Not far but only Five Year ago You must have got a tight slap from your dad for asking a Motorcycle which costs almost same as a new entry level hatchback. But Would you mind to gift your boy a motorcycle instead of a sedan, if he wishes for. Exactly the same thought loomed over my mind when Kawasaki Ninja was announced to be launched in India. Kawasaki Ninja 250R is imported as CKD (Completely Knock down) Kit and assembled in Bajaj auto’s Chakan plant pune. This shows Kawasaki’s commitment to deliver the International quality in Ninja 250R, which has been ruling the world since 1983 by its first predecessor GPZ 250r.

I was quite impressed with Ninja 250 in my recent road test. It infuses enough confidence to lean your knee at turns and never miss to impress a chic next door. Just after driving Ninja I rode Ducati 848 evo, definitely Ducati was mind-blowing with its bigger size and powerful engine, but I was missing the comfort and easy maneuverability of Ninja. It clearly indicates that Ninja is positioned carefully in proximity of daily goers without disturbing the enthusiasm level of sportz bike lover.

Design

4 out of 5 stars

Kawasaki Ninja means Green, black is just an option. Ninja Green is fresh, beautiful and iconic and complements perfectly with its sporty Design. Rear seat and saddles are copied from bigger siblings and I guess there was no need to reinvent it, there are several other parts to reinvent to align it with 250cc engine. 130/77 Rear Tyre not only looks good but also supports functionally. Over All Ninja looks big, agile and have all the trait of a Sports bike.

Analog Instrument Cluster is old style, I would have loved to have the Digital one.

Ninja does not look like a chopped off or miniature version of Bigger Ninja unlike R15. Ninja 250R is sensibly designed ergonomically with slight leaning posture, which suits sports style and comfy for city and long rides.

Front head lamps could have been replaced with Projector lamps to improve it visually and functionally.

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars

Ninja’s 250 Twin Cylinder engine is way too refined. I have tested Ninja till 140 kmph and I loved the way it reaches at 100 within 8 seconds quickly. 140 kmph was smooth and steady even in windy weather, thanks to aerodynamic design and weight distribution. Manufacturer claims max speed upto 170kmph for your trial. Gear shift is really smooth, differentiable and shift range is optimized for quick changes.

Now question could be why Ninja is so costly & outclass compared to other 200+cc bikes in India like CBR250, Zmr and Pulsar 220. First and foremost reason is Ninja’s Parallel Twin engine with liquid cooling, all others come with single cylindrical engine and hence their Bhp and Nm numbers are significantly low. Ninja is SKD and every part of it is imported which makes it costlier but others are home made.

Handling and Braking

4.5 out of 5 stars

Most of the sports bikes are meant to run on smooth tarmac with precision and safety in every corner. Front telescopic suspension in Ninja contributes to handle the bike in every situation. Front 290mm disc brake does a good job to control the beast. I found Ninja’s brakes best in class and one of the best in sports bike segment.

Uni-Trak rear suspension is soft and have 5 adjustable steps to optimize in case you get pillion rider.

Kawasaki Ninja 250R Specifications

Summery

Kawasaki Ninja prized around 2.7 Lacs Ex-showrooms in India. Which comes down to around 3 lacs on road. In my opinion it is not a bad deal if you are looking for true sports motorcycle which is performance oriented and has a imported tag on it. And it is a multi-tasker for your daily needs.

-Ab

Last month I was on travel to Europe. Like other tourist places Venice and Rome was in my list too and I had only 6 days in my hand including one long weekend. I was looking for best possible option from Helsinki to Venice or Rome under my budget. Then I found a very good deal to fly Munich and Munich is around 500 kms from Venice via road and toll roads are really fast to cover distance quickly.

Though there were several negatives but those turned out to be plus for me

1st: A day minus from trip but in Munich chance to visit BMW tower,

2nd: No train tickets so only driving option ;P, I drove 2500 Kms in Europe on a Merc,

3rd: Good Car rent Deals in Munich.

For me It was like winning F1 race with Suzuki Alto. I had a wish to see BMW tower since a long time, and it just came free of cost. I have lot more to talk about the road trip but in next posts, this post is about BMW tower & BMW Welt (BMW World).

Four cylindrical Iconic BMW Tower is BMW headquarter and was built in 1972 just before olympics, is located just adjacent to Olympia Park. Bowl shaped BMW car museum is on the front side and BMW factory is on left side of tower from this view.

Look at the bottom of tower, these cylinders do not touch the ground, they are suspended on a central support tower. During the construction, individual floors were assembled on the ground and then elevated.

BMW Towers From a different Angle.

