First Impressions of the TUV300 (With a Thar Up Close) !

On my way back from work in the evening I noticed a Xylo in a similar red color parked behind my Thar in the parking building in office. I spent a couple of minutes trying to get a decent photograph with all the harsh lighting and multiple other vehicles cluttering up the space.

IMG_20151008_191342

I notice there is a TUV300 also there on the same floor and with empty spots available around it. Quickly abandoned the Xylo and moved the Thar close to it to get a better look and get some photos.

First Impressions on the Exterior:

It was a T8 version and seemed to have been just brought from the showroom as it had ribbons, flower garland and a paper on the front windshield with the owners name that wished him happy motoring. Poor chap probably had work to finish and had to do his first drive right back to office!

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I don’t like this angle of the TUV300. There is a problem with the high sides and small skinny tires. Also too much of body color without any contrast.

 

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Bonnets almost at the same level. TUV bonnet slightly higher.

 

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Rear visibility will be a challenge with the high rear tire and rear seats. I struggle to back up with the Thar in tight spots.
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The rear of the TUV300 ends a bit abruptly.
IMG_20151008_191637
Side view is ok. The Thar is not visible in this angle is parked just after the TUV300. Door angle will take some getting used to. Take care opening the doors else you will hurt your head.

 

IMG_20151008_191937
View from within the Thar.One of the very few other vehicles that has the same seat height as the Thar.

 

The paint quality seemed nice and color was good and the TUV300 definitely had presence. I was most surprised at the overall height of the vehicle and the height of the bonnet. The driver seating position is around the same height as the Thar.  This commanding seating position is what the whole SUV driving experience is all about for city dwellers where you get to see over the roofs of other vehicles. I think Mahindra have really got this facet right.

Tires look very skinny @ 215 . Up-sizing to 235 or going crazy till 245/255 may drastically alter its appearance (Don’t complain if your Fuel efficiency comes down as well) for better.

Overall appearance is really boxy but in a good way I feel. The photos without any other vehicle in the background do not do it justice. Up close in person it doesn’t look too awkward.

Wish its front had been better designed. The huge rectangular lower grille and almost square fog lamps don’t go very well with the upper grille and angular headlamps. With a rectangular headlamp design this may have been a true Bolero successor and really could have taken off well. Its current design has split the opinion of most people and most are really confused whether to like it or not. Some people on the floor saw it and came over to take a closer look and among the 4 that were there – 2 seemed to like it while 2 didn’t !

 

I was surprised to see the Dimensions as it shows the TUV is longer and wider than the Thar:

Thar TUV300
Length 3920 3995
Width 1726 1835
Height 1930 1839
Wheelbase 2430 2680

The width and height of the TUV show the reason for its square boxy look.

Tried my best to get the lens flare out but the parking lot lights seemed extra bright and my poor cell phone camera was not able to manage at all.

PS: Am still waiting a chance to go to the dealership for a TD as they didn’t want to bring a vehicle all the way for me :-(.

I’m Kwidding ! Not !

The Renault Kwid launches today. I had forgotten I had snapped the Kwid in the end of May 2015 at a toll both on the NH beyond Chengalpet. I wasnt too impressed but the jazzy pre-release press photos make it seem like it is much larger. Felt it was really between the size of an Eon/I10. Anways wishing Renault India all the best with the latest launch as the fortunes of their India operation now lie mostly on the small shoulders of this Kwid!

Renault Kwid & Indica
Renault Kwid & Indica
Renault Kwid & Indica
Renault Kwid & Indica
Renault Kwid
Renault Kwid
Renault Kwid
Renault Kwid

DSCN4103

Tata Nano AMT Short Review

genex-nano-2 genex-nano-11-large Had followed the pre-launch buzz about the Nano automatic from the time it was mentioned in the Auto Show in January 2014. Was hoping Tata would keep the price reasonable. Several months later finally after the launch was done I signed up on the Tata Nano Website for a Test Drive. Tata representatives called within a couple of days and organized the test drive. It took a couple of back and forth calls to schedule the time but finally it was to be done around 8 PM in the evening. The sales representative was very enthusiastic and interested in explaining the features of the Sangria Red Nano that was brought for the Test Drive. One point he kept repeating for me and for my father was to not use the left foot but to use only the right foot for both acceleration and braking. It was okay for me as I have spent 6 years driving an automatic Honda Civic, it took a few hundred meters for my father who has never driven an automatic to get used to it. But he managed just fine.

