…och dagen till ära även nybliven 29-åring! Grattis på födelsedagen Freddy Lindahl, kundmottagare på Lecabs skadeverkstad. Freddy inledde sin anställning 1 juni 2004, då som reservdelsman i vår butik. Sedan i mars 2009 har han varit på ”plåten” och hjälpt de kunder som fått skador på sina bilar.

Freddy är född och uppvuxen i vår kungliga hufvudstad Stockholm men flyttade som 9-åring till världsmetropolen Vålberg. Bor nu i lägenhet på Norrstrand och är nybliven sambo med Ulrika Han tycker om att ha pappren liggande i prydliga högar på skrivbordet och pennstället ska stå i perfekt vinkel mot skrivbordskanten, he he…

Styrka: Ordningssam (kollegorna kallar det kontrollbehov)

Svaghet: “Svårt att vara ödmjuk när man är bäst”

Last: Snus. Och så tränar jag lite för mycket.

Favoritfilm: Gudfadern-trilogin och Smala Sussie

Lyssnar på: Metallica, men annars gärna Rix FM

Reser helst till: Ullared! Men regniga dagar kan jag tänka mig Thailand.

Kör idag / Drömbil: Skoda Fabia /  Aston Martin Vanquish

Alberto Hevia afronta la última prueba del Campeonato de España de Rallyes, el Shalymar, con la ilusión y las fuerzas del primer día para conseguir una difícil victoria que cerraría un final de temporada sensacional.

La prueba madrileña será la quinta y última participación de Hevia esta temporada en el Nacional de Asfalto. El asturiano ha conseguido dos victorias, un segundo puesto y un tercero. Hevia sabe que en la última prueba del año, los GT tienen todas las papeletas para adjudicarse el rallye. Los tramos del Jarama no son los más adecuados para el Skoda Fabia Super 2000.

 “El Shalymar no es muy buen rallye para nosotros, ya que el desarrollo de dos de los tramos cronometrados en el Circuito del Jarama favorece mucho más a los potentes GT, que nos toman una gran ventaja en el circuito, muy difícil de recuperar en el resto de los tramos. Aún así, intentaremos ganar la carrera para acabar la temporada con un buen sabor de boca. Esta última prueba es importante para nosotros, ya que con las buenas actuaciones que hemos tenido hasta ahora nos gustaría demostrar que somos competitivos en todos los terrenos y devolver de esta manera a Škoda España y a todos nuestros patrocinadores, la confianza que han depositado en nosotros”. Manifestó Berti.

Hevia no pierde la esperanza y derrochara todo sus fuerzas para lograr un buen resultado en el Rallye Shalymar, cerrando de forma extraordinario la temporada: “Los resultados conseguidos este año nos hacen afrontar la próxima temporada con todas las garantías. Hemos visto que somos competitivos en terrenos muy diferentes y que podemos aspirar a la victoria en cualquier rallye”.

Programa:
Viernes 27 de Noviembre:
09h.00 – 11h.00 / Shakedown / Circuito del Jarama
12h.30 – 16h.30 / Verificaciones administr. y técnicas / Circuito del Jarama
19h.00 / Salida Rallye / Estadio Santiago Bernabeu

Sábado 7 de Noviembre:
00h.20 / Final 1ª Etapa / Circuito del Jarama
08h.00 / Salida 2ª Etapa / Circuito del Jarama
19h.20 / Final Rallye / Circuito del Jarama
20h.00 / Ceremonia de entrega de premios / Podium Circuito del Jarama

Snacka om vass säljare, vi har nog  alla lite att lära av vår begagnatsäljare Niklas Ring. Denna text var nämligen publicerad i Lecabs senaste internbrev som gick ut till de anställda;

“Här kommer en liten “blänkare” från verkliga livet; Vi på Lecab gör löpande undersökningar på Wåxnäs-anläggningen rörande hur kunderna upplevde sitt senaste verkstadsbesök. Igår kom det in en kundkommentar som visar att man ibland kan  komma långt med ett trevligt och säljande kundbemötande. En kvinna skriver i sin kommentar; “Jag skulle bara byta lampa på min Skoda Fabia – slutade med att jag köpte en ny Skoda Fabia. Trevligt bemötande av Nicklas Ring!”. Snacka om merförsäljning!”

Ja, Nicklas måste ha skruvat på charmen rejält.  Vi är impade…

O IRC nem acabou e as equipes já estão se preparando para o ano que vem. É bem verdade que a última etapa do campeonato acontece ainda neste mês, entre os dias 19 e 21 de Novembro, mas pelo menos oito fabricantes estarão presente no evento.

O belo Opel Corsa S2000: em nada lembra o nosso fabricado por aqui

E quem volta nesta última etapa é o Opel Corsa OPC S2000 pilotado por alemão Tim Stebani, da equipe MSD. Vale a pena destacar que o carro faz parte do programa de desenvolvimento dos pneus da Hankook. Na prova de Lausitz, em outubro passado, foi a primeira do carro em pisos de terra e Stebani terminou em sexto da geral, demonstrando que o carro tem um grande potencial. A intenção é participar de todo o campeonato do ano que vem.