BMW World is just infront of BMW towers and connected by a bridge to walk.

BMW welt is also famous for its iconic architecture and it is combination of BMW showroom, Media Center, BMW Modern museum and Technological showcase.

Shining New BMW x1 in its birth place. BMW Welt (BMW World) board behind.

BMW bikes showcased at the entrance of BMW World. BMW expertise in building the best Tourer Motorcycles to run perfectly in extreme conditions and these are ready to get dirt.

BMW World from inside. In reality BMW welt is half showroom and half media center. BMW models can be booked and picked from here, but I found BMW World more of showcase of Technological achievements and delight for Automobile lovers.

BMW Z4, Powerful convertible coupe. This low slung beauty can drag you to hell.

Couple of other BMW models on stage.

Old cutie BMW classic on display. One of most peculiar car Model. The entrance door is from front side near the steering.

BMW classic from inside.

Steel ball installation to form the car’s shape by suspended balls. The big spheres on the desk to give a feel of material and texture, the BMWs are built of.

BMW’s green initiative to develop a Hydrogen Engine.

Dissected moving Diesel engine to illustrate the Mechanism.

BMW active Hybrid for the maximum fuel efficiency to achieve.

Night vision technology to spot the people walking on the darker side of road.

Souvenir again cars and futuristic cars.

Can you guess the celebrity posing on the BMW HP2 sports? Special prize for the right guess

Stay tuned for my Venice-Rome road trip adventure.

- Ab

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Right timing, Right Offering and Right price point is making Hyundai a successful in Indian Market, specially in Hatchback segment and i20 fits perfectly into the scenario. When i20 was launched it was highly desirable, market was looking for new face after swift and Getz. i20 extends the luxury and makes it perfect offering for a dire need and fills most of gaps left by its biggest competitor swift. Currently when market is full of similar other choices like VW POLO, Fiat Punto, Ritz and Micra still, i20 is giving a tough competition for their survival. i20 is well balanced car for a balanced family in every aspect.

i20 Style & Exterior

3.5 out of 5 stars

When i20 was launched in India it was almost the only one in the competition with its Style, size, length and width. i20 looks balance from all the sides. Big head lamps with cheeky design gives it peppier look and at the same time Size of the car is a significantly contribute to soberness and match with its class. Rear lamps compliment the head lamps and exterior design. Balanced Design is the key factor which makes it appealing and soothing to the eyes, and that is factor again which does not make head turner. If you compare it with swift, Polo and Punto, they all shows a distinct character imbibe in it, but yeah .. that is somehow less visible in i20.

i20 Interior Design

4 out of 5 stars

This is my favorite part, I just love i20 interiors. Here I would say Hyundai has done an outstanding good job, They followed the principal “Design follows the function”. Avoiding unnecessary design element, makes it simpler, contemporary. In my opinion i20 offers the best interior in the segment. Long and broad dashboard with dual tone looks awesome. Not only looks but plastic quality is good and touchy. Right amount of chrome and silver in instrument panel gives a rich look.

Ample amount of cup holders and racks makes it more useful.

i20 Driving Comfort

4 out of 5 stars

Ergonomically i20 offers an excellent riding posture for driver. Space is lavishly used inside the car. Long wheel base with low height offers less body role hence improved comfort and stability. As I said, i2o is balanced in every term.

Instrument cluster is arranged in a suitable way to fall on hand whenever desired. Gear shift is really really smooth and just need a touch to shift it. Steering is light and easy to maneuver, very helpful in busy hours, but it does not change in highway at higher speed ooofff .. its a family car you are not supposed to test limit ok

i20 Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars

i20 uses the same Kappa engine as in i10. That gives an impression that i20 is sluggish and in specially in AC, but in reality actually it’s not. Here gear ratio plays a key role, which is tuned for the size of i2o to offer satisfactory torque and acceleration. Yes that is definitely a compromise to max speed but As a family person I will prefer to drive sober than a in racing spree. I think Hyundai took a call here to make i20 an affordable family hatch, by keeping the engine within 1.2 liter bracket, otherwise prices could have gone significantly higher, due to higher tax slab on bigger engine.

If you are looking for a Diesel variation of i20, in my opinion i20 is a very good choice. 1.4 ltr engine is just superb in every angle. Compared to other diesel hatch, i20 diesel is very silent, though I will say it will take a while for you to figure out that its a Diesel engine under the hood not petrol. On contrast Torque (220Nm@1750rpm) and fuel efficiency (14 on average) figures are significantly good to become a fan of it.

