New TVS Jive
Qualifying for your dream job without undergoing the trauma of hitting your head against High School Mathematics, driving the finest cars made in the history of carkind without struggling to get the half clutch and then accelerate mantra right and looking drop-dead gorgeous even in a pair of grubby jeans and worn out T-shirt. Is that your idea of ‘hassle free’? If not, then what is?
I had a hassle free morning some time back. Early morning roads in the capital are nothing better than a bunch of chickens let loose. Reaching school on time tops the priority list of the parents (still in their funny night suits), bus and cab drivers (honk honk, I pay more road tax. So, let me go!) and pedestrians (kids being pulled by the nannies like a little pup in leash). Making your way through the morning hugger mugger is like hitting boundary on a yorker. This was the same hassle free morning. And why hassle free, because I had a clutch-free ride.
I was riding new TVS Jive, the no tension bike. Quite true.
The idea of auto clutch and rotary gearbox isn’t very new to Indian moto market. Hero Honda’s Street came out with a similar idea, but couldn’t vouch on the ‘hassle free’ bit. Jive has come at a time when daily commuters are going heavier and bulkier with every sunrise, gearless scooters are gaining popularity like never before and traffic jams have become a major part of our daily habits. It has a long way to go.
TVS’ idea behind keeping minimal styling is very clear. You buy Jive because your daily riding is a mission and not an excursion. Any gear start/stop, 110cc engine’s fuel economy, light weight and pocket-friendly pricing don’t leave any room for not making an adjustment with the regular looks of the bike. TVS has applied for the copyright of the T-matic technology (rotary gearbox mechanism) and promise for nothing more but a lowered stressed quotient during your ride.
Some extra freebies are electric start, 17” alloys and telescopic front. The ride isn’t very power packed unlike a daily 100cc commuter, but hands-free gear shift will surely make it popular amongst old riders. Statuary warning, this bike isn’t meant for you if you expect the needle to house the redline. 8.4 bhp and 8.3 Nm aren’t very bad figures, though. Travelling from point A to B and Jive serves the purpose really well.
At Rs 43……. It is worth the tag. So, next time when you wrap your legs around the Jive, make better use of the left hand and wave to the school-going kids. You aren’t doing anything much with your hand, but an innocent smile will surely make your day. :)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Volvocanic eruption
NEW VOLVO S80 D5
Try and say these lines five times in a row, “Wobble wobble Volvo won’t. Wibble wobble Wolverine goes”.
I know I have a very bright career as a writer of tongue-twisters. The only problem is that I love doing what I do. And what I do is, drive cars. I drove the Beemer and fell in love with it. I drove the Audi and lost my heart to its twinkling eyes. I drove the Mercedes and wanted to be an astronaut and live with the tri-legged stars. And then, I drove the Volvo.
Did I make it sound like I drove a fighter plane? I am sorry if I did. The Volvo S80 D5 isn't the best car I’ve driven or even the most luxurious car I’ve been in, but it gave me my first Volvo experience. It was with me for two days and I didn't miss her after she left. Sounds like a very short love story, but that is exactly what it was.
It shares the same universe as an Audi A6, BMW 520d and Mercedes E 250 CDI Blue Efficiency. Still, being a sprouting player in the industry; Volvo has miles to go and no time to sleep.
I haven't seen the earlier Volvos, but what I read about this one is that the new D5 has shun the shackles of being a boxy luxury drive. I really like the front grille and the Volvo emblem in its heart. The bold lines and sharp edges and you sniff authority. But, I think it still looks like your old school Mathematics teacher who was quite a terror, even if you met her in the marketplace. You better be in the best of your formals and with the highest degree of sophistication if you're around the Volvo. The headlamps fail to keep up to the mark on a pitch dark night. The rear is simple.
Looking at the car and making comments about it is the last thing which crosses your mind when you have a 2 liter, common rail D5 with twin turbos standing in front of you. The spec sheet reads 205 hp and 420 Nm, but seeing (in this case, driving) is believing. So, fasten your seatbelts, we are ready for take off.
