Slick Shift

Mahindra XUV 300 Review

Source: Mahindra India

Looks and Design

Is it the new Ecosport, is it a compact version of Duster, or is it the new Brezza?

Nope, it’s new Mahindra XUV300. Bundled with so many features and style and tricks, here comes XUV300 to ruin the market shares of the SUV and XUV companies.

This car may for some people give a vibe of Jeep Compass, and guys it is muscular in looks and tactical in design and in the budget for middle-class buyers. Rear AC vents are missing and charging point too. Boot space is as big as a compact hatchback, enough for 4 people, yeah, just enough. From the front and back, the vehicle looks stunning and aggressive. There are always cases of the frontal design being classic and muscular and the being just a normal finishing. But in this case, you may look from any angle and still it is hard to find a bad design.

Source: Mahindra India

Upholstery is awesome and steering wheel and the 7-inch touch screen are placed appropriately.

The dashboard is kind of old and filled with buttons. But the designs blend well and looks ok. Armrest inside doesn’t slide. Legroom in passenger seats are fine and headroom also compatible for tall people.

Electrically operating sunroof, wow.

And the colour options available are really astonishing. You can choose from the following options:

Pearl White

Aquamarine

Sunburst Orange

Dual-Tone Red Rage

Dual-Tone Aquamarine

Red Rage

D'Sat Silver

Napoli Black

My personal favourite from these is the dual tone red rage!

Specifications

Specifications	Turbo Petrol	Turbo Diesel
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Engine Capacity (cm³)	1197	1497
Max. Power kW (BHP @ r/min)	81 kW (110 BHP @ 5000 r/min)	85.8 kW (115 BHP @3750 r/min)
Max. Torque (Nm) @ r/min	200 Nm @ 2000-3500 r/min	300 Nm @ 1500 - 2500 r/min
Transmission	6-speed Manual
BRAKES
Front Brakes	Disc
Rear Brakes	Disc
SUSPENSION, TYRES and TURNING RADIUS
Front Suspension	MacPherson Strut with Anti-roll Bar
Rear Suspension	Twist Beam Suspension with Coil Spring
Turning Radius (m)	5.3
Tyre Size	215/55 R17(Alloys) - For W8 & W8(Optional Pack) 205/65 R16 (Steel) - For W4 & W6
DIMENSIONS
Length (mm)	3995
Width (mm)	1821
Height (mm)	1627
Wheelbase (mm)	2600
Fuel Tank Capacity (litre)	42

Source: Mahindra India

Performance

Mahindra has come up with a new sub 4m compact SUV. But this time it's not like Alturus G4 where there is only change in grill and logo from Ssangyong to Mahindra. Yes, XUV 300 is based on Tivoli but you can point out lots of differences; the main difference being the size. Mahindra had to cut Tivoli to get it under 4-m length, to make some space which is cut maximum is from the back., which makes the boots space as small as that of a hatchback

XUV 300 has got the same engine as that of the Marazzo, but it has been detuned, and you can feel it while pushing the car. It doesn't mean that the car is not punchy and feels lazy, it feels good enough to push it hard and still ignites confidence in you, but if you're at low rpm say below 1500 you will have to downshift to get it moving it gets worst if you go up the hill.

Source: Mahindra India

The engine refinement of this engine in Marazzo was good, but this detuned one has a bit of vibration which you can feel around. Also, there is engine noise you can hear if you rev it hard. There are some good points like the suspension setup is really good, there is body roll but it is not going to make you feel nervous.

Next is the steering, they have provided it with 3 modes which change the feedback and weight on the Steering wheel. What I think is they should have only kept comfort mode which has the right amount of weight and feedback for this type of car. In the end, it is a compact SUV under 4m segment so dynamics will never be its strong suit, still, if you have an empty road on which you can rev with some corners you will enjoy it. With enough ground clearance of 180 mm to pass over anything which a normal road and off-road can offer. Still, bcoz of lack of power and torque in low rpm, it might not do as good as others.

Source: Mahindra India

Price: INR 7,90,000-11,99,000

Final verdict:

If you're looking for a baby XUV300 for cruising, with a bit of comfort, controlled-power and usually carry less luggage, and if you want a car with good steering and a bit confident in cornering, this is it. I insist you, go for it if you like it, you won't be disappointed.

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For The Riders

Source: flickr

For the past week, I have been riding a 2 wheeler, it’s not like I had not observed it before this. Now that I am driving a two-wheeler regularly, I realise how it feels to cut through traffic and the thrill of overtaking. It gives you more freedom and some adrenaline rush within seconds of beginning the ride. Don’t let your imaginations run wild; I still follow all the rules and drive carefully on the road.

