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Saturday, August 30, 2014

2014 New Chevrolet Facelift Cruze


General Motors introduced the Chevrolet Cruze in India in 2009 for replacing the Chevrolet Optra, which did pretty well in its hay days. The Cruze was further appreciated by the Indian audience with its appealing performance and styling. However, some people were not happy with the pronounced turbolag and lethargic 5-speed automatic transmission. Consequently, General Motors updated the Cruze with a new engine and 6-speed transmission in 2012. Now the styling of the Cruze was getting too long in the tooth and here they are with a facelift that comes with some updates.

Exteriors – The changes aren’t drastic but people will notice a sharper front profile of the Cruze. The bumper has been revised with big fog lamp housing that gets chrome outlining, looks good. If you compare the dual port grille with the pre-facelift version, you notice that the pattern has been changed from honeycomb to horizontal black slats. On the side profile we appreciate the new sporty alloys with 5 dual-spoke pattern. Now you also get turn indicators neatly integrated on the ORVMs. Not much has changed at the rear apart from the sleeker bumper. The changes make it look a bit fresh but some rivals of the Cruze are better in the styling department. Facelifts are usually mild cosmetic updates but we would have appreciated revised headlamps and tail lamps. No wonder we see so many jazzy aftermarket lights of the Cruze these days.


Interiors – The styling inside the cabin is tastefully done and looks quite premium. The smooth flowing dual tone dashboard makes you feel cocooned in comfort, especially the continual effect from the doors to the centre console with beige trim. The V shaped centre console has superb quality metal finish with a sweet texture that grabs your attention. The Chevrolet Camaro inspired steering unit looks premium and feels good to hold as well. The instrument cluster is funky and easy to read with MID in the middle. The engine start/stop button was rectangular earlier, which is now circular. The media system screen size was decent at the time of its launch in 2009 but now with the growing competition they could have featured a bigger screen with more drama inside. The layout of all the controls in the screen is quite simple and Bluetooth is a big task to find.



Performance – As we mentioned earlier, the Chevrolet Cruze initially came with a 1991cc diesel engine with SOHC layout that had deep turbolag and was not so fuel efficient because of its air intake positioning. Now the new 1998cc engine has been strengthened with DOHC, better fueling and more power and torque at lower RPMs. The 2.0-litre oil burner churns out an impressive 164 BHP of power at 3800 RPM and 360 Nm of torque at 2000 RPM. This results in mind numbing straight line performance. The turbo lag is there but it’s negotiable now and post 1800 RPM you won’t be able to keep track of the tachometer because post that there is a strong mid-range pushback to enjoy. The engine revs smoothly with good power delivery across the rev range but mid-range is where the explosive performance comes out, no wonder they say that the Cruze has a bomb of an engine.


Thursday, August 28, 2014

Next-generation Toyota Innova spied in India

Toyota has started testing the all-new version of the popular MPV on Indian roads, It launch may be on 2015 or 2016.The 2015-16 Toyota Innova spy images reveal that the next-gen model will receive significant changes to the exterior styling to make the aging model look more up to beat and modern. It’ll come with brand new front styling inspired by its sibling Toyota Fortuner SUV. So, the 2015-16 Toyota Innova will get a taller and flatter front design giving it a more robust appearance coupled with a higher front grille, larger headlights and a new bumper, new alloy wheels etc.

  2015-16 Toyota Innova spied testing near Bangalore.





 (Photo Source : www.autocarindia.com, ibtimes.co.in)

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

New Hyundai i20 Elite

Hyundai Elite i20 launched just a few days back and just the pre-launch bookings (4,600 orders) show that it is up for a bigger game the i20 nameplate ever saw in India.





