corolla at 8.14 lacs ex showroom,buy or not? EDIT: Now Bought

[vasudeva]

If HE has ABS, then that is good. My mistake in misreading on Toyota's website. HE model does have ABS but not airbags. Then for 1 lakhs extra for H1, he gets:

1. Airbags (not useful most of the time, but could make the difference in that 0.0001% of the time).
2. Fog lamps (hardly required in Nagpur?)
3. Keyless entry (useful but not essential)

There are other numerous features some useful and some not so essential. Anyway they can be done without, if money is a stretch and one needs to buy a Corolla. Again, if you really want to buy a Corolla, try to go for H1. Final and last opinion.

[Xehaust]

Try the Cedia or even a Fabia. Though a little overpriced, in a 8 lakh budget you can get the top end petrol version i think, with everything.

Even if not the top end model, the build quality is typical Skoda, so i am guessing it would be a good highway car. In any case, always decide after a test drive.

[scarlet.fever]

I would suggest to go for CEDIA SPORTS period.
It is a absolutely fantastic car to drive.
I would say the best car in terms of handling among all the cars which you mentioned above.
It has all the goodies which you are looking for like ABS,EBD etc.
A lot of people will vouch for that.
Plus it is also not as common as others and looks gorgeous as well.
If I would have a choice I would have bought CEDIA right away.

[inder]

It has all the goodies which you are looking for like ABS,EBD etc.

I am not looking for goodies,like ABS,EBD,airbags,climate control,Steering controls.I am satisfied with what i am getting in HE.
@Vasudeva - I have already stretched my budget upto corolla HE,cant extend further.
I was also thinking of fitting alloys.does it only add to the aesthetic value or it improves the ride.rest of the accesories i am not interested.they are offering 4 speakers,so i just need to get a head unit.
Have booked TD of optra tommorow,lets see how it goes,and what discounts they offer.anyone bought optra 1.6 recently??
also i am pretty comfortable driving santro at 90-105 kmph,after which the engine seems as if it is working overtime.earlier this used to happen above 120.guess its the age factor,4+ yrs old.

[BillGates]

If you have made your choice on Corolla, then I have to say, a wise and sensible man you are. 2-3 months back, I was looking out for a car for my dad and I landed up with Corolla H2 with 95K discount, free insurance. I would vow for its ride comfort and reliability. Leave aside NHC, SX4 etc, Civic too is no match to the comfort and ease of Corolla. I would say, just go for it! For 8.2 lacs ex-showroom, its a steal!

[inder]

insurance free???? on top of 95k discounts... which city your dad stays?? ur location says stockholm.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by inder

I was also thinking of fitting alloys.does it only add to the aesthetic value or it improves the ride.

Alloys for the most part add just aesthetics, on the HE version it all add a loot of aesthetic value if you choose a nice color as the wheel caps aren't much to look at. With the discount you are getting i am sure you can spend a few thousand more and get a nice set of alloys... keep it to 15inchers if you don't want to hamper your ride quality but if i were you I'd get 16inchers as corolla suspension is pretty good and you wont feel much diff in ride quality.

Stop confusing yourself with options like 1.6 Optra ! Just book the Corolla already

[vipul_bscity]

Dear Inder,

With my experince of Driving two Corolla (H2 & H5) for over 3 years, I can say that just clsoe your eyes and get a Corolla that you are looking for. The only Saftey feture you will miss in your HE is Air Bags, whcih are very evident, But Corolla is a Corolla.

And about stability, take it to 150+ (Of Course on good road), I drive many times onthis road, while going to GOA on Kolhapur - Nipani stretch and on Mum- Pune freeway and loved that.

You will have fun owning the car anytime. My Veto on this. Get a Peral Mica if HE comes in that. I had both Peral Mica. ( now of course on Corrida RED - Laura, Wife Choice )

Thanks, Vipul.

[Xehaust]

Hey Sahil,
Alloys do add immense visual appeal and aesthetics but i would like to point out that they also slightly improve handling and fuel economy. Dont want to get into the technicalities of it Also, they are lighter than the normal steel rims.

