After launching the Pulsar 200cc now Bajaj manufactures have launched Pulsar 220cc, the definitely male among the Indian bikes. The new Pulsar DTS-Fi (Digital Twin Spark-Fuel injected) is the first bike from Bajaj Auto with the powerful combination of twin spark plugs and fuel-injection technology and is an ultimate machine for the performance motorcycle enthusiast. The latest offering has set new benchmarks in technology, performance, and styling to address the needs of a growing segment of pro-bikers. The 200cc Pulsar is said to be the best looking and handling of the Pulsar Family. However, people have yet to see whether they will age as easily as its predecessors will. Bajaj’s Pulsar DTS-Fi 220cc motorcycle priced at around Rs 85,000.

The Design

On the flip side, the attractive fairing-mounted mirrors reflect little other than the rider’s elbows. The backlit switchgear feels perfect to the touch and is totally contact-free, also featuring self-cancelling turn indicators. Grips and brake and clutch levers are adequate. Look ma, no bulbs! Only amber-coloured LEDs are used for the instruments, dominated by a large analogue rev counter.

A contact-free digital speedometer drive displays precise speeds in a digital read-out. An engine-redline flasher strobes out its communication when the bike is over-revved; the same light doubles up as a low-fuel warning icon. Bajaj has persevered with the same tank on the 220, adding embossed decals and a tank pad. The stepped seats are adequately padded for both rider and pillion and ends in a smart two-piece grab bar. Angular side panels and a smooth tail fairing add panache, as do strips of nifty LED brake warning lights.

Engine and power train

The 220cc oil cooled, Digital Twin Spark Fuel Injection (DTS FI) engine produces an awesome power of 20PS at 8500rpm (though not comparable, pulsar 220cc is more powerful than thunderbird) and an incredible torque of 19.12Nm at 6500rpm. Bajaj’s well-proven exhaust TEC (to beef up low-down power) features in pulsar 220cc too. Pulsar 220cc features the standard five-speed gearbox with one down and four up pattern. Oil cooler placed just below the fuel tank helps in further cooling of engine lubricant and keep this high performance engine cool.

A six-speed gearbox like other international bikes could have been better. Thanks to the fuel injection for the gentle release of power, this enables smoother acceleration, also minimal power loss while shifting gears. Pulsar DTS-Fi can reach 60kph in 4.4 seconds and can past 110kph in 18.8sec. Pulsar 220cc can reach a top speed of 131kph. Not alone this top speed is impressive; you can easily maintain the pulsar 220cc in 100 -115kph. Though the fuel efficiency/mileage depends on riding behaviour you can expect anything more than 35kpl from pulsar 220cc DTS FI. Bajaj is offering impeccable warranty for its pulsar 220cc - the DTS FI engine has been given 5yrs warranty in addition to the 2yrs or 30000km vehicle warranty.

Ride and handling

The wheelbase has been lengthened to 1,350 mm from 1,330 of the older Pulsar, along with a new swing arm. Pulsar 220cc DTS-Fi uses telescopic forks at the front and Gas-charged twin shocks are used at the rear. A twin-member tubular frame and an elliptical swing arm mounted on needle roller bearings. This combination gives a good blend of stiffness and flick ability for the bike though pulsar 220 weighs 150kg. MRF tubeless tyres —90/90 x 17 inches at the front and 120/80 x 17 inches at the rear provide good support and traction control for pulsar 220cc DTS Fi. This high performance bike is the India’s first bike to have a rear disc brake although this will help for the effective control; safety in Indian conditions is yet to be seemed.

The tyres of the new DTS-Fi are tubeless and hence offer an exciting riding experience. The 55-watt projector low-beam headlamp offers a decent view of the road ahead. The fully digital dash is easy to read and difficult to mistake. The distinctive tail lamps of the Pulsar DTS-Fi add a bit of dash. Overall, the body of the motorcycle still looks like the Pulsar family, but with sharper edges. The front faring is the difference - It is well integrated into the rest of the bodywork, and the sidelights and indicators look excellent. With a performance motorcycle, one should really not expect a high fuel efficiency/ mileage figures - still we expect the Pulsar DTS-Fi to get around 45 kilometres to a litre.

Comfort

It is comfortable all right, but there is a hitch. The fixed fairing comes back a bit too much and unless you are sitting so that the tailbone is touching the seat step, your knees will be rubbing on the fairing. That is a bit uncomfortable. I guess when you are riding it in jeans; it would grip the tank quite hard before hitting the brakes hard. In riding pants, the armour has that privilege of being very intimate with the fairing end. Shorties - I’m guessing 5′5″ and below will not notice this.

