Honda City 2009 In & Out Review

Honda City 2009 Review.

I was having Maruti Esteem before I switched to Honda City. Esteem was loaded with almost all features, like power window, power steering, power brake etc. Another great advantage of Esteem was a powerful engine which gives superb response to acceleration. Since I have driven a sedan, I was in no mode to buy a hatchback or coupe. The boot space does matter the most when you take a long trip. This I have experienced on my drive from Bombay [Mumbai] to Bangaluru [Bangalore]. We were driving Maruti Zen.

The car that was been preferred was a Suzuki SX4 on top priority. Others in the list were Mitsubishi Lancer, Fiat Linea, and Ford Fiesta etc. Also we have got Mahindra Logan, Tata Indigo, Mahindra Xylo etc.

My hit list was SX4 , as I was in love with its design, ground clearance , extra large service line of Maruti. I was unaware that Fiat has introduced Linea , since I was out of base . Linea has impressed a lot of people & my parents . The main reason , the outstanding styling & features.I initially denied of going with FIAT because of the knowledge of FIATs degraded car sales & a pathetic service line. But Linea was a break through in FIATs line as it has sold 1000+ Lineas, which is the largest number in FIATs Indian Chapter. I hope some might have died of heart attack J .

But finally I give up to the pressure and got in love with its design . However I was not at all impressed with its back body styling. It resembled a much older design , used by Nissan Sunny. Second most problem was the 1.3Litre engine . The car had a considerable amount of weight compared to others in this segment. And a 1.3L engine gives a get lost [roar] in first and second gears. This cannot be an issue for people who want to go slow .Slow doesn’t means that you will be able to go in 40kmph. The main issue is in 1^st & 2^nd gears. Then you can roll it well. But that is also an issue. However no car can be perfect for a customer , he wants more J . So we went for it .

However after making the booking , unfortunately the AC factor started to bother us. So finally the tests were done at different showrooms to confirm. Because once you put the money, you cannot change it. The tests was pathetic . Even after switching on the AC [Full throttle] in showroom and keep it On for 10-15minutes , the AC was not able to cool the car . And you have to remember that Linea got a rear AC vent. We were surprised with the results. Finally we cancelled booking taking into consideration real factor AC + Powerless Enginee & thought of its service history.

Again we zeroed in on Suzuki SX4, an international design and the hatchback which is well appreciated. I was very happy as I again come back to SX4. But I was also sad about loosing Linea , because we have booked it. The only issue what mattered in SX4 was its sales number itself .And in Indian roads SX4s are very rare, even though they had an aggressive advertisement. And finally after hearing reviews we had to change mind. Even though AC was powerful one, the mileage and engine was bothering.

But then come the all new Honda city. Even though, we never thought of buying it, we finally bought it. There was no other option other than going for it ,with the experience and reviews. Honda will be such a vehicle where you cannot find a single review where there were major complaints. And the test drives , assessment were good. AC, a powerful engine , all new design, wider & lengthier, new back lights. Finally Honda City 2009 was given a thumbs up .

Specifications

Review

Engine : Engine being Honda legendary i-vtec technology is very fuel efficient as well as power generator. Now why is this so special. When the engine gets bigger the mileage gets decreasing. However Honda Engineers ensured that this proportion can be made wrong. This 1.5L engine gives a 16.1 KmpL in Highway and more. And while driving through city or climbing mountains , it gives a fascinating 12.0 KmpL .

BootSpace : Boot Space has got increased with Honda engineers ensuring that no corner / joints will be a hurdle. The most complex corners and edges were redesigned / altered to allow more space.

Lighting : Lighting got smarter with headlight adjustments and the all new backlight design. This is very much similar to BMW Styling and Lancer Styling done in Middle East.

Ground Clearance: Now here comes the alarming factor.

Body : The interiors got more & more refined. More than that the material used is of good quality. The spaces are utilized well to provide more sockets .

Mileage : The major edge factor. Mileage is above average you can expect from a bigger sedan like city. Its 14.6kmpl as per company records but you will get even more than that, with some touching 16-18kmpl.

Speed :Speed is fine at each gear . Refined at each gear . I have reached a maximum of 180kmph .

Accelaration : With Hondas engine , you can provide enough thrust in each gear , no matter first or fifth. A proven accelerator.

Turning Radius: The turning radius is good , but have to increase a bit

Comfort : Honda City is more than a drivers can , providing enough safety , comfort & control to driver. Seat adjustments, Lighting, wipers, the coin box, the hand holder, steering adjustments and abs all gives driver customize his driving..

