MOTORING
THE WEEKLY OBSERVER SUPPLEMENT THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2017
Feel-Good City Slicker Maruti Suzuki has found another winner in Ignis Aneesh Srinivasan
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aruti Suzuki has become synonymous with the family car. Their latest offering, the Ignis is one of its kind, with the design a mix of modern and retro. Their Nexarange of hatchbacks launched last year looks upmarket yet is affordable for the first-time car buyer. The torchbearer for this rangeis the S-Cross which is selling well. Then camethe Baleno, which still sellsvery well. The Ignis is the latest addition to the Nexa line up. Maruti has done a really job when it comes to the design. The front looks really aggressive and the headlampsare all new units, with LED DRLs that look uber cool. The rear however looks like that of a1980’s car, it looks vintage. This confluence of different styles makes it attractive. It has fish-like gills on the C-pillar, which itself is quite thick. The grille also looks sporty and the accents on the hood add to the overall sportiness of the car. The roofline is quite high, giving it the tall boy appearance that Maruti made famous with the Wagon-R. The flared wheel arches give it a beefy look, which is new for Maruti. When you get into the car, you’d be hard pressed to find one element that resembles the Maruti of yore. The designers seem to have torn up the playbook. The huge tablet like touchscreen infotainment system is what catches your eyes as you seat yourself in the driver’s seat. The dash
however is quite plain for a car in this price range. It has a plain white and black design. The driver seat itself is well padded and comfortable. Visibility from the driver’s seat is wonderful as you areseated quite high off the ground.
There is a rotary type control for the aircon vent and toggles for other controls, which makes you feel like you’re in the cockpit of a fighter jet. There are body coloured door handles inside the car and the cubbyhole is also colour coordinated with the exterior. The touchscreen infotainment system comes with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The rear seats are comfortable too with ample legroom and headroom. This is possible because of the overall boxy shape of the car. The rear seats can also be split 60:40 to
make more boot space. The engine is very familiar. The diesel and petrol engines are taken from the Baleno. The Ignis being lightweight helps it accelerate faster than the Baleno. The diesel engine produces 75 horsepower and 190 Nm, while the petrol churns out 84 hp and 113 Nm. The car is available with both manual and automated manual transmission configurations. The manual seems more responsive in the diesel while the AMT gearbox seems more eager to accelerate in the petrol motor. Variants use the same terminology as the Baleno and S-Cross. They are Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha, with Sigma and Alpha being the lower and higher ends respectively. The best pick would be the Zeta AMT petrol, as it has a sweet combination of features and a reasonable price. Prices starts at Rs. 4.59 lakh for the petrol and goes up to Rs. 7.80 lakh for the top-end diesel. The top-end of the line features15-inch black-alloy wheels, SmartPlay Infotainment system, sunglass like front grille and headlamps and much more. The ride quality and overall usability of the car is unmatched. The small size lets you weave through traffic with ease. Combined with a peppy engine, it makes for an enjoyable city- driving experience. Sadly, on the highway manners the engine feels inadequately powered and the steering doesn’t weigh up well. In sum,I’d say that Ignis is a great car for the daily office commute or the occasional highway run. Considering the price and features, I think Maruti has another best seller on its hands.
Song of the Open Road Motoring getaways in south India Anjala Farahath
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eplace the soul-crushing grind of the everyday commute with a ride through picturesque landscapes on beautiful roads that run throughout the expanse of South India. From Karnataka to Kanyakumari, these state and national highways promise to lure the motor-head in you to head out of the city. For drivers who enjoy putting the pedal to the metal, here’s the low down on the best roads to explorein South India before summer sets in. Shimoga to Goa If Goa’s your destination and you choose this road, you're one step closer to an epic holiday. The 360-km drive is bound to give you an enthralling experience. The route via NH69 and NH66 highways offers you a mix of straight roads and ghats that traverse the Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Reserve, Jog Falls and Honavar, all of which are recommended stopovers. About 10 km from ShimogaliesKarnataka’s popular wildlife destination Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Reserve. For the wildlife enthusiast, there are safaris organised by the forest department. From here, the road gradually becomes a snaking two-lane highway, bound by lush green on either side that takes you uphill to Jog falls, an 829-foot drop carved by the watercourse of Sharavthi River. After you’ve crossed this mesmerising spot, the road descends to NH66, through the smoothPanvel-Kanyakumari highway that runs pastKarwar before reaching Goa via Palolem. Bengaluru to Coimbatore The Bengaluru-Coimbatore Road via Salem and Avinashi is a green corridor lined with coconut trees. The
350-km drive is one of the best in South India, with picture-perfect surroundings and a road that your machine will love. The road is alsolined with eateries and bakeries that offers great food and filter coffee. The untamed, windswept views along this smooth dual-carriage road are enticing.
