1. Do not drive fast in City lanes. Chances are – you are going to hit stop signs or the red light. You will have to use brakes more often and which will decrease brake life. Driving fast and stopping frequently will also eat up a lot of gas.

2. Slow down early before stop signs. Spot the stop signs early and remove your legs from the gas paddle. The car will automatically slow down before the stop sign. Less use of brake and longer life.

3. Slow down before a red light. Same as above – anticipate your stopping and slow down accordingly.

4. Use less gas on a down hill. You car automatically accelerates on a downhill, so, if you give gas, it will accelerate further and will require more use of Brakes when you need to.

It is a good idea to buy new cars that will have longer brake life and is better from safety perspective.

Civic has additional advantage of being a loyal brand. It is not very difficult to find many civic still running on the road with over 200,000 miles. We will not know if the most latest model carry the same degree of confidence, until we start listening from the owners. However, a typical brand generally carry the previous year good points, unless some parts supplier screws up something is the supply chain of the component. This has happened in case of Toyota with its un intended acceleration issue and this can happen with any car, unless they are extra vigilant about it.

Take a look at the ratings for the 2011 Honda Civic.

Table : 2011 Honda Civic Rating

- The figures for the ratings from yahoo auto , iguida and car connections are for previous year model.

- The figure may be updated as more data become available.

This has been in stark contrast to the high rating of 4 stars that the 2010 Model of Honda Civic was able to secure.

The NHSTA has started revealing the results of the safety tests that it has started to conduct under it new assessment program. The 2011 Honda Civic secured a rating of 4 stars in both the frontal-crash test and the rollover risk. However, the side-crash test gave Honda civic just 2 stars which took down the overall rating of Honda Civic.

However Civic did well in the new “pole test” in which it secured full 5 star rating. In the side test, the passenger seat received a 4 star while the driver seat received only 2 stars.

The NHSTA also includes the video of the actual tests that was conducted.

However, in terms of percentage gain when compared to the Jan 2011, Ford Focus led with 59.8% more sales as compared to same month last year. Camry and Civic were the other two best gainers with 55.9% and 49.5% gains.

In overall the car market is improving with significantly more sale in the beginning of Jan 2012 as compared to 2011. Are we coming out of recession ?

Besides 2011 Toyota Corolla, the Civic finds tough competition from 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2011 Mazda 3, 2011 Ford Focus and 2011 Hyundai Elantra.

Honda Civic comes in large number of trims , and there is a great deal of price variation between the entry level DS model and one of top of the line EX model with Navigation. You may like to check out the variation in the different models to see which one just fits in your need at a price you can afford.

Civic alongwith Corolla and Ford Focus, used to be the entry model in U.S. lineup. But the recent entry of the Honda Fit, Yaris and Fiesta, the Civic has moved one notch up. For couple of extra thousand you get more room better power and decent drive experience.

What Reviewers have found about 2011 Honda Civic

What is Good

God Engines in its category
Excellent manual transmission
Great Fuel efficiency
Natural-gas, Hybrid, and performance (Si) variants available

What is not so good.

Lack of Roomliness, tough to enter and exit from backseat
Choppy Ride

Table 1 : 2012 Toyota Camry Vs Hyundai Sonata Feature Comparison

Motortrend, an authority site that closely monitors the cars and reviews them for comparison, ran a survey to compare Camry with Hyundai Sonata and Volkswagen Passat. The result – Hyundai Sonata wins by a huge margin.

The result seems to be driven by a down economy where buyers have become more cost cautious. They are trying to find as much bangs for money as they can and Sonata seems to fit it their pocket while providing 100,000 miles warranty that neither Camry, nor Sonata provides.

This is in direct contrast to the number 1 place that motorcar assigns to Passat. In fact, the motortrends’ ranking is just reverse to that of the voters ratings.

This makes a good sense for the cars like Nissan Leaf to make an entry into the consumer market. It is expected that the gas prices in 2013 will decisively cross $4 a galon – make Nissan Leaf 2013 a good car to buy.

Unlike the volt, Nissan Leaf is a pure electric battery-powered vehicle. It has no Petrol Powered engine and is not a hybrid. Again the designers have tried to make it look different. But fortunately the styling is nice and it has a substantial street presence. lt also has two distinctive design elements, the first is the solar panel integrated into its rear spoiler, and the other is the prominent flap in the nose that provides access to the all important charging Plug.

