VR Tech Times

The Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 longterm test bike has just entered the Autocar India fleet and we've spent a few days riding it in Mumbai. This motorcycle was part of the Press fleet during the first ride experience in Rajasthan and we received the bike with a little over 800km on the clock. As we pile on the miles, a detailed longterm report as well as a road test will be out soon. Meanwhile, in the three days we’ve been riding the bike, the odometer has already crossed the 1,000km mark. And that meant it was time for the first service.   . Autocar’s Super Meteor 650 undergoes first service . First service costs Rs 2386  . Oil and oil filter change carried out   Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650: First service costs A quick call to Royal Enfield and the service appointment was given immediately.  With the bike on the ramp, the first service of the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 began. From draining the old oil, replacing the oil filter and pouring 3.1-litr...

The Suzuki Burgman Street remains one of the most popular 125cc scooters on the market, and with good reason. It’s a reliable, practical and good-looking scooter from a reputed name. Now, in a bid to further widen its appeal, Suzuki has launched the new EX variant, which gets some notable changes over the rest of the range. Let’s take a look at what those are. Suzuki Burgman Street EX: exterior Larger rear wheel aids handling. Apart from the new badging, you’ll be able to tell it’s the new Burgman EX by looking at the rear wheel. It has a 12-inch rear wheel, in place of the 10-incher on the rest of the Burgman (and Access/Avenis) range. This not only changes some riding characteristics, but also helps the scooter’s aesthetics. While the Burgman with the 10-inch rear wheel appeared too small and skinny at the back, this new EX appears much more proportionate. The larger rear tyre has also led to some minor differences in the dimensions and weight. The EX weighs 1kg more (at 111kg)...

Last fall, it was announced that the 1997 classic N64 first-person shooter, GoldenEye 007, would arrive on both Xbox and Switch in 2023 . Today is that long-awaited day, as one of the most beloved and influential games from its era is available now on both platforms . While these versions are both largely faithful recreations of the seminal console FPS, key differences exist in ways that don't immediately surface one as the clearly superior version. I played a decent chunk of both versions to see which one I prefer to play in 2023. When GoldenEye 007 launched in the late 1990s, I played it obsessively both solo and with friends for months upon months. During that time, I accomplished all the missions on 00 Agent difficulty, unlocked all the cheats, and played through hundreds (if not thousands) of multiplayer matches with friends. As with all my favorite games, I eventually fell off and moved on to newer releases, but my fondness and nostalgia for GoldenEye 007 have always remain...

By BY BENJAMIN MUELLER AND CARL ZIMMER from NYT Science https://ift.tt/0QjLqrb

Lexus and Gazoo Racing boss Koji Sato will take over as Toyota CEO from April, when Akio Toyoda becomes the company’s new chairman. Current chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada – chief engineer of the original Toyota Prius – will retain a seat on the board. Sato became president of Lexus in January 2020 and then Gazoo Racing that September. In a broadcast on Toyota Times, Toyoda said Sato will be charged with transforming Toyota into a “mobility company”. Toyoda, who won our sister publication Autocar UK’s prestigious Issigonis Trophy in 2018, took charge of Toyota in June 2009. Toyoda’s love of cars has been key to Toyota's identity over the past decade, as the company returned to producing desirable sporting models, including the GT86 and Supra. He is also known for racing under the pseudonym 'Driver Morizo' in several events, including the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in 2019. Toyoda said on the broadcast that Sato was chosen as the next CEO partly because of his love of cars. The...

Toyota has re-introduced the popular Innova Crysta in the Indian market. The brand has begun accepting bookings for the 2023 Toyota Innova Crysta with the booking amount set at Rs 50,000.  Prices for the updated Toyota Innova Crysta will be announced in the coming days. The new Innova Crysta will be continued to be sold alongside the recently launched Innova Hycross , as reported by us earlier .  Innova Crysta will now be diesel only Gets four variants, two seating layouts No automatic gearbox on offer 2023 Toyota Innova Crysta: What’s new?  While the looks of the 2023 Innova Crysta remains largely unchanged, the image released by Toyota confirms a mild facelift for the Innova Crysta. In a bid to make the vehicle more SUV-like, Toyota has updated the front fascia that now comes with a slightly smaller and more prominent front grille, the bumper is also all new and is more upright. The fog lamp enclosures also are redesigned. The side profile and alloy wheel desi...

Suzuki Motor Corporation, the parent of India’s largest carmaker Maruti has announced its global strategy plan.  To participate in the growing electrification space, Suzuki Motors plans to have a portfolio of half a dozen models in the country by FY30. We tell you what could be Maruti’s future EV line-up for India by 2030 It is important to note that while Suzuki has announced FY24 in the document, it means FY24 for Japan which translates into FY25 for the Indian market.  First Maruti EV to go on sale in India by 2024 Five more full-EV models to follow by 2030 More co-branded Toyota-Suzuki models on the way First Maruti EV to go on sale by FY24 The document confirms that first full-EV by Maruti will hit Indian roads by 2025. This new EV will be the production version of the eVX concept that was shown earlier this month at the Auto Expo 2023. Apart from the eVX, Maruti’s core strength will continue to be smaller and mass market EVs unlike Mahindra and Tata who are g...

