Automark

By Shahzad Tabish
It has been a year since PSMCL introduced Wagon-R in Pakistan and brought with it the concept of very first locally produced “Kei” car in Pakistan. In Japan, the Kei car concept was introduced keeping in mind the concept of cars being light & economical yet not compromising the practicality and space for owner’s utility. Today on roads we see a lot of small imported Japanese cars, all belonging to the came Kei car concept. Having a close observation of Wagon-R reveals that the car delivers what it promises.
The roof of the car is very tall, much to the annoyance of our consumers who are much fond of sleek looking hatchbacks, but a thoughtful person would understand the fact that in order to enhance the practicality of the vehicle the overall height of the vehicle is kept elevated, enhancing the volume inside the vehicle, enabling to stuff it with suitcases and luggage, So you would definitely be appreciating it on your way to; or from Airport/Railway station.
It’s heard that some eyebrows have been raised at the instability of the vehicle when executing high speed turns. We need to ask a questing in this regard to understand the fact. The family hatchback is meant to be practical and not a Formula 1 open wheeler instead, which resists body roll in high G turns, so the same applies to the Wagon-R. Well who needs a car requiring high speed turns in the first place when the car can accelerate effortlessly after the execution of a turn?
Discussing the brisk acceleration we shouldn’t forget the compact & lightweight engine of the vehicle which combines with the light weight chassis of the vehicle to give excellent power to weight ratio; 77 bhp/ton to be precise. This means that the Wagon-R can accelerate as briskly unlike any other 1.3L hatchback/saloon, as a driver if you might have tried it personally you would know how seamlessly the car accelerates pass the highway speed limit of 110kph.
The powerful engine delivering brisk acceleration doesn’t means that it is a gas guzzling one. In fact it’s one of the most fuel efficient engines Suzuki has to offer in any of its car variants, delivering in b/w 10-16 km/l of gas mileage as per the driving conditions.
As we discussed earlier, although we might see a lot of Kei cars on our roads all imported from Japan offering a lot of features to play with, however we have to face the fact that they aren’t brand new and sooner or later when there would arise the need of spare parts either they would be found too expensive or unavailable. It’s for the keen observer that approximately 5 years ago, the used imported cars we used to see a lot on our roads are now extinct, perhaps due to the starvation of spares which every car needs, no matter how good it might be. So with Wagon-R keys in your pocket, you don’t need to be worried about neither the After sales, nor the availability of spares.
Concluding its worth mentioning that we often see people expecting PSMCL to bring in new product’s to replace the old product line, however the same people as general consumers still love the old models over the newly introduced variants. Although all of us demand change, but we do resist adapting to change as a nation & this is our biggest dilemma. PSMCL has brought a positive change, a change introducing the concept of a modern, light, compact, economical yet powerful hatchback in the form of Wagon R to us, we have to adapt to it & for sure those who drive it would not be able to resist the temptation of driving it again! Cheers.
Published in printed version of Monthly AutoMark Magazine’s May-2015 edition