Nissan say that the Leaf’s range on a full charge is about 160 km but this can vary due to driving conditions and driving style. Some who have driven it for a much longer duration told us that it can go as much as 160 to
180 km on a good day (right temperature, flat roads, light foot driving, tailwinds, etc) and it can be as low as
90 to 100 km on a bad day (cold weather, hard high speed driving, etc).

It has been reported that the faster you go the faster the range reduces. This of course is in standard driving mode. In the selectable Eco mode throttle response reduces and the regenerative braking force increases, which extends the range by about 10 per cent. To take care of the ‘range anxiety’ that can happen while driving a purely electric car the display in the dash constantly updates the range and also advises on the best (very gentle with the throttle) driving style. The navigation system not only shows how far you can go but also where You can stop to recharge. But this can take up to 8/l 0 hours and it’s a halt You don’t want to make.

The Leaf’s interior is smart and when you press the start button a chime sounds the all clear. And as is typical of electric cars you go the instant you press the throttle. The 80-kilowatt electric motor (equivalent to 107 bhp) delivers its 280Nm of torque almost instantly and the Leaf gets from 0-l00 kph in about 10 seconds. The steering wheel is made of recycled plastic water bottles and it’s nimble and easy to drive and ideal for urban commutes. The driver’s cockpit is dominated by a unique and easy to use gear selector knob and interestingly there’s no tailpipe on the Leaf as it emits no carbon dioxide, which classifies it as a zero-emissions vehicle. But let’s not forget that generating electricity (especially through coal plants) takes its toll on our ecology. The Nissan Leaf is certainly one of the most efficient electric vehicles as of now. It addresses the challenges of range and charging time fairly well. A family can travel in it and they won’t ever have to change the engine oil because it has no engine. And even though it costs approx 15 lakhs in the US, it is a fairly good alternate energy option for city use. The future could slowly be finding its way to us. 5o maybe it’s time to start getting used to range anxiety and the question that will often be asked: ‘Do we have enough charge to make it there?’

Based on the Verve concept, and the kinetic design language adopted by Ford, the new Fiesta is definitely a striking looking car. It used high strength steel in the body shell that is light, yet improves stiffness. This is the first car to be built under the one Ford program that sees the same car sold in almost all its markets. Its sharp, stretched headlamps and trapezoidal lower grille give the car an aggressive look. The short overhangs and cub forward design are part of the car’s appeal. One of the key elements of the design is its raised beltline.

Extremely attractive on the hatch, it tends to add bulk to the sedan’s rear but it also allows the car to have generous boot. Ford have cleverly managed to disguise the visual bulk of the rear using pronounced wheel arches(which also add to the width) and surfacing the area around the tail lamps to add visual width. Ford have also used deep wheel wells to accommodate the suspension movement, reducing the need for a lot of clearance between the tire and the wheel opening. The rear has some styling similarities to Ford’s own Mondeo, and though many of the heft, it is not the Fiesta’s best side.

Internally, Ford continues with aggressive but good looking design. The door pads carry the trapezoidal theme, and the flowing dash adds character up front. The high mounted multi-purpose display and integrated audio/phone system look good, as do the unconventional instruments. We weren’t too happy with the inconsistent plastics and would have liked some soft touch elements on the door as well. There are however, no complaints about the seats. The front buckets are one of the best in class, and offer race car-like support, without the inconvenience. The fabric is a nice mix of plain and textured sections, and rears offer good comfort.
Leg room is good, and recesses on the rear of the front seats boost knee room.A rear a/c vent would have also helped. The top variant of the Fiesta will come kitted with voice command activation for the audio, climate and phone controls.