 

I started off and had to do a turn in the middle of our street to go out of the colony. The power steering made the turn very easy (I compared this with the manual non power steering Gen 1 Nano owned by my Father In Law which took some effort to turn). Starting off from a stop was decent and the acceleration though slow was adequate. Had to keep expectation in check as other cars I have driven recently have easily another 50+ BHP.  

 

AC was cooling rapidly even before we covered 500m and was on blower setting 1 ! In total got to drive around 3 km of the XTA. This included one steep flyover. Didn’t feel the car struggled at that time with me, my father and the sales guy in the vehicle. On flat surface however did wish it had a bit more power but for the city traffic. For a relaxed drive felt it was more than enough. Headlamps were more than adequate. Like any unfamiliar car the brakes took some time to get used to but once you got familiar with it it was easy. Horn was a pathetic bleating sound from the single horn but still enough.

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My Father with Nano after the TD

Throttle response was a bit better with the S mode. Manual mode was fine but figured best would be to put in Auto mode and drive peacefully (instead of using the AMT like a manual). Having the ability to use the 1st gear for a steep incline in manual mode is definitely useful. Didn’t get to try it however. Read about the AMT vehicles rolling back a bit before starting on inclines – some changes in driving style may be needed but for a new driver to get used to it should be easy. More power and better brakes would be welcome but will have to compromise on that as there is no other option at this price. For city only driving felt the car with AMT is brilliant. Interiors have improved over the original Nano. Sound of the engine is not very apparent in the cabin.  The exhaust note has changed from an auto sounding note to something that sounds a lot more muted. Likes:

  • Easy to drive in traffic with AMT
  • Turns with the power steering are very easy and will be a very nice car for city traffic. I have driven the non power steering version and feel power steering is a must and really feel Tata should have launched it with Power Steering right at the beginning.
  • Amazing AC(probably the best across segments). Very quick cooling even at the first blower position
  • Great Interior Passenger Space
  • Good seating position and easy to enter
  • Folding Rear Seat (sorely missed on earlier version)
  • Openable rear hatch (sorely missed on earlier version)

Dislikes:

  • Waiting period of 8-12 weeks (on a minimum)
  • Low on power(may be difficult to take steep roads with full load of passengers) Sufficient for flat roads.
  • Mileage may not be all that great (real world expect around 14 to 15 with city traffic and full auto mode)
  • Lack of all Safety features
  • Not so powerful brakes(drums only)
  • Luggage space (hatch) is only for city use(groceries etc)
  • Fuel filling still needs bonnet to be opened.
  • Limited color selections(for me at least). Felt they should have a lot of bright cheerful colors. Right now only the red, blue, purple are bright colors. Will not be caught dead in the pink (called Persian Rose).

My FIL who had bought the first gen Nano(as a second car) when it first came out went ahead and sold it in the end of August and booked an XTA Silver. He was been told it will take 2 months. He waited for 2 weeks and then was struggling a bit at home without the second car called up the Tata dealership and was not able to get a confirmed date of delivery – cancelled the automatic booking and went in for the GenX with power steering and Openable Hatch. He is pretty happy with it.

Requesting anyone here has family/friends driving GenX Nano XTA/XMA to please provide their inputs.

 

PS: For those wanting a long detailed test drives read the reviews here Team-BHP / Indian Autos Blog / Motorbeam I had earlier posted about Mr. Thomas Chacko and his Mano Et Nano trip around India in a Tata Nano. Do read this in case you think the Nano is a sad excuse of a car. You will be amazed where the Nano has reached ! The book “Atop The World” by Mr Thomas Chacko is now available. . PPS: First Two photos are from the Tata Nano Website.

Sun Film Ban Infocharts

My last post To S(h)un-film or not to S(h)un-Film? lead me to think a lot about the ban and around the ban from what all could be going on behind the scene.  Here is an attempt to detail this out further using some Google Skills, Excel skills and some free time!  I hope I don’t start seeing conspiracies in everything. I found it interesting that so much data is available for India online and free !  Here is the PDF file I created:

The Chennai Traffic Police were doing some stop , check , fine and rip operations in couple of parts of the city. However this seems to have lost steam as the week progressed. I am still driving with the sun film on and Rs 100 fine ready to be paid in hand. If caught I will pay the fine and remove the film only post that. Have also resolved to not fix it back later as well !

Do let me know if you have questions and also please do share this with your friends. Do feel free to re-post/share !

