2011 Mercedes C-Class in India review

Mercedes have seen fewer launches than other manufacturers in the Indian context. Often we get to see all those VW launch invitations coming our way and a few other manufacturers as well. However, this time around, Mercedes have ignored their previous lethargy of bringing in products to India much later after the so called launches in rest of the parts of the world. The product in question happen to be the company’s bread and butter model, the 2011 Mercedes C-Class in India. The C-Class was launched barely a few days back and here, we have it in our folds for a review. Most of the discerning road users would barely know the difference between the old and new C-Class models, however, we are here to tell the difference. Place a call to the Merc agency and they loaned us a new 2011 Mercedes C-Class and here is a review report of the same.

Looks

Starting with the head lamps which are an all new feature in this car, there isn’t much to differentiate the old and new C-Class’. Also, this is no small upgrade to the head lamps. Like most of the North American cars and also European, now Indian, the new C-Class gets a blue tinge in the head lamps. Replacing the fog lamps are a string of LEDs. The bonnet has been lowered a bit in the interests of pedestrian safety while the air intake has also been widened. The 17 inch wheels carry on with the old alloy wheel pattern and the boring wing mirrors are also carried over from the older model. A panoramic sunroof is part of the standard equipment and towards the rear, new S-Class like tail lamps with the integrated indicators make their debut.

Interiors

Most of the Mercedes cars that we get to India go to the Indian accountant’s office before they actually start selling the vehicle. The good times have come as this model looks straight out of the US show room and is packed with features galore. This is no nip and tuck job and can be called as a true facelift. What obviously hasn’t been changed is the all in one steering column which has got the stalk columns to control the indicators, head lamps, wipers and also the cruise control. Not to mention the audio and Bluetooth telephony as well. However, the seats are now all electrically adjusting (front seats) and also mirrors which retract electrically with a cabin which exudes class. Compared with its competition, the C now feels at par rather than being branded as a car with less features. The layout of the dashboard and central console also feels an all new thing. The front seats were comfortable, however the rear ones were just as comfortable or not as the competition. The central hump towards the rear means that the middle passenger is unwelcome. Boot space hasn’t changed from the previous version and the seats still don’t split. Everything feels well screwed out here though.

Handling and ride quality

Usually Mercedes cars are front wheel drive with the same old accountant story revisited. However, this new version makes do without the cost cutting things. In comes the rear wheel drive version which is any enthusiast’s manna. According to the moods, one can vary the suspension to Comfort or Sports. By default, it lies in the Comfort mode. Changing it to Sports only revealed a slight stiffness from the suspension, which by the way, is setup to be in the soft zone. Pushing the car through bends in the Comfort mode as also Sports mode revealed that there ain’t much difference. The steering wheel remains light for most of the affair and only in the Sports mode does it weigh up a bit. Unlike the 3 series, there is body roll to contend with and also the A4 handles better. However, we felt that the new C has some spring in its step whatsoever with the lack of any mechanical feedback from the chassis as also the steering wheel. Ride quality is the forte of this car and it gobbles up potholes and the likes with considerable ease. The ride height also didn’t pose much problems with the city’s speed breakers. NVH is also handled nicely and its only at the top of the rev band that this car becomes somewhat fidgety with the noise insulation thing.

Engine, performance and fuel efficiency

The engines are carried over from the 2010 model and that means there are two diesels and two petrol ones. We had the chance to review the 1.8 liter turbo petrol. This particular unit with its 4 cylinder head makes 186 Bhp of power and torque of 285 Nm. Making its debut is an all new 7 speed auto transmission unit which gets this car racing from 0-100 kmph in 8.4 seconds. The top speed that we achieved was a cool 204 kmph. The engine is an eager unit and coupled with the new transmission unit, more than makes up for the lack of Bhps. The absence of turbo lag is also a boon. The diesels should also be fun to drive units knowing their earlier behaviors. As for the transmission, it is a sweet shifting unit with no paddle shifts to contend with. Thankfully enough, no E-Class type gear shifter is provided on the steering column. The traditional gear shifter looks and feels good. BlueEfficiency has now become the mantra across the range and even the entry level model gets it.

