7 cars you wouldnt know existed once

Money and cars, sometimes come and go by the blink of an eye. and today I am writing about some cars that were easy come and easy go in their market.

1. Standard 2000 (1985- 1987)

This Indian version of the Rover SD1 came with a 2.0 L engine with a mere 83 hp power and a top speed of 145 kmph. although along with a high ground clearance it came with the features of power windows and air-conditioning that time, low quality, high price ( Rs. 2.12 lakhs that time) and a low performance saw this car being discontinued.

2. Opel Corsa Swing (2003-2006)

A estate car made to compete with the likes of Tata Marina, Opel's brand image and its poor resale value led to its discontinuation.

3. Chevrolet Forester (2003- 2007)

Chevy's first attempt with a crossover wasn't accepted by Indians that time. Also, it was rebadged from its Subaru (whose stake was with Chevrolet) version which might have caused the downfall of this car.

4. Mahindra Voyager (1997-2000)

" An OMNI with a diesel engine " was what the Voyager used to be called. High on features and performance, what laid the car low was its heavy pricing and boxy looks.

5. Fiat Petra (2004-2007)

Better build quality and powerful but poor sales and service network along with the low fuel efficiency gave away this car as a big flop.

6. Maruti Baleno Altura (1999-2007)

Maruti launched its station wagon as an experiment which failed to seek buyers as it had a body style which Indians couldn't risk taking which resulted in this car's low sales despite being a practical and spacious.

Most over-rated cars in our country

Some cars are like Apple products.

1. Blind fan following
2. High Market values
3. No Improvements

Most Indians cant take the risk of going something with less fan following. Thus, they do the same when it comes to car buying. We will now look at the cars which people buy just because they have a trait called as stereotype.

1. Honda City

It had to be no 1 in the list and the saddest part is my dad owns one. It has to be admitted that this overpriced sedan sells due to 2 reasons - Brand Image and Tried & Tested tag.

2. Toyota Innova (Older One)

 Like the City, this car is also selling due to 2 reasons - Brand Name and Tried and Tested tag. Or else it wouldn't have been compared with contemporaries such as Xylo and Evalia even with a Rs.16 lakh price tag.

3. Toyota Etios

OK. My dad owned this one (2012 model) also before changing to the City. Lack of features and its high price compared to its segment make it a overrated one.

4. Maruti Swift

Engine - Check
Maintenance - Check 
Price - Err..

I dont understand why Maruti continues to sell the decade old Swift with just one facelift brought where its Baleno is selling much better.

5. Bugatti Veyron

Like seriously. Why did this thing come to India.

Is it because we have better roads?

Or else can we burn a large hole in our pockets buy paying Rs. 16 cr.

If WagonR had ZXI

Maruti recently launched the VXi+ trim of its tallboy in wheels, WagonR at a price of ₹4.69 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi). Available with a manual and automatic (AutoGearshift) transmission, it comes with projector headlamps, new front grill, tweaked alloy wheels and side skirts at the exterior. For the interiors a dual tone
grey and piano black finish has been put. Coming to the safety POV, dual airbags are standard with ABS with EBD as an option.

I think they should have gone with bringing the high end ZXi variant towards its tall boy which is among its top selling vehicles.

I wonder what would the ZXi come with-

Price - ₹ 5.05 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi)

1. Automatic Climate Control

2. Steering mounted audio controls

3. Daytime Running Lamps

4. Height adjustment for front seats

5. Leather Wrapped Seats

6. Turn indicators on ORVM

Why the Ignis reminds of the old Maruti 800

Maruti's new breed for the Nexa , Ignis was launched this month. And Maruti claims this to be a crossover although, they have failed to that to the S-Cross.

Kudos to the features such as 

1)

The Apple SmartPlay infotainment system will also come with the Android auto in the Ignis.

2)  

The gear console gets a body coloured tone

3)

The LED DRLs are sporty and yes, the headlamps are of LED too

But what comes as a bombshell is not only its size but also its design borrowed from the old Maruti 800 (SS80) from 1983 despite it competing with the i10, Celerio and even the KUV100 at a starting price of ₹ 4.7 lakhs (ex-showroom Mumbai)

Has the old SS80 taken rebirth?

