In a word, no. Its a risky proposition. You will face a 2L repair bill in addition to a month long repair in case of a post warranty failure. And you will not get any further extended warranty on the repaired/replaced gearbox.

Prior to this incident did you have any trouble with the clutch? Did you notice a lack of pick up when you released the clutch? How did you manage to drive the car after that? It’s possible that because you were on a steep incline, and trying to pick up from standstill, you may have been using half-clutch excessively (keeping your foot on the…[Read more]

It can be done, but it’s an expensive conversion. The climate control panel unit alone costs about Rs. 20,000 for some premium hatches, and then there are the associated sensors and motors.

Thanks. Appreciate it. The idea is to spread awareness and help other car buyers and owners make informed decisions, by sharing our collective experience.

Polo has the best ride and handling. None of them can be called good value for money

Rear-seat armrest – it’s a design issue, because if they fitted a rear-seat arm-rest, the seat back would have to be a lot thicker, and that would eat into boot space. Not worth the extra cost. As for rear AC vents – three hatches do have them. Look under the front seats of the Punto, i20 and Fabia, and you’ll see these foot level AC vents there.

Well, you can squeeze in only so much inside 4meters, unless of course you design something from the ground up. Two more words: cost cutting.

Two-wheel drive, is where only two wheels of the car are powered by the engine. This could be either front wheel drive (like most of the hatchbacks and sedans in India) or rear-wheel drive (most MUVs and high-end sedans, besides the Tata Nano – which is rear engine, rear-wheel drive). Four-wheel drive is when all four wheels are powered. This…[Read more]

4×4 consumes more fuel than 4×2. Its a difference of about 1kmpl or so.

VGT – variable geometry turbocharger. FGT – fixed geometry turbocharger. In a VGT, the vanes or fins on the turbocharger can change their angle, depending on the velocity it is turning at – this provides higher boost pressure at different rpms. FGT – there’s only one angle and a constant boost pressure. Fuel-efficiency is usually similar in both…[Read more]

VGTs are supposed to improve drivability and lessen the turbo lag. But in practice, exactly the reverse happens(especially in our national engine, the 1.3MJD). Turbo lag increases, drivability goes for a toss but the punch with the turbo on boost is stronger.

Two other critical factors need to be considered here – the weight of the car and the gear ratios. If the 180PS car is a heavy SUV, and the 140 PS one is a light hatch for instance, the hatch will win purely on power-to-weight advantage.

Another catch is the gearbox. One of them can have a slick shifting six speed manual. the 140hp car(those seem to be the Laura AT’s specs) can have a dual clutch or a torque converter automatic.In that case, how the gearbox is tuned, it tech and the no. of speeds it has at its disposal also come into the picture.