 

To S(h)un-film or not to S(h)un-Film?

Sun Filmed Swift
My Sun Filmed Swift

The Indian Supreme Court probably wanted to take a break from looking at more weighty matters and chose to focus on a frivolous PIL submitted by someone who claims to represent the “Mango” People (Aam Aadmi). Supposedly sun film is the cause for all the law and order issues in the country and that it should be banned altogether – there is no legal % of visual light transmission that can be used. Only factory fitted tinted and laminated glass that conforms to the CMVR rules can be used.

Legality apart -the sun film manufacture/sales industry supposedly provides around 150 crore to the Indian economy. These people will be badly hit if all sun film is made illegal to use. There is a fee for getting the sun film removed – this is not something that is usually done – but now the installers themselves are getting a chance to make money by “assisting” the removal for a fee of anywhere between 300 -500 Rs ! They hope to milk this for at least a month and then raise petitions to remove the ban. The ban will get removed within no time. Then again people will flock to get the film added back. With all the FUD going on people will gladly shell out more money to get costlier “clear” film that reduces heat transmission. The sun film companies make money either way.

Doing a net search shows sun film bans have been talked about since 2007 in parts of India – but this has not been consistently enforced. I remember having a dilemma when buying my Swift(photo in this post) in 2007 about putting sun film but since there was nothing clearly specified or enforced I went in with tints with 50% VLT which were legal at the time. However now 5 years later the same tints are now illegal. Our 7 year old Getz has films with around 70% VLT as well.

My Next Steps:

  • I personally will wait and watch what will play out. All speculation online points towards the drives to strip out sun-film to be strong for the next month or so at most if not less
  • Plan on keeping Rs 100-1000 as the fine for getting caught and pay it and get a receipt for the fine as well. Why the range – because the cops do not have a clear fine specified – it seems to vary !
  • If forced to remove the sun film by the cops I will do so – but feel I will also park at the side and then make sure they catch and remove sun film from all vehicles that go by including cops, ministers, actors etc.
  • I will not put back the sun film on my cars after that – hate to spend more money on a commodity which can be legal one day and magically be made illegal the next. Also hate the feeling of being taken for a ride by the cops and the legal system which is not consistent nor effective in its mandates.

Points to Ponder:

  • Different states seem to be interpreting the rule differently – some targeting only the darker tints while some are targeting even the lightest and even the clear films – if you are planning drives across states – make sure you drive without sun film to be in the clear.
  • Are the cops so good at catching anti-social elements/terrorists by visually identifying them from a distance ? This is assuming they don’t already move around wearing some disguise in crowded buses and trains !
  • As many online have commented – is there a way to measure the crime rate coming down drastically when vehicles do not have sun film ?
  • Wont the kidnappers/rapists start using panel vans/load carrying trucks instead of just vehicles with dark tints?

Some Fun:

  • Just because of a rising trend in vehicle accidents – is the solution a ban of all vehicles altogether?
  • Just like knives are used in murders – they should be banned altogether
  • Terrorists use hotels, houses etc – so can they be banned as well ? Or as an alternative – ban all windows, doors and hey why stop there – ban all walls – we just need protection from the rain and just need the roof over our heads – walls should not be there – just to make sure all the moral police can happily peer into our bedrooms and bathrooms !
  • Full face helmets with tints on them obscure the faces of the riders/also there may be some nefarious activities going on under the tinted face shields- can they be banned as well ?

Question:
What are your thoughts on this ban ? Do let me know and what will be your action – comply or get caught or what ?

 

Update – May 18th,2012: 

Today’s news papers indicate that the Chennai City Traffic Police (CTP) has started their drive against sun films. They have posted a notice on their FB page as well. All are free to comment on this drive. I already have !

Do Show Your Support:

Do show your support against this ban by “Liking” this FB page calling for a Movement Against Supreme Court’s Decision to Totally Ban Suncontrol Films. There is also a petition here “The Supreme Court of India: Reconsider decision on a blanket ban on car films.”

Attention Bachelors: Create your Auto Themed Bucket List before its too late !

If your days of carefree life with minimal responsibilities(read- bachelorhood)  are numbered, do take some time to prioritize how you spend your last years/months/days. After the noose – you will be expected to involve the other half in pretty much everything and you  have to start thinking of a variety of things such as  – purchase of a residence, loans to be repaid (college/home), future family(if kids on the way), emergency funds, kids education funds, annual holidays, household expenses – maintenance / first time purchase or replacement of existing – TV, Fridge, sofa, beds, washing machine, dish washer, vacuum cleaner, water purifier, household items, health care etc etc …this list goes on.

