Tag Archives: ramps

Toyota Corolla Commercial 2023 long-term check

April 30, 2024 David Leave a comment

As a reminder, whereas the B mode in most EVs and hybrids ramps up the regenerative braking, in hybrid Toyotas, it really works to maintain the engine on when decelerating and the revs up for extra engine braking.

As a outcome, if you happen to had been to drive in B mode on a regular basis, you’ll get considerably worse financial system. To be clear, that is not what I’m doing. My level is that I by no means have trigger to make use of it, and it could be extra helpful if it acted just like the B mode in most EVs.

The brake pedal within the Corolla is properly progressive and the gauge cluster exhibits neatly the purpose the place you are shifting from regen to the friction brakes, however it could nonetheless be helpful to rapidly max out the regen with a B mode.

As it’s, B mode does make the engine extra responsive, so that you may use it as a sort of sport mode, however I favor to depart it in Eco as a result of the impact remains to be superficial. That apart, Toyota hybrids appear to be the one automobiles whose Eco mode makes them nicer to drive.

Rather than render the powertrain apparently gutless, it appears to uninteresting the preliminary a part of the throttle pedal to be able to hold you inside the electrical motor’s functionality.

Because electrical motors have instantaneous response, this feels satisfactory for lots of city and suburban driving; as soon as the engine fires up, the software program appears to make use of as a lot electrical energy as attainable to maintain the engine revs down.

That’s good for each gas financial system and dulling the CVT impact. In this newest technology of Toyota hybrids, the everyday CVT ‘mooing’ has been considerably diminished anyway. You would not need this technique in a sporty automobile, however for the Corolla it is excellent.

It stays pretty quiet even if you ground it, and the dearth of gearchanges means it is all the time easy. As a stress-free and economical approach of getting round, the Corolla nonetheless takes some beating.

Hot stuff

Even the lowliest Corollas include heated seats – and a pair of huge rocker switches with which to function them.

Display displeasure

News

JLR to hire 300 technicians for Range Rover and EV projects

August 17, 2023 David

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is planning to recruit 300 new technicians as part of its efforts to increase Range Rover production and advance its electric vehicle (EV) development. This recruitment drive is part of JLR’s £15 billion investment plan that spans over five years.

The positions will be available at JLR’s facilities in Gaydon, Whitley, and Solihull in the Midlands.

Specifically, at the Solihull plant, 100 of the new roles will be dedicated to maintenance technicians. They will be responsible for operating and maintaining about 700 robots at the brand’s new £130 million automated body production facility. The increased production capacity will contribute to a 30% boost in Range Rover and Range Rover Sport production.

These technicians will also receive training to work on a new £70 million body production system. This system will be crucial for building the new electric Range Rover.

The remaining 200 new recruits will consist of technicians and test engineers. They will be located at the Gaydon engineering center and Whitley powertrain facility, where they will focus on testing and developing JLR’s next-generation electric vehicles.

The first electric vehicle in JLR’s pipeline will be the Range Rover electric, set to arrive at the end of 2024, with pre-orders opening later this year. This will be followed by a series of impressive electric Jaguars, including a 4-door GT planned for 2025.

All of these EVs will be manufactured at the Solihull plant, which, along with the Wolverhampton engine plant and Halewood factory, will undergo a transformation to produce electric vehicles as part of the company’s £15 billion investment.

Featured

Mahindra Thar EV Concept Vs Thar – All Differences In 10 Pics

August 17, 2023 Prafful Singh

The electric concept ramps up the ruggedness of the already aggressive Mahindra Thar

With the inevitable dawn of electric vehicles across every fold, it was only a matter of time before our icons become EVs as well. The newly unveiled Mahindra Vision Thar.e Concept showcases the electric future of the legendary off-roader.

The current iteration of the internal combustion engine-powered Mahindra Thar is quite handsome as well as butch to look at. The Thar.e concept takes an even beefier approach, still retaining its charm. So, here are all the differences between the petrol- and diesel-powered Thar and its future electric counterpart:

All-new Exterior Design

FRONT

The Thar.e looks like a military-grade vehicle ready from the front. Instead of the Thar’s iconic slats, you get the EV-specific closed grille with the illuminated ‘Thar.e’ inscription. However, to maintain its iconic look, three illuminated slats are also housed in the grille. The Thar.e replaces the off-roader’s old-school round headlamps with squared LED DRLs around the headlights, but with rounded edges.

The bumper of the EV is definitely bigger and chunkier, carrying tow winches and a rugged skid plate.

ALLOY WHEELS

The tyres of the EV concept are bigger than the 18-inchers on the internal combustion engined (ICE) model. The alloy wheels are also different from the latter’s five-spoke design.

SIDE PROFILE

The same boxy silhouette of the Thar can be seen in the Thar.e, but with even sharper cuts and creases. The wheel arches are more protruding and bulging and with the increased ground clearance over the regular model, it looks more dominating.

The significant difference is that the Thar.e has been showcased in a five-door format, while the current Thar is only available in a three-door SUV. There is also a five-door Thar in the works which has been spied numerous times while testing and due to launch in early 2024.

Also Read: Check Out The Mahindra Thar EV Through These 15 Detailed Images

REAR PROFILE

The boot-mounted spare wheel styling is identical to the regular Thar. The entire top half is taken up by the windscreen with minimal surround. The bumper design is new, with the squared-off LED lights to match the front fascia, instead of the Thar’s rectangular tail lamps.

ROOF

The Thar EV concept gets a semi-fixed glass roof instead of the regular model’s plastic hard top and soft top convertible options. This same glass roof panel design is unlikely to make it to the production version, though it could get a fixed metal top.

INSIDE THE THAR.e

The interior of the Thar.e is significantly different from its ICE version, the only common thing being its upright dashboard layout. Following Mahindra’s design language for future EVs, the Thar EV concept gets a three-layered design with a huge touchscreen infotainment system taking the centre stage. Climate controls appear to be integrated into the toucshcreen with off-road functionalities still getting switches below it.

Even the steering wheel is more modern looking, while the analogue instrument cluster is replaced by a digital driver’s display. The centre console is quite wide and will flow from the dashboard to the second row, housing the gear lever and other vehicular controls.

SECOND ROW

The Thar, being a three-door SUV, gets two individual seats at the back. On the other hand, the Thar.e gets a three-seater bench at the back. An interesting concept design seen here is that the rear headrests are mounted to the roof, not the seatbacks.

Also Read: Mahindra Takes The Covers Off The Scorpio N-based Global Pik Up Concept

POWERTRAINS

Powering the Mahindra Thar are either a 2-litre turbo-petrol and 2.2-litre diesel engine, with the choice of manual and automatic transmissions. You can also choose between rear and four-wheel drivetrains. The same options are expected on its five-door ICE version as well.

The technical specifications of the Thar EV are yet unknown, but we expect a big battery pack (over 50kWh) and a range of over 400km. A dual electric motor setup is expected, with AWD as standard.

The Mahindra Thar.e is expected to arrive around 2026 with a price tag of around Rs 25 lakh. On the other hand, the three-door ICE version retails from Rs 10.64 lakh to Rs 16.78 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). The only other known globally sold off-roaders that are set to go electric as of now, are the Jeep Wrangler and the Maruti Suzuki Jimny.

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