Showing posts with label drive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drive. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

FIRST DRIVE Honda Amaze review test drive


We drive Hondas new Dzire competitor - and its a diesel!

DETAILS
  • Make  Honda 
  • Model  Amaze 
  • Edition  i-dtec




Hondas much-awaited Brio-based Amaze could be a game changer for Honda in India. That’s the feeling we got when we drove the car at the Honda-owned Motegi race track in Japan. To give you a brief, the Amaze is a sub-four-metre saloon, much like the Maruti Swift Dzire, which Honda used as a benchmark extensively when engineering this car. However, where the Dzire has divided opinion for its truncated tail, the Amaze has a far more traditional three-box look. In fact, the integration of the boot onto the hatchback body is fairly cohesive. There’s a strong link to the City in the Amaze’s wraparound tail-lamps,which also serve as the end point for the sharply rising belt line. The boot lid itself doesn’t look all that special but it does open to reveal a useable luggage bay. Honda hasn’t disclosed boot volume yet but what’s clear is that the Amaze has trumped the Dzire in this area.
At 3990mm, the Amaze is significantly longer than the Brio, and 60mm of the length extension is over the wheelbase. This, along with the different roof line, has warranted the need for larger rear doors. Further forward, it’s only the restyled front bumper and an additional chrome slat on the front grille that differentiate the Amaze from the Brio.   

The big shock is once you step inside. The cabin is far more spacious than you’d expect and kneeroom is really impressive too. Sure, it’s not as spacious as the larger full-size saloons like the Toyota Etios or Tata Manza but it’s certainly a lot more spacious than the Dzire. Seat comfort is really good too, helped by a large centre armrest, though some may find the seat back a tad too reclined. A low centre tunnel helps middle passenger comfort but the cabin’s limited width means sitting three abreast in the back will still be quite a squeeze.

Up front, the cabin looks familiar. The dashboard is identical to the Brio, so you get a slightly Spartan centre console and plastics that, while well put together, don’t look rich. Even the comfy front seats are carried over from the hatch, so just like the Brio, the driver’s perch does not get height adjustment. You can expect the top-end Amaze to feature an audio player with USB, steering-mounted audio controls and a rear defogger, which are not available on the Brio. In-cabin storage spaces include a total of four cup holders. You get bottle holders on each of the four doors though the exposed metal near them is a sign of cost-cutting by Honda.

Space and comfort aside, whats also important is the engine under the bonnet of this car. It will be Hondas first diesel engine in India, and though Honda hasnt revealed the 1.5-litre i-DTEC motors power or fuel-efficiency figures, expect around 90bhp and an official ARAI-tested figure in the region of 25-26kpl. The engine is a scaled-down version of the 1.6-litre diesel that Honda sells in Europe, so this four-cylinder unit has a twin-cam, 16-valve head. On the Amaze, this engine will come with a fixed geometry turbocharger.

Driving it around the Motegi test track in Japan, the motor impresses with its refinement. Even better, though, is its responsiveness. It pulls well from as low as 1200rpm, and theres a gentle surge at 1500rpm when the turbo comes on song. Honda has tuned the engine to deliver the bulk of its power under 3000rpm, which is where the engine will reside in typical city driving scenarios anyway. Also cementing its city-friendliness are the gearshift and clutch action, both of which are smooth and light. However, hold onto a gear longer than necessary and you will find power fall sharply post 3800rpm on its way up to the 4500rpm limit. What’s clear is that this is not a free-revving motor like what we’re accustomed to from Honda. It’s also in the upper reaches of the rev band that you’ll find the engine sound increasingly thrashy, though refinement at lower engine speeds is impressive.

While driving, we also find the steering has more weight than the Brios and this is a good thing. The heavier diesel engine at the front has required Honda to stiffen the front springs though the rest of the suspension is the same as the Brio’s – front MacPherson struts and a rear torsion bar. Even the wheel size at 175/65 R14 tyres are the same. However, given the smooth surface on which we drove, it was impossible to say how the Amaze will take to India’s potholed roads.

The Amaze is no doubt an impressive car. It’s got a spacious enough cabin and a refined diesel engine that promises to be fuel efficient too. It will also be sold with the Brio’s peppy 1.2-litre, 88bhp petrol engine. If Honda can price the Amaze at par with the Dzire it has the potential to shake up the Indian saloon car market. Hondas truly back in the race and how!

ModelHonda AmazeMaruti DzireMahindra VeritoTata ManzaToyota Etios
LxWxH3990x1680x
1500mm
3995x1695x
1555mm
4247x1740x
1540mm
4413x1703x
1550mm
4265x1695x
1510mm
Wheelbase2405mm2430mm2630mm2520mm2550mm
Engine1.2 petrol/
1.5 diesel
1.2 petrol/
1.3 diesel
1.4 petrol/
1.5 diesel
1.4 petrol/
1.3 diesel
1.5 petrol/
1.4 diesel
Power88bhp/
90bhp*
86bhp/
74bhp
75bhp/
65bhp
89bhp/
89bhp
90bhp/
68bhp
Torque11.1kgm/
21kgm*
11.6kgm/
19.3kgm
11.2kgm/
16.3kgm
11.8kgm/
20.4kgm
13.4kgm/
17.3kgm
* - estimated



