Various advanced equipments have been added in the bike which makes it the best in its segment. Powered with 150cc reformed engine, the bike delivers excellent performance with 14 BHP power. It is equipped with tubeless tyres and alloy wheels and offers best pick-up and mileage combination in the segment. CB Unicorn Dazzler will deliver a mileage of 60 kmpl*. The bike is equipped with maintenance free battery & viscous air filter for more convenience.

The CB Unicorn Dazzler will be available to the customers by the end of May, 2010. The bike will be available in four attractive colours – Armour Gold Metallic, Pearl Nightstar Black, Sword Silver Metallic and Pearl Siena Red. Present at the launch event were: Mr Atsushi Amataka, President, Honda R&D India; Mr Shinji Aoyama, CEO & President, HMSI; along with Mr N.K. Rattan, Operating Head – Sales & Marketing, HMSI.

The below link shows a list of passengers onboard.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tfCk4KBQUfwls4T76yUmObA&output=html

Though the runway was a tricky one, it was 8000 feet long which was sufficient for a 737 to land. But what actually went wrong was that the first point of contact between the flight and the runway wasn’t within the first 2000 feets which led to the overshoot. Reports say that the The plane hit a radar pole just before falling off the cliff.

A table top runway is one such which can be found in hilly areas. Such runways are usually built by leveling hills.

Some news state that the Boeing 737-800 appeared to skid off the table-top runway in rain and plunged into forest atleast 100 feet below.Eight people survived from among 166 passengers and crew on board.

The pilot was Serbian and said to be highly experienced with over 10000 hours flying and with a Commando designation. The co pilot who was an Indian was also experienced.

The flight’s black box has been recovered, the United Arab Emirates state news agency WAM said. Air India official Nambiar said the search for the flight data recorder was still going on.

Dense black smoke billowed from the wreckage of the flaming Boeing 737-800 aircraft in a hilly area with thick grass and trees just outside Mangalore’s Bajpe airport.

There were unconfirmed reports the child taken to a Mangalore hospital with severe burns, but the child’s fate was not immediately known.

Workers pulled scores of burned bodies from the blackened tangle of aircraft cables, twisted metal, charred trees and mud at the crash site. Many of the dead were strapped into their seats, their bodies burned beyond recognition.

Indian officials said that conversations with the cockpit and other records showed the flight was operating normally before the touchdown.

“There was no distress indication from the pilot. That means between the pilot and the airport communication there was no indication of any problem,” V.P. Agarwal, director of Airports Authority of India, told local television.

For years, Ford has been offering only premium priced products in India, and that has kept Ford as a small player operating in only 20 per cent of the market. With Figo, customers will see a premium product offered to the mainstream market at an affordable price.The car would be available with a 1.2 litre petrol and a 1.4 litre diesel engines. While the entry-level version of the petrol variant will come at Rs 3.5 lakh, the diesel one is priced at Rs 4.48 lakh. The company claimed that the car would give a mileage of 15.6 KmpL for the petrol and 20KmpL for Diesel. The company is also planning to export Figo to other countries.

I got a chance to spare some time with my buddies on a demo Figo in my home town and i am here to post my reviews and first impressions. Sure there are some pictures too. Hope it helps all those who are keen to know about the much awaited hot hatch.

Less Agressive Looks

Fusion like rear end.

Neat dash but brick read is not of my choice.

Yet another view of the dash

The demo car was a 1.2L Titanium petrol

Electric boot release for higher variants

Electrically adjustable ORVM

Plastic quality is above average. So is the fit and finish.

Huge boot space: 284L best in its class.

Fiesta rims, tyres and wheel caps

Cool headlight design

Hood release lever placed in the left side.

Remote integrated keys for higher models

No foglamp even in titanium. Its an optional accessory and should be additionally paid.

Models Available:

Petrol: LXi, EXi, ZXi, Titanium

Diesel: LXi, EXi, ZXi, Titanium

The Good

• Rock solid body panels
• Refreshing interiors sans the color
• 1.4 Duratorq Diesel motor in fiesta
• Good drivability and road presence
• Biggest bootspace in its class – 284Litre

The Bad

• Pretty outdated design; lacks the aggressive and radical looks of modern hatches
• The Diesel(68bhp) and Petrol(75bhp) motor offerings are a tad below competition.
• No rear power windows
• Back seat legroom is no were near to competition ( may be because of bigger boot.)
•Ford’s pathetic and costly after sales service

Okay so here goes my initial thoughts.