Safety :The SRS airbag which is placed for the passengers in front coupled with the impact frame provides excellent safety features . More than that Hondas frame is designed to reduce the injuries to the pedestrian by absorbing the impact and crashing the hit side. This will act as a cushion effect. Hondas safety is intended for people inside the car as well as people outside.

Honda City Basic Comparison

Honda City 2009 Review.

I owned a Maruti Suzuki Esteem LXi before I switched to Honda City.

Details of Car.

Manufacturer : Honda

Model : City

Year :2009

Date of Purchase : 7^th September 2009

Location : India

The cars in consideration were

Fiat Linea Emotion Pack

Plus Points >> Fiat Linea was the best selling model ever in Fiats India History.

Its Feature Loaded , you will get all the features as one time investment & is cheaper

Improvisation of Service Line with Tie up with TATA Motors

Stylish Front Grills and Design [the back remains a classic cut & outdated similar to Nissan sunny ]

Negative >>

The pickup on first and second gears are very phatetic , but this wont be an issue for a slow ride.

Points >> This feature loaded vehicle has the maximum weight among its segment. But contrary to this it has got a 1.3 L engine.

If you require AC , then better don’t go for Linea.

Points >> Even though Linea has got a rear AC vent.[ I believe this is a great feature to be incorporated in this price limit. ], the car doesn’t cool up in time. We have tested this at showrooms itself. The time taken for the car AC to make the entire car cooler is too much.

A pathetic service record.

Points >> Before Outsourcing Service to TATA motors , FIATs track record was always hot debate. The shortage of technicians who can handle the issue & the technical know how of engineers employed here are always under issue. But this issue remains at large even after TATA motors has started doing service. The unavailability of skilled engineers is still at large as the engine technology and components are not the one TATA motors use. One issue that has been solved was the availability of FIAT service at least in all reach. But you don’t have to expect that this all will happen in one day. As more cars roll out , more people will have the knowledge.

Suzuki SX4

SX4 is quite familiar car in international market with hatchback and sedan versions & Suzuki brought this to India.

Plus Points >> First & Foremost , it’s the car company India rides on.

Amazing Service & a Reach even at rural/remote areas

Superiorly cheaper spare parts

Cheaper Maintenance Charges

The Real Muscle like Styling

More than enough Ground Clearance.

Negative >>

Sales Number

Points >> If you check out the number of SX4s sold or currently running on road , the numbers are very very less. You might even end up counting only one for the day. You must also add the fact that vehicle was introduced in India couple of years back.

Shortage in Features

Points >> The features available with base or other versions are very very less in comparison with similar models. But that’s negligible.

Old design Styling

Points >> Even though the Muscle like cuts are really superb, the models design was introduced years back and Suzuki hasn’t done any changes since then. This also points to improvisation of design.

Mileage

Points >> The main reason on why the sales figures of SX4 dragged was mainly because of the engine and the mileage.You can remember, then Scorpio sales surged initially with the design, but later within months the engine become a major road block for their sales. Similarly SX4 was also rejected by most people , because of the engine. This is one & most important thing that will push sales , if Suzuki comes up with a new engine.

Mitsubushi Lancer & Cedia

Plus Points >> The Styling [You can refine it to a real sports car]

Good in handling

Superb Engine

Negative >>

Shortage in Features

Points >> Lancer has fallen short of features

Old design / Styling

Points >> Since introduction into Indian Market a couple of years ago, the Lancer hasn’t got major design changes . Its high time, that they tweak design.

Mileage

Honda City 2009

Plus Points >> The Styling [Wider & Longer than predecessor [ old City]

Good in handling

Superb Engine

Customer Satisfaction

Mileage

Safety & Security

Less Maintainance

Negative >> Ground Clearance.

Points >> Ground Clearance will be an issue that will brother you as u ride over humps or roads edges. If you don’t drive properly ,your car could hit the road humps.

Expensive Parts & spare

Points >> This is not an important factor as Honda is well known for its less maintainance. But incase we come across some , it can cost heavily.

Video Production Experience

Dear All,

With production of 3 videos based on our NCST life, I have learned a lot.

Right Hand Drive to Left Hand Drive >> Experiences

In India we have >> Right Hand Drive .

In Saudi Arabia , Bahrain , United Arab Emirates >> Left Hand Drive.

So how to master left hand drive. Well no other option other than doing it :) .

