Feature

Prepare Your Car for Road Trips

September 2, 2021September 5, 2021 VD

Planning road trips to native places and tourist places is always exciting but before you hit highways and drive through cities here are the things that you can check in your vehicle before your holiday trips.

On Board Diagnostic Device

Cars made in the last 10 years have OBD ports. You should definitely buy one of these diagnostic dongles. You get access to a wealth of information about your car through OBD devices. Vehicle check can be done immediately for trouble code in your car in real time.

Check Wiper Blades

Wiper Blades always come to mind until it’s raining. It’s important to check the condition of your wiper blades before a road trip; make sure it’s nice, smooth and the rubber is not starting to deteriorate. Check if it’s in good shape. You will also come to know; whether it is flexible enough to maintain good contact with the windshield. If the blade gets ripped off then it can scratch the glass. Replace wiper blades once in a year. Wiper blades also get dirt hence clean them before your next road trip. Don’t forget rear wiper blades, sometimes they get forgotten. Also, ensure windshield washer fluid is top-Up before a road trip.

Check all Lights

You need to make sure that all lights are working on your vehicle so you are not driving down the road with a headlight out or a taillight out. This is very important for your safety. Make sure that all of those lights i.e. Headlights, tail light and brake lights are in working condition. Also, you need to make sure all your signals/indicators are working, it is a must for your safety. You should check their operation and see the low beams and high beams are working properly. You should ensure flashers and fog lights are working properly. Do not forget to check number plate light bulbs. While you depress the brake pedal; you can ask your friend to check from behind or you can set a mobile phone or mirror to make sure that all of your brake lights are working. After checking brake lights, shift the car in reverse and check reverse lights. Get familiar with all headlight switches if you have rented the self-driven car.

Don’t Overload the vehicle

When you go on long trips; you are tempted to take all cool things but avoid overloading your vehicle excessively. It may damage suspension, steering, transmission, tires and engine. Overloading increases fuel consumption and also handling overweight cars is not easy. Hence, to avoid such problems, check maximum load capacity in the car owner’s manual. Remove all junk in your car. Generally, the rear seat and boot have junk in it, carrying only the things you really need for a road trip. Don’t keep any unwanted heavy stuff in the car boot and rear seats. Beware of unwanted stuff kept on the rear parcel tray it may block your rear view.

Check Engine Belts

Many cars have a single belt. It connects everything; it drives your alternator, charges your battery, air conditioning compressor and water pump to keep your engine cooled. You may get stranded, if belts get damaged. If you notice any cracks or any pieces of missing ribs, replace the belt immediately. Engine belt has to be in good shape and replace it as per the recommendation given in the owner’s manual.

Check Car Battery

Batter can screw your road trip. You may leave your home with a working battery but all of sudden during the drive, you may notice the battery is getting drained because it was not getting charged. To avoid such a situation, you should inspect the battery terminal. If you notice any corrosion on battery terminals that reduces the ability of a charge. You can use a mixture of baking soda and water and toothpaste to scrub away and neutralize all acidic build up and then clean it up with paper towels and some water. Visit a nearby battery shop and check the health of your car battery with a battery tester and then you can check your battery’s current charge percent. After all checks, you can start your car and also run a test on how the alternator is charging.

Car Jack, Tool Kit and Spare Wheel

Many times you load all luggage in the cargo area to head out on your trip but make sure the jack and tool kit is kept underneath the luggage. Another very important thing you need to check is the spare tire. Unscrew spare wheel and check tire pressure. It’s important to check the pressure on the spare wheel. If you face tire puncture; you will have to use a spare wheel. If you have a flat spare tire as well as a flat normal tire then you may get stranded in the middle of the road.

Tire Alignment

Proper wheel alignment is important to avoid unnecessary wear of car tires, Steering wheel, Suspension system and brakes too. Proper Wheel alignment improves vehicles overall driving comfort, optimise driving stability and maximise tire life.

Wash Your Car

We suggest car detailing before a long drive. Cars will become more fuel efficient after washing. Air can move freely without getting stuck and hence the car produces less drag which technically improves fuel efficiency. Remove all Junk from your car and you will enjoy a clean and comfortable drive during road trips.

Check Fluids all fluid levels engine oil, power steering oil, brake oil and coolant. All fluid reservoirs have minimum and maximus indicator lines, make sure fluid levels are in between those lines, engine level can be checked with the help of a dipstick.

