Current Engine Trends

With increased environmental concerns and rising fuel prices car makers have come under pressure to build cleaner and more efficient engines. And they are driving down the road pretty well it must be said.

Car manufacturers are building smaller engines to reduce fuel consumption and lower carbon emissions. But it would be wrong to say that only a smaller engine is economical. If the engine technology is ancient you will end up with a small underpowered engine which consumes a lot of fuel and creates a lot of carbon emissions like the two cylinder engine in the Fiat 500 twinair.

Today, a number of technologies that go into making a small engine efficient, clean and powerful are technologies like Variable Valve Timing, Computer controlled power delivery through the Electronic Combustion Unit (ECU) to optimise fuel/air mixture in order to reduce wastage and optimise performance. A turbo charger can be bolted on to the engine to deliver adequate power out of a small engine.

In India, the Maruti Suzuki Swift has undergone this change. The old 1.3 liter petrol engine was replaced with the new K12 1.2 liter engine. The new 1.2 unit returns 14-15 km/pl while the 1.3 unit returned 12-13 km/pl. As a result it is more fuel efficient than the outgoing 1.3 liter and power delivery is better than the old unit too and acceleration off the line is faster. As a result the K12 Swift was a big hit for Maruti Suzuki as they created a win-win upgrade.

Earlier everyone though it was impossible to create a small diesel engine. Along came Fiat with their 1.4 Multijet engine which revolutionised the small diesel unit in India. It is a refined, powerful and economical unit. And the best example of that was in the Swift DDis which uses the same Fiat Multijet engine only Maruti have tweaked and made it more powerful. The Tata Indica’s diesel engine became crude and underpowered in front of the Multijet engine. With fuel prices soaring through the roof the cars powered by the Multijet engine like the Fiat Punto Multijet, Maruti Suzuki Swift DDis, Maruti Suzuki Ritz DDis, Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire DDis, Maruti Suzuki  SX4 DDis, Fiat Linea Multijet have become the ideal choice of the Indian car buyer.

Chevrolet India has stolen the show and announced that they are going to lead the small Diesel engine race by introducing a 3 cylinder 936cc engine which makes 58.5bhp in the Beat. When the Beat diesel goes on sale next month, it will be priced at about Rs.80,000 over the petrol models which will make it the most affordable diesel hatchback apart from the Tata Indica.

Ford India has announced that it will bring its 3-cylinder 1.0 liter ecoboost engine to India which will power its small cars. The engine will be equipped with a turbocharger, direct injection and twin independent variable camshaft timing. Ford say that the ecoboost motor will be as powerful as a 1.6 liter engine while managing to be more efficient.

While all that has been happening at the budget end of the market big manufacturers have taken a look at this small engine business. BMW which makes the ultimate performance saloon in the world, the BMW M5, has replaced the monstrous 5 liter V10 engine in the outgoing M5 with a 4.4 liter twin turbo charged V8 from the X5M.  BMW say it’s going to be more powerful, torquier and will also rev higher than the V10. The new engine will cut emissions by 25% over the old engine. While power has gone up from 500bhp in the old car to 560bhp in the new M5.

It is becoming clear now that engines are going to become not only smaller but also more powerful in the future with the growth of technology. A smaller engine consumes less fuel and reduces the weight of the car. It also helps better weight distribution which is why manufacturers are increasingly using turbochargers and superchargers in their cars. And not just in sports cars but also in regular hatchbacks to increase fuel efficiency and power. Very soon all our cars will be turbocharged or supercharged considering the mass production of turbochargers and superchargers will result in cheaper production costs.

Two girls and some turbo lag

As I came to halt at some stationary traffic, I pulled up beside two girls in a Swift Vdi. The traffic started moving and slowing down again and again. As the one driving the car stepped on the accelerator the car would move forward lazily when all of a sudden the turbo charger would kick in and throw the girls firmly into their seats. It was hilarious as the trend in traffic continued for a while and every single time their car slowed down and accelerated they would be thrown backwards into their seat.

They must have been thinking there was something wrong with the car. But, actually there wasn’t. You see the Swift diesel is equipped with a turbo charger. Let me explain what was going on and how the turbo charger was causing it.

A turbo charger is a forced induction system that can be incorporated in a naturally aspirated engine. A turbo charger works on the principle of kinetic energy. A common shaft connects a turbine and a compressor. The turbine is placed in the exhaust manifold and the compressor is mounted on the engine behind the front grill or an air scoop under the bonnet where there is adequate airflow when the vehicle is moving.

