We Choose to Cruze (typo? NOT)

Purchased a new car recently. It's a Chevrolet Cruze LTZ. Colour: Atlantis Blue

Chevy's don't have a very good reputation in their American homeland, but thanks to the economic situation, Chevrolet has come up with a series of well-priced, well-built and very well equipped cars of late. This one's a winner on all counts.





The top-end LTZ model which we bought is chock full of gadgets to play with. A keyless entry and keyless start system called PEPS (Passive Entry Passive Start), where the car automatically unlocks the doors if you're within a 1m range of it. Start is also done via a start/stop button next to the steering column. Cruise control, multi-info display, car information display, electrically foldable rear view mirrors, rain-sensing automatic wipers, sunroof, a kickass audio system - the works!! The list is long.



As for safety, the top three scorers of Euro NCAP with five star rating are the BMW X1, Chevrolet Cruze and the Citroen DS3. The Cruze had previously achieved a five star rating in the Australian NCAP and China NCAP as well.

Check out the following video of the ANCAP test and see how the cabin frame remains rigid and doesn't break. Not even the glass on the front windscreen shatters.



It runs on the "Devil's fuel" as Jeremy Clarkson would put it (Diesel to you mere mortals). ARAI rated to run 18 kilometre per litre (yes, it gives you atleast 14+ in city. Such a car would have a measly fuel-sipping engine you'd say. Nope, under the bonnet is a 4-cylinder turbocharged Vcdi engine that develops 150hp, 327 Nm of torque, and takes this beast from 0-100kmph in 8.7 seconds. Pretty impressive for a family car in this segment. Having already done 500+ km, I can assure you this thing bloody well flies if you put pedal to the metal. There isn't any diesel clatter audible inside the car either. The interiors are well finished and quite good overall.






The car's exterior looks pretty good too, definitely one of the best looking cars in this segment, and one of the best looking cars we've owned. Turning heads is guaranteed. The lines and contours on the car's sides and bonnet are borrowed off BMW's 3 and 5-series, with the front end terminating in a typical American Chevy style with a big grille and the cross in the middle.



This is what you see when you open the doors in the light


This is what you see when its dark. Back-lit door sill plates are cool.


Note: No animals were harmed during the photoshoot, despite the dog (Mr. Cactus) in the picture having tried to "inaugurate" the car a few times.

Motorsport Exzellenz - ein tolles Auto

In case you're wondering, the title means "Motoring Excellence - an amazing car" in German. Now why the German you ask? The reason is this post is about one truly amazing line of cars made by that company which goes by the tag line "Ultimate Fahrmaschine" - the Ultimate Driving Machine. None other than Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, BMW.

Bavarian Motor Works' round logo is one that evokes a sense of class, of style, of power, and or sheer driving excellence. A little know fact is that the company's logo was NOT based on a propeller. Instead, it was actually based on the colours of the Bavarian flag.

There is one division of BMW that arouses a special interest. The M division. Established in May 1972 with just eight employees, it grew to 400 employees by 1988. BMW M, also known as M-Technik or just "M" (for Motorsport) was initially created to facilitate BMW’s racing program, which was very successful in the 1960s and 1970s. To this day BMW M continues to produce some of the most highly tuned street legal cars available in full production. BMW M offers modified engines, suspension, interior trim, aerodynamics and exterior styling. The objective of BMW M is to sell factory production sports cars that are comfortable enough for everyday use while offering uncompromising driving satisfaction and performance. And I daresay they've succeeded wonderfully.

BMW M's M3 and M5 are among my favourite cars. If the regular BMW 3- and 5- series weren't enough, then the M3 and M5 would satiate any driver's need for speed and handling while being a refined luxury car at the same time. As a reviewer once said about the M3:

"To say the M3 is ferociously quick is to say you don’t mind revving the 4.0-liter V8 to 8300 rpm. Why would you? Like Ferrari’s entry-level models, the sounds coming from the M3’s mill on the way to peak power make the journey half the trip– as in LSD (and I don’t mean Limited Slip Differential). In absolute terms, we’re torquing 4.6 seconds to sixty. In the real world, it’s a gut punch sandwich with a side of sideways."

While the M5 is a bit bigger, the M3 is the real deal when it comes to a sports car in a day-to-day vehicle's livery. At the press of an M button on the steering wheel, the M3 can go from a racer to a family man's subdued cruiser. All settings are adjustable via the iDrive system. The car can blow away the 60mph mark in just 4.6 seconds. Awesome! In addition to all this, the machine does not lack in creature comforts either. It's even available as a 4-door sedan version, not just a coupe.

