Commented on own review
Jul 05, 2004 03:50 PM
Wats happening people. . .
I go wawy for a while and leave you kids alone and look wat u do!!!
Start World war 3 over some guys opinion about a bucket of bolts ;)
Yeah, normally one would expect an explosive reaction to the rantings of nutjobs. . .but I've had a pretty wonderful week. . .AN...D A DAMN FANTASTIC MINDBLOWING WEEKEND!!!
So I'm kinda in a good mood.
Thanks a lot, Neelsha, for your pleasant comment. By the way, thats a beautiful name. Wud love to hear more from you.
Chintan, thanks a lot for being the guy with both his feet on the ground.
And now, a general thought.
Hallova and bye bye TATA. . .this for you 'two'. DO NOT SULLY MY AREA WITH YOUR NONSENSE.
If you cannot respect the other members who comment on my reviews. . .please do not submit any further of your thoughts to me.
. . .ANYWAYS I thinks its pretty goddamn GEEKY to create a proxy profile just to beef up support for your opinion in a web forum. . .u git that Hellova and BYEBYE TATE ???
AUR HAAN TATE. . .woh address jo oopar diya, woh galat hai!!!Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 30, 2004 09:03 PM
Aw Yeah. . .it does sound like being cornered. . .
Had a minor whirlwind going up there for a while, didnt I??! ;)
Thanx pingme, for the update.
Yer right, these guys ARE corrupting the spirit of the site.
Mebbe one should find out their identities so one can just show up at their doorst...ep on a fine morning and. . .BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THESE JERKOFFS!!!
Hmmm. . .might have to change my plans this weekend :)Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 30, 2004 04:59 PM
Buddy, ya gotta get with it here!
I just spent a hell of a lot of time trying to clear the fact that BUZZWORDS ARE NOT A GREAT HELP IN MAKING THE CORRECT PURCHASE DECISION.
And what was that. . .u mean that FIAT installs the gearbox, the differential and the water pump as add-ons to the car?...!!! Well, then. . .I stand corrected, folks I change my vote. . .FIAT Palio is the best car in the segment. . .as they give you a GEARBOXXX. . .and a DIFFERENTIAL as add-ons!!
By the way, in that last paragraph. . .I was being sarcastic. . .duhhhh!! ;)
As for the question about the website, ya gotta ask someone at Maruti Udyog about that.
Thats a question for them not me!!
Once again, if Wagon R has a 16 bit computer thingy. . .what does it do for me?!!
Unless it can give me some relationship advice, their 16 bit computer can take a flying f*** at a rolling doughnut and I wouldnt care.
When it comes to decide the purchase of a vehicle for everyday use, I still say that its better to go by your instincts.
And once again. . .'People feel that its marketed by PAL, thats why they dont buy the Palio'. . .please please give the people more credit than this.
Our consumers are far more intelligent than some manufacturers believe them to be!!
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Commented on aditya999's review
Jun 30, 2004 01:55 PM
Hey there!
Do not worry about the comment above saying it was 'Not at all a review'.
Thats BULL and I think the writers a disgruntled employee thats been fired from a couple of other companies and has now joined FIAT. ;)
It was a nice and entertaining detail about ur experience with the ca...r.
I hafta agree with you that the Esteem really takes a beating when it comes to looks.
But, alternatively, I gotta say that for a long time, I preferred driving an esteem than anything else.
keep 'em coming, boss!Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 30, 2004 01:32 PM
WHEEL HORSEPOWER is horsepower measured at the actual drive wheels, taking into account the load from the chassis and all accessories. It is the most accurate measure of the amount of energy that the car actually generates to move it forward.
Because a frictional loss between the engine and the ...driven wheels is unavoidable, wheel-driven horsepower will always be less than Net Horsepower. How much less wheel-driven horsepower will depend on how many mechanical parts exist between a vehicle's engine and its driven wheels. This is usually measured as a percentage loss due to the 'friction' of the intermediate components between the flywheel and the actual wheel.
For a Rear Wheel Drive car, engine power has to travel through a transmission, driveshaft, rear-differential, and two axle shafts (one for each rear wheel). That's four separate mechanical components taking a bite out of the car's horsepower before the rear wheels even begin to turn.
Front-wheel drive cars with transverse-mounted engines usually have a lower frictional loss because horsepower only has to travel from the engine, through the transmission and down two short driveshafts before reaching the wheels. Typical 'powertrain' losses run between 15-22% but vary greatly between cars.
