Audi A1: One for fun

Audi calls it “the next big Audi”. It is an utterly impressive 2-door hatch created using the same platform that gives rise to the more mundane, and half-as-pricey, Ibiza and Polo.

Driving tip: Take it easy with the A1. Use a light foot – after all it’s a cute and delightful car. It will respond by unleashing pulse-quickening power, though after a brief moment of thought, but if you tend to split open the throttle with a heavy foot, you might be disappointed by the painstakingly delivered drone – reminding you it’s a 1.4 L engine after all.

The Drive
The Audi A1 drives smooth and solid. Though the initial upturn velocity isn’t as seamlessly gained like an A4 or the other siblings, the A1 squeezes out the essence of an Audi Drive to fill a small cup of absolute pleasure. The passing acceleration will not disappoint you if you have a point to prove, while the dynamic suspension and the cross-axle lock that counter steers in corners add up to the precise handling.
The Design
The front façade and the headlamps with their LED signature are unmistakably Audi but the rear lights belong to the Volkswagen family rather than the Audi kin. Interiors are designed to bring alive the (aero) nautical experience, with the Air-conditioning vents that resemble a propeller and the console that reminds you of a cruiser’s hull.

The A1 squeezes out the essence of an Audi Drive to fill a small cup of absolute pleasure. Specs: 1.4 TFSI Petrol, Transmission: 7-speed S-tronic, Output: 122 bhp @ 5000 rpm, Torque: 200 Nm @ 1500-4000, Top speed: 203 km, 0-100 kmph: 8.9 sec

Cabin and controls
Inside an A1, detailing is painstakingly attended to – as expected of a car that you are expected to talk to, laugh with and cry on. The dials look bold and sporty reminiscent of a chronograph dial. Driver’s info pops up conveniently on the screen in front without having to resort to the centre console monitor. I found the deep red and black that marks the lit up dials sporty and intriguing, especially when only the red needles show up in the dark. The stowaway MMI screen is an interesting twist on the road, allowing simple yet elaborate navigation through the controls. The Bose music system is, probably, the most remarkable thing inside the A1 cabin.
Family Drive
The individual is at the centre of the A1 design. Right from the console controls facing the driver with an almost imperceptible tilt, to the stingy legroom or the total absence of any sort of storage or lighting at the rear, everything underlines this inclination. But I should be fair in adding that the A1 doesn’t keep the family out, and comes with even a baby seat provision. However, the ride at the back of an A1 isn’t half as comfortable as in the front. There isn’t much storage room in the cabin, with the door storage too shallow for anything much. But the boot is larger than you would expect in a Supermini and can fit in a couple of airport bags or a stroller!
Audi 1 Vs Mini Cooper
If you overlook the fact that they vie for the same pie, flaunts similar muscle, and sometimes speak for the category’s design in unison, all rational comparisons of the A1 to the Mini is a figment of marketing fancy or that of a very confused Audi or Mini fan. While Mini, even in its most modern avatar, maintains the makings of a classic as defined by Mini itself, the Audi A1 is a much more contemporary subcompact… Read the whole story on  http://drivemeonline.com/2011/11/04/audi-a1-one-for-fun-2/

Jaguar XF: The double-stitch luxury of classic and contemporary

As you press the start button, the knurled aluminium dash panel dramatically flips over at several spots, followed by a cool blast of air-conditioning. The Jaguar Drive Selector knob rises – like the periscopic elevation of a nuclear sub. The steering moves over to take its predetermined position. In the theatre of Jaguar, it’s the curtain raiser to the XF experience!

The Jaguar XF 3.0 spits out 238 bhp @ 6800 rpm with a 293 Nm torque @ 4100 rpm, with 80% of its torque available before you reach 2000 rotations. The 0 – 100 achieved in 8.3 sec is a telling figure of priority while the 237 kmph top speed still speaks for its capability. The 5.0 L supercharged can do 100 in 4.9 sec.

The Jag XF is designed to do anything at the flick of a finger or the mere touch of it. From shifting gears to engaging the parking brakes to switching on the cabin lights.

The Jaguar XF pronounces its verdict on luxury – reiterating that it lives in the detail of exquisite craftsmanship. There is nothing like handcrafted double-stitch leather laid-out like the ordained icon of bespoke luxury on the dash and the window sill, complemented by wood veneer trims.

The new design is an ingenious work of art, retaining the claw marks on the bonnet, the bestial muscularity of the flanks and even the pillars that are reminiscent of the agile limbs of the big cat. As night falls and the car makes a sharp turn, the cornering lights spring out next to its Bi-Xenon lighthouse, like a pleasant surprise from the dark!

The S mode holds the lower gears for longer allowing a quick sprint halfway up the rpm meter, taking your pulse rate along with it.  You would expect the thirst to increase dramatically with the switch to the S mode – but thankfully, it doesn’t.

The winding road up the mountain was perfectly traced by the XF’s unflinching road adherence and precise steering controls. Yet, what’s overwhelming is the ease with which it is achieved.

You can’t take the classic out of a Jaguar. The burbling rage of the British race car is a voice that echoes down the chronological corridors of the sixties onwards. Whether you wrap it with stunning curves and sporty lines, or equip it with absolutely mind-blowing technological titbits, it’ll still remain what it has always been – a true classic.

Read the full story on http://drivemeonline.com/2011/10/10/jaguar-xf-the-double-stitch-luxury-of-classic-and-contemporary/

Peugeot RCZ Review: The double-bubble Peugeot can bank on!

In the Pug of War with the Audi TT, the stunning Peugeot RCZ pulls sporty minds towards design aesthetics.

What does it take to make the drivers of the Audi TT to turn their heads? That was perhaps the very brief that Autodesk designers received at the Peugeot headquarters. It seems what they came up with has urged not only Ingolstadt but the entire world to sit up and take a second look! With the unique, even a bit weird double-bubble design, the RCZ from Peugeot reiterates the superiority of style over everything else in French Automobile Grammar.

RCZ: The power to pull the Peugeot brand-wagon

When offered the test drive, my preference to experience the manual drive first, as against the more popular automatic transmission, was just as obvious as the additional 44 bhp power available in the 200 bhp manual version.  The latter’s torque as high as 275 Nm makes the manual drive as powerful as you want a mid-range sports car to be. Despite fielding a 1.6 L engine – thanks to Peugeot’s environment-friendly agenda – you don’t have to wait for the torque to kick in. This makes the manual transmission smooth and pleasurable, and the purposeful gearshift adds to the sporty feeling of the drive.

RCZ runs up to 100 kmph swiftly enough (7.1 sec) but takes much longer to cruise past the 200 mark. But then, it’s an uncannily similar comparison here with the Audi TT 2.0 TFSI, that leaves 100 behind in less than 7 sec but crosses the 200 mark at (yawn!) 29.5 sec, in fact half a second behind the RCZ!

Active driving dynamics and N-Cap safety rating

Peugeot RCZ features a dashing spoiler across its boot that comes awake with a crunch that sounds more like a sharp and sudden revving of the turbo-booster – a signal to other drivers regarding the powerhouse that is passing by. Christened the Active Rear Spoiler, it is deployed automatically according to the vehicle speed or by the touch of a button in the central console, and is designed to optimize the flow of air and improve the down-force.

Besides the high visibility quotient of the rear windscreen, Parking Sensors with a blip make it a friendly cockpit to drive in. On the flipside are the cruise control and speed limiter stalks that are well concealed behind the steering spokes – looks great by being invisible is it at the cost of practicality?

Peugeot RCZ Automatic Transmission

Well, if you would rather barter a vial of adrenaline for the ease of everyday urban commute, the automatic transmission still doesn’t deprive you of the RCZ essence. There is a lot of style and character to the car that help keep the balance, as the absence of one-fourth of its pulling power tends to tip the scales in the wrong direction.

Above everything else, what marks the RCZ is its refreshing ability to inspire awe…

Read the whole story at http://drivemeonline.com/2011/09/13/peugeot-rcz-review-the-double-bubble-peugeot-can-bank-on/2

Ford Escape: The first taste of adventure

With its boxy design that has survived several summers, the Escape is Ford’s closest contender to the fabled 4 x 4 archetype. On and off the road, if confidence and the power to take on a challenge are the attributes expected of a purely functional 4 x 4, Ford Escape is designed to give you just that. It saves you a few precious minutes by finding an alternative escape route from a haplessly waiting lineup of traffic or by extending a Friday jaunt further by an adventurous mile.

Escape offers a long-distance ride quality that doesn’t feign to be luxurious yet stays mindful of passenger comfort even on undulating terrain. Actually, how the 4 x 4 scores brownie points is by paying attention to your philosophical rudiments, if you are a sedan-to-SUV convert. This sturdy box on wheels adheres to even the smallest commandments of your credo with a wet storage boot, space for your soiled Timberland boots and strong railings on top for bikes or backpacks. For a quick pick up and drop of cargo, the boot-lid glass can be raised and lowered independently. The 2011 model even comes equipped with a Blind Spot reading bifocal mirror – while the concept is tremendously useful when upgrading your drive from a sedan, it needs a bit of getting used to particularly during night driving.