Also Inder, if you go in for alloys as an upgrade, i suggest you dont buy from the dealer as they overcharge like crazy and also the designs are limited. Go to an aftermarket alloy dealer and you will immense design options and also cheaper rates than the dealer who will rob you blind. Point being my friend who upgraded his Getz alloys from the dealer for 21 thousand!!! And i bought 15 inchers from an aftermarket dealer in 18 grand!!!

[shuvc]

@sj_koova, just wanted to clarify - you tested the Corolla in the US at 60-80 kmph or mph?

[inder]

As mentioned yesterday,I TD the optra.i took it on the same road where i TD corolla.noticiable difference between the two being
*the optra absorbed the bad roads better than the corolla
*corolla was more torquey
*optra base has alloys (corolla does not)
*whereas corolla base has ABS,no alloys though.
and finally the price optra magnum 1.6 LS ,8.78 lacs ex showroom
optra guy(rather gal)has offered me a discount of 30k.and she would consult her manager if anything more could be offered.
I have still a month to book the car.now i dont feel like TD the city or sx4.
I will now wait and watch who offers what.

[Xehaust]

Try to get ABS on the Optra and you have yourself a deal
Seriously though, im sure you can get a better deal on the Optra. If she says "I will consult my manager" it usually means "Let me ask if you are to be given more stuff to finalise the deal or not"

[sj_koova]

Originally Posted by shuvc

@sj_koova, just wanted to clarify - you tested the Corolla in the US at 60-80 kmph or mph?

No I converted that to KMPH when I said above 80KMPH. I drove it mostly at 65-90Miles/Hour on Interstate and 40-60MPH in town roads.I hated the handling of Corolla when it goes beyond 70MPH.

I drove 2 chevy cars(Impala, Aveo), 1 ford (Fusion 2.4L), 1 Chrysler (sebring), 1 Hyundai (Sonata) and 1 Mazda6. I used to rent it from Hertz. All of the cars were in excellent condition (most of them done less than 5000 miles). Corolla was the only car I had to return back in 2 weeks because of its poor handling at high speeds. Thats when I got the Ford Fusion and it was the best choice I got from that segment.

Here is my verdict from the 7 cars I drove (Impala, Aveo, Fusion, Sebring, Sonata, Mazda6 and corolla)

Corolla - ranked 2 for City/Town driving(smooth). Ranked 7 for Highway (poor handling at high speeds)

Ford Fusion - Ranked 1 for Highway (Amazing handling) followed by Mazda6, Impala, Sebring, Sonata, Aveo and last it the corolla.

I haven't gone deep into the technical details of each car. My verdict is purely based on the fell of driving.

I hope I have clarified my point.

I have nothing against corolla, it is still one of the best selling car in the world.
But I am sure people who were/are in US would agree that it is not a Highway car.

I know many of the members in India would disagree to my point.
I would vote Cedia if I had to choose one.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by ram_hyundai

i feel sx4 zxi would be a better buy as it has more features and lower price.the price of parts are lower than the corolla and i hope your area the dealer for maruti would be good and then you can expect a good service from them too.you would be a premium customer for maruti as it is the costliest of all marutis except the grand vitara.

ram

Features dont make a car, the engine, chasis and suspension does. SX4 is great when it comes to features and gizmos, but looses out on the CAR ENGINE/CHASIS/SUSPENSION package.
The engine is sluggish, the suspension is average, the looks are awkward, the FE is nothing spcl (which is ok if power is great), but the power is just adequate (nothing spcl). All in all, its just an average car that just stands out caz of the features offered, price and MUL backing.

Its like an average girl with good make up ...

Corrolla, has a bit of character, the engine is peppy, trouble free maintaince, great resale. The fact that a 3 lakh km driven Qualis thats 4 years old still sells close to 3.5 lakhs has a lot to say about Toyota quality and resale.

Only downer is that the car is soon to be replaced....

[Xehaust]

Saw one of the new Corollas (the one which resembles a bit of the new camry) on the road a few days back. I guess it must have been imported here or something.