Exteriors – Hyundai Elite i20 has the advantage of having a fresh face in the market, well not just face, new i20 is designed with European influence all around. Hyundai’s upgraded design language Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 has transformed i20′s image, giving it a combative look. Shape of headlamps, fog lamps, doors, pillars, tail lamps and alloys all together make the car look somewhat small and compact as opposed to what its dimensions on paper would prove. Every physical feature of Elite i20 would not only say its a premium car, but a cocktail of vogue and valour as well.
 





Interiors – Hyundai Elite i20 has got features like automatic headlamps, electrically adjustable, foldable and auto closing ORVM, smart key, push button for start/stop, clutch lock, auto door unlock function, tilt & telescopic leather wrapped steering wheel, height adjustable driver seat, advanced supervision cluster with steering position reminder, parking sensor display, service reminder, Instrument Console Backlight Adjustment (Rheostat), automatic air conditioning with cluster ioniser, rear AC vents, adjustable rear seat headrest, 60:40 rear split seat, two 12 Volt power outlets CD, Aux-in, USB & Bluetooth connectivity in music player with 4 speakers & 4 tweeters, seatbelt pretensioners for driver & passenger, and dual front airbags (driver & passenger).
 
 
 
Space, Comfort and Convenience

The Elite i20 comes with keyless entry and once you approach the car, it unfolds the mirrors and it’s a feel good factor. The wheelbase has been stretched by 45mm and it is felt once you are inside the cabin. Interior space was adequate in the earlier i20s and things have only got better with the latest edition. While a low transmission tunnel ensures there’s enough space for the third occupant, rear AC vents enhance comfort in the second row. Front seats are supportive and driver seat height adjustable, moreover, tilt and telescopic steering column ensures a healthy driving posture.
The centre console also houses a multi-information display showing service intervals, digital speedometer, temperature, odo etc, however, it’s a surprise that there’s no average fuel consumption or distance to empty figures available on the screen. The 2-Din audio system with Bluetooth and1GB internal memory offers 8 speakers but the sound quality is not exceptional.
 
  
 
Performance

Not much has changed under the hood, however, both the 1.2 L VTVT petrol and 1.4L CRDI appear more refined now. Although the petrol engine has improved low and mid-range response and remains more refined than the diesel, the 89bhp U2 CRDI is going to be the buyer’s favourite as before. 220Nm of peak torque makes the diesel variant more fun to drive on highways and minimal turbolag along with linear power delivery makes it easy around town as well.  The 1.2L petrol, too, provides an adequate, if not scintillating, performance both in city and highway but you need to wind it up to make swift progress.
The transmissions have been carried over from the outgoing model – 6-speed for diesel and 5-speed for petrol. Soft clutch coupled with butter-smooth gear shifting makes both variants effortless to drive in traffic and long distances alike. Automatic transmission is not available yet. Diesel boasts of an ARAI-certified mileage of 22.54kmpl as against petrol’s 18.6 kmpl.
 

 



Google developed fully self driving elctric car

One of the the Google’s founders Sergey Brin recovered his plans at Recode’s Code Conference in southern California. He told, that there’s a safety bonus in a self-manufactured self-driving electric car. So the car doesn’t have a steering wheel, accelerator or brakes, it has more sensors in strategic spots than it is possible in a regular car. For emergency Google electric car equipped with a huge “stop” button. In addition to all this safety tech, Google’s autonomous car includes internal power steering and power brakes.


Driving the all-electric car is like going on a Disney ride experience. Considering it currently has a maximum speed of roughly 25 mph, this makes sense. Brin described riding in this electric car, which in one test was programmed with smartphone, as “relaxing,” and similar to catching a chairlift. He added that the car will eventually go up to 100 mph once it’s proven to be able to travel safely at that speed.


As for when we’ll see Google car on electric car sale — which are much smaller than regular electric cars and include couch-like seating, Brin said Google will soon test them with drivers. Within a couple of years, they’ll — if they’ve passed the crash test and safety metrics they’ve put in place, which is to be much more safer than a human driver … have them on the road.



VIDEO : https://rumble.com/v2z73s-google-unveils-self-driving-car.html