Kolhapur-Belagavihighway is one of the best stretches among the country's four-way expressways. Passing through the suburbs, the road opens up into glorious countryside before reaching Belagavi. With tarmac on one side and concrete on the other, the dual-toned NH4 that connects Mumbai-Bengaluru almost seems to stretchendlessly. If you’re feeling a tad more adventurous, a little detour from the NipaniGhat will lead you to Goa. Although, it’s a drive of 114 km, this is a joyride. Coimbatore to Kanyakumari
Belagavi to Goa Belgavi in north Karnataka is just a stone’s throw away from Goa. Among the array of roads that radiate from Belgavi, the route via Khanapur, Anmod and Ponda breathes a sense of fresh air. The single carriageway cuts through awe-inspiring views of evergreen forests. During the monsoon, this road is a traveller’s delight.Regularly interspersed with eateries, the journey down this routeguaranteesstunning landscapes, and smooth and empty roads. Kolhapur to Belagavi The region around Belagavi, with its extensive network of well-laid roads, puts the rest of the state to shame. The
The scenic expedition along the Coimbatore-Dharapuram- Karur highway to reach the southern tip of the country, Kanyakumari, is a mandatory road trip for the motor-head. Although a handful of intersections interrupt this 440-km journe, it’s smooth sailing down a dual carriageway with breathtaking views of the Western Ghats. Bounded by windmills and lowhills, Karungkulam prepares you for the magnificent sunset at Kanyakumari. As you enter Kanyakumari, amidst the gradually increasing traffic you’ll be welcomed by a signboard you’ve been waiting for. It simply reads, “Road Ends” but what it means is Land’s End: a little carelessness and you could be fish feed in the mighty Indian Ocean. These beautiful roads not only offer spectacularly scenic views but combine variety, elevation and length, smooth and seamless driving, not to mention minimal traffic, that is a treat for your wheels. A trip on a city street is rarely a pleasurable one. About time we leave behind the potholes and the choking traffic for the elusive and fabled paradise of the open road.
MOTORING
THE WEEKLY OBSERVER THURSDAY, fEBRUARY 9, 2017
Living up to its Name The automobile is rapidly evolving to become an autonomous creature Vivek Dubey
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rom their advent over a century ago, cars have driven us. Once it was all about the gadgets they boasted and the status they bestowed; today it’s about a technology that will simplify the driving experience. The journey from 1908 to 2016 has been immensely fascinating with many notable milestones in the evolution of car technology. If theT-Model Ford was the technological starting point for the evolution of cars, the story since has been one of continuous refinement of the idea of what cars could be. Chevrolet introduced the first car radio in 1922, understandably a big deal for generations of teenagers, but essentially the precursor of the infotainment system on wheels that cars have become today. Starting in 1911, electric starters, four wheel brakes, power steering made driving car a lot easier and safer. In 1949, automotive optimism hit the stratosphere with the creation of the world's first flying car, the ‘Aerocar'. It never actually took off but appeared on the market with the price tag of $1 million. Automatic transmissions first appeared in 1950s after
World War II. The demand for them rose because they were simpler and more convenient, but three-speed truly automatic transmission came in late 1969 and became a standard feature in many models. It also helped save some endangered species, as manufacturers stopped using whale oil as transmission fluid. By late 70s and early 80s, people began to understand the impact that cars had on the environment and that helped drive both fuel efficiency and better emission control. New regulations forced manufacturers to adopt the first catalytic converter, a tailpipe which reduced emissions, and electronic fuel injection technology, which by mixing fuel and air gets the most out of the engine. Inventions sometimes do not take root in the right way, and this has happened in numerous places and ways. In late 80s, manufacturers began to take care of driver safety as they began to reach higher levels of speed. And after many attempts, by 1984 manufacturers figured out cost-effective and safe way to deploy airbags. They become standard feature for the first time. The rise of the computing capacity and ease of availability of microchips made cars even more sophisticated. It got its on-board computer assisted diagnostics in 1994, the 16-pin connector known so well started to appear more frequently under the hood. In 2000, reliable GPS navigation for drivers became available, but the first system appeared a half-decade before. Later, the satellite information that sources electronicnavigation systems was unveiled. By the mid-2000s, in-car equipment becomes more or less committed to their needs other than ‘sheer driving pleasure.’ Around the same decade, hybrid cars began changing the fuel system that cars use. This could be one of the
