Maruti Suzuki Launches The S-Presso For The Indian Market

Today Maruti has launched their latest car for the Indian market – the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso. The S-Presso is a ‘micro-SUV’ which is built on Maruti Suzuki’s Heartect platform. Other Maruti cars such as the Wagon-R, Swift, Dzire are also based on the Heartect platform. The dimensions on the S-Presso are quite compact which makes it very well suited in city conditions, parking and maneuvering in tight spaces will be a breeze. The S-Presso has a good ground clearance which enables to take a beating and tackle our Indian road conditions with ease.

     The styling and design of the S-Presso are based on the Maruti Future S Concept car which was showcased at the Auto Expo 2018. At the front, you notice a squared-off front end and high bonnet-line. The halogen headlamps are well integrated with the grille and the Daytime Running Lamps (DRLs) are placed below the headlamps. At the rear, the S-Presso gets a clean and simple tail end with a high rear bumper line. Hauling luggage into the boot might be a slight challenge due to the high access point for the boot. Given the compact dimensions of the car, the luggage space at the rear seems well suited for a weekend picnic. Step inside and you will be welcomed to a refreshing change in cabin layout by Maruti Suzuki. The S-Presso gets an all-black theme for the interior. The center console is the star of the show here. An orange Mini-like circular insert encompasses the touchscreen infotainment system and centrally mounted tachometer, odometer. In the safety department, the S-Presso comes equipped with ABS, driver and co-driver airbags, speed warning alert system, etc. The S-Presso gets a good equipment list – 7.0-inch touchscreen SmartPlay Studio infotainment system, steering mounted controls, etc. Powering the S-Presso is Maruti’s BS-VI compliant K10B 1.0 L petrol engine which makes a good 68 bhp of max power and has a torque output of 90 nm. This engine is a tried and tested one, superbly reliable and as efficient as can be! The engine will be mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox and an AMT.

   The S-Presso will take on the likes of the Renault Kwid, which is due for a facelift just around the corner. Maruti has informed the S-Presso will be sold across Maruti Suzuki Arena network of dealerships. With prices starting at Rs.3.69 lakh onwards, it shall be interesting to see how the Maruti Suzuki S-Presso competes in the market.  

  

Hyundai Venue: One Of India's Best Value For Money Cars

The Indian market is a value-centric one. Most Indian customers make their buying decisions basis value for money factor derived from a product or service. The Indian car market is one of the best places to witness such consumer behaviour and buying patterns. The Indian car market has a wide variety of cars on offer from Rs.1.5 lakh all the way to upwards of Rs.5 crore…yet cars below the Rs.12 Lakh mark make up the bulk sales. Car manufacturers who consistently provide value for money cars at a competitive price have been reaping rewards in the Indian market – just ask Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai! Both Maruti and Hyundai have championed the value for money factor with cars such as the Santro, Alto, Swift, i10, Wagon R, Ciaz, Creta etc. The latest addition to this amazing list of cars is the Hyundai Venue compact-SUV. The Venue is a superb value for money car with all the ingredients to make it one of Hyundai’s most successful cars of recent times. We find out what makes the Hyundai Venue a superb package for the Indian customer.