I have learnt the 5 Ws and 1H of writing and I wish to share the 5 Ls of Volvo with you. Lean, long, low but loud and lethargic at the same time.
The engine, with diesel flowing in its veins, you expect it to be noisy. But, there is a difference between a carol and opera. The noise manages to fool the guards on the gates, spies on the windows and reaches your ears. I am sure you don't want to think about moving valves and pistons while enjoying the luxury of your car. No paddle shifts! That means, while driving in the sports mode, the gearshift enjoys the undivided attention of your left hand. The steering is firm and nice and your left hand is definitely feeling jealous of its right counterpart. If only you give me a chance to make your life better, I'll tell you that you can happily keep both of your hands around the steering wheel and drive in the automatic mode only because the 6-speed transmission feels sluggish. How sluggish? I finished singing "Bohemian Rhapsody" before the car hit the 100 kmph mark. The 18-inch Michelins rolling under my feet promised a lot more.
But a mind boggling drive wasn't what I was expecting from the D5. Comfort, Reliability and Safety was. Volvo has always won brownie points for making safe cars. Particulate filters, Intelligent driver information system, adaptive brake lights, dynamic stability and traction control- heavy names but life-saving functions. Volvo gives you a feeling on being in a cocoon, a fortress or better, in your mother's womb. That safe.
Stylish and classy for me, has always been synonymous to less loaded, simple and easy. And therefore, the dash which waits for me in the new D5 is very classy, indeed. I don't know much about wood, but I think the wood used in the dash looks awesome. The seats are as comfortable as the guy who coined the word wanted comfortable to be. Sitting on the rear seats did not satisfy my craving to move my fingers over a lot of tiny, black buttons. But, there was a whole lot of legroom and comfort for me in there, along with a baby seat in the arm-rest. How difficult do you think it is to put a paranoid passenger, who doesn't trust anyone on wheels but herself, to sleep? I confess, I dozed off more than twice.
I like the Volvo for a lot of things. I don't like the Volvo for a lot of other things. But, I know that if I ever have a family and I want them to be sitting in the safest car present, I need not worry. They have six dealerships so far, but expansion is very well on cards for Volvo. So, I will get a Volvo for my family, no matter which part of the country I decide to reside in.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Classically classing the Classic
The RE Classic 500 Ride
I don’t have any idea as to what the title of this vaguely written article means. But, this was just a classic little attempt to make it look very royal, prestigious and most importantly ‘Classic’.
The night before the shoot, I was in office till 1 I remember, trying to put the jumbled bits of some other shoot into place ( things can really be so frustrating when you head wants to sleep and the ache doesn’t go away..!!!). The same evening at around 4, I was told that all my efforts to fix my date with the Queen of torque, grandeur, stature (errr… read icy blue RE Classic 500) have been triumphant and that the lady would arrive at our office by 6.30 pm. You all must be very well acquainted with the feeling of disbelief, butterflies in tummy, eagerness and exhilaration like meeting that long forgotten cousin who is coming from the US of A after 20 long, hard-spent years. Not a relative but something with a stronger relation was coming.
Even God doesn’t now why, but I had the first paragraph of that smokey Anil Kapoor and Sridevi’s- sari falling, rain pouring romantic song from Mr. India (yeah u goteeet..!!) playing at the back of my mind; repeatedly. And then, before my eyes could accept what they saw as the truth, my fingers could pinch me, my mouth could shut (yeah, it was wide open), I heard the THUMP from quite a distance and I knew that my lady was there.