Ensure Car Electronics Horn and music system is working properly.

Fill Fuel tank in the city before heading, you will get better quality fuel in the city compared to the highway.

It is quite obvious that before any road trip and daily driving in general make sure you have all your proper paperwork in your glove box.

Crossover vs Sedan

July 11, 2021July 11, 2021 VD

In the past decade, sedan sales have taken a serious hit due to ever increasing popularity of crossovers. Most of the front wheel drive SUVs are actually crossover but in India they are widely being called as SUV. Sedan cars in India is still an option for Generation X but Generation Y definitely want a jazzy Crossover. Crossovers and sedans have a lot of things in common but buyers are picking up crossover more than sedan. Let’s investigate why Crossovers are getting popular over cosy sedans.

Manoeuvre and Drivability

In the past SUVs/Crossovers used to be criticized for being a bit tippy and likely to rollover during sharp corners but with the introduction of ESC (electronic stability control) in the year 2012 as optional safety fitment in top spec variants of crossovers like Ford Ecosports, Tata Nexon are safer than ever. Sedans have longer wheelbase than crossovers. Sedans are perfect for those who spend more time on highways. Sedans have longer wheelbase offers for a more stable and plush riding experience. Design of the Sedan will help it slip through the air and that helps you better fuel economy compared to crossover. Today’s advanced technology has made crossovers equally fuel efficient and powerful like sedans. Crossovers offer an upright driving position. It gives a slightly better view of the road. Crossovers feel really nimble with a smaller turning circle than most compact sedans. Crossover’s actually feature only front-wheel drive and no all-wheel drive options although some crossovers like Renault Duster used to offer all-wheel-drive option but for Indian terrain rear wheel drive is most suitable. Sedan cars feels sportier because it is low to the ground and it has that low centre of gravity. Sedans feel like the driver is more in control while cornering hence the ride is less tippy. Another advantage of that is that sedans get better aerodynamics. Drag coefficient of a sedan is really low compared to a crossover.

Style and Aesthetic

Style wise these crossovers end up looking more like a hiked-up hatchback than a Sports utility vehicle. They have a very marginal increase in ground clearance over a regular hatchback in reality. In fact, crossover just has about half an inch more ground clearance than sedan. Overall design of the sedan seems more driver focused like a cockpit rather than an open cabin feeling with a crossover. Sedan does feel more premium. Sleeker designs of sedan results in less wind noise.

Interior space

Sedan has a longer wheelbase and is wider too and it boasts more interior space. Sedan offers pretty good leg room. The obvious advantage of being a taller Crossover is more cargo space and more Headroom. Crossovers do feel like an open room with some chairs in it rather than a focused cockpit in a sedan that looks more elite.

Safety

Modern Crossovers are much more compatible with crashes. During collision Crossover structure override structure of sedan. Size and weight are important during collisions. Crossovers protect occupants better because they have larger front and large mass compared to Sedans. Having said that, the sedan offers better active safety like rollover mitigation, better cornering, improved braking. Crossover headlights cause a lot of glares when it comes to oncoming traffic. Cross vehicles feature a higher ground clearance and that means; they are still going help you get through some rough terrain and cross big unauthorized speed breakers of Indian town.

Technology

Almost all cars today have a lot of technology like touchscreen with Android auto and apple carplay support, automatic climate control, heated seats and handy safety features like forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring, a rear-view camera and a 360-degree view when parking. Better quality material is offered in Sedan than crossover. Sedan interior looks more upmarket. Technology used in the sedan seems more impressive: larger touchscreen with Android auto and apple carplay tuck in dashboard as well as a big virtual cockpit. The car also features dual zone climate control.

Sedans are just not as versatile as crossovers. That’s the whole point that’s why people are buying more crossovers.

Must Have Comfort and Convenience Features in Your Next Cars

June 6, 2021July 11, 2021 VD

Steering Mounted Control

Steering mounted control let you access car infotainment, calls and navigation on steering wheel. Audio or infotainment control can be found either left or right side of steering wheel depending upon the vehicle. The plus and minus buttons with the speaker symbol are given for volume control. These buttons can even mute the speaker. It let you navigate through sets of radio stations or audio tracks without taking your hands off the wheel. It also allows you to select next track if you are listening to CD, Pen drive, blue tooth audio player, or iPod. If you are not comfortable in using steering mounted controls or even getting confused; some manufacturers also offers voice command button on steering wheel. If you’ve paired your cell phone with the car and you’d like to make a call, just press the voice command button.