The system works quite well, understands our accent and should prove to be more than just a party trick. The car will also come with cruise control. The lower spec variant will also get an integrated stereo, but don’t expect voice commands. It seems Ford has fixed all the bland bits of the old one, but it has also gone and tinkered with the good bits, the engine and steering. Cone are the old units, replaced by new 1.5-litre petrol or diesel four-cylinders, with 5-speed manuals, though a twin-clutch automatic is expected in the future. The petrol employs independent variable camshaft timing, for both cams, and the diesel is a version of the old engine, now with intercooling. On the road, the petrol proves too smooth and linear in its power delivery, but it does lack punch in the lower end. lt keeps the revs high and enthusiasts can enjoy the stiff and capable chassis of the Fiesta. The diesel is far more drivable, and has good mid-range torque that comes once the turbocharger’s boost is up. Both variants offer really smooth shifts, though the gearbox appears to have been ratioed for economy. With ARAI figures of 1 Tkpl (petrol) and 23.5kpl (diesel), their focus seems clear. One of the changes adopted in the new car is its power steering. The old Fiesta was one of the best handling cars, and Ford’s decision to go for an electronic system will not go down well with those who enjoy driving. Though the new system isn’t bad, and one of the better systems in the market, it isn’t as crisp as the old car. lt changes torque depending on the speed making it easy to drive in the city and is firmer at high speeds. Lt even compensates if it finds the driver has to make minor corrections, in case of crosswinds or road conditions. The suspension is a good compromise between comfort and drivability. With decent ground clearance (increased I 5mm from the Asian car, using just a taller tyre) the car clears all city obstacles and rides well over broken roads. One of the problems with the earlier Fiesta was service cost and spares, and Ford has addressed this problem.

They claim to now have one of the cheapest-to-maintain cars in the segment. Ford is hoping all these improvements in the new car translate to better market positioning’ They have made all the right changes from the older car, but only time will tell how successful these are’ As for the techno orgy in the Fiesta, it does improve the cars usability, without too many complications. Oh, and Mr Thomas now works for Ford’
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THE FIESTA STORY

THE NEW SIXTH GENERATION FIESTA, IN lndia, is the third Fiesta to make it to our shores, and that’s not including the fast Fiesta.The Ford Fiesta has been a popular small car for the marque since its introduction
in 1976. By’79 a mittion had been produced. But our association with the Fiesta is relativety recent and dates from 1999. Marketed as the Ford Ikon, it was actually a sedan version of the third generation Fiesta post- face[ift. We then got what They claim to now have one of the cheapest to maintain cars in the segment. Ford is hoping all these improvements in the new car translate to better market positioning. They have made all the right changes from the was our first Fiesta branded car, one that was made especially for our market based
on the fourth generation Fiesta platform. The actual fourth generation Fiesta came to us on[y last year, redesigned and branded as the Ford Figo. We skipped the fifth generation car, which was nothing more than
the fourth with a facelift. And now we get the sixth one, as a sedan. lnternationally it is availabl.e as a three-door hatch, five-door hatch, sedan and even as a van.

Older car, but only time will tell how successful these are. As for the technology in the Fiesta, it does improve the cars usability, without too many complications. Oh, and Thomas now works for Ford.

Audi Decided to decided to give some of their customers and media sources , a chance to participate in a very interesting off-road driving experience’.

The venue for the off-road driving experience was ‘Dera Amber’, situated on the outskirts of the Pink city of Jaipur. Mark Allison, a very senior and highly qualified Audi driving instructor was called in from South Africa and with Audi lndia’s local team he set out a testing and also educative course. The weapons, that were used to tackle the course the Audi Q5 and Q7, and both acquitted themselves very well. The course was obviously also designed to showcase all the technical wizardry present on both these Audi SUVs and we saw a demonstration of the capabilities of technologies like the all-wheel drive ‘Quattro’ system’ the traction control system, hill descent control, adaptive air suspension with lift mode (on the Q7) ABS system, etc. Also Put to the test were the ground clearance and approach and departure angles of both vehicles.

With its superior ground clearance (240mm) and features like the adaptive air suspension, the Audi Q7 is quite clearly the more serious off-roader’ But even the Q5, which is more of a soft-roader, impressed with its abilities Its lighter weight and compact size meant it was far more agile and easy to manoeuvre and in the soft talcum powder-like sand that formed part of our course, it managed to generate a fair amount of grip and nicely floated and danced all over.

But the more extreme parts of the course were off limits for Q5 and this is where the e7 showed its true muscle. The stiff chassis, the air suspension, the better ground clearance and, smart approach and departure angles along with the very useful ramp break over angle of 24 degrees and gradient climbing ability of 60 degrees compared to the Q5′s 31 degrees) had the Q5 , taming the toughest of terrain and venturing into areas few would have imagined possible. ln fact most owners of these vehicles, even at their boastful best , would not have been overweening enough to talk about these kinds of exploits in their SUV. Very honestly, it would not come as a surprise if during Mark’s extreme off-road demo drive, some of them were not only scared out of their wits but also soiled their under garments! And what we can also be sure of is that after such a driving experience, even if the drinks at the bar are not very tall – the tales will surely be.