttgart as its capital. (The Bundesland of Wrttemberg-Hohenzollern used the same arms from 1945 to 1952, while Stuttgart during these years operated as the capital of adjacent Wrttemberg-Baden.) The arms of Stuttgart appear in the middle of the logo as an inescutcheon, for the company had its headquarters in Stuttgart. The heraldic symbols, combined with the texts "Porsche" and "Stuttgart", do not form a conventional coat of arms, since heraldic achievements never spell out the name of the armiger nor the armiger's home town in the shield. Porsche 911"The 911 is the only car that you can drive from an African safari to Le Mans, then to the theatre and onto the streets of New York." - Ferry Porsche The Porsche 911 (pronounced Nine Eleven or in German: Neunelf) is a two-door 2+2 high-performance rear-engined sports car introduced in September 1964 by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a rear-mounted flat-six engine and originally a torsion bar suspension. The car has been continuously enhanced through the years but the basic concept has remained unchanged. The engines were air-cooled until the introduction of the 996 series in 1998. The 911 has been raced extensively by private and factory teams, in a variety of classes. It is among the most successful competition cars. In the mid-1970s, the naturally aspirated 911 Carrera RSR won world championship races including Targa Florio and the 24 Hours of Daytona. The 911-derived 935 turbo also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979. Porsche won the World Championship for Makes in 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979 with 911-derived models.911 nomenclatureAlthough Porsche has used internal code numbers for each series of the 911, all models have been marketed and sold as 911s. The model series and associated internal codes are as follows:911 (1964-1989)930 (1975-1989) the turbocharged version964 (1989-1994)993 (1995-1998) the last air-cooled 911996 (1999-2004) all-new body and water-cooled engines997 (2005-2012)991 (2012-2019) all-new body992 (2019-)A series letter is used by Porsche to indicate the revision for production cars, usually on an annual basis. 911s have also been categorized into families based on body styles or engine enhancements: 911 Carrera: including the Carrera, Carrera S, Carrera 4, Carrera 4S, Carrera GTS, Carrera 4 GTS, Carrera T. All are available as cabriolets except the Carrera T. 911 Targa: including the Targa 4, Targa 4S, Targa 4 GTS. 911 Turbo: including the Turbo, Turbo S. All are available as cabriolets. GT3/GT3 RS: a track-focused version of the 911 Carrera with a naturally aspirated engine and rear-wheel drive. No cabriolet variant has ever been produced to date. A grand touring version featuring comfort-oriented options is called the GT3 Touring, and is available for the 991 and 992 generations. GT2/GT2 RS: the highest performance derivative, a track-focused version based on the Turbo with rear-wheel drive. No cabriolet version has ever been produced to date. Now available as an RS (Renn Sport) model only.Air-cooled engines (1964-1998)911, 911S, 911T, 911L, 911EThe 911 traces its roots to sketches drawn by Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche in 1959. The Porsche 911 was developed as a more powerful, larger and more comfortable replacement for the 356, the company's first model. The new car made its public debut at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show (German: Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung). The car was developed with the proof-of-concept twin-fan Type 745 flat-six engine, but the car presented at the auto show had a non-operational mockup of the single-fan 901 engine, receiving a working unit in February 1964. The first models of the 911 had a rear-mounted 130 hp (97 kW) Type 901/01 flat-6 engine, in the "boxer" configuration like the 356, the engine is air-cooled and displaces 1,991 cc (2.0 L) as compared to the 356's four-cylinder, 1,582 cc (1.6 L) unit. The car had four seats although the rear seats were small, thus it is usually called a 2+2 rather than a four-seater (the 356 was also a 2+2). A four or five-speed "Type 901" manual transmission was available. The styling was largely penned by Ferdinand "Butzi" Porsche, son of Ferdinand "Ferry" Porsche. Butzi Porsche initially came up with a notchback design with proper space for seating two rear passengers but Ferry Porsche insisted that the 356's successor was to use its fastback styling. 7 prototypes were built based on Butzi Porsche's original design and were internally called the Porsche 754 T7. Erwin Komenda, the leader of the Porsche car body construction department who initially objected, was also involved later in the design.Porsche 901In September 1963, Porsche introduced the public to the Porsche 901 - the successor to the Porsche 356 - at the IAA in Frankfurt. Series production of the 901 began in September 1964. It originally was designated as the "Porsche 901" (901 being its internal project number). When Porsche exhibited the vehicle at the Paris Motor Show in October of the same year, the French car manufacturer Peugeot became aware of the model designation and objected to it. The reason for this was that Peugeot had patented the type designation consisting of three-digit numbers with a zero in the middle. Porsche renamed the 901 to the 911. This number sequence is the emergency service number in the USA and was therefore already well known in this important market for Porsche. In total, 82 units of the 901 were produced before the name was changed. Porsche 911In September 1963, Porsche introduced the public to the Porsche 901 - the successor to the Porsche 356 - at the IAA in Frankfurt. One year later, in