Auto dimming IRVM

Car driving during night can be dangerous. Hazards like headlight glare in your rear-view mirror can greatly reduce your visibility during night driving and cause fatigue. Auto-dimming IRVM can helps to reduce eye strain by improving night time driving safety. When the mirror detects bright light, it will automatically dim in proportion to the level required to eliminate glare, protecting driver’s vision at night. When glare decreases, the mirror automatically clears.

Tilt & Telescopic Steering Wheel

Car manufacturers provide tilt & telescopic steering wheel which means you can adjust your steering wheel for both height and distance from the driver for comfortable car seating position. You need to pull lock lever down provided below the steering wheel to adjust the steering wheel forward and backword or move up or down for maximum driving comfort. When it reaches desired position, you just need to pull the lever up to lock steering wheel in place.

Tinted Glass

Tinted Glass helps in faster cooling of car. Less pressure on car A/c hence car can give better fuel efficiency as well.

Autmomatic Climate control

Cars have state-of-the-art automatic climate control system that is designed to keep passengers comfortable. Some cars have dual even three and four zone climate control system. This means that the driver, front and rear passengers can control the temperature individually and have their own climate zone. Fan speed, air intake, air conditioning and air direction will be controlled automatically according to temperature you set when Auto function is engaged. Automatic climate control is easy to operate and provides you convenience. You just need to press auto button, and then rotate the dial to set the desired temperature. The auto climate control system will then work to attain that temperature and maintain it. If you may wish to change the fan speed, while still keeping the climate control system in AUTO mode. The desired temperature will still be maintained, with only the maximum fan speed changing.

Rear Defogger

If you live in north India where fog is common problem during winters or coastal areas where rainfall is high; you might have noticed in the morning that car windows have fog on it. Most modern vehicles have one button that help you get car window clear very fast. There is a defogger button on dashboard by pressing that button, the rear windows on car are heated. The rear glass has heated elements in it. The heated elements would start warming up the glass taking out the fog. This is pretty impressive in less than two minutes the vehicle is almost in drivable condition.

Apple Car Play

You can find this feature in many modern cars nowadays right from entry level hatchback to Lamborghinis. Apple Car play infotainment system is powered by iPhone and iOS. It is very easy to use and of course uses Siri to control the interface. Interface looks like an iPhone with base functionalities such as phone, messages, music and navigation. It let you enjoy many of the iPhone’s Functions through the vehicle’s touchscreen without having to touch the iPhone. Few cars offer wireless connection. You can make phone calls, read text messages and respond to them. you can of course send and receive messages with Siri. Get directions via apple maps and play songs stored on the iPhone. You can customize this according to your personal preference.

Android Auto

Android Auto allows you to use many of your Google features through your vehicle’s audio system. Android Auto let you stay connected and entertained while driving. It’s easy to use. Once you’ve downloaded the free Android Auto app onto your phone from the Google Play Store then you can connect your phone using USB cable and follow the prompts on your phone. Your car will automatically detect your smartphone and you’ll just need to follow the on-screen prompts. Once you are connected, you have access to select features on your phone through Android auto.

Always read owners’ manual for important safety information of system limitations and additional operating information. Always keep in mind that safe driving is your responsibility.

Car Trends That Need To Stop

May 9, 2021May 15, 2021 VD

Automotive is progressing rapidly, Faster cars can now travel fastest. Cars are looking stylist at the same time they are fast and safe. Most of the modern automobile trends are splendid. Adaptive headlamps, Ventilated seats, automatic wipers are awesome but at same time there are some weird trends which are totally irritating to eyes. Automobile manufacturer always try to introduce new unique and exciting designs; not all innovations are good some innovations are disaster.

Let’s look at modern car trends that car manufacturer needs to stop producing.

One developing trend is going on right now is eliminating physical buttons and moving these functions to touch screen. Let’s discuss infotainment touchscreen first, that is available right from entry level economy cars to luxury cars nowadays. These Touchscreen are super sleek, looks cool and feel upmarket on dash boards. Some touch screen display looks like they are glued inside the car rather than integrated in dashboards. You will have to get your eyes off the road to use touch screen panel to reduce or increase volume when car doesn’t have steering mounted control.

