Benchmarking

BENCHMARKING

Benchmarking in automobile industry involved structured comparisons between similar product, services or processes of some dimensions of performance.

• Performance
• Driveability
• Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
• Sound / NVH
• RDE: CO2 / Real life fuel consumption
• Pollutant emissions
• Friction
• Thermal, energy management
• Vehicle dynamics, handling
• Ride Comfort

INPUT:

Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii is a married man who lives in Bangalore which is a highly crowded city. His Family comprises five members including his wife, five-year-old boy, his father, and his mother. He visits his native place Madurai which is 500kms away from Bangalore once in a month. Also, he will be using his car to commute to his office. His budget falls between 8 to 10 lakhs on road. Please suggest to him with options so that he will buy a good car for his family.

Note: Pughazhyendhii is fond of big cars

Benchmark with presently available cars in the market

I have choosed following cars as per Mr. D.S. Pughazhyendhii requirements

1. Maruti Suzuki Baleno
2. Tata Altroz
3. Renault Kiger
4. Skoda Rapid TSI

• Maruti Suzuki Baleno

Maruti Suzuki Baleno gets a mid-life update with fresh set of cosmetic and added features inside the cabin. The vehicle is available in four trims – Sigma, Delta, Zeta and Alpha. The vehicle is available in petrol and diesel engine options. The vehicle is available in six colour options – pearl artic white, premium silver, nexa blue, autumn orange, phoenix red and magma grey. The Maruti Baleno has 1 Petrol Engine on offer. The Petrol engine is 1197 cc . It is available with the Manual & Automatic transmission. . The Baleno is a 5 seater and has length of 3995mm, width of 1745mm and a wheelbase of 2520mm. price range start from ₹ 5.88 to 9.09 lakhs.

Good aspects

• Projector LED headlamps: The only car in its class to get these. Offers better night visibility.
• UV Cut Glass: As the name suggest, UV cut glass restricts the amount of UV rays that enter the cabin; keeps the cabin relatively cooler as well.
• Speed Alert System: Only car in its class to get this passive safety feature. A speed alert system gives audible warnings when the car goes over 80kmph

Bad aspects

• Currently not under production
• Availability of spares
• High cost of spares
• Low body ( unsuitable for bad roads)
• Headlamp brightness

Mileage

• ARAI: 21.4 kmpl (petrol ) 27.4 kmpl (diesel)
• CITY: 14 kmpl (petrol)
• HIGHWAY: 23.87 kmpl (petrol) 21.40 kmpl (diesel)

• Tata Altroz

Tata Altroz is a 5 seater Hatchback available in a price range of ₹ 5.44 - 9.09 Lakh. Tata Altroz 2021, is now available with iTurbo. The new Altroz iTurbo will create another benchmark with new gizmos and the new engine addition, the new Altroz iTurbo will be powered by a new 1.2L Petrol iTurbo engine and a new top of the line XZ+ trim which will flaunt all the new and exceptional features.
The price of Tata Altroz petrol base variant XE starts at ₹ 5.44 Lakh while the diesel base variant XE 1.5 D starts at ₹ 6.99 Lakh
The Altroz will also be equipped with the iRA tech – a connected car technology. Apart from 27 new and additional features, it also comes with natural voice tech, through which the car understands and processes voice commands not only in English or Hindi, but also Hinglish.
Experience an exhilarating performance of Tata Altroz with the powerful engine of iTurbo.

Good aspects

• Dual front air bag, Seat belt reminder for driver and co-driver, ABS with EBD, Speed sensing auto door lock, Front fog lamps with cornering, Rear and central locking
• Altroz exemplify athletic sharpness. Design so sharp.
• Powerful BS6 petrol and diesel engines, fine-tuned suspension and comprehensive control and to conquer every city road.
• Premium leatherette seats, personalized wallpaper, rear AC vents, flat floor design and 90-degree opening doors.
• Easy installation system for child seat to keep your little ones safe
• ABS braking system, corner stability control and EBD.
• ALFA architecture along with energy absorbing body structure.

Bad aspects

• The direct door opening feature
• Misses out on some feature and No automatic.

Mileage

• ARAI: 25.11 kmpl (Diesel) 19.05 kmpl (petrol)
• City: 20 kmpl (Diesel & Petrol)
• Highway: 25 kmpl ( Diesel & Petrol)

• Renault Kiger

The Renault Kiger is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured by Renault. It was revealed on January 2021 and will be marketed in March 2021. Designed and manufactured in India, it is positioned under the Duster to occupy the sub-4 metre crossover SUV segment in India. At launch, Renault claimed the vehicle has the best-in-class cargo capacity with a volume of 405 liters, expandable to 879 liters after folding the rear seats. 5 seater renault kiger price ranges from ₹5.45 to 9.72 lakhs

Good aspect

• 4 airbags - driver, passenger and 2 front side airbags.
• ABS & EBD
• Front parking sensor
• New 1.0L turbo engine, multi-skin 17.78 cm reconfigurable TFT cluster
• Multi-sense drive modes
• Tri-octa pure vision LED headlamps with LED DRLs day & night.

Bad aspects

• Kwid-like Styling
• Poor NVH Levels, In order to price the Kiger competitively, Renault has cut some corners and the cabin does have poor NVH levels. Again, considering the competition, and the asking price of the top variants, that won’t do
• Basic Interior Quality – Although the car is packed with features, the quality of materials used inside is not that great. Plenty of hard plastics might ensure longevity of parts, but they are not good to touch or look at. For sure that is a downer, especially when the price of the CVT variants are taken into account
• No Diesel Engine Option

Mileage

• ARIA: 20 kmpl (petrol)
• CITY: 20 kmpl
• HIGHWAY: 20 kmpl

Skoda Rapid TSI

5 seater Skoda Rapid TSI Rider is the petrol variant in the Rapid TSI lineup and is priced at ₹ 7.80 Lakh. This Rider variant comes with an engine putting out 109 bhp @ 5000 rpm and 175 Nm @ 1750 rpm of max power and max torque respectively. Skoda Rapid TSI Rider is available in Manual transmission and offered in 2 colours: Carbon Steel and Candy White.

Good aspects

• 2 Airbags (Driver, Passenger)
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)
• Thrilling Power Delivery. This new 1.0-litre, three-cylinder, turbo-petrol motor makes 110bhp and a rather healthy 175Nm of torque.
• Solid Build and Spot-on Ergonomics.
• Dynamic Handling.
• Comfortable and Practical Cabin.
• Spacious Boot

Bad aspects

• Outdated looks
• Firm slow speed ride
• No rear camera
• Even the space is at a premium, as compared to the City or Ciaz. The boot space is the lowest in its class at just 460-litres.

Mileage

• ARAI: 15.41 kmpl (petrol) 21.13 (diesel)
• CITY: 16.24 kmpl
• HIGHWAYL: 15 kmpl (petrol) 21 kmpl(diesel)

Conclusion:

• Now we’ve taken a look at both the positives and the negatives.
• Tata altroz has good driving dynamics, spacious cabin, long feature list, safety rating, and of course, its attractive looks
• Tata altroz impresses with its radical design and a decent list of features.
• Tata altroz has been designed to offer world-class protection to its occupants, Equipped with ALFA Architecture and a comprehensive safety system ALTROZ has achieved 5-star Global NCAP rating
• with powerful BS6 petrol and diesel engines, fine-tuned suspension and comprehensive control and to conquer every city road and give your drive the added boost you seek.
• Factory-fitted custom packs are made to suit your requirements and taste, so you don’t have to compromise on quality or warranty.