Acceleration causes increase in flow of exhaust gases which spins the turbine in the exhaust manifold which via the connecting shaft spins another turbine in the compressor resulting in air being sucked into the compressor. The compressed air which is dense is fed to the cylinders thereby increasing the fuel/air mixture which results in increased power output.

However, there is a downside to turbo charging an engine. At low speeds there are not enough exhaust gases in the exhaust manifold to provide adequate pressure to spin the turbine of the turbo charger. As a result, when acceleration is increased suddenly there aren’t enough exhaust gases to spin the turbine and increase airflow to the engine to significantly increase acceleration of the vehicle. This delay in increasing acceleration of the vehicle is called turbo lag.

It is only after a while that the increased throttle input burns more fuel to create enough exhaust gases to spin the turbine of the turbo charger thereby creating suction in the compressor and increase airflow into the cylinders which increases acceleration.

The sudden boost of air by the turbo charger into the cylinders results in a sudden surge in acceleration which throws the driver and passengers into their seats as the car shoots forward all of a sudden. This is the reason why you may feel that your vehicle does not accelerate well in a particular gear at a particular speed and jumps forward all of a sudden under acceleration. It’s not witchcraft or a malfunctioning engine, its turbo lag.

Choosing the right variant while buying a car

People like to have a life complete with everything they wish for in it. Do not leave yourself wanting in your car or you will be left wanting in your life.

The Indian automobile market is booming. Before the launch of a model is followed up another manufacturer announces that it is launching a new car. Or better still, a sports car manufacturer decides to put off Mr. Jairam Ramesh and announce that it is going to bring an entire range of sports cars onto our shores. Mainstream manufacturers like Renault are in for a share of our market, and a lot others like Peugeot are eyeing a share. All this is going to expand the number of models available by a considerable margin. Not to be forgotten also is the fact that a new model of car is flavored with a list variants, the new Verna has 10 variants!! That makes it extremely tricky for buyers to pick a variant of a car.

When people think of buying a car, they can think of a choosing a variant on the lines of value for money or on the lines of what they need or want in the car. The value for money part is fine, buying a diesel variant for tootling around in the city makes perfect sense. Buying the base model of a car for your driver to transport your family around is fine. But, which model should a person choose if he or she wants to drive it personally? The answer to that depends on the buyer in question.

Let me put the whole situation in context of a car. The Maruti Suzuki Swift petrol for example has three variants, Lxi, Vxi, and Zxi. Buying the Lxi makes sense if a driver is going to be chauffeuring the kids to school and back, but other than that it doesn’t make much sense. As for driving it yourself, it is a pathetic choice because at some point of time the owner will want to put the window down and realize that there are no power windows. Buying a brand new car in this day and age and having to roll the windows down is a seriously depressing idea. And God forbid the owner gets behind the wheel of the car. The whole dashboard is splattered with bits of black plastic which blocks out areas where there would have been a fog lamp switch or a defogger switch, or the switches for rear windshield washer and wiper. All this will make the owner feel depressed and think, what if a little more money was spent on buying a variant that had all the features and buttons that the car was designed with in the first place. As the owner drives around his/her thought process would constantly revolve around what it would feel like to have a car that was complete in everyway, just as we imagine our lives.

Then comes the Vxi owner and all he has to feel good about is power windows, couple of headrests on the backseat and the fog lamp switch on the dashboard. He still has some blacked out patches on the dashboard. Also, the air conditioning controls seem to have been an after thought by Maruti as the climate control unit was ripped out. Still, the owner thinks it could be worse, he could have been driving the Lxi. Just then a Swift Zxi overtakes the Vxi and the driver of the Vxi notices the lines on the rear windshield of the Zxi and realizes that he does not have those lines on rear window. A memory of the test drive in the Zxi plays a mental slideshow of a Swift dashboard complete with all the buttons and no blacked out patches are present. Even the HVAC controls look and feel decent. The Vxi owner wishes for a sleek looking integrated stereo with steering mounted audio controls and the ability to clean the rear windscreen at the touch of a button so that its possible to see out of the dirty window.