Ahhhh… how difficult it gets to put the expressions into right words. She stood next to this overdriven (don't read between the words) office cab; like fairy Godmother, the exhaust shone like holy halo (yeah, a tongue twister there), the blue body dazzled like freshly melted snow, headlamp appeared like Captain’s hat and the speedometer like a remembro of the past. In short, Classic 500 was the lady of my dreams standing in front of me and that too when I had no plans of jigging like a kid looking at her. But then, she did deserve a “wohhoooo”…!!! And an "awwwww.." and a "Just look at her" and "OMG! Is this for real!". Yes, expressions tend to go overboard at times like these.
The next morning, my finest leather came out (errrr.. the boots and the jacket were being ignored from quite some time, all thanks to Delhiis scorching heat ), open-face helmet wiped and cleaned and there came out ‘Riders of the Storm’.
Yeah, you do have self start in the new one, but who would be an idiot to miss the kickass feeling of kicking it to life! But wait, the pillion seat is missing! Wow, not a very good idea for me to be sitting on the mud-guard, is it? After wasting some more time putting the pillion seat (well it surely does take more than 5 minutes’ time to put that thing, unlike what Mr. Lal said it’d take), we were just so ready to hit the highway and head to Manesar. Why Manesar, because an excellent cruiser would not settle down for anything less than the picturesque highways of Manesar. So, there we go.
Manesar is exactly the kind of place you see in Nat Geo documentaries. Foothills of Aravallis, dry hills, few dhabas on the way, trucks lined up on the left, mirage on the roads and a blue cruiser thumping it's way to glory. Wearing leathers on a hot sunny day is enough to show that you're crazy and with a colour that blue, you're lucky crazy, I say. **wink wink**
Modern day sportsbike-like gearshift (1 down, 4-up) and the gear-lever on the left, this Royal Enfield has got her facials and wardrobe change done.
"Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Quite true and for Classic 500 and the UCE (Unit Construction Engine), it won't be wrong to call it a neat and more efficient gun. Royal Enfield lovers stand out of the crowd because of their nothing-else-will-do attitude and why not, they earn it for themselves.
After doing a bit of nabbing with the confused traffic we were ready to swim back. The day was full of vibrations, bum ache, bones rattled but there was still something about that day which has marked it as one of the very few riding days of my life that I wish never end. :)
I don’t have any idea as to what the title of this vaguely written article means. But, this was just a classic little attempt to make it look very royal, prestigious and most importantly ‘Classic’.
The night before the shoot, I was in office till 1 I remember, trying to put the jumbled bits of some other shoot into place ( things can really be so frustrating when you head wants to sleep and the ache doesn’t go away..!!!). The same evening at around 4, I was told that all my efforts to fix my date with the Queen of torque, grandeur, stature (errr… read icy blue RE Classic 500) have been triumphant and that the lady would arrive at our office by 6.30 pm. You all must be very well acquainted with the feeling of disbelief, butterflies in tummy, eagerness and exhilaration like meeting that long forgotten cousin who is coming from the US of A after 20 long, hard-spent years. Not a relative but something with a stronger relation was coming.
Even God doesn’t now why, but I had the first paragraph of that smokey Anil Kapoor and Sridevi’s- sari falling, rain pouring romantic song from Mr. India (yeah u goteeet..!!) playing at the back of my mind; repeatedly. And then, before my eyes could accept what they saw as the truth, my fingers could pinch me, my mouth could shut (yeah, it was wide open), I heard the THUMP from quite a distance and I knew that my lady was there.
Ahhhh… how difficult it gets to put the expressions into right words. She stood next to this overdriven (don't read between the words) office cab; like fairy Godmother, the exhaust shone like holy halo (yeah, a tongue twister there), the blue body dazzled like freshly melted snow, headlamp appeared like Captain’s hat and the speedometer like a remembro of the past. In short, Classic 500 was the lady of my dreams standing in front of me and that too when I had no plans of jigging like a kid looking at her. But then, she did deserve a “wohhoooo”…!!! And an "awwwww.." and a "Just look at her" and "OMG! Is this for real!". Yes, expressions tend to go overboard at times like these.
