Honda CR-Z

Who says hybrid cars have to be boring, or expensive even! The Honda CR-Z is out to shatter all those myths as Muntaser Mirkar revels in a bit of nostalgia and then drives the 2011 Japanese Car of The Year!

Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Back to the Future, MTV, Atari, Group B rally cars and Fuel Injection – the 1980s was probably the most influential decade for the current generation. It also saw the end of the Cold War, the Chernobyl disaster, the assassination of John Lennon and the massacre at Tiananmen Square. The IBM 5150 which is highly regarded as the first ever personal computer was released in 1981. But why exactly are we talking about things that happened 30 years ago apart from the fact that a major chunk of the ZigWheels staff was born back then? Well, it was also the decade that saw sub-compact sports cars become a cult - small, light, powerful and fuel efficient - these cars were the quickest and cheapest way to get closer to fast acceleration figures for citizens of growing economies. And among these was the Honda CR-X - a two-door hatch from Japan with a 2+2 layout that raked in huge sales figures in the US and in Europe as well as the Middle East. But the CR-X' biggest success story isn’t really from all those years in the past. It is in fact one that has taken place in the present day - in the form of the Honda CR-Z - Japan's 2011 Car of The Year, spiritual successor to the legendary CR-X.

That said the CR-Z is as different a car to the CR-X as a zebra is to a horse. Standing in the cold chill of an approaching Japanese winter, the blood-red CR-Z basked in the warm sun and showed off its curves in splendid galore. The basic body style harks back to the original car from the 80s with its low bonnet-high boot config, but that was just about it. The best part is that Honda’s designers haven’t attempted a CR-X redux, but started afresh with heavy 21st century technology injected in its DNA. Modern-day norms have dictated the CR-Z’s styling quite a bit as can be noticed in the absence of a sharp front end or even the missing flared wheel arches - all sacrificed in the name of increased pedestrian safety, but none of that takes away from the fact that the CR-Z is a super-hot I’d-exchange-one-for-my-girlfriend kind of car. All the way from the horizontal slats on the massive front grille to the split-window rear, it's as if the CR-Z is just tempting you to take it for a drive, and that we did. Strapped into the driver's seat you immediately notice how the CR-Z has been designed around the driver with all the necessary controls centered towards making life behind the wheel as less of a stretch as possible. The small-diameter steering wheel and the funky three-pod instrument cluster that changes colour depending on what mode you’re driving in and how efficiently you’re using your right foot extends the sporty feel that the car's styling starts out with on the outside. The air-con controls are all next to the cluster mound and even the optional sat-nav screen is ever-so-slightly biased towards the driver's view. Then you slot the 6-speed manual transmission into gear and your life changes.

Bajaj-Renault small car expected by 2012

Renault has signed an agreement with Bajaj Auto to build a low-cost car. The Nano rival is penciled in for launch in India in 2012, with similar pricing of around Rs 1.2 lakh.

Code-named ULC, the design, sourcing and manufacturing for the project would be done by Bajaj and Renault would take care of marketing in India and overseas, Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn said.

"We intend to bring this highly price competitive and fuel-efficient product to the Indian market in 2012," Ghosn told reporters. The car is expected to carry the Renault badge.

Production will take place at a news plant in Chakan, with initial capacity planned at 400,000 units a year. The project had been announced in 2008 but it has taken until now to thrash out an agreement between the two companies.

The car would dip in underneath the Logan price-wise, which is also built in India. High taxation has caused sales of the Logan to fall in India, with production at a third of capacity.

Nano being fine-tuned

The world’s most affordable car is due for some small but significant upgrades within the next six months, following market feedback.

Tata Motors is working towards improving the performance of the Nano by raising the very conservative 5000rpm rev limit to 6000rpm to quicken its acceleration, especially in first and second gears. The company is also considering a five-speed gearbox, but this may be ruled out for India as Tata does not want to increase the top speed (currently limited electronically to 105kph) for safety reasons.

According to a Tata Motors engineer, “With a top speed of 105kph, five gear ratios are unnecessary and could result in excessive gear changing for the driver.” However, it is understood that for the European version of the Nano, a five-speeder is definitely on the cards.