As for the fuel efficiency, we managed 7.8 kmpl in city conditions while the highway driving saw it climb to 10.2 kmpl. That coupled with a 66 liter fuel tank means that there would be long gaps before the tank has to be refilled. A full complement of electronic aids like ESP, traction control, ABS and EBD are also available. That coupled with the 6 airbags on tow offer some sense of security.

Verdict

The 2011 Mercedes C-Class in India is the bread and butter model for MB. It has got the stately 3 pointed star which more than compares with its competition. Now with the number of increased features, it more than stands up a chance of bringing up the Mercedes brand up against its other German rivals namely Audi and BMW. We would have liked a bit more of communication from the steering wheel as also the entire chassis. Some more poke in the entry level engine also would have done wonders. A bit more of leg room at the rear would also have been preferred. As with the other manufacturers, even Mercedes have brought in their BlueEfficiency tag to the starting series as well. Mercedes have a wider dealer network as also sales and service part than its counterparts. The 2011 Mercedes C-Class price in India starts from Rs 29.79 lakhs and goes all the way to Rs 32.30 lakhs for its diesel engined variant. The company has preferred to go backwards with the pricing as supposedly the older and newer C-Class variants have a price difference and one which does away with the norm of pricing newer vehicles more than their old variants.

New innovative Way Of Reducing Petrol Fuel Consumption

 

A number of new and innovative methods are being developed to reduce petrol fuel consumption in vehicles. When you are traveling over a bump road, the shock absorbers in your car absorbs the bumps. While this makes for a smoother ride, this energy is wasted. A US company(Levant Power Of Boston)has developed a system to convert it into electricity and used that for recharging the battery and use it for other purposes, results in petrol fuel savings of up to five per cent. Another company, E-Traction in the Netherlands, has fitted motor on the two rear wheels of trucks, eliminating the heavy transmission and gearing that soaks up power, the result is an amazing 40 per cent decrease in fuel consumption. Another technique being used is to fit rounded flairs or fins at the back of trucks that result in six per cent decrease in fuel consumption due to improved aerodynamics. Wasted engine heat has also been recycled to electricity by a number of companies in the UK and USA, resulting in significant fuel savings.

What have you done on your level to stop corruption?

Its a dog’s life (for most), Sayeed Mohammed, a disabled crab seller, who lives in Mumbai is disadvantaged thrice over: he’s poor, physically challenged, and being a Muslim, he’s part of the minority. His existence may not very different from Rani, the dog he’s interacting with. More than 40 per cent of India, lives on less than Rs 50 a day, with which they can barely feed themselves; let alone buy clothes, get an education or have access to clean drinking water and sanitation.

India has one of the largest illiterate populations in the world, with the highest number of labourers under 14 years of age. A UNESCO report estimates that 72 million primary school children are not in school, with a staggering 12.6 million children engaged in hazardous occupations. India holds claim to 17% of the world’s population, and one-third of the world’s poor. The World Bank estimates that 41% of Indians live below the poverty line, in situations of abject scarcity.  In many villages, women have to walk distances of 2.5 to 5 km to fetch water. This time spent in fetching this water is equivalent to 150 million women days, and translates into a loss of 1000 crore per year. the UN estimates that four children die every minute in India, from tragically preventable illnesses, with nearly 1000 children dying every day from diarrhea alone. The whopping 35% of population that live without access to electricity in India. Sex-selective abortion has grown into a Rs. 1000 crore industry, and India’s sex ratio is skewed to the point of 940 females for every 1000 males and not to talk about the Miss Mayawati who spend millions and millions of rs in just building some statues..... 


I guess these are bigger issues. Anna Hazare raised voice but i feel its against a wrong thing. Including pm and judiciary in lokpal are least concerned factors then the one i quoted above and it surely is distracting both people and the people in concern from looking into the major issues that india is facing. Getting support from people is one thing but getting it for right purpose is another. How will this all mass revolution help "Sayeed Mohammed"( and many others ) who i started this post with? Identifying the real problem is most important.


And all those writting slogans and praising anna in this act, just a simple question, What have you done on your level to stop corruption? Does filling social networking sites and raising the TRP of new channels solve the issues? 

India’s largest carmaker Maruti has ended the production Swift,

India’s largest carmaker Maruti has ended the production of its highly selling premium hatchback Swift, to make way for the next generation Swift, which will be launched in late August or early September.

