I was brought up in the lush green tea gardens of Assam where everything runs like clock work. As expected, a tea planter is very particular about all the little things. Don’t know how I turned out to be, well me, but one of the lasting impressions that the lifestyle has had on me is related to cars.
We in the tea planter community like to keep our cars in absolute mint condition. We have had cars over 10 years old in spanking condition complete with a log book and everything. And I try to keep my ageing Zen in much the same condition. Although like the average Delhi resident, I do not have a garage for my car.
It therefore was quite a shocker for me one morning as my car refused to start. Upon closer inspection everything appeared to be fine on the face of things under the hood.
This got me thinking, maybe it’s time to think about another car, maybe this one has had it all. After all, how can a Maruti not start?
So I started wondering, which car in the Indian market should I buy. I want a hatchback, but one that is a joy to drive, comfortable and well kitted too. The only car that came to my mind was the Ford Figo, I don’t really like the way the new Swift looks and the Polo 1.6 is no more, as for the MINI Cooper S, that’s clearly out of my budget.
But then word is out that Ford will be launching the new Ford Figo powered by their cutting edge 1.0 litre EcoBoost petrol engine in 2014. And Ford makes some of the best affordable driver’s cars. So there is no way I’ am buying a car that will be outdated in less than two years, and if you are an enthusiast it’s a waste of money as real world performance is roughly on par with the Zen.
Then there is the direct injection turbocharged 1.2 litre Volkswagen Polo that has also been caught testing in India. Nice! But it still isn’t on the market yet.
Sedans? Don’t really need one and there isn’t anything for the enthusiast anyway.
You see the dilemma here. India is full of outdated petrol cars (in terms of engine technology) and there isn’t a single car for the enthusiast. Oh and forget about rear-wheel drive.
Ricardo has just been awarded for its new turbocharged spray-guided gasoline direct injection (T-SGDI) combustion system with five injections per cycle and electric supercharging that offers exceptional fuel economy, higher torque and performance all at the same time.
I always said, in the bid to improve diesel engines the petrol motor was almost completely left untouched until very recently. Technology will forever evolve, but it’s this next breed of light weight, direct injection, turbocharged petrol engines that will add a whole new definition of driving pleasure for petrolheads and indeed motorists for the near future.
Anyway, back to the Zen. I then managed to get a mechanic who also was equally puzzled as there wasn’t anything out of order under the hood. As it turns out one of the relay’s responsible for passing electricity while starting the car was a bit rusty.
Had the rust removed and now I’ am back to the Zen. Even though, this is a very old car the comfy coil spring suspension, smooth and precise gearshift, nimble handling, strong brakes and responsive engine give it an edge over big and heavy hatchbacks of today whose horsepowers are tuned more for economy rather than power.
With my mind now back to a state of Zen, my worries of buying a new car have been put to rest for good as Delhi is just not the place for a new car for an enthusiast on a budget. After all anyone who truly loves the automobile does not want a dent or scratch on it when they leave it parked at night.
