Saturday, December 31, 2011
Compact hybrid Toyota Aqua unveiled
The 1496cc Atkinson engine uses cooled exhaust-gas recirculation and a battery-powered water pump to reduce friction and belt losses. The electric motor, control unit and transmission form one unit, mounted low down in the engine bay, while the heavy nickel-metal hydride battery is under the rear seat to help keep the centre of gravity as low as possible and still allow for a 305-litre boot.
The Aqua has a selectable battery-only mode but Toyota doesn't quote its range, or the capacity of the battery, so it's unlikely to be more than a couple of kilometres.
Using both power sources, the Aqua will hit 100km/h in 10.7 seconds from standstill and, more importantly in the real world, accelerate from 40-70km/h in 3.6 seconds.
ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, and an electronic stability programme with traction control and hill hold, are standard, as is auto aircon, with an electric compressor, so the system can run even with the car switched off.
The strikingly geometric dashboard layout has colour-coded switchgear with a liquid-crystal display providing a variety of eco-driving information, such as Eco Judge (which ranks your driving on a 100-point scale) and Eco Wallet, which shows money saved as compared with other levels of fuel efficiency.
The Aqua is also available with TRD and Modellista packages; the TRD set-up includes a new front bumper with lower apron and LED running lights, side skirts, new rear bumper with diffuser, special rims, firmer damping and a special stainless-steel exhaust system with dual tailpipes.
The Aqua has a selectable battery-only mode but Toyota doesn't quote its range, or the capacity of the battery, so it's unlikely to be more than a couple of kilometres.
Using both power sources, the Aqua will hit 100km/h in 10.7 seconds from standstill and, more importantly in the real world, accelerate from 40-70km/h in 3.6 seconds.
ABS with electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, and an electronic stability programme with traction control and hill hold, are standard, as is auto aircon, with an electric compressor, so the system can run even with the car switched off.
The strikingly geometric dashboard layout has colour-coded switchgear with a liquid-crystal display providing a variety of eco-driving information, such as Eco Judge (which ranks your driving on a 100-point scale) and Eco Wallet, which shows money saved as compared with other levels of fuel efficiency.
The Aqua is also available with TRD and Modellista packages; the TRD set-up includes a new front bumper with lower apron and LED running lights, side skirts, new rear bumper with diffuser, special rims, firmer damping and a special stainless-steel exhaust system with dual tailpipes.
Toyota has launched a new hybrid car in Japan that is aimed at the Honda Fit. The hybrid is called the Toyota Aqua in Japan and when it makes its way to the US the hybrid will be called the Prius C. The car will hit the US as a 2013 model. Toyota is claiming some really big fuel economy figures for the car at 83mpg. That is on par with some EVs that are out there.
The car is also inexpensive with a price in Japan working out to $21,793 in the US. In Japan, the car racked up 83mpg on the JC08 test cycle and 94mpg on the official 10-15 test cycle. The car has a small 1.5L 4-cylinder engine under the hood with 72hp. The car uses an electric motor rated at 45kw giving the vehicle a combined power output of 98hp.
The small car will accelerate from 0-60 in 10.7 seconds. The battery inside the car is a nickel metal hydride pack. Toyota hopes to sell 12,000 Aquas monthly at home. The car will come in three versions dubbed the L, S, and G. The high-end version will sell for $23,756. There will be a TRD sporty version of the Aqua too with a body kit, lowered suspension, larger wheels and more.
The car is also inexpensive with a price in Japan working out to $21,793 in the US. In Japan, the car racked up 83mpg on the JC08 test cycle and 94mpg on the official 10-15 test cycle. The car has a small 1.5L 4-cylinder engine under the hood with 72hp. The car uses an electric motor rated at 45kw giving the vehicle a combined power output of 98hp.