September 1964, series production began on the model, which was soon renamed the 911. The 911, which had until that point only been built as a Coup, had a self-supporting body and was driven by a new 2.0-litre six-cylinder boxer engine, capable of producing 130 PS. From the model year 1967, the 911 was also available as a "safety cabriolet" (Targa) with a fixed roll bar and a removable folding roof. From September 1968, the wheelbase was extended by 57 mm, which led both to increased driving comfort and more stable driving dynamics. The 911 S - the first engine derivative of the 911 - was also launched. In the years to come, models with the additional designations T, L and E followed.911 Targa (MY 1967-73)In introducing the Targa model, Porsche was responding to increased safety requirements for open vehicles in the USA. The fixed bar protected the occupants from injury in the event that the car rolled over. 911 S (MY 1967-73)Various modifications to the engine meant that this sports version of the 911 had an initial power output of 160 PS, which eventually increased to 190 PS. In addition to better equipment, the S model was the first 911 to be fitted with the Fuchsfelgen (Fuchs wheels), featuring the characteristic five-spoke design. 911 T (MY 1968-73)The "Touring" became the new entry-level model in the 911 series, initially with 110 PS and later with 130 PS. Its equipment was the same as that in the four-cylinder 912. One way in which it differed from the more powerful models was that its lettering was Silver instead of Gold. 911 L (MY 1968)With the introduction of the T version as a new basic model with a less powerful engine and four-speed manual transmission, the previous 911 was renamed to 911 L. The engine remained the same. 911 E (MJ 1969-73)The previous 2.0-litre engines entered their last year of construction in MY 1969 and were replaced with new 2.2-litre units. The L version was renamed the 911 E when the engine generation changed and had power outputs of between 140 and 165 PS. 911 Carrera RS (1973 and 1974)RS stands for Rennsport in German, meaning race sport. The Carrera name was reintroduced from the 356 Carrera which had itself been named after Porsche's class victories in the Carrera Panamericana races in Mexico in the 1950s. The RS was developed to meet motorsport homologation requirements. Compared to a standard 911S, the Carrera 2.7 RS had a larger engine (2,687 cc) developing 210 PS (150 kW; 210 hp) with Bosch (Kugelfischer) mechanical fuel injection, revised and stiffened suspension, a "ducktail" rear spoiler, larger brakes, wider rear wheels and rear fenders, to fit 185/70VR15 & 215/60VR15 Pirelli Cinturato CN36 tyres. Lightweight Touring Model The 911 RSRFor the 1974 IROC Championship (which started in December 1973), 1973 Carrera RSR models were fitted with the 3.0 engine and a flat "whale tail" in place of the ducktail spoiler along with wide body panels and large tyres. 911 and 911S 2.7 (1973-1977)The 1974 model year brought many significant changes to the 911 to meet legislative requirements around the world for both impact safety and emissions. First, the engine size was increased to 2,687 cc achieving higher torque. Second, new impact bumpers conformed to low-speed protection requirements of US regulations. Thirdly, the use of K-Jetronic CIS Bosch fuel injection in two of the three models in the line up- the 911 and 911S models, retaining the narrow rear arches of the old 2.4, now had a 2.7-litre engine rated at 150 PS (110 kW; 150 hp) and 175 PS (129 kW; 173 hp), respectively. The standard 911 version received an increase to 165 PS (121 kW; 163 hp) for Model Year 1976, which meant that starting from MY 1976, there was only a difference in power of 10 hp between the 911 and the 911S. The engine remained a K-Jetronic 2.7-litre. The 911S 2.7 engine was rated during its entire lifespan at 175 hp (130 kW; 177 PS). 911S 2.7 Video - 1974-77 Porsche 911Carrera 2.7 MFI and CIS (1974-1976)The Carrera 2.7 model built for all markets, except for the United States, used the 210 PS (150 kW; 210 hp) RS 911/83 engine with Bosch mechanical fuel injection pump from the 1973 Carrera RS. These Carrera 2.7 MFI models were built from 1974 until 1976 and were mechanically identical to the 1973 Carrera RS. 912E (1976)For the 1976 model year, the 912E was produced for the U.S. market. This was a 4-cylinder version of the 911 in the same manner as the 912 that had last been produced in 1969. It used the I-series chassis powered by the Volkswagen 2.0 engine also used in the Porsche 914 for 1973 through 1975 model years. 2,099 units were produced. The 912E was replaced by the front-engine Porsche 924 for the 1977 model year. Carrera 3.0 (1976-1977)For the 1976 model year, Porsche introduced the Carrera 3.0 with wide rear flares, optional whaletail, and a variety of other luxury options. It was available in all markets except North America. The Carrera 3.0 was fitted with a variation of the 930 Turbo's 2994 cc engine (minus the turbocharger). The engine (dubbed the 930/02) featured K-Jetronic CIS. It developed 200 PS (150 kW; 200 hp) in contrast to the older Carrera 2.7 MFI model's 210 PS (150 kW; 210 hp). The crankcase and gearbox housing were made of aluminium rather than magnesium for improved reliability. Magnesium cases were reviled for thermal expansion/contraction issues as engines grew in displacement and heat generation also increased. The new engine, which featured bigger intake and exhaust valves, produced greater torque allowing the Carrera 3.0 to achieve the same performance as the previous Carrera 2.7, 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 6.1 seconds and 0-200 km/h (0-124 mph) in 27 seconds. Both versions boasted a top speed of