[ST7677]

Before posting this post I was little nostalgic as I was looking back at the first post I had made a year back when I picked up this car and the discussions since then...
...Yes, last week I completed my 1 year with this beautiful machinery. It still feels new, smells good and brings smile on my face when I sit in it


The only thing which I sometimes regret (and some times feel happy about) is not going for an Auto tranny (I still haven't made up my mind)!

On it's 1st birthday, the car got a nice wash, external detailing treatment, followed by a round of Turtle Waxing. The Hebanaro Red was gleaming with the deep blood red sparkle that the wax left.
Now it was time to take the car out. The fuel meter showed the tank to be 3/4th full. The sound track was an absolute delight - from Titanic. Today I was planning to do something that I had not done before - 200 kmph (in India) was in my mind.
It was a cloudy day with some drizzling going on. I took the car to the NICE corridor which is still not publicly open. Had to do some off-roading to reach there.
Visibility was below average due to the drizzle, the roads were wet and I approximated that I have just about 3.5km between two intersections to accelerate, touch 200 and then take a U turn.
Of course after stopping, what did you think?

Safety was on top of my mind so I thought it will be prudent to check out some hard breaking on the wet road surface...
This was my first hard breaking trial on a wet road in this car and it turned out to be much better than I expected. No skidding, very composed straight line breaking. BA & ABS kicked in early and made some noise initially but the car stopped as if it was stuck to the road. My CD bag, Cushions and some other loose items flew in the air like missiles...
(In my previous car I have rear ended another car in a similar rainy situation, so I know how it feels to be in a non ABS cars and get into a skid).

Ok, All set.

Started the car in 2nd gear and revved it all the way to 105 kmph, shifted to 3rd accelerated to around 150kmph and then straight away shifted to 5th and touched 200kmph @ around 5200 RPM...

That's it... I thought it will groan and moan and I will run out of road... but none of that happened, it did it very comfortably and I guess in about 2-2.5km.

I slowed down comfortably, returned home and gave the car another wash (to remove the off-roading dirt). It was pleasant to see round pearl like drops of water on the bonnet indicating this car has just been waxed.

Happy Birthday Car!!!


Later I realized my two mistakes...
1. I shouldn't have left the gas pedal at 200kmph
2. Should have used the trip meter to measure the distance to reach 200kmph



I can't write a long term report yet, because I have only done some 8k km on it, and looking at 17k & 20k etc what others have done, it looks very piddly... Moreover most people who have been following this thread would have shared my experience but here is a summary of what I like & what I don't...


Like
Rev Happy engine
Power - You need to rip it to experience it, it delivers and does in style (engine sound)
Economy - I have pushed it hard but it has never given me <8.5kmpl mileage, usual City is 10, Highway 13

Excellent body dynamics and handling

About Maximum interior space in the segment - Rear seat space almost as big as Accord

Comfortable - Smooth and silky, Good suspension setup, LWB, Noise Isolation

Looks Looks looks - Generation ahead of competition

Amazing Dashboard and Steering wheel (very nice touch and feel)

Well built - still sounds good

Nice Gearbox - the way it feels and slots

A very good overall package




Dislike
Could have had more torque @ lower RPMs

Low Ground clearance when fully loaded

Obtrusive A Pillar - but I got used to it after some time

Towel wardrobe - Changed it with Nappa Leather in first week

[ST7677]

Originally Posted by ST7677
With renewal of my insurance, I am getting 2, Rs.500 worth gift vouchers which I can use against labor charges during the servicing.

I am only dealing with Dakshin Honda, they sent their agent.
It's with Reliance, I was not keen on that and wanted to change to Bajaj Allianz, but the dealer said that cash less is smoother with Reliance...
so do I need to care then...not sure?

[csentil]

ST7677, congratulations. Yes, you should have got the AT. ;-) Just kidding. I too feel I should have got the MT at times. But I'm happy with the paddle shift.

Haven't touched 200 so far. 160 kmph is as far as I've gone.

As you said, it revs like mad. I had so much fun driving from Nanjangud to Bangalore in rain, drizzle and dry conditions. No problems at all.

Enjoy your drive.

[BUSA]

Congratulations ST, glad to know you are enjoying her.

Happy birthday to your car, albeit belated but still

[brett]

jeetu can we have some pics of those wheels.............

[androdev]

OT: I found the NICE road very rough (uneven) for high speeds. It is empty and straight alright, but the surface is not super smooth. Is 200 doable without the car vibrating like crazy?

