Car Glossary

               All Wheel Drive (AWD), or Four-wheel drive (4WD), or 4x4 (“four by four”) are terms used to describe a four-wheel vehicle where the engine's power is transmitted to all four wheels simultaneously.

               This is one of the most advanced diesel technologies in the world. A perfect blend of performance and fuel economy, CRDi engines are based on direct injection technology and have rails (tubes) which inject pressurised fuel directly into the engine. The common rail connects all the injectors and contains fuel at a constant high pressure. A small amount of fuel is supplied to the engine before and after the actual charge. The high pressure in the common rail ensures that when injected, the fuel atomises to a very high degree and mixes consistently with the air, thereby leaving minimal unburnt fuel. Fuel quantity, engine pressure and timing of fuel injection are controlled electronically. The injectors have variable control heads which ensure that a highly precise amount of diesel goes into each cylinder. The onboard computer makes sure that the fuel is injected at the just the precise moment. This significantly improves engine efficiency and reduces noise and vibrations as well.

               Also known as Electronic Control Module, the ECU consists of an 8-bit microprocessor, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), and an input/output interface. Based on information from the input sensors such as air flow, barometric pressure, engine coolant temperature, etc., the ECU determines optimum settings for the output actuators i.e. fuel injection, ignition timing, fuel mixture, idle speed, etc.

               With ESP, it is easier to control a car in formidable situations. ESP reduces the risk of a vehicle’s swerving and improves its directional stability. Detecting the car's intended direction and response, it applies brakes on individual wheels, thereby generating one-sided forces that keep the car moving in the desired direction.

               A system of linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels. This type of suspension secures the wheel with four rod-type control arms and the main rod. The suspension bears the vehicle weight against the body through the load-bearing link. This design has great potential for optimization of ride quality. Vehicles such as Audi have installed this kind of suspension in those models that have a front-wheel drive or a quattro® all-wheel drive. Four link suspension designs give incredible vehicle balance and control.

               Fuel Stratified Injection is a modern fuel injection technology. FSI engines inject fuel directly into the cylinder. This produces optimal fuel combustion, which increases the amount of torque and power produced in the engine, while reducing fuel consumption, heat loss and exhaust emissions.

               The Intelligent Key converses with the locking system as the driver approaches, so that when the driver touches the handle button, the vehicle is conveniently unlocked. Touch the button twice and all doors are unlocked. The Intelligent Key also allows the driver of the vehicle to start the engine electronically without even taking the key out from the driver’s pocket. Manufacturers refer to these keyless authorization systems using different names such as Advanced Key, SmartAccess and so on.

               IDIS is a new feature for the automotive industry that was inspired by the fighter aircraft technology. As on-board communications and information systems built into a car increases, the importance of IDIS increases. IDIS helps reduce information-induced stress levels. This ingenious system monitors your attention workload and delays the less important information when you need to focus.

               It is a system for reducing the effort on turning a vehicle’s steering wheel by using an external source of power. Power steerings are of two types, Electric Power Steering (EPS) and Hydraulic Power Steering (HPS). In ESP, sensors detect the motion and torque of the steering column, and a computer module supplies assistive power through an electric motor. This allows varying amounts of assistance to be applied, depending on driving conditions. HPS uses hydraulic pressure supplied by an engine-driven pump to help in turning the steering wheel.

               It is a refined way of injecting diesel into the cylinders. A high-pressure injector pump, which electronically controls the direct fuel injection very precisely, forms the core of this technology. Each cylinder has one of these pumps and the extremely high pressures translate into highly atomised fuel, leading to more efficient combustion in the cylinder. This, in turn, results in higher torque, better fuel economy and lesser exhaust emissions.

               Transmission (gearbox) is an assembly of gears in a car that changes the rotation ratio of engine and wheels. For example, in first gear the engine rotates at higher speed than the wheels and in top gear the wheel rotates faster than the engine. A manual transmission (MT) has to be changed manually and an automatic transmission changes gears on its own with the help of a microprocessor.

               Vehicle Stability Assist (or Electronic Stability Control in generic terms) is designed to improve a vehicle’s handling particularly at those times when the driver might lose control of the vehicle. Numerous international studies have confirmed the effectiveness of ESC in helping the driver maintain control of the car, thereby helping save lives and reducing the severity of crashes

               Wheel cover is a decorative disk on the vehicle’s wheels, which covers all the haul nuts that attach the wheel to its axle. Wheel cover is usually attached to the wheel by using a series of retention clips at the outer edge. It is made of high-grade durable plastic, chrome or metal.