AUDI Q3 - Luxury , ride and review

Having driven my Audi Q3 35 TFSI for almost 5000+ kms I think I am in a position to share with you my first insights into how this luxury car-ish SUV feels to drive. 

Bought in July 2022 

Price: 64500 AUD 

Accessories: None except Window tinting - had no money left :(

Positives:

 - Quite cabin - very low road and wind noise

 - Stable ride at high speed like 120 Kmph

 - Spacious (550 ltrs) and usable boot

 - have done Airport runs with 3 max size suitcases

 - Powerful AC - Good Projector Lights and a cool Cockpit

 - Comfortable seats - Amazing built - feels like a tank! 

Some of the positives above were some key negatives in my erstwhile car that I owned - a Honda Civic. 

 

Negatives:

- 35TFSI seems to have a less power to weight ratio as a result you feel the car not pulling up through low gears (Recommend upgrade to 40TFSI)

- In harsh road conditions you feel the ride quality is on a tougher side i.e. not as plush as a Lexus 

- Missing ADAS , only available at higher grades - how could you AUDI! 

Questions:

What's the mileage like?

With 58 Litres full tank I have been able to drive around 760 -780 so approximately around 13 Kmpl.

Note: It drinks premium Unleaded fuel in Australia but things are different in Canada & US where sulphur content in the fuel is lower.

I have often been asked that whether I regret buying an Audi Q3 when the same money would have bought me a Mazda CX9 or Toyota Kluger? - Yes I Do - when I go for camping or I have more than 5 people to accommodate. But again you don't go to camping every weekend and you can hire a car if you have 9 people!

Buying a dream home in Sydney!

     What are the key things to consider while buying a house?
1.       Do I buy a House / Villa/ apartment?
2.       Do I buy Re-sale or new?
3.       How do you decide on a budget:
a.       How much you can borrow?
b.       How much saving you have?
Suggestion: Do not dig into all your savings. You might need it for renovations after you buy.
1.       Area
2.       Schools
3.       Transport
4.       Grocery stores
5.       Safety
Suggestion: Give preference to area and if required stretch your budget reasonably. This will ensure two things; one, peace of mind and higher returns in long run.
 
Do I need a pre-approval of loan for buying a house?
·       It is advisable that you do it either through a bank or a mortgage broker
·       It is also useful if you go for an auction property

What are the key aspects to check when going for an inspection?
1.       Ensure the house has good Sunlight and air circulation
2.       Walk around and see there are not external and internal wall damages (Not all but some agents do hide them)
3.       Take a look at the roof to if there are any visible damages
4.       Ask for the age of the house and ownership history
5.       See whether the kitchen has a gas or cooktop connection (Some people prefer gas connections)
6.       Have a look at the neighborhood – watch out for safety around.
7.       If you are interested then, ask the agent whether they have an inspection report, if yes then get or buy it – worth an investment. Read it to see whether the super structure is sound, there are no major damage repair required or Termite/ant infestations.

    How do you quote a price?
Generally, a property for sale will have a lower and upper limit. E.g. 700,000 to 760,000
·       Look for property reports from the real estate website, it will give you an indication of price
·       Ask, for a property valuation price from your mortgage broker.
Most often than not property indicative property prices will be near/below the bottom end of the above sale price limits.
·       If you reckon that this ticks all your checkboxes and the property on inspection looks good then put forward your best price e.g. 720000

    What happens after you quoted your price?
·       The agent should accept your offered price formally
·       Then the agent will present all offers to the owners and it is up to the owner’s discretion to move forward
Suggestion: Sometimes agents generally plays to push the prices up, ensure you do not get trapped in a counteroffer game, try to be around your budget. Remember you are not in an Auction or price discovery game!