How many features can be controlled while driving on single touch screen. Some manufacturers decided to have all the controls through touch screen. Touch Screen AC control is just a gimmick. In Honda City, you need to use touch screen to control AC fan speed. It looks very fancy, futuristic and also add to feel good factor. When you are driving on hills or bumper to bumper traffic, touch control can be extremely dangerous. Driver will have to get eyes off the road to look over AC control panel to control temperature or reduce blower speed. Without looking at touch screen panel driver may activate wrong function as touch buttons are placed very close to each other.

Voice commands technology in cars is far behind mobile Phones. Differentiating regional accent is the major problem. It takes longer to recognize command and follow instruction. Command misinterpretation is common problem.

In Generation Y, everybody has smart phones and they have internet on phone with 4G data connection. Mobile data connection is fast enough to do anything anytime. Really difficult to understand why manufacturer are offering Wi-Fi hot spots in car just to lure customers. Mobile wifi works even better than car Wi-Fi in some situation. Wi-Fi may affect your privacy as well. Manufacturers can easily obtain your data of video you watch or social media account details and most importantly your location.

It’s an offence to use mobile phone while driving then question arises why manufacturer use smartphone integration and mirror linking in car infotainment display.

Piano Black finish on dash board. Piano Black or any glossy interior that is either reflective or metallic. These are fake piano black textures made with poor quality plastics and sometimes it gets reflection. The Sun hit it and reflect in driver eyes and making really hard to see out of the car. It looks good but soon it shows hairline scratches. It gets covered with smudgy finger prints and dust. It also gets dirty very quickly.

Flat Bottom Steering wheel actually makes driver uncomfortable.

Vents and Air Dams looks cool and sporty. Functional vents help to pass air and reduce drag resistance. It also keeps car engine cool. There has been extremely good-looking design in 90s and early 2000s. Simply look at bonnet air dam of 2007 Scorpio. It looks amazing. Fake vents are totally irritating to eyes. New generation cars come with big vents; those vents are not functional. Those vents are added to design to improve car aesthetics. We are at the end of internal combustion era but vents are becoming bigger and bigger. Engines are becoming smaller and efficient; these engines require less amount of airflow.

In economy car its ok to have fake exhaust but sports cars, luxury sedans and SUVs; there is no need to have fake exhaust. Style exhaust has been around decade. It is becoming increasingly bolder aesthetic part of new car design. Fake exhaust portrays image of power prestige. In high end performance cars, there is no need to have fake exhaust.

A Pillar is the foremost roof pillar in a vehicle. Rollover test and roof strength test gives it a lot more importance to A Pillar as a result A Pillar is getting thicker and thicker. Roof strength helps in safety of occupants during rollover protection but now it comes at cost of outward visibility. Some car manufactures come with innovative concepts like lattice on A Pillar.

Sometime manufacturer offers services at premium price but these services are almost free for any economy car. For example; Suzuki Connect, Buyer will have to pay for subscription but you can get similar service barring one or two additional features with any OBD device available on Amazon.

Massive front Grills: Really don’t understand why car need massive big grills.

Performance badging and actual performance model look identical but there is vast difference between them.

Car size is growing steadily. What if someone want small vehicle. If you stay in village, it does not matter but if you stay in metro cities it really matters and car doesn’t fit in tight parking spaces.

You might have noticed spare wheel in your car is smaller as compared to other wheels. Width and profile of spare wheel is also small. Car manufacturer have started following international standard where car have run flat tires and it is not mandatory to provide spare wheel with car but here in India we don’t have good roads.

Luxury Cars Features Offered in Regular Cars

May 2, 2021May 15, 2021 VD

Gesture Controlled Tail Gate

Some Premium Cars allows easy access to load luggage in boot, just by making smooth kick motion below boot. The tailgate opens automatically. This feature is available in cars like Hyundai Verna and Skoda Superb. The sensors are located below the rear bumper one on either side. When sensor recognizes foot gesture the turn signal flash and opens tailgate automatically.