most intense steps in automotive evolution. Hybrid electric vehicles were first massproduced at the end of the decade. Now we have cars that pack the computing power of more than 20 PCs, and are ra-pidly evolving into even more powerful manifestations of the Internet. In the coming years, autos may well become just another component of fully connected consumer experience, an integral part of the Internet of Things. Optimising their performance and maintenance is one thing, but for cars to navigate, brake, avoid collisions and hazards on their own and become autonomous is a whole newballgame. This is no longer the subject of science fiction to say they’re now developing ‘minds’ of their own. It would be safe to say that cars are going to get smarter by the day and this evolution was something that was bound to happen sooner or later. How soon cars, like the one Google is testing, will become truly self-driven and ‘connected’is a matter of conjecture but nobody any longer doubts they are the future.
New Chemistry at Formula One Motorsport’s top championship is poised for big changes Aaditya Narayan
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ith barely two months to go for the start of the 2017 Formula One season, it promises to be a very different year for motor racing’s premier contest. The 2016 season was exciting, with the battle for the championship lasting until the final race in Abu Dhabi. Nico Rosberg won his first ever championship success but also his last, having announced his retirement at the end of last year. But that was small change compared to news that the legendary Bernie Ecclestone, who built Formula One into the Godzilla of racing since he took charge in 1978, has been replaced as CEO of the Formula One Group by Chase Carey. This signaled Liberty Group’s first management shakeup since it took over Formula One last year. There has been a change in terms of the teams as well. Renault is back in the fray as a competing team for the first time since 2010, when they limited their participation to providing engines for other teams. Nico Hulkenberg was signed as their first driver, ending the German’s three-year stint at Force India. The Vijay Mallya-owned Force India signed Mexican Esteban Ocon to replace Hulkenberg. But, the biggest shift took place at Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton has a new teammate in ValteriBottas, who has Rosberg’s giant shoes to fill, as the team look to win their fourth straight Constructors’ Championship.
Former world champion Jenson Button, too,took a break at the end of last year and his spot at McLaren has been taken by debutant Belgian Stefan Vandoorne, who will race along with veteran Fernando Alonso for the British team.
Red Bull Racing had a stormy second half last season and they have kept faith with Daniel Ricciardo and the teenage Dutch sensation, Max Verstappen. Verstappen became the youngest ever Grand Prix winner last year when he won the Spanish Grand Prix in April. Like every year, what will really shape the season’s outcome are racing regulations. This time the changes areintended, it is said, to increase average lap times by four to five seconds. The width of the front-wing and position of
the rear-wing of the cars will be also change this season. The rear-wing is now permitted to be 150mm lower than it was in 2016, while the width of the front-wing was increased to 1800mm. The width of the tyres was also increased, to generate more grip, especially given the number of street circuits in the calendar. But perhaps the most important change is the minimum weight of cars which, along with the driver, must be at least 722kg. That change will also allow teams to use a maximum of 105kg of fuel. There are certain changes to the Formula One calendar as well, with the German Grand Prix being struck off the agenda. That means there will be one less race than last year. The traditional season opener at Melbourne and finale at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi remain unchanged.There will be a debut for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the race at the Baku Street Circuit no more being part of the European Grand Prix. The traditional powerhouses remain, the best drivers in the world stay but, with more pre-season testing coming up, it will be interesting to see if anyone can catch Mercedes this year. Ferrari will have to provide a much better car to Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen than they did last year, while the young guns, Ricciardo and Verstappen will look to prove that last year was no flash in the pan. Will it be another year of Mercedes domination? Will the others get a look in? We will have eightmonths to find out when the new championship begins at Albert Park in Melbourne on the last Sunday of March.