Além da Opel, quem vai estar presente também é a Ford com seu mais novo Fiesta S2000, da equipe M-Sport. A etapa também faz parte da preparação do carro para o ano que vem e eles ainda não definiram como vai ser a participação da equipe na etapa. O modelo totalmente pronto deverá estrear oficialmente no Rali de Monte Carlo, prova de abertura do calendário do IRC de 2010.

Novo Ford Fiesta S2000: ainda em fase de testes

Os outros fabricantes presentes são a Mitsubishi, com o Lancer Evo IX, a Peugeot com o 207  S2000, Fiat Abarth Grande Punto, Subaru com o Impreza WRX  e a Proton, com o Satria Neo S2000, além da Skoda com o Fabia.

Peugeot 207 (lider do campeonato) estará presente na última etapa

A Skoda anda escondendo o jogo e vai andar com o carro deste ano mesmo. Porém, a nova evolução do Skoda Fabia S2000 foi vista e fotografada em testes em Návarov, perto de Mladá Boleslav, na Rep. Checa, ‘casa’ da Skoda Motorsport. Pelas fotos dá para notar novas entradas de ar no ’spoiler’ frontal.

Skoda se preparando para o ano que vem

O carro deverá estrear-se somente na segunda prova do IRC 2010, que será realizada aqui no Brasil.

Abraços

Alberto Hevia correrá el 57º Rallye Costa Brava después de su ausencia en el Sierra Morena. Intentará alzarse con la victoria para recortar puntos a sus rivales directos en la general.

Después de los excelentes resultados obtenidos en las tres últimas pruebas del Nacional de Asfalto en las que ha participado, dos primeros puestos y un tercero, Alberto Hevia afronta el penúltimo rallye del campeonato con la ilusión de conseguir otro pódium a los mandos del Fabia S2000.

“Después de tres carreras puedo decir que ya me encuentro bastante compenetrado con el Škoda Fabia Super 2000 y los excelentes resultados conseguidos hasta la fecha me han dado una gran dosis de confianza, por lo que creo que en el Rallye Costa Brava podremos volver a luchar por la victoria. En los dos últimos rallyes he corrido en casa, con un buen conocimiento del terreno, cosa que no ocurrirá aquí ya que sólo he participado en dos ocasiones en este rallye y hay algunos tramos que serán nuevos para mi, pero espero poder hacer unos buenos reconocimientos y paliar un poco este desconocimiento. Por lo que conozco y lo que me han contado gente de la zona, los tramos pueden ser favorables a las características del Fabia, pero hasta que no estemos en carrera no podremos comprobarlo”.

Berti ha añadido: “Me gustaría conseguir un buen resultado en el Costa Brava para Škoda España, cuya sede está en Barcelona, a pocos kilómetros de donde se celebra el rallye, por lo que de alguna manera esta vez también jugaremos en casa. En estos últimos rallyes del año, Costa Brava y Shalymar, es importante hacerlo bien puesto que ya estamos trabajando para la próxima temporada y los resultados nos ayudarán a conseguir la experiencia y los medios necesarios para afrontar el próximo año con las máximas opciones de luchar por el campeonato”.

En un principio, los tramos del Rallye Costa Brava, que combinan muchos tipos de carreteras, son favorables para el Skoda Fabia S2000. A pesar de ser un rallye desconocido para Hevia, sólo ha participado en él en dos ediciones, el de Polo de Siero luchará para arañar minutos al crono desde su salida en St. Feliu de Buxalleu y rebajar la distancia que le separa con Arias, Monarri y Vinyes.

57º Rallye Costa Brava
Viernes 6 de Noviembre:
09h.00 – 11h.00 / Shakedown / St. Feliu de Buxalleu
12h.30 – 16h.30 / Verif. administr. y técnicas / Parque asistencia Lloret de Mar
19h.00 / Salida Rallye / Passeig Maritim Lloret de Mar
23h.00 / Final 1ª Etapa / Passeig Maritim Lloret de Mar

Sábado 7 de Noviembre:
07h.30 / Salida 2ª Etapa / Parque Cerrado Lloret de Mar
18h.00 / Final Rallye / Passeig Maritim Lloret de Mar
18h.30 / Ceremonia de entrega de premios / Podium Lloret de Mar

Skoda Fabia

The internet has seen many players participating to promote new launches and their products which apparently didn’t see as much success as they did online. Starting with Diwali e-greetings to spreading the word of getting better matches online to ring the wedding bells. One such internet portal that has been chosen for the sales of the latest automobile bonanza – Skoda Fabia, is CarWale.com. Skoda Auto India recently announced the launch of its ‘Fabia online sales project’ in association with CarWale.com.

The online cars market has been pretty competitive since 2006. Skoda’s Superhatch – Fabia is one of those pioneers among cars being promoted online with sales association with CarWale. “We are experimenting with this innovative idea and hope that this will bring customer-friendly changes to the automotive market in India,” said Skoda Auto India, Board Member (Sales and Marketing), Thomas Kuehl. Evidently, total sales for September 2009 stood up at 1,854 units as against 1,213 in Sept 2008, whereas in August 2009 it was 1,463 units. This certainly poses as a new dimension in online sales of newly launched cars.

