What features do you think all manufacturers should copy ?

The latest Auto Car India has an article on features that manufacturers provide which are not useful in India. Reading that lead me thinking about good features that manufacturers should copy and introduce on all vehicles (since they are anyway copying from each other). This list is primarily from vehicles under 15 lakhs (mostly can be found on vehicles less than 8 lakhs in price).


Interiors/Comfort/Convenience

  • Flat dashboard with non reflective surface and anti skid surface allowing small items to be placed there without sliding around
  • A/C vents that can be fully closed
  • Coin holders with soft inside lining that doesn’t rattle
  • Sunglasses holder
  • Cell phone holder on central console/dashboard
  • Glove box big enough to hold more than just a few papers with soft lining to prevent rattling
  • Cooled Glove box
  • Central console/dashboard space big enough to hold Cd’s
  • Front passenger under seat storage. Has to be reasonably sized – otherwise don’t bother. If it is lockable even better.
  • Storage space for 1 litre bottles in door pockets.
  • Netting in boot for luggage/straps
  • Clutch foot rest
  • Clutch lock that requires clutch to be pressed before cranking engine
  • Follow home lighting and theatre style dimming of cabin lights.
  • Lighted ignition key slot on the dashboard and easy to see rather than on the steering column (I know the photo does not have it on the dashboard).
  • Keys that have remote lock/unlock built in.
  • Valet keys that do not open the boot or lockable glove box. You can give these to the valet without worry of your valuables.
  • 60:40 split rear seats with adjustable tilt
  • Double/flat folding rear seats for storage
  • Fully flat reclining front seats – dangerous since they do not secure the passenger in case of an accident or sudden stop, but good for pulling over to the side of the road and catching some Zs.
  • Adjustable seat belt height
  • Height adjustable headrests front and rear
  • Steering mounted audio controls that can work with all stereos !
  • Power windows and remote central locking 
  • Lighted power window and other switches  
  • Auto up/down power windows
  • Power windows that close automatically when the vehicle is locked
  • Anti -pinch power windows
  • Stain proof fabric for seats.
  • Height adjust for driver seat
  • Pedal reach adjust – helpful for short drivers
  • Arm rest for drivers seat and for rear passengers. Armrests with storage space are useful to stow small items.
  • Access to boot through rear seat armrest/console
  • Rear seat/Boot hooks for shopping bags
  • Power adapter in luggage bay/ in reach of rear passenger
  • Middle row tray tables for SUVs/MUVs
  • Sliding middle row seats that move back for more legroom in SUVs & MUVs.
  • Flat folding 3rd row seats for SUVs/MUVs
  • Anti glare rear view mirrors

Exterior

  • Blind spot convex mirrors.
  • Parking sensors front and rear. I wish there were side sensors too 🙂  (rear camera optional).
  • Roof Rails: Contrary to what ACI says I think Roof Rails for luggage are needed more for hatchbacks than for sedans or SUVS since they have minimal boot space. Well integrated good looking roof rails like the ones on the Chevy Spark but with additional rails to make it functional would make hatchbacks a really practical option for people on a budget not wanting to spend an extra lakh or so for boot space that is used a few times a year.
  • Under body rust proofing & cavity rust proofing from manufacturer included in warranty. Why nag us with it later for every service
  • Well integrated rubber “rubbing” strips around. Body color or close to it would be best.
  • Grab type exterior door handles
    Tilt steering wheel 
  • Lighted engine bay and luggage areas
  • Rear defogger and wash and wipe
  • Outside rear view mirrors on the driver and passenger side should be made mandatory

Engine /Technology 

  • Distance to empty indicator and rpm and speed ranges for maximum mileage. (“Green” driving performance indicators may be too much to ask for but would be good to have.)
  • Tachometers for all trim levels. Teach people to drive for mileage and performance.
  • Automatic time based switch off of roof lamps and headlamps if engine is off unless a specific override like keeping doors open is present.
  • Micro hybrid technology for all cars. Retrofit kits for existing cars if possible
  • Hands free in-car blue tooth kits.
  • Have ABS standardized on all trims. Lowered cost if it is mass produced.
  • Speedometer linked audio systems (automatically reduces volume at lower speeds by a little bit)
  • Speed sensitive steering
  • Radio antenna integrated into rear windshield glass
  • Cruise control for highways. (ACI believe it or not, 0n some of the highways in India we can actually use cruise control.)
  • Central locking which lets you open the doors and hatch/trunk without requiring you to stop the car and give the key to someone, especially for security checks at offices and hotels.
  • Tire pressure monitoring systems
  • Make tubeless tires standard. 

