Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


Reply
  Search this Thread
315,863 views
Old 5th January 2015, 19:18   #151
BHPian
 
Geo_Ipe's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Vellore
Posts: 934
Thanked: 2,871 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Quote:
Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe View Post
An extremely informative thread!!

Is it possible to invite non-Mod BHPians too for these official events?? Maybe send out random invites to BHPians who have completed, say, 4/5 years of membership. It would be nice to have a non professional write up as well! And it would be dream come true for us ordinary BHPians to attend such an event!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR View Post
I'm not a mod. Heck, I dont even agree with the mods most of the time. LOL!

I was chosen because of my availability and experience with the product. Random invites wont work IMO. This is real serious work with very tough deadlines. So any experience with the product helps.
So please do consider inviting me when testing the next Hyundai small car!

My CV:
- Have spent ~75k km with my 2005 Santro Xing
- Owned a WagonR for a 2 year period, 2010 - 2012, and drove ~10k km
- Also owns a Jazz from 2011
- Has experience with i10's, Swifts, i20's owned by friends

Geo_Ipe is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 5th January 2015, 23:51   #152
BHPian
 
twin_turbo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Ann Arbor
Posts: 43
Thanked: 60 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlJam View Post

Question 2:
Is it possible that the media test drive cars are tuned more for performance, but the final production cars end up being tuned more for mileage? That way, the manufacturer can boast about good performance from the media test drive reports, and good mileage from the actual customers' word of mouth

Thanks!
I don't think any manufacturer will try to do this.

Reason : The cars given for media drives will be mostly production ready versions and are already homologated for Indian conditions by ARAI. Changing the State of Tune (or re calibrating the Engine Control Module) will require significant amount of testing and costs. Beyond this, re homologating the cars will involve a lot of paper work and testing by ARAI. The entire process can take months to complete and wont work out well.

Logical reasons apart, no manufacturer will be ready to take the bad name if caught. The chances of getting caught are very high because of Forums like Team BHP and petrol Heads like us.

Apart from this, there are cases in which minor tweaks are done, which doesn't require re-homologation. This might be due to some problems found out late/improvements done but are not intended to cheat the consumer.
twin_turbo is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 6th January 2015, 00:17   #153
BHPian
 
PearlJam's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 631
Thanked: 1,653 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Quote:
Originally Posted by noopster View Post
@PearlJam (nice handle by the way! )

We do not test "performance" of the vehicle in any of our regular official reviews.... <snip/>... If you notice, we *never* test 0-100 timings etc in our reviews and certainly don't intend to in street conditions, in the interest of safety.
Thanks :-)

Sorry to be unclear. When I say "performance", I did not mean extreme and dangerous speeds. I meant it more from a practical point of view, where a majority of the drivers could be affected depending on the conditions I had mentioned earlier. There will be a case some time where you have a more than full load, and find that the car just crawls, contrary to what it might be on a single driver run.

BTW, this is from the team-bhp's Chevrolet Cruze review (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post1516374) where 0-100 timings are mentioned, along with a lot of other valuable information :

Quote:
On the open road, 0-100kmph comes in just 9.8 seconds, and that too with the air-con in full swing. Speedo error is a mere 5% and at 100kmph, the speedo is displaying 105 kmph.
....
It’s quite easy to hit 180kmph. Given enough empty road, she will do an actual 207 kmph
....
In our 0-100 tests, staying in 3rd, the best time procured was 11.14 seconds. But a quick shift to 4th slightly after 90 yielded the stonking 9.8 second timing.
PearlJam is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 6th January 2015, 16:32   #154
Distinguished - BHPian
 
noopster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Pune
Posts: 9,236
Thanked: 12,901 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlJam View Post
Thanks :-)



Sorry to be unclear. When I say "performance", I did not mean extreme and dangerous speeds. I meant it more from a practical point of view, where a majority of the drivers could be affected depending on the conditions I had mentioned earlier. There will be a case some time where you have a more than full load, and find that the car just crawls, contrary to what it might be on a single driver run.



BTW, this is from the team-bhp's Chevrolet Cruze review (http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post1516374) where 0-100 timings are mentioned, along with a lot of other valuable information :

You are right- I stand corrected. We have in fact tested 0-100 speeds when conditions allowed us to so my "*never*" was misplaced

You can rest assured that rated "top speeds" are never tested- we just take the manufacturer's word for it! Anyway sorry for the confusion.
noopster is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 6th January 2015, 18:30   #155
BHPian
 
Dieselritzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 582
Thanked: 1,410 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Its been more than 2 years that i am driving my Ritz Vdi, still at times i randomly go through the official ritz review on our forum just to check if there is something i yet haven't figured it out, or if there is something worth observing. All my friends know that i am part of this forum and every time they spot a car with the BHP stickers, they click it and send it to me. Its a feeling that tells me that i "belong" to something, a forum, a culture, a brotherhood. This is very insightful.

A Proud BHPian !
Dieselritzer is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 6th January 2015, 21:06   #156
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,340
Thanked: 298,744 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlJam View Post
When performance details of a car are reported in your reviews, is it with a fully loaded car (4-5 people)? Is it with the A/C on/off? Windows rolled up/down? These could all add up and affect the final 'perception' of performance, especially in petrol cars.
We evaluate performance with usually only the driver, or driver + co-passenger onboard.

Additionally, we've commented on performance with a full load of passengers too (where relevant). An MPV example:


Quote:
Is it possible that the media test drive cars are tuned more for performance
Can't say for sure as the only way to prove it would be a dyno. However, I'm not entirely ruling this out. 1 - 2 manufacturers can play tricks. I've driven a car that felt much f-a-s-t-e-r than it should have...and another that didn't have a weak low-end, although most ownership reports complained about it.

