Chevrolet Spark - The Precursor

General Motors (GM) India has decided to give a discount of up to Rs 53,000 on its small car Chevrolet Spark as part of the centennial celebrations of its parent company General Motors Corp. Chevrolet Spark's base model would now be available for Rs 2.79 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), a discount of Rs 53,000 over the existing price of Rs 3.32 lakh. As part of the scheme, the company would offer discount across all variants of Spark. The offer is valid only for bookings taking place between October 12 and October 22, while the car would be delivered to the customer at a later date.

The Spark has received mixed reviews from auto experts and customers alike for its performance – According to General Motors – this is there way of thanking their customers for showing tremendous enthusiasm for their cars – Hey, what are we talking about here? How can GM thank a buyer who’s never bought a GM product? As any intelligent person would guess – this BIG discount is to make it BIG in the B+ segment – the ‘Thank You’ bit is all trash!

As we’ve written earlier – GM’s management in India holds credit of failing top of the line GM vehicles like the Forester, Astra and Corsa in India. The spark could also be no different story – A good car with a pathetic service network. Also, with TATA’s One Lakh still on the drawing board (presumably), this move by GM could be a precursor of a major re-definition of Car prices across all segments. The buyers should be all set to gain huge from this expected rat race. A brand new era of car wars would begin shortly – eagerly awaiting the same.

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Shef and Manks

Forester - Good Things aren't for ever!

CHEVROLET FORESTER 2.0 AWD

About the Forester:

The Forester reminds me of my college days, the buzz that GM created about this vehicle, its arrival and sudden departure form the Indian Auto scene, rather,very quickly. Well GM in India has varied feathers in its hat – Damning the Gem of an Astra, ridiculing the Corsa, in fact they’ve never been able to do any good retaining the class vehicles they’ve been producing. Anyways I checked this amazing forester at a Chandigarh showroom (with my college friends) and this is what I found…..

Some History

The Forester wears a Chevrolet badge but is made by Subaru and is a cross between an estate and an SUV. Underneath the hybrid looks, which may not appeal to many, the Forester which is based on the legendary Subaru Impreza, has a unique repertoire of talents that makes it a delight to drive.

The Forester has earned a reputation internationally for its unique repertoire of talents. It's an estate and SUV rolled into one with scintillating performance and brilliant dynamics to boot.

Design and Engineering
The Forester comes with an awesome reputation largely because it is based on the Subaru Impreza and uses the same underpinnings of this rally-bred saloon. That means MacPherson struts with transverse links in the front and independent struts using coils over shock absorbers at the rear, located by dual lateral links.

For the Forester, the Impreza's suspension mounts have been beefed up all round, and the coil and damper valve settings tweaked to accommodate the extra loading the car is likely to receive. The dampers have in-built springs to help them react faster to rebound. The self-levelling suspension allows a constant ground clearance of 190mm.

The flat-four engine keeps the centre of gravity low and offers symmetrical weight distribution on either side. The longitudinal engine layout also results in equal-length driveshafts and as a result you don't get unwanted 'torque steer' that plagues many transverse-engined cars with unequal-length driveshafts.

The Forester's 4x4 transmission comes with a dual-range gearbox and a viscous-type limited slip differential at the rear.

Though it's well-proportioned, the styling with its low hood line isn't convincing for a true SUV while on the other hand, it is more truckish than a typical estate. The beefy bumper, which houses two large circular fog lamps, hint at the Forester's off-road capabilities while the clear headlamps with upswept ends look contemporary.

Side-on, the Forester looks like a low-sprung SUV. The solid-looking rear bumper is more SUV than estate and balances the front. Despite the additional weight of its 4x4 mechanicals, the Forester weighs a mere 1375kg, much lighter than any other SUV in the market.

Interiors
The height is somewhere in between and feels just perfect. Open the frameless doors - a Subaru trademark - and you're greeted by Rear space at a premium and three abreast a squeeze. Front seats comfy and flip-down armrest standard.