approximately 236 km/h (147 mph). Weight increased marginally by 45 kg to 1,120 kg. The 911 Carrera 3.0 was produced in both targa (1,125 examples produced) and coup (2,566) versions. The Carrera 3.0 was available with a manual gearbox (type 915) with 4 or 5 speeds as well as a 3-speed automatic transmission (called the Sportomatic). Production totals were 3,691 manual cars and 58 Sportomatic cars.930 Turbo and Turbo Carrera 3.0-litre (1975-1977)(930 Turbo is known as "The Widowmaker") For the 1975 model year, Porsche introduced the first production turbocharged 911. Although called the 930 Turbo (930 being its internal type number) in Europe, it was marketed as the 930 Turbo Carrera in North America. The body shape incorporated wide wheel-arches to accommodate the wide 205/50R15 & 225/50R15 Pirelli P7 tyres, and a large rear spoiler often known as a "whale tail" on the early cars (modified from the original 1974 IROC design). They were initially fitted with a 3.0-litre engine 260 PS (190 kW; 260 hp) and a four-speed manual transmission. 930 Turbo 3.3-litre (1978-1989)For the 1978 model year, Porsche revised the 930 with a larger 3.3-litre turbocharged engine with an intercooler rated at 300 PS (220 kW; 300 hp). To fit the intercooler a newly designed "tea-tray" tail spoiler replaced the earlier whale tail spoiler. Porsche dropped the "Carrera" nomenclature for the North American markets and the car was simply called the Porsche 911 Turbo worldwide. The larger engine helped reduce some of the turbo lag inherent in the earlier models. In 1989, a 5-speed manual transmission became available for the 930. The 930 was replaced in 1990 with the 964 turbo featuring the same 3.3-litre engine. There have been turbocharged variants of each subsequent generation of 911 since then. 911SC (1978-1983)In 1978, Porsche introduced the new version of the 911, called the '911SC'. Porsche reintroduced the SC designation for the first time since the 356SC (as distinguished from the race engined 356 Carrera). There was no Carrera version of the 911SC. According to modern-day Porsche literature and websites (there is no period reference to SC meaning anything) the "SC" stands for "Super Carrera". It featured a 3.0-litre aluminum engine with Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection and a 5-speed 915 transmission. Originally power output was 180 PS (130 kW; 180 hp), later 191 PS (140 kW; 188 hp) and then in 1981 it was increased to 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp). Carrera 3.2 (1984-1989)The replacement for the SC series came in 1984 as the 911 3.2 Carrera, reviving the Carrera name for the first time since 1977. This was the last iteration in the original 911 series, with all subsequent models featuring new body styling and new brake, electronic, and suspension technologies. A new higher-displacement engine, a 3.2-litre horizontally opposed flat 6-cylinder unit, was utilized. At the time Porsche claimed it was 80% new. The new swept volume of 3,164 cc was achieved using the 95 mm (3.7 in) bore (from the previous SC model) combined with the 1978 Turbo 3.3 crankshaft's 74.4 mm (2.9 in) stroke. Video - 1984-89 3.2 Carrera964 Series (1989-1993)For 1989 the 911 underwent a major evolution with the introduction of the Type 964. It was launched as the Carrera 4, the "4" indicating four-wheel-drive, demonstrating the company's commitment to engineering. Drag coefficient was down to 0.32. A rear spoiler deployed at high speed, preserving the purity of design when the vehicle was at rest. The chassis was redesigned overall. Coil springs, ABS brakes and power steering made their debut. The engine was increased in size to 3,600 cc and was rated at 250 PS (180 kW; 250 hp). The rear-wheel-drive version, the Carrera 2, arrived a year later. 964 Turbo (1990-1994)For the 1991 through 1993 model years, Porsche produced the 964 Turbo with the 930's proven 3.3 L engine, improved to have a power output of 320 PS (240 kW; 320 hp). 1994 brought the Carrera 2/4's 3.6 L engine, now in turbocharged form and sending a staggering 360 PS (265 kW; 355 hp) to the rear wheels. With the 993 on the way, this car was produced through 1994 and remains rather rare. 993 Series (1994-mid 1998)The 911 was again revised for model year 1994 under the internal name Type 993. This car was significant as it was the final incarnation of the air-cooled 911 first introduced in 1964. Most enthusiasts and collectors consider the 993 to be the best of the air-cooled 911 series. As Car & Driver noted, "Porsche's version of the Goldilocks tale is the 993-generation 911, the one many Porschephiles agree that the company got just right," with an "ideal blend of technology and classic 911 air-cooled heritage." Porsche itself refers to the 993 as "a significant advance, not just from a technical, but also a visual perspective." "993s especially [are] widely regarded as the best the 911 ever got. The new suspension, along with chassis refinements, enabled the car to keep up dynamically with the competition. Engine capacity remained at 3.6 L, but power rose to 272 PS (200 kW; 268 hp) due to better engine management and exhaust design, and beginning with model year 1996 to 286 PS (210 kW; 282 hp). 993 Turbo (1995-1997)A Turbocharged version of the 993 was launched in 1995 and became the first standard production Porsche with twin turbochargers and the first 911 Turbo to be equipped with permanent all-wheel-drive (the homologated GT2 version based on the Turbo retained RWD). The 3.6 L twin-turbocharged M64/60 engine is rated at 408 PS (300 kW; 402 hp)). The performance was outstanding at the time, as 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) was measured at 3.2 seconds, and the braking was even more impressive in 2.3 seconds from the same speed. The car's top speed was measured at 322 km/h (200 mph) at 7,000 rpm. Continue reading JDMBOI's thread about the evolution of the Porsche 911 for BHPian comments, insights and more information.]