Maruti Suzuki and Autocar India Present: Young Driver 2010

akshay_b · 4th March 2010, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay_b

I got through the first round, I'll book the simulator round according to how many team-bhp members turn up so that we can meet up in Yeshwantpur.
Bangalore members please post your booking details

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinaydas

7th(sunday) 3-4 pm Yeshwanthpur.

it can be a mini Tbhp meet lol!

Guys, the sunday booking slot is full, I'm booking my slot on 5th march 1-2PM
Anyone joining me?

f1head · 4th March 2010, 19:03

I dont think they are serious about the conduction of the contest, I had sent 2-3 emails to the support email ID given on the website to reschedule my slot and didnt receive a single reply.

Also tried calling the Autocar number, but no one picked up. It seems that I might be out of the contest unless they choose to reply to me :(

khan75 · 5th March 2010, 10:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman

I went for round 2 today. There was no parking test, just a 3 minute simulator round. They did not give me time to get used to simulator.

The instructor was not interested in what i was doing, all he wanted was to get the simulator free for the people who have come there for driving classes. I am sure ill get randomly marked.

What center was this?

.anshuman · 5th March 2010, 11:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by khan75

What center was this?

Apra Auto, Gurgaon.

@Gurgaon BHPians: Please avoid this center, it will be a complete waste of your time.

FanaticOnWheels · 5th March 2010, 12:39

Anyone from Chennai going to CARS India, Velachery? Am going there today.

.anshuman · 5th March 2010, 13:00

You also need to carry an address proof apart from Driving License when going for the simulator test.

varun.ppl · 5th March 2010, 14:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Apra Auto, Gurgaon.

@Gurgaon BHPians: Please avoid this center, it will be a complete waste of your time.

@anshuman & other BHpians

True, this centre really sucks. I had chosen the 12PM-1PM slot & reached the center half an hour earlier at 11:33 am. Was told to go to the 1st floor where a "Jaat" was sitting in the Simulator Room. Asked him about the contest & he was dumbfounded. Called some Mr. Naresh, who took an eternity to come. He came at abt 12 & told me that my name wasn't in the list. I said "YIKES" & asked him for the list. He gave me the list & it was of 6th march.

. Told him about this & they frantically began the search for today's list, but to no avail. Then, he asked me whether i have brought the print out of the email. I said "NO". He said you must have got a message. I said i deleted it. Finding no solution, i said let me use your internet. He said we have no net connection here. Cheap. I checked the mail on my phone & showed him the proof. After 15 mins of hassle & 30 mins waiting period, he asked me to step in the simulation car.

Another person, I guess from Autocar came in, gave me a form to fill & then sat beside me to check my performance.

Regarding the ride. I was given 2 test drives of 3 mins each. The mode chosen was "C" with heavy traffic. The location was looking like Connaught Place Outer Circle. The gear lever was cranky & it looked like it will come out any time. Yes, the accelerator pedal was way too loose & it required a lot of effort to put the car in motion. But I never stalled the car.

The brakes, a bit tight, but never got an opportunity to use them as whenever I left the accelerator, the car would come to a halt.

Mistakes I committed, was not staying in my lane twice, secondly, i was passing through a traffic light at green, at a slow speed & before i could cross it turned to red.

Overall, it was a nice but unreal experience. But the autocar guy was quite happy with my performance. He said, you have performed really well from the guys who came yesterday. We will keep you informed.

Keeping the fingers crossed.

akshay_b · 5th March 2010, 16:25

I had gone for the simulator round at RNS yeshwantpur, Unfortunately the simulator had gone conk and after waiting, i was made to drive a Wagon r in the traffic, return back and parallel park. The instructor asked a few questions like, what does one do when he enters the car, and similar questions, I was told to come back for the simulator round after a few days

vulpine101 · 5th March 2010, 17:31

Went to RNS begumpet today.
There were only 3 people including me in this slot. First the guy there asked me to fill some forms and took photostat copy of license and id proof.
Then I was invited to drive in the simulator, which looked kinda cool.
I sat in strapped the seat belt started the car, put it into 1 gear and the car doesn't move!
oops! instructor told me "you forgot some thing".I forgot the hand brake

.
I dis engaged it and still it doesn't move! I'm pressing brake pedal instead of gas. I realized and atlast made the car move.