The small car will accelerate from 0-60 in 10.7 seconds. The battery inside the car is a nickel metal hydride pack. Toyota hopes to sell 12,000 Aquas monthly at home. The car will come in three versions dubbed the L, S, and G. The high-end version will sell for $23,756. There will be a TRD sporty version of the Aqua too with a body kit, lowered suspension, larger wheels and more.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
2012 Nissan GT-R Licensed To Thrill
Nissan GT-R. These 2 words can make most auto enthusiasts skip a beat, yes, the GT-R is one of the fastest road cars in the world and has proved itself on the epic Nurburgring circuit in Germany. Producing a mammoth 530 Bhp of power, the GT-R is lightning quick and at the same time can be driven by almost anyone, you need not be a race driver to drive it. Sounds like a paradox, doesn’t it? Well, thats exactly the point, the GT-R is an engineering masterpiece.
The GT-R’s design is very Japanese and has been inspired by video games. If you go back and think of all the cars you have raced in the hundreds of video games in the past, the GT-R’s design will suddenly look very familiar. The beauty of this car is that it can be driven anywhere under any condition, you don’t always have to be on the track. The speed is electronically limited for the city roads but once you get to a track, the GPS will detect this and unleash the entire 530 horses to your disposal. Notice the air intakes on the hood. Airflow to the engine has been vastly improved in the newer version.
The GT-R’s design is very Japanese and has been inspired by video games. If you go back and think of all the cars you have raced in the hundreds of video games in the past, the GT-R’s design will suddenly look very familiar. The beauty of this car is that it can be driven anywhere under any condition, you don’t always have to be on the track. The speed is electronically limited for the city roads but once you get to a track, the GPS will detect this and unleash the entire 530 horses to your disposal. Notice the air intakes on the hood. Airflow to the engine has been vastly improved in the newer version.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
GM’s New MPV Sunshine Spied
The prospect of GM bringing a low cost MPV to the Indian market under the brand name of Chevrolet was being deliberated for a long time and there seems to be recent confirmed news regarding this. BS Motoring has reportedly caught the to-be-launched MPV on test with temporary registration number plates. The front and the rear although camouflaged is not much hard to picture. GM has an alliance with the Chinese company Wulling that makes the largest selling vehicle in China, the MPV called Sunshine and it will be launched in India soon.
The new MPV will be positioned strategically by the company in the market to compete against Mahindra’s Xylo and the most popular Toyota Innova. The new MPV with is Chinese roots is definitely going to come cheap in the market and if all goes well, should definitely grab some market share and give its competitors a run for their money. GM also has a good portfolio of diesel engines with itself and will likely plonk in the 1.3-liter engine that is reliable and economical rather thanking the small capacity petrol engines with which the car is offered in the Chinese markets. Also, with the recent turn towards love for diesels by the customers such a move surely will help the company to get some good sales volumes.
The new MPV will be positioned strategically by the company in the market to compete against Mahindra’s Xylo and the most popular Toyota Innova. The new MPV with is Chinese roots is definitely going to come cheap in the market and if all goes well, should definitely grab some market share and give its competitors a run for their money. GM also has a good portfolio of diesel engines with itself and will likely plonk in the 1.3-liter engine that is reliable and economical rather thanking the small capacity petrol engines with which the car is offered in the Chinese markets. Also, with the recent turn towards love for diesels by the customers such a move surely will help the company to get some good sales volumes.
Nissan Sunny Diesel Test Drive Review
Car Tested: 2011 Nissan Sunny XV dCi
Price OTR Chennai: Rs. 9.16 Lakhs (XL), Rs. 10.07 Lakhs (XV)
It has been just 3 months since the Nissan Sunny was put into our market, but it seems to have established a clear niche for itself. With sales consistently hovering at above a 1000 units each month with just the petrol variants, Nissan has decided its time to expand the Sunny’s market share further by launching the diesel variant recently. With its ‘Pure Drive’ badge that looks and sounds surprisingly similar to Hyundai’s ‘Blue Drive’ moniker, the Sunny dCi is all set to perfectly take advantage of the diesel craze that is sweeping India right now.
