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Archive for July, 2009

Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi

Desire To Be The Best On Your Route. Drive your way with steel power steering in your hands and comfort of good air conditioning. Thanks to Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi your partner on your road trip!

Key Features Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi is all about high performance. This is all thanks to its 4 cylinder 1298 sc SOHC engine. This engine gives you a power output of 87 PS at 4500 rpm and also creates a torque of 113 PS at 4500. The engine offers smooth drivability. As far as fuel system is concerned MPI fuel system uses up lesser fuel increasing the cars efficiency. Maruti one of the big players in automobile industry has efficiently dealt with safety concerns in Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi by offering rear seat belt ELR adjustments rear seat belt center rear fog lamp high mounted stop lamp and head restrains for the rear seat.

Design Considering the design Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi has done a great job with regards to the aesthetic sense. Body colored bumpers give a refined look. Tubeless tyers are certainly fantastic addition. Exteriors being fine the interiors sport info display clock digital tri meter remote fuel lid opener sporty round gear shift knob and many features that offer comfortable journey. Front door trim pockets drivers ticket holder removable ashtray cabin lights and even trunk or luggage room lamp you name it and Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi has it placed in its interiors.

Cons Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi has not loaded antilock brake system. Plus absence of front fog lamp is found to be a fair drawback. The interior is also less spacious another let down in the car.

Conclusion Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire LXi is precisely priced for what is has to offer.

About the writer:  Albert Cain is a well known writer. He has written many articles on Automobiles CarsScootys car vacuum Cleaner Bikesscooter speaker and so on.

Maruti Launches Ritz-an Indian Car

The most awaited car of the year Maruti Suzuki Ritz has finally launched. Ritz is the eight small car production for the Maruti Suzuki stable. Ritz has arrived in style and has set the heartbeats of car buyer beating fast. The car has also created hope for the Indias largest car manufacturer to revive profit margins that went plummeting down after the global meltdown and tightening finances.

Maruti Suzuki hopes are pinned on Ritz and is expected to imitate the success story of Swift hatchback. The Swift has sold 3 million units in less than five years. It may help strengthen Maruti Suzukis position in the Indian car market. Ritz is also known as Splash in Japan.

It is the first car complying with the BSIV emission norms ahead of the regulation coming into effect from 2010. Maruti Suzuki has carefully positioned Ritz in the Rs 3.90 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for the high end model. This price bracket generates the highest volume of sales in India. Apart form M800 which is below Rs 2 lakh most small cars like Hyundai i10 Chevrolet Spark and Hyundai Getz prime and Maruti Suzuki Alto are in this segment.

The Ritz is fifth global car by Suzuki and the first car created with Indian buyers in minds. A specially developed K12M engine has been extensively tested calibrated and tuned specifically for Indian conditions. Even the 5speed manual gearbox has been reworked to use gear ratio different from that of splash in order to match dirveability in Indian traffic conditions.

Unlike international markets where rear seats accommodate two adults the Indian hatchbacks seat three adults Taking a cue from it Maruti Suzuki has reworked the rear seat to accommodate three adults with enough shoulder space. The same goes for the centre console which has been redesigned to easy entry/exit.

The hot hatch Ritz is available in five variants three in petrol and two in diesel. The petrol variants are fitted with 84 bhp 1.2 litre 4 cylinder engine and the diesel variants come equipped with the 1.3 litre DDiS engine. The engines are teamed with the quick shifting 5speed manual. It is the only small car after Skoda Fabia and Tata Indica Vista to be available in both petrol and diesel variants at the time of its launch.

The attractive exterior styling is symbolized by four aspects the piercing headlights boomerang taillights a short cut rear fascia and the glass heavy sides. Suzuki has given Ritz a heavy European styling what is commonly known in Europe as mini wagon. This has been a deliberate attempt at drawing focus to style and capability of the Japanese small car. Some Indian styling like th RR foglamps and the reflectors on the rear bumper has been incorporated.

It is made available in five different variants three petrol and two diesel. The 3.7 metre long wheelbase on which it is built promises more airy space and enough headroom for tall adults.

A well designed interior is dominated by the dual colour coded upholstery and plastics. The hard plastics suggest a good value for money. The high seating position gives the driver an all round visibility thereby improving safety. The 500 litres boos space can hold luggage for a small trip.

While all variants receive air conditioning and power steering the high end ZXi boasts of sophisticated tilt adjustable steering wheel with mounted audio controls integrated air bags standard ABS with Electronic brakeforce distribution.

The difference between a fully loaded ZXi and the Swift top end is just 35000 but offer s more features. Between Ritz and Swift Maruti Suzuki is well positioned to eat into market share of premium small car too.

About the writer:nbsp;nbsp;Carazoo.com

Manual Vs. Automatic Transmission: Which Vehicle Should You Choose?

While manual cars are not as popular as they used to be owing to the rising demand for automatic cars especially in the Americas and Europe they still account for a substantial percentage of annual car sales both used and new. Perhaps the reason for this is the advantages of a manual transmission over an automatic which are as follows:

Manual Transmission

Lower base price repair and maintenance costs. Manual vehicles generally have a lower base price than automatics. On the average a manual costs 1000 dollars lesser than an automatic. When it comes to repair and maintenance costs manual transmission appears to be more superior. The clutch which is one of the most expensive and labor intensive components of a car when it gets damaged is more easily maintained in manual than in automatic transmission. And any mechanic can tell you that working on a manual transmission is much easier than working with automatic gear boxes. So the repair costs for automatics are significantly higher. In the long run manuals require less service thus making maintenance cheaper.

Gives higher gas mileage. Even if a manual car is relatively more difficult to drive it doesn’t eat up too much fuel consuming 515 lesser fuel depending on road conditions and driving habits. Automatics even though easier to use ultimately burn a lot more gas than their manual counterparts.

Gives better control. The basic premise is that manual transmission allows for better control of the car. With a manual you can keep the power of the engine right where you want it based on the conditions of the road. And no matter how sophisticated the electronics automatic transmission will never be smarter than the human brain that’s actually driving the car. Simply put manual transmission gives you full control with your gears but with an automatic your choices are limited between two pedals. Manual transmission gives you more freedom when it comes to maneuvering on steep hills or curves. It also allows you to combat tough weather conditions more comfortably.

With all these advantages of a manual transmission notwithstanding here are the reasons why automatics have been very popular nowadays:

Automatic Transmission

Ease of use. Generally automatic transmissions are easier to operate. There are only two pedals so it’s almost like driving a gokart. In a traffic jam this is a big plus. Manuals are generally more tiring to drive in traffic because of the need to use the clutch pedal.

Relatively safer. When driving an automatic a driver will have his/her left foot free and both hands on the wheel. A manual requires a little too much concentration from the driver: the continuous pumping of the clutch pedal and the constant shifting of gears is enough to distract a novice driver.

The best of both worlds. With new options like manumatic transmissions automatics may finally be gaining on manuals combining ease of use with power. At the onset of the 21st century this new transmission mode was introduced by automobile manufacturers. Manumatic transmission is basically an automatic transmission that possesses certain manualtransmission features. A good example is the luxury cars of Chrysler. It’s definitely automatic only that you have more control in shifting your gears.

Conclusion:
In the end your decision shouldn’t be based only on the advantages and disadvantages. It ultimately boils down on your needs. For example if you want maximum performance and superior control you may want to consider getting a manual transmission. If you want ease of driving especially in heavy traffic automatic transmission is your best choice.

About the writer:  IBC Japan specializes in exporting used cars from Japan with regional distribution centers worldwide.