Of course, these incidents are far & few between, but again, can't entirely rule it out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dieselritzer View Post
I randomly go through the official ritz review
Thanks . The Ritz was our first, and the one that set the ball rolling on official reviews. Honestly, I was happy with the review at the time of publishing it back then, but not today. Our standards, quality & procedures have evolved a lot since 2009.
GTO is offline   (11) Thanks
Old 6th January 2015, 22:52   #157
Senior - BHPian
 
scopriobharath's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Chennai
Posts: 3,617
Thanked: 1,328 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Hey GTO And MODs,

Do you Guys plan to expan to Commerical vehicles too (Trucks and Buses) ?

If yes, you might have a qualified driver thought (license pending)
scopriobharath is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 6th January 2015, 22:55   #158
Team-BHP Support
 
tsk1979's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: San Jose, CA
Posts: 23,717
Thanked: 22,769 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Quote:
Originally Posted by noopster View Post
You can rest assured that rated "top speeds" are never tested- we just take the manufacturer's word for it! Anyway sorry for the confusion.
Yes, never on public roads. But sometimes we have a track to ourselves. Then we try to go as fast as we can. That is how I know Isuzu D-max can cross 140 without effort.
tsk1979 is offline   (7) Thanks
Old 7th January 2015, 09:46   #159
Team-BHP Support
 
Rehaan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 24,019
Thanked: 33,985 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Quote:
Originally Posted by PearlJam View Post
Is it possible that the media test drive cars are tuned more for performance, but the final production cars end up being tuned more for mileage? That way, the manufacturer can boast about good performance from the media test drive reports, and good mileage from the actual customers' word of mouth
Like GTO said, we can't rule this out. Just want to point out 2 things here:

1) A lot of times (especially at test-drives with a lower number of people invited), the test drive cars are PRE-production. This means that a lot of things could still change before the final car comes out, and that includes state of tune (ECU), amongst other small things that could perhaps impact performance. If we see a major discrepancy between our test drive cars, and one we'd drive from a showroom or a friend (at launch), rest assured we'd test some more and then update the review!

2) The Chris Harris Ferrari controversy (link)

To quote:
How bad has it been? I honestly don't know where to start. Perhaps the 360 Modena press car that was two seconds faster to 100mph than the customer car we also tested. You allow some leeway for "factory fresh" machines, but this thing was ludicrously quick and sounded more like Schumacher's weekend wheels than a street car. Ferrari will never admit that its press cars are tuned, but has the gall to turn up at any of the big European magazines' end-of-year-shindig-tests with two cars. One for straight line work, the other for handling exercises.
Quote:
Originally Posted by scopriobharath View Post
Do you Guys plan to expan to Commerical vehicles too (Trucks and Buses) ?
We're starting off slow, but we do have a few nice additions to the Commercial Section content in the upcoming weeks/months

cya
R

Last edited by Rehaan : 7th January 2015 at 09:48.
Rehaan is offline   (7) Thanks
Old 7th January 2015, 10:56   #160
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,340
Thanked: 298,744 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Quote:
Originally Posted by tsk1979 View Post
Yes, never on public roads. But sometimes we have a track to ourselves. Then we try to go as fast as we can. That is how I know Isuzu D-max can cross 140 without effort.
And the beautiful Buddh Track. There have been so many driving events there in 2013 & 2014.

Any manufacturer holding a press drive in the North should definitely include a couple of hours at the Buddh too, especially if it's a 100+ BHP car.
GTO is offline   (8) Thanks
Old 7th January 2015, 13:59   #161
BHPian
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: MH02/MH12
Posts: 128
Thanked: 466 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

This thread gives me a big sense of Deja Vu since I can pretty much relate to most of the experiences shared by the mods who attend the media events.

I think it will be a really good idea to do redo this thread from the opposite side i.e. the manufacturer's version of the event. Maybe I can do it myself when I am not employed by any auto manufacturer. Someday...
Potenza is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 8th January 2015, 16:41   #162
BHPian
 
maverick.munish's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Shimla, Delhi
Posts: 113
Thanked: 93 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Hats off GTO !!!!
This is seriously exciting and informative.
Each and every detail is so well presented and minus all the grandeur which would put a user off.
Addiction at its best.
maverick.munish is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 17th January 2015, 13:44   #163
BHPian
 
Grand Drive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 673
Thanked: 295 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Hats off to the entire review team ! Within such a short span of time, TBHP reviewers giving such a detailed and unbiased reviews shows their commitment, dedication, expertness and their love of cars.

I always like the 'Smaller yet significant things' part. I read each reviews in such a way that I first love to see the pictures alone and love that small description above each picture which gives a very good idea and later, the write-up along with pics. Every time I read, there is always something to note down or understand either in the picture or in the write-up about the car.

Kudos to GTO for writing in detail to help us know what's happening behind the scenes.
Grand Drive is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 2nd February 2015, 11:02   #164
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,340
Thanked: 298,744 Times
Re: Behind the Scenes: How Press & Media Drives Work

Came across this excellent article on the PR industry in India : Forbes India.

These are also the agencies holding all the auto accounts here.
GTO is offline   (5) Thanks
Old 24th June 2015, 15:30   #165
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,340
Thanked: 298,744 Times
Re: Honda Amaze : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by mzone View Post
Great review and great pictures too! One thing I wanna ask GTO, is the location of the spot below, I am a Goan and would love to know where this is!
Vid6639 & Suhaas found it! Here you go - Google Maps Link .
GTO is offline   (3) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks