We all have high hopes at the time of buying a new vehicle. And if the vehicle was to be a Mercedes-Benz make, excitement gets added to the expectations. After all the feelings settle down and you start to think about it, how much distance do you intend to rack up in your vehicle’s trip meter over its lifetime?
Whatever might be the number that you came up with in your head, forget it. Why? Probably because you can never beat a million kms. And in case you think that is just a made up number, a recent tweet will make you believe the unbelievable.
A 7 year old Mercedes-Benz E class in Singapore has covered a whopping 1 million (10 lakh) kms in travel. Twitter user Mark Verbloot recently posted a picture of his car’s trip-meter along with the caption “How’s this for some serious usage?”
Mark explained that his drivers make multiple trips to and from the Singapore airport, clocking nearly 700 kms per day. He specified the model to be W212.
The over 10 lakh kms covered by Mark’s old E class is just as much a testimony to the car’s make as it is for Mark. Mercedes-Benz was pleased to know of this as a mark of reliability of its vehicles over their lifetime. It replied through its official Twitter handle “Absolute goals! 😍 Congratulations! 👏 We wish you many more years of stunning performance.”
Twitterati has been in a frenzy looking at the image. People even joked about the fact that the guy was able to rack up 10 lakh kms within Singapore, a country limited in size. Whatever the case maybe, Mark (or his drivers) certainly has been on the Singapore roads a lot.
Mercedes-Benz is all set for a launch event in India, scheduled to take place tomorrow. So what will be behind the curtains? A facelifted version of its two-door coupe – the 2019 C43 AMG. For those unaware of the vehicle, here is what you can expect from tomorrow’s launch.
The 2019 C43 AMG first made its debut at last year’s Geneva Motor Show. Based on the C-Class platform, the coupe comes as a product out of Mercedes-AMG’s facility at Affalterbach.
As for the upgrades on the car, the 2019 C43 AMG gets a new AMG radiator grille and twin louvre extending to the front apron. At the back, there are two round twin tailpipes and a spoiler lip in body colour placed on the boot lid. 19-inch multi-spoke AMG alloy wheels have been used in the 2019 C43 AMG.
One look at the interiors and it is easy to notice the Artico man-made leather or Dinamica microfibre in black with red top stitching on the door panels, seats as well as the dashboard.
While the steering wheel gets touch control buttons, a heads up display and a Nappa leather covering, the digital instrument cluster comes with three display styles – Classic, Sport and Supersport. Even the seats are an exhibition of the AMG performance tag.
In case you are not satisfied with the looks of the car, which is quite hard, there is also an optional AMG styling package that comes with a louder front splitter, broader side skirt inserts and flics in the bumper at the back.
As for it performance, the Mercedes-AMG C43 Coupe is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 engine which churns out 385 bhp, an increase of 23 bhp over its predecessor. Even the torque has been increased to 520 Nm. Paired to the engine is a 9G automatic transmission and an AMG Performance 4MATIC All-Wheel Drive system for more traction. The company claims that the car can hit 0-100 kmph in 4.7 seconds and that it has limited the top speed of the car to 250 kmph.
Once Mercedes-Benz reveals the car in India tomorrow, the Mercedes-AMG C43 is expected to be priced around Rs 75 to rs 80 lakh (ex-showroom). This means that the coupe will be competing with the likes of Audi S5 Coupe and the BMW M2 in the Indian market.
Volkswagen Motorsport India had been working on a special project to mark its tenth anniversary and till now, the project had been known as the ‘Winter Project’. The motorsport division has now unveiled the special car though and is calling it the Volkswagen Polo RX. Made only for track use, the car comes with a rear-engine for a completely rear-wheel drive
Essentially carrying the make of a regular Volkswagen Polo, the Polo RX has been produced completely by the factory team engineers and the technicians in India. The team of engineers and technicians worked on the project during their ‘winter break’ and that is how the car got its name of the Polo Winter Project track car.
Volkswagen Polo RX (Volkswagen)
As for the car itself, the Polo RX carries its engine at the rear, an engine that is the same one as found on the Volkswagen Ameo Cup car. The1.8-litre direct injection turbocharged engine delivers 205 PS of power at 6100 rpm, churning a maximum torque of 320 Nm. Accompanying the engine is a sequential gearbox and paddle shifters.