Fact File

Price Range (in lakhs)*
Ex-showroom priceRs 6-7.5 lakh (estimated)
Engine
FuelDiesel
InstallationFront, transverse, FWD
Power90bhp (estimated)
Torque21kgm (estimated)
Transmission
Gearbox5-speed manual
Dimensions
Length3990mm
Width1680mm
Height1500mm
Wheel base2405mm
Chassis & Body
Tyres175/65R14
Suspension
FrontIndependent, MacPherson struts
Rearnon-independent, torsion beam axle

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Lexus hybrid six hundred a test drive LS600h L

Now actually have ideals that look simple, but expensive to live modestly, but with taste, value for money and comfort, Ponte despise and condemn the overconsumption, love, and not just sex, more reading and less partying. If hanging out, then with her. Privacy, secrecy, self-sufficiency - key words coming era. Slightly matured new Russian money want to look like old. In an era of credit available Anybody can buy a Bentley. But who wants to look like "everyone"? Indicator of true success is not consumption, and self-expression and the amount of free time you can personally spend on themselves. Nikolai Uskov, editor in chief of GQ magazine twentieth century ended, "Crazy ninetieth" are gone forever. Together with pochivshimi its criminal elements were replaced by value. Lexus LS600h L - the latest Russian "six hundredth and most advanced premium sedan. Avto@Mail.Ru tests long wheelbase Lexus LS with the letter «h», the first representative hybrid car. When designing a new flagship, the Toyota engineers have tried to do neither more nor less than perfect car. But the perfect vehicle should move in a perfect world with perfect roads, adequate neighbors downstream, with a perfect driver, finally! Unfortunately, the machines have not yet learned to travel on closed roads, as in the sci-fi movie Minority Report, where Tom Cruise went to the concept car Lexus. In our reality - early spring, which exposes road defects, awakens "snowdrops" and brings street racing. Can LS600 improve this reality? Frankly, if you really change the reality, then this should be done in the rear seats. Test the long-wheelbase LS need it as a passenger. An ideal place in the perfect car and one is on the back row on the right. Only you must first move the front seat, pressing the button. After fifteen seconds the front seat rests on the dashboard and bows headrest. From knees to him now, good two feet, with electric you can push the leg and throw: "Get on." Look around. Plastic little, some elements of the interior are decorated with veneer. Everywhere light skin other than manufacturing. Very soft and pleasant to the touch. In chairs, in addition to built-in massage, is ventilation. Summer in handy. If you want to take a nap, can be tilted back at a decent angle, turning the place into a sort of lounge chairs. In arm hidden refrigerator and a small table. Sorry, it is convenient to attach to the laptop it will not work. We should also mention entertainment system Mark Levinson. Here full-fledged DVD-cinema with 19 speakers and an LCD monitor on the ceiling. If the monitor glare from the sun, or in traffic "blikuete" you from the outside world can be fenced off with electric shutters. Now peresyadem forward, because even the president, sometimes you want to get behind the wheel. Although the wait, because we have not yet visited our ideal car. External contrast "the six hundredth" of the LS460 in the headlights. Under the caps appeared six LED light sources.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Painting drive their own hands

To make your car look bright and different from other machines, you should paint the car drives. After all, we all dream though slightly different from the others. Painted wheels make your car and deliver it to a spectacular brightness on the road. This procedure is very simple, with which everyone can handle. However, the painting of discs requires detailed and careful preparation. The most important thing - to do everything carefully and patiently. Painted wheels better than most, because: you do what you want and like to save as much money, approximately three times. Moreover, having painted wheels of your car yourself, you learn something new. Initially, you need to buy all the materials for painting. They can be purchased at any hardware store. You will need: - two cans of primer - paint four cans - primer - sand paper, (small, medium and coarse) of each of two rolls - three cans of paint - the solvent is a balloon - foil 2 square meters. meter. Film must purchase in order to lay a place to work. Because it could kick up dust, which will ruin your mask and paint. We add that it is very important to acquire materials of one firm to avoid not overlapping, ie rejection of materials. If the primer is light, it drives better than to paint it black, and if the primer is dark, then it is better wheels painted in bright colors. Proceed to prepare disks for painting. Take the wheels, wash them with all the dirt and clean the sandpaper. First, coarse sandpaper, then medium, then fine, make sure you get the perfect surface. Next, thoroughly wash your wheels and degrease them with solvent. Put them in the place prepared for painting. Before we get down to business, cans with primer and paint should be slightly warmed, for example, put them not in direct sunlight. This must be done to perfect the materials lay on the surface of the disc. Now the wheels have to be primed. Apply a thin layer of primer is needed, with an estimated distance of 30 cm, and in the process to move along the radius of the disks. You must then wait 5 minutes, until the primer is not seized, and leave the discs around day dry out completely. After drying, it should be with water and sandpaper to remove any remaining roughness. Everything should work out perfectly straight. Next you can begin to paint discs. In the last stage is painted. You need to repeat the same steps that you did in the previous stage, only this time with paint. Painted wheels should be at intervals of five minutes and apply a thin layer. After the paint dries, drives to lacquering. This should be done at a distance of 40 centimeters. Now, wait an hour to paint dry. Well, perhaps all, painting drive your car over. After painting, disks must be insisted about a week, and then you can safely use the machine. The whole process will cost you $ 35 in car repair, this painting would have cost you $ 150.