Funniest part is that gearbox It has such a long throws, You have to move it all the way from dash board to your side. weird. and it makes so much noise.

Later was asked to parallel park an esteem, which I did fairly well and drove for about 2kms in the city.
some tips from my side apart from anshuman's:
1. maintain speed limit less of 30 with in the city
2. dont forget to put on seat belts and disengage Hand brake.
3. Drive only in your lane and use lane change when indicator while changing lane
4. look out for traffic signals they are so tiny that they would go unnoticed
5. look out for 3wheelers which stop all of a sudden!

FanaticOnWheels · 5th March 2010, 17:51

Gave the test today. The simulator was a far cry from what it is supposed to do. The car never stalled, irrespective of my clutch-accelerator co-ordination in 1st gear. The accelerator pedal seemed super sensitive, and the sign boards, were just too far apart on either side. You cannot have a look at all of them. As for the parking, that went fairly well. He didn't ask me to drive the real vehicle though. I feel that the simulator is not suited for Indian traffic. They should have probably tested the candidates by making them drive real vehicles, on real roads. There is a big difference between how one drives in the simulator and on Indian roads.

leadf00t · 5th March 2010, 18:38

the round 2 appears too stupid to me . A gross mismanagement from autocar and maruti driving schools.

If this is part of a contest. i would expect everyone to be given the same test and evaluated against same criteria. How can someone be evaluated on just an simulator test. Someone on a real car in traffic. some on a simulator and reverse parking real world test.

This contest is flawed. IMHO a big thumbs down to autocar and MDS for the arrangements. Personally I feel this is purely a advertisement for Maruti driving school. Nothing more. No real "hunt" for a young safe driver to promote safety. Ambassador for Safety.

Utopian · 5th March 2010, 19:11

I also went through the round 2. At magic Auto, CR park it was managed pretty well.
Briefing:
1. I found the simulator test very eerie. The brakes were extremely crappy and had a large travel. The car would stall if the gas pedal was not pushed to the ground. It was an uphill task to take cognizance of the diminutive road signs. I forgot to give the indicators a couple of times and stalled the car once.

2. He asked about road markings and some of the mandatory signs. These round went pretty well.
3. The final go was the practical test. There was a lady instructor to grade me there. I drove the WagonR for the first time and the gearbox was yukk.

Gearshifts were so notchy and lacked any feel. Had a small drive around the narrow lanes of CR Park. She then asked me about some basic maintenance questions and then it was done. And I was also asked to parallel park. Was not able to do it with much finesse, though.

PS: Please remember to take photocopies of your driving license and residence proof with you.

varun.ppl · 5th March 2010, 19:39

Agree with you leadfoot on this point. The test is too skewed & varies at different centers. Some are giving the parking test plus the simulation while others(esp Gurgaon center) is only content with 3 mins of driving.

The guys at my center weren't much concerned except for the Autocar guy who dropped in at the last moment.

Thumbs down to Maruti for this

akshay_b · 6th March 2010, 20:01

Note: People going to RNS motors Yeshwantpur for the simulator round,
The simulator is not working and will be fixed only on monday, Call 9538965846 and enquire before going.

vinaydas · 6th March 2010, 20:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay_b

Note: People going to RNS motors Yeshwantpur for the simulator round,
The simulator is not working and will be fixed only on monday, Call 9538965846 and enquire before going.

arrgh!!
wasting people's precious time!
Where exactly is this RNS motors located? i know where metro cash and carry is but im not able to grasp where this place is.

