What's Your Driving Style With Your Car(s)?

[Akash1886]

Friends,

I know many might think, what do I mean to say? To put it in rather simple words, many of us may be having more than one car at our place including hatchbacks, SUV and Sedans. Most of us do inter-change our drives(read cars) during the week just to break the monotony and drive something relatively different. So, how's your driving style when you change your cars on a weekly or fortnightly basis? Do you drive your hatchback, the same way you drive your sedan? Or do you drive your Sedan the way you drive your SUV maybe or vice versa? Do you drive both your hatchbacks in the same driving style? How do you drive your car(s) i.e Sedate, Aggressive or Need Based?

My take on the subject

Cars at present with me:

* Maruti Esteem Vxi Petrol.

* Honda City IVtec.

* Maruti Suzuki SX4 Petrol.

Maruti Esteem: This is one sedan, which I drive without any inhibitions. A take it any where sedan for the City and Highways. Drive is pretty smooth and gear shifts till date are really smooth. Steering this car in traffic is not a real issue and it can also come out of tight corners when I am at the steering wheel. At an average speed of 70-80km/h which I drive, it gives me real smooth ride. No unwanted sounds coming from nooks and corners. I feel the calmness when I drive it. As its 9 year old now, this has become my weekend drive to be honest. The strength of this car as I have often seen is on highways and expressways. Without any unnecessary races to the accelerator, I can be at peace while driving it and neither overtaking is a pain in this car in moderate traffic. This car is not for aggressive drivers. Its for those who wish to have calm and happy ride!

*Honda City Ivtec: The 1.5 L Ivtec, is a rev-happy engine. When I drive it occasionally, then there is a vast difference in the Esteem and Honda City. Honda City's drive is more fast and responsive. On highways I have driven between 80-90km/h (no triple digits for me) and had a smile on my face all the way. The steering is much lighter if compared to Esteem but yes there was slight issue in judging the distance from front vehicle as the bonnet is not visible from the cabin. If I accelerate on requirements, this has better pick up and over taking is faster. All in all, a fast yet stable ride for me always. This car I believe can be driven in mixed fashion i.e can be a luxurious sedan in sedate, and a racer too.

* Maruti Suzuki SX4: This is one hardcore drunkard in my garage. 1.6 Engine is fast and aggressive in driving. When on road, this car does show its presence. Steering is slightly hard but not really bad. Has good frontal view which has many times helped me negotiate the front distance. I rarely get tired when I drive it. On Yamuna Expressway, I saw the potential of this car. However, Its not as agile while driving in traffic and turning. Needs patience and precision more than my other sedans. I have driven it at 80 km/h most of the time and it feels rather planted to the road thus giving a great ride. This is best driven in range of 60-80 km/h i.e sedate in my case specifically.

Regards

Akash

 

[Niku]

Nice thread Akash. Here's my take.

Cars with me :

1. Liva Diesel - This is a slow performer at highway speeds and anything more than 3k RPM would make the engine scream for breath. Best driven as a sedate car, I drive it mostly in the 2nd gear from 0-30 kmph without an effort. The negligible turbo lag makes it easy to pull straight from the 2nd gear. This is strictly made for the city and offers extremely good performance for in-city commute. The neutral steering and suspension are very well calibrated and offer decent ride quality on bad roads. A total sedate cruiser on the highway, and takes its owm sweet time to build up speed. Driving fast doesn't make sense in this car, it's no rocket (or shall I say, Polo GT ). Handling is neutral and the steering is responsive for a sedately driven diesels. New gen Marutis have a typically smooth steering which may be liked by some, but the Liva has a slightly hard steering at slow speeds. I keep the engine below 2k RPM most of the time and it serves me good. It can be chucked into quick corners but these actions don't inspire confidence.