Dear Readers:
Can you identify the cars whose features I have listed ? (At least the ones in the pictures I have used.)  
Any good features you have come across that I have missed ?
 
Source of images: Maruti, Hyundai,  Mahindra, Skoda &  Ford product websites.

My Summer Fling

Oil on canvas
Image via Wikipedia

Wifey if you are reading this I’m sorry you had to find out about it like this but you gave me no other choice. I wish you had not gone away for so long as this wouldn’t have happened. Come back home soon!

Work was annoying, I was bored and needing excitement in life after my wife and son had gone to her parents place in April for a month long break. The break had extended to a two month long break. Usual methods of immersing  myself in books, movies, painting, photography and net surfing were not successful in keeping my attention.

My friend Senthil was partly responsible for getting me into trouble. He showed me the ad on the net with her details and about her needing to meet someone with similar interests and passions. The moment I saw the ad I knew I would be in trouble if I went any further. My mind was working overtime and conjuring up images of what and how she would be like. Knowing fully well what I was getting into I quickly arranged for a meeting with her the very next day. I  didn’t breathe a word of this to anyone at home nor to my wife. I spent the rest of the day at work fantasizing and dreaming about my meeting with her.

Our meeting was to be on a Sunday morning at Ispahani center. I was not ready when the call came that she was to reach Ispahani in 10 minutes. On receiving the call I was ready in 5 minutes and reached there in 5 minutes. I noticed her driving in through the gates of Ispahani center while I was waiting to turn. She was really good looking in a very dignified and uncommonly attractive way and was drawing appreciative glances from many other men as well.  I managed to find a spot next to where she parked. I gave a big smile as I got out and went towards her.

I had never seen her before but I recognized her easily since she looked exactly like I had imagined. I got a good look at her for the first time. She looked much better than the tiny images in her advert. I knew from the ad that she was older than me by around 7 years.I didn’t know her name or any other details other than that she was originally from Chennai but had spent most of her recent past in Kerala and had finally come back to Chennai around a year ago. She seemed pretty calm and relaxed and didn’t seem to have any of the jitters I had.

She was currently with a guy called “J” and had been with him for over a year. Lets call her ‘K’ as that was her first name. 41 years old with a few expected wrinkles on her face but that didn’t detract from her looks. She was in extremely good shape for her age and anyone who saw her would think she was half her age. She obviously was taking good care of J and it looked like J was still in love with her. My first shock was that J was with her that morning and he wanted to first talk before we went any further. We  introduce ourselves and J suggests we take a trip to ECR where we would get some privacy on the fairly less congested roads to get to know each other better.

I was surprised by this turn of events, since all I was thinking was I would get to check her out, get to know her quickly and do what I have been waiting to do with her in some side street and then come back home like nothing happened. I agree quickly and we start off. J me and K. Only problem we had was J trying to drive out through the ‘In’ gate and was stopped by the security staff. They didn’t make too much of a fuss as they were ogling K.  K muttered something under her breath. On the way I hear the story of how they met and how J’s father and uncle had helped him hook up with K. I was amazed… did peoples dads and uncles help like this ? Wow ! J’s uncle even helped J pick out key upgrades to K’s wardrobe and accessories. She seemed totally cool about it.

On the way J showed me a copy of the legal document indicating his relationship with K. Though it was clear they were good together, it looked like they were tired of each other and wanted a change. J seemed to be wanting to get involved with his brothers mistress who was left behind when his brother went abroad. He said this openly in front of K. She didn’t even flinch on hearing it. I thought she has seen many such guys and is no longer surprised. What a family – phew !

I heard some stories of how they came to Chennai and of how J managed to overcome initial resistance of their landlord to having her in the flat with two other guys. Other chit chat also done we reach Thiruvanmiyur bus depot and get onto ECR. I was observing K and listening to her reactions to J’s inputs and orders along the way, she would never disagree but was never subservient to him, seemingly following instructions because of some need of hers to do so.

Finally we get clear of traffic and J feels it is a good place for me to get to know K better. I get to first touch her, feel her and know how she needs to be be touched before we go further. I practise with her for a little bit before venturing any further. My previous experience so far didn’t prepare me for the shock I was in to receive. She was in reality a bit too much for me to handle, a wildcat after lambs. She really did what she felt like regardless of what I told her to do. Keeping up with her was a challenge, one I had not had in any relationship especially my most recent committed relationship of the past 2 years since April 11, 2007.

