Exploring Colourful Jaipur : Snapshots of its Street Food and Bazzars !

 

 

 Jaipur Calling - tourists, foodies, shoppers ...something for everyone !

Welcome to the enchanting realm of Jaipur, the illustrious Pink City that proudly wears its history and modernity on its vibrant sleeves. 

 

As the splendid capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur reigns as one of India's most sought-after destinations, beckoning travelers from every corner of the globe.

 Its ancient forts and palaces, vibrant bazzars, modern malls and an amazing variety of food...right from the street food joints to posh restaurants, makes Jaipur an ideal tourist destination.

The best time to visit Jaipur is during the winter months, from November to February. The weather is cool and dry, making it a pleasant time to explore the city.

As you set forth on this virtual expedition, let the allure of Jaipur wash over you. From its ornate architecture to its vibrant markets, this city has a piece of its heart waiting for you to discover. 

 

So, kick back, enjoy the spectacle, and thank you for being part of this enchanting journey.



 

Renault Kwid AMT, its really Easy-R

 After the introduction of a 1 liter engine in Kwid, Renault does it again , gives its hot selling entry level car a new shot in the arm, an AMT box, making it much easier to ride in the start stop city traffic.

Aptly called Renault Kwid Easy-R this Kwid in new AMT avatar is similar to its manual gear siblings, with only the Easy-R badging to differentiate it from manual models.

On the inside  Renault AMT comes with a knob with three drive modes - Drive Neutral Reverse, without any option for manual mode. No creep function, or hill start assit is available in Renault Easy-R, but while testing the new Renault Kwid AMT Renuka Kripalani did not particularly miss these functions and was bowled over by the performance of the AMT box, she found it a better performer  than other AMT boxes available in the market.

We are sure Renault Kwid with AMT will be a boon for the city commuters who have to struggle with the increasing city traffic, and will take this  already popular hatch to new heights.                                                                                                      

 Video review of new Renault Kwid Easy-R by Renuka Kripalani.

Photo credit Renault.co.in

Maruti Suzuki IGNIS launching soon ?

 Internet is abuzz with rumors of the much awaited Suzuki IGNIS launching in the Indian markets soon.

Maruti Suzuki showcased IGNIS in Delhi Auto show in Feburary this year. The car which looked similar to the hot selling tall boy Wagon R, received good response from the auto enthusiasts visiting Maruti pavilion.

Even though Maruti did not announce any expected date of launch for IGNIS in the Indian markets, rumour mills have been working overtime since than, and expecting a launch in the festive season this year.

Maruti has been plagued with production issues this year, and the long waiting list for its last two launches Vitara Brezza and Baleno made the expected 2016 festive season  launch date for IGNIS seem very unlikely. Auto pundits expected Maruti to clear up the backlog for Brezza and Baleno before launching a new product which may tax its already overstretched production capacity.

But recent spyshots of IGNIS road testing in the Delhi NCR region has made the auto enthusiasts speculate  and bet again on the 2016 launch date.

When introduced in India Maruti may  bring IGNIS through its Nexa showrooms there by making Ignis the second car - after Baleno - to be sold through its premium dealerships.

Found this video of International version Suzuki IGNIS which shows the interiors and exteriors of the car in detail. I just hope Indian version of IGNIS too will be at par with the models available internationally.                                                                      ...Alok

Renuka Kripalani reviews new Hyundai Elantra.

Renuka Kripalani drives the  new Elantra on the Chennai roads and gives us her first impressions of this handsome and roomy executive sedan.

Hyundai India has just launched new Elantra which will be its flagship offering targeted at the executive sedan buyers.

Elantra 2016 will be available with diesel and petrol engines and in a choice of manual or automatic transmissions.

The interiors of new Elantra look very stylish and European.

Review video of new Hyundai Elantra.
 

Renault Kwid - the best gets more powerful !

 Renault Kwid, the hot entry level hatch, has been burning the sales charts since its launch mainly due to its SUVish looks and good value for money proposition.

Though most Kwid buyers were satisfied by the performance of its  800cc engine in the city , its lack of power became more apparent on the long highway runs, particularly while overtaking. Comments from car enthusiasts desiring a Kwid with more powerful engine started floating around the internet since its introduction.

To increase its market share by attracting the enthusiast drivers towards Kwid, Renault took this customer expectation seriously and recently introduced a new model of Kwid powered by a 1 liter engine.