Now, I dont know what all that really means but it seems that the BHP horsepower that everyones so happy about is not talking about the power distributed to the wheels.
Now, I am not a great big expert on cars, so, I just like to describe my hands on experience with a vehicle.
All I can suggest is that do not blindly follow the reviews in auto mags. These are profit making (Not Necessarily profiteering) commercial media organizations whose opinions can be bought. You can listen to their advice, but the final decision has to be made by YOU, the consumer, going by YOUR GUT FEEL.
No salesperson or car technician knows better than your instinct about the car, once you have driven it.Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 30, 2004 01:24 PM
Well, Hari, I meant to say that the tech feedback thats usually flashed in front of the consumers is a clever ploy designed by the marketers to woo the public towards their product.
. . .And I for one think that we should be given more credit.
Whether Palio outperforms Wagon R is not an issue... to be argued. Just look at the sales figures.
Or even better, just open your eyes and look around. Both vehicles were launched at roughly the same time. Yet which is the one thats you see more on the road?
Now that means that either the majority of the Indian consumer is making the wrong choice or that the product is just, well, CRAPPY.
And thats what I mean when I use the word OVERENGINEERED. I was NOT referring to any particular car. I was talking about the tech terms that we have all gotten so used to hearing. . .32/ 16 bit MPFI, EURO NORMS etc. etc.
The funniest one is the term BHP. BHP has gained a lot of hype, especially in India. Car ka BHP is more so one car is better than the other.
What is BHP? I'm sure that you are well informed but for the benefit of those who are not, I'll just give an explanation.
BHP stands for Brake Horse Power. The currently used term of BHP also called Net Horse Power became the standard horsepower measurement by the automotive industry in 1972, and is still used today. This is the horsepower generated by the engine at the flywheel with all accessories attached. It reflects the numerous energy sapping accessories that cars began to have, such as an A/C Compressor and alternator, and thus is a better representation of the actual power generated by the engine.
However, its the measure of an engine's horsepower without the loss in power caused by the gearbox, generator, differential, water pump and other auxiliaries. The actual horsepower delivered to the driving wheels is less.
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Commented on own review
Jun 29, 2004 08:09 PM
Well, deedaya m'man, I wouldnt exactly call it a failure. . .at least not anymore.
When it was launched, the Wagon R was indeed a failure at the production rate of 80 vehicles a day.
However, today, they are producing 350/ day and from October onwards its gonna be more than 415/ day.
The in...itial lull was more due to the pricing and positioning of the vehicle. Also, the shape seemed bland when compared to the Santro.
Versa is not the bgger version of WagonR. Versa is Versa. Nobody knows the purpose and use of this monstrosity. :)Read More
Commented on bnd123us's review
Jun 29, 2004 07:30 PM
Nice review, pal!
Pretty straight forward. I like it.
Yeah Maruti's phasing out the 800cc. Gradually!!!
And folks can expect another decrease in ALTO pricing, methinks.
Keep up the good work!! :)
Commented on own review
Jun 29, 2004 05:55 PM
ummm. . .looks like I touched a nerve there. . .are you working for PALIO?!! :)
Sorry to have twisted your nibblets but its true. Even you are flashing the news of MUL vehicles having FIAT engines as if it were a badge of honor.
. . .And I dont drive the Wagon R myself. I have a car, thank you....
Point 1 - About manufacturing details. . .you have READ yours. . .in what year I dont know. . .but this is 2004.
Point 2 - Palio is a 32 bit MPFI. . .so what?! Yer saying that its more fuel efficient?!!. . .Careful now, thin ice, VERY thin ice.
Point 3 - Please PLEASE tell me the difference between Euro 3 and Euro 2 norms. Whats extra?!! I'd really like to know.
. . .And so on and so forth, I can just keep going.
But see this is exactly my point. We, in India, are using all these tech words without really understanding whether these matter for our purchase or not?!!
I mean sure everybody wants a good vehicle but no one would pay if the vehicle is overengineered.
The Indian consumer is PUTTY in the hands of the marketing deptts of the automobile companies. . .doesnt matter whether its Maruti or FIAT or TELCO.
They say that it produce 90 BHPs. . .and we are like WOW 90 bhps!!!, as if we even understand what a bhp is.
The point is that if one wants to have an advert, one can look at the company brochure and read the experts opinions and watch the car shows.