Other changes for India include a modified outside rear view mirror (ORVM) assembly, which is ready to be introduced, but pending ARAI approval. In the current ORVM, the entire unit has to be moved, while the new design is less cumbersome, with movement of the mirror within the housing. This design will lend itself to electrically-powered mirrors in the future. Small niceties like a ‘check-strap’ to limit the door opening will also be introduced.

The other significant improvement expected in the coming months is a tail-gate that can be opened — the Nano currently features a sealed rear glass unit. The only way to access the small luggage area is from inside the car, by folding down the rear seats, causing inconvenience. Tata Motors’ engineers have now designed a tail-gate that meets with Ratan Tata’s requirement for a design that does not feature exposed hinges, to maintain the purity of the Nano shape.

Tata Motors is taking advantage of the limited capacity in its Uttaranchal plant to tweak the Nano before production is shifted to the upcoming main plant at Sanand in Gujarat, which should be ready by end-2010. At that point, production could jump from the current 4,000 units to 20,000 units a month.

New BMW 3-series

BMW is planning a stripped-down version of the 320d called the ‘Executive’. The options that will be deleted from the features list include the sunroof, cupholders and powered seats. The missing features will result in a considerable drop in the price tag to around Rs 24 lakh from the near Rs 30 lakh price for the 320d. The Executive will only be available to fleet customers when it goes on sale in January 2010.

Beetle and Touareg to debut in Dec

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Volkswagen will launch its Beetle and Touareg models in India on December 5. Pricing is expected to range from Rs 22lakh for the Beetle, to around Rs 55lakh for the Touareg sport utility vehicle.

The Beetle will be powered by a 2-litre, 113bhp petrol engine, mated to an automatic transmission and VW plans to offer the fully loaded version, which includes airbags, climate control and plenty of other goodies.

The Touareg, which has been available unofficially with VW dealers for some time, will be making its official debut in December. The SUV will be powered by a 3-litre, V6 diesel engine that makes 240bhp and feature a six-speed automatic transmission with the DSG system

BMW X3

This isn’t the archetypal SUV we are used to. There’s no diesel engine, not much space – let alone three rows of seats – and it’s a size smaller than many luxury saloons. BMW’s compact SUV has a different agenda, so if you’re looking for a big, practical SUV that can serenely whisk the wife, kids, mother-in-law, dog and golf clubs to a weekend resort then its best you flip these pages.

Central to the X3’s appeal is its sporting character and it’s the undiluted focus on the driver, an intrinsic part of every BMW, which makes every journey memorable. And the drive up to Mahabaleshwar over the New Year in the X3 was just that. Lightly packed with just the wife, one son and small bags, I was thankful that I didn’t have to carry a full holiday payload, which could have corrupted the handling.

Clambering up into the firmly-padded driver’s seat gives the first sense that the X3 is part-SUV and part-saloon, simply because you don’t sit as high up as in the former or as low down as in the latter. The driving experience, however, is neither – it’s pure sports car!

This X3 is powered by the same 2.5-litre straight-six from the 325i saloon that we’ve grown to love. It’s got the same sweetness, the same linear power delivery and the same eagerness to rev. The only difference is that since the X3 weighs 370kg more than the 325i, performance isn’t as sparkling as its saloon cousin. I also missed the thick slug of mid-range torque that a typical, modern, common-rail diesel belts out. That’s not to say the X3 is slow. In fact, it’s far from it. It’s just that this jewel of a motor loves to be worked closer to its redline, so you really need to get the revs up for it to come on song. And that’s exactly what I did when I hit the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Shifting the six-speed auto ’box into ‘Sport’ mode, the engine would hold revs till the 6500rpm redline before the gearbox would shift up. The transmission is incredibly responsive and kicks down in a flash to a lower cog, to make most of the power-band. The result is a seamless surge of power which whisks the X3 to some serious speeds. The strong top-end and unflappable poise make the X3 a fantastic highway muncher and, not surprisingly, the Expressway got over in a flash. Peeling off at the first exit, the 40km road to Wakan on the Goa road via Pali is a shortcut to Mahabaleshwar that I love to use. It’s an old rally stage which is still free from traffic and has a delectable assortment of twists and bends over undulating landscape. The road is pretty rough and there’s the odd speedbreaker too (unmarked, of course). In short, this road has the right ingredients to give any car’s chassis a thorough workout. The X3 handles like any BMW should – that’s expected. But on the Pali road, just how good the X3 was shocked me. It sits on the older 3-series chassis (E46), and responds positively to enthusiastic driving. The experience starts with the hydraulically-assisted rack and pinion steering, which is super-accurate and bristling with feel, which in turn gives you loads of confidence, especially at high speed.