The Zxi owner on the other hand feels life is complete, at least in the car, and drives along feeling good about life as he overtakes a Swift Vxi and realizes his car is better equipped and crucially safer with airbags in the dashboard. Finally, both cars pull up at the lights and the shiny alloy wheels on the Zxi catch the attention of the Vxi driver. At this point the Vxi driver feels all is lost and wishes he was in the Zxi. The biggest mistake a person can make in the world of automobiles is buying the wrong car. Try not to drive a middle of the way car as it leaves you wanting for more in your drive and your life. 

The perfect urban cruisemobile

Take a look at the urban Indian society today. An average person goes to the shops atleast once a week. Spends a considerable amount of money on cosmetics, hair products, clothes, shoes, gadgets, eating and drinking out and the list just goes on. In short, globalization has brought in the retail culture onto our shores and the response has been immense. While this is all very good it leaves us wondering which is the best buy?

Now, its easy to say that the purchase decision is based on the kind of money you have and the choice available within that range. So, if you are a girl and wanted to buy, say, clothes you would walk into Mango or Zara or any of the other brands in that range. And if you were feeling a bit flush you would walk into Fendi or Armani or Gucci, etc. You essentially buy the same thing, i.e. clothes but, there is a significant difference between the products.

And it’s much the same with cars really. You go out and buy a car that suits your budget. But look closer and you will see a world of a difference. However, the criteria for judgment of the products is not based on the differences as is the case normally, the criteria in this case are the similarities. For instance, cars like the Hyundai i10, the Maruti Suzuki Estilo, or the Ford Figo are brands like Zara and Mango. They are there, but you know there is something better at the top.

Then there are the big names in fashion like Fendi, Armani and the lot. Just like there are BMW, Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes Benz and others in the car industry. And then there is the designer range like Bentley, Rolls Royce, etc. But let’s leave the designer range out for the purpose of this story as they are made to order.

But what about the stuff that’s just above the basic brands, stuff like French Connection, DKNY, Forever New, Calvin Klein, etc. In terms of cars there are the Hyundai i20, Skoda Fabia, Volkswagen Polo, Fiat Grande Punto, Honda Jazz, Nissan Micra, Maruti Suzuki Ritz, and the Maruti Suzuki Swift. And it’s this bunch I want to talk about.

The Punto is a great looking car with good driving dynamics, but lacks power. A black VW Polo makes you go weak in the knees, it’s that good looking. And in 1.6 format, drives better than all the others too. The Honda Jazz has a cabin that is better than that of a Toyota Corolla Altis. Then there is the Hyundai i20, and its this car which stands head and shoulders above the rest.

The top of the line i20 Asta is a good looking car, if fashion experts were to judge they would say it’s a job well done. And its chunky 18 inch alloys only enhance the appeal further. It has the highest ground clearance of the class which means it’s perfect for Indian roads, and still looks very sleek. It has the most spacious cabin of the lot. It can seat one six footer behind another in comfort. Five adults can sit in comfort. The seats are comfortable but not too soft, which is perfect. And it has a big boot. The black and beige cabin is a nice place to be in. Sure, it’s not up there with that of the Jazz or for that matter even that of the Polo, but there is nothing to complain about. The buttons and knobs are just fine.

In terms of kit you get a nice 2 DIN MP3 player with a USB port and aux ports for your ipod and any other music player. There are steering mounted audio controls aswell. Outside temperature gauges, 2 trip meters and a clock dominate the center console. It has climate control and a sunroof. There is rear wash and wipe with defogger. There are lots of cubbyholes and it even has a cooled glovebox.  The i20 is equipped with a host of safety features such as Antilock Braking System, Electronic Brake Distribution and six airbags. And it comes with a 5 Star safety rating from Euro NCAP, that means it’s as safe as a Mercedes Benz S Class!!

The i20 has a plush ride at low speeds. It's driving dynamics are good and it handles in a decent manner, but it is no sports car either. The cabin is well insulated.

And to put the icing on the cake, the i20 comes with a torquey 1.4 liter diesel engine or a 1.4 liter automatic petrol. The one to go for would be the diesel because, well it’s faster than the petrol and more powerful too. Sure, there is some lag below 2000 rpm and it’s not as refined at the top end. But that’s not the point of this car.

This car is meant for driving around in the city in absolute comfort. It is economical because it’s a diesel. Parking and maneuvering is a joy in the city due to its light controls and compact dimensions.