Rather than spend the rest of your (married) life wishing you had done this earlier – take a look at these and make your own bucket list (A Top movie of 2007/2008).(Buy the movie on Flipkart on VCD/DVD/Blue Ray if you don’t have it already – I definitely recommend watching this).

This Bucket List  includes both products and experiences – what is listed is not a list you should blindly copy but use as inspiration to build out your own list. This could be a start to your own life time Bucket List as well that includes everything you want to do before finally giving that big kick to your bucket.  Also make sure you remember this list when you define your budget for spending money as well :-).

Big Ticket/Luxury/Are you out of your mind:

  • Brand New Out of the ordinary vehicle – either a too small car like the Nano/ Reva or a 4×4 like the Thar or an SUV like the Bolero/ Scorpio etc.
  • Project Vehicle – Restoration of an antique / sentimental vehicle from scrap to a show piece
  • Jeeps – this is a topic in itself – If you ever had dreams of owning/driving an open topped 4×4 off road -and the associated accessories required for this. If there is only one item to have on your must have – this would be it. All others I feel would be possible with a lot of sweet talking 😉
  • Convertibles – slightly more acceptable than the previous one
  • Vehicle with an out of ordinary colour – red/ yellow/ bright blue  etc etc.
  • Design and build your own custom hot rod/sports car/replica/kit car.

You don’t really need this/Mid Level (you may get away with some of these – spread out over time):

  • In Car Entertainment – Touchscreens  HUs/ head rest mounted displays /Speakers/ Amps etc.
  • GPS Navigation devices
  • Alloys / Up-sized Alloys / tires
  • Bluetooth /handsfree kits
  • Leather / Sports seats
  • Race tickets for events outside your city/state of residence (For. e.g. One F1 Event in India 🙂 )
  • Performance/rally driving school training fees
  • DIY Racing Simulator – Gaming console, steering wheel, racing seats +big screen TV
  • Meeting a racing legend – Schumi/ Kimi / etc etc
  • Driving long distance across your home country / Driving long distance to some exotic location of your choice
  • Attending auto shows outside your city/state of residence

Lowest Level(Lowest impact – and cheapest – you may get minimal resistance but WW-III wont break out either if you get any of these):

  • Track Day outings and associated charges
  • Brand specific merchandize – Caps/Keychains/Clothes/Accessories etc etc
  • Subscription to Auto magazines like Autocar, TopGear etc
  • Movies – car themed movies – Bullit, Fast & Furious series,
  • Gaming PC/Game Consoles and associated racing games, gaming accessories – mice, steering wheels etc.

Again just so that it doesn’t seem that your life is over after you get married – just that you have one more voice that will speak practically (in addition to your own conscience 🙂 ) – and that your priorities may change.

Please do share your own lists as well through the comments.

 Please make sure you cross off at least one big ticket item before marriage 🙂 and then try to aim for the smaller ones each year.

PS: Make sure your criteria for a future spouse has “must be an auto enthusiast” as one of the key items.

Test Drive: Etios Liva GD SP Diesel

Etios LivaLIV TMRRW 2DAY is the tag line Toyota is using for its entry level Hatch – pitched at the millennial generation looking for a high quality brand name car – easy to drive and maintain. Suddenly after a long time feeling the need to do a TD – I requested for a test drive through the Toyota website on a whim on a Thursday afternoon scheduling a time for the next day 5 PM. No call no email till Friday morning when a person called to confirm the test drive request and mentioned the sales person would call and confirm the time for the TD. This happened like clockwork within a few minutes. There was a change in plan from my side and requested  the timing to be between 1:30 to 2 PM instead. This was agreed to. I gave my office address as the location for them.

At 1:28 PM I get a call from the sales person that he was outside our gate ! Wow – for the first time the TD vehicle has shown up at the time specified.  The sales guy made sure the vehicle was turned around and made easy to drive out for me (from a service lane still under construction that had open manhole covers) . That was a nice touch.

Test drive car was in Ultramarine Blue and was of GD SP (Safety Pack) trim. The color reminded me a lot of my Getz Electric Blue :-).  The test drive car came with a body kit that was an add on accessory – not part of the standard – but it definitely made the car look interesting and a bit sportier. The car without the under body skirts and spoiler looks very plain and unappealing.