    What happens once the offer is accepted via a private treaty?
·       If offer is accepted, you have a 5-day cooling off period and you a pay non-refundable .25%
·       During this period ensure you do the following activities:
    o   Engage independent solicitor to go through all documents as provided by the seller’s solicitor.
    o   Engage independent building inspection with respect to pest / termite/ structural / roof aspects
·       The word independent is important, because neither the solicitor nor the building inspection guys should have any vested interest in completing the deal. This is the only last time you have to find whether you have a lemon!
·       The steps after these are pretty much governed by the NSW fairtrading and you can refer to the following site for further details:
https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/housing-and-property/buying-and-selling-property/buying-a-property/gazumping
 
How’s an auction different and what is the best strategy?
·       An Auction is a price discovery game where the highest bidder wins it !. (Ensure you are clear about the rues of the auction - read through i and know your rights.)
·       Generally, if you win the auction you will have to buy the property in what ever condition it is in, hence it is advisable that you do get the inspection report upfront or get it done if there’s none available from the seller.

·       Isn’t that risky?
o   Yes it is, but sometimes during these price discovery sessions the real value comes out which might be below and could be a real gain. Remember an auction is primarily geared to benefit the seller so if you are in an Auction do your homework well and ensure that you exit at the right price and do not exceed your budget!

Last but not the least, I do not see many homes for sell now- why?
·       There is a season to this too!
·       Primary season for selling a home is during the following period:
    o   Spring: Sept – Oct – Nov
    o   Second season - March- April – May
·       Have patience – give at least 6-9 months to find your perfect home!
 
I hope this helps you in finding your dream home and I definitely wish you have a hassle free journey.
 
Disclaimer: The views discussed here are from my own personal experience and in no way is related to any other party. It is important that the reader do their own independent verification before buying.
 

Brisbane : A relaxed river city

I stayed in Brisbane for a couple of months and I have never seen a city so warm.... not for its climate but for the warm nature of the interactions I had with people !

Having stayed in Sydney, where it feels like everyone is busy and running from one place to another and hardly having a time for a warm smile ...Brisbane came as a pleasant surprise. As I started visiting places and interacted with people their smile seemed genuine, their warmth was affectionate ...

Now quickly coming to the point - Should Brisbane be on your Australia Itinerary ?

Definitely Yes!
All major cities in Australia gives you an amazing beach experience, but this city gives you an amazing river experience and just an hour drive you can be at one of the most exciting beaches - Gold coast!

Below is a snapshot of the city...
There are three key areas to explore:
The areas marked in green - is where the city eats...amazing restaurants
The two tracks Red ( 1.5 - 2 hrs walk) and Blue (1- 1.5 hrs walk) are the city exploring tracks.
Apart from this there are some night kayak tours on Friday and Saturday as well - a must do experience!

Here are some snapshots of the city which where taken while running/ walking & scooter-ing through the exploring tracks..

The beautiful City Botanical gardens. (Can be explored while on Red or Blue tracks)

A view of the river , while walking through the river side on the blue track. Far away you can see the story bridge.

A view of the city from the Kangaroo Cliff point, which falls on the blue exploring track. From this point, a free boat service is available every 15-20 minutes to sail across to the other side of the river, to the river front.









Below is a view from the South Bank Parklands (which falls on the red exploring tracks). this parkland has a unique feature - it has an artificial beach ! (yes you read it write).
Apart from this some very good restaurants (marked on green)

The Brisbane city hall, which is a landmark in itself. A lot happens around this area and is has numbers of good restaurants

 Now for some quick useful info:

• How many days should be good ? : 3-4 days
• Any other places to visit : Gold Coast (1-1.5 hrs card drive)
• From Airport (Domestic/ International) you can directly travel to heart of the city using a train service - AUD 19 one way. Get down at central station or any station nearest to your accommodation. Book your tickets online from https://www.airtrain.com.au/
• A good 3 star hotel, within the city will cost you around 120 AUD and above per night
• Some good restaurant which I personally had first hand experience:
• Pochana - Thai
• Ichiban  - Japanese
• The famous Pancake manor (It's an experience in itself - visit it to believe it!)
• Govinda - Veg hindu meal
• Vapiano on Albert street (Italian) - This one makes amazing pizza
• Panda on Elizabeth street ( Korean - lunch only) - try XO Chicken fried rice

Brisbane - an amazing relaxed city with amazing experiences, food and very warm people ! 

