Head On: Camry vs Accord

Posted on August 24, 2009 by savaiz

Eversince Honda introduced Accord & Toyota launched Camry as their up-market luxury sedan models there has been tough head-on competition between the two.

Although the sales figures suggest that Accord has been outselling Camry looking at their specs the reason isn’t clear. Both have identical 70-litre fuel tanks, near-identical engine displacements (Accord:2354cc & Camry:2362cc) and similar Torque Ratios: 226Nm/4300rpm for Accord while for Camry it is 224Nm/6000rpm.

Top speed of Camry is listed on Toyota Indus Motors (www.indus-motors.com.pk) as 211kph for Manual Transmission version and 204kph for Automatic Transmission. Honda Pakistan (www.honda.com.pk) being more concerned with Safety & Environment hasn’t listed a top speed instead it focuses on the safety / environment-friendly features of the car.

Finally as always it all boils down to the physical ‘looks’ of the car & price of both cars. In that department Accord having a more sleek/elegant & less ‘bulky’ design that Camry (see photos for evidence) wins’ hearts & minds’ of the customer hands-down.

The other factor helping customers decide in favour of Accord is the price tag Rs.4.699M (for A/T) while Camry retails for Rs.5.999M (M/T) to Rs.6.199M (A/T).

Can’t believe this super car is an EV!

Posted on August 23, 2009 by savaiz

mercedes-benz-sls-amg-gullwing-prototype_3 A zero-emission supercar, tentatively named LS AMG eDrive, features 4 electric motors with a combined output of 392 kW (526 hp) and 880 Nm (649 lb-ft) of torque enabling it to rocket from 0-100 km/h in around 4 seconds.

This compares favourably as a matter of fact on par with the petrol-driven 6.3-liter (6208cc) V8 powered (571 hp and 650 Nm) SLS that accomplishes the same task in 3.8 seconds. The stats maybe okay for the petrol version but the electric version is as good as its gets (for now anyway).

In a statement, Mercedes-AMG GmbH’s CEO Volker Mornhinweg said, “With the SLS AMG with electric drive, we wanted to redefine the super sports car. For us, it is not just about responsibility. We attach just as much importance to excitement and classic AMG performance.”

I surely believe thay have. Its expected that the car may well be in production by 2011. When it does start commercial production it will offer fierce competition to Tesla Roadster eV & Lightning GT Electric Sportscar (both already in production phase).

PS: Photos may not depict the final production version as it has been shielded by the manufacturer & pix are only ‘spy photos’ of the prototype.

The ‘All New’ Honda City

Posted on August 20, 2009 by savaiz

img_gallery01 What I don’t understand is that why do Honda meed ‘so many’ sedan brands? If Accord is a class apart & in the same league as Toyota Camry then why are City & Civic cutting into each other’s market share? Conceeded that City started as an attempt by Honda to make a ‘budget’ sedan but isn’t that like Suzuki’s job?

The introduction of City (which is neither cheap nor expensive @ Rs.1.139M for 1.3L M/T & Rs.1.399M for 1.3L A/T) has ‘only’ allowed Suzuki to rias its products’ prices so that City is no at par with Liana and we being a nation ‘riased on a Suzuki’ will trust a Suzuki more while viewing the ‘reduced’ price of a Honda brand (City) with suspicion.

I myself (& those like me) have driven a Japanese-assembled Mitsubishi Lancer for about four years & it is yet to be taken to a garage so I will Insha Allah buy another Lancer once the current lease ends in May next year.

So the question is: WHOSE MARKET HAS THE CITY MOST ADVERSELY AFFECTED? I think its CIVIC’s which is (despite local-assembly) still priced slightly below the Lancer. (CIVIC 1.8L VTi Oriel @ Rs.1.734M to Mitsubishi Lancer’s 1.6L GLX @ Rs.1.899M – both M/T models).