For the manufacturers, especially rivals, it would signal the opening of a new market at the very top of the pecking order. A market all of us enthusiasts are milling about in, but the shelves have been empty so far. The Pulsar 220 might actually cause competing products to fill the shops. We already know that TVS is working on an Apache 180. A successful P220 might even prod Hero Honda (or Honda, or both) to upgrade, re-arm or replace the Karizma with something more serious. It might actually engineer separate market spaces for enthusiast-centric product strategy, which so far, does not exist. For us, it would be the beginning of an era of machines and we have been forced to only dream about so far.

Special features

In addition to the features mentioned in design section, both these bikes have special features, which increases their practicality. Pulsar 200cc also leaves its drive chain exposed with O’ ring sealed, which is pre-lubricated to help it stay reliable inspite of running open without protection is one such example. Similar to its sibling Pulsar 220cc-soon to be launched, the pulsar 200cc bike throws away the kick lever and makes you to crank the engine only with your thumb unlike the Karizma, which offers both self, and Kick mechanism for cranking. Both these bikes use best instruments and unheard features in any Indian bike. Both Pulsar 200cc and the new Karizma have Digital odo Meter, Digital Fuel Gauge and Digital Trip Meter. Pulsar 200cc features a digital console, which uses only LEDs and intelligently varies its amber backlight intensity for viewing in either day or night.

Road test

When we road tested the bike, we find that it is no less impressive in the flesh. We are not sure that making all Pulsars look so similar is such a great idea, but the 220 does have presence. The 220cc motor is good for 20.5 bhp – it destroys all previous 0-100 kph and top speed times for bikes. But making a bigger motor go faster is easy. What is great is the 220’s dynamic ability. Despite being a fair bit longer than the smaller Pulsars, the 220 is very quick and confident in corners, and most bikes in India would find it hard to keep up. That it rides very well over broken roads and brakes with great composure is a bonus. What we are saying is that overall – product, packaging and pricing – Bajaj have more or less hit the nail square on the head. I would not be surprised at all, if there are not enough 220s to go around. Rs 90,000 have a way of disappearing when broken up into EMIs.

Hot in 220cc pulsar

In 220cc Pulsar the most important feature of all is the fuel injection mechanism, which is responsible for the quick throttle and the linear power curve. The Bajaj Pulsar DTS-Fi is the first Indian motorcycle with an oil-cooled engine. Together, they make for a potent combination. The Hero Honda Karizma as well as the Pulsar DTS-Fi weigh 150 kgs, and the extra 3 bhp of the DTS-Fi as well as the power delivery characteristics make this an easy Karizma-beater.

Technical Specification

Maruti’s second global offering after the very successful Swift is Maruti SX4 that has been launched in India, even before being launched in Japan or Europe. The first thing is the engine, which Maruti claims has the performance of an A4 segment car, is being launched globally with the SX4 in India first. Suzuki has unveiled the SX4, a mini SUV that is based on the Swift platform. SX4 that is created because of a joint development agreement between Suzuki and Fiat Auto SpA signed in April 2003 is an extended and raised Swift platform that comes with switchable three-mode 4×4 system for 2WD, 4WD Auto mode and 4WD Lock mode.

The SX4 comes with Maruti’s new M-16 engine. This one has twin overhead cams, it has a drive by-wire throttle and it produces a healthy 102 bhp in comparison with City’s 77 bhp. It also has an extra 2 kgm of torque. Therefore, obviously, it did come out ahead…but just by a little bit. The SX4 is undeniably chunky and funky and, lined up against the sea of ordinariness that is the C-segment, is refreshingly different. The aggressive grille swept back headlamps and steeply raked windscreen along with the chunky wing mirrors and kinked quarter glass make for a head- turner with imposing road presence. The only ordinary, or should I say conventional part of the design is the boot section but even that is well integrated into the overall design language, the prominent shoulder line merging into the tail lamp and the tail section being suitably pumped-up and muscular. In fact viewed from the rear three-quarters the SX4 looks huge. Boot space, at 505litres, is the best in class.

The driving position of the SX4 is excellent even though the steering is adjustable only for rake and is high-set in a mini-SUV sort of way. This results in excellent visibility and means the hip-point is rose, which sees you walk into the car, not crawl in traditional Suzuki fashion. Overall spaciousness is very good with the rear seat squab slightly raised over the fronts to improve visibility while also aiding ergonomics and comfort over long durations. Given the tall stance, it is surprising that the SX4 is a little tight on rear headroom though. The shoulder room is not as generous as say the Honda City and the version we tested, with leather seats, is a strict four-seater; forcing a third passenger to sit on the raised central hump of the back seat is a strict no-no. In addition, the middle passenger has to contend with a large transmission tunnel.