The firm says that the major challenge came was posed by the drivetrain for the Polo RX, having to redesign it completely from the ground up to fit in the engine at the rear. The team thus created the appropriate mounts for the engine, gearbox and suspension mounts.
Volkswagen Polo RX’s engine at the rear. (Volkswagen)
The team came up with special air vents for the car to direct the airflow to the engine. The fuel tank also had to be shifted to the front, with the intercooler already occupying the fuel tank’s space. In addition, the suspensions, fuel lines and cooling system lines of the car had to be worked upon.
The Polo RX comes as a one-off car by the the company and can be rented by anyone for track use. Completed in three weeks, the car does not comply with any regulations as of now and hence cannot take part in any of the competitive events. Volkswagen can definitely tweak this if need be, as and when it deems fit for the car to be racing on a track.
In today’s world, it is absolutely safe to say that most of the time is spent in cars rather than at home. More than half of the work is done on the smartphones. Well, it is always a problem when the phones aren’t charged and you are sitting on the backseat of the car. The issue is a real one. To save you and your phone from dying, here is the cue. Get yourselves the Amkette 4 port charger. It is the accessory that is worth paying for.
A must accessory in today’s time
Consisting of 4 USB ports, two for the front and the rest for the back, this family car charger can charge even the heaviest of the devices rapidly. It is very carefully designed and ensures that regardless of the seat that you are sitting on, you get access to the charging port to not only charge the phone but use it as well. It has a very long port which allows the back-seaters to take the advantage of it.
The port is about 3 metres long which gives you the leverage of sticking it anywhere in the car. Yes, you heard me right. Stick it anywhere means that the plastic clip is detachable. It is of no risk to the device due to the quality of the plastic used in making it.
The speed at which it charges the device is unbeatable and unmatchable. The Amkette 4 port charger is very essential in today’s time as no matter where you are travelling and for how long, you always would want to keep your phone’s battery up to date. Not only with its characteristics but also with its looks, the charger never fails to impress. The matte finish is all set to lure the buyers.
No less than a life saver, the family car charger is all set to rescue you and your family. To make the trip and the car drive smooth and easy going, you definitely need this car accessory. The amazing features make it more worthy at the price of only ₹2,299₹1,997 available exclusively on Amazon.in
No more fights for the charger and for the front seat, get this Amkette 4 port family car charger and change the life!
The newly designed and re-engineered Uber rider’ app is now available for one and all in India and around the globe, across Android and iOS platforms. This update brings faster, smarter and more personalised experience. This is for the first time in 5 years that the Rider app has been rebuilt from the scratch.
Here are the key factors that makes the new app a better experience –
Much faster app and a new design
Comprehensive vehicle options along with upfront pricing view
The new rider app which has been developed using a completely new architecture, also opens up a plethora of possibilities for improving the new rider feed, as well expanding this to the driver app, and even building for the future.
So which country are you from and what Taxi service do you use, do let us know in the comments section below or tweet to us?
I personally prefer using Uber over Ola when I’m in India. But when I’m in the US, I keep juggling between Uber, Juno and Lyft depending on which state I am in. And, in the UK it’s the black cab first and Uber later, just because of the nostalgia value 🙂
Who is this SWM and Why is their SuperDual exciting news for Indian adventurer tourers?
Is SWM to BMW what Adibas is to Adidas?
No, it’s not a cheap knock-off. In fact, SWM is like the Lucky Ali of off road motorcycling.
It was once very popular, albeit in limited circles, before it went off the scene.
The Milan based manufacturer of off-road motorcycles manufactured off-road focussed bikes in the 70s and 80s before it went into unfortunate liquidation in 1984.
So, what does SWM stand for?
Some Say it is Speedy Working Motors. We think it is most likely a synthesis of ‘Sironi Vergani Vimercate Milano’. Piero Sironi and Fausto Vergani were the people who founded SWM in 1971.
Ah, it’s a thoroughbred Italian?