The next morning, my finest leather came out (errrr.. the boots and the jacket were being ignored from quite some time, all thanks to Delhiis scorching heat ), open-face helmet wiped and cleaned and there came out ‘Riders of the Storm’.
Yeah, you do have self start in the new one, but who would be an idiot to miss the kickass feeling of kicking it to life! But wait, the pillion seat is missing! Wow, not a very good idea for me to be sitting on the mud-guard, is it? After wasting some more time putting the pillion seat (well it surely does take more than 5 minutes’ time to put that thing, unlike what Mr. Lal said it’d take), we were just so ready to hit the highway and head to Manesar. Why Manesar, because an excellent cruiser would not settle down for anything less than the picturesque highways of Manesar. So, there we go.
Manesar is exactly the kind of place you see in Nat Geo documentaries. Foothills of Aravallis, dry hills, few dhabas on the way, trucks lined up on the left, mirage on the roads and a blue cruiser thumping it's way to glory. Wearing leathers on a hot sunny day is enough to show that you're crazy and with a colour that blue, you're lucky crazy, I say. **wink wink**
Modern day sportsbike-like gearshift (1 down, 4-up) and the gear-lever on the left, this Royal Enfield has got her facials and wardrobe change done.
"Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Quite true and for Classic 500 and the UCE (Unit Construction Engine), it won't be wrong to call it a neat and more efficient gun. Royal Enfield lovers stand out of the crowd because of their nothing-else-will-do attitude and why not, they earn it for themselves.
After doing a bit of nabbing with the confused traffic we were ready to swim back. The day was full of vibrations, bum ache, bones rattled but there was still something about that day which has marked it as one of the very few riding days of my life that I wish never end. :)
The Diary of a lovesick.. (My beloved, but not anymore- VW Beetle)
"Anyone who sees and paints a sky green and fields blue ought to be sterilized". Why I write this? Because this is the second funniest statement I think Adolf Hitler ever made. The first one was about Beetle being a people's car. Well, back in 1939 when this little bug was called Volkswagen Type-I and fancy advertisements in newspapers asked you to "Five marks a week you must put aside- If in your own car you want to ride" (Germans are very funny indeed) calling it a car for the masses must've been more rational but with the New VW Beetle, the one I drove, it truly looks like another good joke by the Germans. But the name still remains "Volks-Wagen".
Sometimes I wonder if the Indian auto market will ever be taken as anything more than the best dumping ground by International players. Ah anyways, launched globally in 1998 the new Beetle touched the holy land of grubby Ganges, vanishing Yamuna, mother cow choking to death nourishing on polyethene bags, off-road experience on national highways and blowing horn being an additional fundamental right, in short, our very own country, India in 2009. And then began the unending stories of advance bookings, cars driving down to Ludhiana, Mumbai and Bangalore before the rest of the country could actually catch a glimpse of the most popular car in the history of carkind.
From Ferdinand's idea of a small car to transport 2 adults and price of a motorcycle, to the latest fashion statement with a price tag enough to support the elementary education of 20 kids in India, Beetle has traveled a long way. By now you get a very clear idea of how disappointed I am with the new bug. But still, talking a little about it won't do any harm to anyone living or dead. A 2.0 liter transverse-mounted, water cooled petrol engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission. What else should I say? Falling short of words, looking for things to write, recalling that yellow thing which stood in the office porch for three days but no help.
Hmmm… Let me think. She looks lovely. Her round sparkling eyes (they even shine at night you know) the crease of the hood pervades like a cute grin from her left cheek to the right. She is comfortably high for the ugly bumps on the road. Or should I say, the bumps fail to touch my baby's floor coz of her high heels. Bootilicious she is, with some good meat err.. space in the boot.
Excellent build quality and ne plus ultra paintwork. The built quality on the outside, unfortunately doesn't trickle into the cabin. Beige interiors (you also have black as an option) are a pleasant sight indeed, but go close to the dash, knock on the plastic and you feel cheated. The plastic quality in the cabin doesn't match up to the brand name. Even the iconic flower vase which has always enjoyed a special place in the advertisements, looks borrowed.