I usually don’t ride two-wheelers but from the last two weeks, I am. Now riding a two-wheeler in a different city as my work took me there; is fun and a different kind of experience for me. To be honest, I still don’t like the way people ride 2 wheelers in India, most of the 2 wheelers don’t have a rear view mirror or they don’t use it, even the scooter(through App) that I get normally don’t have a rear view mirror or it cannot be adjusted (people are really savage here).

Those things are there for a reason, and I think everyone knows their purpose who either remove it or don’t use it. Still, I think I will tell you all the purpose of it. It is there so that you don’t have to turn your head around to look back hence, you will have a clear view of where you’re going. If you don’t have a mirror then, when you look back for any vehicles coming and you are not going to see the front for a few seconds, yes I know it takes just a few seconds but what if someone comes in front of you or applied a sudden break, or someone is just blindly crossing the road, what will you do. Oh, come on, you can’t deny that there are at least 10 people every sq km like this. You might panic and lose control or it might be too late by the time you notice it.

The second thing is that it might be because I mostly drive a car. But still even while I was driving a 2 wheeler, I was not pushing for it to the very limits and if I know that there are vehicles which can go faster than me on that road. I will use the leftmost lane and I will only overtake if needed. As I have seen and been on the back seat of someone who will still ride in the middle or on the fast lane even if it is going way slower than that of other vehicles (especially cars).

The problems that it creates are many and the major one is, the cars which are crossing you at really high speed and they can be really close when they do. This thing is not that serious but still, you should be careful as not everyone is good at driving and has a perfect judgment of the vehicle they are driving (like your grandma, grandpa, that myopic nerd sibling ). The road is always filled with different kind of people with different temp[er and emotions at a giving time. You will never know what the guy driving beside you is going through; a breakup, got fired, on the verge of divorce, forgot to delete the history, you will never know.

The third important and the most serious issue is, and I don’t think everyone who rides a bike does it but still; Those who think they are pros in riding a 2 wheelers and drives like a maniac, like cutting lanes and I don’t mean shifting from one lane to other I mean going from left most lane to right most at high speed without looking back fast. You might have seen and you might be aware that you can do it and you can. But the person behind you might not be that confident about himself and might get scared when you do it. And I have also observed the mentality of the people who only ride 2 wheelers, they think that 4 and 4+ wheel vehicles are the ones who need to observe the riders where they are going are save them and themselves. No indicators nor any indications neither observing the indicators of others and then if there is some mishap, it’s the riders and not the drivers who lose lives.

The last point is, I have observed this more in 2 wheelers then cars or truck. People tend to not do servicing the rides till there is some problem, and if you do then I am glad that you take care of the machine which helps you to travel faster than any being on earth. In one of the articles, I have said why you should do it.

Source: Pexels

I won’t say anything much on riders during traffic, as if there is space people will go ahead and I was doing the same so I don’t have any rights to say about being patient and wait for the vehicle ahead of you to move. When you are riding a two-wheeler, you are directly exposed to the wind, sunlight, heat, dust, stupidity etc. on road and it is quite acceptable to overtake in traffic safely and carefully. You can do that in slightly moving traffic as well as in steady traffic. Let me tell you this; I will talk about people driving/riding in traffic in another article in future.

Wearing proper two-wheeler gear(helmet, bike jacket, eyewear if required, glosses for long journies etc) is a must for your safety as well as others. A slight carelessness can cost you a lot of lives. This article is just to make the people who ride 2 wheelers bit more aware and hope that on the public roads ride your bikes or scooters with bit more observation and following the rules. Be in limits and be safe.

It is not to scare you but, to help you deal with different situations on road.

Here is the link to- 10 Common Motorcycle Crashes and How To Avoid Them- https://www.rideapart.com/articles/254912/10-common-motorcycle-accidents-and-how-to-avoid-them/

Servicing is Caring

Image Source: www.jber.jb.mil

I don't know what people think of when they are buying an automobile.

Some love their car/bike, some take care of it as their loved ones and some just see it as a property like their house, land and other assets. For some, they consider their automobiles as a real asset in their life and some see it just another asset to be bought, sold and thrown or sold.

Even if it's their first/favourite automobile or just a tool for transportation, everything demands respect in exchange for the service that it provides. Yes, I am talking about the machines, the vehicles we drive; they too need respect and care. They don't have a will of their own nor they are alive, to feel pain or pressure or damage which they get into, still, we need them and they need us.