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 17:30:00 +0530 BHPian Geo recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Saw a couple of comments about the driver seat's under-thigh support and angle of the foot, heel, and toe. Just thought of sharing my observations. I feel the driver's seat positioning in Elevate is really good and that the driving position is comfortable. I am 5'11". I have driven Elevate for 1000 kms and did a ~750 km single road trip. So my observations come from this context. I have attached a few photos of the driver's leg positioning. For these photos, I have moved the seat to its full-back position and have kept the steering near the lowest position. Even then, you can observe that there is enough room for me to move my legs up and down a bit. There is enough and more room for leg movement sideways and to find a comfortable position. For the taller drivers, if they move the steering to the upper positions, I am sure they will find more room for their overall leg movement. With this positioning, my leg doesn't bump into the steering wheel at all. Please bear in mind that the floor under the pedals is inclined upwards at a gentle angle. Right leg on the brake. A case in point is the spare room for leg movement and adjustment. Leg on the accelerator. Steering is not even in the picture, quite literally and you find space all around for positioning your leg. I have actually found the Elevate leg room for the driver and the leg positioning for acceleration to be more comfortable than that of the Jeep. Another observation I have is about my left leg positioning. As you can see in this photo, I place it on the side of the center console. This gives me an extremely comfortable left-leg positioning. With my left leg planted on the dead pedal and the leg resting completely like this, I get a relaxed drive. The fact that this is extremely comfortable for me, makes me think that leg touching the central console may be extremely uncomfortable for some others So please check this out during your test drive. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 17:00:00 +0530 Skoda has introduced a new feature that allows owners to pay for fuel via their car's infotainment system. As per reports, the new feature called 'Pay to Fuel', will be installed in the vehicle's infotainment system. The feature will list all the stations that support the service via in-car navigation. Owners can choose the petrol station and the vehicle will automatically recognise it at the time of arrival. Via the app, the driver can then confirm the station and enter the pump number and the amount of fuel after refuelling. The payment can be made via the same screen, with the app accepting all common credit and debit cards. Once the payment is done, the driver receives a notification on the MySkoda App and can then drive away. The information of the card being used for payment can be entered via the MySkoda App. The 'Pay to Fuel' service is said to be provided by Skoda in partnership with Mastercard, Parkopedia and ryd - a German FinTech company. The new feature is currently said to be offered in a few European countries like Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria Denmark and Switzerland, with Portugal and Spain expected to get it soon. Other countries will also receive this service at a slightly later stage.]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:55:31 +0530 One of the biggest arguments against electric vehicles is that they aren't really environmentally friendly as the electricity that powers them comes mostly from non-renewable sources like coal. This is especially true in India, as thermal power plants make up over 70% of the total power generated in the country. The EV industry is aware of this and is slowly moving towards greener sources of power charging stations. Glida has converted 28 of its chargers in Hyderabad to use green electricity. According to the company, a project to procure "Green" Energy from the DISCOMs in Hyderabad was initiated in September. It is said that DISCOMs have established an enhanced tariff structure for providing green energy in comparison to the standard EV tariff, which varies from 44 paise/kWh to 230 paise/kWh from state to state. Approximately 35% of the energy dispensed by their charging stations in the month of October 2023 came from renewable sources. Thanks to BHPian ferrarirules for sharing this information with other enthusiasts!]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:40:41 +0530 According to a media report, Apple has patented a new technology that helps iPhone users identify their cabs when using applications like Uber. The patent technology called "Augmented Reality interface for facilitating identification of arriving vehicle", tries to solve a challenge when in an urban environment. The tech allows people waiting for their cabs to find the correct vehicle, especially in an environment where there are multiple cars and many other people also waiting on a car. The tech relies on augmented reality, wherein once the license plate and vehicle information are added to the database, the user can launch the iPhone's camera and scan incoming vehicles. Once the vehicle matches the information, a notification is received. Apple goes on to state that the tech could also be used for public transportation in the near future. Stating an example of how a tourist might be able to use the tech to find the right bus or bus terminal. However, as with any