To keep the costs down the same  800cc engine has now been tuned to produce more power , this has also helped Renault in keeping the fuel efficiency numbers in check and there has not been much drop in the ARAI tested fuel efficency figures for Kwid 1 liter engine.

More power means the one liter Kwid is more fun to drive as it still has best in class power to weight ratio. I feel with a bigger engine Kwid is now a more complete car - good for city and also more competent on the long highway drives, which were not as enjoyable in the 800 cc model, particularly for the more enthusiastic drivers.

The price of 1000 cc Kwid is 25-30  thousand rupees more than the  800 cc model, but it still proves to be a great value for money hatch.I feel with the bigger engine Kwid is now a more complete car - good for city and also more competent on the long highway drives, which were not as enjoyable in the 800 cc model, particularly for the more enthusiastic drivers. 

With the launch of this new model Renault India will be able to tap into new market segment and Kwid is sure to increase its share in the Indian auto market. 
                                                                                                                                                         ...Alok

Review video of Renault Kwid 1.0 liter.

An Audi breaks the Indian land speed record !

 An Audi  went on to set a new Indian land speed record, not on a race track but on the Hyderabad outer ring road -ORR.

The last Indian land speed record of 324.2 kph was set by  Jamie Alguesuari in his Formula 1 car, in the year 2011.

This time around Aditya Patel drove an Audi R8 V10 Plus on a closed section of ORR - Hyderabad outer ring road, and set a new Indian top speed record of 332.2 kph - verified by auditors from Ernst & Young present on the scene.

It was for the first time Indian racer Aditya Patel crossed the 300 kph mark, and was surprised by the ease with which Audi R8 V10 Plus accomplished this amazing feat. 

After the race, while talking to Hormazd Sorabjee, AutoCar India editor, Aditya told Hormazd that he felt totally in control at those high speeds, as the car felt well planted and handled very well even on the non racing track.

A visibly excited Hormazd could not resist the temptation of driving Audi R8 V10 Plus himself and take it to the same high speed ride.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       ...Alok 

Enjoy the video of this thrilling AutoCar event.

Hyundai Creta vs Renault Duster - Face-off Story.

A very entertaining and interesting comparison video between Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster, by Cardekho.

 Instead of just normal spec comparison between the two cars, this is a comparison video with a romantic story line... a la bollywood style, where the anchors also have to do a bit of acting... a refreshingly new and enjoyable style of making auto videos.

 
Those of you who have always wondered about Creta's off-road capabilities, there is a special treat for you in this, so keep watching and I am sure you will enjoy this short video.
                                                                                                                          ...Alok  

           

Honda BR-V vs Hyundai Creta - comparison video.

 Renuka Kripalani compares Honda BR-V CVT with hot selling Hyundai Creta automatic. The exterior styling, interiors, build quality and ride quality of both the compact SUV's is compared in this short video, to give you a basic idea where both cars stand against each other in the very popular compact SUV segment.

Since both Honda and Hyundai have a good presence in the Indian auto market and are known for their good quality cars, the comparison is limited to these two products themselves. Honda is a huge name internationally but in India Hyundai is the second biggest auto maker and leads Honda by a big margin.

As I have said in the past Hyundai Creta has commanding  SUV presence on the road, and same presence is carried forward in the pictures and videos this is featured in. Honda BR-V on the other hand looks more like a MUV than a compact SUV (Honda doesn't call it a compact SUV though),  with its seven seater configuration and its narrow and streched Mobilio like looks it does look like a peoples carrier than a premium C-SUV.

In this video Honda BR-V comes out as a better value option with its lower price and more practical choice  with its two extra seats.

As far as I am concerned I will choose Hyundai Creta anyday for its great SUV looks, premium build quality, long equipment list, and will choose Honda BR-V only if I am stricly looking for a  seven seater family car.

                                                                                                                         ...Alok

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Hyundai Tuscon coming soon - review video.

Breaking News - after the astounding success Creta, Hyundai India is ready with its new offering in the SUV space - Tuscon, the big brother of super hit Creta.

SUV sales in India are going northwards since last few years, and all manufacturers have  have been trying to get a slice of this growing auto segment. 

The two biggest players in the Indian auto market Maruti Suzuki  and Hyundai took their time in joining the party, and it was only in end of 2015 that Hyundai launched its compact SUV Creta, which has been a runaway success since than along with Maruti Vitara Brezza.

