As my nasty friend, the COLD, is retreating from my body, my head is clearing a bit allowing me to observe more details such as the Jack and the Beanstalk story to which I put my kid to sleep… Kids these days just snooze off before the end of the story leaving an irritated father who wants them to be awake till the end… The Ford Fiesta 1.6S.. Let’s get down to business and leave Jack in his own world..(kid hasn’t seen the Ferrari.. chuckle chuckle)

1.6L, 100BHP(101 PS).. a bit of a disappointment really from Ford.. some more BHP could have really provided that extra grunt(I love the engine response when the Fiesta is floored and it takes off..) and consider the fuel hike… fuel efficiency is another issue which Ford says it has resolved with the new ECU revamped to give the same figures as the discontinued 1.4L petrol variant.. Currently available petrol options include the SXI,ZXI and EXI.. Displacement of about 1600cc with a maximum of nearly 150nm at 3400 rpm.. quite normal and obviously conforming to emission standards.. The 4 cylinder 16 V DOHC(Double Overhead Camshaft… ) with the SEFI (sequential electronic fuel injection) has disappointed auto enthusiasts purely because this was a golden opportunity to take out the competition with more brute power and a better mileage provision could have helped.. What Ford have done though is extensive work on the suspension. By the way, this car does 0-100 in under 12 seconds(wow… I want to see this for myself… raised eyebrows from the competition as their headlamps raise their levels an inch.. )

Very good handling, absolute treat to drive are normal opinions about any Fiesta.. well a reworking of the suspension with better springs(stiffer than previous versions) and work on the suspension setup will give drivers better feedback and control on the roads(absolutely needed considering the increasing jaywalker population..)Now the interesting thing I heard was the valve tuning in the new dampers design with the new jounce bumper design.. smoother ride on the bumps or unexpected cracks in the earth.. this lends better stability and control due to the extra damping provided…(hmm a test drive is in order for observing this..) The gearbox has not been changed and I am itching to take the car for a spin to get a feel of the car as well as test the steering … and yes try a drift as well(Tokyo Drift here I come… but I don’t think Ford dealers wont like taking back a pretty bashed up brand new S variant).. and the standard 5 speed manual transmission(no AT option yet… ouch…)

Safety features include the ABS (Dual Airbags reqd) and EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) as well as the provision of dual airbags ( a norm these days..)which I will look at once I get to glance at the car and get free from work(hope I get a lucky break from the boss in the days to come) The interiors are really what I am excited about… Colours like Jasper Blue and Aquarius Blue struck my fancy and a discussion on the interiors as well as the new safety features of the 1.6S(needed for the crazed nuts who drive without sense… ) is on the cards.. So till next time, drive safe, watch for the unruly people who walk like they own the road and of course public transportation… don’t race them whatever you do(doing that in a 1.6S maybe possible… driver discretion is advised)

Catch you later readers

I think most people trust Mahindra more than they do Tata and that seems to be the deciding factor. But, now with the introduction of the new Sumo Grande, I’d like to know what Mahindra thinks about it all. They can’t just brush it off with a care a damn attitude because this new one from Tata is not interested in competing with Bolero’s anymore. It’s going for the big one, the Scorpio!

The Grande has got individual roof mounted louvers for 2^nd and 3^rd row seats and a very comfortable 3^rd row seating. The Grande is surely no longer in the Bolero League and is a class apart from the old Victa [Thank God for that!].

Interestingly, Tata claims that the Grande’s third row seating is a best in its class and the same goes for its turning radius – 5.25m. Also mileage is stated as 16kph.

What’s the latest on the Grande website? When is it going to be featured? Accordingly we’ll know the launch dates. I want to test this 16kph, 5.25m turning radius promise!

I’m interesting in a car, but I don’t think I’m looking for a Grande, though I am very intrigued. OK, so it looks nice, but how nice? Not beautiful. Realistically it’s much easier on the eyes thanks to its resemblance to the Scorpio. It’s comfortable and that’s important.

Hello, I’m back!

It’s been a mad two days for me, but I’d like to believe it was all worth it. Business meetings went off alright, but more importantly, I got entry to the Auto Expo!

There were some great concepts, some not so great concepts and some very cool bikes.

What’s the word on the Skoda Fabia?

It looked really good. I wanted to take a few interior shots, but unfortunately I didn’t look like a photojournalist to get any importance from the manufacturers.

But Skoda looked a bit mellow on the first day. I think they never build any hype around the car and let the cars speak for themselves. In that case, the cars speak eloquently.

Next on my list was Volvo. I was obviously drawn to the SUV’s all over the place. And the new Volvo XC 90 was quite tempting.

The XC 90 comes with two engines – a V8 petrol and a diesel. It’s not that sport looking [like the Cayenne] but it’s supposed to be a good performer. It doesn’t claim to be a thoroughbred off-roader, but rather a soft roader and a comfortable family SUV. And it’s comparatively cheaper.

Rs 47 lakh – diesel

Rs 54.5 lakh – V8 petrol

Volvo’s also come out with a new S80 Executive which looks quite sweet. It’s got a lovely sleek look. In Fact, I happened to see an old Volvo S60 in Delhi [some consulate car] and it still maintained an appealing style.

My favourite was the red convertible C70. They should definitely launch this one in India. Not that I’d be able to afford it, but it would be nice to look at instead of that ghastly San Storm!

The Audi stall wasn’t that great, honestly. Except for the launch of the new A4. Personally, I’m not that fond of Audi. I don’t like that big grille and honestly, the design isn’t that great. My sincere apologies to those die-hard Audi people, but between a Q7 and a Range Rover, I’d take the Range Rover. Is that bad? Don’t hit me!

Actually, so far the only one that I’d be able to afford is the Sumo Grande. So don’t fret, no Range Rover or Q7 for me for the next three generations of Kumars.

But, no sweat! There’s always the One Lakh car for every Kumar!

I saw the new Chevrolet Captiva. Nice headlamps, an altogether good macho look. It looks somewhat like the CR-V from the side. I’d actually like a test drive of this machine. It would be a good option from the Tuscon – Endeavour list. What do you think?

Also, I took a look at the Sonalika. It’s quite neat. Profile is nice, but the front is quite silly. It looks like some cartoon network character.

But the Sumo Grande is still on top of my practical ‘I can do it!’ list. What are my options? Not many I believe.

Next up… my news on the Mitsubishi Montero, The Hyundai Santa Fe and a personal favourite – the Mitsubishi Evo!