Square Headlamps

Black Front Grill

The C pillar slits

Square Tail Lamps

Blackened Bumper

Rear Glass Incline

Conclusion- It's all upto you to decide  whether this design was an accidental tribute or not. but in features it has gone par excellence.

Is the Hexa >>>>> Aria?

There is a big difference between Tata Aria and the new Hexa and Hexa is not a new version of the super premium crossover from Tata. As the Aria became a flop in the market, Tata again went back to the drawing board and gave a better package of what was launched recently as the HEXA. So is the new face worth the change?

1.  PRICE

The Hexa comes in at an aggressive starting price of ₹ 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Recently the Aria was selling with a base price of just ₹ 8.85 lakh and ending with ₹ 15.3 lakhs. The high-end variants of Hexa go up to ₹ 17.49 lakhs.

Verdict -  As expected, Tata has gone with a very aggressive pricing strategy for Hexa.

2. SPECIFICATIONS

The top-end Hexa features the Varicor 400 diesel engine having 154 bhp power and 400 Nm torque. available in both manual and automatic transmission options  The entry-level Hexa gets Aria's less powerful engine. Also, the Hexa features 4 driving modes, all-wheel drive, and Terrain Response System with better fuel efficiency.

HEXA                              ARIA                                       

Displacement	2.2 litre Varicor Diesel / Varicor 400 Diesel	2.2 L Diesel
Power	150 PS/156 PS	150 PS
Torque	320 Nm/400 Nm	320 Nm
Efficiency	17-18 KMPL (estimated claimed mileage)	15.05 kpl
Transmission	5 Speed Manual/ 6 speed Manual / 6 speed Auto	5-speed MT
Dimensions (LxWxH)	4764 x 1895 x 1780 mm	4780 x 1895 x 1780

Verdict - The Hexa is coming with a revamp of the aria's 2.2 L engine which makes more power and considerably more torque. Also, there are new transmission options on offer.

3. FEATURES

  HEXA                       ARIA                    

Air Conditioner Type	Automatic Climate Control	Automatic Climate Control
Power Windows	Yes (4)	Yes (4)
Central Locking	Yes (keyless entry and go)	Yes
Steering Audio Controls	Yes	Yes
Audio System	Yes (Touchscreen)	Yes (Colour Display)
Airbags	Yes (2 or 6)	Yes (2 or 6)
ABS	Yes	Yes

Though the Aria had a pretty lot of features, extra gizmos in the Hexa include a Harman-sourced 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a 10-speaker JBL audio system. Also, higher variants have features like LED DRLs, ambient lighting, six airbags, and more. 

Verdict- The new Hexa gets even more equipment, though Aria had sufficient ones.

4. DESIGN

The Hexa retains the overall SUV-MPV crossover shape of the Aria though the styling is now more SUV. The bonnet seems flatter and the chunky bumpers and body cladding add some much-needed ruggedness to the exteriors. The Hexa features bigger wheels compared to the Aria and instead of the Aria’s vertical tail lamps, the Hexa gets split LED tail lamps. However, the headlamps and overall shape of the Hexa bear more than a passing resemblance to the Aria.

 As for the interiors, the vertical AC vents of the Aria are replaced by rectangular ones with the center console housing the touchscreen.  For the Hexa, Tata has done away with the cubby holes situated on the roof of the Aria. However, it is still easy to notice certain similarities between the dashboard designs of the two crossovers. While the wheelbase of both cars is the same, Tata claims there is more room in the second and third rows of seats now. 

Verdict -  More of an SUV in it than a MUV

CONCLUSION
Tata has given their best till now in reinventing the Aria. The Hexa is overall a much better package, especially in power, design, and features, and sticks to the segment of a crossover (SUV and MUV) very well.

INTRODUCTIONS

15th January, 2017


After your cup of milk, you can't think of a way to introduce yourself. See, it's about wheels, gas guzzlers, engines, pedals that will be written here. From the exhaust tips to the front bumper  everything is there . And my rules are - 

1. These blogs will be honest.
2. No biases make presence in the process of making the blogs
3. I can accept criticism (No cuss words though)
4. These blogs will be made with no intention of hurting or ruining the sentiments or emotions of any individual, character, religion, caste, gender or object.