[DRIVOBLOG|➨]™ came across a Customized Chevrolet Aveo ‘Platinum Edition’ owned by Mr. Gautam Sircar, a Jeweller by Profession.
The amount of money he has spent on accessorizing his car is almost equivalent to the price of the car itself.
Right from HIDs to Steel Sun Visors, LED Indicators, Mood Lighting, Display Units, Meters and Gauges, here is what he has to say in the video below:
Not just his car but he himself is adorn in Platinum accessories and loaded with the best possible Branded Gadgets. Every evening he can be seen chilling at Southern Avenue Area especially at Vivekananda Park and having his favorite Lemon Tea.
[DRIVOBLOG|➨]™ Features: Smokaccino – The Official [DRIVOBLOG|➨]™ Drive-IN Eatery
Located on Sarat Bose in Southern Avenue (Best Place on Earth), Smokaccino is arguably the finest Multi-Cuisine food-joint that [DRIVOBLOG|➨]™ has ever encountered.
In a country with a dearth of Drive-In Café & Eateries, this is one place where one can park and spend the whole day working and eating in the car.
Whether it is your business clients, friends or even a Date, dining at Smokaccino provides a dynamic ambience brought about by the spectacle of constant motion that people and passing vehicles brings about.
As regards the Menu and the Taste, the best thing would be to try it out oneself as I would not be able to do appropriate justice by merely writing about it.
It is reasonably unusual to surreptitiously walk into a car showroom, take a test drive and eventually fall for it, when you are not without an ingenious one yourself, un-namely a Successful MUV. But this is exactly what happened in the early part of 2010 when I took 8 (eight) test drives of the FIGO TDCi in 3 different cities: Hyderabad, Mumbai and Kolkata.
A meager ‘Test Drive’, in spite of its time limitations is more than what the eyes can perceive. For people like us, it is an anthropological indulgence where a lot of aspects and nuances of the passenger experience are continually captured by our subliminal minds, most of which we cannot even comprehend literally. The FIGO succeeded in raiding my senses and 6 months and 10,000 kms on, obsessively became a part of me, my identity, a reflection of my personality, my attitude. So addictive is the driving experience that I feel my nerves somehow got linked to the vehicle through the steering and control gears.
Evolutionarily it takes quite a poise to garner attention of females and FIGO undoubtedly proves itself to be a babe-magnet being that fact that Ifrequently notice them candidly turning their heads with anaccentuated look towards it.
Lifestyle
Notwithstanding erstwhile wide-floor hatches that the Indian Market has witnessed so far, none but the FIGO seems to have notably ushered in the era of Lifestyle Hatchbacks.
With most Indian Mid-Sized Sedans being a ‘Hatch with a Boot’, FIGO is an antithesis of sorts. Something when someone chisels off unnecessary protuberances from a Sedanby sharply swooping the rear but adding fender-bulge, severing the boot but conserving astounding luggage capacity, shortening excess overhangs but nonetheless retaining the ‘platform’ and arriving at something with such immaculate stability that cannot be more earth-hugging. In fact whenever I see sedans now, the boot seems to appear vestigial to me, not that I am countering out the expediency of one.
This is indeed the age of hatchbacks as most cities of our country bear a Masterplanwith acartography myriad lanessuited for nothing better than cycles, rickshaws and handcarts. For an Intercity-Trotter and address-hunter like me, FIGO proved to be a boon and reduced driving stress.
Engineering
About the TDCi Engine that my FIGO is powered with, amazing would be an understatement with a frugal 1.4 Litre displacement. The negligible Turbo-Lag in fact makes it feel overpowered in the city that you need at least a months’ time to get used to managing the surge and steering responsivenessensuring razor sharp handling. The key to the adrenalin rush is especially the optimized Torque Characteristics of the TDCi enabling you to swerve out of obstacles.
Even at 150 kmph the NVH is bearable and the car does not feel ‘running out of breath’. With 5 people the vehicle still propels up a Fly-Over/uphill in-hesitantly, something which I have not found most of the vehicles I have driven before.
The Key to the same is the sharply swooped down rear roof complimenting the aerodynamics and a substantial wheelbase. With a Perfected Steering Dynamics, Superb Straight Line Stability and Minimal Body roll, I have still not been able to ‘fish-tail’ / ‘Drift’ the vehicle during U-turns even with stock tires during harsh but calculated test drives.
Notably the FIGO has quite a fluctuating Fuel-Efficiency ranging from 9 kmpl (not the average user cycle) to 30 kmpl (constant 80 kmph with no significant halts). With Inter-citycruises guaranteeing me 20 kmpl, Intra-City runs assure 15 kmpl. And all of that with a continually operating HVAC.
In my recent road-trip from Kolkata to Guwahati through NH34 and N31 on roads proven to be treacherous and unpredictable, the vehicle in spite of having received so many underbody hits revealed just a couple of minor gashes on the mid-underbelly stress-member on inspection.
More so, even the wheel alignment did not lose calibration. Given such a challenging driving environment enduring 20-30 kmph crawls for as much as 1/3 of the 1200 kmsjourney, the FIGO returned a decent 14.34 kmpl.
Comfort & Ergonomics
The interior space and comfort levels are optimized to just what is necessary in this fast paced age of short-life-cycle vehicles. The HVAC performance has shielded me from the extreme climatic situations I have been in, given the fact that I have to occupy the cabin 6 hours every-day on an average on a sustained basis. The front seats are actually engineered to grip the body during C-Curve maneuvers and prevent one from swaying by perfectly contacting the shoulder-plate(s) at precise points.
It is incredible how FORD has been able to achieve a rear seating experience within such a confined space that challenges even the best-selling sedans of India and it goes a step further when you realize the elaborate elbow space and arm rest comforts.
The cabin is overall so very resourceful that I have converted it into a Mobile-Office-cum-Lounge-cum-Bedroom with its versatility with towel, air-pillows, blanket, tissue paper, soap, hand sanitizer, deo-spray, air-compressor, vacuum cleaner, 10.5”mini-laptop, tire inflator, tool-kit, camera, tripod, set of clothes, business stationery, 220V 80 Watt Inverter, Office Automation, Refrigerator, toiletries kit, shoes, first-aid kit, chargers, flip-flop, a large 12″ Bass Reflex Box, 4 Channel AMP, ‘Ready to Eat’ Nitrogen Packed Food and many more. And yet there is so much space left behind that a Full Size suitcase can fit in and more if I decide to utilize the rear seat. The interior quality may not be the best among the competition but this is a VFM vehicle, contrived to minimize kerb-weight and enhance usage economics.
After-Sales Service
The FORD Authorized Service Centers have no less ‘Industry Best Practices’ & Systems in place. Just that the dealers need a little more attention and encouragement from FORD India and be rewarded for the same.
I believe an ‘informed owner’ need not face issues with Ford Service if he communicates accurately with the Authorized Service Centre. Recently my vehicle’s Radiator Fan failed prematurely and it was promptly replaced on priority basis under warranty. No questions asked and zero paperwork.
End Notes
Every Vehicle Brand has its own merits but what matters us how much engineering and detailing effort that has gone to it. And FORD struck the right chords at the opportune phase when what most hatchbacks aggressively pitch on Fit & Finish, Fuel Efficiency and Resale but compromising on engineering, performance and perfection.
FIGO is undoubtedly the most worthy among all hatchbacks available in India as of 2010 and I personally don’t feel like expecting anything in addition to what I got in return for the price I paid for it. The more I drive it, the more I am devouring the drastic realization of such an exceptional vehicle.
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