Hero Honda launched another one of its crazy named bikes and this time its a - HUNK without a notice, one fine day it came in the papers. If you refer the dictionary, a HUNK is a man who has a body of a rock and it is completely man. Like Maruti refers to its car SX4 as a man machine. If this bike was compared to the CBZ, its better and more stylish. The CBZ Extreme was a bunch of extreme garbage and is not uniform. TVS and Bajaj are taking away the HH sales, to get them back they have made an incredible styled bike. First look at this bike would not seem like a hero Honda, no sticker, no graphics and all those fancy thing. Its just perfect. They have cracked the code for design, increased the engine thingy and threw their tattoo job, all the problem why the HUNK name, its like "I am a Hunk and i drive a HUNK" ain't that cool?? If the other guy is a bit def or a joker.. he would say enna?? JUNKa, i know its perfect for u only. Its armoured heavy, it even looks heavier than the Karizma, the engine is not seen that much and is packed up really nice, the sports bike look goes in completely well. The lights remind me of the HH Ambition, in fact the whole bike does seem like an Ambition successor, any of you guys reading this finds out the picture can compare them, the cuts and lines and the shapes too. From the engine aspect the HUNK is similar to that of the Xtreme's. The engine displacement is 149.2cc and produces 14.2 bhp @ 8500rpm with a max torque of 12.8Nm @ 6500rpm. This one also comes with first in HH gas charged and adjustable rear shocks. Seriously, the bike is definitely like an Ambition with Apache RTR160's look. The new Fuel tank is accompanied by the big plastic extensions with the HUNK signed on it. The turn indicators are well placed and have no chances of bouncing when you hit a pothole. The extension of plastic mudguard below the lights are signs of sportiness and the black and dark color combo which is found in almost all the bikes are signs of sportiness as well as pictures of beast.
Hero Honda Hunk is here
Alfa Romeo's Coming!
IF BMW IS sporty and Mercedes all about class, then Alfa Romeo is pure sex appeal and driving pleasure. And the good news is that you will be able to buy one in India soon. Autocar India has learnt from a top-ranking Fiat official that the Italian carmaker will introduce its high-brow sport-luxury brand in the Indian market in the first half of next year. The official announcement will be made at the Auto Expo in January 2008.
Fiat has ruled out assembling Alfas in India and will import them directly from Italy; hence the lead time for introduction will be cut down considerably. Fiat is planning a range of Alfa models but it’s the drop-dead gorgeous Alfa Romeo 159 that will be the mainstay of the brand in the Indian market.
A car that competes head-on with the BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class and the Audi A4, Alfas are sporty and brilliant to drive. Their positioning is in fact very close to that of BMW, but with a clear accent on designer styling as well. The 159 has been Alfa’s most successful compact saloon in recent times and, as we found out earlier this year, there is very good reason for that (see Alfa v Alfa story in our April 2007 issue).
The 2.2 JTS is likely to be the petrol car selected for the Indian market, with the 3.2 V6 also imported as a brand-topper. The 2.2 produces 185bhp and will be pegged head-on against the base 3-series and C-class. Alfa hopes to price it competitively but against the locally-assembled Mercs and BMWs, the Italian sportscar will be at a cost disadvantage. However, according to company sources, the 159 should be launched with an entry price of Rs 28 lakh.
It’s the 260bhp V6 motor and four-wheel-drive system that are likely to get the attention of car enthusiasts. Alfa Romeo is one of the carmakers responsible for getting the trend for compact, high-revving V6 motors going, with the Alfa 75 being the trendsetter in the 1980s. At the time, all comparable motors were straight six engines, and it’s only recently that the world at large has acknowledged the inherent strengths of this type of motor. Alfa also pioneered the trend for twin spark plugs in the 1960s with the Giulia, and no it wasn’t Bajaj or TVS who did it first.
Alfa, via Fiat, also pioneered the use of a technology we are today all very familiar with today. The Alfa 156, launched in 1997, was the world’s first car to be powered by a common-rail diesel motor. And one of Alfa’s new-generation diesels, either a 150bhp 1.9 or a 200bhp 2.4,will be part of the range. The 2.4 especially is capable of massive bursts of speed and power and is particularly popular in Europe.
The cars will be sold through a group of exclusive dealerships to be set up in the coming months. Dealerships will be given to the best Fiat dealers in India, who will now get access to the famous brand.
Alfa already has very successful distributorships in other South-East Asian countries like Thailand, and with the brand recognition enjoyed here, the carmaker has a good shot at success if it prices its cars competitively. But it is how well these cars withstand Indian road conditions and the service back-up the company provides that will eventually determine success in India.
Source: http://www.autocarindia.com/
The All New Mitsubishi Montero
Mitsubishi is known to be a bit of a maverick in whatever they do. At a time when people dismissed the Evo as a four-door sedan trying hard to be a sports car, they proved everyone wrong by making it a hoot to drive, a handler par excellence and one that kicked up dirt in the eyes of even proven supercars. It happened again in 2001, when cynics disapproved of Mitsubishi's plan to field the then-new third generation Montero for the gruelling Paris-Dakar using the combination of a monocoque, glued to a ladder frame. Not only did they think that Mitsu had lost the plot, they'd also given up the very essence of an off-roader with such a combination – after all, body-on-chassis is what you need when you want to subject your car to a severe pounding.