Another opportunity in the online space for cars, seems to be available with the online booking for car servicing. Recently, MeriCAR.com was in

Mericar.com

SPEED Car Help

news for their tie up with SPEED Car Helpline Service in Delhi, NCR region. Rakesh K. Sidana, CEO, MeriCAR.com said, “The partnership would help car owners to avail total car care services. On- road breakdown assistance would be value added service for MeriCAR members.” So finally even car booking comes online, with a challenge to get car owners directly to get in touch with workshops.

SPEED Car Helpine will definitely help them get a healthy stream of car owners. Besides car servicing, the awareness and an effort for providing a platform for the convenience of car owners, there are also on-road repairs, towing of car and crane services.

Hoje temos a participação do nosso querido irmão Pipe, do blog Carro de Corrida. Ele me eviou pelo e-mail este carrinho muito simpático, até meio que desconhecido de muitos brasileiros.

Tudo Fosco: pretinho é pintura de testes

O bonitinho aí da foto é um Skoda Fabia que estava em fase de testes no ano passado, antes de ser homologado pela FIA. Os testes eram os preparativos para a sua participação no WRC deste ano, sendo que ele tem as especifícações S2000 (PWRC – Production World Rally Championship), restringidos em termos de potência, peso, tecnologia e custo total em relação aos C4 e Ford Focus. Foi no PWRC que Kimi Raikonnen deu as caras no WRC deste ano, pilotando um Abarth Grand Punto (que aqui no Brasil é o nosso Punto).

Além do PWRC, temos também o J-WRC (Junior World Rally Championship), que andam com as especificações S1600, ainda mais limitados.

Para que vocês entendam melhor as características de um S2000 vou te dar as especificações da FIA para os carrinhos:

• Derivado de um modelo de produção, do qual 2.500 unidades tenham sido produzidas no ano anterior.
• Máxima cilindrada: 2 litros (2000 cc)
• Máximo de 280 bhp
• Aspiração normal
• Tração nas quatro rodas é permitida em carros de rali, mas não em carros de turismo.
• Caixa de transmissão de 6 velocidades.
• Suspensão dianteira e traseira McPherson.
• Sem auxílios eletrônicos ao piloto
• Deve estar à venda por no máximo €168,000

Lembrando que essa especificação é tanto para o PWRC quanto para o WTCC (Mundial de Turismo), sendo que há somente a diferença entre o tipo de tração permitido. Além disso, esse carrinho participa do IRC (Intercontinental Rally Challenge) que neste ano chegou a ter uma prova no Brasil.

Fabia em ação: nome de moça, desempenho de macho.

Para quem não conhece a marca Skoda, pequena empresa checoslovaca de autos, começou sua história em 1901, quando fez a primeira motocicleta. Depois começaram a fabricar carros, desenvolvendo uma reputação de consistência e confiabilidade. Ela pertence a Volks desde 1991 e já participava bravamente dos Ralis pelo mundo afora, mas não tinha know how (nem grana, claro!) para desbancar as grandes montadoras, como a Fiat, Citroen – Peugeot, Toyota, Ford, Opel, entre outras.

O carrinho da foto é a 2 geração do Fabia, tem um motor de quatro cilíndros naturalmente aspirado, 16 vávulas, 2.0 litros que rendem bons 260 263 cv à 8600 rpm e 24,98 mkgf. Tem um câmbio sequêncial de 6 marchas e tração permanente nas quatro rodas. O tamanho das rodas varia de 15″ à 18″,  de acordo com o piso em que ele vai correr.

A 2ª geração estreiou no Rali de Monte Carlo. Nada mais clássico no mundo dos ralis

A velocidade máxima parece segredo de estado pelas pesquisas que eu fiz. Mas pela cavalaria, e pelo tanto que leio sobre carros, deve ficar em torno de 250 Km/h.

Nada mal!

Queria agradecer aos irmãos lusitanos que são fanáticos por corridas e por ralis em geral e que me ajudaram a escrever esse post, além de agradecer ao Pipe pela grande contribuição que tem dado ao blog últimamente. E não poderia esquecer meu amigo Hélio, que tem aparecido sempre por aqui, dando seus pitacos.

Abraços

skoda a lansat pe piata  o noua campanie de promovare pentru skoda fabia. reclamele sunt geniale. le vedeti mai jos:

Agli sgoccioli del tempo limite per finire sul guinness dei primati della “donna che ha saputo in che giorni aveva le ferie il minuto prima della chiusura estiva”, ho appreso cum magno gaudio di essere la fortunata possidente di num. 3 (T-R-E) settimane, da passare dividendomi tra: 14 giorni con marito e figlioletta e altri 7 per giostrarmi il rientro e quindi riprendere con tranquillità il lavoro a fine agosto.

