Honda Jazz.....

t's powerful, nippy, quiet and comfortable. There is enough space for people and luggage. It's easy to drive and park in the city

 

It’s powerful, nippy, quiet and comfortable. There is enough space for people and luggage. It’s easy to drive and park in the city. The Jazz can also handle a little bit of enthusiastic driving if you are in the mood, only if Hondawould fit bigger rims onto the car. The silky smooth power plant of the Jazz is one of the best around.

 The huge glass area is easy to see out of. The cabin is very quiet and NVH levels are very low. All in all it is a quality product. The perception about the Honda Jazz in general is that it is an expensive car. It is only when you experience the Jazz do you understand the justification of its hefty price tag. Quality comes at a price, which is why the price of the Jazz is justified.  

hyundai "fluidic Verna

The last two months have been rather hectic and honestly I haven't had too much time behind the wheel of the Verna. During this period I have only managed to clock close to 2500 kilometers despite tossing in a nice long drive to Jaipur for a weekend in December. However, I have had ample time to get to know the car better

The last two months have been rather hectic and honestly I haven’t had too much time behind the wheel of the Verna. During this period I have only managed to clock close to 2500 kilometers despite tossing in a nice long drive to Jaipur for a weekend in December. However, I have had ample time to get to know the car better.

 As stated in my earlier report, my long term Verna comes fitted with a four speed automatic gearbox and till date this remains my major grouse with the car. Even more so now than before, as Ford has launched the Fiesta AT with a six speed dual clutch automatic! It’s really time to go with the flow and I do urge Hyundai to look into this matter at the earliest. There isn’t any major flaw with the auto box except that it doesn’t’ do justice to the power churned out by the 1.6 litre petrol engine and it has an impact on the mileage that the car delivers especially under city drive conditions, where I normally get anywhere between 8-9 kilometers to the litre, which is rather low for a car in this segment. On the highway and thanks to some extent to a tall fourth gear, the Verna returned a better average in the region of 13-14 kilometers to the litre. Till date, the car’s average fuel consumption according to the on board computer is hovering around the 9.8 kilometers to the litre mark, and considering where fuel prices are heading, this isn’t the best news. On a whole different note, it also comes as no surprise that those opting for the new Verna are lining up for the manual versions, especially the diesel engined car, which gets everything right.

 Having said that, the Verna AT does come with an ECO warning light that lets the driver know when he or she is driving economically. I am going to try and keep that light on as much as I can to see what difference it makes in the long run and how much I gain in terms of fuel efficiency for my regular driving style isn’t giving my any great gains. 

 On a high note, I can’t get over the smooth ride and the fact that it comes fitted with so many features. Friends and family have been very impressed with the list of goodies which include the keyless entry, start/stop button, steering mounted controls, Bluetooth interfacing, and the high end stereo system. Of course the quality interiors impress as well!

PS4 sHeDuLdEd

Sony has unveiled the new PlayStation 4. Here what you can expect from it.

Sony announced the PlayStation 4 earlier this week. With the actual console design and pricing still an enigma, they did however give out a few details – some vague, others concrete - and features of its upcoming console that thoroughly made our day. Here’s what the future of gaming holds.

Instant reboot

The PS4 will be able to suspend and resume gameplay just by hitting the power button. Similar to the “Hibernate” function that stores your session on your PCs.

Download while playing

The PS4 allows the gamer to download games in the background. So you could download games while you’re playing on the PS4. The function also allows for the games to continue downloads while the power button’s off. Essentially you could keep a game for download overnight and get it the next morning, all while the power consumption is at its lowest.

DualShock 4

The only piece of hardware Sony were willing to display was their new DualShock 4 controller. While consistent with the PS3 controller, the PS4 controller adds a Vita-esque touch pad on the top, with enhanced motion sensors and a dedicated share button.

Sharing simplified
The DualShock’s share button is Sony’s passage to social media. Your PS4 profile will be bound to you real-world identity with Sony’s Facebook and UStream integration. So now you can share all you achievements with your friends online. Just remember you don't turn into one of those annoying braggarts.

Live streaming

With its video compression and decompression functions, the PS4 permits the gamer to upload their gameplay live. So now when you reach that dead-end situation in a game, instead of going onto YouTube and searching for a walkthrough, you can just ask your pals online and they’ll guide you out of those sticky situations.

PlayStaion Cloud

Sony’s relations with cloud streaming service Gaikai has given birth to PlayStation Cloud. Users can now stream game demos for free before downloading them. The Cloud service also allows users to stream outdated titles from the PS One, PS2 and PS3.

Wii who?

No one likes to kick a man when he’s down – Chelsea's Eden Hazard is an exception– but Sony now have an answer to Nintendo’s Wii U. Sony have confirmed that the PS4 will now be compatible with the PS Vita, wherein users will be able to stream games onto their PS Vita handheld console.

Release

One of the rather vague details from Sony was with regards to the PS4 release date. The official time mentioned by Sony is “Holiday 2013”. However the date obviously is meant for America. Expect India to get it by April next year. Microsoft new Xbox is slated for a release sometime later this year.