2014-03-15
Friends,
I am sure a lot of you would have faced, are facing or will face this question at some point in your life. Despite discussion with friends, car owners, the so called automotive gurus and the World Wide Web you are still confused with too many choices, diesel or petrol, European or Indian, sedan or hatch back, first hand or second hand.
Well! I will not promise that this article will give new information about cars but I can assure it will ease out your decision making process considerably. I have tried to put the information you already have in a different perspective so that you can link all of them and come out with a decision knowing well what compromises you have made and what advantages you have gained.
I will begin with listing down most important information that you need to have before you even start looking at cars
1. Purpose
2. Usage
3. Driving Skill & Experience
1. Purpose:
I have helped many friends and relatives on buying cars and through this experience I have noticed that one of the most important things people tend to forget when buying a car is “PURPOSE”. Yes I understand that this is at the back of everyone’s mind, but mostly forgetten when making the final decision. People tend to weigh the benefits of a feature that they rarely use. One of the examples is decision to buy a diesel car for its mileage.
Here, if the car is not used enough the extra priceof a diesel engine is far more than the return on your fuel costs(more on this later in the article). Therefore purpose is something that should be clear in mind till you make the final decision.
2. Usage:
How much and how you use your car is a factor people often over or underestimate. Apart from the distance, where you use your car is very important. If you use your car primarily in city a petrol, even an automatic makes sense. If you use on highways apart from a diesel it is also important to keep in mind the how the car handles at speed, how has the suspension been tuned.
Typically I have seen that European and American cars are quite superior in this aspect than their Japanese and Indian counterparts. Which is a reason why some of them are priced higher. Therefore clearly list down how much and how you intend to use your car.
3. Driving Skill & Experience:
Driving skill and experience are aspects that can only be rated by yourself. These give you confidence about trying a new car. If you are a beginner you will always find “tall boy” design, Wagon R, Zen Estillo, etc. easy to ride because of the clear vision their driving posture provides, also considering a second hand car is a good option for beginners. Of course with experience these factors become insignificant.
Once you are clear on the above three factors we can dwell into the details of various features in a car. I will mention a few important aspects in cars, what they actually mean and in what conditions they will be of use to you.
1. Engine: There is a lot of debate on choosing the engine when buying a car. Petrol or Diesel is one of the biggest questions one asks himself and I have seen many people make wrong decisions here. The following are a few details about the engines that will help make you better choice
a. Theoretically the diesel cycle (on which a diesel engine operates) is more efficient than Otto cycle (on which a petrol engine operates) considering the compression ratios. Therefore your expense on fuel will be lesser on a diesel engine EVEN IF THE PRICE OF DIESEL IS SAME AS PETROL. In fact in many countries Diesel is costlier than petrol and still people buy diesel engines. So do not worry if diesel price is going to increase when you are deciding on engine.
b. The response of a petrol engine at low speeds is superior to that of diesel engines especially if the diesel is turbocharged. What this means is while driving at slow speeds it is easier to drive a petrol engine that a diesel engine. If you are going to use your car in city traffic (especially large cities like New Delhi,Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkatta, Bangalore etc) a petrol car is relatively more comfortable to drive.
c. The torque of a diesel engine is generally higher than a petrol engine (comparing engines of same power). It is easier to drive a diesel in moderate and high speeds where you can pull the vehicle without changing gears frequently (typically from speeds above 40 km/h diesel starts scoring over a petrol engine).
d. The noise of diesel engine owing to its higher compression ratio is generally higher that petrol engines. However modern cars with their cabin noise reduction technologies have ensured that this sound does not reach you when you are driving. Further the reliability of modern diesel engines is much better and the myth on diesel engines costing higher on maintenance is only a myth.
2. Dynamics: This is one aspect often overlooked when buying a car in India. We tend to overemphasise on engine with the typical “kitna deti hain” attitude rightly portrayed by Maruti Suzuki but considering the road conditions in India (Post Golden Quadrilateral) I feel there is a dire need to look beyond the engine into other technical aspects of an automobile. Especially if you are driving on highways and driving fast. I will only touch on one aspect here to avoid confusion
a. The dynamics of a car determines both your confidence safety when driving. Therefore I would urge you to test ride your car a higher speeds (at least 100 km/h) and feel the confidence while doing so. This, I am sure, will help you notice the difference in a typical European car (the fords, Volkswagens, etc.) and Japanese cars (the Marutis and Hondas). I would not dare say that all Japanese cars are bad and all European cars are good, what I have pointed is the typical behaviour on average.
3. Brakes: The brake system of cars have been very well developed over the years. Therefore people almost don’t pay a lot of attention to this while buying a car. However there are important differences in the construction of brake system that can make a dif ference between life and death in some instances.
a. The car brakes are of two types, the drum brakes and disc brakes. Disc brakes are more efficient and can stop your car better.
b. ABS (Anti-Lock Brake System) is a system in the brakes that prevents your wheels from locking and therefore ensures that you are in control of the car always. What happens when you are in a panic situation (a dog suddenly crossing your way or a child running across the road) is that you slam the brakes hard which locks out the wheels and your steering control is lost, therefore essentially you cannot control the direction of the car.The ABS prevents this from happening and is something that can save a life.
In many countries it is mandatory to have ABS on all automobiles (including trucks and busses). How many of you know that all Volvo buses come fitted with ABS?
4. Safety systems: Apart from the ABS, modern cars come with a lot of safety features some active (i.e they will detect an accident is about to happen and work) and some passive (they are put into the design of the vehicle and work always)
a. First and foremost when it comes to safety is a seat belt. This is one of the greatest inventions that has contributed to the safety of passengers and to date there is no technology that can provide you more safety that a seat belt. Fortunately it is mandatory in India for every car to have a seat belt for all
passengers. Unfortunately most of us do not recognise the value of this and do not use it.
I would both advise you and warn you that without seat belt you are putting your life at stake every time you drive or sit in a car even at slow speeds. If you are still not convinced I strongly recommend to have a look at this video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viOoGssHTqs)
b. Apart from seat belts cars come with airbags which are very helpful in crashes. Have you ever wondered why SRS is written on cars with airbags, if you are thinking that it is the name of a company that supplies airbags you are terribly mistaken, it means Secondary Restraint System, I know you are wondering what the primary system is, yes it is the seat belt. The airbags do not help you if you do not use seat belts.
I hope this article will help you better in choosing a car. For shortage of space I am not going into the details of each feature in cars. I will consider writing a sequel to this if you really think it will be useful.
Regards,
Praveen