2. SX4 Petrol - A fast performer. Being a bit harsh on the accelerator pedal can help you make good progress on the highways. It feels dull in traffic and is a pain to drive, considering the bulky wheel arches and a unresponsive steering coupled with the dull performance at lower RPMs. Once in the power zone, the engine does wonders and revs freely with constant boost of power. Ride quality isn't particularly plush and so is the handling, but this one is good for the highways. It is no road rocket either, the engine does feel stressed at high speeds and NVH levels are not that good at high RPMs. Loads of body roll makes it difficult to throw it in the corners and enthusiasts won't like this behaviour.

3. Dzire Petrol - It is a peppy performer in the mid range. The 1.2 unit runs out of breath pretty early and leaves a lot to be desired in outright acceleration occurences. Low range is slightly better than the SX4 (the throttle response is quick) but still has a lack of power upto 1.8k RPM. After that, the engine is a gem. Super refined engine, coupled with predictable handling and a better steering than the SX4, this will keep you happy all day long at 80 kmph. The engine note and NVH levels are surprisingly pleasant even near the redline. After attaining a good speed (more than enough for Indian roads), acceleration is real slow and throttle becomes lifeless. Steering is a lot smoother than the SX4 but requires a firm hand on the highways. It is extremely chuckable at speeds and handles better than the bigger SX4 with controlled body roll.

Regards,
Nikunj

 

[SiriSiri888]

Good topic to talk about akash! IMHO, the driving style also changes with the type of car one drives. I own Hyundai 1.6crdi(2009) and the white cheetah(XUV500 W6-2015)
Its more fun to push the throttle on my beast and cruising on the highway effortlessly, no other car/suv does better than my white cheetah( less than 20Lakh segment).
My daily drive is about 90km from workplace to home( up and down) . And entire travel is on the highway on one of the crowded roads in south India. Eversince Cheetah is my daily travel buddy, one can imagine the kind of fun i get. Infact driving is more pleasing and the car grows on you!
I drive according to the need. But sedate/aggressive, the white predator is ever-ready, to take on the task effortlessly.

 

[furious_driver]

I would have voted Sedate, but I drive aggressively sometimes(Never thought I do so)!

Reason? Because of the car!

1. Xcent - This is my primary commute car and I prefer to drive Sedate with this car. Compared to other cars I drive, I would rate this not fun to push car! It will push, but not to my liking(You will see the reason later). It is the car, to relax, to enjoy the day. Just put on some music, drive sedately and try not to sleep. That relax!

2. SX4 Diesel - This is my backup ride and not been used lately. But god, have I been addicted to the turbo. This one just got me hooked up. Before I realize I tough triple digit speeds and it is hard not to cross, unless you look at speedometer always. Even in city, I like to drive aggressive with this beast. In highways, it is whole different ball game with this car. Overtaking is a piece of cake and I wouldn't mind cruising in triple digit speed all day long. No other car so far amazed me like it did! Not even my uncles XUV!

3. Xylo - Even if I wanted to, I can't. Why? Not that it can, but I hardly drive it in highway and due to the excessive body roll, I prefer to drive sedately. If I am alone, I will try to have some fun with it, but the size is a big issue. But on the good side, whenever I sit in Xylo, I feel like I am sitting on elephant due to the view.

 

[Vignesh_k]

I am usually a sedate driver, but give me some smooth roads and lesser traffic, I will vent out a bit to let the aggressive side come out.

1. Maruti Dzire ZXi - This is the model which has a bigger boot (before Maruti decided to chop down the boot to avail sub-4m benefits). This is the car I have driven the most. Being a petrol, the low-end torque always made sure I drove this pretty sedately. Most long drives are with my family, fully loaded and mostly on the Western Ghats. Gives very less opportunity for aggressive driving. But I have pushed it through some corners and it does reasonably well - has some body roll though. I also take it to the highways in Tamil Nadu (very rarely), and that is when I drive this car aggressively.

2. Honda Amaze S i-DTEC - Not a car I own, but have driven it long enough to list down here. Driven for pretty long drives and the low end torque encouraged me to drive a bit aggressively. Quick overtakes in highways and effortless cruising were both possible. I sedately cruised easily at 120 kmph for quite some time in this car. But once I got some opportunity, I drove it pretty aggressively as well. Wife was thrilled to see me drive aggressively as I never used to do that in our Dzire.