There were stickers on the car to indicate it was a test drive /demo vehicle. Great – good to know am not driving a customer car. Digital odometer had around a bit over 9K Kms.  Interior of the vehicle was spic and span and clean.

Steering wheel was nice and chunky and of the right size to hold with a thicker portion at 10 and 2. Steering wheel had height adjust but the seat did not. Seat felt a bit lower than needed but I was comfortable within a minute of sitting in it with just adjustment for leg room.

For my height (5’7″) there was decent leg space in the driver seat and my left leg didn’t foul with the dashboard like it did in the Figo. No dead pedal available.

1st gear slotted in nicely and surely and starting off was a piece of cake with the clutch being light and easy to operate even for a first time user of the car. No heavy diesel car clutch issues I was expecting.

Pickup from stop was decent enough – didn’t push it but when moved into second the vehicle seemed a bit slow to respond. Unfortunately the lack of the tachometer meant I had no assistance to tell if I was shifting too early etc.

Drive in 3rd and 4th were decent – again within city roads the ride was smooth and minor bumps etc were not noticed.  Even on a badly paved road at slow speed the ride was comfortable. Only one sharp bump made the suspension make an awkward sound and the vehicle sprung up a bit.

The center mounted speedo is easy to read and I got used to it in no time.

Air-conditioning seemed adequate at fan speed #2  in the afternoon Chennai heat – but again the sales guys had the Ac running before the TD itself. Over #2 the noise was a bit much.

Doors felt a bit thin and didn’t have a solid feel on closing.

Rear hatch has to be opened via central locking and the hand grip of the opening was a bit awkward.

Positives:

  • GD trim comes with ABS. Need to go to GD SP for Airbags
  • Comfortable front seats – adjustable headrest can be lived with
  • Amazing space at the rear seat – 3 people in comfort with around 4 inches to spare of legroom till the front seat (set for my driving position).
  • Flat rear floor makes middle passenger comfortable
  • Fairly decent and usable bootspace of around 251L. When folded it goes to around 500L.
  • Service interval of 10K after initial service at 1K. Also option of Smile service packages for lower costs.
  • 3 years 1Lakh Km warranty
  • ARAI claimed mileage of 23.59 (Not able to test mileage in the short drive I did)

Negatives:

  • Noise from the engine sounded like a share auto. This was heard over the AC. I guess one will get used to it over time- but for the entire duration of the test drive – this bothered me.  The Figo in comparison had a muted thrum and the Maruti diesels had a similar muted thrum that was not annoying.
  • Horn sounded adequate but was only a single one.

Missing features (that would make this a truly great car):

  • Tachometer
  • Split folding rear seat
  • Seat height adjust
  • Music system (strangely they have speakers installed for the GD SP trim but no music system)
  • Fog lamps
  • Alloys
  • Climate control / switch for fresh air/recirculation – the slider is from 1980s !!!

Availability at this time is around 30-45 days. Price for top end GD SP Diesel trim on road Chennai is 7.14L.

Overall:

You get a Toyota badge on your vehicle for the price. Ride and handling are decent enough. Feature list is a bit short and makes the Figo seem like a major value for money deal.

Also points to think about – do you really need a diesel – if not then can you spend a bit more for the Etios sedan (in petrol) ? The pricing for the top end Etios Sedan diesel on road I felt was a bit too much coming at around 9.46 on road.

 

Other Notes:

PS: Images are from www.toyotabharat.com & toyotaetiosliva.in

I just noticed – almost every  image of the Liva on the Toyota websites – are with the body kit and spoiler and with alloys (found only on the VX petrol trim) !!!! One has to pay extra for the body kit to be added to the diesels.

 

Liva Without Body Kit, Alloys

 

 

<- What it looks like without the body kit (see circled areas). Couldn’t find any other image without the body kit on the site :-).

 

 

 

Liva With Body Skirts, Spoiler and Alloys

 

 

 

 

 

 

<- Looks much more improved with body kit, spoiler and alloys(see circled areas). Fog lamps as well.(Click on image to view larger size)

 

 

 

 

Owner Feedback – Ford Figo ZXI Diesel

Figo

Coming soon after my post on the test drive of the Ford Figo is a this post with  feedback from Rithesh, (a friend and colleague of mine) on his Ford Figo.

What was your old car and how long did you have it ? 
Hyundai Santro   – 6  years

Why were you replacing your old car/getting a new one ? 