[mhafeez_13666]

Congrats ST! Also, I just read your ICE story and saw the final pictures. I don't know what to say, what detailing. Really awesome. I hope I bump into you someday in this Bangalore traffic and get a feel of your Music :-)

My Civic Baby is getting into its 26th Night today and I keep admiring the only extra fitting I have done, the blue Ambeint Light :-).

What a Car!

[alankarm@sancha]

I had done 185 and there were no vibrations. I know for a fact that the car tops out in speed at about 210 km/h. You have to be very careful when driving at these speeds. You area of vision reduces to just a tube in front of you & your response time has to be in milliseconds. I copped out after 185, got jittery.

[ST7677]

OT: I found the NICE road very rough (uneven) for high speeds. It is empty and straight alright, but the surface is not super smooth. Is 200 doable without the car vibrating like crazy?

I agree with you on the quality of the road, it's nothing much to talk about.
I found the car's suspension is tuned well for highspeeds, there was hardly any vibration. At least nothing that would catch attention, provided the wheel alignment is good.

The only feeling at that speed is that you are going in a rocket on a road!!
Though the car was handling well in terms of stability and aerodynamics. It surely get's scary. The breaking distance increases exponentially with increase in speed and any unplanned event can be disastrous.

[reignofchaos]

ST if you really want a good road, get onto the stretch of GQ after the toll gate towards chennai... Its probably the best bet we have to speed test our cars.

[crkishore]

i got the 20k kms servicing done yesterday. here are some numbers :

service labor cost : rs. 900
engine oil : rs. 626
oil filter cartridge : rs. 94
air filter : rs. 800
washer : rs. 18
whell alignment : rs. 350
whell balancing : rs. 375 + (211+514+135+695) = rs. 1930

so a total of rs. 4718

i felt quite cheated at the cost for the whell balancing....i had touched 150kmph on the last weekend in slight drizzle, and the car was absolutely stable. i shouldnt have asked them to do it.

any suggestions for :

1. non-showroom wheel alignment and balancing. i hate vijay alignment, as they seem to spoil the rim quite often with rusted equipment.

2. after 20k kms which included several trips with wet and dirty clothes and luggage, the fabric seats seem to suddenly start looking dirty. when i asked for the cost at the centre, they quoted rs. 1200. is that worth it ?

3. any suggesting for a good 3m rub and polish centre ? the service centre quoted rs. 2200 for this, but i didnt get a good answer if it was "3M". moreover, i felt it would be better to wait for the rains in bangalore to subside a little bit.

[csentil]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

ST if you really want a good road, get onto the stretch of GQ after the toll gate towards chennai... Its probably the best bet we have to speed test our cars.

Invitation for disaster. If you are talking about the stretch after Krishnagiri Toll Gate till Natrampalli/Vaniyambadi toll gate. Highest number of accidents occur there. I know that for a fact as I'm from that place and my sister is a doctor there.

The main problem is wrong side driving. There are a lot of villages in and around that area with tractors, bullock carts, two-wheelers driving on the wrong side of the road especially on the inner lane.

Probably early morning is ok. But after 7.30 - 8.00 am and evening around 6 pm is the most dangerous time and most of them set off to work.

[csentil]

Originally Posted by mhafeez_13666

Congrats ST! Also, I just read your ICE story and saw the final pictures. I don't know what to say, what detailing. Really awesome. I hope I bump into you someday in this Bangalore traffic and get a feel of your Music :-)

My Civic Baby is getting into its 26th Night today and I keep admiring the only extra fitting I have done, the blue Ambeint Light :-).

What a Car!

How much did the blue ambient light cost? Which dealer?

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by csentil

Invitation for disaster. If you are talking about the stretch after Krishnagiri Toll Gate till Natrampalli/Vaniyambadi toll gate. Highest number of accidents occur there. I know that for a fact as I'm from that place and my sister is a doctor there.

The main problem is wrong side driving. There are a lot of villages in and around that area with tractors, bullock carts, two-wheelers driving on the wrong side of the road especially on the inner lane.

Probably early morning is ok. But after 7.30 - 8.00 am and evening around 6 pm is the most dangerous time and most of them set off to work.

Interesting... on the day of the tbhp meet, there was not a soul in sight and the place has excellent visibility... you can see a couple of kms easily and it has guard rails on the sides. Most of us were speed testing on that stretch. Thanks for the warning though. Shall keep it in mind.

[ST7677]

Yeah How much did it cost?

The blue ambient lighting

When I bought my car I was told it is around 5k, which I thought was a total rip off. All it has is probably couple of LEDs (which cost less than Rs. 10 each) and some decent wiring tapping into the dome light...