Electronic Seat Adjustment

Car Front seats can be adjusted electronically in order to make passenger and driver more comfortable while driving. There are adjustment control buttons given on either of seats. The front control moves entire seat forward and back and also let you adjust height of the seat cushion. By pulling the Centre of the button, you can also adjust height of the entire seat. The vertical control allows you to adjust the seat back. Push top of vertical control button to recline or pull bottom to adjust seat to straighter position. In addition, some manufacturer offers two way or four-way lumbar control switch. Simply by pressing top or bottom of control occupant can adjust lumbar height in three position top, middle and bottom. The firmness of lumbar can be adjusted by pressing front of button. Electronic seat adjustment is available in Toyota Yaris, Kia Seltos and many other mid segment sedan and SUV cars.

Heads Up Display

Car manufacturer offers 8 inches heads up display with top variants. Heads up display is basically a transparent glass pops up at the push of the button. It can provide vital information to driver such as Vehicle speed, Speed Limit Alert, turn by turn navigation, Cruise control etc. Since that vital information is available to driver’s line of sight, driver can focus on road without getting distracted. This feature normally available in luxury sedan but Kia also offers this segment first feature in Seltos GTX variant.

Automatic Parking

Now a days we have cars that can park themselves. The automatic parking system incorporates front, Back and side sensors that measure parking space for car. Sensor gets activated when auto parking switch is on. System sounds warning alert, to stop and inform driver that suitable parking space is available. System automatically steers the car. System informs driver to put car in reverse through audio message. Driver just need to use the brakes to control the speed. System will also tell when park assist is finished. Skoda Superb and Ford Endeavour offers similar feature.

Ventilated front seats

Premium Car brands like Mercedes Benz and BMW has perforated leather seats. There is fan inside the seat that blows cool air from seat bottom as well as seat back. It keeps occupant cool and dry from sweating. Normally this feature offers three levels of cooling high, medium and low. Kia Sonet and Hyundai Verna offer this feature in top trims.

Emergency assistance service

Emergency Assistance service is feature which nobody wants to use like an airbag but it’s very important safety feature. System connects mobile phone via Bluetooth. If emergency assistance service detects an accident, Emergency assistance will use Bluetooth to call the emergency services directly from phone. SYNCs multilingual support will speak for driver even if driver is not speaking local language. The vehicle exact GPS location will be given. Emergency assistance is built upon the existing emergency infrastructure. Emergency Assistance call is given priority. The driver is able to override and cancel the service if it’s not required. This important safety feature is offered by Rolls Royce and Ford.

Wrist Band key

Tata Nexon and Altroz Activity key is a robust and fully waterproof security wrist strap. It allows driver and passenger to enjoy range of activities like swimming, running where it is difficult to keep smart access key secured. Wrist Band key can be used to lock and unlock the car. When activity key is activated, the vehicle locks the alarm system and any smart key remain inside the vehicle disables.

Active Roll Over protection

Umbrella Holder

All Rolls Royce manufactured after 2003 have umbrella holder in door. Just press the button and umbrella pops out. Skoda Superb, Tata Altroz and Nexon also provides space to keep wet umbrella.

Wireless Phone Charger

Gi enabled mobile phone charger available in Hyundai Creta and Aura can charge mobile phone wirelessly in car.

Gesture control Infotainment System

BMW offers gestures control that enable some functions to be operated by moving your hand. When you move your hand in circular direction with your index figure pointed forward, you can change volume, Clockwise direction to increase the volume, anti clockwise to reduce the volume. Toyota Yaris also offers gesture control. You can swipe your palm in front of infotainment system to change the music or increase volume.

Dual Zone Automatic Climate Control

It allow Driver and front passenger to select desire temperature separately. When dual switch is turn on, the driver and front passenger can select temperature according to their individual needs. Mahindra XUV 300 offers this feature in W8 trim.

10 Old Car Features That Will Be Missed in Brand New Car

April 10, 2021May 15, 2021 VD

Steering

Cars with unassisted steering gives descent road feedback to driver. Driver feels lively and engaging driving experience through unfiltered road feedback delivers to hands by unassisted steering wheel. Even cars manufactured in late 90s and early 2000 were pretty good, they had hydraulically assisted power steering that helped driver steered with uninterrupted information from the road. But now a days; most of the cars have power steering which are electronically assisted and electrical motor can either be switch on or off. So, it’s hard to know road feedback though some electric power steering is exceptionally good like Honda Civic. Somehow these new power steering stole that feedback and information from the road. It takes away from the driving experience.