Toyota ’s Hyundai Creta -rivalling Urban Cruiser Hyryder gets two powertrain options – a strong hybrid and a mild hybrid, with the latter offered with a 6-speed automatic and a 5-speed manual gearbox. The mild-hybrid manual powertrain is also available with an all-wheel-drive option. We put the hybrid and the AWD version through our instrumented real-world fuel efficiency tests to find out how it performs in the real world. 1.Strong hybrid’s efficiency is almost twice as good 2.Ambient temperatures affect hybrid’s mileage 3.Mild-hybrid’s 6-speed gearbox would have enhanced highway efficiency What is the real world fuel efficiency of the Toyota Hyryder? The hybrid version’s petrol engine runs an efficient Atkinson cycle, hence, as expected, the numbers are substantially higher than the standard version. In our instrumented tests, the hybrid returned a staggering 20.28kpl in the city and 22.85kpl on the highway. What’s interesting is that the numbers are quite the opposite to w...

I have been contemplating pulling the trigger on the Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 since it was launched but I feel at 5’2, its size and weight will prove too much for me to handle. Please advise.  Bomi Dastur, Mumbai Autocar India says: That bump up in weight has been playing on a lot of people’s minds, and justifiably so – 241kg is no small figure. But truth be told, it’s only during low-speed maneuvers that you really feel this heft, and even then, it’s no deal-breaker because the seat is very low and you can get your feet firmly down. So, you need to plan ahead a little and be cognisant of the weight when taking U-turns and the like. But this is a long, low motorcycle with most of the weight concentrated within the wheelbase, so it isn’t as top-heavy as an Interceptor, and it’s definitely not what you’d call cumbersome.  Also See: Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 cruiser launched at Rs 3.49 lakh Royal Enfield Super Meteor 650 video review Royal Enfield Super Meteor ...

By BY ANASTASIA MARKS from NYT Science https://ift.tt/4gEXAit

Volkswagen is readying an all-new rugged EV SUV, which will be the second jointly developed EV SUV with Ford. This new SUV will not be based on a conventional monocoque platform, but will share the architecture of the Ford Ranger EV ’s T6 ladder-frame chassis. The next-gen VW Amarok EV pickup truck will also share the same platform. VW EV SUV will be based on Ford T6 platform Will share styling with future Ranger, Amarok trucks Will be a production version of ID Ruggdzz concept VW’s future rugged EV SUV: future Ford Bronco EV rival This new SUV will be VW’s first EV SUV to feature a ladder-frame set-up. This Ford-developed chassis, which is also used by the fourth-generation Ford Ranger pickup, currently supports petrol, diesel as well as petrol-electric plug-in hybrid powertrains. In an interview with our sister publication Autocar UK, at the launch of the new Amarok in South Africa in December, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles CEO Carsten Intra had confirmed that engineerin...

By BY OLIVER WHANG from NYT Science https://ift.tt/ujwUp42

Porsche launched the 718 Cayman GT4 RS in May 2022 for Rs 2.54 crore (ex-showroom, India) and has now showcased the hardcore sportscar at its Festival of Dreams event in Mumbai.  Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS: what is it? The range-topping version of the 718 line-up, the GT4 RS is only available in the coupe body style. In India, the 718 range starts with the standard Cayman and Boxster, followed by slightly more spruced-up GTS versions of both. And sitting below GT4 RS are the performance-oriented Cayman GT4 and Boxster Spyder.  The GT4 RS is the most hardcore, track-oriented, performance model Porsche has ever created for the 718 line-up. At the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany, it managed to put down a time of 7:09.03, a good 23.06 seconds faster than the GT4.  Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS: performance This staggering laptime at the Nurburgring is due to the GT4 RS being slightly lighter but also substantially more powerful than the GT4. Under the hood, it has a...

BMW has taken the wraps off its most powerful M3 ever, the F80 M3 CS, which is even more powerful than the BMW M3 competition. The BMW M3 CS will be sold in sedan bodystyle only and in limited numbers worldwide.  BMW M3 sedan gets 550hp twin-turbo petrol Does 0-100kph in 3.4 seconds Gets BMW’s xDrive AWD tech with selectable RWD BMW M3 CS: design and interior  The M3 CS is set apart from the M3 Competition visually by a raft of design tweaks, such as an angrier-looking, open front grille designed to match the front end of BMW’s GT4-spec M4 racer. Gaping air intakes round off the new-look nose. These are joined by a host of items that enhance aerodynamics, such as a wide front splitter and a lipped rear spoiler. It gets special V-spoke gold wheels – 19-inch at the front and 20-inch at the rear – shod with track-focused tyres. The M compound brakes come with red calipers, while carbon-ceramic brakes are also available. The interior broadly matches that of the M3 Compe...

After years of waiting, Maruti Suzuki finally unveiled the 5-door Jimny at Auto Expo 2023. The additional doors and a longer wheelbase make the 5-door Jimny more practical than the 3-door model. However, the Jimny is an off-roader at its core, a USP that Maruti is not willing to let go of in favour of added practicality.  In an interview with Autocar India at Auto Expo 2023, CV Raman – CTO, Maruti Suzuki India – told us that the 5-door Jimny’s off-road capability is not compromised compared to the 3-door model. “When you go from 3-door to 5-door, you obviously need to increase the wheelbase. However, we have optimised it in a way that it doesn’t lose its off-road character”, he said.  How does a longer wheelbase affect off-road performance? Consider, for example, an off-roader that is available in both short- and long-wheelbase versions and with the same ground clearance. The short-wheelbase version will generally be better off-road, thanks especially to the better brea...