[amalji]

Originally Posted by mayank10

Meanwhile, my Liva has completed 3000 kms in 110 days.
I believe it was a fairly good decision to go for a petrol.

It seems that the car is getting better in terms of mileage. Will be posting the updated tankful- tankful mileage figures very soon.

It has been a great experience so far! Absolutely no issues.

Great to hear that. My etios diesel has also covered 4700 kms in 40 days. Absolutely no issues till now. I'm in love with this gem of a car. Apart from the boring interiors, this vehicle ticks all the right boxes.

Originally Posted by mayank10

Just need a small help from all experienced guys. I am looking for a decently priced sun-film, which are not banned in Delhi (Since i will be taking my car to NCR next year). I guess lighter shades will be more practical.

If you can post the model and the respective prices, it would be helpful.

I used vkool 70. Rear and sides should cost you 22 k. Front will cost you another 11 k. If you are planning to keep the car for long, I would recommend going for it since it rejects 94% IR ( the main heat component of sun light ) while letting in 70% of visible light. It has 5 year warranty as well.

[mayank10]

BHPians,

I have a fascination for maps, and i would love to have a GPS in my car.
My wife wants to gift me a map my India GPS on this birthday (Which falls on 10th January).

Since i would like to begin with a basic navigator initially, please let me know if Map my India loaded RoadPilot model would be a good choice or not! The cost of this model is Rs. 7990 (MRP). It comes with 8.9cm touchscreen.

I do not want her to spend her a lot of money on bigger screen navigators, as this would be my first stint with GPS in a car (I have been just an Atlas Geek so far ). Thus, looking forward to your suggestions.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by mayank10

BHPians,

I have a fascination for maps, and i would love to have a GPS in my car.
My wife wants to gift me a map my India GPS on this birthday (Which falls on 10th January).

Since i would like to begin with a basic navigator initially, please let me know if Map my India loaded RoadPilot model would be a good choice or not! The cost of this model is Rs. 7990 (MRP). It comes with 8.9cm touchscreen.

I do not want her to spend her a lot of money on bigger screen navigators, as this would be my first stint with GPS in a car (I have been just an Atlas Geek so far ). Thus, looking forward to your suggestions.

Firstly advance wishes for your birthday.

MapmyIndia Loaded: VX140s and it costs around 10K with 10.9 cm screen and it seems pretty suited for cars. Somehow did not like the 8.9 cm screen seems to feel to small.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by amalji

I used vkool 70. Rear and sides should cost you 22 k. Front will cost you another 11 k. If you are planning to keep the car for long, I would recommend going for it since it rejects 94% IR ( the main heat component of sun light ) while letting in 70% of visible light.

Does it reduce glare from high beams in the night as well? If so, is it really substantial?

Originally Posted by mayank10

I do not want her to spend her a lot of money on bigger screen navigators, as this would be my first stint with GPS in a car. Thus, looking forward to your suggestions.

I see such devices as a one time buy. So irrespective of your experience, go for a nice one [need NOT be the most expensive one] which will serve you for a long time. I mean, pick up one with quite some features which would be helpful even as you learn using it. This will save the up-gradation cost as you grow experienced.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Does it reduce glare from high beams in the night as well? If so, is it really substantial?

Taking the liberty to answer since I got the VK 70 on my Altis's windscreen.
And the answer in NO. It would not help reduce the glare from the oncoming vehicles. Marginally maybe but nothing to boast of. I think you would have to go for something more darker if you want to avoid the glare. VK 70 is one of the most transparent films an is basically used for heat rejection and it also adheres to the RTO laws requiring you to have 70% visibility from the front and back.

[mayank10]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I see such devices as a one time buy. So irrespective of your experience, go for a nice one [need NOT be the most expensive one] which will serve you for a long time. I mean, pick up one with quite some features which would be helpful even as you learn using it. This will save the up-gradation cost as you grow experienced.

Agree Sir,
I was checking out VX140s and Roadpilot. VX140s has a larger screen, bluetooth and music/ video playback options. I believe it is a better option since it is just around Rs. 2000 more than the roadpilot model which has a smaller screen and no bluetooth/ audio/ video option.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Firstly advance wishes for your birthday.

MapmyIndia Loaded: VX140s and it costs around 10K with 10.9 cm screen and it seems pretty suited for cars. Somehow did not like the 8.9 cm screen seems to feel to small.

Thanks a lot nkrishnap for the suggestion and clearing out the confusion. I too now feel that 140 s would be a better choice as i realised after looking at my wife's mobile that the screen of roadpilot would be of the same size (3.5 inches), which would be a little small for a GPS.

Just a couple of more questions, as I am planning to get it from Letsbuy.com (Rs. 9500).

1- How can i get it installed if i get this delivered via courier?
2- Would i need to remove my existing single Din JBL Head unit, and get the GPS installed at that place instead. Or is there any alternative?

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

I think you would have to go for something more darker if you want to avoid the glare.

That will be suicidal. Most [if not all] of the front windshield films are transparent & from what I know, some installers claim that the front windscreen films reduce glare to some extent & I believe I have seen some of those adjusting the darkness based on the light around.

Personally I will NOT use or suggest dark tints on the front windshield.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

That will be suicidal. Most [if not all] of the front windshield films are transparent & from what I know, some installers claim that the front windscreen films reduce glare to some extent & I believe I have seen some of those adjusting the darkness based on the light around.