Manual Hand Brake

To pull manual handbrake you need to use all your strength. Manual parking brakes are simple, safe and reliable. Even if you face any issue, It was relatively cheaper to get it fixed with help of local mechanic. Car enthusiast prefer manual hand brakes over electronic brakes. On other side Electronic hand brake requires fewer physical efforts; Electronic hand brake is a luxury feature. Electronic hand brakes are sleek and free up car cabin space. Since it is electronic there are several electric part are attached to it and hence You will need to get the car brakes regularly checked by an expert to ensure proper functioning of electronic hand brake.

Weight

Cars now a days are just a number more than driving experience. Car are losing mass due to horsepower and average fuel economy number games. Driver’s involvement is not just speed and power but driving experience also counts as well but unfortunately, we are losing driving experience. Prime example is Suzuki Swift second generation curb weight was 1030 KGS, fourth generation curb weight is 870 KGS. Now a days cars are just about Power and fuel economy numbers instead of feel. Ford and Fiat are exception to this rule.

Sound/Engine Exhaust

Many cars in 90s and 2000s decade used to be naturally aspirated and not turbocharged. 2020 decade is a decade of turbocharged cars. Due to couple of reasons like emission regulation, environment, social factors, many cars today are facing engine downsizing. Engines’ refinement is so well that sound output is almost muted or even down. Many cars are insulated so well that automobiles manufacturers had to put sound back to the cabin with help of speakers. Obliviously there are some cars which makes sound absolutely fantastic like Ford Aspire petrol, Ford Figo and Ecosports.

Unique Styling

Modern cars are getting bigger and bigger in size. Massive front grills, fake vents and fake exhausts in modern cars are actually irritating to eyes. Safety, Aerodynamics and other things have come into existence and car designs are screwed. But this was not the case few decades back. Designs were not so bad. But if you go back few more decades, cars were design purely for beautiful designs like American muscle cars, European sports cars, classic Italian design houses.

Physical Button

New age cars has everything inside controlled through digital touch screen which actually distracts driver. Driver will have to take eyes off the road to swipe menus to access A/C control, infotainment and volume. Even entry level cars like Maruti Alto and Renault Kwid offers touch screen infotainment system in top variants. Gesture control is incredibly fun but nothing is superior than old school buttons and knob. Physical buttons allow driver to access A/c controls, music system control, and heated seat control without getting distracted while driving. Physical controls are actually taken for granted until it started stripped away.

Aggressive Safety Features

No doubt car safety has drastically improved in every sense over the years but some time it makes situation worse. Safety system like Brake assist, lane keep assist prematurely corrects driver’s behaviour by making situation even worse when system slams the brakes too hard and oversteer wheel. if smart key battery is dead, the push start button does not work because car thinks you don’t have keys.

Maintenance and simplicity

Not too long few year back when anyone faces breakdown on highway, he could fix problem on their own without having too much worry about specialized spare parts and sophisticated equipment that need to buy from OEM manufacturer or certain type of diagnostic cable that can only be used by professional on certain type of machines. Though auto mobile manufactures offer roadside assistance service but nothing can beat local mechanics. When car warranty is expired, it is pretty sure that car owner is screwed. Nobody can comment on reliability. Take an example of Toyota it refuses to die at any circumstances and over long period of time.

Price

The year 2011, Honda City third generation was introduced at a price of INR 7 Lakhs but in the year 2020 cost of Honda city is INR 11 Lakhs. There is technological breakthrough in terms of power, safety and comfort every three to four years. Some cars are exceptional to this and really don’t jump much. If you compare technology vs car inflation, cars are generally offer at same priced but average purchasing power of common man has not increased enough to afford new car every 3 years and hence average ownership of cars in India is 6 to 7 Years.

Easy to read instrument Panel

Analogue Instrument panels were easy to read. It used to be simple, intuitive and predictable. Driver can get all required information at one glance but now it takes minimum two to three glance to know the speed, fuel and RPMs. Now have a look at instrument panel of brand-new cars. Tachometer tach goes backward which confuses the driver. Also, it’s not clear, Red needle on red or blue background, minimum space between the fuel gauge and multi-information display.

If you know anything add to this list lets know in comments.

What’s the Difference Between SUV & Crossovers?

April 10, 2021May 15, 2021 VD

Every Auto enthusiast always come across one question the difference between SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicle) and Crossover(Crossover Utility Vehicle).