Another good thing for lazy buggers , i2o comes with Automatic option too. I did not get a chance to drive it, 1.4 liter gamma engine will be definitely a good experience to drive. It is really costly (around 7.60 Lacks ex-showroom) as expected the reason are: first- it comes with more engine capacity, Second: Costly Automatic Gear box and Third: Only top end model option. There is significant drop in fuel efficiency of automatic cars compared to manual ones, you can expect 2-3 km per liter difference compared to manual i20.

See i20 Specifications and Variation Below in Post

i20 Back seat comfort

3.5 out of 5 stars

i20 offers ample rear seat space, the width of car is good enough to accommodate three passenger on it. Somehow traveling on long distances swift seems to be more comfortable than i20.

i20 Boot Space

4 out of 5 stars

Look at the pictures it is really perfect for picnic lovers. just dump all your stuff and get ready.

Car to carry lots of luggage for long drives.

i20 Variation and Prices

Find the comparative feature in models here in Hyundai site

Prices may vary according to location. Road Tax and Additional Accessories extra.

i20 Specifications

i20 Colors

Available in Seven Colors: Sparkle Blue, Silky Beige, Black Diamond, Crystal White, Sleek Silver, Berry Red and Dark Grey.

Verdict

Hyundai has reaped the opportunity of being first properly, at this moment there are several competitor who are offering equally good options on road. Here i20 differentiate as a affordable family car with Awesome beautiful and spacious interiors, Excellent Boot space, Good price point and Extensive and reliable Service Network. Over all it just don’t leave anything for you to not like it.

- Ab

Few days back I was talking to my friend about the current trend of cars and then slowly topic shifted to Future cars, Green technology and all those stuff. It reminded me about Honda FCX Clarity. I read about it around 2-3 years back when it was commercially launched and still very few of us know that Honda holds the pride of being first to hand over the keys of Hydrogen fuel cell cars to the customers, and after two years of launching still the only one.

Just a background on Hydrogen fuel cell, it uses hydrogen as fuel and byproduct is just water. Though it looks unrealistic for a car running on fuel and emitting just water vapor instead of Black fumes. Things started taking shape long back and in 1999 Honda made the first proto of FCX. In 2008 FCX clarity the most advanced version of FCX is handed over to first few customers.

The Key here is that consumer can take this on lease, where they need to pay 600 $ per month as a lease amount and run it happily on the road. I guess at this moment this technology is too expensive to sell. As of now FCX Clarity is available for only few selected countries including few states in US and Japan.

Fuel cells seem to be a strong contender for next generation of Auto Fuel. The race is in between the Fuel cell and Electric vehicle and might be they both coexist in future. Decade ago almost every hotshot automaker was exploring the possibilities of Fuel cell. But due to several factors many of them had to close down the research on it and moved to Electric option. Now the success of FCX clarity is again drawing the attention. On ground of reality, Battery operated vehicle are cost effective and reliable in comparison with Fuel cell. But Fuel cell is more efficient and better performer at various lavel. Honda FCX Clarity can Travel upto 240 Kms at a single fueling. “V flow fuel cell stack” generate 189 nm or torque and 143 Bhp of power, which is almost comparable with their Gasoline counterpart. Refueling is also easier like gasoline. Honda is working on the concept of Home Energy station to refuel the car at home. Overall Hydrogen fuel cell cars still have long miles to travel to prove it.

- Ab

First thing which many of us do is to create a list of the features you want to have in your car. Then you start comparing it from here and there in car showrooms. If you have already prepared a long list of car features then, you should start with Chevy Cruse and for sure after doing all your market research you will end up on your first choice. Most shouted features of the cars are Keyless Entry, Push start button, Cruise Control and High performance Deisel Rocket. Definitely these things apart from Style, Design and standard Luxury features makes Chevy Cruze to stand apart and desirable in the segment.

Style & Exterior

3.5 out of 5 stars

On road Cruze shows strong presence and this angry young man dominates over the others. Chevrolet metal logo in between the black honey comb Grill with chrome piping looks stunning. From the front side car looks very sharp and edgy. Though projector headlamp could have been better or at least provided as an option, given a justification for such a capable car too.

Bonut is really long and looks great and if you look from the side it almost looks like a coupe. Exterior material quality matches with the class.

From the rear its does not create a difference. Tail lamps just look fine and reminds me of Honda civic tail lamps and I think Honda did a better job.

Interior Design

3.5 out of 5 stars

Cruze offers a number of features in the segment, you just need to start counting those. Not only the number but the way those are weaved around the Cruze cabin is worth an appreciation. Twin cockpit design provide separate cabin and ample personal space to the driver, where there is very less potential to make a mistake. Instruments are scattered well to meet comfort. As you sink in driver seat you will be delighted with everything. Dashboard looks great with chrome and silverish touch, but yes the plastic quality is not so touchy.