In zona altrettanto super-cesarini, sventagliamo le opzioni che constavano in simpatiche opzioni, quali:

NULLA+NULLA;

FREGENE GIORNALIERO+BOH;

LASTMINUTE ASSENTI+ALBERGHI A 1 STELLA DA SEI MILIONI DI DOLLARI (a notte, per persona)

Ma dove nulla può internèttt, nella landa del ‘costa troppo’, nell’indecisione più totale e lo sconforto più bigio, eccote che t’arriva ciò che mai lasciò solo l’uomo nel suo oblio, ovvero: ‘IL PASSAPAROLA’. Grazie a questa fantastica ‘travel agency’ di tradizione orale, abbiamo totalizzato:

• prima settimana come gentili ospiti (leggi ‘alloggio a sbafo’) nella villa vuota degli zii del maritozzo, in un ameno e chic-chettoso luogo marino vicino Roma
• seconda settimana a Massa Marittima, località consigliata nel tempo di un caffè al Bar da un collega del maritozzo (si, mentre io mi so’ sbattuta a destra e a manca per confrontare prezzi, fare telefonate, smanettare su internet, calcolare percorsi, lui se fa ‘na chiacchiera col collega e, a totale e univoco culo della miseria, svolta la questione. Se è giustizia questa. Ah, Oh, Deh, Mah.)

Piccole precisazioni sono dovute, soprattutto non nel tentativo di abbellire con fronzoli il tutto, ma solo perchè è assai probabile che, dopo questa ‘puntata’ da bicchiere mezzo pieno, io me ne uscirò con la seconda, dove a scatafascio elencherò gli episodi fantozziani, con ben più dovizia di particolari…

Insomma… la villa in questione constava di luogo immerso in un comprensorio con Parco, campo da calcetto, piscina olimpionica, discesa privata a mare, tavoli da ping pong, campo di bocce, parco giochi per bambini con giostre nuove, Bar, Club & Ristorante, portiere e giardiniere e musichetta della Forrester Creations che probabilmente partiva quando schiacciavi il pulsante per entrare dal cancello e parcheggiare la macchina nel tuo bel posto auto riservato.

La casa  poi, era adagiata su giardino, formata da due parti distinte, ovvero leggi ‘two apartmentz are megl che uàn’.

Ecco.

Io mi sentivo tipo famiglia Brambilla, mentre da una Skoda Fabia compressa fino all’autoimplosione, scaricavo buste del discount co’ le ultime robe che, non sapendo più dove infilare, erano state gettate tipo monete in der pozzo della speranza nei suddetti sacchi. Ero là a fare lo slalom tra SUV e bambine coi peggio gadgets di Hello Kitty, allorquando un biondo golden retriever ci ha accolti slinguazzando la superficie visibile delle nostre persone e, possibilmente, delle nostre masserizie.

Da là che dire della possibilità di spaparanzarsi a bordo vasca e guardare tua figlia che spruzza fuori metà dell’acqua della piscina a forza di manate giulive? (set: mamme invidiose che tentano di scollarsi dal collo pargoli con canottini, ciambelle e braccioli -tutti insieme- )

E degli amici+parenti che ti vengono a trovare e fanno altrettanto? (set: gente intorno che adopera sguardi riprovevoli e si asciuga goccioline di cloro puro dalla pelle abbronzata)

E di quel paio di ricche penniche che non ricordavi più dai tempi del liceo, quando ti addormentavi sul vocabolario ‘IL’ durante una traduzione della versione di latino? (set: rivoletto di bava che scorre dall’angolo destro della bocca e impronta del cuscino mentre fai ‘munch munch’ con occhio a mezz’asta)

…e l’altra parte della vacanza nonchè il ‘the best of’ delle Fantozzianate?

EEEhhh…ma mica che mi vorrete piantare in asso proprio come l’ultimo dei deodoranti??

Stay tuned.

I beat my own personal best, I managed 76.2!

My little car

Fab VRS

Sorry for the colour problem but it was 2am and my camera didn’t want to work in the dark.

Now how many cars can do that and a standing quarter mile in 16.1 !

Skoda Fabia Sportline es una edición especial del utilitario de la marca checa. Se caracteriza por su imagen deportiva y el completo equipamiento de serie. Se puede adquirir desde 17.950 €.

Skoda lanza la variante más deportiva del nuevo Fabia hasta la fecha. El Fabia Sportline se basa en el modelo Sport, pero a diferencia de éste, equipa diferentes elementos que le dan un aire de exclusividad dentro de la gama. Disponible en rojo Fuego con el techo en blanco o en negro efecto con plata, esta última combinación es opcional. Monta unas llantas de aleación de 17 pulgadas denominadas Trinity, equipadas con neumáticos 205/40 R17. Como extra, existe la posibilidad de adquirir las Kentaur, también de 17 pulgadas, pero con los brazos más anchos. La suspensión deportiva hace que la distancia de la carrocería al suelo disminuya 11 mm.

Además, la imagen deportiva del modelo se puede ampliar con el paquete “Styling Kit” que añade a la carrocería el spoiler del parachoques delantero, el difusor trasero en negro con el tubo de escape cromado y el alerón superior trasero en el mismo color del techo.

En el interior también se respira deportividad gracias a los pedales en aluminio, las alfombrillas delanteras con el logo de este acabado, el volante de tres radios con acabados en cuero perforado y la placa distintiva Sportline. La tapicería del Fabia Sportline, que es específica de este modelo, combina el negro Onyx con el rojo o el azul en la parte central de los asientos deportivos.

El motor es un 1.9 TDI de 105 CV que manda la fuerza a las ruedas delanteras a través de un cambio manual de cinco marchas. Es capaz de alcanzar los 190 km/hora de velocidad punta y acelerar de 0 a 100 km en 10’ 8 segundos, todo ello con un consumo de carburante de 4,9 litros.

