Skoda's OCTAVIA is back with a bang !!

The Skoda's flagship model Octavia which was discontinued in 2010 is now back again to rule the D-segment ! The new Octavia is a size bigger than the last generation model and will compete with the likes of Volkswagen's Jetta , Hyundai's Elantra which is the current segment leader , Chevy Cruze and Toyota Altis.

The New generation Octavia is based upon an all-new MQB platform , The car in india is being offered with more powerful engine options one of them giving a whopping 177 Bhp !!
Ofcourse there's the exhaustive features list which includes a massive sunroof , a powered drivers seat with memory , 6-cd changer system , bluetooth , parking sensors, dual-zone climate control , keyless entry, Led daytime running lamps, HID and what not. wheww ! And also theres the practicality of the boot opening both like a hatch and sedan !
The Octavia is being offered with 3 engine options that is the 1.4L TSI  (PETROL ) , 1.8L TSI (PETROL ) And the 2.0 L TDI (DIESEL ,also available in automatic) . The different variant includes Active ,Ambition , Elegance .
The 1.8TSI is only available in the Top-end elegance trim , the 1.4TSI is only available with the base and mid variants that is Active and Ambition. also in the 2.0TDI The elegance trim is available with option of manual or automatic gearbox.
The prices for the different models -

Active
1.4 TSI- 13.95 LACKS
2.0 TDI DIESEL  15.55 LACKS

Ambition
1.4 TSI - 14.95LACKS
2.0TDI- 16.55LACKS (MANUAL) , 17.55 (AUTOMATIC)

Elegance
1.8 TSI - 18.25 LACKS
2.0 TDI- 19.45 LACKS (AUTOMATIC)

The OCTAVIA is a very competent car and would be the new D-segment leader with over 1000 bookings already done in the first month of launch
Skoda now just needs to improve its after-sales network and servicing :)

The Comparo ! Amaze versus Etios .

Honda's Amaze and Toyota'S Etios  comes into the picture when you think of the entry level sedan segment but which is the best among them ?? ! Here's a detailed review and comparo of the two of them !!

Starting with the latest from the Honda stable

Honda AMAZE .

With the Honda Amaze , Honda launched its first ever diesel engine in India the 1.5 I-DTEC , This car is nothing but a sedan version of the Honda's Brio but with superb practicality and a spacious cabin this car has been a hit , selling around 10,000 units per month.

Honda's Amaze comes with 2 engine options : 1.2 litre petrol engine (I-VTEC) and the 1.5 diesel engine ( I-DTEC)  The honda amaze is available in around 6 variants the most value for money being the S variant ofcourse as it gets almost all the features which the the top-end VX has got but however in the current traffic scenario getting a car with airbags and Abs is a must hence if the budget permits its best to go for VX 

Now talking about the interiors, The Amaze retaining the same dashboard as the Brio which is simple and easy to use , and ofcourse there's the Honda's Qaulity of materials however some important features which are missing is a CD-player (you get a USB/AUX UNIT ), No climate control but electrically folding mirrors is a segment first. 

The cabin is very spacious and the knee room is also good being a sedan version of small hatch.

Amaze is Value for money and reliable choice and will make your hearts amazed !!! :)

Toyota Etios 

The Toyota Etios is the first ever budget car from Toyota, I  would say the first car from Toyota to be priced under 10L , 

The etios has 2 engine variants the 1.5petrol and 1.4 diesel 

The Etios however lacks the appeal and the evident cost cutting by Toyota has made this car rather a flop in the segment , 

The Car even though having a practical spacious cabin , inside it lacks a premium feel and cheap bits all around , the centre mounted instrument cluster is not everyone's taste and and the overall design of the car is all plain jane and dated , the rear of the car is really a heartbreaker. Dont know what the designers at Toyota were thinking while designing it. 

Etios being a VFM has failed to impress and ofcourse you dont buy a car just because Toyota is known for its reliability !!

The Verdict 

The Honda's Amaze is clear winner and is the car to buy in the segment.

Other car worth considering is Fiat Linea classic ( budget model of Linea)

Hyundai GRAND i10 !

Grand i10 is the latest launch from the Hyundai's stable !! The Grand i10 is not basically a replacement of the older i10 with older i10 still in production though the company has stopped the top variants of the i10, 

Now this car has been placed between the very small space between the older i10 and the i20.

The Hyundai Grand i10 has many of the features which cars of higher segments have , This car is based on  a new platform and ofcourse the fluidic culture is there ! The Grand i10 even bein a hatch has a rear ac vent , a 1GB on board memory music system , a keyless start and go and lots more and also an automatic variant available.