She seemed very rough and instantly seemed to make everything else before her seem so smooth and soft. The sounds she made in reaction to what I was doing was also very exciting to hear, she would protest only when I was very slow. I felt a sort of need for her that that I have to date not experienced and therefore didn’t know existed. I had to get back home so I reluctantly stopped the fun I was having and returned home alone after taking some pictures of her basking in the sun.

I hope some day to add her or someone like her as my mistress provided my wifey doesn’t object. Before our wedding I had prepared my wife about the possibility I would have one wife and many mistresses, she seemed ok then and has been ok with my current two mistresses.  Maybe 3 is too much, since the question she asks is where will the newest mistress be kept. We don’t have room at home for more than 2 mistresses she says !

Hope you enjoyed reading about my summer fling with the Kaiser Jeep (‘K’) of my friend Joe (Joseph). She is a 1968 Jeep CJ3B short chassis 4×4, RHD.  I got to drive the Jeep for a little bit around 2 weeks ago and have been smitten hard and havn’t been able to look at any other vehicle since. In case you wondered about the date in April, that’s my wedding day to my Swift ;-). Now what is my real wedding date ? Uh-oh !

Here are some pictures of  K:

PS: I thought I would be able to fool/scare my wife and sent a versionof this in email. No scare at all – I get a “LOL” email back and it says that right from the first few words she knew it was about some vehicle !

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Indian Super Hatches Comparison

The market segment of feature filled large size hatchbacks  in India is becoming very exciting with several new model launches planned for the next few months starting with the just launched Ritz in May, Jazz in June and the Punto and Polo soon after. If you were looking at purchasing a large sized Hatchback and puzzled with the options before you, you must have realised the need to do a lot of research to narrow down what fits your budget and your needs.

Suzuki Splash.
Image via Wikipedia
Suzuki Splash photographed in Tokyo Motor Show...
Image via Wikipedia

“Don’t Panic” – help is at hand. I have done the research on the key features, dimensions and specifications of the large hatchbacks available in the Indian market today for you. The focus of my comparison is primarily space,safety and features.  

 

Vehicles compared:  

  • Skoda Fabia 1.2 Ambiente
  • Hyundai I20 Asta(O)
  • Chevrolet Aveo U-VA 1.2 LT
  • Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLX
  • Indica Vista Saffire Aura
  • Maruti Suzuki Swift ZXI  
  • Maruti Suzuki Ritz ZXI

These are all petrols only to keep the total on road cost under 7 lakhs. Indian Manufacturers have the highest trim levels with safety features only on their petrol models. The Fabia, Getz Prime, Swift & Ritz come in diesel versions as well but are usually not as well equipped (only exception being the Fabia) as the petrol equivalents.These vehicles have a good mix of space, are fairly new on the market and come with basic safety features. (**I have included the Indica Vista in the list only because it was similar in size to the other but feature wise it doesn’t come close).

The attached PDF file has this in an easy to compare format. Do take a look and let me know if you need any additional information. Click here for the PDF file. (I am not affiliated to any of the manufacturers other than through ownership of a Getz and a Swift.)

Do also take a look at these older posts of mine to help you

  1. select your first car
  2. select the best vehicle to upgrade to
  3. determine if you can add specific accessories later or buy them factory installed.

Updated June 14th:

Do also take a look at the following:

  1. Which car is better – the Ritz or the Swift ?
  2. Are you looking for a Diesel Hatchback ? (Comparison of Fabia,Fusion,Vista,Getz,Swift,Ritz, Indica and Palio) 
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Most Popular Vehicle Colors – 2000 to 2008

DuPont  releases data on vehicle color popularity for major markets across the world and in 2008 have included India data separately. I hope it will be tracked going forward as well.  Here is the DuPont report for 2008. Lots of interesting data point there including variants on core color types, finishing, textures etc. While mentioning the textures something very interesting is Chrome finish paint. An example is seen here.

They have been tracking such data for US, Europe and Japan for close to ten years now. Though they haven’t given it in one single chart – Zimbly Cars spent the time to collate it from data made public by DuPont.  Here is the trend for the past 8 years. 

1-colorspost-global

**2001 – I wasn’t able to find data for this year on the net – if anyone has it or knows someone in DuPont please let me know.

The most popular colors over the past 8 years for cars are White, Silver, Black and Blue. These have been fairly consistent and have not lost their charm over time.

0-colorspost-mostpopular

Red has been a consistent color with no changes in popularity since 2004. Grey has been steadily increasing in popularity since 2004 and may be a serious contender to Black.