The entire styling in the cabin has been done keeping the bug's poppy eyes in mind. Therefore, A/C vents, stereo system, meter cluster are all in an oval shape. An MP3 player on the stereo panel, 6-CD changer in the arm-rest, Aux-in port, 4 airbags (2 for driver and passenger still make sense, but I fail to understand the idea of putting 2 airbags in the B-pillar when there is just no space for anything even an inch bigger than your golf bag. And that too, if you put it horizontally) are some of the features this chic offers. You ask me about audio output, I say, 'Yellow Submarine' saved me from getting drowned in the twinge of my ladylove being a neighborhood whore. (LOL).
The front seats have ample legroom for both driver and passenger to change into a fresh pair of trousers in the car. I mean, it is pretty good. Even if you are as tall as my last boyfriend, the air above whose head belonged to a different layer of atmosphere, the headroom wouldn't disappoint you. Well, don't take me seriously here, and make Khali, the wrestler, sit in the car without prior warnings. The power window switches gave me another round of hearty laugh.
Okay, enough about the interiors, I don't want the little thing to cry. Did I tell you how nervous I sometimes feel when I see someone cry? Okay, never mind. A bit of an effort with the 6-speed automatic transmission there and off we go.
If you have seen the episodes of old Mr Bean series, then you must definitely have seen that one when he goes to a garage and is bewildered to see that the hood has no engine under it. After spending countless hours inspecting the bug, they find the engine in the boot! Haha! Well, I was just trying to tell that originally the engine was placed in the rear end of the car and it was a rear wheel drive. But wasn't the story funny? ROFL.
But time is the villain, my friend. New Beetle comes with a 2 liter, front transversely placed, liquid-cooled engine which spits out max power of 114 bhp and max torque of 172 Nm. Sheesh, 'spits' make it look like a Chinese dragon! The car is cute and all that but one thing that I was asking myself repeatedly was, "There are no Prairies, no sheep, no riversides, no Italian men (Mumma says, Italian men are the best lovers), so why the melodramatic drive?" The answer I got (from myself, duhh…) was, because you're driving a Beetle and not a race-car, silly. Good looking, very well advertised, bears a history, a long one at that, is all fine but where is the punch?
"Oh excuse me, did you just say punch? I am sorry, but I don't believe in violence." is what she had to say.
German bimbo! Haven't heard of them! New example of globalization, I say. Ha! But still, the New Beetle comes from the family of 1.8TSIs, A4s, Skoda Octavias, but lacks the feel. Now you know what, when, where, how, why this loverdoo's heart was broken.
I had even booked travel packages for me and my lady love to the fine roads of Italy, where my princess feels at home. Just her, me and Clapton in the background. She gives me cold shivers with her A/C and makes me feel weak in knees when I bend down ultra low to take those heavy bags out of the boot. But, she left me for a fancy face-lift.
Sigh.. I think I must go back to my other ladylove now. These kids call her Cinquecento these days. ;)
Sometimes I wonder if the Indian auto market will ever be taken as anything more than the best dumping ground by International players. Ah anyways, launched globally in 1998 the new Beetle touched the holy land of grubby Ganges, vanishing Yamuna, mother cow choking to death nourishing on polyethene bags, off-road experience on national highways and blowing horn being an additional fundamental right, in short, our very own country, India in 2009. And then began the unending stories of advance bookings, cars driving down to Ludhiana, Mumbai and Bangalore before the rest of the country could actually catch a glimpse of the most popular car in the history of carkind.
From Ferdinand's idea of a small car to transport 2 adults and price of a motorcycle, to the latest fashion statement with a price tag enough to support the elementary education of 20 kids in India, Beetle has traveled a long way. By now you get a very clear idea of how disappointed I am with the new bug. But still, talking a little about it won't do any harm to anyone living or dead. A 2.0 liter transverse-mounted, water cooled petrol engine with a 6-speed automatic transmission. What else should I say? Falling short of words, looking for things to write, recalling that yellow thing which stood in the office porch for three days but no help.
