FORD FIESTA

Price:- 8.47 lakh( On road Mumbai)Test economy:- 9.2 kpl ( Overall)Maintenance costs:- NoneFaults:- NonePrevious report:- September 2009

The Ford Fiesta S is the closest thing there is to a front-wheel-drive BMW. Whoa! That took a bit. Now some of you must be scratching your day-old stubble, wondering what on earth is going on.
The resemblance is uncanny. Let’s start with the ride quality. On its stiffer, lower springs, harder dampers and lower-profile tyres, the S has the same skippy, sometimes thrashy, often unsettled low speed ride of a BMW 325i. Just not to the same extent. Larger, deeper bumps produce the same loud crash from the suspension and there is often some rocking over poor patches. Close your eyes (only if you’re in the passenger seat, of course) and you’d actually think this car was Bavarian! And once the speedo arcs its way over 80 or 90, the unsettled demeanour disappears in much the same manner.
Then there’s the motor. Smooth and very tractable it may be, but just like any good BMW petrol, there’s no sudden step-up in the powerband. It all builds up in a linear and progressive manner — the motor gains in enthusiasm the harder you wind it. It seems like it’s saving its breath for the top end, because once you get to 4000rpm, it positively aches to rev harder. And it sings all the way to 7000rpm. No huff, no puff, no stress, no strain.
The steering is similar too. A bit weightier than normal at low speeds, it drenches you in feel as you turn harder and harder into a corner. Especially chatty once the tyres are fighting for grip, the exceptional body control delivered by the shorter, harder springs of this car make it amazing to drive on the limit. The best part: the S responds to the steering, throttle and brakes even when you are generating considerable slip from the tyres. But to experience the best this car has to offer, you must take it to some good driving roads. Just like you would any self-respecting Bavarian.
We started our long-term test of the Fiesta S with a hammed-up picture of Autocar staffers lining up for the car. Of course, we were exaggerating at the time. But now this is true. The car is in big demand on weekends, with its snub nose often pointed in the direction of a hill station.
It doesn’t do too poorly in the city either. The flexible motor is a joy to use in the traffic, the audio system with its punchy amp is simply fabulous and I find this car just the right size for crowded city streets. The Fiesta is also very sensitive to tyre pressure. Set the cold tyres to exactly 30psi (recommended for low loads and speeds), and ride quality improves considerably. But go up by just a pound, and ride quality gets noticeably harder.
The car is sensitive to driving styles as well. Allow the Fiesta S motor to lug from a very low engine speed and the Ford consumes fuel at a fair lick. But drive it with a little more gusto, keep the momentum going and this motor will give you good fuel economy and performance. Even with regular bursts of hard acceleration thrown in, the Fiesta S gave us 9.2kpl. Take a bit of care and this will easily jump into double digits.

VOLKSWAGEN JETTA

First Report:- Price when New:- Rs 17.98 lakh (on-road, Mumbai )Options:- NoneTest economy:- 12.4kpl (overall)Maintenance costs:- NoneDISTANCE COVERED:- 3,060kmPrevious reports:- None

The first scratch on your car is always the most painful, but you fast learn to shrug your shoulders with subsequent dings and nicks you inevitably pick up when driving on roads where anarchy rules. It is this philosophical view I took when our long term Jetta, fresh from the factory, had its badges stolen a few days after we got it.

This form of vandalism is spreading fast and has become an utter menace, but what can you do? To park it in a safe place is the obvious answer, but that’s not always easy in a place like Mumbai, which is why car badges are easy fodder for thieves. One option was to leave the Jetta badge-less, but that gaping hole in the centre looked just awful. So within a few days of the Jetta arriving in our car park, it was packed off to the workshop to get its identity back. Rs 3,930 for a pair of badges explains why their theft has become such a racket and sadly, there’s nothing that can be done about it. If only I could find a way to pass a 1,000 volt current through that VW logo.

We had just about taken the plastic seat covers off, when the Jetta, with only 1,000km on the clock, was whisked off to Mahabaleshwar for its first proper outing. It’s done a fair amount of highway duty ever since we got it and it’s not hard to understand why. These cars have been designed and developed in a land where speed-limitless highways still exist. This is one reason why most German cars feel so secure and relaxed at their V-max. So out on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Jetta felt like it was dawdling.