The main difficulties/challenges ecountered while changing from right hand drive to left hand drive are

• Understanding your own road
• The controls
• Viewing the rear mirror.

Understanding which part of the road belongs to you, is a tough part initially. Especially when you make turns or while cruising through the busy streets . If you dont take the right path and directions, you might end up in creating a total mess and inviting all the good bad words .

Solution >>

1. Easiest way . Follow the sun. Follow the cars that are going in front and take them as reference.
2. Keep in mind , that both drivers [incoming and outgoing] will be moving side by side. so take the road where the car which is coming opposite is sliding near you. [This is applicable in both left and right hand drives]

Controls. The controls of car will be confusing as, instead of side switching this remains the same for both type. You will be riding the vehicle and you wanna make a turn or want to change line to slow lane from fast line. You will turn the indicator control , which will make ur wiper work :) and you will hear wild horns while making a move. Then you recognize the mistake and identify the right control.

Solution >>

• Get used to it
• Keep in mind the settings.

Viewing the rear mirror is the right way to view the traffic behind you and predict who is going to where & at what speed. This helps in calculating your turns and speed. After all driving is totally depended on calculations. On switching the drives , you will loose the routine of looking into mirror as you feel a vaccum as you looks to your left side[right side drive effect].

Solution >>

• Get used to it [Nothing else]

Since driving totally depends on calculations and previous experience. Its better to watch the driving sense and traffic displine before enter into high speed cicuits.So better know the route and then make most of it.

Passing the driving test in ME is a tough one , but having an Indian license will help you to take test directly without adding more days in driving school .

NANO Story

Yes Yes Yes

Tomorrow is the day. Finally the small baby from TATA Motors Stable will start the journey.  The much hyped car, which after so many delays and road blocks is going to be delivered to India.  How ever the growth of NANO will be effected by global downturn and the sky rocketing prices. 

Factors that could act negative to NANO

• Size and stability    : This could prevent it from chosen as a car for long journey.
• Global slowdown     : The car segment has already got a blow with its sales plunging in the last quarters
• Non-Demand Driven: NANO is going to be a production driven rather than demand driven, which means it is not the demand that will decide the NANOs. It will be the NANOs which will decide the customer.
• Wear & Tear         : Tata’s passenger vehicles has a history of wear and tear which were be rectified after years of complaints. I hope this would have been rectified as it passenger segment become mature now and adding Jaguar and Land Rover into its stable.
• After Sales Service   : As the NANOs started rolling through the road the need for its spares and service also increase. Incase TATA motors is not prepared with the demand for spares, it could be disastrous. Already they are finding themselves in real great trouble to produce the expected initial number of cars.

 

Positive Factors

The Facts that acted as brakes will be acting as accelerators also.

• Global Slowdown: Global slowdown could be acting as the most positive factor as more and more people will prefer buying a cheaper and efficient new car rather than a costly and gasoline hungry one. Even the two wheeler segment customers also will make a switch to this new NANO Segment.
• Markets               : Markets were TATA is planning for rollout NANO would earn NANO a global footprint like Europe. As Europe is badly hit by slowdown and its car industry. The injection of money into markets will lead to a good sale of this cheapest car ever.Already people from other countries are looking for it. TATAs NANO will be NANO Europa in Europe which will be Euro V complaint.
• Safety                 : Even though they brought down the price, they haven’t brought down safety features. Taking Mr. Ratan Tata’s word into account, NANO has been tested against Indian Safety standards and was up to the mark.
• Emissions          : Emissions, this is one more area where NANOs engineers should be given a big applause. NANO is said to be EURO IV complaint, where in others are struggling to get near to EURO II & III. 
• Size & Design       : The small size which gives it edge, when it comes to parking and maneuverability through the already crowded metros, will be a booster. Another area where the engineers have to be appreciated is the design. They didn’t compromise on the looks of car. The design was against all the odds, some even commented as NANO will be cardboard box with tires. And during the display session, as you can clearly view even the tall Mr. Ratan Tata parked the car & open the door and stepped out with ease and no-strain.
• Production Driven      : Production driven NANO will help Tata to keep the enthusiasm remain within and the hype will go on & on. 

 

Whatever it might be. TATA has again put India in news, with its power to built indigenous cars, master technologies, design to the edge, cutting costs etc. As Mr. Ratan Tata quoted "A promise is a promise”. Hats off to him and the entire TATA NANO team to make his dream fulfilled without compromising the price tag, emissions, much powerful engine, and great interiors.  