El Skoda Fabia Sportline se puede adquirir en los concesionarios españoles desde 17.950 €.

Skoda ha propuesto diferentes campañas de descuentos sobre sus vehículos. Puedes llevarte un Fabia desde 8.500 €, un Octavia por 16.690 €, un Superb desde 19.690 € o un Roomster por 9.900 €.

La gama Fabia está disponible desde 8.500 € incluyendo el descuento del Plan Super 2000E. Disponible en tres colores,  blanco Candy, rojo Fuego y negro Mágico metalizado efecto perla. Monta un 1.2 de 60 CV y en el precio entra un completo equipamiento que incluye aire acondicionado, radio CD con MP3 con 8 altavoces, conexión auxiliar de iPod, ABS, cuatro airbags y faros antiniebla delanteros.

El Skoda Roomster está disponible desde 9.900 € con el mismo plan que el Fabia. Equipa un propulsor 1.4 TDI de 70 CV y está equipado con ABS, 4 airbags, radio CD con MP3 con 8 altavoces y conexión auxiliar para iPod, faros antiniebla delanteros y el sistema Varioflex®.

El nuevo Skoda Octavia también se puede adquirir con por un precio muy ajustado, 16.690 €. Monta un 1.4 TSI de 122 CV. Trae de serie 8 airbags, ESP, aire acondicionado, control de velocidad, ordenador de a bordo, radio CD con MP3 y 8 altavoces.

Además, el buque insignia de la marca también se beneficia de estos descuentos. El Skoda Superb está disponible desde 19.690 € con un 1.9 TDI de 105 CV con acabado Comfort, que incluye: ESP, aire acondicionado, radio CD con MP3, con 8 altavoces y conexión auxiliar para iPod, faros antiniebla delanteros y el sistema TwinDoor® de doble apertura del maletero.

It’s been 2 months and 19 days (80 days to be exact) since that fateful day (i.e., the day I got my Fabia delivered – pun intended). The going (apart from a few glitches mentioned earlier) has been pretty smooth. She has run 4500 + Kms and the engine is really getting into the groove now as is the clutch.

Engine & Clutch

The engine is on the way to its mellifluous best and in traffic signals, the engine noise is barely discernible. The clutch is getting smoother and I am also getting used to releasing it without touching the accelerator (this being my first car, one can understand my clumsiness on the clutch!).

Manoeuvrability

The acid test for any car is how easily navigable/manoeuvrable is the car when in traffic.

I would rate the Fabia in between 7 & 8 (on a scale of 10, 10 being the highest) in terms of manoeuvrability.

The rating is a trifle low because sometimes, the car doesn’t respond to throttle inputs as well as it should especially when overtaking. Of course, this is most probably because I change gears normally (i.e., at set speeds only: 20kmph – 3rd gear, 40 kmph – 4th gear, 60 kmph – 5th gear) and unlike others, do not accelerate say till 60 kmph in 3rd gear, which is typically done during overtaking (ನುಗ್ಗೋದು in local parlance – Kannada).

Mileage

Coming to the mileage part, I am again left disappointed since it has not gone beyond 12 kmpl in city driving conditions even after 4500+ Kms on the odometer. Of course, it is more during long drive, as is to be expected, but in the city traffic, it drinks petrol much more quickly than beer guzzlers their beer in Oktoberfest .

Do leave a comment to let me know if it is true of others too.

Małe samochody chcą podbić rynek i nasze serca. Jeśli coraz więcej producentów decyduje się na wprowadzenie małego, nie taniego, acz luksusowego pojazdu coś w tym musi być. Niedawne informacje dotyczące Audi, które miałoby produkować autko wielkości Polo, albo Fabii znajdują potwierdzenie. A1, bo tak nazywa się miejskie  autko z czterema okręgami na grillu ma wejść do produkcji już w październiku. Wiadomość taka pojawiła się w belgijskiej prasie, w wywiadzie z szefem tamtejszego oddziału firmy. Samochodzik wyglądem nawiązuje do większych braci z Audi. Reflektory przednie „patrzą” agresywnie na świat, a wraz w wielkim grillem autko wygląda niezwykle bojowo. Technologicznie A1 bazuje na Volkswagenie Polo, więc pod maskę trafią  dobrze znane silniki niemieckiego giganta. W przyszłości można spodziewać się rasowego S1 a także mini kabrioletu. Cóż, wreszcie Audi 50 doczekało się godnego następcy.

On Saturday last (I should perhaps say “last-to-last”), i.e., on 27-Jun-2009, I was out on my Skoda Fabia for my first full long trip.

We (my parents and I) planned on covering 3 places:

1. Hebbur (near Kunigal)

2. Goravanahalli (near Koratagere)

3. Devarayana Durga (near Goravanahalli)

The beginning

We left home around 7:15 AM and went straight to SLV (near Vidyapeetha circle) and had a sumptuous breakfast (mine consisting of 1 plate Idli vade and chowchow bath).

Left SLV at 7:45 AM and headed out straight to Mysore Road where we joined the NICE peripheral road to Tumkur Road. paid a toll fee of Rs 33. The NICE road is awesome, to say the least. One can easily do 120 kmph without any care/worries with no traffic to boot. Perhaps, that IS the reason why one can do 120 kmph!