After tasting success with Creta Hyundai is upping its game with Tuscon, and targeting a segment above Creta buyers, who want a bigger and more luxurious SUV.

As far as the looks goes Tuscon's design looks similar to Creta, but it being a larger SUV of the two has more commanding road presence.

As a Tuscon buyer you can also look forward to a more spacious cabins with good amount of legroom and reclining seats for rear passengers.

The well equipped  interiors of Tuscon, though upmarket and high quality, do not seem to be in tune with its more stylish exteriors, and may not be liked by customers looking for something more eye catching.

As always Hormazd and Auto Car India does a good job in giving us a first look at the soon to be launched Hyundai Tuscon in this first drive review video.

                                                                                                                         ...Alok

Tata Tiago vs Renault Kwid - comparison video.

Just found this good comparison video between Tata Tiago and hot selling Renault Kwid.

Tata Tiago has been much appreciated for its elegant design and excellent build quality with some class leading features.

Renault Kwid, as we all know, became a runaway success for Renault India mainly due to its SUV like styling, never seen feature like a touch screen entertainment system, which was never seen in an entry level hatch before in India.

Both Tiago and Kwid  offer excellent value proposition, and in this video the better build quality of Tiago  excellent interiors, and better on road performance makes the hatch a clear winner. 

While the eye catching styling of Renault Kwid makes it the darling of the entry level car buyers, the sever cost cutting. to keep the cost of production low. is visible every where...from thinner sheet metal... to hard plastics used in the interior.

If you are in the market for a entry level hatch this video may be a good starting point for a car which suits your needs and budget.
                                                                                                                                                         ...Alok

Activa Diaries - The road to Rajmachi, a monsoon ride and hike.

Hi Guys,

 here I am again with another ride report, and today I rode to Lonavala in search of road to Rajmachi Fort, since I have never been there before.

It’s been raining cats and dogs since last 48 hours in Pune, and it looks like monsoons have finally hit our parched land with gusto, it came late but I hope it continues with same force for rest of the season.

Coming back to the ride, it was another Sunday, and it was pouring this time, I could not resist the temptation to take out Activa on a long ride and get soaked to skin and  remove the last traces of summer heat from my body.

The destination I chose for this Sunday was Rajmachi Fort, and since I had never been their earlier the road or trail to it was not known to me…though I had an idea that it started from Lonavala, and the fort was approximately 12kms away from Lonavala town.

Activa and I started from home as usual around noon, and it was pouring. I was wearing only shorts and tees (without any rain gear) with my trusted Vegas helmet covering my head and face, it was good protection from the rain as I could see the huge drops splatter on the visor without hurting my eyes.

Heavy rains continued till I reached outskirts of Lonavala town…where as usual I found a big jam, but the using the benefit of being on two wheeler I went ahead on the right lane, as there was very less oncoming traffic, and when I crossed the turn going towards Narayni Dham I took the lane going right. I confirmed the directions from a tea shop owner and luckily I was on the right track. I asked him if I could reach the fort on Activa and he answered in affirmative, which really made me happy.

But my happiness was short lived because after Upper Deck resort the road turnd very bad and it was only stones covering the road surface. Activa crossed a couple of slippery spots  easily but then I reached a steep slope going down and the surface was covered with much bigger stones and  the mud between them washed away by the torrential rains.

I found a small group standing there trying to figure out if the way down could be attempted on their rides, they seemed sure about the bikes but not about the lone Activa in the group.

I decided to attempt it and reached the base of the the slope without any mishap, then I turned the scooter around and looked at the slope now going upward and it looked quite steep strewn with those large slippery stones, but something told me Activa would be able to climb easily…I was actually enjoying this off=roading since I was using Activa in such a situation for the first time. I slowly twisted the throttle a bit and let  Activa’s torquey engine clamber up slowly, the wheels slipped on the wet stones a bit, but the engine pulled us without missing a breath, and we were soon on the top.

Even though I was sure about Activa’s capabilities, I was not sure about the way ahead, if road surface became much worse, and it started to rain heavily it would have become really difficult coming up that way on slippery stones or getting stuck in mud which was very very slippery in places. So I decided to play safe and went back to the parking near Upper Deck Resort and parked Activa there, along with the vehicles of the small group.