The steering is quick and responds immediately off the straight-ahead position, with zero slack. It isn’t that heavy either and, even at low speeds, the amount of assistance feels just right. The Pirelli Scorpion tyres – which, thankfully, are not ride-degrading run-flats – have phenomenal grip and the DSC stability system ties the car down like a leech to the tarmac.

The absence of body roll and the sheer balance of the chassis give you the confidence to accurately place the X3 wherever you want to; it’s extremely agile for an SUV.

The four-wheel-drive system developed by Magna Steyr, which works through a centrally-mounted, multi-plate clutch, gives the X3 some amount of off-road capability, but it’s clear that the setup of the car is clearly directed more at performance on the road than off it.

On the Expressway, the flat surface didn’t disturb the X3’s composure and even the odd pothole on the roads leading to the Expressway was dispatched with a muted thud. However, it was the Pali road that exposed one of the X3’s flaws – a jittery ride, especially for the rear passengers. On an uneven road, there is too much vertical movement and an unsettling rebound motion from the rear. The aggressively-tuned suspension sacrifices ride comfort to a large extent, in the interest of pin-sharp handling. Another point which undermines the X3’s refinement is a distinct drone, which sounds like it’s coming from the tyres, but is actually from the final drive. This is accentuated by the hushed performance of the silky-smooth and super-refined engine which we have already begun to take for granted.

The final lap to Mahabaleshwar is the 40km ghat from Poladpur. Powering through hairpins, it was easy to get bogged down by the DSC, the warning light flashing away wildly, accompanied by an irritating interruption in power as the system sensed the wheels were breaking traction. The good thing is that you can switch the DSC off completely by holding the button down for a couple of seconds. But even with all traction aids off, the X3 behaved very predictably – understeering initially and then tightening its line when power was applied. You can get it to oversteer, but it calls from heavy use of the throttle and steering. The brakes are, again, phenomenal and even emergency stops mid-corner leave you firmly in control.

It was only after reaching Mahabaleshwar that I could take my eyes off the road to seriously examine the interiors. Compared to the bigger X5, there seems to be a deliberate downgrading of certain bits and pieces and the cabin quality is patchy. The hard, shiny finish on the top of the dash and the armrests, front and back, are a touch too crude for a car of this class and price. The buttons and switches feel great and the seats are superbly comfortable, but the narrow cabin and high transmission tunnel mean that the X3 is best as four-seater. The luggage area is quite generous, though, with the spare wheel tucked away under the body. BMW is generous with equipment as well — you get leather seats, a six-CD changer, parking sensors and hill descent control — and thankfully, there is no iDrive to complicate life.

The jury is still out on the X3’s styling and there is no doubt that it looks awkward from certain angles. It doesn’t have the style of the 3-series saloon, nor the road presence of its big brother, the X5. There are certain design elements, like the turn indicators, which look a bit fussy and the rear tail-lights seem out of alignment.

Priced at Rs 43.78 lakh, the X3, which is imported with 103 per cent duty, certainly isn’t value for money and the poor fuel consumption, which ranged from 5.4kpl to 7.8kpl (primarily due to some heavy-footed driving), doesn’t strengthen the VFM cause.

Waiting for the 3.0-litre diesel engine, which is expected later this year, is an option. It may be more expensive, but it would add a touch of practicality and still be brilliant

to drive. The real intriguing question is how many will stretch their budget, and go in for the bigger and better X5 instead?