This car comes with both a 1.2 litre petrol engine and a 1.1litre diesel engine and with mileage of 18kmpl and 22kmpl respectively ( ARAI tested , may vary in city conditions ) and with prices starting from just 4.23 lacks base petrol and going upto 6.5 lacks for top end diesel ( ex-showroom delhi ) this car is value for money product and is already a hit in its segment with sales being a whopping 11,500 units per month and growing

So if you are in the market for a hatch which is easy to drive in the city and is feature loaded its grand i10 to go for :)

City is back to dominate the mid sized sedan market yet again !!

With HONDA lacking a Diesel engine technology for quite a while, Honda had lost its appeal and charm and with the ever growing petrol prices.. People tend to prefer diesels .So in mid 2013 Honda launched its first diesel engine 1.5 I-DTEC engine in the Honda Amaze which is the sedan version of Honda's Brio !!

Come 25th November and Honda launched the 2014 Honda City with ofcourse the same 1.5 I-DTEC diesel and I-VTEC petrol .. With Amazes popularity and Honda enjoying the success of its diesel it did not wait to launch this all new Honda city.

The 2014 Honda city however is based upon its previous version but has been redesigned to be more comfortable , wider and spacious! The previous CITY lacked many of the essential features like climate control , audio system without a cd player , rear ac vents to name a few.
But this time Honda has not sacrifised anything ! , The new city has got all the bells and whistles a typical Indian buyer would want with rear ac vents , a 5 inch touchscreen display audio head unit , sunroof, start/stop button , cruise control, rear parking camera with different views . There is also the famous Dolphin shaped antenna found on BMW's there in the 2014 HONDA CITY
The petrol engine has been carried from the older Honda and re tuned for more efficiency and ofcourse theres I-DTEC diesel ,However Honda hasnt yet unvieled the ARAI figures for the Honda City !

Expect the prices to start from 8 lacks for base petrol going upto 11.5 lacks for top diesel variants !!
Hyundai Verna you have got some real competition boy !
Honda would start deliveries by only mid-jan ... soo all you pottential buyers keep you cheque books ready
ofcourse Honda name is enough for you to put your money on. :)

mahindra quanto

Mahindra always said that it would never produce small hatch'S but with the launch of the Mahindra quanto on 20th sept they surely wish to enter a rather very competitive segment the hot hatch or large hatch segment , this car isnt really a hatchback but is a scaled down version of the successful Mahindra Xylo ,This car would have all the features which a regular Xylo has but may even get more then those , According to the sources it may even have a 7 seat arrangement which would may make it cramped for the last row passengers but the middle row would have a class leading space and plastic quality on the car maybe of a higher quality one.. the prices for this mini xylo or the QUANTO may start at a mouth watering 6lacks rupees . If priced right mahindra surely has one more winner in its hands after the scorpio ,xylo and the XUV500 .

The FORD Surprise : ECOSPORT

Early next year FORD will bring a surprise to India that is the FORD ECOSPORT , This Is a mini-SUV which is based on the ford fiesta platform ! Ford has always made its car a fun to drive and has the best in class handling ....The Ecosport holds this tradition and is a true drivers car !!! As the ecosport is based on the fiesta platform ..it is obvious that it would share some critical parts like the overall dashboard design ,This  car or rather a mini-SUV will get segment first features like the rain sensing wipers , automatic headlamps and etc ! The overall car's design is simply elegant and outstanding , there is hardly a difference between the concept model and the production model which is indeed a good thing ford has done,the wraparound tail lamps , the big mouth like chin in the front look fabulous. This car according to the market sources maybe priced at about 6-7 lakhs which means its gonna kill the large hatchback segment .This mini-SUV is surely a threat to other companies and when it is launched early next year its going to shake the 6-7 lakh segment . Ford has yet another winner after the figo . 

facelifted Hyundai i20 !

Hyundai unveiled the Facelifted i20 at the GENEVA MOTOR SHOW ! T he new i20 has a pinch of the fluidic sclupture design language to it and the changes are limited to cosmetics !! The changes include  The front bumper is completely new with re-styled housings for the fog lamps and a much-wider chin. The hood design is also updated possibly due to the new EU crash-test regulations. Styling changes to the rear include a new bumper and re-profiled tail lamps. It also gets new alloy-wheel designs. The updated i20 also features minor tweaks to the interiors.The i20 is a hot seller and after these changes hyundai is deifnately going to have long ques outside its showrooms