It was already 2pm and the dense cloud cover and heavy rains gave the effect of late evening light. Now that reaching Rajmachi fort and coming back was out of question I decided to trek for two hours and then turn back.

After going a bit ahead, the small group of youngsters developed cold feet, decided not to trek and returned back to their vehicles.

 I went ahead on the lonely road with only the dense greenery; mist and rain keeping me company as the trail twisted slowly down but soon bottomed out and I went ahead on the road along the side of a valley. 

 As I went ahead I found the road to get much wider and the road surface though paved with stones could easily be attempted on bikes or in cars.

 Weather was awesome, and I was enjoying the loneliness but soon I came across some trekkers returning from the Rajmachi fort, and they had been on the road for more than three and half hours. I went ahead and soon came across lovely vistas, green valley, waterfalls and mist covered mountain tops.

 Tourists in buses, cars and of course the biker communities had found a way here ( there is another road to Rajmachi which starts somewhere in Khandala and joins the road I was on, and that road was much easier for cars and bikes alike.

Many four wheel drive Mahindra Thars, Maruti Gypsies along with the numerous bikers, particularly Bullet riders, were using this road as an off road track  and enjoying there Sunday afternoon.

I went deeper on the road towards Rajmachi, away from the crowds, enjoying the scenery …this was one of the most beautiful hikes I have done till now. 

 Whenever rains stopped, and I got an opportunity, I clicked pics…which have not come out very well due to poor light and water droplets on the lens and lens fogging…I can still see some tiny water droplets inside my mobile camera lens. But thankfully I had my Fuji point and shoot camera, which I used  quite a bit to click pics and record videos.

Taking the camera out from its bag and then keeping it back again to save it from the sudden rain showers was a big hassle, and it would have been a nightmare if even a small amount of water managed to get inside the lens or camera body. Thankfully camera is safe but my mobliephone touch screen has stopped responding...i guess it still has some moisture inside.

 After couple of hours of enjoying the five km hike in the rain, and spending some time near a nice secluded waterfall, I started the return journey. I reached the parking lot by five thirty and back home in another two hours.

So this was another Sunday well spent in exploring a new place and enjoying the soaking wet ride on my favourite ride - Honda Activa.

                                                                                                                                                         ...Alok

Activa Diaries - My first monsoon ride of 2016, to Pavna Dam.

A lovely colourful temple, dividing the road, situated at the highest point of the ghat road while going towards Pavna Dam from Kamshet.

Hi guys,

like everyone else I too have been waiting for rains with lot of expectation, after the long harsh summer monsoons is the time to really enjoy the outdoors. 

Weather services have been predicting early rains this year, but in our area there has not been much rain, but the cloudy weather surely gave lot of relief from summer heat.. So last Sunday I went for a ride to the Pavna Dam, where I was sure to find some fine weather and some rains too ...if I was lucky.

It was a dry afternoon when I started from home on my trusted Activa, but as i took the lovely road from Kamshet to Pavna Dam weather changed dramatically and I received my first shower of the day.

 The surrounding hills were already covered in mist and clouds, and air was cool, I knew that this was just a start and things would only get better as we move towards Pavna Dam... and boy was I right!

  I spent a lovely rainy afternoon besides the magnificent Pavna Dam. All the surrounding hills were mostly covered in clouds and mist, while the high forts of Tung, Lohagad, Visapur and Tikona could hardly be seen due to the cloud cover. 

Due to the rains I managed to click very few pics, with my mobile, I have shared few...which came out ok in the low light, hope you like them...at least they will give you some idea of the awesome weather that day :D 
                                                                                                                                                        ...Alok

The conical hill on which Tung fort is situated, fort top was hidden in the clouds.

The lovely cloudy weather, barely full Pavna Dam, with  twin forts of  Lohagad   (on left ) Visapur (on right)  in background.

 Tikona fort top was also hidden in clouds, and the twisty wet road going up the  steep mountain, towards Paud looked awesome as ever.

RE Himalayan, the favourite bike for Ladakh ride!

In the end of May , as soon as the high passes of Ladakh are officially open, bikers  from around the country start on the long journey to the enchanting land of Lamas.

Bikers from far corners of the country, braving the heat of Indian plains,  reach the cool climes of the high Himalayas where mixed road conditions await them. Some riders take the easy Jammu - Srinagar - Kargil route to Leh, where the road conditions are good for the most part, while the more adventurous ones take the Manali, Sarchu route to Leh. 