Factfile
BMW X3 2.5si
Price Rs 43.78 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai)
Length 4569mm
Width 1853mm
Height 1674mm
Wheelbase 2795mm
Turn circle dia 11.7mm
Kerb weight 1805kg
Engine 6-cyls, in-line, 2497cc
Installation Front, longitudinal, all-wheel drive
Power 218bhp
Torque 25.5kgm
Gearbox 6-speed auto Front suspension Spring strut suspension, Rear suspension Double wishbones
Fuel tank 67 litres
Brakes (F/R) Ventilated discs
Tyre size 235/55 R17
Boot 480 litres

Porsche Cayenne GTS

The road twists, turns and loops like spaghetti. We wait. And then wait some more. And a little more. Still nothing, no sloppy SUV looseness, no indication of 2.2 tonnes being flung around these Portuguese roads, not even a hint. Porsche says the roads around Faro, in southern Portugal, are some of the best if sporty driving is what you are looking for. And that’s exactly what we’re getting here — heaps and heaps of corners, some bunched together, some spread out, some tight and turning in on themselves, with others that are longer and more open. Tarmac Nirvana, in short, and the nonchalant manner in which the GTS is handling these twisters is deeply impressive. Even my otherwise-silent passenger pipes up. “It’s just unreal how well this car is handling all that weight,” he says. More revs on the V8.

Any drive of a new car starts at a measured pace. You need to feel how the car responds to your input, it’s easier to pick off areas of strength or weakness one at a time, rather than all together, and getting to understand the overall balance is essential; vital if you want to wring the most out of any car. Porsche’s new Cayenne GTS SUV has been specifically tuned to deliver the purest driving experience, but this is now bordering on the ludicrous. The GTS feels as composed and as unruffled as something that’s light and low-slung, something it certainly isn’t. Yes, yes, we know you’ve read all about these new-fangled SUVs that drive as well as cars, but this is beyond that, some way beyond. And, believe me, we are already shuffling along at an express rate, the direct-injection V8 bellowing blue murder.

And it’s not just any V8. This new GTS has the most responsive, most powerful naturally-aspirated V8 ever screwed down and hooked up under the bonnet of a Cayenne. And with shorter overall gearing and additional power, this 405bhp powerhouse packs muscle like little else. Ok, the Turbo, with its 500bhp twin-turbocharged V8, produces much more power, but for instant access to this power, this version of the V8 is it. Still, 2.2 tonnes is 2.2 tonnes.

Try lifting 0.2 tonnes, 200kg, to get the right perspective. An enormous lump of mass that, when multiplied by such massive acceleration, attains ominous levels of momentum. Momentum that you keep adding to or attempting to reverse as you pile on the throttle or chomp on the brakes, or fight against every time you need to steer into a corner. Porsche’s original Cayenne brought new levels of agility to the SUV brigade. Here was a truck that handled like a big car, but the roll at the rear from all that mass — the tippy, heavy feeling — was always there. BMW’s slightly lighter, more agile original X5 was a better drive, more composed and better balanced overall.

Then Porsche launched the face-lifted Cayenne and with that came Porsche’s PDCC or active anti-roll bars. These anti-roll bars deliver a sort of active suspension effect by adding resistance as the car begins to roll. As demonstrated, the system works incredibly well even on a race track, which is where I drove the Cayenne last year. And it’s this system that can stand up, smile and take credit for some of the good manners of this car. Even though we were nowhere near ruffling the car’s composure, the GTS was already a clear step ahead of the standard Cayenne S. To give more agility, the GTS has been lowered by a full inch, the steel springs are stiffer than on the Cayenne S and the front anti-roll bar is set stiffer as well. The wheels and tyres are a rapstar’s dream —21-inch rims are standard, which in itself must be some sort of record for sure. These wheels are slotted into some very chunky wheel-arches, accentuating the aggressiveness this car already portrays. The rubber on hand, super-sticky Michelin Latitude 295/35 rubber which, as I had sampled in China (Autocar India, August 2007), gives the Porsche SUV a clear dynamic edge. These tyres have a similar tread pattern to Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and that means they aren’t even distantly related to off-road rubber. In fact, I was afraid they would scream and flake off in fear when we took them only a little off-road.