Spirit of Tasmania : A ferry or a ship?

I first saw Spirit of Tasmania ferry 2007, docked in Melbourne...since then I always dreamed to take a ride on it... now in 2019, finally it happened after 12 years...

I was with my family, and to avoid feeling sea sick I booked a late evening ride from Melbourne (7:30 PM dep), so that most of the time spent sleeping...

The check in arrangements where good, the service was courteous - specially the announcements regarding the departure and access to vehicles. Not a showstopper but the check-in lounge could have been great with a coffee shop...

We where directed to our room and the first thing that hit me was the immense size of the ship...why do people call it a ferry... probably I might know the definition😏

We where booked in a 4 bed cabin which had ample space and had porthole looking straight in thwe direction of the bow...which was sometimes scary...since you could clearly see the ship going -up and down...but since it was a night journey...it did not bother us much...

The bathroom was spacious and the most important thing was it was clean...though the cabin had a typical smell of the cleaning chemical smell..which you get used to after sometime...

Once we we had tucked our luggage and had something to eat, we went to the lounge and listened to some soothing live music ....it had a full fledged bar and a restaurant with a limited menu...but the lounge was spacious and had a good sized children's play area and a video game parlor !!

I stood outside viewing the ship leaving the Melbourne dock....leaving the city behind ...

We strolled out on the lighted deck...sailors where working on the ropes...the weather had a chill to it and the sea gulls kept following us for long time...

We where back in our cabin..tucked up for a good night sleep...
I could feel a smooth sail for the first 3 hrs when the ship was in the bay area...as soon as it entered the sea (Bass Strait) you could feel a slight heave...probably the decision to have a night sail was right!

We woke with the early morning arrival announcements and where given ample time to check out...which was again a smooth affair.

We had spent less than 12 hours on this ship and I felt that every dollar (465 AUD to be precise) was worth the experience...and I would suggest that anyone who is travelling between these two beautiful states in Australia i.e. Tasmania and Melbourne...should give it a try!

Experiencing Air Asia...

After a long time, I am back with another review...a review of another low cost international air line - Air Asia.

Our journey was marked during the Christmas break and as usual we did no book our tickets early and had to scramble for tickets. To keep it within my vacation budget, I started looking for cheap air tickets from Sydney to Kolkata and voila !.. there was Air Asia - It was cheaper by 40% from any other full benefit airlines in that route!

Having experienced a similar airline earlier (Scoot Review) I had my apprehensions.

But Air Asia turned out to be a surprise package - the winner for Air Asia was its food - It was delicious and served hot.

Now for some very subjective rating w.r.t. different aspects:

Seats: Comfortable

Service: Good

Price: Affordable

Food: Very good !  this was surprising - considering it was served hot and delicious as well!! - water still doesnot come free :( 

Timeliness: Average- was delayed by an hour in the transit in KL.

I would say that other low cost airlines must take few cues from Air Asia to understand how a low cost airline can feel premium and at the same time can be affordable too.

Stylishly Civic...

Honda with its world wide launch of Civic 2017 has re-defined its design language.....and there is no second doubt that Honda has created a beauty yet again..after City!

I have now driven more than 2000 Kms, with a major chunk of it on highway... with 1.8 ltrs - iVTEC  (104 kW@6500 rpm) engine it gives you the right balance of power and elegance...to help you take it confidently over the highways as well as city driving. In mixed driving conditions I have been getting an average fuel efficiency of 11 Kmpl, which I hope should stabilise somewhere around 13-14 Kmpl as I clock more kms.

The suspension is well tuned to absorb mild bumps / pot holes and the ride quality remains stable up to speeds of 100 -105 kmph, beyond which it feels less planted. The speedometer looks a bit sci-fi (I will say a bit overdone to my taste). The sleek center console adds to the overall clean design of the dashboard. You must be wondering where is the power brake; well its replaced by a small push button (marked in pic below)!