The instrument binnacle has a pronounced curve and the centre console plastics have an aluminum-effect finish, which have a high quality look. A nice touch is the soft-feel and rubber-textured dimpled plastic band that runs across the dashboard. The netted expandable door pockets and the mesh-like seat fabric are in keeping with the Forester's character.

The front seats are superbly comfortable and offer good support even during spirited driving. The driver's seat can also be tilted and raised, has a tremendous amount of legroom and, like the passenger seat, comes with a mini-armrest that folds away neatly into the backrest. Cubbyholes and storage areas abound. There is a wide box above the central console, cupholders in the dash and in front of the rear seats, and clever stowage slots in the loading bay.

There's not much space in the rear and this is one of the Forester's weaknesses. Legroom is not generous by any yardstick and the small seat base gives little underthigh support. Also, with three adults abreast, shoulder space is tight.The boot is too shallow to take in any serious luggage but there's a 60:40 split rear seat that gives it some versatility.

Engine, Gearbox & Performance
The flat-four engine configuration in the Forester is another Subaru trademark and a first for the Indian market. This compact, naturally aspirated engine, which uses a single overhead camshaft to actuate four valves per cylinder, develops a decent 120bhp. Fire the engine and you can't really tell the difference between this motor and a conventional in-line four. Idle is extremely silent and it's only around the 2500rpm mark that you feel a slight thrum. The gearshift has a short but notchy throw. It's a decent shift but can be obstructive if rushed. Compact flat-four engine keeps centre of gravity low.

Drop the clutch at high revs and you're struck by the absence of wheelspin as traction is maximized by all four driven wheels. The Forester despatches the 100kph mark in 11.78 seconds and goes on to hit a top speed of 177kph.

These figures are impressive by SUV standards but when you stack them against a comparably priced luxury saloon like an Accord or Vectra, the Forester clearly has a performance deficit. It's not a great performer at the bottom end of the rev band and you need to keep the revs up to get it to perform.

You miss the 'flex-and-fly' characteristics of a more torquey motor in town though, especially when you need to wind your way past slower traffic.

The mid-range and top-end performance are superb and this makes the Forester a great highway car. On the Delhi-Chandigarh highway, the Forester would waft us to ludicrous speeds where it would canter happily without a murmur. Floor the Forester in any gear
as long as the revs are beyond 3000rpm and a strong tug whisks you forward.

The tall gearing in top gear and overdriven fifth however makes the Forester a consummate and easy cruiser that wafts along as effortlessly and as easily as your average D-segment car.

Use the Forester as an off-roader and the missing grunt at low speeds means that you're unable to simply let the engine slog away in higher gears. It's easy to stall the Forester which needs a fair amount of revs to get it moving.

In the real world, which is mainly on tarmac, owners will learn to love the eager and willing characteristics of this compact boxer engine which feels eager and willing and loves to be revved.

Verdict
It is also a vehicle you'll love to drive, actually one of its strongest attributes. Despite its tall stance, the car-like grip and handling mean the Forester will keep you as entertained as any D-segment saloon car. A big bonus is the Forester's utter contempt for bad and rough roads. You can hence traverse the country at great speed and the Forester is the perfect companion if you want to just take off and discover India. Driving enthusiasts will simply love the Forester but to a wider audience looking for the appeal of an SUV, the Forester with its styling, which treads dangerously close to an estate, may find resistance. With no third row of seats, limited space for the passengers and a shallow boot, it lacks the space and practicality of a typical SUV. And at a base price of Rs 15.6 lakh, it's expensive too. For the same money, you could get a luxury mid-sizer which is better equipped and has more prestige.

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Manks

Mahindra Scorpio - A Mixed Bag

The Mahindra Scorpio is one of the many SUVs that India has fallen in love with. Its big, its chunky and its a diesel. Scorpio has done wonders for Mahindra – making Mahindra launch the next variant with some exterior cues and a different dashboard. But, is that the end of the story? We had a look ….