I am a guy who treats my vehicle with care and respect and I am not saying you should feel the same way but yeah, if you take care of it, maintain it properly throughout your usage, you’ll never be disappointed by them.

What is your opinion about the automobile that you have or what you see around you, do you think of it as just a tool to use and throw, or you pay it proper respect which it deserves?

If you ask me, I try to give my automobile respect that it deserves by giving it a proper servicing in the fixed period, cleaning my car daily or once in 2 days, and if there is some work need to be done like changing the parts or repair, I will take my car to the service centre of its company/ dealers which has its original parts so that my car can be back to 100% perfection and performance.

I really don’t understand people who still continue driving their car even after it shows every possible warning signs and sounds on it. The people who don’t give a f*** about these signs are really crazy and irresponsible.

I never understood the people use the logic, ‘if it isn’t broke, why to fix it’. No, it’s not like that. You would take your kid to the hospital at the very beginning of a fever but, why you don’t bother to even make a call to your service provider of the vehicle when you see some problems in your car or when it starts behaving abnormally. Yes, money is a factor but if you maintain your car properly and regularly, it will save much more money in the long run.

It’s not just about your money, it’s about your life too. You never know when will the brakes go down or clutch gets burn. You never know the time your car breaks down, and it can be at the time of a well-planned trip in the middle of a forest or on the way to hospital for your wife’s delivery; it can be on the way to your marriage or to your girlfriend waiting at home (no pun intended).

Image Source: PxHere

Time is crucial and the situation can get worse if your car gives up in the middle of your journey.

Some brand/ dealers (Volkswagen Polo) ask for one service every year (compulsory), and some (Maruti Swift) ask for 2 to 3 services per year. But it is your responsibility to take your machine to its doctor now and then for a quick checkup.

There are many who says old vehicles gives much trouble often, but they never realise what they did to the car/bike in its prime. Yes, the engine may get old and reduction in power is expected but parts like brakes, interior, tires are cheap and can be replaced easily.

All this will make your vehicle run smoothly irrespective of its speed.

I always felt that keeping your vehicle as new as possible and powerful as it was on the day it delivered to you is the best way to maintain it for the long run.

There are some many businesses which have started to restore old cars, but don't you think putting a new engine of same specs will be total restoration. It won't be a total restoration but in my opinion, it will be better, and who would like to come back to life just to see that he is now one of the weakest people around.

Now the question is, how often I should service my car and bike. Don’t worry guys, here we are providing you with the best schedule for servicing the car/bike and things to check while servicing.

SHORT TERM CHECK-UPS

OIL AND COOLANT LEVELS

Once in a month, or every few gas filling times & especially before any long road tours, it would be a nice idea to get under the hood of your vehicle & inspect both the coolant & oil levels when the engine is not hot. Low levels of either can lead to problems in the engine if left unnoticed.

AIR FILTER

The engine’s air filter is what maintains the air that flows into your engine & helps keep out debris and other particles. You can improve your fuel efficiency by properly cleaning or changing the filter if needed, it will decrease your emissions, and help improve the life of your engine. This can be done easily at home too.

OIL & FILTER

The motor oil in your car's engine serves a whole lot of functions: it lubricates the moving parts, acts as a sealant against debris, cools the engine regularly, reduces wear and tear of metal, and helps prevent engine corrosion. Keeping it clean is important for good engine health.

HEADLIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, BRAKE, AND PARKING LIGHTS

It’s imperative that the lights on your vehicle are properly working, but often it can be an easy item to overlook. Once a month, turn on your headlights when you’re parked in front of a flat surface and check that both headlights are working correctly and well-positioned. Walk around your car and visually inspect both turn signals and your parking lights.

TIRE PRESSURE AND TREAD DEPTH

Well-Maintained tires are important to stay safe, fuel-efficient ride, making it a habit to visually inspect your tires often will be a good idea. Check the pressure in your tires every month, and before long trips. And don’t forget the spare.

ROTATE TIRES

Depending on the vehicle alignment, usage, and some other factors, the tread wear patterns on the tires may vary between the front and back tires, or even from one side of the tread to the other.

WAX VEHICLE

Make it a habit to wax your vehicle every 6 months after washing it won’t just keep it shiny, it’ll also help to keep both the paint in good shape and reduce the chance of rust.

Image Source: pxhere.com

LONG TERM CHECK-UPS

TRANSMISSION FLUID

Like the oil in your engine, transmission fluid is a lubricant which helps keep all of the moving parts inside of your transmission functioning aptly. Whether you’re driving an automatic or manual transmission vehicle, it is important that you have your transmission fluid checked & changed when needed to avoid expensive transmission damage or replacement.