The E90/92/93 M3's specifications:

Base Engine Size: 4 liters
Base Engine Type: V8	Horsepower: 414 hp
Max Horsepower: 8300 rpm	Torque: 295 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 3900 rpm	Drive Type: RWD

Performance

• 0-60 mph: 4.5 - 4.6 seconds for E92 Coupe/ 4.7 - 4.9 seconds for E90 Sedan / 5.1 - 5.3 seconds for E93 Convertible
• 1/4 mile: 12.7 seconds @ 114.8 mph (184.8 km/h)
• Top Speed: 161 mph (259 km/h) indicated/155 mph (249 km/h) electronically limited, 200mph (308kmh) delimited with DKG (320kmh)

As BMW themselves put it : " For insurance purposes, we call it [the M3] a sedan. This is a sedan that pairs a harmonious blend of unexpected luxury with unrivaled brute performance. It's sure to leave insurance folks everywhere scratching their heads."

Magic Mileage Number.......

Finally got to that number on the odometer.....

Look at the reading in the picture....



Thank God the traffic was heavy, so that I could slow down enough to click a picture while driving (Note: Don't try this on the roads please).

Took it on a trip back from college.

A Road Rant

Around the time Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (our alumnus) had come over to MIT campus, Anna University, they had been re-laying the road outside. Since we couldn’t bring our vehicles in then, we had to leave them outside college till lunch time. I came back to find a dent on my Accent (no the rhyme is unintended). This was amazing considering that I really couldn’t have parked it more to the side of the road; the only remaining parking place was the pavement itself. I would very much like to meet the guy who hit his bike or other stupid vehicle upon the car that day; perhaps I could give him a few dents myself.

Of course there’s the other extreme – people who park wherever they want, whenever they want, however they want. Sadly, this indeed constitutes the majority of the public in Chennai. Parking in front of someone else’s gate is thought to be justified by the comment “Naan Road le thaane park pannirken” (I’ve parked it on the road only). The irony is that parking on the road is in itself admitting to a crime. Courtesy has gone out the window, with every IT bugger and his uncle buying a car without first knowing the common courtesies of the road. With the Nano coming out by the end of the year, it’ll be hell on earth with these small cars choking the already inadequate infrastructure. Thank God for the flyover at Kathipara junction, else I’d be stuck in a 1 hour jam each day on the way to college.

Double parking is commonplace everywhere in the city, no wonder the traffic gets stuck even on wide roads. When big businesses open their doors, they must first ensure that they have parking space wherein the phrase “parking space” isn’t synonymous with the footpath and the road. Spencer’s Plaza is an excellent example of very well distributed parking. Whereas Citi Center only contributes to side roads all filled with Cars parked inconsiderately on either side.

When it comes to actual driving, no one really seems to know of lanes. It bugs me when people go really really slow in the right lane, and it seems most people here find it rather tiring to move their fingers an inch towards the indicator lever when changing lanes. Its just “Oh there’s a gap, now let me cut in front of the other guy already in the lane”.

Not to mention signals. As far as Indian driving goes, you’re an idiot if you wait at a red light. Waiting a minute won’t exactly kill you, will it? Doesn’t anyone know to drive properly; is it that hard to follow the rules of the road???

Rear View Mirrors should be made optional in our country – it sure would save a lot of money. Obviously, either no one looks at them or they’re folded shut or they’re angled to give a view of the driver’s own handsome face!

And this habit of immediately going around the outside of the right lane the moment there’s a traffic jam. It only aggravates things, why can’t everyone just wait in line and hence ensure the smooth flow of traffic. We talk the talk when asked why foreign roads are much better, but we sure don’t walk the walk. The basic attribute lacking in an Indian road user - whether pedestrian or vehicular – is discipline.

Heated car seats? Men everywhere - Beware!

A recent post on the Top Gear site that I frequent, it being one of my favourite shows on the BBC. Literally people with heated car seats are on the hot seat!

Original URL: Top Gear News

"What follows is possibly the first ever Top Gear health warning.

Next time you switch on your heated seats, you could be, erm, ballsing up your chances of having kids. No, really - the nice warm leather can affect your fertility, apparently. If you're a man.

Which is rather worrying, if you ask us. The news comes from some men in white coats in Germany, who've been carefully studying the problem. Let's hope they didn't get too hands on.

And it's all because certain man parts don't work so well when they're warm. Let's just say their output decreases somewhat. And we all know that low productivity is bad for business. Especially the baby-making business.

But fear not, if you like the feel of balmy-hot leather against your bum, you can still enjoy it. Just make sure you don't keep it on for too long - an hour at most.

Unless of course, you don't like the idea of filling your back seats with screaming todlers. Or the thought of sleep deprivation, early mornings and stinking, steaming nappies.

In which case, fire up those seats and keep yourself toasty.

Otherwise, consider yourself warned."

If you prefer a much more scientific analysis or report then head over to :

The Daily Telegraph article