Back behind the wheel, I’m getting more into the rhythm of things and I continue to up the pace. Trees close to the road, the verge and lines on the road all blur into a single high-speed stream of impressionist colour. And still, the Porsche feels like it is nowhere near being fully extended.

Let me tell you what it’s like. There may be 405bhp on tap, but that’s only half the story. Chop that up between 2.2 tonnes and there’s only around half to go around; approximately 184bhp per tonne. In spite of this, the GTS driven with your foot to the floor has the ability to hit a hundred from rest in 6.5 seconds and top off at 251kph. So, V8 spinning hard, light and accurate gearbox flicked to the next gear at close to 6500rpm, the GTS assaults the pavement. Straight-line stability is fingertip-good, even at speeds as high as 160kph-plus, and the Porsche squats on the tarmac like a fat-bottomed, gumball-tyred toad. And the faster you go, the lower it gets, Porsche’s PASM active dampers dropping even the steel-sprung car down once at 125 and then at 210kph. Approach a tight corner in any modern SUV and you do check your speed. Not in this one. It has so much grip, pitches forward so little as you hit the brakes and rolls so minutely as you turn into the corner, that you soon start to disregard all that weight that is being flung around from back to front and side to side.

Get smoothly (but hard) on the brakes as the corner approaches and the GTS drops its pace like it’s been driven into an invisible net. The six-piston, aluminium monobloc calipers and massive 300mm-plus discs deliver super bite and bleed speed in a composed, relatively pitch-free manner, the nose only dropping slightly. Turn-in is actually not that sharp, but the Porsche is eager all the same. What is incredible is the balance and the poise this car displays and the GTS distributes its weight evenly between all four large contact patches. The steering delivers a decent amount of feel, keeping you in the know about grip at the front wheels and the rear as well. And with the torque split 62 percent in favour of the rear wheels, it’s great fun shoveling the power into the rear as you crab out of corners. Porsche says it has actually built in some body roll at the rear to improve feel. Seems to have worked like a treat. This car drives so beautifully, you’re soon transported to that zone, driving on instinct, perception and feel, rather than measured, deliberate inputs. It’s at this point that you are fooled into thinking that you are driving a well-sorted, V8-powered GT car with a stiff suspension and strong brakes. Certainly not an SUV! And that’s the ultimate victory for Porsche. This is easily the best driving SUV in the world, one that Porsche claims will go up against even fast estate cars. And why not?

Porsche has also provided its adjustable dampers on the coil-sprung GTS and not just the air suspension-equipped car, so ride in ‘Comfort’ mode is acceptable rather than pile-threatening. The 35-section tyres, however, aren’t the most ride-friendly and there is some ‘thump-thump’. The low profile also means you will have to be a little careful on most Indian roads, which actually defeats the purpose of having an SUV in certain circumstances. Even though you can lift the car by a foot-and-something, it’s best to limit off-roading to dusty village paths. Then, there’s the fact that this V8 uses direct injection and a very high compression ratio of 12.5:1, meaning even our ‘premium’ 97-octane petrol will only just be good enough; anything near 91 is less than ideal. It also goes without saying that this car comes with an unwritten warning for some serious thirst from the big V8.

There aren’t many changes to the interiors either, save for some cosmetics. Rear seat comfort is good, but space could be better. The warthog-like nose is an acquired taste, however – one I haven’t acquired yet. A few plusses here, a couple of minuses there; nothing serious enough to put you off, provided you find the Rs 82.4-lakh price-tag acceptable. What this car does have — and by the spadeful — is an appeal so strong, you are always itching to take it out for a drive. Real Porsche DNA, wouldn’t you say?