Once I hit Tumkur Road, the road became quite narrow because of the construction of the 6 lane highway in progress and the speed was limited to 60-70 kmph.

Once at Nelamangala, Took a left towards Kunigal (or Hassan/Sakleshpura – NH 48), which is around 35 KM from Nelamangala. It is a single-lane highway, riddled with potholes, atleast in 2 stretches. So, the speed is limited to 60-70 kmph (only if you love your car. I’ve seen people doing 100 kmph on that road).

Upon reaching Kunigal, took a right towards Hebbur on SH 33 (which passes through Hebbur and continues till Tumkur). Travelled around 25 KM to reach Hebbur.

Note: Upon reaching Hebbur, take a right turn in to a small lane or ask for directions to the Hebbur kamakshi temple.

Hebbur

The temple at Hebbur is part of the Kodandaashrama. It is maintainted pretty well. The temple’s inner sanctum’s gopura (tower) is constructed in the shape of the Srichakra, the yantra of the tantrics. In fact, the poojari (priest) of the temple told us that devotees have had their wishes fulfilled by performing pooje (prayers) of the srichakra. So, believers of Srichakra can perform as the poojari says and reap its benifits.

Apart from the Srichakra pooje, one can perform a lot of sevas (services) including annadana (anna – cooked rice, dana – donation, in other words donating food to the needy) for a day, a month or an year.

Moreover, some of the family functions such as choula (first time hair removal of a baby boy) etc., can also be performed here. Will publish the phone number soon!

How to get there:

Bangalore –> Tumkur Road (NH 4) –> Nelamangala –> Kunigal (NH 48) –> Hebbur (SH 33)

Goravnahalli

At Hebbur, we stayed for around 20 minutes and then left Hebbur for Goravanahalli. To reach Goravanahalli from Hebbur, we have to continue from Hebbur on SH 33, reach Tumkur, take the Bypass road to Sira, then cross the NH 4 to reach SH 3 going towards Koratagere.

The SH 33 upto Tumkur is a good quality road with very huge and old banyan trees standing guard as one zooms past at 80 kmph. Because of the pretty nature of the road, we stopped on the way to take a few snaps.

After the brief interlude, we moved on and reached Tumkur whence we took a right at the first signal and then a left (at the next) to reach the Sira bypass road (which is in a pathetic state, by the way). Thence, we touched the NH 4 and cut right across it to reach SH 3 which leads to Koratagere.

The SH 3 is nothing to write home about but we can easily maintain around 70-80 kmph (I guess that makes it a beautiful road, by Indian standards ).

Proceeded to Koratagere wherein we took the road to Goravanahalli from the centre of the town. This is not the ideal route to take and the road was one of the worst I’ve driven in my two months of driving. After a tortorous 2-3 km, wherein the speed was slower (around 20 kmph) than a bullock cart and the cycles on which school kids were going back home, the road eased out (only a bit) with newly laid tar (asphalt, for the uninitiated). After driving around 6 km of that road, we reached the actual road (as described below) where we should have come originally.

Note: DO NOT TAKE THIS ROAD AS IT IS IN A DILAPIDATED CONDITION. Upon reaching Koratagere, take a right turn at the first circle and proceed towards the outer periphery of Koratagere. Upon driving for 2-3 kms, you would reach a place called colony whence you should take a left turn towards Goravanahalli.

It was almost 1 PM by the time we reched Goravanahalli.  Once there, paid obeisance to Godess Mahalakshmi and prayed that our life be full of Lakshmi .

How to Get there:

From Hebbur

Hebbur (SH 33) –> Tumkur –> Sira Bypass –> Koratagere (SH 3) –> Colony –> Goravanhalli

From Bangalore

Bangalore –> Nelamangala –> Dobbspet (take a right after Dobbspet towards Koratagere - SH 3) –>  Colony (SH 3) –> Goravanahalli

Devarayana Durga (DR Durga)

Left Goravanahalli around 1:25 PM to proceed towards Devarayana Durga. From Goravanahalli way to Bangalore (from Goravanahalli) which leads to Devarayana Durga. Proceed along The first 2-3 kms are mud roads with huge potholes and layers of mud standing up to scrape the underside of your car. It was pretty tough to negotiate this stretch. After 2-3 KM, sighted the first signs of tar (asphalted) road which was good for driving at around 60-70 kmph. Then reached a dead-end and wherein taking a left led us straight to DR Durga.

We first decided to visit the Yoga Narasimha temple at the top of the hill. Paid Rs. 10 for entry to Yoga Narasimha temple. We can climb upto 2-3 KMs up wherein we are supposed to park our vehicles and proceed on foot to climb up around 300 steps (that is the number of steps as told by the shopkeers when enquired) to reach the Yoga Narasimha temple. The climb to the temple itself is quite exhilarating and the view it offers of the countryside is breath taking.

My parents decided to return from the temple whilst I decided to scale the hill to reach the Mantapa at the top. The climb to the top of the hill is steep and one has to climb up the rocks at some places but when you finally reach the top, you’d think it is worth it!