The Jetta is so incredibly calm and composed, giving the driver and passengers a sense of confidence no Civic or Corolla could ever match. The eight airbags and vault-like build play to your instincts of self-preservation, especially when you have to share the road with 40-tonne trucks piloted by drivers who can’t see beyond their windscreens. Throw in the economy and the long legs of a diesel and it seems quite the perfect highway car. Some hard driving on the Expressway and up the short Wai ghat to the 1,300m above sea level hill-station saw the Jetta return 12.3kpl. That’s an impressive figure given the spirited driving and the constant use of the steering-mounted paddle-shifts. Plus-minusing through the six-speed DSG ’box puts you in the right gear to place you better for a quick overtaking manoeuvre, especially up the ghats where you need to constantly stick to second and third gears.

There’s a reasonable amount of grunt, especially from low revs and this makes the Jetta feel quicker than it actually is. There’s always a surplus of power even with a full load, which adds to the Jetta’s long-distance prowess. The gruff engine note gives the Jetta a bit of a coarse edge, but a bigger disappointment in the area of refinement is the excessive tyre noise.

I suspect it’s because of those deep grooves in the tread, which drum up quite a din on our uneven and poorly surfaced roads. The suspension too isn’t particularly quiet and there’s a hard edge that is quite obvious over sharp edges. With 3,060km under its wheels, the Jetta has just about been broken in. Expectedly, there’s not a squeak or rattle out of it and it still looks showroom-fresh. And that’s way we hope to keep it.

MARUTHI RITZ

Price now:- Rs 7.29 lakh (on-road, Mumbai) Test economy:- 11.3kpl (overall) Maintenance costs:- None Distance covered:- 11,598km Previous report:- January 2009

It’s a surefire recipe for complaints. Take one speed-loving horsepower junkie, administer heavy hatchback with a meek motor, and then take cover. Part of the reason why I paid no attention to the Fabia when it joined our long-term fleet. Only 69bhp, not my type.

Then I was saddled with it for a week. At first I tried to squeeze maximum performance from the motor, using the entire powerband and every last engine rev. This didn’t get me very far. So I relaxed the effort a tad, started to shift up early and generally started enjoying everything else the car had to offer. First up was the realisation that not thrashing the motor actually keeps you in the sweet spot, where the torque and power come together nicely.
No strain, no stress.

Then I began to appreciate that feeling of indestructibility that comes with all Skodas — the lovely thunk of the doors, the substantial feel of the seats, the manner in which the Skoda muscles over a broken road with just the right amount of compliance, and that WWF wrestler build that makes most other rivals feel like they are nothing more than stapled tin foil. The more time you spend with the car, the more you appreciate its finer points; especially true when you jump into more expensive cars that feel nowhere near as special.From important stuff like large-sized anatomically correct seats to little details like the chromed seatbelt guide that lets the belt glide forward effortlessly, the little dots of rubber behind the inside door handle, or the feather-touch release of the hatch — this car abounds with them.

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to long highway drives but was pleasantly surprised here as well. The strong midrange allows you to build pace effortlessly and the Fabia maintains 120kph with ease. But the best bit is the manner in which the Skoda holds the road. Grip from the Apollo tyres is strong, body control of the car is first rate and the Skoda easily hangs on to the perfect line around a corner.

Over the months we’ve experienced a few niggles with the car. A rattle from under the dash was traced to a loose blower nut and the ABS seems to cut in early at walking speeds. But apart from this, the Fabia has been an absolute indulgence. So much so that I’m driving it more than I planned to initially. Even the fuel economy has improved as the three-cylinder engine has opened out a bit, the car now giving 11.3kpl overall. Still, can’t help wondering how nice this car would be with a 1.2 TSI motor.

SKODA FABRIA

Price now:- Rs 7.29 lakh (on-road, Mumbai) Test economy:- 11.3kpl (overall) Maintenance costs:- None Distance covered:- 11,598km Previous report:- January 2009

It’s a surefire recipe for complaints. Take one speed-loving horsepower junkie, administer heavy hatchback with a meek motor, and then take cover. Part of the reason why I paid no attention to the Fabia when it joined our long-term fleet. Only 69bhp, not my type.

Then I was saddled with it for a week. At first I tried to squeeze maximum performance from the motor, using the entire powerband and every last engine rev. This didn’t get me very far. So I relaxed the effort a tad, started to shift up early and generally started enjoying everything else the car had to offer. First up was the realisation that not thrashing the motor actually keeps you in the sweet spot, where the torque and power come together nicely.
No strain, no stress.