Design and interiors
The scorpio has shape characteristic of SUVs, its big, its chunky and has loads of road presence. This design has been an eye-catcher among SUVs and has bagged many an award for its styling. The new Scorpio has an air input duct on the bonnet – do not get excited, this duct does not make the Scorpio as powerful and efficient as those American cars – this duct is pseudo, sealed shut and is meant for just looks. There are also changes done to the rear end of the Scorpio; it now has a huge tail lamp cluster running all the way from the roof to the bumper – this too is pseudo because the top part of these lights does not work! These towered tail lights also call for slightly different rear panels.

The new Scorpio also boasts about “Air extractor”. When we asked about these from the incompetent sales person of Swami Automobiles, he showed us what this gizmo was. Damn! It was a piece of plastic around the last of the side windows, with a whole lot of holes – hey come on! there are better ways to fool not so intelligent consumers.

Other minor cosmetic changes include a new style bumper with air dams! Add on spoiler and ski racks to boot. Perhaps now, Scorpio owners will finally benefit from the extensive wind tunnel testing of the Scorpio which rendered the bonnet scoop completely shut! We don't mean to be hard on the Mahindra engineers and their redesign effort. It definitely is good and we are glad to know that they have fast tracked their development program, unlike their competitors. But, we really hope that the marketing guys at Mahindra exercise a little more discretion in their promotion efforts.

The interiors have tried to incorporate many things all at once. There are so many holes in this dashboard. There are holes underneath the rear AC vents! meant to hold big bottles, of water perhaps. But, all these holes and cubby holes are there no doubt and Im sure serve a purpose too, but one felt Mahindra engineers have spent much thought to incorporate this. But, perhaps these holes should not have been so many that the whole design seems like it was done just to please some design requirements; not to serve much purpose. Also –the legroom and seating comfort are as pathetic as ever.

Engine and Transmission
The engine has remained an excellent positive for the Scorpio since its inception. Originally a turbocharged indirect injection later upgraded to a common rail unit which Mahindra calls CRDe. This 2600cc 4stroke turbo-charged inter-cooled common rail develops a very credible 115bhp at 3800rpm and 28.3kgm of torque between 1700-2200rpm. Couple this with the 2510kg kerb weight and Mahindra Scorpio turns out to be a very heavy vehicle.

The Scorpio has an excellent bottom end, it pulls extremely well from low down, but it gets even better once that turbo kicks in. There is a surge of power with the 2.5 ton behemoth lunging forward eagerly. There is one thing though, the tachometer is calibrated till 8000rpm, but the Scorpio can barely manage 4500. We agree its a diesel and that it isn't meant to rev all that much, perhaps then they should have had the tachometer calibrated to 5000rpm or so.

The Scorpio has a 5 speed manual gearbox that is a little weird. The gear lever is at an angle to the dashboard. For some strange reason, the Scorpio has all its gears at an angle. Mahindra could have done without such a system. The gear ratios are well selected and can keep the engine on the boil, but overtaking may requires some down shifting. The clutch is very progressive and petrol car drivers may cause the engine to whine while getting off the clutch, but its light and easy which makes it that much more easy to use, especially in city conditions.

Ride and Handling
Originally, the Scorpio had leaf spring suspension; leaf springs are the same as those you will find in the original Maruti 800, but in recent times; only truck and buses. The modern technology offers much better in terms of suspension. Mahindra has teamed up with world leaders lotus UK for including a coil spring suspension. Scorpio now riding on its new set of coil springs and anti roll bars is excellent. The new suspension has also helped improve the overall handling however only marginally. The major improvement can be felt by those who have experienced the last row of the Scorpio during a long drive.

Our Verdict
The Scorpio has always been fun to drive, it has commanded every ounce and more all the road presence it deserves. It definitely is built for the Indian road conditions, it will eat potholes at will and munch miles like a glutton. Don't let the marketing guys fool you that the new air dam and air scoop will boost the aerodynamics of this car. To know how much work has gone into this car, just take both the old and new Scorpio for a spin.

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Shef and Manks