I have missed mentioning about the weather. The weather was beautiful throughtout our journey and once I started the climb to the hilltop, the heavens opened up for a light shower. The hill was fully covered in fog and I couldn’t see where I was going. Luckily, I was at the top of the hill when it happened! Below are some of the pics that were taken during the time. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Foggy_DevarayanaDurga

Myself @ the Mantapa (DR Durga Hill top)

View_From_DRDurga_Hilltop

Yoga Narasimhaswamy Temple From Hilltop

Moreover, below is the kind of terrain that one has to negotiate while climbing to the hill top.

Crouching_Tiger!

After spending around 30 minutes at the top, I decided it was time to head back to rejoin my parents whose jangling nerves I had to soothe (becuase I had told them that I would be back in around 15 minutes while it took me more than an hour to return).

Once I returned, we had some good churmuri. southekayi (cucumber) with green chilli paste and a maavinakaayi (raw mango) with a mixture of salt and red chilli powder.

It was hearty enough to skip lunch and anyhow, it was already around 4 PM. So, we climbed down the hill and drove straight to the Bhoga Narasimha swamy temple which lies at the base of the hill.

After the darshana when I came out, I saw, much to my delight,  a person selling burnt muskina jola (corn). I had one with lots of khara (grren paste made of green chillies and coriander leaves) to suit the weather.

From DR Durga, Namada Chilume is only 4 KM and it is a beautiful location. It is atcually located at the base of a hill and the silence and the sheer beauty of the place takes your breath away. We stayed there for around half an hour and enjoyed its beauty.

Note: There is a Guest House at Namada Chilume wherein once can stay. Of course, one needs to book in advance at the Forest Office (either in Tumkur or in Bangalore). The only catch being that one would need to bring one’s own groceries and even stove to cook as nothing is available there and no eataries around too (unless you would want to dine @ Tumkur - around 12 KM from Namada Chilume).

How to get there:

From Goravanahalli

Goravanhalli –> Colony (near Koratagere) –> Proceed towards Bangalore –> Devarayana Durga

From Bangalore

Bangalore –> Nelamangala –> Dobbspet –> Kyathsandra (take a right there towards Siddganga) –> Siddganga Matha –> Deverayana Durga

The Endgame

From Namada Chilume we left at around 4:30 PM and continued towards Tumkur Via Siddganga Matha and join NH 4 at Kyathsandra. The road in this stretch is beautiful and scenic. Enjoyed the drive and the weather!

From NH 4, it was back to Nelamangala via Dobbspet and from thence to Mysore Road Via the Nice Road and back home @ 6:45 PM in the evening.

Few Tips

1. Carry your own food since there are no eataries on the way or in the places visited.

2. Carry some first aid especially while climbing the hill top at DR Durga.

3. Wear rubber soled shoes (and not slippers that I wore) while climbing the hill top since the rocks are quite slippery when wet.

4. When the DR Durga hilltop is covered in fog, DO NOT VENTURE any where near the edges of the rocks since the visibility is quite poor (in fact, one can’t quite see the edges and hence the caution).

5. Avoid the Koratagere –> Goravanahalli route and always take the Koratagere –> Colony (towards Madhugiri)–> Goravanahalli.

Before I sign off, I am happy to note that my Skoda Fabia took all kinds of roads in its stride and mileage wise, it was up to the mark giving me 13.3 kmpl (this mileage calculation also includes city driving and hence, the low figure).

Hope you have enjoyed this lenghty (and perhaps boring) travelogue as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Los cambios introducidos han sido la reducción del peso del cigüeñal y la sustitución de la cadena de distribución por una correa dentada, entre otros.

Skoda ha iniciado la producción de su nuevo motor 1.2 HTP de tres cilindros, con culata de dos y cuatro válvulas. Este motor de tres cilindros ha sufrido modificaciones, todas ellas revisadas por el Departamento de Desarrollo Tecnológico de la marca.

“Las adaptaciones realizadas, incluyendo la optimización del peso, suavizan el funcionamiento del motor y reducen el consumo, las emisiones y la rumorosidad”, afirma el Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Responsable de Desarrollo Técnico y miembro del Comité de Dirección de Skoda Auto.

El pequeño bloque irá destinado a diversos automóviles del Grupo Volkswagen, como el Skoda Fabia, Skoda Roomster, Volkswagen Polo, Volkswagen Fox, Seat Ibiza y Seat Córdoba.

It’s been almost 2 months (well, 1 month and 23 days to be precise) since I bought my Fabia and it’s doing wonderfully well.

What worries me though is the mileage part of it . I’ve done more than 3000 KM on it till now and whenever I measure the mileage (which, to be candid, has been quite infrequent) it never seems to go beyond 12 kmpl. Mind you, that I have NOT measure the mileage whenever I have taken it out for long drives (an unpardonable sin for the mileage obssessed, but there you go – mea culpa).

I have promised myself that I would watch the trip meter like a hawk, the next time I go on a long drive.

Apart from the mileage front, everything looks spick and span (I hope it stays that way too)!

The Skoda Fabia VRS hot hatch is poised for a comeback next year, a senior source at Skoda has revealed.

