Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

koda had well and truly laid down the gauntlet to the C/D-segment sedans, when it relaunched the Octavia brand in India in late 2013 to rave reviews. Not to rest on its laurels, koda decided to do something with its top-of-the-line Superb, and unveiled a facelifted version at this years Auto Expo in Delhi in February 2014. Launched in 2004 in India, the Superb had won over many with the sheer space on offer inside, and the grunt generated while on the move. The car went through a metamorphosis in 2008, when the design was made more contemporary, and the engine was moved from the 2.4-litre powerplant to a smaller 1.8-litre one, without compromising on the performance dynamics. The smaller mill also took care of the mileage issues to some extent. We decided to take the petrol and diesel versions of the facelifted koda Superb for a longish spin to figure out if the changes were mere cosmetic or whether there was anything else on offer.

Looks and design This is the real part where koda has done changes on the Superb. This is a mere facelift (unlike the generation change effected in 2008), wherein design elements have been tweaked to make it look younger and more contemporary, even as the global design studio works on the next generation Superb for launch sometime in 2015 possibly. Hence, before we call the people at koda lazy, we need to understand that they merely want to restrict the competition from eating their lunch, till such time the new product is ready to take charge. While overall dimensions have been kept the same, koda has made the new Superb look smarter and sharper, and has eliminated the rounded edges of the current Superb and replaced them with straight lines, to make it look a bit sportier.

Pictures sourced from Internet

For starters, there is the change in the grille. The Superb also carries the new koda family grille with the 21 vertical slats shaped like a butterfly with the new all-metallic two-tone logo sitting on the edge on top of the bonnet, with the sharp cuts on the bonnet giving a certain sculpted look to the nose. The grille is now wider, and hence, the lower intake is wider too. It gets accentuated by the thin chrome arc running through the middle of the lower air intake, and which connects both foglamps. The headlamps and foglamps have been reshaped, while the profile of the bonnet and bumper has been restyled. Headlamps now carry bi-xenon projector lamps with cornering function and a curvature of daytime-running LEDs, which is integrated to the headlamp unit. While Superb continues to be chiseled into the sides of the projector lamps, the turn indicators are now integrated as a series of seven C-shaped LED strips within the unit, immediately helping in making an impact. The power washers upfront of the headlamps in the top-end Elegance trim work when the headlamps are switched on and you pull the wiper stalk to clean the windscreen, as in the outgoing model.

Seen in profile, the facelifted Superb isnt too different from the old Superb, but for the sharper lines that it holds, helping it look more contemporary. The 10-spoke alloys are new, and make the car look more dynamic sitting on the 16-inch radials; so too the chrome moulding to the windows. Move to the rear, and the styling cues are very visible here. The tail-lamps are all-LED, while the chiseled rear is more angular another design feature from the koda family. But while the Octavias rear reminded one of the Rapid, the rear of the new Superb is a cross between the Octavia and the Audi family. The number plate has been moved from the bumper to the boot lid, the typeface of the Superb has been changed to the new one, and the positioning has been moved from the centre to the bottom right of the lid. And the rear also has the new contemporary-looking two-tone koda badging. The base Ambition trim also gets the same LED treatment alongwith the 10-spoke alloys. The boot has 565 litres of space on offer, and comes with the same twin buttons. Press one and the boot lid opens up sedan-style; press the other, and the cavernous boot opens up in hatchback mode!

Interiors and comfort

There is very little that has changed inside. The Superb always had the best-in-class interior space in fact, rear space was the best by a far distance even when compared to higher end cars. The Octavia has come close to challenging the Superb in terms of rear legroom, but the new Superb continues to nail it. That said, a colleague of mine who graduated from the Ambassador to the SX4 to the Superb and who should know about the legroom on offer in the Superb at the rear sat in his favourite position at the rear, and commented that maybe rear legroom has been cut down a tad. I didnt bother trying to measure the legroom and compare it with the outgoing Superb, but sink in the perfectly cushioned rear seats, and you will relaise that the Superb still has that humongous legroom that it has been famous for. But for a car of this class, koda could well have experimented with seats that could recline, a separate climate zone, or temperature controls. While the dual-zone AC works well, and the B-pillar carries vents for the rear passengers, they could have very well been given their own controls at this price point not just for the AC, but also for the audio system.

Doors open and shut as solidly as ever, and all the three mirrors (two ORVMs and the inner one) get night vision treatment. Legroom up ahead is very good, while the head room has been kept consistent through the cabin. Fit and finish, and the high quality interiors look familiar, albeit with minor differences. For starters, there is no slot to crank the ignition. koda has replaced it with a start/stop button, which has been placed cleverly into the side of the steering column. The earlier 4-spoke steering wheel has been replaced with a new 3-spoke steering that is a tad smaller, and feels less chunky than the earlier one. Else, the rest of the dash, including the AC vents and the console behind the steering is the same. Both the DSG auto gearboxes (1.8 TSI and 2.0 TDI; it also has a 1.8-litre petrol in manual mode) get paddle shifters for those looking for that occasional dose of fun when behind the wheel. Surprisingly, the Octavia doesnt get paddle shifters despite carrying more power!

Be that as it may, koda has now loaded the Ambition trim with more features, while the Elegance gets multiple features. There is the new Bolero unit with touchscreen facility, a 6-CD changer, and 12 speakers for a lovely audio output. But on the shocking list is a missing USB port (how much does this cost?), a camera to help in parking into tight corners (although the sensors at the front and rear do a fantastic job), and a simple GPS. I truly believe that the time has come for all manufacturers to start offering a GPS facility with their cars as a service (chargeable, of course) to the buyer. If I do stop cribbing, I would admire the interiors, the quality of the buttons, and the overall layout. But then again, there is no space in the door pockets to carry that 1-litre bottle of water!