But we are talking here about what a car actually is. . .plain and simple. Is it serving the TARGET MARKET that it was intended for or not? If yes, then how well?
Yes, Wagon R is the most tech superior vehicle in its segment. Tech does not only mean flashy dials and cool displays. Tech starts from the design of the vehicle and ends st the dealership.
The makers of the Wagon R have incorporated some of the most advance design features and manufacturing techniques for better seating comfort, drive control and generally improved and pleasant driving experience for its occupants.Read More
Commented on own review
Jun 29, 2004 05:07 PM
Lyla . . .thats pretty short and sweet. Would love to hear more from a mouthshut veteran. Skoda is a company out of Czechoslovakia, now owned by Volkswagon. They used to produce really bad cars but since the takeover their quality has improved 'manifold' :).
In fact, after the takeover, their TV ad...s showed the car salesman trying to hide the Skoda logo when the customer found the car attractive. The caption said something like 'If it'll help you take a decision, we can remove the logo from our car'. It worked pretty well.
Srini, very much appreciate the exclamation points yaar. But please do not be mistaken. I was not 'obsessed with car troubles'. The car is fine. But if yer out on a date and your girl sees you struggling to put the spare on. . .well, you can guess what happens. . .or doesnt happen :)
Thanks Ashish, I am very lucky but jo us din hua woh accha nahin hua yaar. Ah well, s*** happens!!! By the way, welcome to Mouthshut :)
Prasad, thanks for the encouragement. . . will do so, boss. Its been a while since your review. Wassup?
Thanks a lot everybody for a nice pat on the back. Lets hope I can tell you guys about the Merc SLK in the near future ;)
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Reviewed Maruti Suzuki Wagon R
Jun 29, 2004 04:24 PM
6408 Views
(Updated Jun 29, 2004 04:24 PM)
I do not drive the Wagon-R but had purchased one of the initial ones off the production lines for one of my managers. I did a test drive at that time . . .and a few for the hell of it every now and then.
I'll start by giving a bit of the background on the Wagon R and then move on to my experi...Read more
Reviewed Skoda Octavia 2.0 Eleg / Ambient
Jun 27, 2004 04:18 PM
16565 Views
(Updated Jun 27, 2004 04:18 PM)
Well, to be honest, I bought this car because there was nothing else available at the time. I had just let go of my TATA SAFARI and wanted a replacement. And because of the little finance restructuring exrecise that I myself had initiated at my company, my price band was between 10 to 15 big Ls....Read more
Commented on own review
Jun 27, 2004 02:13 PM
Thanks for the comment Rama.
You are so right . . .FMB participants always were and still are being taken for a ride so big that a trip to the moon seems like running to the corner grocery store. I would like to share my opinions with you:
1. Its totally okay for you to have that impression for... FMB participants. But that is definitly not expected of any teachers and/or staff members of this institute.
In the real world, it doesnt matter whether u r a rich spoilt brat or not, you get what you pay for.
2. Maybe I am a bit fussy about toilet conditions but I draw the line when the first sight that greets you in the morning is pigeon guano. But hey, thats just me.
3. My facts about the course are very true my friend. Y'know the foreign trips that FMB takes. Not only do the participants have to choose destinations, contact comapnies abroad and make all the arrangemnts from tickets to visas to stays, but we also have to pay everything for the SPJIMR staff geek that tags along for a free ride. Go figure!
4. I was talking about Prof Murthi. The man is head and shoulders above the rest. Hes the main man.
You have very clearly not studied abroad. The way they conduct the whole thing, theres no need for a specialized B school for entrpreneurs. Their regular colleges do the job just fine.
Far as adages go, or 'the grass to be greener on the other side' theres gotta be some grass to start with. At SPJIMR, its all HAY.
Thanks for helping hand you offered but my course is already over and it will be too soon if I never see those jerks again.
Thanks for the perk up. and I mean it sincerely as it was your review that prompted me to write mine. :)
Take it easy
Claptrap
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Reviewed S. P. Jain Institute Of Management and Research - Andheri - Mumbai
Jun 26, 2004 07:38 PM
15890 Views
(Updated Jun 26, 2004 07:38 PM)
SPJIMR...one of the top ten B-schools in India. . .well, supposedly. More likely, one of the top ten stamps in India. My experience was with FMB program held at SPJIMR intended for wards of entrepreneurs. This program is a 1.5 yr course divided in 18 bacthes of 1 week each, held every month.
...Read more