Hmmm… Let me think. She looks lovely. Her round sparkling eyes (they even shine at night you know) the crease of the hood pervades like a cute grin from her left cheek to the right. She is comfortably high for the ugly bumps on the road. Or should I say, the bumps fail to touch my baby's floor coz of her high heels. Bootilicious she is, with some good meat err.. space in the boot.
Excellent build quality and ne plus ultra paintwork. The built quality on the outside, unfortunately doesn't trickle into the cabin. Beige interiors (you also have black as an option) are a pleasant sight indeed, but go close to the dash, knock on the plastic and you feel cheated. The plastic quality in the cabin doesn't match up to the brand name. Even the iconic flower vase which has always enjoyed a special place in the advertisements, looks borrowed.
The entire styling in the cabin has been done keeping the bug's poppy eyes in mind. Therefore, A/C vents, stereo system, meter cluster are all in an oval shape. An MP3 player on the stereo panel, 6-CD changer in the arm-rest, Aux-in port, 4 airbags (2 for driver and passenger still make sense, but I fail to understand the idea of putting 2 airbags in the B-pillar when there is just no space for anything even an inch bigger than your golf bag. And that too, if you put it horizontally) are some of the features this chic offers. You ask me about audio output, I say, 'Yellow Submarine' saved me from getting drowned in the twinge of my ladylove being a neighborhood whore. (LOL).
The front seats have ample legroom for both driver and passenger to change into a fresh pair of trousers in the car. I mean, it is pretty good. Even if you are as tall as my last boyfriend, the air above whose head belonged to a different layer of atmosphere, the headroom wouldn't disappoint you. Well, don't take me seriously here, and make Khali, the wrestler, sit in the car without prior warnings. The power window switches gave me another round of hearty laugh.
Okay, enough about the interiors, I don't want the little thing to cry. Did I tell you how nervous I sometimes feel when I see someone cry? Okay, never mind. A bit of an effort with the 6-speed automatic transmission there and off we go.
If you have seen the episodes of old Mr Bean series, then you must definitely have seen that one when he goes to a garage and is bewildered to see that the hood has no engine under it. After spending countless hours inspecting the bug, they find the engine in the boot! Haha! Well, I was just trying to tell that originally the engine was placed in the rear end of the car and it was a rear wheel drive. But wasn't the story funny? ROFL.
But time is the villain, my friend. New Beetle comes with a 2 liter, front transversely placed, liquid-cooled engine which spits out max power of 114 bhp and max torque of 172 Nm. Sheesh, 'spits' make it look like a Chinese dragon! The car is cute and all that but one thing that I was asking myself repeatedly was, "There are no Prairies, no sheep, no riversides, no Italian men (Mumma says, Italian men are the best lovers), so why the melodramatic drive?" The answer I got (from myself, duhh…) was, because you're driving a Beetle and not a race-car, silly. Good looking, very well advertised, bears a history, a long one at that, is all fine but where is the punch?
"Oh excuse me, did you just say punch? I am sorry, but I don't believe in violence." is what she had to say.
German bimbo! Haven't heard of them! New example of globalization, I say. Ha! But still, the New Beetle comes from the family of 1.8TSIs, A4s, Skoda Octavias, but lacks the feel. Now you know what, when, where, how, why this loverdoo's heart was broken.
I had even booked travel packages for me and my lady love to the fine roads of Italy, where my princess feels at home. Just her, me and Clapton in the background. She gives me cold shivers with her A/C and makes me feel weak in knees when I bend down ultra low to take those heavy bags out of the boot. But, she left me for a fancy face-lift.
Sigh.. I think I must go back to my other ladylove now. These kids call her Cinquecento these days. ;)
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