Personally I will NOT use or suggest dark tints on the front windshield.

Same here. Thats the reason I went for the VK 70. I am totally against those Jet black films on any window if you ask me.

According to the specifications VK 70 is supposed to reduce the glare a little but in reality I didn't feel much of a difference.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Same here. Thats the reason I went for the VK 70. I am totally against those Jet black films on any window if you ask me.

According to the specifications VK 70 is supposed to reduce the glare a little but in reality I didn't feel much of a difference.

+1. Same here. V-Kool doesn't seem to reduce any glare as such. It's meant to reduce heat and let in maximum light.
To reduce glare from sunlight, I use Polarizer sun glasses which fully cover the vision field of the eyes. Makes a world of difference.

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by amalji

+1. Same here. V-Kool doesn't seem to reduce any glare as such. It's meant to reduce heat and let in maximum light.
To reduce glare from sunlight, I use Polarizer sun glasses which fully cover the vision field of the eyes. Makes a world of difference.

Well but spare a thought for people like me wearing glasses. -6 on both eyes mate. The glare I get is almost 3-4 times worse than for a person with normal vision. Hence I totally avoid driving on the highways atleast at night.

An appeal to all members and guests: please drive only on low beam!

[amalji]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Well but spare a thought for people like me wearing glasses. -6 on both eyes mate. The glare I get is almost 3-4 times worse than for a person with normal vision. Hence I totally avoid driving on the highways atleast at night.

An appeal to all members and guests: please drive only on low beam!

Isn't there anyway to have sun glasses with power ? My mother also face a similar situation. If there is any effective sunglass mechanism for people with powered lenses, please do post it.

And I always use dim light when there is traffic from opposite side. I think, most bhpians do it that way.

[mayank10]

Well, i was out of action for quite some time.
Have a few updates so could not hold myself any further.

1- Blu is doing great and i love to drive it even more. Love the steering particularly, especially during heavy traffic.
2- About to complete 5000 Kms this weekend. No issues, absolutely none. Getting a mileage of around 14 (Mostly city driving). During my short highway drives, i have got mileage of around 17.
3- Dropped the idea of gettting a 'Map My India' GPS. Reasons given below
4- Got a Nokia Lumia 710, with 'Nokia Drive' voice guided Sat Nav feature. Its awesome and very detailed. Got it as first anniversary gift from wifey. I am using it even to go home, and my wife calls me crazy.
5- Looking for a Nokia Universal Mobile holder for my Lumia, that can be installed on right side of the dashboard.
6- Will be posting a few pics during weekend, once i have the holder installed.

[amalji]

Originally Posted by mayank10

3- Dropped the idea of gettting a 'Map My India' GPS. Reasons given below
4- Got a Nokia Lumia 710, with 'Nokia Drive' voice guided Sat Nav feature. Its awesome and very detailed. Got it as first anniversary gift from wifey. I am using it even to go home, and my wife calls me crazy.
5- Looking for a Nokia Universal Mobile holder for my Lumia, that can be installed on right side of the dashboard.
6- Will be posting a few pics during weekend, once i have the holder installed.

Congrats on the new Lumia.
Since you are a 'new user' of GPS, just want to caution you with regards to safety.

1) Always keep your eyes on the road. Use voice for navigation. If you need to look at the map, ask your co-passenger to do that.
2) If the co-passenger ask for doubts on GPS interface, park your car somewhere and then explain. Never try to do it while driving.

.5 sec blindness from the road is all we need for an accident. So drive safe with GPS. ( I've a bad experience, and consider myself lucky to have saved myself from hitting the oncoming traffic )
Looking at the moving map can create an illusion that it's the real road ( like in a PC game ). So, take a conscious effort to not look at the map for more than just a gmipse or even better if you don't look at it all. Train your wife to do the navigation for you.
PS: I'm used to the voice navigation feature now.

Drive safe

[acurafan]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Well but spare a thought for people like me wearing glasses. -6 on both eyes mate. The glare I get is almost 3-4 times worse than for a person with normal vision. Hence I totally avoid driving on the highways atleast at night.

An appeal to all members and guests: please drive only on low beam!

I am also in the same camp here. -7.5 and -7 left and right eye respectively. You need a very good anti-reflection coating on your glass. Don't go for the usual ones that you can get at an optician, they are useless. I got multi-layer coatings from Hoya and it really makes a difference. This is almost camera lens grade coating. Unfortunately it costs a fortune. In spite of all this the glare is just bearable due to the indiscriminate use of high beam.

[arunu]

Hey Mayank,
Nice car and very nice ownership review. Even though Toyota is a late entrant in the sedan/hatch market, I guess they have a winner on hand in Etios.

Etios is similar to Toyota Yaris or the older Echo models offered in middle east.

People familiar with the GCC market would agree that Yaris / Echo's are the most reliable and common cars in GCC ( Atleast I can say with 100% confidence about Oman market where Toyota account for almost 70% total market share and Yaris and corolla account for more than 50% of total sales.)
These are super reliable and efficient cars and my office has a yaris hatch back with 3.8L kms with in 4 yrs of ownership which is common for such cars.

Nice review and Thanks for sharing.