But Mitsubishi had the last laugh. They not only won the title in 2001, but repeated it six times over. Now others are aping Mitsubishi's strategy, but are still struggling to get it spot on. Sure enough, with so many victories under the belt and the old adage that racing improves the breed, the fourth-generation Montero we see here should be a monumental jump. Ideally yes, but is it the case?
The erstwhile Montero was, what most would call, a relative of the disco era. It felt like it had too many curves and on a steroid diet with bulging wheel arches, fat body-cladding and mismatched panels. This one has taken the same theme, but the unwanted lines have been chiselled out and it's been made cleaner. There's none of the biting lip bumpers anymore, instead, the sharper, more rectangular features make it more East European in appearance than oriental sushi. It's only the rear taillamps that feel a bit of an aftermarket fitment, but overall, this fourth generation Pajero feels more taut with a fine mix of lines, even if it shares the same greenhouse with its predecessor.
They've even smartened up the insides. Unlike the previous gen that felt a bit drab and also a bit lacking on kit and fit and finish, this one feels like it could make SUVs that cost twice as much feel naked. Both driver and front-passenger seats get power controls, but they have more to play around. For someone like me who loves fiddling around, it is a tech delight. The digital trip makes algebra and geometry feel like child's play, plotting not only fuel efficiency and top speed figures on graph but also a compass, barometer and altimeter – enough to take that detour to the beaten track rather than suffer the daily office commute traffic. Then there are those seat warmers/coolers that make visiting the sauna a waste of money and a 12-speaker Rockford Fosgate system that allows you to hold a rock concert on your own. Mitsubishi have also provided rear parking sensors and a traction control button, both of which can be switched off. We suggest you keep the former on at all times, lest you end up paying the damages for someone else's car.
We headed to the outskirts of Mumbai to put the Montero through its paces. You immediately realise a few changes when you get behind the wheel. One, the instrument binnacle looks better. Two, when you crank it up, there's none of the excessive torque rock that the third-gen had, preventing all your grey matter from getting sloshed around. This is thanks to the use of common-rail for the same 3200cc diesel block that now creates 164.5 bhp at 3500 rpm and 39.1 kgm of torque at 2000 rpm, making it a pony and two kgm down on both counts than its predecessor. The gearshift of the five-speed manual feels like the action is slightly balkier, though it still slots in place. If you were to do standing starts in this car, the heavy clutch and the taller first gear would ensure that getting to 40 kph – the speed at which the first gear maxes out –takes too much time. Once you have slotted it into second and beyond does the torque wave and turbo really find the right set of ratios. Through the gears, it builds up pace very well and given the right stretch of clear road, can notch up close to 175 kph as you near the horizon. Like the previous gen, here too the turbocharger kicks in without any lag, but the odd first gear also makes it a bit handcuffed around town, making it difficult to gauge what gear to stick in during bumper-to-bumper traffic situations.
As we sped up to our off-road location, the Montero was put through a set of twisties and even some bad roads before we hit pay-dirt. Where the third-gen Montero excelled was in ride and handling. It would glide over potholes like it never existed and handle the twisties with a bit of roll, yet provide ample amounts of grip. But Mitsubishi's attempt at softening the car and making it more appealing to car owners looking to upgrade to an SUV has resulted in a trade-off. It still handles well and grips well, but there is more dive and pitch and it even has a tendency to roll more. The steering feels heavier, and it is then that you realise that the additional 115 kg weight gain has negated the comfort benefits. Mitsubishi has stuck to the same double wishbone setup at the front and coil springs at the rear, but the suspension feels a bit loose and not as plush. The tweaking around with the package has actually dropped its on-road driving dynamics a notch lower and doesn't feel as capable as the erstwhile Montero.
None of it though is evident when you go seriously off-road. All that mechanical grip shows around the dirt track as you put one wheel on the grass and the other in the air. The sorted chassis makes it a joy to throw around while the semi off-road tyres give you tankfuls of grip. For all its salt and seven years' of victory worth, Mitsubishi haven't compromised on the off-roadability of the vehicle. The high bumpers with their even higher angles of entry and exit allow you to push it hard, even though somewhere at the back of your mind, you know that it's a near Rs 36 lakh vehicle. Find a stream, put the wheels down and just let the advanced four-wheel drive do all the work. It's after all standard Monteros like these that have made European couples take a year out and travel the world on their set of four wheels.
Which brings me to the same question. Is it worth travelling the world in a Montero? Yes, it can be, given that it is still as capable off-road as ever and gives you close to 9.5 kpl overall – which for a diesel SUV weighing in on the naughty side of 2.3 tonnes is an achievement. It's also very well loaded and offers a lot of kit for your money. As the sensible SUV for less than Rs 40 lakh, it does its job well. But it is a bit too watered down for a Montero. It appeals too much to the senses of the urban dweller looking for the off-road fun once in a while, but doesn't live up to the perfect package Mitsubishi created with the previous generation. It will probably help Mitsubishi add yet another Paris-Dakar plaque to its showcase, but won't tingle the senses of an ordinary fella like me.
Source:www.bsmotoring.com