Benchmarking

Benchmarking:

Benchmarking involves structured comparison between similar products, services or processes on some dimensions of performance. For example, it can be used to compare the availability and delivery of features in a product and in this form often provides the basis of consumer tests and reviews. These look at products and services and provide recommendations based on which is best or some form of ranking amongst competitors.

Case:

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.

Report

Points which can make Mr. Pughazhyendhii satisfactory:

・ As Mr.Pughazhyendhii is fond of big cars and there are elderly people with whom he travels(his parents), Pughazhyendhii might expect to have good amount of leg space.

・ As Bangalore is a crowded city with heavy traffic jams one can recommend an automatic car.

・ But as his budget is from 8-10 lakhs, one will recommend him to go for a manual car.

Performance parameters which are compared:

Engine Displacement:

Engine displacement is the combined swept volume of the pistons inside the cylinders of an engine. It is calculated from the bore (diameter of the cylinders), stroke (distance the piston travels), and number of cylinders.

The equation for calculating displacement is: Engine displacement = π/4 * bore² * stroke * number of cylinders. Displacement is usually measured in liters (L), cubic centimeters (CC), or cubic inches (CI). [1litre=1000cc]

Stroke: length from TDC to BDC.

Why is engine displacement or capacity important?

Traditionally more the capacity or displacement means more power as it burns more fuel. But in the present days, engines make use of turbo charges to suck more air into the cylinder which means the engines with comparatively less capacities also can make more power. Small engines give good fuel efficiency where as large engines give more power but give less fuel efficiency.

Max Torque:

Torque is nothing but the twisting force applied on an object to turn it.

Measured in Nm.

Torque= Force * Distance.

For example consider the act of opening a nut using a wrench. For this action we need to apply a twisting force to open the nut. The line of action of force being along the wrench. When length of the wrench is more it takes less amount of force to open the nut.

In the case of a car, torque is controlled by gear ratios. Using different gear ratios we control the distance and hence torque.

Max Brake Horse Power:

Traditionally 'brake horsepower' (bhp) has been used as the definitive measurement of engine power. It's distinct from horsepower because it takes into account power loss due to friction.

Brake Horsepower (bhp) is often used as a more realistic measurement of power. This is because bhp considers the power left after other car parts are working such as the gearbox, alternator, and water pump as well as any loss of power due to friction.

Power is defined as the rate at which work is done upon an object. Power is a time-based quantity which is related to how fast a job is done. The formula for power is mentioned below.

Power = Work / time

P = W / t

Power= (Torque * rpm)/5252

Mileage (ARAI):

ARAI which means Automotive Research Association of India. This research association runs the vehicle under ideal conditions, at a maximum speed of 90kmph. Ideal conditions means that during this test traffic is not considered, ups and downs of a real road are not considered. At this specified speed the fuel efficiency of the vehicle is calculated.

Analysis and Discernment:

Mr. Pughazhyendhii family travels every month to Madurai. I prefer to give the family a good amount of space for luggage and hence I recommend a vehicle with larger boot space. Compact SUVs have made a mark in the automobile industry. Large boot space is one of the factors why compact SUVs have become more appealing to the customers.

Tata Nexon gives a reasonable boot space for Mr. Pughazhyendhii.

Tata Nexon also gives Mr. Pughazhyendhii very good mileage and fuel efficiency. 17kmpl is an impressive mileage for someone who drives in the city as well as in the outskirts.

Based on the engine and performance characteristics shown in the excel sheet it can be said that Tata Nexon is not only offering higher mileage but also better performance of all the above compared compact SUVs.