Most of the controls like audio & cruise control are conveniently provided on the steering.  Basic version i.e. VTi (in Australia) comes with good amount of gadgets and features.

The seating comfort is good for both the front and rear passengers; though a lot could have been done for lowering the NVH levels which becomes a bit loud over speeds of 80-85 Kmph.
Boot space is decent - but surprisingly less than a Honda City!

Coming to the Pricing bit - In Australia the price range starts from AUD 25 K and goes up to AUD 37K (5 different variances). I am hoping that when they launch it in India later this year - they might do it in three variances - starting from 13 lacs to 18 lacs and hope they do not give a less powerful engine.

Over all a good package  and definitely a value for  money buy....
Parting shot..

Scoot - The new affordable carrier from Singapore airlines

Indian aviation story has never been the same after Air Deccan started flying in the Indian Skies. It revolutionized the way we thought of how affordable flying is? After 14 years I had a chance to fly an affordable international carrier names Scoot, owned by the renowned Singapore Airlines.

On occasions I have traveled on Singapore airlines and I found them doing an amazing job. Now, I wondered how an affordable offering from them will look/feel like. I am consciously trying not to use the word "Low cost"!

The basic cost of a ticket for scoot will cover only for your basic seat / Hand-baggage. Rest all comes at an an additional cost i.e. Check-in baggage, better seat selection, Food, beverage, entertainment and water too!

There are couple of seating options in Economy class - Standard, Super and Stretch. There is also a scoot business class. I had chosen the super seats which gave me some good leg room and is a good value for money. Opt for stretch seats only if you don't mind the immovable seat hand-rest in between. (Movable hand-rests becomes handy for family folks like us, who want their kids to lie down on parents lap with their legs stretched !)

Now for sharing with you some pics where you can have an idea of the leg space in a Super seat - good for average height folks. 

 Also, a design flaw - where you could see the ....reading lights switch / assistance call button on the handrest , this was annoying as it used to get switched on and off whenever we used to keep our hands on the hands rest....not sure whose thought was that!

Now for some very subjective rating w.r.t. different aspects:

Seats: Good (super seats - with a bit more leg room)

Service: Average

Price: Affordable

Food: Average

Timeliness: Good

I am sure Scoot will find the sweet spot with a specific traveler segment, but it's important to realize that for long flight duration certain things are bare necessities like water...! 

Nokia to BalckBerry to Microsoft to iOS to Android

In last 6 years I have changed 4 phones and all on different platforms!

That makes me a non-sticky and and "Not  so loyal" customer - isn't it. (I am the outlier for Flipkart's/Mytra's policy of "Mobile only App").  But on a hindsight isn't that a great thing - now you have one person who has experienced it all & here to share it with you.

Before I start the comparison, just one word of caution to all loyal fans of the respective mobile phone platforms - Below mentioned opinions are based on my experience as an user, I might miss other perspectives from a technical stand point - you are welcome to add them as comments.

2007 to 2010 - Nokia N70 M
My Rating: **1/2

• Features where good at that point of time.
• Has load of space for music & videos
• Had the rugged Nokia feel
• Battery exhausted fast
• Bulky
• Symbian OS was outdated & slow
• Ok kind of camera & very small screen

2010 to 2012 - Blackberry Bold
My Rating: ***

• Typing messages was never so easy !
• Not happy with camera
• Blackberry OS was not so slow, it helped me with my work of mailing / texting  that's it.
• Rugged feel but not bulky
• Nothing great about music or videos

2012 to 2014 - Iphone 4 

My Rating: ***1/2

• Can design be so good ! -- this is what awed me with the iPhone.
• Amazing UI & interface experience ( I never thought about this before)
• Good clarity of pictures 
• Good viewing screen
• But everything was costly - syarting from the phone, chargr, head phones ....everything
• iTunes was  a pain ( Why does apple want to build all those barrier around such a beautifully designed product!)
• Lastly, it was a mammoth task to transfer contact details from iPhone
• Built was rugged but was always afraid about the screen...
• Would get stuck during multi-tasking
• Many times I could not receive calls by swiping!
• Apps Collection was limited

2014 to 2015 - Nokia Lumia 650

My Rating: **1/2

• Amazing Interface and Nokia had improved a lot with the MS OS
• Unfortunately the story ends there
• Very bad build quality - my Gorilla glass broke like it was delicate lotus glass!

