[ku69rd]

Originally Posted by an10

Thanks for the revert. Since the prices and variants of Ecosport are announced,

Mate,
Can you please share the details of the prices? Apologies as I could not find it on their Ford India Website.

[sameerg001]

Originally Posted by ku69rd

Mate,
Can you please share the details of the prices? Apologies as I could not find it on their Ford India Website.

When did they announced??

They will announce it in June, as per the latest news.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Did anyone suggest the Chevy Sail ? Its a sweet little car and the mid-variant shall certainly fit your budget comfortably.

He already has the Aveo and does not want to change to the Sail.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by an10

Thanks. Yes, sedan is preferred and what i need. However, what should be the top 2 hatch options considering the requirements I have put? Thanks again.

If you are looking at driving dynamics, Punto and Figo come to mind. Figo is spacious too. It would also be interesting to see how the Ecosport pricing overlays with Figo!

[an10]

Originally Posted by an10

Thanks for the revert. Since the prices and variants of Ecosport are announced, I want to limit my spends and....

Apologies. Prices are not announced though Variants are leaked. I was refering to this link.
http://www.autocarindia.com/News/342...-leaked.aspx/2

[dawg55555]

Team,

After 2 months of TDs and hours and hours of online research, of which ~95% was on T-BHP, I have shortlisted on 3 diesel cars. 2 cars from the C2 seg (Vento TDI highline and Linea MJD emotion) and one car from C1 (Honda Amaze). More on Amaze later in the post.

Below is my comparo of Vento vs Linea, to the best of my knowledge. Ones Marked in amber are of high priority.



Deal-breakers in the Vento

- Hard clutch and vibration felt while depressing the clutch - Can be very exhausting in traffic (my travel to work is mostly in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear)
- Not so great NVH

Deal-breakers in Linea:

- Not so great driving position (Not much space for right knee. The power window panel seems to be intruding)
- 1st and 2nd gear felt sluggish (The TD I had was in real bad traffic where I did not get even a single chance of upshifting to 3rd and higher. I have ready many users claiming that the performance of the engine is greater in 3rd, 4th and 5th.
- Poor leg room comparatively
- 1.3 engine for a Rs.11L+ car !

Note that I am 6'2" and therefore, 2 of the above are related to this aspect !

My questions to my fellow T-BHPians and experts:

1)
a)I have heard and read about various owners using chips such as Racechip to improve driveability, torque and fuel economy. If I install that, would I be doing any damage to the engine and other parts in the long run?

b)Should I wait for 2-3 years and only then chip?

2) People who drive the Vento in bad traffic, do you guys face fatigue with the hard clutch and vibration, with frequent gear changes?

The big question:

Should I ditch both these and instead go for the Honda Amaze which I know is a segment lower?

The Amaze offers:

-a brilliant engine
- great fuel econ
- great interior space and acceptable boot space
-steering mounted audio controls,
-tilt steering
- height adjustable seat, electronically adjustable mirrors.

What I will miss in the Amaze is:

- Premium car feel
- uninspiring and boring dashboard
- Basic MID
- No phone connectivity through BT
- Top speed is limited to ~ 145 kmh. I always cruize around 120kmh on highways, but somehow, that limit makes me a little uncomfy

With the amaze, I will save around 3.5L of Vitamin-M, however, the waiting period (5 months) is a mood dampener. So I get most of the stuff from a higher segment for a lot less !

I am so confused to pick one of these 3. Any help is much appreciated !

[thoma]

Originally Posted by dawg55555

I am so confused to pick one of these 3. Any help is much appreciated !

About the Vento :

-The clutch is not that hard, at least on the recent versions. But not super light as the Sunny or the Verna.
-I had this same issue of clutch vibration in mind after coming back from a test drive and sought the help of fellow BHPians. My new car does have only a fraction of the vibration the old test drive car had.
-NVH is superb, I did not feel that I am driving a diesel except for the slight clutch vibration and jerk. And both this happens only while shifting.
-About the jerk. This too, is far better in my new car than the test drive car. But I should say that learning the right shifting point is crucial on this aspect.
-Handling of Vento is not that bad than the Linea, especially with the raised GC on the new Linea.
-If you ask me what are the major factors that I face while driving the Vento extensively in B2B traffic are - slight left knee pain (even though the clutch does not feel hard, and may be also because I like to keep the seat more towards the back) and overall visibility (I do not keep the seat height too much high).

About the Linea :

-I don't own one but I have driven and felt much turbo lag. The Vento have lot less lag and easy in the city.
-Isn't the clutch pedal high for the Linea too? I don't remember much. It was one deal breaker on the Punto.

About the Amaze :

-I guess this should be the one for you, just because you use your car more in heavy traffic. The other two cars are real highway performers.
-As I am not much aware on this, please do more research on the Amaze, especially high speed manners if you plan to take her on the highway often.

[dawg55555]

-I had this same issue of clutch vibration in mind after coming back from a test drive and sought the help of fellow BHPians. My new car does have only a fraction of the vibration the old test drive car had.
-NVH is superb, I did not feel that I am driving a diesel except for the slight clutch vibration and jerk. And both this happens only while shifting.

The TD car was the refreshed 2013 Highline model. When asked about the clutch vibration, the salesman said " Sir, no sir. This is TD vehicle no sir, so it has taken a lot of abuse. In your new car, the vibrations would not be there".

I would agree that the vibrations would be lesser than the new car, but not completely non-existent. The salesman has agreed to allow me to crank up a new car in their stockyard and feel the clutch.

I know this is something that I can get used to, over a period of time. My current i10 has a tight accelerator, which I have noticed in many other i10s too, and the acc pedal is the one we use max. So I'm thinking when I can get used to a hard acc, how tough is it to get used to a hard clutch !