4th March 2010, 19:03	#62
f1head BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 126 Thanked: 3 Times	I dont think they are serious about the conduction of the contest, I had sent 2-3 emails to the support email ID given on the website to reschedule my slot and didnt receive a single reply. Also tried calling the Autocar number, but no one picked up. It seems that I might be out of the contest unless they choose to reply to me :(
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 12:39	#65
FanaticOnWheels BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 329 Thanked: 111 Times	Anyone from Chennai going to CARS India, Velachery? Am going there today.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 13:00	#66
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,064 Times View My Garage	You also need to carry an address proof apart from Driving License when going for the simulator test.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 16:25	#68
akshay_b BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 436 Thanked: 375 Times	I had gone for the simulator round at RNS yeshwantpur, Unfortunately the simulator had gone conk and after waiting, i was made to drive a Wagon r in the traffic, return back and parallel park. The instructor asked a few questions like, what does one do when he enters the car, and similar questions, I was told to come back for the simulator round after a few days
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 17:31	#69
vulpine101 BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: infront of monitor Posts: 50 Thanked: 0 Times	Went to RNS begumpet today. There were only 3 people including me in this slot. First the guy there asked me to fill some forms and took photostat copy of license and id proof. Then I was invited to drive in the simulator, which looked kinda cool. I sat in strapped the seat belt started the car, put it into 1 gear and the car doesn't move! oops! instructor told me "you forgot some thing".I forgot the hand brake. I dis engaged it and still it doesn't move! I'm pressing brake pedal instead of gas. I realized and atlast made the car move. Funniest part is that gearbox It has such a long throws, You have to move it all the way from dash board to your side. weird. and it makes so much noise. Later was asked to parallel park an esteem, which I did fairly well and drove for about 2kms in the city. some tips from my side apart from anshuman's: 1. maintain speed limit less of 30 with in the city 2. dont forget to put on seat belts and disengage Hand brake. 3. Drive only in your lane and use lane change when indicator while changing lane 4. look out for traffic signals they are so tiny that they would go unnoticed 5. look out for 3wheelers which stop all of a sudden!
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 17:51	#70
FanaticOnWheels BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 329 Thanked: 111 Times	Gave the test today. The simulator was a far cry from what it is supposed to do. The car never stalled, irrespective of my clutch-accelerator co-ordination in 1st gear. The accelerator pedal seemed super sensitive, and the sign boards, were just too far apart on either side. You cannot have a look at all of them. As for the parking, that went fairly well. He didn't ask me to drive the real vehicle though. I feel that the simulator is not suited for Indian traffic. They should have probably tested the candidates by making them drive real vehicles, on real roads. There is a big difference between how one drives in the simulator and on Indian roads.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 18:38	#71
leadf00t BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: MH04 Posts: 439 Thanked: 15 Times View My Garage	the round 2 appears too stupid to me . A gross mismanagement from autocar and maruti driving schools. If this is part of a contest. i would expect everyone to be given the same test and evaluated against same criteria. How can someone be evaluated on just an simulator test. Someone on a real car in traffic. some on a simulator and reverse parking real world test. This contest is flawed. IMHO a big thumbs down to autocar and MDS for the arrangements. Personally I feel this is purely a advertisement for Maruti driving school. Nothing more. No real "hunt" for a young safe driver to promote safety. Ambassador for Safety.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 19:11	#72
Utopian BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 603 Thanked: 123 Times	I also went through the round 2. At magic Auto, CR park it was managed pretty well. Briefing: 1. I found the simulator test very eerie. The brakes were extremely crappy and had a large travel. The car would stall if the gas pedal was not pushed to the ground. It was an uphill task to take cognizance of the diminutive road signs. I forgot to give the indicators a couple of times and stalled the car once. 2. He asked about road markings and some of the mandatory signs. These round went pretty well. 3. The final go was the practical test. There was a lady instructor to grade me there. I drove the WagonR for the first time and the gearbox was yukk. Gearshifts were so notchy and lacked any feel. Had a small drive around the narrow lanes of CR Park. She then asked me about some basic maintenance questions and then it was done. And I was also asked to parallel park. Was not able to do it with much finesse, though. PS: Please remember to take photocopies of your driving license and residence proof with you.
	() Thanks

5th March 2010, 19:39	#73
varun.ppl BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: New Delhi Posts: 160 Thanked: 225 Times	Agree with you leadfoot on this point. The test is too skewed & varies at different centers. Some are giving the parking test plus the simulation while others(esp Gurgaon center) is only content with 3 mins of driving. The guys at my center weren't much concerned except for the Autocar guy who dropped in at the last moment. Thumbs down to Maruti for this
	() Thanks

6th March 2010, 20:01	#74
akshay_b BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 436 Thanked: 375 Times	Note: People going to RNS motors Yeshwantpur for the simulator round, The simulator is not working and will be fixed only on monday, Call 9538965846 and enquire before going.
	() Thanks