Mitsubishi Outlander Launched - Update

Mitsubishi’s third SUV offering in the country after the Montero and the Pajero, the Outlander has been launched in the country. The Outlander has been a very successful vehicle for Mitsubishi in Europe, North America and Japan.

The car comes with a 2.4 liter 16 valve MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and Electronic Control) engine. The power output is rated at 170 PS @ 6000 rpm and the torque figures stand at 226 NM @ 4100 rpm. The engine is a light weight unit made of aluminum and also uses some plastic bits like the intake headers to keep weight in check.

The soft roader is targeted at the urban customer who travels mainly on city roads but likes to get a bit of sand in the face everynow and then. Hence it comes with three drive modes, namely the 2WD, 4WD and 4WD Lock. Each mode can be switched on the fly and should give the car some sort of off road credentials. It’s the Pajero’s little brother after all.

The transmission is a six speed CVT with paddle shifter behind the steering wheel. The price is a little off of the Honda rival. While the CR-V starts at just above Rs. 17 lakh for the 2 liter version and goes all the way up to higher end of Rs. 19 lakh for the 2.4 liter automatic, the Outlander is pegged at Rs. 20.20 lakh (ex-showroom). Let’s see how things pan out for the new Mitsu.

Mitsubishi Outlander Launched In India

Hindustan Motors has launched the CR-V rival, the Outlander. The soft-roader is priced at Rs. 20.4 lakh (ex-showroom). Powering the car is a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder unit. The Outlander will be made in the country and not be imported as a CBU.

More updates to follow.

New Mahindras Launched

Scorpio Automatic

Mahindra & Mahindra have launched their hugely successful SUV, Scorpio with an automatic gearbox. This makes the Scorpio the only SUV in the market in the sub 15 lakh category to sport an automatic transmission.

The gearbox is a six speed unit sourced from an Australian firm, Drivetrain Systems International. Then engine is the same mHawk unit displacing 2.2 liters making 120 bhp of power. The auto option will be available in two trims. The VLS priced at Rs. 10.24 lakh (ex-showroom) and VLX priced at Rs. 10.75 lakh (ex-showroom).

The company is planning to lure those buyers who have used automatics before and also targeting the fairer sex, given the ease of driving that comes with an automatic.


Bolero VLX and Bolero Special Edition

Mahindra & Mahindra have also launched new variants of their old work horse the Bolero. The new version introduced is the VLX with a 2.5 CRDe engine making 97 bhp of power. The car is priced at Rs. 6.9 lakh (ex-showroom).

Another iteration of the same is the Special Edition. This variant comes in two colors namely, Mist Silver and Golden Sahara Beige. Upping the luxury quotient are the leather seats and a CD-MP3 player. The variant is priced at Rs. 6.49 lakh (ex-showroom).

New Honda City Launched

The much awaited car from the Honda stables has been launched in the country within weeks of its launch in Thailand. The car is an all new design and is based on the Jazz and looks much better than the car it replaces. Honda calls it the ‘Arrow Shot Form’. The look is aerodynamic and very sporty.

The new City is bigger than the current car in all respects. It is 5mm longer and equally wider and also has its wheelbase extended by a 100mm. This liberates space on the inside and gives the big boot a capacity of 506 liter. The car has been lowered by 15mm than before too. I just hope it doesn’t have the habit of kissing the breakers as the Civic, although with 15 inch wheels that should be negated.



The engine is a 1.5liter i-VTEC unit producing 118 PS of power. This is the highest for a 1.5 liter engine in the country. The engine is E10 ready and is also Euro IV compliant. The suspension is McPherson struts up front and H type torso beam suspension at the back.

Two transmission options are available. A five speed manual is one and replacing the CVT is a new five speed auto. The big news though is that the auto comes with paddle shifts behind the steering a la Civic. A first for the class.

The safety quotient goes up more than a few notches with ABS (Antilock Braking System) with BA (Brake Assist), Dual SRS Airbags, pre-tensioner seat belts and G-CON (G-Force Control Technology) being standard across the range.

Another talking point is the music system. Forget carrying anymore disks, the system has no option for them. Only thing you’ll need is your iPod or a USB drive or for that matter your phone, though there is a provision for an after market one.

The car is available in two variants, the 1.5E and the 1.5S. The auto tranny is available in the S trim only. The 1.5 E is priced at Rs 7.7 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the 1.5S (MT) for Rs. 8.20 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and the 1.5S (AT) for Rs. 8.90 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). This pricing is bound to give more than a few sleepless nights to the competition. Another success story in the making for Honda? You bet.

Bajaj Platina 125 DTS-Si Launched

Bajaj Auto have launched their latest motorcycle in the growing 125cc category, the Platina with a 125cc DTS-Si engine. The company intends to lure the 100cc buyer away by pricing its 125cc offering competitively. The Platina 125 has been priced at Rs. 39,000 (ex-showroom). This puts it right into the entry level price band.

The engine is the DTS-Si unit from the XCD, and one can expect similar performance and fuel efficiency from the new motorcycle. The motorcycle has features such as ride control switch, Electric Start, Auto Choke, Maintenance Free Battery, Anti friction bushes in front forks, Bajaj’s trademark SnS suspension and twin pilot lamps.

Mind you, at 39k its cheaper than the HH Splendor that too with an electric start. If this doesn’t increase sales for Bajaj in the 125cc category, I don’t know what will.