Hand Gloves

There are enough no of cup holders and box below hand rest is connected with Auxiliary input to the music player, though there is no option for i-pod or bluetooth connection.

Dual tone on the doors with chrome finish looks classy.

Driving Comfort

4 out of 5 stars

Driving Cruze is a complete delight, as I said things are well placed to meet ergonomics and falls into your hand whenever you need them. The distance between hand-rest and gearshift is perfect. A mix of Coupe shape design, wide wheel base and stiff shock absorbers offers good stability and low body roll even at high speed.

Look at the image below, passenger seats leg room is not as good as expected from this segment. It seems that Cruze is made for sheer driving experience, which is of-course awesome in terms of everything. but passenger seat is neglected till some extent, with less leg room. This surprises with the fact that this segment is mostly for the people who opt it to be Chauffeur driven and yes it is Chauffeur who would enjoy it more.

Performance

4 out of 5 stars

2 liter VCDi is just great in terms of performance, it delivers 150 PS @4000 and 327 Nm@2600. There is slight turbo lag at low rpm, but as the tachometer needle crosses 2000 rpm, engine starts unleashing the torque and you won’t miss a skip of heartbeat.

Boot Space

3.5 out of 5 stars

Boot lid is small from outside to shape it like coupe, but there is no compromise with Boot-space, which offers 280 liters.

Variation and Prices

Prices may vary according to location. Road Tax and Additional Accessories extra.

Cruze LTZ offers Leather seat and Sun-roof, 6CD changer with Steering Mounted control, Rain senstive wipers, Rear Parking Sensor, Climatic Control AC, Air quality system and Cruise control over the standard features like Power Steering, Power windows, Smart screen, Integrated Audio, tilt steering in Cruze LT.

Features

Power Steering, Power windows, Smart screen, Integrated Audio, tilt steering are standard in Cruze  and LTZ has.

Vital Specs

Colors

Cruze is available in seven Colors: Diamond White, Velvet Red, Light Gold, Misty Lake, Caviar Black, Olympic white and Atlantis Blue.

Verdict

If you are looking for high performance diesel car, loaded with features which you can showoff, then Cruze is a suitable choice for the price. But if you are looking it to be chauffeur driven then better look for other diesel option like Jetta, Skoda or in petrol Civic.

- Ab

Disclaimer: This article is only in appreciation, admiration and praise of Mercedes AMG SLS. This may cause you drooling, jealous or high degree of desire to posses it.

It may sound like I am boasting a lot about the Mercedes AMG SLS. Why not? its worth it !!!

After spending around 4 hours exploring this car anybody will not leave a chance. If you own a Mercedes it puts you in a class apart, but SLS with iconic Gullwing Doors Design is an statement and if you own then it may cause smoldering so many heart in around of 10 km radius of your house.

This coupe is inspired by it’s own predecessors Mercedes-Benz SL300 (1952-63) and possess its classic traits complemented by modern design elements. From technology perspective it has got a complete makeover and prove it to be an epitome of sheer engineering and awesome craftsmanship.

Style & Exterior

5 out of 5 stars

I wish I could have an option to give 10 out of 5 rating, that is what SLS deserve to be.

According to AMG, its first time in this segment that entire space frame including skin is made out of aluminum. Which not only reduces the car weight but also provides safety and excellent driving dynamics. Not only the selection of metal but aluminum has been used very cleverly, for example “cast aluminum component” has been used to provide maximum strength to crucial joints and at certain low pressure points it is optimized to save weight.

I know this is something which you can admire only when you drive it, what matters is what you see, my words might not give a full judgement for this orgasmic beauty hence see it yourself in photographs below, your expressions are admiration.

Interior Design

5 out of 5 stars

Stepping in might give you an illusion of aircraft cabin, and yes Interiors are inspired by cockpit design and presented in more simplistic manner.

Almost entire interior is laminated with very fine quality leather and stitched from corner to corner. Interior is available in leather color options with metal or carbon fiber instrument panel. Overall interior is over inviting, all you need to do is get inside the car and press minimum number of buttons to get ready for race, rest is up-to you how you can control the slave.

Driving

5 out of 5 stars

Simply there are four speed selection modes you can choose from rotatory mode selector: C (controlled efficiency), S (sports), S+ (sports plus), and M (Manual) to control DCT 7-speed transmission. Pedal shift behind the steering gives efficient way to shift speed manually.