2016  till date - MotoG 3rd Gen  

My Rating: ****

• The UI & Interface was good but I miss the class of an iPhone
• The  OS is good - its sharp, multi tasking is amazing
• Loads of space and can be extended ( that was not an option in iPhone)
• Lightweight, not as rugged as Blackberry but good!
• Seamless experience for alll Google interfaces - on web& mail
• Amazing collection of Apps.
• The best thing is easy on the pocket

Laughing Riot: Tanu weds Manu Returns

Tanu weds Manu Returns (TWMR) is a typical case where a sequel has turned out to be better than it's original !
The whole movie is a satirical comedy of human emotions circling around marriage, cultures, friendship and other typical prejudiced thought process of our times.

The story revolves around three people - Tanu, Manu & Tanu Look-alike! - But the real fun is watching Manu's friend Pappi  !

4 years after following from the original story.. Tanu & Manu stand at cross roads where they decide to break up...and from then onwards the story has some amazing twists and turns...Believe me if you are not the "maunmohan singh" type, then you will laugh and have a stomachache..

The screenplay and dialogues are amazing...

It also touches closely on a very important aspect of Girl child rights and the Khaap panchayat thing...and somewhere you will find the movie close to your heart!

The two key actors who have stolen the limelight are: Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) and Pappi ( Deepak Dobriyal) !...yes you are right...Manu (R Madhavan) doesn't have much presence...

Music is not something that can be mentioned...but one catchy song - 'Banno Tera Swagger, lage sexy..." compensates for all that

A must watch with family....have a great laughing time!!

Rating: ****

Disruptive Customer experience at its Best! -- Housing.com & Lenskart

Well.....eCommerce is in the Air!

Highest placement salaries in all tech and B-schools, biggest acquisitions, big names entering this space...and all the more reason for the customer to get excited....

And in all these there are certain start-ups which are changing the way we do business - to be more precise they are changing the whole customer experience!

In this post I will share with you two eCommerce websites which are offering services & products in a way which has taken the customer experience to an all new height!

Housing.com

Housing.com was started in 2012 by a bunch of  IIT grads who wanted to disrupt the way we look at our transactions w.r.t. real estate ! ...and believe me they have been very disruptive...and this why I say so....

Point 1: A new fresh look to the landing page of Housing .com...not the usual dull ones...I found  so much similarity between two of it's competitors....

Point 2: Some very unique and essential features like:

• Preparing & getting a rental agreement delivered at our doorstep!

• Section dedicated to PG & Hostels - this reminds me my initial bachelor days of finding an accommodation when I used to move into a new city.

Point 3: Last but the most interesting one - the Data analytics based section which provides very valuable insights of  like 'From' where and 'To' where people are looking for properties , Heat map of city w.r.t prices and search patterns and Inventory Demand and Supply etc.

LensKart

Till date we have been used to busying specs and other eye related accessories from a typical shop like this

But, with the arrival of lenskart all this has changed - sitting at home ( or anywhere - it has a mobile app as well !) you can choose, try online or at home and get your customized specs!

Couple of unique features which makes this site unique and stand out from the rest are: 

Point 1: The try-online feature which allows you to take a snap of your s and fits in the specs on your image and show you real time - how you might look wearing the specs !

Point 2: It not only allows you to select frames to try at home before you buy, but also provides you a service of eye check up at home !

I have personally ordered and the experience was very good ! 

Too add the icing the delivery and packaging of the final delivered product is alo awesome - they provide lots of accessories to take care of your new specs, add on coupons and other small freebies!

Image courtesy: Housing.com & Lenskart

6 Cities - Quick Shootout

As promised another of my quirky reviews for you all.....this gives you quick feel of 6 cities ( 4 Indian, 2 Australian) from different aspects.