TRANSFER CASE FLUID

In 4-wheel or all-wheel drive cars, the transfer case is what shifts power from the transmission to the axles. You will need to have the transfer case fluid checked according to the vehicle manufacturer recommendations to make certain that it is properly filled and leak-free.

BATTERY PERFORMANCE CHECK

Your car battery is one of the vital parts of your vehicle. A car battery supplies large amounts of electrical current for the starter, engine and other electronic accessories in the vehicle. Extreme temperatures will affect the functioning of the battery so, regular battery testing will ensure that the battery will perform when you need it to.

INSPECT SHOCKS AND STRUTS

The shocks and struts on the car function to control the impact and rebound as your vehicle goes over bumps on the road and are an essential part of your car's steering system. They should be inspected by a professional every 1000 kilometres or take your car into the shop if you notice a decrease in the smoothness or loss of control when driving.

COOLANT FLUID EXCHANGE

Your car's radiator is a vital part that helps to keep the engine cool and having your coolant system flushed periodically will help you get rid of contaminants that can build up inside as well as ensure that your radiator is filled to a proper level.

SERPENTINE BELT

Yeah, it's a piece of rubber, but your vehicle’s serpentine belt is essential for keeping your car running by powering peripheral devices such as your alternator, power steering pump, and air conditioner compressor. Replace it if damaged or as per your service provider.

FRONT AND/OR REAR DIFFERENTIAL

The differentials are devices that split the torque—or power—from the engine & allow it to transfer power to the car's tires. In front or rear-wheel drive vehicle providers, there is only one differential, but in four-wheel and all-wheel-drive vehicles, there is both a front and rear differential inside, and possibly even a centre differential. Like many parts of your vehicle, the differentials need to be kept lubricated to ensure optimum performance.

SEASONAL CHECK-UPS

The needs of your vehicle can vary by season to season & driving conditions. Following are some suggestions to add to the notes section of your vehicle maintenance checklist.

SPARK PLUGS

A spark plug in the engine ignites the gas and air mixture that ultimately powers your vehicle. If your spark plugs aren't functioning properly, your engine will lose power and won’t run at optimal capacity.

REPLACE WINDSHIELD WIPERS

Windshield wipers have to be replaced about once every year, or whenever the effectiveness is decreased. During the winter season, it could also be a good idea to install winter wiper blades for good performance.

CHANGE TIRES

Depending on where you live and the winter driving conditions you might face, you might want to switch your tires in cold, snowy months to a winter/snow tire. When the temperature goes below freezing consistently, the tire compounds in non-winter tires hardens, damages the traction effect and handling performance while increasing braking distance. Winter tires have tread patterns and compounds designed to remain soft in the cold and provide grip in snow, slush, and icy driving conditions.

CHECK COOLANT LEVELS

It’s important to check your antifreeze levels in your radiator in the winter season to keep your radiator or engine components from freezing. A fifty-fifty mix of antifreeze to water is generally said to be good, but check your owner’s manual or with a professional to be certain.

Sticking to a car maintenance routine, and keeping good records of what you’ve done, can help extend the life of your vehicle and protect you against breakdowns, expensive repairs, and other surprising events.

Image Source: pexels

These measures are more than enough for your vehicle to be in good shape and take you to long distances. Wish you all a splendid trip.

Information Source: https://www.bridgestonetire.com/tread-and-trend/drivers-ed/ultimate-car-maintenance-checklist

Your Car will need a Firewall in the Future!

So, guys today I want you to imagine a situation where you are slowly driving down the street and listening to your favourite melody. A beautiful evening scene where people are going back to home after their 9-5 jobs, children running on the footpath and fancy billboards all around. Thinking about dinner with your partner tonight you drive along the street with a smile on your face.

As you reach near next signal you hit the brakes to slow down but, the brakes aren’t working anymore plus the music has changed from your sweet melody to Tokyo Drift, oh yeah.

You can’t figure it out what the heck is happening to your car and just start panicking.

Guess what, your car got hacked! Oh yes, your car is hackable; especially if it is the latest one with all those fancy features that were supposed to make your ride easier are now getting you in trouble. And finally the guy who hacked into your car is a ‘Need For Speed’ fanboy; now imagine the rest.

Pretty scary imagination huh. Now come back to reality, which is even scarier.

An actual hacking experiment was done in which two white-hat hackers (computer security specialist) remotely killed the transmission of a Jeep Cherokee in a hacking test.

Which led the firm to recall around 1.4 million cars. At this moment the world realized that a car can be hacked; cool stuff right.

Check out that in youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK0SrxBC1xs

There are other videos too which shows how a car can be hacked.