Well yes, they are manufactured in Italy but its resurrection in 2014 was funded by the Chinese entity, Shineray Group. And currently the SWM motorcycles are being manufactured using earlier Husqvarna engines, before Husqy was acquired by KTM from BMW. So there is some German tech leftover too. erm… forget the family tree, who is going to sell it in India? Kinetic-owned premium motorcycle initiative MotoRoyale, which also sells MV Agusta bikes in India is bringing the SWM SuperDual T to India. MotoRoyale are expected to get SWM Motorcycles in India by October.
Why does it excite us?
It is not over the top:
You don’t need 100+Bhp’s on our road-rash inspired highways
You don’t need to deadlift 200+Kgs of a dropped bike on AMS inducing mountain trails,
You don’t need to sign off the rest of your corporate slave life to a INR 10+Lakh loan
You don’t need the BMW R1200GS, yes, I finally said it. It is time to move on from the wet-dreams of the 1200GSA.
It has got lineage in its favour:
The SWM SuperDual T’s 600cc single cylinder engine is based on the engine from the Husqvarna TE 630, which was derived from the G650GS. While that might seem dated, it at least has good genes. Also, this is the closest you can get to your GS dreams, given the budget.
SWM SuperDual Vs BMW G650GS Vs Husqvarna TE 630
It is not an imposter when it comes to the adventure tourer badge:
The stock bike is ready for adventureand the off-road pedigree is obvious. The bigger 19 inch front wheels to tackle the bad stretches is the first sign of that. Add to that, ample ground clearance of 180mm, and you are all set to tackle the off-tarmac sections.
The frame, suspension and most importantly the weight (169kg dry) is fairly offroad ready, unlike the upcoming Binelli TRK 502 which weighs north of the 200 Kg mark. The SuperDual makes its peak torque of 53.5 Nm coming in low at 6,500 rpm hence doesn’t require you to rev it to a high powerband. That is not all, the suspension comes with preload, compression and rebound adjustment, hence leaving room for you to tune it when leaving or re-entering smooth tarmac. Smaller bits like the windscreen for highway blasts and even the skid-plate comes stock.
Will not turn you into a bonded labourer for life
The rumoured pricing seems to be around INR 5.5 Lakh ex showroom. That is great value for money, at least until the KTM 390 Adventure rides into the scene. The other available tourer in this range that comes closest is the Kawasaki Versys 650, which is firstly more expensive and secondly is very road biased.
What we need answers for..
Will service and maintenance be a pain?
Word on the street is that it has a 5000 km service interval, we may be wrong, but we would like an adventure tourer to not need such frequent time outs. Also, it will be interesting to see how MotoRoyale handles the service centre network. Since its current stable includes the elusive MV Agusta models, whose requirements of accessible service might not have been tested yet.
Will the seat height drive away modestly sized Indians?
At 890mm the SuperDual’s seat height sits really high. To give some perspective here are seat heights of some bikes for comparison, the Himalayan sits at 800 mm , the Hero Impulse – 835 mm, the Africa Twin – 860mm. It will be interesting to see if the suspension settings could be made soft enough for the resultant seat height with rider on board reduces substantially.
Will the slightly older big single be vibey?
Single Cylinder engines are known to vibrate more than twins due to the lack of counter-balancing that the second piston provides. Because of the slightly older architecture of the 600 engine is there a possibility of there being some vibes? We would like to comment on the smoothness or lack of it only after having ridden the bike.
To close, we would like to know from you..
Tech Specs RoundUp –
Engine: Single cyl 600cc Fuel Injected 54.4 PS at 7,500 rpm 53.5 Nm at 6,500 rpm 6 gears
Tank capacity: 18-litre
Wheels: 19-inch front 17-inch rear Ground clearance 180mm
Seat Height: 890mm
Weight: 169 kg (without fuel)
Suspension Front: USD fork with rebound damping adjustment, Travel- 210mm Rear: Monoshock with preload, compression and rebound adjustment, Travel- 270mm
Braking: ABS as standard, Brembo units 300mm single disc in the front 220mm disc at the rear
So, that’s all about the SWM for the moment. We are itching to ride it as soon it lands in India and share our review of it. Till then let’s dream about it in unity.
