Thursday 14 August 2014

Tata Zest review: A highly competent car that can match the Xcent ...

Tata Zest <b>review</b>: A highly competent <b>car</b> that can match the Xcent <b>...</b>

Tata Zest <b>review</b>: A highly competent <b>car</b> that can match the Xcent <b>...</b>

Posted: 12 Aug 2014 12:14 AM PDT

The Zest has been drawn from the ground up, keeping all of Tata Motors' baggage from the past aside. Work on this car began nearly three years ago involving over 6,000 engineers and technicians spread across 11 technical centers in five countries.

That might seem like a lot of manpower to develop just one car, but then you have to keep in mind the Zest is not just one car - it is the seed, the progeny of things to come from Tata Motors over the next decade.

The other reason for involving so many people in this project is that the Zest is intended to be a global car. The Zest is also not just one car but two, like most modern cars in the compact segment, the platform it has been raised on spawns both a sedan and a hatchback.

While the Zest is the sedan, the hatchback is named Bolt and will be introduced in the Indian market in a few months from now.

So is the Tata Zest a better car than the rest of the cars in this segment? I don't think so, but for the first time I am willing to consider the Zest in the same segment and to evaluate it on the same stage as the Xcent, the Amaze or the Dzire, all superstar compact sedans.

What Tata Motors has done is simply brilliant, they haven't made a great car but the Zest is a highly competent car that can finally match up to anything else in the segment. I can appreciate the fact that for the first time in years there is a sense of direction and a remarkable focus to achieve the goals set at the end of that road map.

I also appreciate the fact that for once Tata Motors isn't trying to reinvent the box as much as they are trying to clean up the box of all its past junk.

The big challenge however for Tata Motors after the slump of the past two years and the erosion of its equity will be to convince consumers to bite into this car. Not many want a Tata product but I think that is set to change.

One issue that I do hope has also been addressed is that of the reliability and quality. But having seen the kind of product it has come out with, I am now perfectly willing to believe Tata Motors when it says that that area has been taken care of as well.

I think it's time you considered walking into a Tata Motors showroom and give the Zest an opportunity to present its case. The result I think will surprise you just as it surprised me!

(This is an abridged version. Read the full review on Overdrive.in)

Sprint <b>Car</b> Video Raises Question: Should Charges Be Filed Against <b>...</b>

Posted: 11 Aug 2014 06:23 AM PDT

NASCAR star Tony Stewart hit and killed fellow-driver Kevin Ward Jr. during an altercation at a Sprint Car race in New York on Saturday night. The question is: will criminal charges be filed?

The confrontation began on the previous lap when Stewart appeared to push Ward into the fence ("wall," for you non-racing fans), causing the 20-year-old driver to spin out and crash. Ward then jumped out of his car and angrily walked down the track – waiting for Stewart to come back around.

In the video, several cars can be seen ducking under the visibly-angry driver. Just prior to the impact, the driver of a blue-and-white car clearly sees Ward and swerves to avoid him.

A split-second before striking Ward, Stewart revs his engine. While some reports say the rear of Stewart's car kicked out as a result, causing him to hit Ward, the video suggests he hit the young driver before the rear of his car came around.

Needless to say, it's a terrible tragedy for all involved, including Tony Stewart. But questions remain.

Stewart has a long history as a hot head, on and off the track. Did he see Ward, as several other drivers did? If so, was he attempting to "buzz the tower" and continue the confrontation that began on the previous lap?

Incidentally, if you don't think Stewart saw Ward, then why did he rev his engine right before he hit him?

Police have questioned Stewart twice about the incident and are asking eyewitnesses to come forward.

Again, an unavoidable tragedy for Tony Stewart, or did his anger finally get the best of him?

Update: This article mistakenly identified the driver as Carl Ward and the race as affiliated under the NASCAR umbrella. The errors have been fixed, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
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