You must have the knowledge that today’s cars are embedded with lots of e-controllers and wireless connections to the outside world. This gives you the data which says about 152 million actively connected cars will be on roads by 2020 and more than 2 billion can be seen in 2025.

Now, let’s look at the ECU (Electronic Control Unit) which is fitted in your car which operates operating systems and controls functions like, acceleration, transmission, suspension, brakes, steering, and engine control.

Hence, like other software or firmware installed devices, this one too has loopholes in it which can be exploited by hackers.

They also want a large amount of data which involves traveling habits, the destinations we visited etc., which they can sell for good money. It has become imperative to protect our vehicles from these kinds of hackers and thieves.

The modern vehicles are at high risk of hacking and the manufacturers should focus on a lifecycle management mechanism which allows a controlled lockdown of some features of the car.

The manufacturers need to spot all minute loopholes through which the hacker can get inside. It is interesting to know that the more software and features will bring more loopholes to the can and one more time repeating the old saying ‘every system connected to the worldwide network is hackable’.

But, there’s nothing to worry as a majority of cars now on roads and we drive are not that hi-tech to be hacked while driving. They may be able to destroy some software but that’s it, they can’t make an accident or are able to blow up your engine or something. The risk we are fearing is a bit far in future and, the semi-autonomous and autonomous cars gearing up to be launched commercially are being tested and tested again by the manufacturers.

Now, the final question is, can we make a full proof unhackable car?

Oh yes, we can. Use of firewall to defend the hackers is the best method we have. There are three main methods we could use.

They are;

Host-based defense

Stronger development standards

Ongoing security assessment

While the world is talking about fully automated cars of the future, there is also a fear of being invaded by hackers and stealing of data and systematic man-made accidents by hackers, killers, assassins etc.

What if your tech-savvy neighbor can hack into your car? Would you dare to end up in a brawl with him over the noisy music from his room?

With growing tech and additional features being embedded into your can which makes it connected to the manufacturer brand, internet, and GPS, the manufacturers need to develop a solution which makes the car full proof from hacking.

With new technology comes new hassles but, we don’t stop developing and inventing new stuff. We all need to be careful and work towards a safe future where everything will be connected to everything.

Info Courtesy: auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Video Courtesy: YouTube channel WEIRD

Image Courtesy: Flickr

Godown Automobiles (The Unsold Car Market)

Source: Pixaby.com

Dzire, Swift, i20, Nexon, Innova, City, Polo, etc are the cars we often see on road. It takes no time for an uplifted version or sports version of these cars to be sold out. These cars are always in demand and will continue to be in demand. Three are things like quality, durability, reliance, brand trust and many things which compel the customers to buy these and often update to newer versions. It goes same for the bikes; just waiting for the newer version to pop u in the TV ads.

Source: Pixaby.com

But, have you ever thought about what happens to the cars & bikes that never get sold?

No? Well, it’s time we introduce you to the market of unsold cars.

Back in 2018, automobile dealerships in India were piled up with large unsold cars as higher fuel prices, erratic rainfall and rising borrowing costs which destroyed the demand.

There are many reasons for the cars to end up in godowns. Some of the prominent and most recent being the rise in fuel price, loan issues and raw material costs.

In a survey of eleven dealers of the country’s 5 largest passenger vehicle makers showed average inventory at dealers of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd and M&M Ltd of about 45 days, that is higher than normal levels of 25 to 30 days. For Tata Motors Ltd & Hyundai Motor India Ltd, dealers have got inventories of around 35-40 days.

The scenario has been worsened by increasing dispatches from Maruti Suzuki, as the country’s largest carmaker added a new assembly line of 250,000 vehicles in the Gujarat factory. Maruti’s move provoked others, especially Tata Motors, M&M & Hyundai Motor India Ltd, to follow suit in the last two months, despite low retail demand.

The festive seasons are the only hope for the dealers and it will bring some hope for the unsold cars in the godown. Offers and discounts are provided with free and support services for customers.

Data from 2018

It's not like these automobiles are bad and are not worth buying, it's just that they get overshadowed by their new and updated versions. People are buying used automobiles, which either has a shorter benefit period left or it’s way too old.

But the unsold vehicles are not like that; if you buy them it will be treated as a brand new car with all the added benefit you get with the updated one along with an additional benefit of extra discount which is much higher than what you get in festive seasons.

So next time when you go to the showroom to buy new updated one, just ask them how much additional discount are they ready to give for the unsold older model. You will be surprised, I assure.

Info Source: www.livemint.com

Image Source: Pixaby.com

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