I’m getting emotional while I write this, because it may finally be over. The era of hatchbacks being turned into dahej-mobiles aka sedans, by attaching a box at the tail end. The era of turning neatly designed hatchbacks into ugly “compact sedans” might finally be over. I say this because of the arrival of 3 sedans that are based on hatchbacks, and yet their posteriors(boots) don’t look like an afterthought. What’s common between the Tata Tigor, MarutiSuzukiDzire 2017 and Ford Figo Aspire is that all 3 exude proportionate and sedan like styling, signalling an end to the era of ugly compact sedans.
We would like to make an honorary mention of the Vento, since it came much before these and had the styling bit on point. The reason why it wasn’t included in the list of the above trio is because we didn’t think the Vento marked the end of the ugly compact sedan era. That said, VW messed it up with its sub 3-meter hatchback – Ameo.
Looking back at the ones that championed this segment, lets call it UCS(ugly compact sedans). The first versions of Tata Indigo and Maruti Dzire looked like no effort went into blending the box at the end.
And it wasn’t just the aam aadmi brands like Tata and Maruti, even Japanese giant Honda wilted under the pressure of catering to the segment by launching the Amaze. Being Honda, they tried very hard to stylize the boot to match the rest of the design of the Brio, which had a unique oblique-flat rear. In spite of their best attempts, the Amaze has two different crease lines running along the sides. One from the front, one front the rear. They don’t meet, they are not even parallel. They look like two different people started drawing from both ends and realised too late that the lines don’t meet.
Fast forward to 2017, the consistency of the curvy high waistline of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire 2017, the swanky coupe-ish rear of the Tigor and the classy C Pillar blending into the boot of the Figo Aspire, all stand testimony to the fact that the compact sedan styling has finally moved away from the boxy after-thought eye sores.
Do let me know your your favourite sub 3-meters hatchback in the comments section below or tweet to us at @AutomotiveBlog_
While the presence of Indians in professional motorsports is scarce globally, we think it is not because of any shortage in skill. If we were a serious website, we would delve into the depths of socio economic framework of the country to explore what hinders talented Indians from pursuing motorsports, but we are not. Hence, here is why we think the average India (driver) will be brilliant at Formula 1.
1. Everyone follows the race-line at corners
Lane driving is for bitchez, Indian drivers take the race line. Always. Corner exits are invariably dealt with full throttle. The way Indian cabbies drift from the inside lane to the outside, in order to maintain speeds during a turn, it almost seems like they are in the final laps trying to maintain pole position.
2. No dirth of exceptional pit crew
We have some cities and areas (in)famous for harbouring amazingly talented professionals who can make wheels vanish from parked cars in seconds, while using only bricks as jacks and a single wrench. All we need is a Nick Fury to assemble these individuals with exceptional skills and build an F1 pit crew. The only trouble might be in getting this motley crew to put new tires back onto the car instead of running away with the ones they take off.
3. Radio chatter < Parental guidance
Every F1 season, we observe instances of drivers getting annoyed or having unpleasant exchanges with the team over the in-car radio while receiving instructions. That would never be a problem with Indian drivers. Even when we are learning to drive, we usually have a parent/relative in the car who tries to micro-manage every 15 degree turn of your steering wheel while pointing out the obvious cow crossing the road. Indian drivers would not let radio-ed instructions mess up their concentration.
4. DRS Zone Leverage
While DRS zones may be a fairly new concept to Formula 1, it’s not new to us Indian drivers. It is second instinct for us to be tailgating the car in front till we approach a flyover, and put the pedal to the metal to overtake.
5. Qualifying races don’t mean shit
Who said you have to stay at the back of the grid just because that is where you belong.
Starting at the back of the grid and ending on front is the Indian drivers’ daily bread. How? They have honed their skills by squeezing through gaps and climbing onto footpaths to jump queues of cars at traffic signals.
These were just the first 5 reasons we could think of at a first glance, we are sure you can come up with more observations to justify why Indians definitely have an advantage at Formula 1 racing. Tell us in the comments below.
Lets get it straight. One bike is never enough. And there is no one size fits all solution for motorbikes. Some days you might want to scramble around dirt roads outside the city, some days you want to get a knee down and scrape the tarmac as you lean, other days you might just want to lazily amble around to the rhythmic beats of a classic thumper. Why should you settle for just one of these? And trust me when I say that you can’t really have ONE motorcycle that does it all.