You might have heard from experts that crossovers are more superior machines over SUV. However, that may have been true once upon a time but now in 2020s things have changed a lot. SUV cars’ market have evolved immensely over past 10 years in India. SUVs now outsell all passenger car segment in India. Early 2020s term SUV became popular for not only its off-roading capabilities but also conquering city traffic. Even though you are aware, each body types have its own merits and demerits, let’s compare both.

Car Body:

Difference between CUV and SUVs is simple SUVs are based on trucks platform while CUVs are based on car’s platform. SUVs are based on rear or four-wheel drive trucks where body is assembled to frame or body on frame SUVs still be driven like trucks.

Auto car manufacturers began manufacturing four-wheel drive or front wheel drive on monocoque chassis hence car became lighter and more rugged look with user friendly spawning new classification of vehicle is called CROSSOVER or Crossover SUV. Crossovers have low ground clearance compared to SUV hence offer better handling and long bodied, the classier silhouette than SUV. Though many sales person, automobile experts frequently refer unibody vehicles as SUVs even though they are crossover by definition. The terms SUV is often used for both CUV as well as SUV.

Ride and Handling

SUVs handling is tricky because of its high central of gravity which affects its stability on road. SUVs bigger body generates big amount of drag and mechanical complexity. Crossover is a driver’s car, they are more agile, more fun to drive, crossover offers better ride quality and handling compared to SUV. SUVs are more often rear wheel or four-wheel drive while crossover comes in front wheel, rear wheel and all-wheel drive options. SUVs have more powerful engines than crossover.

Cabin

SUV have an elevated seating position which helps see over road, bonnet and traffic which is the primary reason for SUV Buyer. No car body type can beat SUVs’ road presence that drives SUV sales. SUVs have slightly longer wheelbase which brings slightly more legroom and boot space. Biggest advantage for SUV buyers is cabin height. More space for headroom and roofline; SUVs certainly feels more spacious. SUVs are wider which provide little more wriggle room for children in second row of seat. Crossover are more comfortable than SUVs. Crossover offer easy lifting and loading heavy luggage in boot than SUV because of its lower lip.

Fuel Economy

SUVs generally weigh more than crossover hence gives poor fuel economy. Crossover drives nimble enough with better fuel efficiency than SUV. Crossover due to light weight offer better fuel economy which is more relevant advantage against SUV. That’s the reason why city buyer prefers crossover overs SUV.

Aesthetic

SUVs have aggressive look. Road presence of SUV is notable. SUVs look more rugged compared to crossover.

Verdict

SUVs make sense for family buyers in villages especially for those with small children. City buyers will certainly be served by a crossover SUVs. SUVs have high seating position, go anywhere ability and aggressive look but neglected by poor mileage and ride characteristics. For driving enthusiasts SUV is not appealing for daily driving needs.

Still decision making is not always going to be black and white. Let us know which one you prefer to ride an SUV or Crossover. Please comment.

Unique Features Offered By Automobile Manufacturers

April 10, 2021April 11, 2021 VD

Year 2015 revolutionize automobile industry in India with launch of Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Hyundai Elite i20, Ford Aspire, Mahindra TUV, Hyundai Creta etc. During this period from 2015 to 2020 cars are becoming more and more personalized. New features were quickly becoming standard features. Somehow Automobile manufacturers have managed to offer some cool features that are not offered by mass. Some car features are absolutely important for day to day life. Let’s have a look.

Volkwagen Polo Auto Window Glass Roll Up – Volkwagen Polo offers very unique and important feature auto window glass roll up when doors are locked. If you left window glass open unintentionally car will automatically shuts all window glasses when central lock button is pressed. Also if you hold driver’s window button up car will automatically roll up all window glasses and shut sunroof. Cool, isn’t?

Clever Features by Skoda – A very important thing which we need during rain is Umbrella and Skoda offers two umbrella holders one on driver and another on co-driver side mounted just above hand rest. When umbrella is wet and you put them in car water will automatically get out of the car. In some cars umbrella holder is provided underneath co-driver seat. Skoda also offers door protector hidden on edge which come out and go automatically when opening and closing the door. If you kick rear bumper electronic tail gate opens automatically. Boot illumination is removable which can be used as a torch. Small dustbin is installed inside front door pockets.

Tata Altroz Customized Packages – Single thing that makes Tata Altroz first of its kind is customized factory fitted packages right from base variant. Consumer can pre-order package, new car will come with factory fitted features so even in base variant you can get drivers hand rest which is only available in top variant. Altroz also offers dedicated space to keep umbrella. Tata Altroz offers 90° door opening so ingress and egress in the cabin is very convenient.