Exterior

The demo car was a 1.2L petrol Figo and it was the high end variant labeled Titanium. The color was cocktail Green (dont know why many manufacturers use this color for demo cars ) and Figo looked prety good in this shade. Though the exterior design is a bit conservative, it holds a very serious road presence unlike other new generation hatches. Muscular wheel arches with Fiesta wheels, tyres and wheel caps give it a macho look. The rear more or less appeared to me like a mini SUV (again CONFusion?). The fit and finish is great with consistent & relatively small panel gaps. The headlights have a premium molding with smoked out effect. There were no fog lamps in the high end variant and the showroom guy said that it comes only as an accessory and should be additionally paid.(some cost cutting techniques; may be)

Interior

What a color combination baba! What was Ford thinking of when coloring the dash? Did they day dream that brick red color makes the Figo even sexy? Yuck! that color wont go with any body color for sure. But luckily there is an optional black finish. Colors apart, the interior is roomy and really functional. The dash holds a two din music system which has provision to sync 4 blue-tooth devices at a time. The sound quality is above average  though the low frequencies are average.  The dash is compact compared to Chevrolet Beat but holds a big glove box and a conventional instrument cluster. What i liked the most is the electrically adjustable ORVMs on both sides. Then there is the electronic boot release, day and night IRVM, lane change indicator, sudden braking indicator and such goodies. The front seats have big legroom and the rear legroom is comparable to Fiat Punto. Whats interesting is that  the wheelbase of Figo is 3 mm greater than the much costlier Fiesta making it the biggest hatch in its class resulting in a comfortable back seat arrangement and a huge boot space of 284L

Safety & comfort

The car looked solid and promising inside out with strong body panels. Doors close with a typical ‘thud’ sound which again makes it feel strong. There are dual air bags and ABS with EBD in the variant Titanium, making it a safe car. The car is comfortable for city drive and long journeys. The height adjustable driving seat is a boon though its not that necessary because of the compact dash and relatively high driving position. The seats lack lower back support but has commendable under thigh support and has very serious fabric patterns. The rear seat fits 3 adults without much hassle. The steering is well weighted resulting in controlled high speed maneuvering.  There is ample storage space in the doors (esp for water bottles) and also near gear lever. The rear doors lacked power windows which i think they have compromised for the electrically adjustable ORVM.

Engine & performance

Ford offers two engine variants in Figo. The 1.4L Duratorq TDCi diesel in Fiesta 1.4 and a 1.2L scaled down petrol Fiesta motor.

Engine Specifications as follows:

Diesel 1.4L Duratorq TDCi -  68 BHP @ 4000 rpm and 160 NM @ @ 2000 rpm

Petrol 1.2L 16V DOHC all aluminium – 70 BHP @ 6250 rpm and 102 NM @ 4,000 rpm

The Diesel Duratorq does not have the turbo-lag of the Fiat 1.3 Multijet used in Swift, Ritz, Punto, Palio and Vista. This is good for driving in bumper to bumper traffic with out frequent downshifts. But you cannot expect this car to outperform the competition on the highway. This engine is also known for its high fuel economy of around 20KmpL in Fiesta. Expect a bit more mileage from this car although company claims 20KmpL.
The other motor is the 1.2L 16V DOHC petrol all aluminium engine, a scaled down Fiesta’s 1.4 petrol. The engine chucks out 70 odd horses compared to Beat 1.2 (80.5 Bhp), Ritz1.2(84Bhp) and i10 Kappa 79Bhp So i personally feel like this engine will be ignored like Punto 1.2, i20 1.2 etc.

The Gearbox is truly derived from Ford Ikon, a proven unit in India. The gearshift is not slick or rubbery like in many counterparts.

So generally speaking, a Fiesta platform, Fiesta motor, Fiesta tyres, Ikon gearbox and Fusion like back  are some simple cost cutting techniques that helped out Ford India with this decent end product. But why did Ford name this car Figo (Joy in Italian)? Couldn’t they name it as Fusion II or may be CONFusion II .  I personally liked the car and i am giving an overall 9/10 for the Diesel and 8/10 for the petrol variant.

Well i couldn’t resist writing an ownership review about the new arrival in hatchback competition, CHEVROLET BEAT; the stunning new head turner of the city . It was my personal choice to own this car and hence took the test drive not once; but twice! The technical aspects of the car as follows:

Engine

• Displacement (cc) – 1199
• Max Power (ps) – 80.5
• Torque (nm) – 108
• Mileage ARAI (kmpl) – 18.6

Suspension

• Front – McPherson Strut
• Rear – Compound Link Type
• All 4 Gas Filled Shock Absorbers

More detailed specifications can be found from the official link:

http://www.chevybeat.co.in/specification.html

For:

• Radical and modern styling inside & out
• High road presence easy to drive with confidence
• Good ride quality
• Super bike inspired speedometer and 2 door hatch appearance
• Fuel efficiency of 18.6 KmpL
• 3 year service guarantees

Against:

• Noisy rear suspension
• Lack of under thigh support at the rear seats
• Short drivers may find it difficult to handle in bumper to bumper traffic.

I booked the LS variant (PS, LS, LT, LT(O) are available) as i had no further budget. At a cost of Rs.3,92,000, this deal almost felt like a steal from Chevrolet!