By Shahzad Tabish
Suzuki is a brand well renowned for its diverse motorized product line globally. When we solely talk about the 4 wheel automobile product range of Suzuki, the names that instaneously jump on our minds is “Swift”, “Liana”, “Alto” and “SX4”. Basically, the brand name of Suzuki brings about the imagination of small nimble family cars and hatchbacks, all that has now changed with the introduction of Suzuki “Kizashi” sports sedan.
PSMCL recently launched Suzuki Kizashi in a ceremony held in Lahore. The variant launched is a CBU and will be available at an approximated 5 million pkr. Too many end users that must sound too much money to be spent on a Suzuki, well as a reader if you continue till the end that price tag would be justified through the features on offer.
Starting off from the power plant, the car comes equipped with a 2.4 L petrol engine which provides a peak power of 175 bhp which is enough to power the vehicle to cruising speeds fairly quickly and by that I mean that the car can reach top speed of over 200kph and takes only 8.8 seconds to crack 100kph starting from standstill. Having discussed the power plant now let’s turns our attention towards the rest of the power train.
The car comes equipped with CVT which is amongst the best transmission options available in the market. The CVT enables the driver to operate the car in the normal automatic mode with seamless shifting or in a manual mode where the driver gets the sports feel by extracting the peak power from the engine. In order to enhance the sporty feel while shifting in manual, the car comes equipped with the standard sequential stick shift mode as well as with pedal shifters which enable to driver to shift up and down as per requirement.
When it comes to driving amenities the car is fully packed with the electronic driver aids inclusive of standards like Power steering and ABS. This car being the high end variant also comes equipped with Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Traction Control (TC). This ensures that the car behaves and remains well within control of even the novice drivers. The ESP module can be turned off at the push of a button which means that the driver can make the tires squeal if he wants to on a track day. The car also features Cruise control facilitating the driver for long drive routes which has become the standard feature in the luxury car segment.
As far as other features are concerned, the car comes equipped with electrically adjustable seats allowing the driver to not only adjust the position of the seats but also the lumber position of the seat. The seat has 3 memory functions as well to suit the adjustments of 3 individuals.
The car comes equipped with standard headlamp leveling system and headlamp washers. The lightening system of the car can also be set to automatic mode which determines the surrounding lightening through photo sensors conditions and illuminates the headlamps and tail lamps accordingly. A unique feature of the car is the auto dimming function of the rear view mirror which dims whenever a high intensity beam is focused on it from behind the vehicle to ensure that the driver visibility is not hindered. The car also features rain sensors which rain sensors which operate the wipers and washer nozzles accordingly. The car also features parking sensors mounted on the front and rear of the vehicle which activate and produce a beeping noise to alert the driver of any obstacle while parking the vehicle.
Talking about the practicality of the car, the car housed a large boot space with seats that fold down to enhance the storage capacity of the vehicle. Cup holders and bottle holders are found in the right places for both front and rear passengers as well. The car features dual AC system with temperature control provision for individual passenger and driver needs. The car also comprises of a very powerful sound system with multiple speakers and tweeters to ensure the perfect sound surround.
As far as safety aspects are concerned the car comes equipped with all the standard equipment necessary to satisfy European regulations. We have already discussed the active safety elements inclusive of ABS and ESP earlier. Along with the active elements the car comes equipped with 6 standard air bags inclusive of 2 frontal, side and curtain airbags and the body has the right combination of crumble zones and rigid areas to ensure maximum impact absorption. The car also features auto pinch function for the power windows, which detects any obstacle presence while closing the windows in automatic mode in order to avoid any injury to any human.
Concluding we may say that Suzuki Kizashi lives up to its name and expectations with the luxury and sports features on offer. With the price it has been offered in the local market it still is the most affordable luxury vehicle available in comparison to its arch rivals; whilst not compromising the luxury or the sporty feel. So all those looking forward to earn the luxuries of driving in comfort and style watch out for Kizashi!..
Originally published in Monthly AutoMark Magazine’s printed edition in March-2015

CAMRY, HIGHLANDER AND RAV4 AMONG THE RECALLED

Toyota recalled 112,500 vehicles due to power steering and electric software issues. Among the affected are 110,000Camrys, Highlanders, and their hybrid versions from 2015, and RAV4 SUVs from model years 2014 and 2015. The second recall involves the RAV4 EV, which makes up the other 2,500 vehicles. Toyota reports that no accidents, injuries or fatalities have occurred due to the issues.

For the Camry and Highlander, the problem is said to have occurred during manufacturing. A circuit board used by the power steering system “may have been damaged,” which would make steering much more difficult, possibly leading to a crash.

The problem for the 2012-2014 RAV4 EV is a little different. According to Toyota, software issues can cause certain components in the electric motor to shift to neutral, which would kill the drive power. A warning light will be shown on the dashboard when either issue arises.

Vehicle owners will receive a letter in the mail and can then take their vehicle to a dealer to be fixed at no cost.