Mar 08, 2004 03:28 PM
17909 Views
(Updated Mar 08, 2004 03:28 PM)
The Bajaj Spirit. Picture this name and imagine you know nothing about how a vehicle of this name looks or is. What would you imagine under the name Spirit? I imagined a robust, speedy and athletic vehicle, something that has the never-say-die spirit of an Enfield and the agility of the Dio. What a mix! Instead, what do you have? This! Bajaj Spirit instead is a meek and mild feminine-like thing that does not have the kind of girl-power you associate with women (and if you read my profile, you'll know how much girl-power is). Anyways…. Let's now get down to some serious reviewing….
Style and Build
Something gives me the feeling that I've said quite a lot about this already. Spirit has a fiber-glass body like all its other sisters do. So trust me, if you wreck it, you'd come in a bad way though the vehicle might not actually suffer so much. Fiber glass is tough material. So in a sense, the Spirit will make sure she remains intact.
Spirit however has this rather geeky appearance about itself; the kind of geekiness you have with exasperatingly feminine-oriented products. Sunny Spice, for example, is another name in the list of vehicles that were intended to be feminine but became geeky. There is a subtle distinction between being girl-like and geeky. You see, even if you are trying to make a girl-like thing, something which girls would like, you still can not do away with being strong or with looking strong. You don't want to look all spongy no matter how pretty you're made, right?
Spirit looks like a sugar doll. When my sister bought this, I personally felt it was extreme inhumanity (or the equivalent of it in the case of vehicles) that she actually mounted it and rode it in the cruel, cruel, Nagpur traffic. She actually kept the vehicle outside in the parking with burly fellows like Victor GL and CD100. I mean who knows what kind of people they are? And what if they did something to poor little Spirit?
So you know what I feel.
Performance
With a 60cc engine and with the manufacturers targetting this at college-goers, and specifically college-going girls, you just can't expect anything from the performance of the vehicle. Spirit has a modest pick-up, nothing too good about it, but mind you it's not a slow-poke Antonio, ok? It's good enough to keep pace with all other vehicles of its kind. I should say, it is actually a shade better than vehicles like Scooty and others. So in a sense I should say Spirit has a very good performance. How many of you agree with me, remains to be seen.
Fuel Efficiency
So far I've been very cynical about Spirit, very sarcastic and very antagonistic. But when we start talking of fuel efficiency, my entire outlook towards this vehicle is forced to change. That is because, Bajaj Spirit has, if nothing else, a wonderful fuel-economy. It is almost certain to take you something between 50 to 60 kilometers to a litre right from the word go. I have not yet found a vehicle that has something like this to boast about. This is indeed one heck of a vehicle as far as efficiency goes.
The verdict
Lightweight and feminish, the Spirit is certainly not for those who consider looks a very important aspect of a vehicle.(The fact the M-80s were actually sold proves there are such people who don't take looks seriously). For those who want a vehicle that's stylish enough to not look funny and yet something that has a baby-monster inside it that works and drinks less, Spirit is the one for you.
To be very frank, I don't know what to speak about this. I have not heard of somebody talking of Spirit's design in such an antagonistic manner as I so I figure there will be disagreeing comments from your side.
I have very mixed opinions about this vehicle. I can't therefore tell you very clearly who this vehicle is most suitable for. I'd not buy this for certain. That's all I can say.