I think Toyota has got it right. Instead of 2 brands they have ‘sub-brands’ within Corolla Brand such as Altis & 2.0D. (Altis of same displacement as Civic is a lot cheaper i.e Rs.1.639M while Altis 1.8 M/T SR is also priced below Civic VTi Oriel i.e. Rs.1.724M).

All manufacturers/marketers do make up their own names for similar technologies to ‘differentiate’ otherwise similar products. As far as I am concerned they all have engines, doors, windows, Steering, Gears & brake/clutch/accelarator pedals what else is there to have.

Mitsubishi makes the best micro car?

Posted on August 17, 2009 by savaiz

mitsubishi_i_hello_kitty 800px-mitsubishi_i_1

Although it may not be virtually unknown outside its ‘native’ Japan it won the 2007 Car of the Year award from the Japanese Automotive Researchers and Journalists Conference (RJC), and two other “Car of the Year” awards, from the Carview Corporation website and the Consumer’s Choice.

It also won the “Most Advanced Technology” Special Achievement Award at the 2006–07 Japan Car of the Year awards, where it was nominated unsuccessfully in the overall Car of the Year category, and ranked first in the Japan Mini-Car APEAL Study published by J.D. Power Asia Pacific in October 2006, with a higher score than any previous winner. Aside from the 2006 Good Design Grand Prix, its style won Design Awards from the Japan Automotive Hall of Fame (JAHFA), and the magazines Popeye and Car Styling.

Even the 2008 Car of the year 2008 Toyota’s iQ although better performance wise & designed by Toyota’s design studio in France pales in comparison to the sleek shape & georgeous look of the “i”. Agreed that microcars or ‘kei’ cars as they are known in Japan are made generally for the ladies &/or ‘sissies’ but offlate the modified versions of Smart Cars having superbike engines have been known to pack quite a muscle (0-100kph in under 3.5seconds.

“i”s breakthrough success with the said market came after a “Hello Kitty” customized “i” was put on display in a large Japanese Department Store for a week in 2007. Other close rivals include Smart Mortor’s fortow & K models, ZAP (zero air pollution), Toyota iQ the proposed Aston Martin-Toyota joint venture Cygnet & Honda’s Insight.

Suzuki has also marketed its own budget version of the smart car known as Suzuki Twin while rounding off the European competition are Mercedes-Benz’s Motsy & Subaru’s R2.

The art of Leasing a Car

Posted on August 14, 2009 by savaiz

Car leasing today seems to have become a hard science with all the islamic/unislamic/fixed-rate/KIBOR-linked rate/flexible-tenure/flexible-downpayment/insurance options ‘mumbo-jumbo’ and what not but infact it is as much an art as painting or photography. Before I confuse you further with my ‘Science of Art’ lecture here is me breaking my “banker’s code” to let you in on all the unpleasant secret “they won’t tell you” while selling you a car lease.

According to howstuffworks.com website, Leasing has two principal benefits:

(1) You drive a newer vehicle that is always under warranty and seldom needs more than routine maintenance.

and

(2) you often get a larger, more luxurious, better-equipped car.

I believe another very improtant ‘benefit’ missing from the list is the commission offered to the dealer/lease-salesperson & strictly-religious vs moderate orientation. Meaning that even in today’s day & age the car dealer or lease/loan salesperson can force you to get a lease or loan depending on which makes them more richer.

For people working strictly on commission basis the single most important motivation is how much they get out of each deal so beware of them. The people employed by the bank/FI on salary basis are genrally more reliable in their committed offerings. I am just saying that be careful and make sure that the person selling you the car lease is not just making forced sales & expecting no repeat sales from satisfactory regular clients. Let this be your first lesson while leasing a car – NO BROKERS – neither car dealing ones nore lease pushing ones.

Having already discussed the major differences between conventional Leasing & Ijarah Financing (Islamic mode) the next post will deal with KIBOR & how rates get pegged to it including a detail about its merits and demerits.

World’s cheapest car – now available!

