[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by Jaxy

hey, congrats buddy on the sun film, can you share the cost breakup & any noticeable changes?

Hey it costed me totally 16.5k. I cannot comment on the effect as yet. Let me drive it little in the sun and then will put up a review of the films. Did you decide upon films for your car yet?

[Jaxy]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Hey it costed me totally 16.5k. I cannot comment on the effect as yet. Let me drive it little in the sun and then will put up a review of the films. Did you decide upon films for your car yet?

No friend still trying to figure out which one to go, i guess i'll go to the shop and maybe get to a decision there

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by sri1951

I do not watch movies in the car- just tested the stuff. Really good. Nopes, no sun films. I avoid as I can get caught by Mumbai police any time.

In case you don't want to go with dark ones, I guess you have the option of transparent film. SO you will not be caught by the cops, you will beat the heat too!

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Hey it costed me totally 16.5k. I cannot comment on the effect as yet. Let me drive it little in the sun and then will put up a review of the films. Did you decide upon films for your car yet?

I am sure V-Kool will serve you well. I had a demo when I went for sunfilm installation - they had 4-5 brands stuck on a hexagonal mirror cover for a 100W bulb and V-Kool stood apart in the heat rejection! I was totally bowled over by the quality, but then the cost made me stay away! A premium car definitely deserves a quality product like that.

[drmohitg]

Driven it for 600 kms till now. The fuel needle was nearing E and tomorrow we decided to open her legs and take her to Jaipur for a day trip. So got her tanked up. And to me and my Dad's amazement, the car has returned me a FE of 17.3 kmpl. The MID reading for the same shows average FE as 16.3. I did the calculation twice before It registered. The whole time the AC was on and it was driven in the city limits only. What more can I ask right?
I am loving it! Lets see how she behaves on the open highways tomorrow.

[dkaile]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Driven it for 600 kms till now. The fuel needle was nearing E and tomorrow we decided to open her legs and take her to Jaipur for a day trip. So got her tanked up. And to me and my Dad's amazement, the car has returned me a FE of 17.3 kmpl. The MID reading for the same shows average FE as 16.3. I did the calculation twice before It registered. The whole time the AC was on and it was driven in the city limits only. What more can I ask right?
I am loving it! Lets see how she behaves on the open highways tomorrow.

17.3 is a phenomenal mileage in the city from a Sedan Class vehicle. Do keep us updated on the highway mileage too as well as any issues faced while overtaking etc. on the highway.

[drmohitg]

Well just returned from the 600 kms trip. The Delhi jaipur highway is too crowded now and the return stretch from Jaipur to Delhi is under construction and so one has to encounter innumerable diversions which makes driving a hellish experience.

Well we started at 5:45 AM from Delhi in the morning and made good progress. The destination was Khatu Shyam JI, a holy shrine some 100 kms from Jaipur. The first stop we made was at the CCD just before the Ajmer highway starts. The MID showed a cool 21.3 kmpl as FE since most of these 200 kms were done in a leisurely cruise mode. I was quite careful not to cross 2500 rpm. Had a light lunch and coffee and started again around 9:30. Now we realised that the temple where we were going will close at 12pm and then open only at 5pm in the evening. So I had some 100 kms to cover in 2 hours and the road now was not the NH8 but state highways which have many potholes and stuff. With a wide grin I gave a free hand to my right foot for the journey and we did indeed made it in time.

The return journey was horrifying with too much traffic all the way to my house in Delhi and it took us close to 8 hours to cover 300kms.

Highway abilities of the car
I am sorry to say but this car is not really meant for highway driving. Its an excellent city car, period. Why do I say this?
Well the car can easily cruise at 130-140 but the problem arises when you brake a little and then try and accelerate again. The car just stops dead in the track with zero response and you are left confused and frustrated. The only thing that will work is downshifting and once you enter the correct Rpm range and gear, it will easily accelerate back. Now combine this with my constant effort to not push her beyond 2000 rpm meant that I started struggling to overtake vehicles. So finally decided it was enough and forgot about the rpm barrier !

A short example of what I am trying to say is: Lets assume you are cruising at 100-110 at 5th gear. You encounter a over zealous truck ( there are plenty of them) and slow down to 70kmph. The trucker finally gives you way and now you need to cross him before he again changes his mind. Normally one would just press the accelerator and move on but not with this car. You have to downshift otherwise it will take ages.

Apart from that small issue ( I guess it will take some practice) I was really impressed by the car's sound insulation. Its stable at speeds and gobbled bad roads with ease. In gear accelerations are good provided you stay in the rpm range which is sort of narrow. I found the 3rd gear most useful during overtaking.

Due to the scary traffic we encountered the FE dropped to 19.6 kmpl for the overall 600km trip. The car also has clocked 1200 kms in less then 10 days . So will take her for the first service tomorrow or day after.