Black though considered a timeless color went through a small dip in popularity between 2002 and 2005 but has been increasing in popularity since 2005.

[…]

Accessorizing The Nano

If you are planning to buy a Tata Nano and want help deciding how to accessorize it-read on…

A lot depends on the trim level you plan to buy. If you go in for the base version, you spend less on the car upfront and have money to spare to accessorize. You could also go in for a middle-of-the-road variant as well and accessorize accordingly. If you can afford the top of the line variant and still are not satisfied with the accessories, you may want to look at a costlier car :-).

The 3 variants details known as of now are (Source: MotorBeam.com, Vicky.in):

Tata NANO at the Auto Expo 2008
Image via Wikipedia

Base ( On Road Price  Approx: Rs. 1,10,000)

    Seat Belts (ELR Front, Static Rear)
    Engine opening through rear bumper
    Speedometer and Odometer
    High mounted Rear Stop lamp
    Centrally placed exhaust
    Only Driver’s seat adjust-sliding and reclining
    Fixed front passenger seat
    Folding Rear Seats
    2-Spoke Steering wheel
    Grey bumpers and interiors
    Driver side outside rear view mirror

CX(Adds the following on the Base)( On Road Price  Approx: Rs. 1,30,000)

    HVAC (Air conditioner with heater)
    Tinted Glass
    Both Driver and Co-driver seats slide and recline
    2 tone grey interiors and seats
    Optional Metallic paint.
    Hopefully the CX gets body colored bumpers.

LX (Along with the features of Base CX Adds the following)( On Road Price  Approx: Rs. 1,60,000)

    Trip-meter
    Front Power windows
    Central Locking
    Front and Rear fog lamps
    3-Spoke Steering wheel
    Moulded door trim with fabric inserts
    Floor console with glass holder
    Anti-Glare inside rear view mirror
    Sun-visors on both sides

You have to define your vehicle budget as the first step. Based on that you

Tata Nano
Image via Wikipedia

can determine what you need to or what you  can add on as an accessory. Also decide if you have that sum all at once or if you need to spread it over a period of time.
For an all-at-once deal you could either spend it all on ICE and interiors, exteriors or on performance options or on a mix of it all. For a bit at a time you may want to do the exterior at one time, interior at another etc.

 

Factory installed options (must do at booking time):
The stop start technology is a must have in addition to getting a diesel if this is at all given as a factory option. This would improve mileage by a great deal. As of now only the petrol’s will be launched.

Must have exterior list:
Get exterior rear-view mirrors to make sure you are aware of what traffic is there outside. A single one shouldn’t cost more than Rs. 500. (Required on all models from Base upwards)

Must have interior:
Music system and a set of 4 speakers. This on a minimum would cost you around Rs. 8, 000.

[…]

Waiting for the Tata Nano

Why should you buy the Tata Nano ?

The Tata Nano fits the budget for a small first/additional car. Taxes and insurance will not add much to the overall price of the car.

It is a definite improvement in safety and convenience over a two wheeler

nano1

It is the best size for crowded city streets and for peak traffic.

It gives good mileage (supposedly around 20 km/l)

It will be easy to park due to its size.

It will be easy to maintain due to the wide reach of Tata dealerships.

It will have reasonable maintenance costs since the input parts itself are capped within the 1 lakh mark.

The cost of parts for the Nano will come down drastically after around 2-3 years with mass volumes appearing. (I am very curious to know what kind of warranty would be provided by Tata for the Nano. An extended warranty, if provided, would have me signing up for it even on day one. I have the benefit of the extended warranty on our current cars and have seen the benefits. I’ve also seen the amount of money one can burn if you don’t have the extended warranty.)

If there is an option with an auto transmission it may be the best option for a driver not comfortable with driving in the city or novice in driving

Most cars depreciate almost the second you sign the papers paying your advance amount for booking it. In this case the Nano due to its high demand will not depreciate as much as other cars and as soon as the others. As it is most used car dealers are worried about being able to sell used cars at prices between INR 80,000 to 2,00,000 as most people when given that kind of budget may take a serious look at the Nano instead of a used car.

You will be able to buy a new car for around 1.25 -1.5 lakhs and still be able to spend even up to 30,000 rupees in accessorizing the cars. I am waiting to see a pimped out Nano with oversized alloy wheels and low profile tyres blasting out tunes painted in garish colors and with all possible spoilers and extra fittings in chrome added to it!

[…]