Then I began to appreciate that feeling of indestructibility that comes with all Skodas — the lovely thunk of the doors, the substantial feel of the seats, the manner in which the Skoda muscles over a broken road with just the right amount of compliance, and that WWF wrestler build that makes most other rivals feel like they are nothing more than stapled tin foil. The more time you spend with the car, the more you appreciate its finer points; especially true when you jump into more expensive cars that feel nowhere near as special.From important stuff like large-sized anatomically correct seats to little details like the chromed seatbelt guide that lets the belt glide forward effortlessly, the little dots of rubber behind the inside door handle, or the feather-touch release of the hatch — this car abounds with them.

I wasn’t particularly looking forward to long highway drives but was pleasantly surprised here as well. The strong midrange allows you to build pace effortlessly and the Fabia maintains 120kph with ease. But the best bit is the manner in which the Skoda holds the road. Grip from the Apollo tyres is strong, body control of the car is first rate and the Skoda easily hangs on to the perfect line around a corner.

Over the months we’ve experienced a few niggles with the car. A rattle from under the dash was traced to a loose blower nut and the ABS seems to cut in early at walking speeds. But apart from this, the Fabia has been an absolute indulgence. So much so that I’m driving it more than I planned to initially. Even the fuel economy has improved as the three-cylinder engine has opened out a bit, the car now giving 11.3kpl overall. Still, can’t help wondering how nice this car would be with a 1.2 TSI motor.

MERECEDES R CLASS

DESIGINING

This face-lifted R-class is a more cohesive looking design that benefits from new headlamps, grille, bonnet and bumper – all reflecting the latest Mercedes-Benz lineage. But no matter how sophisticated the looks are, you still can’t get away from the fact that this does look like a shapely, low-slung van. This is true especially when you look at the rear three-quarters – the sheer length between the axles and the uninspired rear styling do nothing to hide the fact that this is essentially a people-mover.

It is based on the same platform as the Mercedes ML and GL 4x4s, which means the R-class is a monocoque and comes with 4MATIC, Merc-speak for a full-time, four-wheel-drive system. Suspension is by way of double wishbones up front and a multi-link setup at the rear and Merc’s AIRMATIC adaptive dampers. The car can be raised on its suspension to clear obstacles which is very useful when tackling speedbreakers. Enclosing all this is the massive body. At 5.1 metres, it is longer than the GL and quite a bit broader than an S-class. This substantial length and width adds a lot of weight and the
R-class weighs a pavement-crumbling 2230 kilos.

Surprisingly, the R-class doesn’t have the rigidity we expect from a Merc. Sure, the doors shut with a solid ‘thunk’ but over bad bits of road, the whole cabin shudders in a very un-German way.

INTERIOR

This face-lifted R-class is a more cohesive looking design that benefits from new headlamps, grille, bonnet and bumper – all reflecting the latest Mercedes-Benz lineage. But no matter how sophisticated the looks are, you still can’t get away from the fact that this does look like a shapely, low-slung van. This is true especially when you look at the rear three-quarters – the sheer length between the axles and the uninspired rear styling do nothing to hide the fact that this is essentially a people-mover.

It is based on the same platform as the Mercedes ML and GL 4x4s, which means the R-class is a monocoque and comes with 4MATIC, Merc-speak for a full-time, four-wheel-drive system. Suspension is by way of double wishbones up front and a multi-link setup at the rear and Merc’s AIRMATIC adaptive dampers. The car can be raised on its suspension to clear obstacles which is very useful when tackling speedbreakers. Enclosing all this is the massive body. At 5.1 metres, it is longer than the GL and quite a bit broader than an S-class. This substantial length and width adds a lot of weight and the
R-class weighs a pavement-crumbling 2230 kilos.

Surprisingly, the R-class doesn’t have the rigidity we expect from a Merc. Sure, the doors shut with a solid ‘thunk’ but over bad bits of road, the whole cabin shudders in a very un-German way.

DATA

Specification

ENGINE Fuel Petrol Type 6 cyls in vee, 3498cc Installation Front, longitudinal Bore/stroke 92.9/86mm Compression ratio 10.7:1 Valve gear 4 valves per cyl,DOHC Power 272bhp at 6000rpm Torque 35.6kgm at 2400-5000rpm Power to weight 121.9bhp per tonne R-class Length 5157mm Height 1677mm Wheel base 3215mm Width 1922mm TRANSMISSION Type All-wheel drive Gearbox 7-speed auto CHASSIS&BODY Weight 2230kg Tyres 255/55 R18 SUSPENSION Front Independent,double wishbone,air springs Rear Independent,multi-link,air-springs STEERING Type Rack and pinion Type of power assist Hydraulic BRAKES Front Ventilated discs Rear Ventilated discs WHAT IS COSTS Ex-showroom - Delhi 60.5lakh Warranty 36months/unlimited km