There is no point in going for a big luxury executive sedan to drive in the city because your stress levels would shoot up through the sunroof. Driving a cheap small car leaves you wanting for much in your drive and your life. The Hyundai i20 is the perfect combination of small car practicality with big car quality, equipment and comfort. With groove armada on the stereo and a comfortable drive it is really the perfect car for the stressful Indian city. At it's price of Rs 8,40,000 on road New Delhi there is no car that can challenge it in terms of a package.

I’ am no expert at judging brands of clothes and what they offer at their price, but I can bet middle of the road brands can never offer a product that can rival a luxury brand. However, if there were such a thing it would be a French Connection dress that could embarrass a Gucci dress. And Hyundai has done just that with the i20.

Mitsubishi Motor Corporation to axe its man parts

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution (a.k.a. Evo) has been a revered performance sedan for years. Everything about the car from the looks to the practicality to the ground breaking performance made it one of the most desirable performance cars on the road. The first Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was designed from ground up to be a rally car, which means that it was meant to be very fast on just about any road surface, be it tarmac, gravel or snow. That made it one of the greatest street racing machines of all time. As a young boy the Evo was my favorite performance car. To me it was the perfect car. And that was a time when Lancers were really in the stride when it came to the WRC.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution I was first produced in 1992 and since then the car evolved through its rally pedigree to the current generation Evo X. What made the car really stand out was the technology which went on to make it a performance benchmark. You see the tech came from the WRC Lancer Evos’. All the technology that Mitsubishi developed to make their rally cars cope with the extreme conditions of the motorsport was crammed into the production version of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution series. As a result with every upgrade the car became a faster and better machine. The car was such a success that in the real world performance test it would leave supercars in its dust. Topgear went onto give it a cult status when it showed that the Evo was faster than a Lamborghini Murcielago.

However Mitsubishi decided to pull out of the WRC. The Evo IX was the last model to have been honed from a rally going Evo. The Evo X was even better as a performance machine than its predecessors, it was probably made out of all the bits and pieces of rally technology which Mitsubishi had lying around after they cleaned up the WRC cabin.

This year, the Global Product Director for Mitsubishi Motor Corporation, Gayu Eusegi has announced that Mitsubishi is going to kill the Lancer Evolution despite a strong demand for the vehicle. According to him Mitsubishi is heading in a ‘different direction’ now. They do not want to be linked with production of a performance vehicle in any way. Which is why they are going to kill the Evo X in 2013 and it is not going to have a predecessor. He went onto say that Mitsubishi is concentrating on developing electric cars and hybrid cars. Mitsubishi Motor Corporation plans to launch 8 such models by 2015.

I don’t see this as an unexpected move by Mitsubishi. You see Mitsubishi Motor Corporation does not have the technology or the pedigree to develop the next generation Evo because they do not make rally cars any more. They would have to spend a huge amount of money to develop a brand new car such as a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution XI. Instead they are going to produce electric vehicles. Why? Because, Mitsubishi is a large conglomerate and they have a sister company that makes electric motors.

So, Mitsubishi Motor Corporation has decided to save money in making cars and in the process kill its brand name entirely as a performance car maker. What a shame, one of the best performance car makers has decided to castrate itself and become a eco friendly and gutless manufacturer. And in the process please the green party immensely.

About its return to WRC Mitsubishi says, there is no chance for it to join the WRC again. The only way they will join motorsport is if there is a race series for electric cars.

In my opinion all of this is not going to be of much use because Mitsubishi Motor Corporation is heading completely in the wrong direction. The fuel of the future is Hydrogen and not rubbish battery powered cars. If Mitsubishi wants to be in the automobile market in the future, it is best if the stick to performance cars and off-road vehicles or put their resources into developing Hydrogen powered cars. Because, they neither make very good small cars and electric cars have no future. The sooner they realize this the better it is for Mitsubishi Motor Corporation.

Mitsubishi is one of the biggest MNCs in the world and it can very easily put its resources into developing cars that are in demand. And since the Global Product Director for Mitsubishi Motor Corporation has clearly stated that the Evo is still very much in demand. It would be best if they rejoined the WRC and make fantastic cars full of testosterone instead of trying to please the green party and make cars that no one will buy. And if they really wanted to please the green party Mitsubishi can try and make a hydrogen powered car, that’s something people would probably buy in the future.

Here is the thing Mitsubishi, companies make products which people demand because they can make MONEY out of it. So, start doing it.