patent, it remains to be seen if Apple will bring the idea into production at any time. Source: AutoEvolution]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:37:43 +0530 BHPian KarthikK recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Time flies. It really does. Five years have flown by since the Ninja 1000 has been a part of our lives. It just feels like yesterday that we were excitedly taking an Uber cab to the Kawasaki showroom to receive the delivery of a litre class sport tourer bike that we so fondly desired to add to our garage to enhance our travel experiences. While I have been touring on bikes since 2008 with friends or solo, our erstwhile Karizma helped to set the ball rolling when it came to 2-up touring on bikes with my better half from 2015. Getting the Ninja 1000 in 2018 was a big step up for us to change our (predominantly car-biased) way of touring, to exploring travel in a different light - on a not-so-practical, high-power sportbike. It is a different matter that we later expanded our touring bike arsenal to include the RE Himalayan and later the Honda CB500X to maximize our touring capabilities and remote location reach and enjoy this (road tripping-on-bikes) hobby much more comprehensively for our tastes. Fast forward 60 months, and I have to say the Ninja has not only met all the dreamy and rosy expectations we had of this ownership and travel style of sport-touring, it also surpassed most of them and never failed in putting smiles across our faces every time we took it out for a trip. I'll just infuse this post with some lovely collages of memories accumulated over the years, along with some useful statistics and useless statistics too. Maybe some of the expense-related statistics and splits will help to provide some insights into ownership costs of a big bike in this genre for readers seeking out information on those aspects. In general, I tend to collect tons of usage-related and travel-related data mostly because I like doing so, to observe and infer patterns from historical data later. I'll probably add some brief inferences from each set of the data gathered. Some of it may seem ridiculous, so feel free to call me crazy, laugh at the posts and move on. The Ninja has conquered almost all types of terrain in the southern part of the country, barring maybe hardcore off-road trails Mountains, beaches, forests, grasslands, tea or coffee plantations, lakes, rivers and everything else in the geography textbook and the Ninja happily munched through them for breakfast Gathering statistics on the total usage of the Ninja over the past five years, split by genre. ~70% of the Ninja's usage came from 2-up trips with the wife, while the remaining came from day trips and group rides. This trend has been shifting a bit more over the past few years and will continue to let the 2-up sector take up a bit more percentage of the pie-chart going ahead. This bar chart shows the trends of usage in terms of kilometres covered per year. 2018-19 was my very first year and I was still evolving as a rider, plus had some personal challenges when I lost my dad. 2019-20 and 2020-21 were the COVID-era pandemic years and many rides had to be cancelled, shelved or postponed due to the uncertainty with numerous lockdowns and restrictions, the lesser said of that era the better. In 2021-22 and 2022-23, the usage has picked up pace and should remain steady from now on. An interesting observation when looking at the cumulative rides done across months of the year -April has usually been a lean month because we don't like to deal with excess tourist traffic everywhere (summer vacation season of the month).August and December are usually the months when we prefer to use the ADV bike (such as Himalayan / 500X) to do some long inter-state rides or monsoon rides. Anyway, it is funny to see such splits and decipher something from filtering historical data. We have met so many interesting people and made lots of new friends over the years, and I have certainly learnt a lot from riding with so many experienced and skilled riders from all walks of life - all thanks to this one bike. So many wonderful rides and memories created during all the lovely rides done with so many BHPian biker friends over the years, notably ebmrajesh, CrAzY_dRiVeR, rbp, neil.jericho, deepfreak15 and Shaikhmimran who have been part of almost all of our group rides over the years. The better half is the one who usually does all the R&D for finding lovely properties and comes up with brilliant itineraries based on specific vehicles in our garage. Most of the trips and travelogues on this thread are possible thanks to her meticulous behind-the-scenes work in suggesting and selecting beautiful offbeat properties in apt locations based on the season of the year for every vehicle in our garage, Ninja included. Kudos to her for being a massive part of the Ninja ownership story! This pie chart has splits of all our rides done so far, split on genres.Nature and Luxury retreats form major chunks of our trips so far. There is obviously some overlap across some sectors, but when costs cross a certain threshold on my database those trips get classified as luxury retreats even if they belong in some other sector, lol!Historical / Heritage locations also have been a mainstay more recently.Group trips are rides done with friends where we mostly reach a quaint destination and relax and chit-chat amidst the group.Going forward the goal should be to expand to other lesser-used sectors such as more food-trail trips and adventure destinations, etc to evenly distribute the splits across all categories in the days to come. Another probably silly split of data filtered based on states as destinations of the trips.Karnataka