Cheers!

[druk75]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Well just returned from the 600 kms trip. The Delhi jaipur highway is too crowded now and the return stretch from Jaipur to Delhi is under construction and so one has to encounter innumerable diversions which makes driving a hellish experience.

Well we started at 5:45 AM from Delhi in the morning and made good progress. The destination was Khatu Shyam JI, a holy shrine some 100 kms from Jaipur. The first stop we made was at the CCD just before the Ajmer highway starts. The MID showed a cool 21.3 kmpl as FE since most of these 200 kms were done in a leisurely cruise mode. I was quite careful not to cross 2500 rpm. Had a light lunch and coffee and started again around 9:30. Now we realised that the temple where we were going will close at 12pm and then open only at 5pm in the evening. So I had some 100 kms to cover in 2 hours and the road now was not the NH8 but state highways which have many potholes and stuff. With a wide grin I gave a free hand to my right foot for the journey and we did indeed made it in time.

The return journey was horrifying with too much traffic all the way to my house in Delhi and it took us close to 8 hours to cover 300kms.

Highway abilities of the car
I am sorry to say but this car is not really meant for highway driving. Its an excellent city car, period. Why do I say this?
Well the car can easily cruise at 130-140 but the problem arises when you brake a little and then try and accelerate again. The car just stops dead in the track with zero response and you are left confused and frustrated. The only thing that will work is downshifting and once you enter the correct Rpm range and gear, it will easily accelerate back. Now combine this with my constant effort to not push her beyond 2000 rpm meant that I started struggling to overtake vehicles. So finally decided it was enough and forgot about the rpm barrier !

A short example of what I am trying to say is: Lets assume you are cruising at 100-110 at 5th gear. You encounter a over zealous truck ( there are plenty of them) and slow down to 70kmph. The trucker finally gives you way and now you need to cross him before he again changes his mind. Normally one would just press the accelerator and move on but not with this car. You have to downshift otherwise it will take ages.

Apart from that small issue ( I guess it will take some practice) I was really impressed by the car's sound insulation. Its stable at speeds and gobbled bad roads with ease. In gear accelerations are good provided you stay in the rpm range which is sort of narrow. I found the 3rd gear most useful during overtaking.

Due to the scary traffic we encountered the FE dropped to 19.6 kmpl for the overall 600km trip. The car also has clocked 1200 kms in less then 10 days . So will take her for the first service tomorrow or day after.

Cheers!

Congrats Mohit, on your baptism to diesel driving! You guys must have really driven through your skin to clock up 1200 in 10 days...In 10 working days.

I came to a similar conclusion when i TDed the Altis. It just lacked the oomph to make a sudden high speed maneuver. The engine did sound very refined though and ride and handling was good enough, with comfortable seats, especially at the back. But, lets be honest. How much of the time would you actually spend driving the car in Highways? How often would you dig at the lack of that extras power? Most of the time your dad is going to smile and relax at the back, and weekend drives have to be relaxed and lazy....enjoying the scenery. So one cannot really find fault with this lady.

Happy driving mate.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by druk75

Congrats Mohit, on your baptism to diesel driving! You guys must have really driven through your skin to clock up 1200 in 10 days...In 10 working days.

Well call it " New car Syndrome". I keep finding excuses to take the car out .

But, lets be honest. How much of the time would you actually spend driving the car in Highways? How often would you dig at the lack of that extras power? Most of the time your dad is going to smile and relax at the back, and weekend drives have to be relaxed and lazy....enjoying the scenery. So one cannot really find fault with this lady.

Happy driving mate.

Oh I am loving the car. Its doing everything that we wanted it to do. This trip was may be the only trip it will ever make of the highway as we usually take out the Innova for those trips since it provided much more space. Altis will be only used in the city and its an amazing car for that purpose. Took it out for a drive today and it just puts a smile on my face each time. Almost zero engine noise, BT connectivity, nice gear shifts and easy to maneouvre. On top of it the FE according to MID is 18.9kmpl .
Even on spirited drives or highway driving it will not cause a frown if you downshift. The Problem I faced was only due to my initial reluctance to push her beyond 2000 rpm in accordance with the running in period. Leaving that out of the equation Once you get used to the gear ratios you can easily leave behind traffic.

Taking her for the first service tomorrow. Will take some pictures after the washing.

[drmohitg]

1st service update- 1000 kms

Gave the car for the 1000 km free service today. Reached 1250 kms pretty fast ( 11 days). There were no issues to report and they returned the car in a couple of hours after washing . I wasn't extremely happy with the washing results since there were still stain marks over the body and some dust here and there at the time of delivery. Got them cleaned in front of me. The SA offered to get it washed again but I didn't want to waste more time.