Dealers have started accepting bookings for the new Swift. Maruti has codenamed the new Swift as YP8 and its trial runs are on in the Manesar plant, reports Economic Times.

According to a report in Business Standard, The car will come with 1.2-litre petrol and 1.3-litre diesel variants. It was reported that the new model, built on a slightly longer yet new platform, will be little extra roomy, lighter and return better mileage than the current generation Swift. Besides, engineers have also achieved a substantial reduction in the overall weight of the car by replacing the metal fuel tank with a plastic tank. This will improve its fuel efficiency by a little over 13 per cent. This will be the first major face-lift for the Swift since it was launched six years ago. Pricing details of the new car has not been shared by the company.

It was also reported that the new Swift will be produced at the company’s Manesar facility in Haryana, which has recently seen labour unrest. The petrol variant will return a mileage of around 20 km a litre, as compared to 17.9 km per litre certified by the Automotive Research Association of India. Similarly, the diesel model will deliver around 23.8 km per litre, as against the existing 21 km a litre.

The report stated that for installing the plastic fuel tanks, Maruti Suzuki India has tied up with France’s Plastic Omnium, the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic fuel tanks as it was mentioned that plastic fuel tanks are usually 25-35 per cent lighter than the conventional metal tanks. Besides, these are corrosion-free, durable, non-explosive and easily recyclable. Maruti Suzuki India has entered into a tripartite joint venture with Suzuki Motor Corporation and Plastic Omnium to manufacture fuel tanks at the Manesar facility. The new plastic tank manufacturing facility, Inergy Automotive Systems Manufacturing India Private Ltd, was inaugurated in Manesar on Monday.

According to the report, Maruti may also offer a four-speed automatic transmission option in the petrol version, besides the regular five-speed manual. The Swift which is available now in petrol, diesel and CNG versions and priced between Rs 3.9-5.5 lakh, sells close to 12,000 units every month. It recorded a growth of 21 per cent last year selling over 140,000 units as against 116,000 units sold in the previous year. The Swift accounts for about 25 per cent of the hatchback segment, and competes with Hyundai i20, Volkswagen Polo, Skoda Fabia, Nissan Micra, Fiat Punto and Toyota Liva. It was also mentioned that Maruti is also preparing to launch a new Swift Dzire, which will be cheaper and will probably hit the market by early 2012.

Mercedes C-Class Coupe praises By Expert Detail Review

AMSTERDAM - The C-Class coupe is just the Geneva Motor Show and Mercedes-Benz has already announced price of the car.

The C-Class Coupe gets a Dutch starting price of 38,950 euros. For that money is a BlueEFFICIENCY C 180 Coupe for you.

Which produces 156 bhp petrol engine and thus, the car in 8.8 seconds from 0 to 100, with automatic counting in 9.0.

Top speed

The top is 223 km / h and the consumption is dependent on the performance range from 6.5 to 7.3 liters. That equates to a CO2 emissions of 150 to 169 grams per kilometer.

Then there is the C 250 CGI. That delivers the same 204 horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder 1.8. Good for a 0-100 sprint in 7.2 seconds and this version does not have speed limiter in action, the top is 240.

space shuttle ‘Discovery’ would blast off from Cape Canaveral tonight on its last journey

The Space Shuttle Discovery is pictured on launch pad 39A after launch was again delayed at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral

The space shuttle ‘Discovery’ would blast off from Cape Canaveral tonight on its last journey – it had been launched in 1981 by NASA 30 years ago and, in view of the decision to gradually close down the space shuttle programs, the ground crew would, with a heavy heart, see it off on its last journey. In this period, it had clocked nearly 150 million miles, and circled the world more than 5000 times at speeds of 17,000 mph. There would be six astronauts aboard Discovery on its last flight – they would be going with supplies meant for International Space Station, and would drop off a robot there. The robot – Robonaut- would be the first ever humanoid in space

Car magazine - February 2011 (India)

Car - February 2011 (India)
English | PDF | 228 Pages | 92.4 MB magazine

Download
http://hotfile.com/dl/100845350/cdc8859/CAR_2011-02.pdf.html