3. Honda City S i-DETC - Not a car I own, but have driven it long enough to list down here. Actually this car was not effortless as Amaze. The turbo-lag showed up slightly as the weight is slightly more compared to Amaze. However, highway cruising was so easy with the 6th gear on. Driving it on the elevated expressway in Bangalore was such a pleasant experience. Didnt push it as aggressively as the Amaze and Dad really loved the car.

4. Mahindra Bolero - My Father-in-law's car. The engine has enough grunt to be driven aggressively, but the feather light steering does not let me do that. I tried it sometimes and got really nervous with the steering. So, limited to 80-90 kmph in all circumstances.

5. Hyundai Santro - My Brother-in-law's car. This engine's low end is much better than our Dzire's and this is one car I drove really aggressively. In Kerala highways, from sharp overtaking to chucking into tight spaces at a signal to racing away once the light is green - done all that. However, the soft suspension and play-station steering prevents me to cross limits in open roads and twisty roads. There I become more sedate. But this is one car for aggressive city driving.

 

[sappy3937]

I generally tend to drive sedately but don't mind to hit the throttle if I find a chance

Like to shift to 5th gear asap in highway as well as in city. My mileage oriented mind leads to that. However, pulling in 2nd / 3rd gears sometimes fulfils the enthusiasm in me.

 

[Samba07]

Etios 1.5 petrol - I drive it fast on the highways. Excellent brakes, good power to weight ratio and neutral handling makes the car a good highway performer.
However in city i drive it sedately. It needs some space to squeeze through.

Alto k10- I drive it fast in city. Its really a pocket rocket and can squeeze through small gaps! Its excellent for fast city driving.
However on highways i drive this car rather conservatively. Though this car is capable of doing really high speeds but at higher speeds the braking ability and the handling of this car do not aid confidence. I do higher speeds only in straight lines. I really slow down if there is a tight corner or there is a possibility of braking hard. The powerful engine do not gel well with the handling and braking ability of this car.

 

[chevrolet]

Iam a sedate driver on highways and aggressive inside city.

 

[Akash1886]

Iam a sedate driver on highways and aggressive inside city.

So which is the car that you drive and what's the response of it to your driving pattern buddy?

Regards

Akash

 

[acechip]

Nissan Micra CVT Mostly used for city/office commutes, it presents a very easy, facile driving requirement. I give it light throttle blips and it manages to stay perfectly in the 50-70 kph zone with the engine running between 1100-1600 RPM. Even the occasional push to 90 kph keeps the engine a tad under 2000 RPM. OF course, the CVT does show its rubberband effect from time to time, but then you should be careful not to compete with manual shift cars. I let the other cars zip by while going from 0-40, with the secret satisfaction of achieving higher mileage than those cars, inspite of automatic transmission. In nearly 17000km, I have consistently got between 14-16 kmpl. Hard to beat. An extremely under-rated car in terms of space, comfort, economy and maintenance cost.
Renault Duster Its been just about 998km in my ownership, but its definitely a very comfortable car to drive, despite its near-SUV like dimensions in terms of height and width. Ride quality is excellent, and I keep her steady between 70-90kph , which it does between 1500-2000 RPM happily. Fuss-free gear/clutch combination. Yet to take her on a long (>150km) trip. But should be a relaxed mile-muncher.

 

[type-r]

I use couple cars:

My own Ertiga ZDi: I drive it very aggresively when I am alone. With parents I drive sedately though occasionally I do end up going faster than I expected because of the turbo.

My uncle's Santro: Its the CNG variant so I feel pickup is generally less. Have to revv her so much to get any sort of performance out of her.

My friend's Polo 1.2P: Less power but I drive it hard since its got an entertaining chassis to cope.

A friend's Octavia Tsi: I push this like hell. The engine is so addictive with the DSG gearbox. Its an amazing package!

 

[chevrolet]

So which is the car that you drive and what's the response of it to your driving pattern buddy?