and Tamilnadu have probably grabbed the lion's share of the pie chart here, and quite reasonably so because they both offer a ton of varied destination genres for the discerning travellers in us.There have been sporadic trips to Hyderabad (Telangana), Kolhapur (MH) and one to Goa earlier during the ownership period. Although tracking has been going on from Day 1, many of the earlier rides have no travelogues on the thread because I wrote this thread only in late 2020, and have been posting only major rides from 2021-22 onwards. Anyway, this is how the total state-wise coverage split looks after 5 years. The goal should be to reduce rides in KA and TN states and expand more of the other lesser-covered sectors in the days to come, to help even out the splits across all sectors. Moving on to the expenses part of the statistics accumulated over 5 years - here is a table outlining the insurance costs over the years. The first year's premium was obviously higher because of the high IDV at purchase time, and the mandatory 5-year third-party cover bundled into the first year's premium at purchase time. After this, the premium has been progressively reducing thanks to NCB accumulating over the years (there have been no claims obviously) and the IDV will anyway be reducing a bit every year with age. Tracking the insurance premium over the years, this is how it looks. The sixth-year premium is yet to be included in the previous table, but the slight bump in year 6 is because the 5-year third-party cover is now over and third-party coverage will become a part of every year's premium going ahead. I believe this third-party cover is around ~2800 INR per year for bikes above 350cc. I'll update the insurance data for the 6th year once the renewal is done later this month. Fuel costs over the years are indicated in the table below, sorted year-wise. The fuel costs have progressively increased over the years due to 3 reasons:Fuel prices in general were low (mid-70s INR per litre) during 2018-20 in the pre-pandemic era, while they increased after 2020-21 (100+ INR per litre)More touring and in general more usage after the pandemic era, more kilometres hence more fuel expensesMy preference towards IOCL's XP100 wherever available has bumped up the fuel costs because that thing costs 160 bucks per litre, lol! Some useless data splits now for laughs - this one shows all fuel filled in the Ninja from Day 1 till today.2018-20 I used to prefer HP's Power99 or BPCL's Speed 97 whenever possible. Regular fuel or shell would be used only when out touring without those premium fuels available.From 2020 onwards this entire trend changed when IOCL brought in XP100 and XP95, both of which are available quite widely in the south now. Needless to say, almost all my usage recently is only with either of these 2, with XP100 always being preferred for the fantastic throttle response, full-fledged power output (lower octane causes a reduction in tune) and fantastic refinement.The IOCL XP twins are only going to hog more of the pie-chart sector space in the days to come, with more widespread availability increasing our touring abilities to every nook and corner of places which we intend to comb in future. Coming to Tyres - the bike has fully used up 2 sets of tyres and is currently on the third set of tyres. The table below highlights the usage-level splits by genre, of all 3 sets of tyres used so far. The Metzeler Sportec M9RRs are the best tyres I have used on the Ninja. The grip levels were phenomenally good for touring, and I have never once had any heart-in-the-mouth moments even when encountering surprise patches of cow dung, dead leaves or gravel in the middle of a corner. The tyres took very little time to warm up and were great from the word go, planting the bike like they were stuck to the road with industrial adhesive, even in rain! My overall rating - 9.5/10 from a sport touring perspective. I reduced 0.5 because they need to be a bit watchfully handled off-road in slushy and slippery soil.The Michelin Road 6s comes in a close second to the Metzeler M9s, not very surprising since the M9s are supersport tyres. The Road 6s offer much better longevity (yet to find out how much myself) according to other owners and international forum reports. My personal observation is that they do feel a bit jittery when encountering cow dung / dead leaves in the middle of a corner and on gravel patches in the dry. They are great in the wet, and for dry I felt they take a bit more time to get warm and start gripping when aggressively attacking corners. Anyway, for increased longevity I would take the Road 6s and extract a few more trips from them at the marginal loss of grip levels compared to the M9s. What it loses out to the M9RR in outright grip levels it makes up with longevity, but it is also ~13% more expensive per pair. My overall rating (relative to the other 2 sets) would be 8.5/10.The Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S20s which came stock with the bike were quite average in grip. They took a while to get warmed up, and grip levels in varying terrain and weather conditions were mostly average and satisfactory in most situations, but not exemplary like the Sportec M9RR or the Road 6s. The performance deteriorated over time as they aged, soon they got lousy and had to be discarded. My overall rating for these would be something like 6/10.Moving over to the maintenance front, this chart should be familiar from some of my previous posts where I used to provide updates on services or any maintenance work done on the Ninja. This table captures maintenance data from 2018 to 2023, for all kinds of maintenance work done on the bike including routine services, tyre replacement work and any wear