RANGE AT A GLANCE Petrol 3.5 Rs 60.5lakh Performance ACCELERATION KPH TIME (sec) 0-10 0.52 0-20 1.14 0-30 1.92 0-40 2.67 0-50 3.51 0-60 4.52 0-70 5.59 0-80 6.76 0-90 8.36 0-100 9.96 0-110 11.74 0-120 13.64 0-130 16.12 0-140 18.84 0-150 21.88 0-160 25.22 0-170 28.88 0-180 34.80 ACCELERATION IN GEAR 20-80 in 3rd gear 5.75s 40-100 in 4th gear 7.72s BRAKING 80-0 kph 23.32m ECONOMY TEST City 5.4kpl Highway 8.7kpl Tank size 80litres

BMW X5

You will need a magnifying glass to spot the differences on this new X5. That’s because the only noticeable changes are the white ‘corona rings’ and the front bumper, which gets BMW ‘M’ car-like air intakes (actually only one side is an actual intake for the intercooler). You can discount the wheels and lower-profile tyres because there is a range to choose from, and you’ll need to switch the tail-lights on to see the additional detailing in them. Oh, and the headlights get new white LEDs. So, for all practical purposes, the new BMW X5 looks very much like the old X5 and there is some sense in that. For an SUV that still looks modern, there’s no sense in going for an expensive mid-life makeover, is there?

Step inside and the changes are as subtle. There’s a chunkier steering wheel but, strangely, the iDrive screen is smaller than the one in the pre-facelift version. Build quality is top-notch as always and the seats are really comfy; also, the clarity of the switch layout is nice. The only real criticism we could level at the cabin was we found the headlight switch to be tiny and very fiddly.

The big news is this X5 gets a stonker of an engine. The 408bhp, 4.4-litre, twin-turbo petrol V8 that’s in the X6 is here with the X5 xDrive50i. We’re waiting to test it.

For now, we have to make do with the more practical and completely impressive 3.0-litre diesel in-line six. It makes 10bhp more and 2kgm of torque over the old 3.0d and, by the sound of it, is a tad more refined than before. The engine’s prodigious 55kgm of torque arrives early in the rev range to make light work of the xDrive30d’s considerable 2150kg kerb weight, endowing it with excellent step-off, solid in-gear shove and a good turn of speed.

The 245bhp makes its way from the engine through a new eight-speed auto to all four wheels, and operates in a more decisive and intuitive nature than the old six-speed unit. This is noticeable especially on downshifts. Where the old ’box demanded you lift off the throttle and keep tugging the gearlever, this new ’box goes down cogs more readily when you ask for it. Those extra couple of cogs also maximise the 3.0d’s cruising potential.

We’ve always found the X5’s ride to be the best among its competition and this one, if anything, rides even better. There’s a nice absorbent way it takes our roads in its stride and crashes only through the sharper potholes. We did get a bit of bobbing over expansion joints but, otherwise, there was no reason to complain. And, you don’t have to worry – unlike a few recent BMWs, this still handles like you expect it to. It steers accurately, responds well and its body movements are tightly controlled. It really is as much of a hoot as you can expect a two-tonne vehicle to be.

At its most basic spec, BMW will charge you Rs 53 lakh for it, which is Rs 3 lakh less than the pre-facelift car. But basic in German terms means you get dual-zone climate control, a six-CD changer, cruise control, 12 speakers, powered seats, leather seats, a gazillion airbags, ESP, ABS, Hill Descent Control and the iDrive system. Whew!

Then there’s the long options list (some of which should be standard) which, if you tick all the options, can add a BMW 3 Series to the price. Nonetheless, what BMW has done is taken what we’ve always loved about the X5 and improved it subtly. What could be better?

• Eight-speed auto
• Handling
• Performance

• Looks the same as old car
• Expensive options

Price Range (in lakhs)*
Ex-showroom Price	53 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)
ENGINE
Fuel	Diesel
Installation	Front, Longtitudinal, all-wheel-drive
Power	245bhp at 4000rpm
Torque	55kgm at 1750-3000rpm
Transmission
Gearbox	8-speed auto
Chassis & Body
Length	4857mm
Width	1933mm
Height	1776mm
Wheel Base	2933mm
Boot Volume	620-1750 litres
Weight	2150kg
Tyres	25/50R19
Spare	None