Please note: These are my personal views and after staying in these cities for more than a year...
Each input can be further detailed and in case you have anything specific to ask about these cities please drop a comment and I will reply back...

Humshakals: Thrice Comedy or Tragedy

I have to accept that I saw this movie First day 4th show!
Wait....before you construe any further let me clarify that I was not eagerly waiting for thsi movie. I was forced to this movie by my 10 year old nephew and 13 year old niece.....

You won't accept, but yes, if you ask them how did they like the movie - the answer would be " Very good" and I can understand their feeling because all the kids, in that age group, in the movie hall were rolling around laughing at the jokes and actions.

With this movie Sajid has been able to crack in to the Children comedy movie genre..

Now coming to the review.....
The movie, at times (very few seconds) does tickle some funny bones in serious grown up adults like us. Story revolves around two friends (like brothers) and their Maternal uncle who wants to usurp their property & business. Saif at times feels out of place (Saif you need to do more Omkaar- Langa Tyagi like performances), though Ritesh deshmukh is totally at home with this movie....Ram kapoor is the only good thing in the movie. As usual, heroines in this movie play roles which don't justify....

Talking about music - couple of songs are catchy but nothing that will keep topping the charts. Screenplay - Mediocre, nothing that will keep us engaged. Comedy - Good but could have been better; but definitely better than Sajid Khan's last venture - "Himmatwala"

My Rating: **

Holiday: Porridge MOvie

It needs to be very clear in the mind of directors that you can either make Masala movie or make a movie based on Reality....trying to make both will make the movie a massive Khichdi (Porridge)....This is exactly what happened with Holiday...

The store revolves around an Army Officer (Akshay Kumar) who is on an annual leave - read 'Holiday', from the armed forces and during this Holiday he goes on to Save Mumbai by taking on the terrorists and terminating all the sleeper cells....

It had a very strong story line, but a very weak screenplay. Never understood why there was so much of Music and Dance in a movie  which had a serious story line. Couldn't understand why Sonakshi Sinha, who is a good actor, does take up this role where her screen presence was hardly for 20 minutes in a 120 minutes  plus movie. I was puzzled to see Govinda in this movie...Could be the issue is with me, I don't understand Porridge Movies :)

Music is not catchy and doesnot have any substance or lyrics, except for the last song.

My take ...It is a 'Ok' Friday entertainer...can be missed!

Rating: **& 1/2*

CityLights: The Search for perfect happiness!!

CityLights is  movie taken from the original screen play of another award winning movie from Philippines - 'Metro Manila'.  Now that I have seen both Manila and Mumbai.....I can co-relate the similarities....the sense of 'getting lost' in the mesmerizing lights of the city!!

The whole movie is based on the human urge to find that 'Utopian happiness' and the sacrifices and losses that one has to face to achieve that....if at all!

The movie revolves around Deepak and his family, which in hope of earning a livelihood comes to the dream city of Mumbai from their village. In the city they face the cruel world which doesn't allow them to settle in and soon they realize that they are stuck in a continuous fight between living for (life&family) and giving up to the evil world.

The plot at certain points of time becomes very exciting and keeps you guessing....and at last it does have a happy ending with a heavy sacrifice!

The national award winner, Rajkumar Rao (Deepak), is the main protagonist of the Movie and has again given an amazing performance!The good part of the Music is it's Lyrics which are so amazing.

City lights is one of those movies which will leave you with a heavy thought...hence in case you are planning to go for Friday night entertainer with your family, then this might not be the right movie...but at the same point of time, my advise to you is, you should not miss this movie...movies like these are not many.

Rating: ****

Godzilla - 2014: Kids and Comic Fanatics should watch this!

I will have to say that this movie will keep you enaged for the whole duration....only if you are a kid or a Godzilla fanatic....

I am sure you will not believe me if I say that Godzilla has been portrayed here as a "hero" - one who balances out all the negative and equally powerful creatures/ forces of this world.