Singapore Grand Prix - What Gearhead Thinks

If ever there was an example of F1’s double standards, this is it. These guys talk about cost cutting and what not and then go and want to conduct a race at night time. Do they know how much money could have been saved on cabling and lighting equipment?

These people want to introduce KERS in a bid to extract more energy but they have no idea of how much energy would be wasted in lighting up the whole track. I’m guessing enough to power a small village in India for a week. And what is wrong with the Europeans anyway. Can’t they get up early to watch a day race? I know we stay up late to watch the Canadian and the Brazilian races.

A totally bogus idea I say. I just hope nobody gets hurt during the course of the race.

150 Posts

A hundred and fifty is down. More on the way…

Bajaj Ups Stake In KTM

Bajaj Auto through their wholly owned subsidiary, Bajaj Auto International Holdings B.V. have bought a further 59,500 shares in KTM Power Sports AG. This takes their total tally of shares to 1,782,500 in one of Europe’s fastest growing motorcycle manufacturers.

This translates to 25.8% voting rights in KTM up from 21% before. Rajiv Bajaj is already on the board of KTM. The companies are working together on a 125-250cc liquid cooled engine platform and also three other vehicles.

2009 Yamaha R1 Launched

Old news now, but I’ll post it anyways.


Yamaha have given the venerable R1 a thorough upgrade. In fact it’s not an upgrade at all but a completely new motorcycle. The former king of the liter class is back to rest its crown from the CBR. And from the looks of things, it just might do it.

Leading the charge of this all out attack is the all new engine. Displacing 998 cc the engine gets a whole bunch of tech inputs from the lessons learnt in MotoGP. There is a cross plane crankshaft, not the big bang design from the M1 though. The crank puts each connecting rod at 90 degrees from the other and hence an uneven firing order. Yamaha says it help low down torque like a twin and still has a high rev power of a four. Brilliant! The YCC-T (Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle) and YCC-I (Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake) continue.

Taking a leaf out of Suzuki books, Yamaha have given the R1 a D-MODE switch which gives the rider a choice of three throttle control maps. The B Mode is for less sharp responses (wet conditions) while the A Mode lets the rider enjoy the quick responses in a low and mid range. The normal mode is the regular maniac mode for those brave souls who want to really exploit the capabilities of the R1.

Chassis parts have been upgraded as well. The frame is all new and the swing arm is new as well as more rigid than before. The subframe is now made entirely out of magnesium, thereby reducing weight. Another thing making its way to the R1 from the M1 is the SOQI front suspension. Here the compression duties are handled by the left fork while rebound duties are handled by the right fork. The steering damper is electronically actuated unit. The footrests are adjustable with a 15mm height and 3mm front to rear adjustment.



The ram air intakes are now integrated with the headlights and the whole look of the bike is a bit too Kawasaki for my liking. Also there is a gear position indicator and a programmable shift light. The later comes handy on the track.

So a lot of new features at only a little more than before make the flagship Yamaha a winning proposition. So those of you who have got the dough and have been itching to get one, wait a little longer and you can have the very latest by the beginning of next year.

Yamaha FZ16 Launched - Detailed Specs And Pictures

India Yamaha Motor's second offering in the 150cc category is the FZ16. The company has launched the bike today in Goa. The bike is loaded with features like the full digital display, monoshock rear suspension, tubeless tires front and rear. The bike features one of the widest rear tire of any motorcycles in the market today. The design of the bike has been derived from the FZ1000 sold in the international markets.


The bike sports a carburetted 153cc engine making 14PS of power. Gearbox is a regulation five speed unit with a one down four up shift pattern. The foot pegs are rear set and with a short handlebar should provide a sporty riding position. The instrumentation is an all LCD affair, but looks a bit garish with the mix of different colours thrown in. The suspension at the rear is a monoshock while the front gets a thick pair of telescopic forks.


No kick starting this bike with the electric start being the only means to get the engine up and running. Retardation duties are performed by disk brake up front and a drum rear. The bike has been priced at Rs. 65000 (ex-showroom) and is right in the ball park as far as the competition goes.


Expect a fuel efficiency in the region of 45 kmpl. Being a Yamaha it most definitely will be a good handling package and for once Yamaha have given the bike a fat pair of tires. Competition better watch out.


Specs


Engine
Engine type - Air-cooled, 4-stroke, SOHC, 2-valve
Displacement - 153.0cc
Bore & Stroke - 58.0 × 57.9mm
Compression ratio - 9.5:1
Maximum output - 14PS / 7500 rpm
Maximum torque - 14 N.m / 6000 rpm
Starting method - Electric starter
Lubrication type - Wet sump
Carburetor type - BS26
Clutch type - Constant Mesh wet multiplate
Ignition type - CDI
Primary/secondary reduction ratio - 3.409 / 2.857
Transmission type - Return type 5-speed

Chassis
Frame type - Diamond
Suspension (front/rear) - Telescopic / Monocross
Wheelbase - 1,335mm
Brake type(front/rear) - Hydraulic single disc / drum
Tire size (front/rear) - 100/80-17 / 140/60-R17


Dimensions
Overall Length × Width × Height - 1,975mm × 770mm × 1,045mm
Seat height - 790mm
Wheelbase - 1,335mm
Minimum ground clearance - 160mm
Dry weight/Curb weight - 126 kg / 137 kg
Fuel tank volume - 12 liters
Engine oil volume - 1.2 liters


Features

Full Digital Display

140 Section Tubeless Rear Tire










Monoshock Rear Suspension

Colours

Wallpapers

Images courtsey: India Yamaha Motors