Unless you have a lot of daddy’s money to splurge, it is safe to say that the thought of owning multiple motorcycles at one point of time is nothing more than being fodder for morning wood.
Then, do you settle for the one you possess and make peace while blaming the depth of your middle-class pocket? Or do you have a cyclic EMI for decades that allows you to go through ownership experiences of various genres of motorcycles while being perpetually in debt?
There is another option which is grossly underused by us ‘hardcore’ piston heads, and majorly used by thrill seeker noobs who are gifted weekend escapades by their loving wives. RENTALS!
Lets list down why rentals are the best side chicks –
Bikers don’t have a type. We like options.
Rentals allow you access to a fleet of various segments of bikes. Pick a naked street fighter on days your inner hooligan wakes up. Choose a classic when you want to feel the wind on your face. Also works the other way around, you wouldn’t have to live with fully faired knee toaster in traffic when you want to ride it only on track days.
Ride it like you stole rented it
You don’t have to live with service and repair issues. Who wouldn’t love to rough it out with a Adventure tourer in Ladakh and then not have to worry about the trips to the service centre afterwards? Every off-road adventure road trip necessitates its own set of post-trip spa sessions for the motorcycle that has endured your adrenalin fuelled brashness. This leaves you grappling with a mountain of piled up work at office and visits to service station cajoling your favourite mechanic. In contrast a rental trip ends with you whispering a goodbye to your moto-fling.
Feel like an extinct Dinosaur every time an upgrade of your bike is launched?
Know that annoying feeling, when you are executing aggressive downshifts during a trip to the mountains on your old bike and wishing it had the slipper clutch from the new model? Yes, that. Rentals are a cure for that, because you are not stuck to one make or one year of manufacturing. You have access to every upgrade since rentals keep adding new bikes.
No pains of having to ship your bike
Most of us can not afford leaves from work, that are long enough to ride our motorcycles all the way from our homes to far off lands where we go tripping. Thus arises the helpless situation of having to ship your bike from home city to where ever you intend to start riding. It goes without saying that we absolutely do not trust the railways or cargo companies when it comes to handling our bikes. With a rental you can just fly to a destination and have a bike ready to ride.
Not convinced yet?
Let us produce some mathematical proof based on hypothetical numbers.
Lets try and use some rental costs (approximate, may vary a lot across regions) to find how much you would spend if you are someone who can manage enough leaves to be able to getaway for 1 long trip, 2 medium sized ones and 2 weekend trips.
Adventure touring on the Royal Enfield Himalayan
1800/day * 10 days = Rs 18000
Escape to the hills on a KTM Duke 390
1800/day * 4 days = Rs 7200
Lazy Coastal Ride on a Royal Enfield Standard 500
1800/day * 4 days = Rs 7200
Weekend Super bike craving satiated on a Kawasaki Ninja 650
6000/day * 2 days = Rs 12000
Thumping V Twin weekend with a Harley Davidson 48
6000/day * 2 days = Rs 12000
Under 60000 annually = Rs 5000 a month. Much lesser than the EMI of owning multiple bikes. QED. Hence proved.
P.S. For the romantics who thrive off their long term relationships with their machines, please feel free to leave comments about why riders should stay married to ONE motorcycle and follow Motorcycle Monogamy?
With this post we want to thank you all – our readers, subscribers, followers, friends and family. We have reached a new milestone on our YouTube channel and wanted to celebrate it with all of you. To celebrate, we are doing a giveaway where one lucky winner wins Audi Bluetooth headset.
Please Subscribe to our YouTube channel and enjoy 4K UHD videos like the one below 🙂
All you need to do is follow these instructions and get lucky to grab an Audi Bluetooth Headset for your yourself.
The Automotive Blog – YouTube Celebrations
TERMS & CONDITIONS
– This is an India only giveaway
– Staff and Team members of The Automotive Blog cannot be a part of this sweepstake
– You must be at least thirteen years of age or more to enter (You’d need a valid ID to receive the prize)
– This contest is free to enter
– This giveaway is operated by The Automotive Blog.. We reserve all rights to make changes to it (Just in case things go awfully wrong)
– The Audi Bluetooth Headset is the final prize, no monetary compensation will be received by any participant
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Do spread the word and keep your fingers crossed 🙂