    Thorough market research and customer feedback are the stepping stones for making a successful product. Ever since the launch of the Santro, Hyundai’s first car for the Indian market…the Korean car giant has excelled by listening to the demands, wants of the consumers and successfully implementing the same in their cars for India. The Hyundai Venue is a compact-SUV which is positioned under the Creta and is Hyundai’s entry-level SUV offering for the Indian market. Your first impressions of the Venue might be that it looks like a smaller Creta; however, though there is quite a bit of resemblance the Venue does have subtle differences. The Venue has a neat front end with a sleek LED strip in place of the headlamps, just below are the projector headlamps with an LED DRL (daytime running lamp) surround. A large hexagonal grille takes centre stage, giving the Hyundai Venue a good stance and road presence. At the rear, the Venue has a rather simple and clean design which complements its compact dimensions well. The compact dimensions of the Venue make it a great companion to have in the city, urban environment where traffic and parking woes are a major concern. Moving inside the Hyundai Venue has a practical and well laid out cabin. Quality of materials used is pretty good, with the fit and finish scoring well. Yes, odd hard plastics are present but that’s not a deal-breaker. The Venue shares quite a few design elements and features with other Hyundai cars, which is not a bad thing as the cabin is quite modern and inviting. The Venue has good space in the backseat, fitting 3 adults sitting abreast will be easy. Though on long journeys, with respect to passenger comfort the backseat space is ideal for 2 adults. The addition of a charging socket for the rear passengers is a practical addition. The Hyundai Venue when launched was the first ‘Connected’ car in the country, equipped to the brim with a whole host of tech and connectivity features. Sitting atop the centre console is an 8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system which comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The connected features on the infotainment system of the Venue blow the competition apart! The system comes with its own dedicated embedded sim-card which allows the user and car to be connected always. Ever wanted to start your car and air conditioning to your desired temperature before you sit in your car? Well, Hyundai has made this possible! Using Hyundai’s BlueLink app, a user can remotely start or stop the car, start the air conditioning, unlock/lock the car. Now that’s some amazing practicality all at brilliant value for money proposition! Other tech features include – navigation, voice recognition, geofencing, vehicle information, driving data etc. On the safety side, the Venue is well equipped with features such as ABS, ESC, Hill-Start Assist, parking cameras and sensors, dual front airbags for the front passengers and the top-end variant also gets side and curtain airbags. The BlueLink system comes equipped with on-call emergency assistance and Road Side Assistance (RSA). The Venue comes with a good high driving position and great visibility. When you drive the Venue, you will be assured and confident of nipping in and out of small gaps while evading the gruelling traffic hours. The compact dimensions also play a crucial role in the city as ease of parking is enabled. The Venue also comes equipped with an electric sunroof and wireless charging (available in the top-end spec variant). The Venue gets decent driving dynamics well suited for city driving conditions, good balance and stability on the highway. The Venue is not a car to drive in a spirited manner, best driven in a leisurely manner. The Venue is powered by a choice of 3 engines – a 1.2 L petrol engine producing 82 bhp of max power, a 1.0 L turbocharged petrol engine producing 118 bhp of max power, a 1.4 L diesel engine producing 89 bhp of max power output. All engines are mated to a manual gearbox with the 1.0 L turbo petrol engine getting a 7-speed DCT automatic gearbox. The DCT gearbox is absolutory effortless to drive and our pick of the lot in the segment. We drove the petrol automatic variant and were convinced that this is a great marriage perfect for our traffic-laden driving conditions. All customers looking to get a great petrol automatic under Rs.13-14 lakh should consider the Hyundai Venue. In the Venue, Hyundai really has a winner on their hands!

   Hyundai does seem to have a knack of getting things spot on with their cars for the Indian market. With the Venue, they seem to have hit the correct nerves yet again. So, in a nutshell, what does the Hyundai Venue offer a customer? – A well designed compact urban SUV, with superb value for money proposition, loaded to the brim with all the bells and whistles you can ask for, a connected car system which leverages technology to make driving a breeze for the user…all this at an extremely competitive price point! We at AutoGuru are quite certain the Hyundai Venue is one of the best value for money cars you can buy in the Indian market today. 

Understanding Your Car: Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Driving a car is a constantly engaging process for the driver. Braking and handling are amongst the most crucial components of driving. The active safety of a car depends on the way a driver safely brakes and handles the car. Car handling refers to how a car responds to the inputs of the driver (braking, turning, accelerating etc.) and how it moves along in the desired direction of travel. A car being a wheeled vehicle is prone to understeer and oversteer. Understeer occurs when a car turns less than the steering input made by the driver. Whereas oversteer occurs when a car turns more than the steering input made by the driver. When a car experiences understeer or an oversteer situation the driver loses control of his vehicle and this often leads to an accident which can be fatal. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) is safety technology which mitigates the risk of understeer, oversteer during a critical driving situation and helps the driver regain control of the car due to lack of stability. Let’s find out more about this safety technology.

   ESC technology was introduced in 1995 with the Mercedes-Benz being the first car manufacturer to introduce ESC in their Mercedes-Benz S 600 Coupe. This technology was jointly developed by Mercedes and Bosch. When the car tires are in contact with the road surface traction is produced. As a result of this traction, the car travels along the road in the direction desired by the driver. A loss of traction often results in the driver losing control of the car. An ESC system is a computerized system which improves the stability of the car by detecting traction or loss of steering control and prevents the car from understeer, oversteer. ESC comes to the rescue during evasive manoeuvres and comes very handy when driving on low traction surfaces such as slippery, icy road conditions. An ESC system has multiple components – a steering wheel sensor, yaw control sensor, accelerometer and a wheel speed monitor. The yaw control sensor monitors the lateral or sideways movement of the car, while the steering wheel sensor keeps a check on whether the car is travelling in the desired direction of the input given by the driver. The ESC systems spring into action when it detects a loss of steering control of the car. When ESC is activated, the system takes corrective measures to ensure the car is brought back on route safely. In case of an understeer situation – the ESC system automatically applies brakes on the rear wheel of the car, to control and bring the car back on the desired direction of travel. In case of an oversteer situation – the ESC system applies brakes on the front wheel of the car, to control and bring the car back on the desired direction of travel. ABS and ESC are technologies that work parallelly to ensure the safety of the passengers and car. The Indian government has made it mandatory for all cars in the country to be equipped with ESC. The great thing about ESC is the fact that it is always on! The next time you see the ESC warning light flashing in your car, make sure to get it checked with a mechanic or your service station.

   ESC is often regarded as the most important car safety technology invention after the seatbelt. ESC plays a crucial in not only preventing damage caused by accidents but more importantly in saving countless lives. There goes an old cliché – respect, take care of your car and in return, your car will take care of you!