Honda Jazz and Ranualt Triber Magic Seats – Previous generation Honda Jazz used to offer four seating modes viz Tow mode, long board, utility mode and refresh mode. Renault Triber offers Camp mode, surf mode, Life mode and Tribe mode and along with this 100+ Seating combinations. These two cars offer numerous configurations of seats.

Kia Carnival comes with dual electronic sunroof and 9 seats and 4 rows.

How A Rally Car is Built?

April 10, 2021May 15, 2021 VD

A rally car is compact road vehicle that has thorough makeover. Rally cars are based on standard road cars like Toyota Yaris or Hyundai i20 but lot more different than passenger cars. It’s been stripped to metal shell and completely rebuilt from scratch by engineers. Rally cars need to face all sorts of challenging terrain including dirt, rocks, muds, sand, snow and ice covered terrains hence an efficient hatchback becomes roaring racing machine during competition. Rally cars are built on specification and regulations governed by International Rally Regulation.

Let’s start with Car engine. Engines are tunes up for better performance during competition. Regular 90 BHP Car transformed into 300 BHP mean machine. Full cast engine block light weighting is done. Power is pump up in engine with the help of turbo charger and a normal road car is transformed into a car that roars in rally circuit. Supersized substantial radiator system used; this keep engine cool and car doesn’t get overheat.

Car is stripped down to make car as light as possible. Car paint is taken off instead of car painting; graphics used just because graphics are much lighter than paint. Removing car paint alone helps to reduce 5 kg weight. All surplus brackets and panels are removed. Light weighting helps in strong finish in the rally.

Cage is welded to chassis for additional safety of the driver during an event of crash. Cage can even accommodate larger fuel tank in the back. Body shell is then dipped into acid.

Car is upgraded from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive. Rear wheel transmission is installed to convert front wheel drive car to four wheel drive. Four-wheel transmission helps drive in better traction and car handling in different terrains.

Lightweight fibreglass is used to make car dashboard. Dashboard is covered with velvety fabric to block light reflection. Car’s seats sink driver and navigator better and hold drive to its position perfectly; driver doesn’t slide around. Seats are made from carbon fibre and indestructible material Even side windows and rear window are made from fibreglass.

Rally car requires tougher parts. Rally car bumper is redesigned to accommodate bigger size tyres. Rally car bumpers and bonnet have clip instead of locks for quick and easy handling during service and emergencies. Rally car tyres are made with special material. Rally car tyres have strong side walls that can absorb all sort of impact at high speed during competition.

Rally car have air scoop on bonnet and cabin. It is mandatory for driver to carry two fire extinguisher during race.

Instead of car paiting graphics are being used just because graphics much lighter than paint. Light weight helps in strong finish in the rally.

Car Spoilers……….Just an Aesthetic or Really Useful Feature

April 10, 2021April 11, 2021 VD

The primary purpose of car spoiler is to spoil unfavorable air movement. Its an aerodynamic device, most often fitted to performance cars or sports cars. Car experience two forces lift and drag to reduce these two forces spoiler is installed. Spoiler helps to reduce vehicle lift which results in better traction control as well as better handling.

Air streamlines travel above the car while some air streamlines travels below the car body. Streamline above and beneath car should form a laminar throughout the length of car but in real life this doesn’t happen. In real life front Airflow has laminar but airflow turns into turbulence due to sudden decrease in car shape. There is a sudden decrease in rear end of the car where air pressure drops. Car experience low pressure above the car and higher air pressure below the car and hence car experiences lift force which may lead to loss of traction. Velocity of air travelling above the car is higher than air travelling below the car. A spoiler helps to maintain laminar airflow. Less drag helps in good mileage.

Performance vehicles and sports cars have active spoilers. Active spoilers can be adjusted dynamically when vehicle is in motion and according to condition. Active spoilers can retract, hide and also extend upward when vehicle exceed certain speed. These are additional benefits offered by active spoilers over fixed one. They give cleaner and uncluttered appearance to car.

Passenger vehicles spoilers are fitted to enhance car aesthetic but if spoilers are not installed properly it may lead to increase in drag ultimately poor car mileage. Spoiler fitted for aesthetic purpose could make worst aerodynamic. At low speed spoilers on passenger vehicles actually increase the drag.