The story revolves around the friction and the fights between two huge creatures -  MUTO (or Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) which feeds on Radioactive material and the GOJILA (Godzilla aspronounced by Japanese).
Yes we humans do play a part of tracking them and trying to save the human world as well....we do have our hero's in the mvie as well!
The story starts in Japan and pulls all teh way to San Fransico bay area...to know more you should go and watch .

The animations are superb and to get the best experience do watch it in 3D. I believe that the work taht has been done here are miles ahead what we saw in Godzilla in 1998.

My Rating: 3***

Suzuki ertiga : First hand experience

It has been 36000 Kms now....I have done now almost 3 long 700kms+ trips and have one through one major accident...now its a good time to call for revisit of my Cars's review ..the Ertiga ZXI which is now almost 4 years old now...

Few things that I loved till now:

• Reliability of the engine
• Space it gives me at that price point ( 9-10 lakhs)
• Maruti service ( specially after the accident)
• Mileage has been amazing - a whooping 15.9 kmph ( this is with 80% AC and 30% highway) driving

Things that I still don't like or have found it now:

• Stock tyres run out after 20K....I am planning to change them soon. I had at-least 10-12 punctures in last 5000 Kms....planning to change all of them
• the NVH levels are really bad at high speeds...(beyond 80-90 kmph...it becomes really bad)
• The lack of power on hill ascents - had to switch off teh ACs in certain instance and could feel the engine going off-breath...
• The beige interiors are killer dust catcher....a major design flaw

Any other car which I would have loved to exchange thsi with?

When i bought this car, I did not have much options. but in last 2 years there are huge options in thsi range....I would have loved to test out the TUV300, Vitara Brezza, Honda BRV...

I hope that helps, in your decision....

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It has been now 3500 kms with my new car and I believe that it is  time that it deserves a review. I will try to remain to the point and unbiased and paint the right picture,

Model: Ertiga (ZXI)

Few Postives & things which I found worth mentioning:
- Spacious (For passengers)
- Good driveability (feels like a car)
- Powerful 1.4 ltr petrol engine, never found any issues pulling through high gradients
- Good road presence
- Good breaking (ABS)
- Good ground clearance

Few Negatives or areas where things can be better:
- Not so spacious for luggage (If you have 7 people then you need to have a carrier)
- Too much body roll (Even though it has a monocoque design)
- NVH levels could have been better
- Though AC is powerful but No ACC
- The gear shifting is improved with Suzuki standards but still could have been better
- Too much biege-acts like dirt magnet

Few things that could have added more value:
- Split last row sits
- Dark coloured floor carpet
- Automatic Climate control

Essential Fuel Efficiency stats:
- 11.6 Kmpl-11.8 Kmpl City driving (90% AC)
- 12.5 Kmpl - 13.5 Kmpl for long distance driving (70-80% AC)

Do I ever think that I should have gone for another smaller car or Sedan?
- Yes, I do only when I drive through the Mumbai traffic!

To know which other cars where on my list while I was making this purchase decision, please refer to my earlier blog:http://aapkareview.blogspot.in/2013/04/with-options-things-do-not-get-easy.html

4 movies and My country....

Bhaag Milka Bhaag,Lunch Box, Chennai Express, Satyagraha
Each of the above movies represents an unique expression of an individual to fight against the odds and look for that one moment of  glory, truth & love.
These 4 movies do reflect the mood of our society in its present form.
Today someone amongst us is trying to bring about a change in our country by changing the way we think and elect a leader.
On other hand there is this hunger of a sportsman to go on and on without any rest, to open the shop even during heavy rains, give their kids the best at the cost of their sacrfice, to drive that rickshaw even when it's killing hot or to start a venture which catches the eye of the whole world.
Then there are people amongst us who will run against all odds to bring glory for our society even when others have written them off. Lastly, there are people who still believe that hope for love never dies and will celebrate every small occassion to keep that flame of hope and love alive.