One small scary issue is the Paint quality. I noticed a very minute small spot on the front bumper where the paint had come off. I was horrified on seeing it as I have been driving the car and was very careful while parking it and stuff. Later I realised it must have been caused due to some small stone on my recent trip to Jaipur. The road was under construction at a lot of places. But Is the pain quality so thin that it gave way so easily? Or is this a normal phenomenon and I am being paranoid?

Apart from that the car is doing absolutely fine. There was a small water bubble in the sun film on the quarter glass at the back. The spot was there at the time of fixing and the dealer that time had told that it should go off in a couple of days. Took the car to the Vkool dealer today since they are pretty close to the Toyota dealer. Mr. Deepak ( manager at the store) promptly replaced the film and now it looks fine.

[acsandeep]

how was the car behaving at the speeds of 120-140,were it inspiring confidence at those speeds?,BTW that some amazing FE figures that you've got,and as u said it is a great city car indeed,wish you happy miles with her.

[dkaile]

The paint quality is pretty solid as per my past experience with Indian Toyotas and it's easily re-paintable at your friendly neighborhood paint-wala. I got my Corolla bumpers done twice in it's lifetime (7 years), as you just can't avoid bumper scratches in Indian conditions, at very reasonable costs and they looked OE till it was with me....

The highway driveability is one major negative which may drive me to the Jetta, but then it's missing the ACC, and I'm fed up making compromises...

[Akshay1234]

drmohitg, have a look at this
PSI motorsport : Diesel Tuning : PowerBox
Why don't you have a little word with Mr. Peter from Petes. With this your Corolla could give Laura M/Ts a run for their money. I've used a tuning box on my Innova for about 85k kms without a hitch.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by acsandeep

how was the car behaving at the speeds of 120-140,were it inspiring confidence at those speeds?,BTW that some amazing FE figures that you've got,and as u said it is a great city car indeed,wish you happy miles with her.

I have little experience of driving other modern cars at those speeds. From the current cars we own ( see my signature), the Altis didn't feel any different. Although the thought of having ABS and airbags finally in my car did give me a little confidence to push her further then what I usually drive.
The FE is just amazing man. 21.3 kmpl Delhi- Jaipur-Delhi.

Originally Posted by dkaile

The paint quality is pretty solid as per my past experience with Indian Toyotas and it's easily re-paintable at your friendly neighborhood paint-wala.

Its a very small tiny dot. I think I will live with it. As you said sooner or later some moron on the road is going to kiss my bumper. So will get the repair done later .

The highway driveability is one major negative which may drive me to the Jetta, but then it's missing the ACC, and I'm fed up making compromises...

Yea its a tough choice. I will lean slightly in favour of Jetta if its only highways you are concerned about. It surely will be a better car to drive at speeds. But then wouldn't you be using your "TOFU" for all those trips? For city driving or sedate highway drives Altis is equally good if not better.

Originally Posted by akshay1234

drmohitg, have a look at this
PSI motorsport : Diesel Tuning : PowerBox
Why don't you have a little word with Mr. Peter from Petes. With this your Corolla could give Laura M/Ts a run for their money. I've used a tuning box on my Innova for about 85k kms without a hitch.

Well I will look into it later. Right now the car will be run stock. Also this car is basically for Dad to commute in the city and he travels on the back seat.
I remember reading that you have an Innova too right which you have got tuned? I was thinking of getting the same done for mine. Is it advisable to do that since the car has already run 80k kms. Also what kind of FE drop am I looking at? LAstly my Innova is the one without ABS so does it make sense to increase the power?

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Well I will look into it later. Right now the car will be run stock. Also this car is basically for Dad to commute in the city and he travels on the back seat.
I remember reading that you have an Innova too right which you have got tuned? I was thinking of getting the same done for mine. Is it advisable to do that since the car has already run 80k kms. Also what kind of FE drop am I looking at? LAstly my Innova is the one without ABS so does it make sense to increase the power?

Oh boy it will make your Innova into a new car, with 125 odd bhp and 260nm of torque on the first stage. 80k kms is not too late, you may have to get a minor service done, Petes will tell you what all is required. FE drop will be 1kmpl at the most, most times negligible. Also it will make sense to increase the tyre size, but if you don't really drive too fast then its fine, you will love the increased driveability and pickup.

[acsandeep]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

Oh boy it will make your Innova into a new car, with 125 odd bhp and 260nm of torque on the first stage. 80k kms is not too late, you may have to get a minor service done, Petes will tell you what all is required. FE drop will be 1kmpl at the most, most times negligible. Also it will make sense to increase the tyre size, but if you don't really drive too fast then its fine, you will love the increased driveability and pickup.

i agree with akshay as you must try this on your innova and if you feel happy with the results,why not have one for your altis as well.What say?