and tear part replacements. Leaving out tyre replacements, all of just 6 visits to the service centre in 5 years shows just how bulletproof Kawasaki has made this bike!Moving over to the maintenance front, this chart should be familiar from some of my previous posts where I used to provide updates on services or any maintenance work done on the Ninja. This table captures maintenance data from 2018 to 2023, for all kinds of maintenance work done on the bike including routine services, tyre replacement work and any wear and tear part replacements. Leaving out tyre replacements, all of just 6 visits to the service centre in 5 years shows just how bulletproof Kawasaki has made this bike! If the maintenance expenses have to be broken down to show the splits across tyre-replacement-related expenses, routine services, wear-and-tear part replacements and incidental expenses, this is the split chart. 2 sets of tyre replacements together take the majority of this chart over 5 years, showing just how expensive tyres have become for this genre of tyres. If I were to track the trends of overall service expenses including even tyre replacements over the last 5 years, this chart shows a clear picture of that.The fifth-year has been expensive compared to the other years because there were more routine maintenance activities and age-related replacements done this year.I foresee some more increased maintenance expenses in 2024 when I will be preparing to replace the battery, the chain-sprocket kit and spark plugs along with the next routine service.Grouping all the expenses together, here are the overall running costs of the Ninja 1000 over ~30,000 km and five years, taking into account fuel costs, insurance costs, tyre costs and maintenance costs. The average running cost of the Ninja 1000 has been around INR 14.3 per kilometre of usage over the years. This includes all 4 expense types. If I plot all 4 constituent sets of ownership expense data on a graph, this is what I would end up with. Notable observations:The tyre costs cause peak once every 2-3 years and remain at zero in other yearsService expenses (apart from tyres) have increased with usage and age because of more frequent mile munching over the years, but they should subside after the spark plugs, battery and chain-sprocket kit are replaced and the bike gets back to needing just oil and filter changes for another couple of years after thatFuel costs are directly proportional to the usage of the bike. Since touring has increased over the years, fuel expenses have also gone up. Bias towards XP100 usage has also bumped up this line a bit.Insurance costs (thanks to no claims) have reduced and eventually flattened out as expected. Hopefully, I never need to make any claim ever! That concludes my five-year summary and recap of usage, memories and expenses over five years. I liked this quote that I once came across on the net - We come into this world with nothing, we will leave with nothing. The only things we gather in life are memories, vivid memories of places and experiences which we will continue to hoard every time we travel and explore more of this world. Looking forward to a lot more Sport-touring in the years to come, with this gem of a machine doing what it does best - helping us create tons of lovely experiences and memories as we continue to travel more. Thank you for the exemplary service, the spirited riding experiences and the memories - Kawasaki Ninja 1000! Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:32:00 +0530 BHPian tharian recently shared this with other enthusiasts. Took the bike for a ride after a long while last weekend.The plan was to hit the new Satellite ring road and do the full length from Dabaspete to Hoskote. Since I left home later than planned and after losing time in a traffic jam getting out of the city, I decided to do the Hoskote to Dodballapur stretch instead.The bike has been running fine and I use it for short trips within the area or to drop my wife to her workplace which is a 20 kms commute. The engine runs smooth now with the only annoying part being the chain noise and vibrations which I have made peace with. The ride up to the cut-off before Hoskote to the old Hoskote-Devanahalli road was uneventful. I had done this road sometime earlier this year and kept away from it as it is a two-lane road with heavy truck traffic. This time it was totally different. It was around 15 km up to the Sate ring road from the cut-off from Old Madras highway and it was after a long time I had a nice ride on the Bullet on a well-paved, two-lane road with no traffic since the truck traffic had moved to using the SRR.The ride on the new Satellite Ring road was to have a relaxed ride and I was doing around 65-70kmph on an almost empty road. I was missing a fast car or bike, made worse by a few superbikes ripping up and down. I increased the speed gradually and was able to do around 80kmph without much stress. The digital speed read-out boards on this road are a good way to check if your speed is accurate. The 65 on my speedo was accurate, but as speeds climbed, the speedo was showing +5 so I was doing around 75 comfortably for the most part. On the way back, I went WOT and hardly anything happened and I thought finally the engine was not going to rev high for whatever reason. I headed back home via Airport Road and tried opening up fully again and the bike did start revving high like before and the speedo did hit some decent speeds for the age of the bike. Revving through the gears helped. I was doing around 80+ when after a while the engine missed a few beats after which I slowed down. Rode around 100 kms and was pleasantly surprised with the engine performance although it takes a while to reach some good speeds. No issues either after the ride except for the usual head gasket leak on the cooling fins when riding hard.The bike has run 1,28,200 kms. Some pictures of the ride and after a wash/polish today. Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0530 BHPian aaren recently shared this with other enthusiasts. In 2011, I bought Honda Jazz X edition and after a lot of thought process and learnings from this very forum. And soon after I published it, gave my initial ownership report followed after a few years. Now recently the car completed 12 years. What a vehicle it has proved to be!! It has been my family's faithful companion to lots of travels. However, some of the long term travel did not happen, as I thought it would. What has worked well:The engine is a top notch one - as smooth and as silent as it was when I bought.The A/C as good as it was.So far didn't have to touch or change anything in the car other than:A / C filterEngine Oil change - as recommended. And except once, Honda recommended oil.Wiper rubbersTyresWhat broke:The driver side outer rear view mirrorSomeone vandalized the rear wiperThe vehicle has run about 78000 kms. (covid and thereafter not much of running, as working from home). The sound system is working as good. The vehicle has acquired some scratches here and there, got some dents. Nothing major. Importantly, in my view, the vehicle has not "aged". I think this edition of Honda Jazz along with the first edition of Fiat Punto are two vehicles that have remained as attractive as ever. Recently, some foul smell was coming when we started the fan / A/C of the car and gave it for internal cleaning, A/C duct cleaning and detailing at Honda Showroom. I must say that this Honda Showroom at Indore has been a very helpful one right from day one and have taken care of the vehicle very well. According to their Senior Technical person, this car is good to go for another 5 years with, of course by extending the registration. Yes, am thinking in terms of moving to a newer vehicle. This could possibly boil down between Honda Elevate Vs. Kia Seltos Vs. Toyota Hyryder. But the change could come sometime in 2024 as there are other priorities. Keeping my fingers crossed! Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 15:15:43 +0530 BHPian drive2eternity recently shared this with other enthusiasts. On Thursday, I gave my car for its 9th service, after completion of 8+ years of ownership. I have been absent from this thread for quite some time, due to various reasons. However, sharing my long term ownership experience here. The below points summarize my experience with my car over the past 7 years:Car: Hyundai Verna 1.6 VTVT S(O)KMs done: 46800 in 3000 days (Average ~ 15.5 KMs daily) (99% with AC on)KMs on Highway ~ 31000 KMs (66%)City mostly driven: BangaloreMajor Incidents: NoneMinor Incidents: Too many (Bangalore city driving has its perils)Niggles: NoneBreakdowns / Part Changes: Mentioned below. 2017 - There was a faint 'kat'kat' sound coming from the driver's foot-well. It occurred only when going over rough surfaces and broken roads. Did not occur if I crossed a speed breaker. For this issue, the culprit was identified as the EPS motor. Since the car was in warranty, it was changed free of cost. 2021 - AC cooling was reduced, so took to the car to Advaith Hyundai, the compressor valve (ECV) was found faulty and replaced for about 4000/- including labour. More details can be found in this thread by VIGSOM: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...ml#post5061928 (Aircons! Demystifying the car air-conditioning system) 2022 - The front link rods were 'weak' as mentioned by the SA and hence I gave a go ahead to change them. Charged about 1500/- including labour. Battery Change: There were instances in May 2018, when the crank was taking longer than usual. Got it checked at a battery store and found the Exide battery from the factory was breathing its last. Hence, got a new Amaron, exchanging the Exide, for 4800/-. It has now started showing signs of degradation. I will probably get it changed in next few months. Tire Change: In August 2021, the stock Bridgestone B250s had covered 37000kms and lived for 6 years. Though they still had thread depth, I got Yokohama Earth 1s for the car. The Bridgetones served well and had just single puncture. Hoping the same reliability from the Yokos. Costed 7000/- per piece. The Yokos have been terrific, zero punctures, good grip and reliability. Also, minimal drop in air pressure. Points worth mentioning:The 9th service, at 8 years costed my 11200/-. I had read a lot on this forum about Hyundai's being expensive to maintain as they age, doesnt seem so in my case OR the car is still young.The design of the dashboard and the features are still up-to-date. I got ECM in my car, which cars costing 30lacs Bangalore don't get - Innova, XUV700. The power window switches on each door are backlit, a feature which is a luxury these days.The 1.6 VTVT is a gem of an engine. Super silent, immensely tractable. It pulls cleanly from 30kmph in 4th gear. In fact, at times, I tried putting the car in 4th at 25kmph and there was no shudder, just linear acceleration. This makes it a boon to drive in city traffic.I have added a DDPai front dashcam this year. Purchased on Amazon and got it hardwired by a local accessory shop.After eight years of ownership, I am completely satisfied with my purchase. The interiors are properly screwed and of top quality built. No sounds/rattles from the dashboard or the door pads. This, after I have to drive a lot over none existent roads of outer Bangalore very regularly. Quite impressive. Read BHPian comments for more insights and information. ]]> news Fri, 24 Nov 2023 14:08:16 +0530