In the year 2012 I took a bus to Leh from Manali, and personally experienced the road conditions - black ice, snow, landslides and water crossings, it is one adventure which i will never forget. 

Believe me  Manali-Leh road will give a off road track a run for its money, in most parts it is just a mud track, which has many water crossings, ice patches and more. 

In Leh I hired a Bajaj Pulsar 150 and rode to the highest motor-able road to Khardungla pass, and to Pangong Tso lake over the snow covered Changla pass. Pulsar was a excellent ride on the tarmac, but i craved for a bike with better suspension and handling while going across the pot holed roads, covered with mud and ice. It was always a bone jarring and tiring journey to say the least.

Enthusiast bikers mostly take their city bikes on this adventures, and a large number of domestic and foreign bikers choose the tough RE bikes for this adventure.

Since the Launch of RE Himalayan,I have read about  many bikers who have bought RE Himalayan for their Ladakh rides this year. As we all know RE has purposely built Himalayan with keeping adventure tourers in mind, and tested it extensively in various terrains, particularly the rock... mud strewn roads of Ladakh.
 

Himalayan has a very good suspension, a powerful engine with good low end torque, with loads of luggage space, which make it ideal for this adventure.

In the coming months as the riders start returning from their long Ladakh rides and start to pen down their adventures, we will come to know the on road performance of Himalayan in this inhospitable terrain. If Himalayan receives good owners reviews about the high altitude performance, we would surely see an explosion in the number of Himalayan riders to Ladakh next season.

                                                                                                                                                   ....Alok

Spotted my first Maruti Vitara Brezza on the road !

Hi guys,

I have been writing about Vitara Brezza since its launch and wanted to see it in flesh, but till yesterday I had been unlucky in seeing one on the road.

 Yesterday evening I was on my daily walk, enjoying the cool breez,when suddenly a red car passed me by , it looked like Brezza , but I was not sure since the road was dark at that spot, and the driver drove past me at good speed.

The only impression I could make of the car in those few minutes was that it didn’t look big, in fact it just looked like any other hatchback on the road, this confused me more, was it really the much hyped compact SUV from Maruti which was such a runaway hit that 

 it had dethroned the much capable segment leader Ford EcoSport?

Well the confusion was soon to end , as just half a km ahead I saw the same car parked by the side of the road. It was again in a dark spot but now since it was still, I could see it much better. The best part was that a Ford EcoSport too was parked behind it, so I could compare the looks of them both.

The car was brand new, still had the plastic cover on the seats.Color was nice dark red…looked much dark… like wine red due to the low light. The roof was black and the combination of red roof and black roof looked really good.

I came slowly from the rear towards the front and took my time to let the design sink in, from the point of view of a prospective buyer.

The rear didn’t look distinctive , very hatch like. The boot didn’t look very big, I don’t know if it would hold enough luggage for a long holiday for a family of four.

As I came towards the side, the thing that impressed me was the high ground clearance, and large wheels, but the car didn’t look very high, the stance was not very SUV like. To tell the truth I was not very impressed and kept looking at the EcoSport standing behind Brezza just to see if it really was a better looker than the old leader.

I waited there for few minutes looking at the side profile , and thinking if it was really worth so much money when it looked just like any other hatch?

Btw …I had seen quite a few Hyundai Creta, another rival of Brezza, and it looked very good….much bigger  and SUV like. At that moment while looking at Brezza I mentally compared the image of two cars and I would have immediately paid much higher price and bought Creta.

But there has to be some design element which immediately catches eyes of the prospective buyers when they walk into the showroom, which makes them buy that particular car over others. As I moved towards the front of Brezza, I saw what had clicked for Brezza in such a big way that it had months long waiting list, it was the awsm front…the grill, the head lights, the fogs, the bonnet…all had that macho look of a big SUV…which makes you fall in love with Brezza instantly.

 It was at this moment, when I looked at EcoSport, I knew the reason why it had lost its number one position…it just looked too old when standing next to Vitara Brezza.

 And to tell the truth Brezza’s front end looked better than Creta’s, which was stylish but did not have that burly look which  is so much more more SUV like. So even with  bigger dimensions than Brezza, Creta may loose out to that muscular front end of Brezza.

 Brezza looked like a car which would be comfortable in the city, also good for occasional highway runs, but with its compact dimensions it surely didn't look like a mile muncher to me.                                                                                                                   ...Alok