He exclusively told Auto Trader the Fabia VRS will:

• Be powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine
• Develop between 165 and 180bhp
• Be equipped with a six-speed DSG semi-automatic gearbox
• Rival the Seat Ibiza FR and Cupra ranges

Although performance figures are sketchy, it’s likely the VRS will offer a 7.5 second 0-62mph time together with a top speed of 135mph, making it the fastest hot hatch the company has ever built.

The Fabia VRS will be launched around July 2010, after the range undergoes a midlife facelift around a month earlier. The cosmetic nip and tuck will see the hatchback receive smaller front lights to fall in line with its latest model, the Yeti crossover SUV.

Read Full story here http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/car_page_content/exclusive_skoda_to_build_fastest_ever_hot_hatch.html

My new Skoda Fabia is about 1 month and 9 days old (I got it delivered on the 2nd of May 2009) and I’m loving it.

Some specs before I proceed further to review the car (based on its performance in the past 1 month):

Model ==> Skoda Fabia Classic

Engine Type ==> 1.2 L MPI (Petrol)

Dealer ==> TAFE Access Ltd., Bangalore

My beaut Fabia!

Apart from a few glitches here and there, I’ve had a good ride so far. I’ll come to the glitches soon but would like to highlight the good bits first, just so that I sound a positive note!

Here are the pros:

1. The clutch – damn powerful! Only caveat is that you’ve got to practice the release quite well else, there is a danger of stalling.

2. The design and the space inside give it a feel of a sedan rather than a hatchback.

3. The pedals were pretty smooth for a new car even during the initial few days (I presume the same would be true for any high end hatchback like Swift).

4. The Boot Space – it can easily fit a BIG suitcase along with some 2-3 small airbags!

The boot space and the leg space were precisely the reason that I went for the Fabia in the first place.

Now to the cons (glitches):

1. NEVER EVER PRESS THE CLUTCH AND THE ACCELERATOR AT THE SAME TIME.

I’ve mentioned this in BOLD letters coz I did it (as one would normally do for a Santro/Indica in an steep incline) and burnt the rubber/asbestos lining on the clutch plate!

Per the service centre – “Fabia is unlike other cars in that the clutch itself is powerful enough to pull the vehicle even in steep inclines and we need not use the accelerator along with the clutch in those situations.”

As I said earlier, the clutch is pretty powerful and I now can easily understand the service centre’s viewpoint (of course, only after burning my clutch plate lining).

2. The pickup when the A/c is on was not too good. I got this corrected with a visit to the service centre resulting in cleaning of the air filter, which got the pickup problem resolved.

3. After reading a lot of negative reviews on Skoda after sales service (also called ASS ), I was quite apprehensive about it. The first visit also did not help mitigate my apprehension – they took 3 days to tell me that there is nothing wrong with my clutch plate (after I burnt the rubber/asbestos lining).

My second visit for checking the pickup when the a/c is switched on, though, was quite positive. They took only 1 day to get the pickup fixed (by cleaning the air filter). They also checked with me a couple of days later if I’d had any problems with their service.

So, all in all, I’d wait for some more time before judging the after sales service.

Thursday I had a full machine correction and protection, as well as a interior upholstery clean to be undertaken on a Fabia vRS. The car does trips up and down from Coventry everyday so understandably it was completely covered in grime.

The package performed on this vehicle was Gold + Full Interior Detail

On Arrival

The vehicle was then snow foamed before washing to remove the majority of the grime on it.

The snow foam didn’t remove everything so it was time to use a fly remover on the front end and mirrors and an all purpose cleaner on the lower parts of the car where some of the excess grime remained. 

Mirror before

Mirror after

The car was then washed with the 2 bucket method and clayed to remove all the left over bonded contaminants. 

I then masked up the car and assessed the condition of the paintwork, all in all it wasn’t to bad, next to no swirls but there were a few marks around the car. The car was treated with an ultra fine polish and a pre-wax cleanser to prepare for the glaze. Deeper scratches were treated with a higher cut compound and finesse with the ultra fine polish.

Drivers Door before

Small scratch, lower drivers door:

Small scuffs/scratches, upper drivers door:

Drivers Door after

Rear Bumper before

Rear Bumper after

Door Handle before

There were some general scratches around the door handle, this was treated with high cut compound by hand.

Door Handle after

After the car was machined the lustre was greatly improved.

Alloys & Tyres before

Lots of brake dust, some of which was quite embedded. The alloys were treated with a wheel brightener, wheel sealant and the tyres were dressed.

Alloy & Tyre after

The vehicle was then glazed with Sonus SFX-3 and sealed. Whilst these layers were left to cure properly before applying Valentines Concours Wax, I started on the interior.

Mats & Pedals before

Pretty grubby to say the least. The mats and pedals were cleaned using an all purpose cleaner and an interior brush, 
wiping the residue away with a microfibre cloth.

Mats & Pedals after

The all purpose cleaner was used with the interior brush was then used on the seats and the plastics were dressed.

Before

After

Time to wax the car with Valentines Concours.

The Results

Boot before

Boot after

Thanks for looking and reading…
Adam

Its called a Fabia. Its made by a co. called Skoda- which seems to be a version of ‘our’ Toyota… Of course if you get one it won’t be invisible though… 22 year-old Sara Watson did that part herself.