NANO is planned to be made as a brand by TATA , like watches , gifts, etc.  NANOs LPG , Diesel and even a hybrid are on the anvil. Diesel will be out soon. 

.The car which costs less than what todays laptops costs is huge bet and will surely make us all proud around the globe. From India’s indigenously built Indica to the Worlds cheapest car NANO, TATA Motors [formerly Telco] has come a long way

 

India is rocking > 

 

 

SNMT >> Simple Network Monitoring Tool

Simple Network Monitoring Tool or SNMT is a real time monitoring tool. The tool has builtin alert capabilities whenever an incident happens. The grouping functionality enables the restriction of view based on user. SNMT monitors IP devices, Network links , URLs/ Webaddresses .

Developed by : Thomas M Sebastian > thomasms2003@gmail.com

Prashant Sahu >

Versions are : SNMT Lite

SNMT TURBO

Technologies/functionalities : HTML

Java

JSP

Servlets

SQL

We started with the design>> Product Design. So where to start ? We startedwith internet only. Searches, testing some related tools. But we didntfindanything useful or that can help us. Then we discussed on what could bethedesign like.Since Prashant left the design to me , I started working on it. Thekeyfactors that I considered during the Product design are

Re-Usability >> The end user who is using this should get the advantageofreusability. He should be able to customize the product.

Technology >> Main obstacle in each product is the technology we use.Weaimed at technologies that are widely accepted across the globe & whicharereadily available

Cost effective >> End user can use this Tool with its presentinfrastructure.And usage of opensource technologies or suites will help inachieving those.

Technology >> we were sure of one thing >> Java , we were equipped withJava.

Initial start or spark was done by Mr Prashant with a simple java programwhichchecked the status of devices by pinging them. It was run fromcommandprompt. We were waiting for this initial signal. Then ideas piled up.

Then we made some general design. I started with the Web interface,adomainwhich I am familiar with and able to do magics.The huge task was toconvert thesmall java program into a jsp page . After several trials I succeededandrefreshment of Jsp page resulted in updation of the device status anddatabase.How ever this increased the load on the web interface, which alsoresulted in asubstantial delay in refreshing the page. So we separated the Weblayer GUI andthe java programs .

Technologies/Functionalities Used

Java

JavaScript

Java Applets

JSP

HTML

Demons

SQL

Challenge areas

KSA - India Coordination

Integration

Another Heavy task was the integration.From India I got prototypes or skeletons. Then I hadtoadd flesh to it by integrating with the GUI. We had faced problems like ,

while our first demo , I was having the updated pages and Prashant was not having it,whichcaused lots of problems

While our final demo , Prashant made modification to DB and I had to make changes justhoursbefore we had the demo. We were under pressure.

Integration of modules eventhough, we were in different time zones, was done perfectly atlast.Achieving the objective in time.

Maps

Maps were one of the toughest & critical parts of the development process. We had a toughtimein finding the right technology to generate one. Finally we relied on Java itself, this timeJavaApplets. Prashant should be appreciated for the work/effort he has done to generate those .Themap generation and its auto refresh so that the current status is displayed everytime wastoughchallenge and was accomplished by Prashant. After creating a map , we had a great level of satisfaction. Seeing the map , WOW

Striking Balance

JSP Conversion

Another hurdle was the conversion of html to jsp inorder to include the session and thejavaprograms . Since all the jsp [70+] were hard coded, even if there is one small change , I have to do it in all consecutive pages. Man my hands are moving fast faster fastest , based on the number of lines , words tags , Mind blowing

• Demons

Demons, which adds the main functionality also gave tough time , as we had to incorporate all the logic

of the history, messages, status update etc. URL monitoring is an idea that Prashant has put forward. This was

added as an enhancement to the tool.

• Multiple SQL Queries

One more pain area was multiple sql queries, one within another. In between connections close , error in insert query, update query, column not found, sql general error. This queries made my brains heating up . But the good thing is we were determined to overcome those and come with output. Daily night 3am-4am was the sleeping time and wake up at 640am.

• Generating Messages

Generation of Messages wasnt that difficult, but the trick/logic used was something brain storming. We also have the option to generate message continuously. Second option being generation if there is a change in the status [UP to Down] or [Down to UP]. Most important part was creation of messages according to user. I came up with the idea of teaming/ grouping users and resources .

• History/ Reports

Storing the History helped in reducing the task of complexity in generation of messages. This was where I applied some tricky logic. History table will contain all the data related to the device status. However initially, history table was designed to generate messages continuously. Since it will increase the db size, we updated the history browser whenever there is a status change.