The large glass area gives the cabin a light and airy feel, complemented by a clean uncluttered dash that borrows a number of elements from the Swift, not the least of which is the three-dial Speedo binnacle (backlit in cool white). That is no bad thing though; quality of materials is definitely superior and the only let down are the plastics around the door trims and the power window switches that are hard to touch and a little low-rent. The dash is contemporary and attractive without resorting to excessive use of beige, the two slivers of polished plasto-steel flanking the central console being both tasteful and understated. I particularly liked the rotary climate control knobs that have a metallic finish and operate with a beautifully tactile feel.

When going from 0-100, the SX4 is a clear winner but in gear, it is a different story. This is because the SX4 seems to run out of steam at around 5,000rpm. The torque curve on the City is linear and crisper, which makes it very much drive-able in the city and is rapidly, the more refined engine. However, the SX4 engages the driver in the punchy, strong mid-range i.e. between 2,500 and 5,000 rpm. The gearboxes are. The SX4 steering leaves a lot to be desired. Over bumps and undulations, the steering gets skittish. In the city traffic, it feels just great to nip in and out of traffic and for parking, it is just wonderfully light. The SX4 leads on ground clearance.

The SX4, with its 16-inch rims and 205 tyres does offer better grip around tyres. The all-new SX4 sedan from Maruti is being launched in two variants sporting 1.6-litre engine. The lower version of SX4, LXi, is likely to be priced at Rs 5.5 lakh and the higher variant, ZXi, would be approximately priced at Rs 7 lakh. Maruti SX4 will belch out a total of 102-horse power with the help of Suzuki’s advanced, next generation M-series global engine. The car will sport a 16-valve, DOHC, 1.6-litre engine that will meet the stringent Bharat stage-IV emission norms. In addition, the car can be made compatible with the forthcoming Euro-V emissions norms too, if needed.

SX4 has been especially groomed with Swift-like modern looks to take on the current segment leader, Honda City. The extended version of the same platform is being used for the SX4 that will currently be sold in China and India. The company claims the new SX4 to be the tallest, longest and the widest car in the ‘C’ segment. With enough of legroom and headroom in the offering, it will be a complete driver’s car. Cherry on the cake is its high ground clearance of 190mm. The short overhangs and the large glass area adds to its beauty and makes it more featurish.’

Exterior

The exteriors of the SX4 had been crafted to make the interiors more spacious. Though this car is usually a hatch in other countries and is developed to a sedan, the SX4 is different, different from the competitors, it is like a crossover, and it has the presence of feel of a mini SUV type of look. This is reason why it stays away from the other saloon of this segment, its looks a bit of a class higher; it has the likes to take up with the Optra 1.6 and even the Toyota Corolla.

The muscular styling of this car reflects the power under this bad boy and the cockpit like interiors inside, this car is also the tallest, widest and the longest of the competition and makes it the complete young powerful man machine. This car is made from the influence of the so-called “Latest European design”. The SX4 is made to provide the best of luxury to their customers. The SX4 has an impressive ground clearance of 190mm, whereas the city has only 160mm. Tubeless tyres, alloy wheels, stop lamp, rear fog lamp, front fog lamps are the other exterior features.
Interior

The tail lamps dominate the stubby, nearly notchback style boot lid. Reflectors integrated into the rear bumper and a third stop lamp offer additional safety. Large, electrically adjustable outside rear-view mirrors offer the driver a good perspective, but may be prone to damage in the crowded roads of Indian cities. The SX4’s cabin has an airy, roomy feel despite the high shoulder line, thanks to the large glass area. The interior of the sedan has been a given dual-tone theme and though plastic panels abound, the quality of materials used and the finish is top-notch lending it a pleasing, user-friendly and premium feel.

Leather seats are optional in the top-end ZXi variant, but this trim level comes with a neatly integrated in-dash music system as part of the standard package. Automatic air-conditioning with attractive matt-silver dials and steering-wheel-mounted controls for the music system are also part of standard fitment in the ZXi variant. To arm itself better for the fight with the Honda City, Maruti has chosen a number of comfort and safety features that will not be available in sedans currently available in the Rs 6-7 lakh price range.

Maruti Suzuki SX4 is assorted with elegant features, which makes the model worth possessing. These are:

- ABS
- EBD
- Dual SRS airbags
- Front and rear side doors having impact beams
- Seat belt pre-tensionless
- Force limiters
- Car immobilizer
- Anti theft device
- Switchable three-mode 4×4 system for :
- - 2WD
- - 4WD Auto mode
- - 4WD Lock mode

Colours

Colours for Maruti Suzuki SX4 are unique & contemporary in nature:

- Metallic supreme red
- Metallic azure grey
- Metallic clear beige
- Metallic silky silver
- Pearl metallic arctic white
- Metallic midnight black
- Metallic sunlight copper

Variants

Maruti Suzuki SX4 is a charming sedan easily available in two variants:

- Maruti Suzuki SX4 Vxi
- Maruti Suzuki SX4 Zxi

Technical Specification