DriveBlog

Forgot the Viva?

From rediff.com today:

"As it now stands, the diesel Fiesta is a decent option over the current C-segment king - the Honda City."

I wonder where (and if) the much-underrated Accent Viva CRDi fits into this whole equation.

Ain't that the truth!

Battle of the Tall Boys II

They fought it out then; they fight it out again. The Santro won then; the WagonR loses again.

The Driving Dutchman

Dig into this hilarious article that's evidently been written by an expatriate from Baan, Netherlands who spent two years in Hyderabad.

Driving in India for the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India

Having dared to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.

Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best, and leave the results to your insurance company.

The hints are as follows: Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is 'both'.

Also see:
How the world drives
Why driving in Massachusetts and India is so much alike

Ford Fiesta rolls on

Things really do seem to be happening fast for the much-vaunted Ford Fiesta since its national launch only a couple of days ago. Observe, if you will, this sequence of developments that have since unfolded:

• Ford launches the Fiesta amidst much excitement and anticipation. The sedan has been in the news for being their 'global car' launch for developing markets, and India is admittedly one that is very high on their priority. The Fiesta is being seen as pitted against such deserving rivals on Indian roads as the Honda City, the Hyundai Accent, the Maruti Baleno and Esteem and the Chevrolet Optra. From what I've seen of the car so far, it seems like it's more than just your regular sedan and I tend to agree that it would be unfair to pit it against the more entry-level sedan options like the Ikon and the Esteem. The ones that should be worrying are the likes of the Honda City.  Moving on, retail sales are expected to kick in by mid-December with expectations of about 2000 units of the car going off the shelves every month. With sales of the Ikon dipping over the past few months and the Fusion failing to set the market afire, the Fiesta probably couldn't have come at a better time for Ford.
• They then proceed to knock almost everyone off their feet with the price announcements - the base (1.4 litre) petrol version can be yours for a little over 5 and half lakh rupees. That's not much higher than the base version of the Ford warhorse, the Ikon and definitely cheaper than their recently-launched super-hatch, the Fusion. A case of cannibalism? No, say Ford.
• They get current Bollywood wunderkind Abhishek Bachchan to 'Go Fida' over the Fiesta.
• And now, the announcement that the sticker tag on the Fiesta will go up by about Rs. 25000 more in the months to come as the prices being touted right now are only introductory prices.

Well, Ford's never been one to take new launches lightly, so methinks there's going to be plenty to hear from them in the days to come.

Now you know: In the market for a new car and with a budget of between Rs. 5 and 6 lakhs, you'd currently have about 30 options to choose from.

Tum dono judwa ho kya?

Ah, I was beginning to wonder when they would work the 'versatility' angle.

Love it or loathe it? Either way, if you want to, you could say something about it.

Also see:
'Innovaamir'.

To tow or not to tow...

Since moving to Mumbai, I've had many a chance to marvel at the almost manic singularity with which towing crews swoop in on an unmanned car 'violating a parking rule' and proceed to haul it away...all in a matter of seconds. Blink and you might miss the sight of the tow-truck slowly coasting to a stop as the gents standing in the back of the truck spot an 'offending' member of the general traffic, the almost lightning-like descent of said gents from the truck, the deftness with which the tow-truck driver backs his vehicle up closer to the unsuspecting culprit and the almost-invisible action with which the towing line is hooked up. Then one of the guys from the team proceeds to scrawl something with a piece of chalk ("Gotcha!"? "Guess who?"?) on the spot where the car was parked and before you know it, he's back on the truck and they're pulling out with the 'towee' obediently following. It's a quick, silent and effective operation and an exhibition of such stealth, skill and teamwork that I've had to convince myself a couple of times that I did see a car stand in that spot just a minute earlier.

So should you be worried about rushing back to that spot where you parked your car for just a minute ago while you nipped into the ATM or stopped to pick up a smoke and finding it gone? Well, apparently there's a bit of discrimination afoot - the probability of your car getting towed is in inverse proportion to its perceived value. (Link via India Uncut)