[thoma]

Originally Posted by dawg55555

So I'm thinking when I can get used to a hard acc, how tough is it to get used to a hard clutch

Not exactly. A hard clutch hurts your knee. The clutch is mostly heavier than the accelerator. Try pressing the hard accelerator (of course with the engine off) with your left foot for once and see that it goes in like a banana.

Others, please share your view on the original question, the comparo between Vento/Linea/Amaze.

[dawg55555]

Others, please share your view on the original question, the comparo between Vento/Linea/Amaze.

Thanks Thoma.

Guess what, I took a second look at both Linea and Amaze, including TDs.

Things that I ascertained from the TD and second look:

Linea:

Poor head room and poor leg room - To me, this is not acceptable when the car itself is so long. With such a long wheelbase, how did they miss this.

Engine performance - very sluggish in 1st and 2nd gear.

Amaze:

-Exterior and Interior looks (read dashboard) suddenly look like a big letdown. The culprit is the Vento here. I just TD'd a Vento 2 days back and I have been seeing a billion images of Vento's interior and exterior which has spoilt me !
- Boot not big enough - When we travel, we travel with 4 people and lot of luggage.
Engine - Boy, after TD'ing a Vento, every other car this side of the C2 segment seems so dud. I found the acceleration of the Amaze too linear for my liking.

So, Linea and Amaze are not in consideration anymore. Vento is now my choice.

Seriously, if it were not for the hard clutch and vibration, I can't think of any other reason not to go ahead with the Vento, not even VW's so-so service reputation. Having said this, there is no such thing as a perfect car. Some compromise will need to prevail ! So I might just go ahead and book the Vento.

Thanks all for your help.

[calfrost]

I have been using Ertiga VDI for 13 months now(since July 2012), would like to change as it gives me a boxy kind of feeling while driving,l like to sell and change to sedan My leads to buy would be FE, soft suspension, a sedan like drive.

ERTIGA Pros - huge space, Multi utility, Good FE (17.5 -18 KMPL max on highways with a/c on),steady at speeds of 130 - 140(good handling).

Cons - road sounds/ Tyre sound, engine sound beyond 110 KMPH,rigid suspension on rough roads, gives a box type feel.

Figure my next car Fludic verna 1.4 ltr, please update your ideas on Fludic 1.4 don"t require vgt for performance, it reduces on FE.

[aneezan]

I am on the lookout for a ~10Lakh sedan which I would probably decide on by the end of the year. I currently own a 4 year old Alto which has clocked about 43000 Kms.
Though hassle free, I have to curb the itch to take the highways on the Alto. I don't want to do the same with the new car.
I intend to use the car for my daily drive to office which is not through bad roads; and also on highways to my home town down south in Kanyakumari.
Hence, the highway drive is one of my top priorities.
I might end up retaining the Alto for my daily trip to office.

Other points that I need to look at:-
- Good balance between performance & economy. I don't cross 120KM/hr but reaching the 100/120 shouldn't be lethargic.
- Good boot space, though not necessarily "best-in-class". Should be able to carry holiday luggage for 3.
- Good rear seat space and comfort, again not necessarily "sunny-like"
- Handling and suspension should be good. I am fed-up of bouncy rides on Maruti and Hyundai hatchbacks.
- Solid build quality inside and out. Usually sit in my BIL's Polo Diesel and both me and wife are amazed by the solidity it offers.
- Necessary amount of safety and comfort features; though not going over-board.

Some cars that are in this bracket and took a liking to both me and my wife.
Hyundai Verna 1.6 Sx(O): Excellent looks, Good power and economy. Tons of gizmos for the price, bad handling, bumpy on the highway.
My wife fell in love with it immediately.
Volkswagen Vento Highline: Clean looks, Good power and economy, Good for the highway. Less friendly in the city. Better back seat space and comfort than Verna.
Fiat Linea Emotion: Good Looks, Very good stability and Handling, Good Economy.
Nissan Sunny
Ford Classic
Ford Fiesta

Would be grateful for any advise on helping me arrive at a good conclusion.

[suman]

Originally Posted by aneezan

Would be grateful for any advise on helping me arrive at a good conclusion.

Any reason why the Skoda Rapid TDI doesn't figure on your list? Peppy engine with quick acceleration, excellent city driveability, very decent mileage & great highway cruiser capabilities. And a large boot!

I'm a very satisfied owner

[aneezan]

Originally Posted by suman

... Skoda Rapid TDI doesn't figure on your list? Peppy engine with quick acceleration, excellent city driveability, very decent mileage & great highway cruiser capabilities. And a large boot!

I'm a very satisfied owner

Thanks Suman. Well it was a trade-off between Volkswagen and Skoda. Both being nearly identical, the only thing that struck a tick mark for Vento was the looks. In our opinion, we took a liking to the Vento. If we were finally to choose between Vento and Rapid, we would chose the former. Just my opinion. I am in-fact well aware of the fact that Rapid has better NVH than the Vento.

[KPS]

Originally Posted by aneezan

I am on the lookout ...
Some cars that are in this bracket and took a liking to both me and my wife.
Hyundai Verna 1.6 Sx(O): Excellent looks, Good power and economy. Tons of gizmos for the price, bad handling, bumpy on the highway.
My wife fell in love with it immediately.
.............
Would be grateful for any advise on helping me arrive at a good conclusion.

My 2011 Verna CRDi SX has run about 24K KMS. Absolutely fantastic car, just love the engine and gear box. Really wonderful to drive in the City. On the highway if you drive sensibly it is good fun. No major problems and Hyundai service is excellent. I will vote for Verna because it ticks off most boxes

Cheers

KPS