Regards

Akash

Chevy spark Ls: This is what i drive mostly, inside the city its fun to drive can compete with any vehicle . In city imo what matters is driving skill and prediction. Most people who drive powerful vehicles have just a big ego thinking the smaller/weaker car should not overtake them. Its fun to keep such amateurs from overtaking in city traffic. But in highways its a different story, with a weak car like spark anybody with a powerful car can overtake easily irrespective of driving skill etc. so sedate on highways.

city zx: This is family vehicle so i drive this on weekends, it is not powerful too but still it is better than spark because of its power steering, better cornering and revving. same here aggressive inside city and sedate on 4 lane highways.
My personal rules of aggressive driving,
1. If the car behind is tailgating let him pass, so that i can overtake him again.This if done a couple of times makes the driver to stop tailgating .
2. Never overtake from the left.even when the rival does it.
3. Overtaking in traffic signal,not cool.
4. Dont take it personal and respect the other driver if you feel he has skill.

 

[icecool]

I have given my vote as aggressive.. Reason being me still calm while driving, I make sure the people around me perceive me to be aggressive.. Now here is the trick...

Every tom, dick and harry thinks he is an expert driver on road, and squeezes through every nook / gap. This increases the possibility of accidents/ dents/ scratches.. Also some zoom like they are in a hurry to save the country from nuclear attack, and they expect me to be the one give way to them. Some pedestrians / 2 wheelers risk their life on road every moment with an expectation that the person behind the wheel will stop for them on time, some just drive as if they are alone on the road, never see rear view mirror, never react to horns or headlight flash, .. and many other concerns as well..

The way i drive, i try to project to them that dont be a fool around me, and they behave well. I just have a logic, if you want to die on road, its your wish, just that dont think to die under my wheel. Just in case you are hell-bent to try me, I am still expecting you to, and have anticipated it well ahead.

I do look out for good drivers, or power heads and take appropriate steps to respect them for different reasons all together.. Even though I may be considered aggressive behind wheels, I follow all the ticks of highway or city driving.. having grown up around a highway has definitely helped me to realize the affects and causes of the situations

Santro : Its for zipping around the mad bangalore traffic. And I am more aggressive on this, but know my cars limitations.

i20 : My daily drive to office (50+kms everyday), and i love sailing on its smooth engine...

 

[swadesh]

Xcent : my 1st own Car ! , Have taken it to several Long drivers, - 800 Kms, 1000 Kms, 1500 Kms, 3000 Kms, etc (return), I drive mostly at 50-55 within City, and Drive at comfortable 90-100 on Highways.

I mostly/Always :-
1. Try to Use Engine braking as much as possible, to save on fuel and avoid pushing brakes.
2. Driver mostly at 50 in City and 90 at Highways.
3. Shift to 5th gear on 50 Kmph, for better Fuel Economy.
4. Never drive Rash, always calm and composed behind the Wheels :)
5. Never try to over take from Wrong side or on Corners,
6. Use dipper at nights, Use very very less Honking,
7. Keep a proper vision on Rear View, Side View mirrors and on front always.

 

[roadrunner]

1. Alto 800 -- AC off for overtaking No hard braking, use the middle lane, but while coming late night from work I maintain a constant 70-80 kmph since I go via the deserted Lutyens' Delhi. Keep very safe distance from autos. Don't overtake SUVs; it makes them aggressive! If driving alone the acceleration of the A800 is more than enough to get past even a segment higher vehicle from the red light. Minimal engine braking. Why put unnecessary strain on the drive train of this small vehicle?

2) i10 Sportz -- Drive this if I have to go toward Noida or Gurgaon and other NCR areas. Smooth gear shift and good acceleration for the expressway. But I miss the A800 toy-car type feel in heavy traffic inside city.

3) EcoSport -- For going on longer drives. Sariska, Udaipur, etc. Feels assured in high speed, contrary to what people say about its body roll. It never bothered me. But haven't taken it to work ever because of parking issues. I am a 'slow' driver with this one, around 80 kmph on the highway. I fire up some slow music and enjoy the ride.

Come to think of it, the Alto 800 is my favourite for everyday runs. It ticks all my needs just right!