The following items where absent in LS when comparing to higher models:

• Airbags, ABS, Collapsible height adjustable steering column
• Alloy wheels and thicker tyres
• In car entertainment (Controls integrated to dash with micro usb port and 4 speakers.
• Roof rails & Ariel
• Fog lamps
• Rear wiper/washer
• Body colored door handles and rear view mirror, black colored b pillar.
• Automatic climate control AC
• But i am completely satisfied with what i got. It’s a true value for money!

Now my ownership review at 500Km in digital odo:

Design & Appearance

The Good: The car as its name suggest will surely beat the a** of other cars in its class namely A star, Ritz & Swift (K series), & i10 kappa and other oldies like Santro, Zen Estilo etc. With a competitive pricing and a house full of goodies, this baby chevy will surely be a head ache for its competitors.

The design is radical and aggressive with Chevy Cruze inspired radiator grills, muscular bonnet and side panels, rear door handle cleverly integrated to C pillar, after market looking rear tail lamps, first of its kind wheel cap look alike rims; all these impart a unique look to the car. Excellent fit and finish too. A high quality Chevrolet Bow tie logo; even better than the one found in Captiva, and yeah; 2.5mph impact proof bumpers for bumper to bumper traffic.

Even the small neglectable design aspects in the interior are taken care of. Say for example rear passenger knee resting areas in B pillar, hooks provided near the front passenger headrest, hooks in rear roof handles, wiring for rear speakers and antenna cable even in LS variant(You cannot find such things in Maruthi cars.) The interior is also inspired from Cruze with a twin cockpit like feel; first of its kind with such superior fit and finish though there is no beige option (I personally not a big fan of beige as it is very difficult to maintain). The  instrument cluster is inspired from super bikes with a digital console and an analogue odo coupled together. The LS variant lacked the silver finish in an otherwise sporty steering wheel, dash and instrument console and also glossy black areas in the dash and doors as against the LT variant. The dash also lacked the climate control ac/ digital display, integrated mp3 player/digital display.(found in LT). The engine is super silent and there is very little noise in the cabin once you shut all your windows.

The bad: Though the Chevrolet Beat has a Cruze inspired dashboard, It always felt my knees rubbing the lower center console of the dash. I think this is common with at least some Chevrolet cars.(eg Spark, Cruze etc). The gearshift lever also lacks a trendy design comparing to the other design aspects of the car. I also have an opinion that the dash could have been shrinked which will increase the interior space.

Handling and Comfort.

The Good: The car gives you a big feel once you enter inside. The interior is spacious with more leg room and head room than its competitors.  The ride quality is perfect and is a good handler too. Though I haven’t tested its high speed stability yet, it feels like you are cruising at 40Kmph even if you are actually doing at 60-70Kmph. The car feels comfortable at corners too but I haven’t actually tested high speed cornering. Also you don’t feel the bumpiness in back seat which is common in other tallboys. The steering is hydraulic and hence gives the feeling of a big car. The front seats are supportive and is ergonomically perfect for me. The day and night IRVM is a boon in night driving. The ORVMs are also placed well. Since Chevrolet beat is a tallboy, its quite easy to get in and out of the car. The boot is 170 L which is enough for me though the competitions offer much bigger boot space.

The bad: The rear suspension is noisy in bad roads. Yea I really mean it. It sometimes kills the pleasure of driving such a nice car. The lack of under thigh support in rear seats is just another issue I found. (Or is that the rear seat shorter?) Also shorter people will find it difficult to drive in bumper to bumper traffic. Height adjustable driver seat is a must. The power window switches in LS variant is poorly placed. Dont know what the designers where thinking of! (See the pictures)

Performance & Mileage

The Good: The engine is rev happy with smooth power delivery. The sales person in the showroom described about a mechanism fitted to the car which limits the revving up of engine leading to a slightly miser power delivery and better mileage. Company is offering you 18.6 KmpL on an average. What else you want in today’s driving conditions? The drive is smooth & silent, car attains higher speeds at lower gears and the engine is torqy; its really a boon in city driving. I got a mileage of approximately 18-19KmpL yesterday and hence what the company offers is right. The main thing I felt was that you can drive too fast or too slow at 2^nd and 3^rd gears. 2^nd gear easily attains 60Kmph and 3^rd gear attains 90-100Kmph. This is really good in overtaking or in a ‘slowdown & speedup’ location (eg: bump, junction).

The bad: The performance of the engine with A/C on is mediocre. You need to downshift every time to overtake in highways. Also the car feels irresponsive at lower speeds and higher gears with A/C on. Ie.the car feels like it wont go even if we push the accelerator completely. This may be a ECU technique to improve the mileage and may be subjective to your driving styles.

Caution those who are driving Maruthis or Hyundais! You may need to change your driving and gear shifting styles to completely enjoy the performance of the car.

In general, this is a wonderful car to drive and to own and i would give 9/10.

Recent Updates:

• Clocked 1800Km in odo and doing well
• Completed 1st service (oil change on 15000Km)
• Sound from rear suspension rectified. 2 rubber bushes were replaced