The challenge was to update the table depending on the previous entry. For that, it all was dependent on the status from demons. And I designed the table differently so that in one single row or record the uptime and downtime is recorded. If that record is complete then only a new record will be added for that resource. What I have done is I have read all the entries in table and then took the last update regarding that particular device/resource. Calculated whether the last updated status is down or up. Based on that the new entry was done.

• Personalized Views

These views enabled the user to view only the devices/resources allocated only to him. For this we had to change the db so many times. I came up with the idea of Grouping. A device/resource will be added to a particular group.The user will be added to that group. You can create and associate more groups with one user. So a user can view resources in those groups.

• Single Page for multiple tasks

Initially I used so multiple pages to perform multiple tasks. Later on, as got hands on, I used a single jsp page to perform four tasks [eg: deletion, modify, add, reset]

The architecture of the tool

Logically the tool can be seen as three parts.

• GUI-Web Interface
• Demons/Background programs
• Database

• GUI-Web Interface >> The Interface between the tool and user. GUI is so simplified so that almost all actions can be performed without going to the codes or storage. Also Web GUI is so powerful to provide you the network MAPs along with current status.

• Demons/Background programs >> Background programs are the heart of the tool. This Demons/program make the main functionality of the tool.The status of devices/links/urls/snmp etc

• Database >> SNMT data is stored in this database. In fraction of seconds so many write and read operations are performed to manipulate data.

Capabilities

The Main capability include

Monitoring

• Network Devices/ IP Devices >> The SNMT can monitor the devices especially those which are SNMP enabled. It also can monitor any IP Device.
• Links >> Links are also included in SNMT, which are critical part of the organisation
• URLs >> Web pages or web addresses which are accessed by users daily and which are critical can be monitored using SNMT.

SNMP Monitoring

SNMP Monitoring can be performed in SNMT. Through this feature the values of a device are accessed and polled in an interval time to time. IP Ranges For device creation/addition , SNMT allows the user usage of IP ranges. The devices will be created with corresponding values.

File upload

SNMT has been developed keeping in mind the ease to use capability. So we have added a file upload option. Through this option end user can create devices which by uploading the file he has formatted according to SNMT . End user has the freedom to use iprange in file upload.

Network Maps

The entire devices and its status can be viewed in a single network map. The map also displays links and its status. The change in status is shown by colour changes. So a map can cater major requirements of instant monitoring of your infrastructure and allow you to make decisions quickly.

Grouping

This feature has been added in SNMT so as to define visibility area for a user, Depending on grouping the user will be entitled to view the devices and links etc.

Historical Data Collection

The events of device down device up are stored in the database. This will help in generating reports.

Reports

Reports which can be generated from the data we have stored in SNMT DB, Email SNMT can be configured to send emails to the users on alerts.

Database Management

Database management is another added advantage where in we can clean up entire SNMT database. We can also clean specific databases.

User Management

Administrator can create the user. User can have two permissions, user and administrator.

Group Management

Admin can create the group. Groups can be matched/mapped to multiple users. Depending on the mapped groups, a user can see the devices, links etc

Messages/Alerts Inbox

SNMT will generate messages whenever there is a change in status of the devices managed . And this inbox will be refreshed automatically. Administrator can view both the inbox [Acknowledged and Unacknowledged] Personalised Inbox Using the grouping property of SNMT, a use can view only specific messages, which are generated by devices, links, URL which are assigned to that user

User Specific Visibility

With the help of grouping, user can only view the devices, links, messages and urls etc which are assigned to him. Likewise we can assign multiple devices urls links to a user.

Major Highlights

Network graphs

SNMT gives you a better insight to your networks with its maps. Through SNMT maps you can View the device View links View the status of the Devices, Links Drag the nodes as you like

Messages/ Alerts

SNMT has an inbuilt inbox to store the alerts/messages that you will be obtaining. SNMT also has the capability to send emails. Even if don’t have the email , SNMT built in inbox will help you to keep the messages. The most important part is that these inboxes are personalised according to user. User can only view the messages that administrator assigns. Administrator can view all messages irrespective of the groups assigned to him

SNMP data

SNMT also comes with the add-on feature of SNMP polling. For this we have loaded some generic mibs. How ever you can select the oids which you want to use for a particular device. SNMT also allows you to use community strings for polling . Administrator can view the snmp polling results. SNMP polling results contain the neighbouring node and its status, bandwidth etc