On the transmission path from sedan to SUV, this Ford affords a quick escape into the realm of fun and adventure. Read the whole story at http://drivemeonline.com/2011/08/16/ford-escape-the-first-taste-of-adventure

Mazda 6 Ultra: Mazda’s best kept secret

Mazda’s lineup of sedans for most, stop with the Mazda 6. Their most eligible contender for the pride of place in the mid-size/executive sedan segment seem to be stuck in a blind-spot in spite of doing pretty well for itself in the showrooms. And that makes the Mazda 6 Ultra the hidden gem in the Mazda line-up.

An experience beyond Mazda 6

The Ultra is a car that makes up for every shortcoming of the Mazda 6 in the family car segment. With more space, more power and more material comfort, the Ultra is designed for those who appreciate the exuberant designs that get Mazda to stand out in the crowded and fellow-Japanese dominated world of practical and cautious car purchase. For those who look beyond the somewhat compact design of a Mazda 6 and don’t mind shelling out a few thousands more for the extra frills, Mazda 6 Ultra offers sufficient solace.

The Mazda 6 Ultra bundles an offering that truly makes it worthy of the flagship position in the Mazda lineup. The central console, for instance, is something that will instantly charm those who have crossed over the realm of ostentatious frills. Purely functional and minimalist, the convenient settings present themselves as an elegant black button panel framed by a silver lining (brushed aluminium to be precise) that differentiates the Ultra luxury from the Mazda 6. What doesn’t compliment the setting though, is the shell finish where you mostly find wooden trims in other cars of the same stature.

The Mazda 6 has it all. Great design that sets the Mazda standards. A reasonably  powerful and fuel-efficient engine that ensures a satisfying drive, and frills that translate to everyday convenience.

Upside: Impressive design. Comfortable interiors. Bose 12-speaker Music System

Flipside: Mind your head when you get in.

Read the full story on http://drivemeonline.com/2011/08/02/mazda-6-ultra-mazda%E2%80%99s-best-kept-secret/

Skoda Octavia RS: Pleasure drives to Sporty capers

How much is 200bhp? Never try to quantify the figure by driving the new Octavia RS. For, the engineers at Skoda have spent many lives tuning and fine-tuning the seemingly slight four-cylinder engine of the Octavia to generate an overwhelming dose of power from their latest 2 L turbo baby. Step on it first for a deceptively gentle thrust – soon to be thrown off guard as you push your luck a wee bit harder to unleash the 280 Nm of turbo-torque that has you roaring at 100 km/h in 7.3 sec.

Despite the meticulously timed gearshifts from the DSG transmission (Direct Shift Gearbox), the Octavia RS gives the pleasure of driving a manual car. What I liked about the RS is the way it grips the road. On its 18” alloys, it doesn’t get swept away by a sharp cornering feat or an accidental wheel spin. Sport enthusiasts who expect a hard drive aligned with smooth handling will not be disappointed. At this point, if your thoughts turn to a Golf GTI, think about this – you can lean back more in an Octavia RS with nearly ten grand left in your pocket!

Sporty in every sense, it offers a playful interlude of carefree juvenile pleasure in the humdrum of mature family life...

Read more on www.drivemeonline.com

Extended Warranty now comes as Standard!

While various automobile brands have been trying to play one-up by offering a longer Warranty and Service than their competitors, the government has just leveled the playground for all. NOW, ALL CARS SOLD IN THE UAE WILL COME WITH A MANDATORY 5-YEAR WARRANTY! This will make a car-buyer in the UAE one of the world’s most reassured automobile customers.

In the last couple of years, various car brands have been competing with each other to allure customers by throwing in an extra year of warranty or introducing free service as part of the contract. For upcoming brands, it was a handy tool to gain the confidence of cautious players and for premium brands, a reassuring gesture to deal with the perception of being expensive to maintain. While Hyundai led the trend in the former category with a 7-year warranty of sorts, Audi is one of the prominent brands that benefited in the second category. The premium icon’s 5-year service contract helped in converting hundreds of hesitant Audi fans.

Well, October 1, when the rule is supposed to come into force, is still almost 3 months away. In the meanwhile, Ramadan offers will still rely heavily on limited period warranty and service deals. The fact is that the automobile dealership in the UAE has just lost a potent differentiator for promotions post October. As for car owners, now why should anyone buy your old car from you, if buying it from a dealer can give them never-before peace-of-mind?

Read more on http://www.drivemeonline.com/ and share your views on www.facebook.com/Car.Reviews