So, how is the Suuny diesel to drive? Does it live up to the high standards that customers in this segment expect of late? Is it competitive enough to instill fear in the Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento that are currently ruling the segment? Read on, to find out. You would be knowing that we at MotorBeam have already posted a comprehensive review of the Sunny petrol a few months back. You can read all about it and much more in this link. This short drive covers only the aspects that are related to the diesel engine and its performance.
Price OTR Chennai: Rs. 9.16 Lakhs (XL), Rs. 10.07 Lakhs (XV)
It has been just 3 months since the Nissan Sunny was put into our market, but it seems to have established a clear niche for itself. With sales consistently hovering at above a 1000 units each month with just the petrol variants, Nissan has decided its time to expand the Sunny’s market share further by launching the diesel variant recently. With its ‘Pure Drive’ badge that looks and sounds surprisingly similar to Hyundai’s ‘Blue Drive’ moniker, the Sunny dCi is all set to perfectly take advantage of the diesel craze that is sweeping India right now.
So, how is the Suuny diesel to drive? Does it live up to the high standards that customers in this segment expect of late? Is it competitive enough to instill fear in the Hyundai Verna and Volkswagen Vento that are currently ruling the segment? Read on, to find out. You would be knowing that we at MotorBeam have already posted a comprehensive review of the Sunny petrol a few months back. You can read all about it and much more in this link. This short drive covers only the aspects that are related to the diesel engine and its performance.
Performance:
The Sunny diesel is powered by the 4-cylinder 1.5-liter K9K engine that was jointly developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance. This motor churns out a maximum power output of 86PS at 3750 rpm and a maximum torque of 200 Nm at 2000 rpm. As the figures would suggest, the torque is available right from low end of the powerband and the K9K engine revs cleanly all through the powerband. The generous low-end torque means that the Sunny diesel is effortless to drive in bumper-to-bumper city traffic with the car pulling away cleanly in the second and third gears.
In our very short drive, we were not able to do a 0-100 acceleration tests but we can tell you that the car accelerates celanly and smoothly until 120 kph after which the engine feels strained. Though the refinement is not great even at low rpms, the motor gets very loud once it goes past 3000 rpm. The power delivery is smooth and linear and the turbo-kick that you experience in cars like the Verna is not there in the Sunny. Having said that, all credits to Nissan for making the Sunny diesel a surprisingly good performer, both in city and highway driving conditions.
The Sunny diesel is powered by the 4-cylinder 1.5-liter K9K engine that was jointly developed by the Renault-Nissan Alliance. This motor churns out a maximum power output of 86PS at 3750 rpm and a maximum torque of 200 Nm at 2000 rpm. As the figures would suggest, the torque is available right from low end of the powerband and the K9K engine revs cleanly all through the powerband. The generous low-end torque means that the Sunny diesel is effortless to drive in bumper-to-bumper city traffic with the car pulling away cleanly in the second and third gears.
In our very short drive, we were not able to do a 0-100 acceleration tests but we can tell you that the car accelerates celanly and smoothly until 120 kph after which the engine feels strained. Though the refinement is not great even at low rpms, the motor gets very loud once it goes past 3000 rpm. The power delivery is smooth and linear and the turbo-kick that you experience in cars like the Verna is not there in the Sunny. Having said that, all credits to Nissan for making the Sunny diesel a surprisingly good performer, both in city and highway driving conditions.
Whats Cool:
* Space, space and more space
* Feature loaded (ABS, EBD, BA, iKey, Start/Stop Button)
* Good Low-end torque
* Linear Power Delivery
Whats Not So Cool:
* Notchy Gearshifts
* Sparse Service Network
* Engine: 1461 cc, 4 Cylinder, 8V, K9K, SOHC
* Power: 86 PS @ 3750 RPM
* Torque: 200 Nm @ 2000 RPM
* Transmission: 5-speed manual
* Fuel Consumption: 21.64 kmpl (ARAI Figures)
* Fuel Type: Diesel
* Suspension: Mcpherson Struts (Front), Torsion Beam (Rear)
* Tires: 185/65/15 (XV)
* Brakes: Discs (Front), Drums (Rear), ABS, EBD & BA