Posted on March 24, 2009 by momekh

For starters, I do not like the word ‘cheapest’. It gives the impression that the product in question is well, is cheap … this car might be the most affordable car in the world, or it can be the cheapest. Let’s see…

I am talking about Tata’s Nano. Tata, for those who do not know, is another one of India’s fairy-tale companies; they not only produce a wide range of cars for the Indian market, in India, but they not-so-recently acquired iconic brands like Rover and Jaguar. (Those even still wondering, yes, Jaguar and Rover are now Indian companies — don’t know about you, but it sounds weird).

The Tata Nano – which at roughly 1300 pounds (comes to about one lac fifty thousand rupees) – is the cheapest car in the world, is no accident. Tata announced it eons ago, it seems. What I mean to say is that unlike Mehran, Tata Nano is no accident – they actually planned it that way!

What about the design?

But the over riding question in my mind is that when it comes to a unique concept, where do all the designers run off to?

Toyota took a unique concept – hybrid cars – and made the Prius. It looks like a freak-of-nature, overly stuffed insect, that comes in different colors no doubt. Only recently, Honda has made a much better looking Hydrogen fuelled car that doesn’t induce a gag reflux.

Tata took a unique concept – the cheapest/most-affordable car – and made this Nano that looks like an angry midget. No seriously, just look at it and imagine an angry midget – that is what this car looks like.

But seriously though, we all could do well with cars with a price tag like this to be on the roads… what do you think?

Inside of Tata Nano

The Nano Dashboard

The Tata Nano

Rejoice - it has gears

Mitsubishi Evolution

Posted on March 4, 2009 by momekh

It is not that it is pretty to look at, but the Mitsubishi Evolution (also called ‘Evo’) is know more for the speed.

One Evo owner claims that it is cheap replacement for something like a Porsche or a Ferrari. (Porsche and Ferrari in the same line? Hmmm)

One thing is for sure, the Mitsubishi Evolution is defintely a looker. I found the following White and later discovered that the owner of the white evo owns another red one. Eight and Ninth generation Evo’s, one angel white, the other hot red, parked side-by-side is a sigh to behold, I assure you.

I wonder is the Main Boulevard in Lahore gets owned by this car on Sundays, what do you guys reckon?

Spice up your desk

Posted on February 20, 2009 by leemz

Yes. Say goodbye to those old-fashioned office desk designs which seem awfully boring as compared to these cool fun ones. These ingenious designs helping improve the look and feel of your office, definitely deserve a round of applause. Seriously,your office is an expression and reflection of your personality, and a neat, clean desk with a funky twist to it speaks volume. So let it do the talking.

Pictures below just might offer help and inspiration to brighten up your dull office look. A little something to get you into the creative zone which is equally enjoyable and productive.

Mini cooper desk

Think different

Dream big!

Be different!

Add a little zing to your surroundings.
Think different, dream big and be different!

Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

Posted on January 12, 2009 by admin

Got the pictures and the owner has agreed to give a detailed review of Land Cruiser Prado. As the review is on the way, I would like to share a nice little feature that is found in this 4×4: The camera that gives a detailed view of the surroundings at the back of the Prado.

When you put the vehicle in reverse, the display inside the car automatically shows the view:

When you put the car in reverse, the screen switches to the camera at the back of the car.

But the real clever bit is the use of simple and easy to understand lines that show the expected path of the vehicle depending on which way you turn the wheels!

close up of the screen with a neat overlay of lines showing the expected path of the vehicle

You turn the wheels a certain way, and the yellow lines will adjust accordingly, showing you the expected path of the vehicle. As you can see, I am right now reversing into the gate.

No more neck twisting, left-arm-behind-passenger-seat type of reversing. This makes your driving experience a tad more pleasurable – and in today’s high end cars, it is the little things that make the biggest difference, no?

Basic Info:

Car Name: Toyota Land Cruiser Prado

Model: 2003

Registered: 2004

Price: PKR 3.5 Million

Color: Silver

P.S. I will be uploading the pictures as soon as I get the review in place, God willing.

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