AMG SLS is equipped with 6.3 liter petrol V8 engine, which delivers oozing 571 hp@6800rpm and max torqe 650 nm @4750. From 0 to 100 in 3.8 seconds and if you keep pressing the accelerator hard you can reach top-notch speed of 317 km/h.

Unleashing a monster is not a good idea unless you cant tie it back. SLS comes with composite breaks and they had already proven their efficiency on race track.

Vital Specs

Verdict

On the ground of reality SLS can be afforded only by the people who are either born with Diamond spoon or who have the money tree grounded on their Garden. But wishing something unreachable is not a crime and nobody knows if god is listening to your wishes .

- Ab

Skoda, The Flying Arrow had a overwhelming response from Indian Car Market, that’s led them to set-up a manufacturing wing in Nagpur. Fabia is the only hatchback from Skoda so far, but it has inherited the good characteristics of its successful predecessors. Skoda understood the dire need of affordable hatchbacks in Indian market but they did not compromise with the safety, comfort and styling.

Style & Exterior

4 out of 5 stars

No Doubt the look of this Czech beauty is appealing and any body can fall in love. At first glance Fabia seems to have some common design elements of Suzuki Swift, but look closely you will find it completely different. Bonut embossed with sturdy line in the middle, which ends up near the grill with chrome studded Skoda Badge shows a strong presence of Skoda. It seem Skoda has spend enough time and money to design and manufacture the exteriors which is visible in finishing touch and the paint quality with proper curves. Build quality of all the Skoda’s are unique selling point of the car. It also comes with under Chassis Coating for rust prevention.

Rear portion of the car is decorated with the leaf shaped tail-lamp which matches perfectly with carved body line.

Interior Design

4 out of 5 stars

Here Skoda has done a wonderful  job. Interior just looks different and clean. The dual mix tone of black and light gray is a good choice. Cabin has sufficient numbers of Pockets and cupholders.

It’s not only looks but Fabia offers luxury features like Hand Gloves, Climatic Control AC and Airbags as an standard in all variations of the vehicle.

Dual tone on the doors with Silver handle finish looks Sleek. Look at the Door and Dashboard joint, it is well Aligned.

Driving Comfort

4 out of 5 stars

Ergonomically Fabia offers an excellent riding posture for driver and passenger seat both. Space is lavishly used inside the car. The suspensions seem to be bit hard than other counter parts, but they are able to absorb all the roughness of Indian Road. Basically for harsh road they work better than other counter part and for city roads they are perfect and long wheelbase adds into the comfort and stability. Wide dashboard and windshield gives a open view to the driver for a better visibility. Front and rear glasses are also wide and open to infuse lots of light inside. Smooth Power steering provides a good intellegent assistance at the tough corners. During the drive I was surprised to see the maneuver-ability of the car for the size, which makes it pretty good for city driving.

Look at the image below, it shows Fabia has plenty of leg room for passenger seat, to accomodate three people comfortabily. The combination of Strong Shock absorbers with long wheel base minimize the amount of body roll for the back seat passengers, which directly reduces the exertion level.

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars

I found Fabia petrol a bit sluggish, specially on long ride and need to be pumped with more CCs.  1.2 ltr Mpi engine which delivers 70Ps@5400rpm & 108nm@3000rpm is not a justice for the size of car. In city ride high torque at lower rpm does a good job and makes car a good choice for city riding, which is definitely a clever way to deal the situation, but at the same time when you are riding on highway it will not be good fun.

If you are looking for a Diesel variation then its is really a different story to talk about, the 1.4 ltr TDI is awesome for both city and highways.

Boot Space

4 out of 5 stars

Big Boot-space makes it a pefect family car to carry lots of luggage for long drives.

Variation and Prices

Prices may vary according to location. Road Tax and Additional Accessories extra.

Vital Specs

Colors

Available in Six Colors: Black Magic pearl Effect, Candy White, Corrida Red, Brilliant Silver Metallic, Cappuccino beige Metallic and Satin Grey Metallic.

Verdict

Though there is tough competition and difficult to select a car of your need. But if you are looking for spacious & Luxury family hatchback with safety as a primary concern then this car is a suitable choice in competitive prices. On the other side it could be bit expensive buy in terms maintenance and spare Parts but no doubt luxury and safety comes in expensive package.

- Ab

Download Wallpaper: Standard Size |   Big Size

Download Wallpaper: Standard Size |   Big Size

Download Wallpaper: Standard Size |   Big Size

Source: Audi official Website

Download Wallpaper: Standard Version |     Bigger Version

Download Wallpaper: Standard Version |     Bigger Version

Download Swift’s Wallpaper

Funny Yamaha Commercial