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S. Muralidhar

I HAVE been thinking of buying an ambulance to be given away in charity to a non-profit organisation. Where can I get the details, such as cost and availability, of such vehicles? Which passenger car model is best suited for this purpose?

Ganesh Iyer

Of the current set of vehicles available in the market, two of the most popular and most suited passenger vans for being converted into an ambulance would be the Maruti Omni from Maruti Udyog in the small-sized ambulance category and the Tempo Traveller from Bajaj Tempo in the full-sized ambulance category.

There are other fabricators and local body builders who will be able to customise and construct an ambulance on a mini-bus chassis or on a utility vehicle chassis. Depending on the city that you intend buying the vehicle in, the information can be obtained from a local business directory or the local branch of the Automobile Association of India.

Another company that manufactures a customised application of an ambulance in-house is Eicher Motors. This ambulance is built on a sturdier light commercial vehicle chassis.

If you intend buying the customised ambulance from either Maruti, Eicher or Bajaj Tempo, any local dealer can be approached for the purpose. An order can be placed at the local dealership for the vehicle, but since production of such special application vehicles are made on a `per-order' basis, the gestation between the placement of the order and delivery is likely to be longer than the regular delivery period for an `off-the-showroom' model. Pricing for these vehicles will not be available readily since they are likely to differ from State to State and will depend on the level of customisation. Depending on the existing tax laws at the time of delivery, you may be able to claim income-tax, sales tax and/or excise duty waiver or rebate. Applicability of other levies such as road tax may also vary from State to State.

I have been driving a Maruti Omni for the past several years and I plan to change the car now. My first choice will be the Versa DX, which has a lot of luggage space and passenger capacity like the Omni, with the added advantage of power steering and air-conditioning. I, however, did not find many reviews about Versa and am consequently in two minds. What is Versa's fuel efficiency in city as well as highway driving? How effective is the single air-conditioner in the DX model considering the large interior of the car? Are there any other issues that are of significance when considering the Versa DX?

Suri Narayan

The Maruti Suzuki Versa is a very practical family vehicle, which, while being a fairly spacious peoples mover, can also be an efficient cargo transporter. So, if your are a businessman or keen on more space for your family in the car, the twin benefits of the Versa will be of particular significance.

The Versa DX is an eight-seater, but the third row can be folded and flipped over to create a much larger storage space at the rear. Maruti calls this feature flexi-seating.

The Versa also comes with a 1,298cc metatech engine that generates a class leading 82 bhp of peak power, more than sufficient for a vehicle in this class. The 16-valve engine also features dry coil, double distributor-less ignition and cam position sensor controlled ignition timing that give the engine instant ignition and importantly, also gives a boost to the car's fuel efficiency. In the absence of a second air-conditioner, the Versa DX's fuel efficiency will be 9-11 kmpl in city driving conditions and 11-14 kmpl in the highway.

What you will miss in the Versa DX vis-à-vis the DX2 and the SDX variants will be tilt steering, rear spoiler and the second air-conditioner, which also comes with an extra set of four vents for the second and third row of seats. But the difference in prices between the two higher priced variants could range from Rs 40,000 to Rs 90,000 compared to the DX variant.

The Versa DX's single air-conditioner will seem to be underpowered for a vehicle of its size and length. The fact that the dashboard of the vehicle cannot accommodate bigger air-conditioner vents and that the blower cannot be expected to be powerful enough to adequately reach cooled air to the third row of seats, particularly during summer, may be a negative factor to take note of. However, if the third row of seats are only expected to be used rarely or if you are living in an Indian city which has a relatively cooler climate, then the Versa DX's lack of a second air-conditioner may not be that much of a deterrent.

A point in favour of the Versa, at least compared to the Omni, is its much improved safety features. They include a collapsible steering column, halogen headlamps, front impact and side impact beams, seat belts for all the seats and eight-inch booster-assisted brakes.

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

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