Now coming back to the movies (because this is afterall a review blog!); I will try to review all of them in just one sentence - reason being by now you might have watched all the movies....but in case you haven't then this crisp review might give you a reason to watch ( or avoid).

• Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: An amazing biography presented in an amazing way. Acting was best in class and so was the music. A must watch for the young generation to keep them inspired and aspired! (4****)
• Lunch Box: A very delicate movie, which touches the human emotion of yearning for love and warmth...Irfan is again superb.(3.5***)
• Chennai Express: A colourful movie, made to make you light and smaile....could have been made better.(2.5**)
• SatyaGraha: Another typical Prakash Jha - Ajaya Devgan combo...but what was new here was Amitabh Bachchan...amazing story  whic revolves around teh struggle that my country is going through and the fight that we are in....yes, knowingly or unknowingly it's our fight. (3.5***)

With options things do not get easy!!

"Too much analysis causes Paralysis" - this was prooved true in our (me and my wife) recent experince of buying a car.

My earlier car- the trusted Alto was more than 5 years old, and as we were moving to a new region, hence we thought of buying a new car.

Initially we went ahead with the thought process of buying a car which is dependable, not so common on the streets, has good after sales service and is not heavy on my pocket (Read mileage :)).

That's how we started our hunt for that perfect car !

The only hitch was- my knowledge about cars and the different options. This played as

a double edged sword. The moment I took a test drive, I knew what was lacking - as usual I had all the reasons to reject and that played a major role in our 3 month prolonged seacrh for the vehicle.

Below you will find the list of options that I had a look at and I will. Rather than giving a detailed review of each of the vehicles, I have tried to rank them down in different parameters.


Detailed scoring based on our judgement

Hope this will help you in your buying decision as well - though again it will be very
subjective.

Alas! we did not go for the Rank 1 (City) - rather we went for the Rank 2 ( Ertiga)!

Talaash - Finding the super natural way!

I find it hard to write a review for movies like these, since I am afraid that I might take away the "Thriller suspense" factor, which Amir khan had spoken about before the launch of this movie.

None the less, I will try this out...

Though the movie story line isn't much exciting or out of the world; but the screenplay and the actors have made it an amazing movie. Reema kagti after her debut movie Honeymoon travels, has done another good job, but there's definitely a lot more she could have done with the screenplay. The movie is able to build up a suspense through the initial 80-90 minutes but slowly the suspense factor fades away and at  the end it feels like "ahh! another supernatural movie!".


The story revolves round a police inspector who is not only investigating a suspicious accident case but also fighting a own personal loss of his only son. At one end he has this mysterious case and on the other hand he blames himself for the loss of his son, which keeps him awake night after night to find an answer as to how he could have saved his son . He finds himself in a tiring loop, searching for an answer in the present and the past . No other actor apart from Amir Khan and Rani mukherjee could have carried these roles with so much depth and intensity. Kareena kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui have added zing to the whole screenplay.

Music is one of the most strong points of this movie. Ram sampath has used very unique and earthly tones, which gives us a fresh offering.  The movie is worth a watch, but only once! -after all it's a suspense thriller !!!

My Rating: ***

English Vinglish - Indeed a good one!

English Vinglish is a bright example how a simple story line can be presented in a very rich
and interesting way. The story revolves around an Indian housewife - Shashi (Sridevi) and
her yearning to learn english and earn the respect she deserves within her family.
Shashi, a housewife with two kids and a very busy husband, gets ridiculed by her family
members for not being able to speak english. But this is just one aspect, Shashi is an
'entrepreneur' as well and sells 'ladoos'.It's her story and revolves around how she stands
up and goes out all alone to learn english, make friends (the 'Learn English in 4 weeks' classroom is one of the major attractions of this movie)) and regain the respect that she
deserved.

One positive thing, the relationship between mother-in-law and Shashi has been shown in a
positive light !!
Sridevi has done an amazing job and so have the other actors. The songs are very meaningful
and melodious. the best part of the movie is its screenplay, it has a continuous momentum
which is neither fast nor boring.

I would recommend it as a must watch.

Rating: ****