It was old and started giving more maintenance cost , plus however some panel change was mandatory to continue with it

What were your requirements for your new car? 

6-8 lac budget , Diesel , good AC

What options did you evaluate ?

I10,I20,Jazz,Fiesta

Which dealer did you get it from and how was your purchase experience ?

MPL Ford Chennai . Very good experience

Any freebies received at time of purchase?

Insurance discount

What are the accessories you added on and what do you feel are must haves for someone buying this vehicle ?

3m external coating

How many KM have you covered and how long have you had the vehicle ?

10000 Km and One year

What is the mileage it gives you so far (and any services done so far – is it on par with your expectation at time of purchase?)

18 Km . reduced to 15.5

Any good points/features that stand out ? 

AC is good

Any irritants or negatives that stand out ?  

Windows at rear is a problem

 

Thanks a lot Rithesh for your feedback – am sure it will help others evaluating the Figo !

 

 

Owner Feedback – Verna Fluidic 1.6 Diesel

The Hyundai Verna is one good looking car and its design is a wonderful evolution of the older, now retired Verna. This is a short post with feedback from my friend Jegedeesh about his Verna (based on some specific questions I asked him relating to his ownership experience).

Here are some photos of Jegedeesh, his son and his car 🙂

Now for the Q&A:

How is the ownership/driving/service experience so far and how long have you had it (how many km covered)?
I have done 6800 kms so far and the driving experience is top class … the driving, gears are really smooth and especially the drive in the city is really smooth, butter smooth infact.

Hyundai has plentiful service outlets and i must admit that i did like my Kun Hyundai showrooms better .. they are more helpful and do a better job, but there is no complaint with the Gurgaon one .. they were professional.

You might want to understand here that i have my car on a Company Lease, so i do not spend any money on maintenance, but i did see the bill and it was just for replacing the Engine Oil + Filter (1500 INR).

What is the mileage it gives you so far (and any services & costs so far – is it on par with your expectation at time of purchase?)
I get a mileage of 15/litre (mine is a 1.6 L Diesel) in city, i do not thrash the car, run it steadily between 70-90 kms and the best mileage i have got is 18.5 on a highway (not really the best motorway, but sufficiently long roads, between Gurgaon & Amristar), running @ 100+ kms. The mileage is purely dependent on individual driving style, but you can safely say that i am quite satisfied with my car’s mileage.

Any good points/features that stand out?

The car is loaded with wonderful features – Reverse Camera + Auto-adjusting rear mirror (goes dull on Headlight hitting the mirror) + Steering Tilt + Bluetooth integration with Mobile (Speaker + Mic integrated), integrated call + management of music. Space (inside the car + storage), brilliant interiors.

Any irritants or negatives that stand out?
Steering can be a bit wafty @ high speeds (especially if you are used to Hydraulic ones), car does get hit in humps or pot hole roads – at low speeds. I would have loved also better tires than the stock ones. The stereo is also a bit flat, the speakers are not great and the car doesn’t play DVD.

What are the accessories you added on and what do you feel are must haves for someone buying this vehicle?
I have added no accessories, just kept the car as it is 🙂

Would you recommend this car to anyone and why ?
I have been driving a Hyundai for 7 years now (a Santro Xing previously and now this one) and they produce very nice cars and this car has a great engine, brilliant mileage and also good space. The car has the look & feel of a premium car with all features etc. I think it is a reliable car with good resell value.

Thanks a lot Jegedeesh for your valuable inputs – am sure it will help others looking at this beautiful machine as an option to own.

2009 Vehicle Color Popularity (India & Global) from DuPont

Dupont has published their annual studies of vehicle color popularity data for 2009. Am really happy to see that for the second year in a row India has warranted its own data collection and analysis. Till 2007 India was not considered separately and the closest was Asia which had data from Japan ! Shows India has reached a stage where the data coming from it is meaningful on a global scale.

India 2008-2009 Vehicle Color Popularity
India 2008-2009 Vehicle Color Popularity

For India as indicated in the graphy above Silver still is the most popular color followed by white, red and blue. Last year White was the most popular closely followed by silver. Other colors constituted less than 6% each. Unfortunately DuPont has not released the breakup by other colors this time around.

On the global scenario silver is still the most popular color followed by black, white, gray and blue. Below is the trend of color popularity for the past 10 years.

Global Colors Popularity 2000- 2009
Global Colors Popularity 2000- 2009

The full DuPont report is here.