Performance and handling

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koda Superb Botoxed!

Tile work project. Saturday, August 9 2014. Bathroom and Patio.
Tile work done on the Backyard patio and the Bathroom.

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They're changing how we work with fellow developers, how we interact with our customers, and how we code

A long time ago, developers wrote assembly code that ran fast and light. On good days, they had enough money in their budget to hire someone to toggle all those switches on the front of the machine to input their code. On bad days, they flipped the switches themselves. Life was simple: The software loaded data from memory, did some arithmetic, and sent it back. That was all.

Today, developers must work with teams spread across multiple continents where people speak different languages with different character sets and -- this is the bad part -- use different versions of the compiler. Some of the code is new, and some may be from decade-old libraries that may or may not come with source code. Building team spirit and slogging through the mess is only the beginning of what it means to be a programmer today.

The work involved in telling computers what to do is markedly different than it was even five years ago, and it's quite possible that any Rip Van Winkle-like developer who slept through the past 10 years would be unable to function in the today's computing world. Everything seems to be changing faster than ever.

Here are 15 technologies transforming the very nature of programming. They're changing how we work with fellow developers, how we interact with our customers, and how we code. Don't get caught asleep at the console.

Developer tool No. 1: Continuous integration

When you checked in code to a repository, there used to be enough time to catch your breath, have a cup of coffee, and maybe even go out to lunch. No more -- code repositories are now tightly linked to continuous build systems that recompile your code, scrutinize your architecture, initiate hundreds of tests, and start flagging every potential error in your work. You won't get five feet from your desk before your phone starts pinging you with new emails or text messages from the continuous build mechanism telling you what needs to be fixed. Back to work, slave, the continuous build machine has new tasks for you.

Developer tool No. 2: Frameworks

Standing on the shoulders of giants by reusing the work of others may not be a new idea, but it seems like it's never been as dominant as it is today. Very little programming begins from scratch these days. The favored -- and some might argue, best -- approach is to grab the right framework, research the API, and start writing glue code to link together the parts of the API that make the most sense for the job. Web pages aren't built out of HTML or CSS anymore; the coding begins with Ext JS, ExpressJS, or some other collection of code that serves as a foundation.

Sure, you could be pioneering and build everything from scratch, but that would be suicide. There's no way to catch up with all the work done by others. You're not a craftsman -- you're a framework-tweaker. If you're thinking of writing code yourself, stop and look for a framework that does it already.

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15 technologies changing how developers work

A row has broken out over claims three Coventry police bases are set to close.

Councillor Patricia Hetherton (Lab, Woodlands) says the decision goes back on a promise made by the late Police and Crime Commissioner Bob Jones last year.

She says bases in Tile Hill, Spon End and Radford will be shut with police teams moving elsewhere.

But West Midlands Police say no decision has been made on which bases will close as part of a review of the forces buildings in Coventry.

Coun Hetherton said that Mr Jones, who died last month, had vowed not to close the police base in Tile Hill until after an extensive public consultation.

She said: We accept that the current building may not be entirely suitable for its purpose, but we strongly agree with our constituents that any proposed move must ensure the team is still based in the local area.

Whilst I welcome the fall in recorded crime in Woodlands ward, there have been some very serious incidents which have led the community to call for a visible police presence to offer reassurance.

I have no doubt that the fall in recorded crime is due largely to this visibility and to the relationships with residents which our front line police have been able to form as a result of their proximity to the neighbourhoods they serve.

I am therefore calling on West Midlands Police to halt these plans until local people have been consulted, and until an appropriate alternative has been identified.

It is essential that the Woodlands neighbourhood police team can patrol from a location in the area they serve, instead of spending their time travelling from a remote base.

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Row rages over claims Coventry police bases will close

A Co-Op High music student discovered a loose connection in his Fender Stratocaster acoustic guitar. He went online and taught himself how to solder the wires and firm up the connections to the amplifier.

Beautiful music was born. So was an interest in electricity.

Jordan Burgess got a chance to explore that more practical electricians career firsthand the other day when he installed upgraded switches and smoke alarms at a vacant unit at the Housing Authority of New Havens (HANH) Farnam Courts complex on Hamilton Street.

Jordan is one of ten young people 16 to 21 years old selected from the HANHs far flung communities across the city to participate in the second year of its Summer Training & Employment Program (STEP).

Jordan changed out the ground, the neutral, and the hot wire in an upgraded outlet at 104 Hamilton St. under the watchful eye of Weaverton (Van) Whittley (pictured), an HANH mechanical systems supervisor. He was in the fourth week of an intense program, modeled on the citywide Youth at Work initiative.

After orientation and workshops on balancing personal budgets and job etiquette and social development, Jordan has spent from 9 a.m. to 1p.m. daily at various operations at HANH developments trying on or shadowing a range of types of work and careers.

Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. are given over to hanging out with peers, sharing experiences, and mentorship.

Of the ten kids in the program, Jordan is only one of two who expressed a preference for learning and shadowing the building trades. In previous weeks hes spent time learning how to inventory the maintenance departments tools at the new Brookside development at the base of West Rock.

Jordan also learned to lay tile and install floor molding at units in the Waverly Townhouses on George Street.

Of all the experience so far, Jordan pronounced Fridays electrical installation the best because he got a chance to do the kind of work he sees himself entering as an adult.

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A Future Electrician STEPs Up

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