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S. Muralidhar

I live in Pondicherry. I bought a Toyota Corolla last year for some Rs 10 lakh. I want to change the car on account of two weaknesses that the company could not rectify in spite of several requests. One, there is no braking at all on the rear wheels and two, the mileage is poor (less then 10 km for a litre of unleaded petrol on a relatively traffic-free road). These two details affect the safety and the running cost, respectively, and hence are important to me. I wish to sell the Corolla and buy a new car in the same class with good braking (preferably ABS) and a mileage of at least 12 km per litre. Which one will you recommend?

ANDRE` VIOZAT

The Toyota Corolla reeks of a global pedigree and has been one of the most successful Toyota cars ever from the Japanese manufacturer. In India, Toyota may not have offered the Corolla with all the frills that the car comes with globally at the time of launch, but the Indian subsidiary has been quietly adding more value to the car.

The problems with the poor braking at the rear wheels' solid disc brakes in your Corolla should be easy to fix. Further, the mileage of about 10 kmpl should be considered reasonable for a gasoline driven car in this size category. This mileage is due to VVT-i engine. With minor modifications to your driving style, you may be able to get a slightly better mileage number from your Corolla. Yes, the Corolla did not come with anti-lock braking systems (ABS). So, your desire for higher safety may not be fully satisfied by the features in your Corolla.

Our recommendation to you will be the Hyundai Elantra, which offers loads more of features in a smart and fairly similar package compared to the Corolla. Yes, the Elantra is not in the same league globally as the Corolla and so lacks the image that the Corolla comes pre-loaded with. But, the Elantra has compelling value, with its much higher focus on technology and safety. The Elantra sports ABS with traction control for better braking and control in slippery conditions, and it also comes fitted with electronic brake force distribution (EBD) as part of standard fitment.

If mileage or cost per km is also a key factor to be considered, you may want to choose the diesel Elantra that offers a top-of-the-line two-litre common rail- direct-injected (CRDi) engine.

What is the reason for the difference between the fuel efficiencies of the Hyundai Santro Xing and the Suzuki Wagon R. Both have 1.1-litre engines. Is it because of the size of the engine or power?

MANOJ P. MATHEW

There are a number of factors that affect a car's fuel efficiency. Assuming that there are no special mileage-boosting technologies at work, the simplest, most obvious factors that decide whether the car will be a fuel sipper or guzzler are the size and weight of the car, the size of the engine and the presence of other features, such as the air-conditioner and power steering, which are parasitical on the engine.

The other parameters that will affect the fuel efficiency of the car are the level of refinement of the engine, the engine ignition mapping that has been chosen by the manufacturer as the most appropriate for this market, and the power rating and torque curve characteristics for which the engine has been tuned. The flatter the torque curve and higher the power per tonne of vehicle weight, the better the mileage. There are a few other points that affect mileage including tyre width, spacing of the gear ratios and availability of power-saving features such as electronic power steering.

The Santro Xing is powered by a 1,086cc-engine and the car is slightly heavier than the Wagon-R. Further, the characteristics of the Wagon-R's 1,061cc-engine, the electronic power steering in the Maruti car and the slightly thinner tyres may be the reasons for its higher mileage capability compared to the Santro Xing.

This refers to your suggestions in the Auto Focus column regarding the Hyundai Getz. I had almost finalised on the Fiat Palio, but have now decided to wait to check out the Getz. A competing car dealer told me that the Getz has a ground clearance of only 140-145 mm which will be a problem in Indian road conditions. How will ground clearance affect or constrain the vehicle's movement in Indian's conditions?

B.R.MALLICK

The ground clearance for the Indian version of the Getz is about 165 mm, which is a comfortable height to take the car over most Indian road conditions. The Getz's ground clearance has been raised for the Indian market compared to the 145 mm, which is the ground clearance of the car in other markets.

Ground clearance can be an important factor in Indian conditions where deep potholes and tall speed breakers can be a big problem to negotiate for car with a low clearance. In the Getz the minimum clearance for the under body is even more important compared to the other small cars and sedans, as the car's wheelbase is much longer than even a few entry level mid-size cars.

However, excessively raising the car to provide for higher ground clearance can also affect the ride and make for a visually less-appealing profile. The gap between wheel arches and tyres will affect the looks of the car. A balance between the options is the norm.

Queries may be sent to: q&a@thehindu.co.in or by post to Q&A, Business Line, 859/860, Kasturi Buildings, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002.

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