Factfile:- Porsche Cayenne gts
Price Rs 82.4 lakh (est.)
Length 4795m
Width 1957mm
Height 1675mm
Wheelbase 2855mm
Turn circle dia NA
Kerb weight 2225kg
Engine 8-cyls in vee, 4806cc
Installation Front, longitudinal, all-wheel drive
Power 405bhp
Torque 51.0kgm
Gearbox 6-speed manual
Front suspension Spring struts
Rear suspension Multi-link setup
Fuel tank 100 litres
Brakes (F/R) Ventilated discs
Tyre size 295/35 R21
Boot 540-1749 litres

New Ford Ikon

The ageing Ikon is due for its second face-lift since it was launched in 1999. In 2003 Ford had revamped the interiors, with better trim and more equipment, while the exterior got a new grille and bumpers. This time around, the external changes are more substantial with new lights, a reshaped bonnet and a more aggressive-looking bumper that has completely transformed the front of the car.

The car is still distinctly a Ford with styling cues taken from the European Fiesta. The Ikon’s rear is untouched except for a mild redesign of the tail-lamps. The interiors as well are largely unchanged except for the instrument cluster which gets new dials. The big news is that after a gap of three years the Ikon gets diesel power again. But unlike the wheezy, old naturally aspirated 1.8 diesel that powered the Ikon until 2005, the new Ikon will get the state-of-the-art 1.4 diesel that has made a name for itself in the Fiesta. Ford obviously has no plans to discontinue the Ikon and the new model in diesel form could well be the renaissance of a car that is well past its sell-by date. The new Ikon is expected to be competitively keenly priced and the diesel version with a price tag from around Rs 5 lakh will undercut both the Logan and DZire. But Ford first needs to slash the price of its spares to rid the Ikon of its reputation as a car with high maintenance costs.

All new BMW 5 series

BMW’s annual re-jig of its model range means there is more excitement and more features for those of you looking for a car in the 5 Series luxury car range.
Now the largest-selling car in its class, with a 54 percent market share, it says a lot about BMW that its model is selling more than the well-established Merc E-Class. Customers looking to get a new 5 will now have the choice of a couple of new diesel models. There’s a new base 520d, with the 320d’s four-cylinder diesel motor under the bonnet. It makes 177bhp, 21bhp more than the 3 Series. However, intelligent engineering means you never feel that the car is underpowered. Far from it. The 520d’s generous 35.67kgm of torque propels it smartly forward and acceleration is actually quite strong. If you are chauffeur-driven and occasionally take the wheel, this is more than sufficient to get the job done. However, as this is a luxury car that delivers more of everything — comfort, luxury and quality — it’s only natural that you will want more power at this price.

Enter the 530d, BMW’s 235bhp, 50.96kgm rocketship. Basically the 525d motor with 44 more horses under the hood, the 530d takes a good thing and makes it even better. Like all BMWs, petrol or diesel, acceleration is linear and doesn’t come on suddenly or in bursts. This gives you the impression that you are not going as quick as you think you are, as there is no sudden surge of g forces on acceleration. What you get instead is a sustained shove in the back that stays as long as you have your right foot pinned to the floor of the car. And then the fantastically stable chassis and bags of grip mask speed even better. So instead of doing a quick 120, like you think you are, you are actually ripping along at 150. Few cars have the balance of sport, luxury and practicality down better than the 530d and we’re sure that at only Rs 80,000 more than the 525d, it’s bound to be a runaway success.

A-star

These are the first official pictures of Suzuki’s new Alto (YC5) that will be making its debut at the Paris Motor Show this October. The new Alto will be known as the A-Star in the Indian market and will sell alongside the current version.

Suzuki’s aim was to play safe and keep the design modern but generic so that it would appeal to a larger customer base. This is why the A-Star is not as radical as the A-Star show car. The flame-shaped lights are pretty distinctive and the large grille, which extends below bumper level, follows the latest design trends.

Maruti is targeting a Diwali launch for the A-star and will price it at around Rs 3-4 lakh. The A-Star will come with Suzuki’s K-Series 1.0 litre as well as a 1.2 litre motor and will compete with the Hyundai i10 and Kappa.

This is the first time Suzuki will manufacture a car exclusively in India and export it to global markets. Nissan too has inked a deal with Maruti for 50,000 units every year. Maruti will produce the YC5 with a Nissan badge for Nissan’s home and export markets.