Sedan under 10L - narrowed down to 2 choices

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by Rodeo

A small test drive in Magnum is not going to help so make sure you have enough time and distance to cover... Magnum requires sometime to get use to after that only you can enjoy the car.

can you please elaborate on that? We usually drive in a well known, predetermined route - a mix of City and highway - and above 20 kms for a decent feel.

I must say - i am not that used to Diesels - Dezire Zdi felt ok though.

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by Flying Bong

Then you must believe in the force O jedi

a Padawan still I am - But trust i must in the force!

Originally Posted by Flying Bong

@SkyWalker:
The Cedia comes with a Blaupunkt Bahamas HU which sounds pretty decent.
Stock speakers in the Cedia are 2 pairs of rather cheap-looking dual-cone 6.5" speakers (dont know who the supplier is for these) and are average sounding at best.

ok, the sales guy claimed even speakers were Blau in stock Cedia.

[reignofchaos]

The stock speakers are mitsubishi electric. They are strictly okay for a stock setup. Atleast doesn't sound harsh as most other cars do. The magnum stock setup sounds even worse. (Though the magnum has a better head unit)

[diabloo]

The problem is not the car, its the speedbreaker.

Originally Posted by diabloo

If the speedbreakers scraps the NHC, then it will scrape many other cars too.

Originally Posted by Qondor

Hi Guys,

Can someone give a suggestion on how to avoid my Baleno's under-carraige getting ripped off by over-concious road contractors building a mountain out of a speed-breaker? However cautious I am, still manage to scrape the bottom on some of the bumps. I knew this would happen before I bought my Baleno, but never expected it would be such a regular feature driving in and around Bangalore, especially if i am driving with full-capacity.

thanx

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by diabloo

The problem is not the car, its the speedbreaker.

i agree. but unfortunately i have no control over these people building speedbreakers the size of small hills on nice roads!

[diabloo]

Well its true for NHC too. NHC is different from other cars. NHC's acceleration is linear. In other cars its exponential. Even though NHC moves as fast other car, there is no push-to-the-seat effect. This makes some feel the car is slow or has poor acceleration. Also there is no vibration in the cabin. This gives the feeling that car is not actually doing the speeds.
So the best way is to ask NHC owners about the drive.

Originally Posted by Rodeo

A small test drive in Magnum is not going to help so make sure you have enough time and distance to cover... Magnum requires sometime to get use to after that only you can enjoy the car.

[SkyWalker]

Here's an update - things will be in the back burner for now as i need to fly to San Jose tomorrow. I will be back after a month.

I will update on this when i am back. Once again - thanks everyone for inputs and kind suggestions.

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

I gather that at present you drive the Palio and with that in mind I can only suggest two cars below 10 lakhs and they are the Optra Magnum and the Mitsu Cedia. You will not have peace of mind in any lesser car as far as ride and handling is concerned. The Honda city and the dezire are an absolute no no if you have been used to the Palio.

I am planning to upgrade from my GTX and only the Magnum and the Cedia fit the bill but the price is a detterent for me though at the present moment.

Bye and wear your seat belts.

Hmmm.. so most of the Palio users think alike when they buy their next bigger car? I think so. Yesterday I met a fellow Palio User who recently bought an Optra.

Dr, What about upgrading to a Skoda RS? Will it not offer a rock solid handling better or similar to a Palio?

[Screwdriva]

Not sure what the LPG distribution situation is like in Bangalore, but the ALPG variant of the Cedia seems like an EXCELLENT idea. All the pros of the Cedia plus the economy of a no-noise diesel - and the ability to turn on Petrol performance at the flick of a switch.

What say?

[hsejars]

Hello All,

I did not want to start a new thread and so here are my thoughts. I have been looking out for a sedan for quite a while now and am thoroughly confused :-). I have read all the reviews here and also TD'd Fiesta, SX4, Verna (both petrol and CRDI), Corolla, and most recently the Magnum. I even had a look at the Dzire but did not TD it because of its cramped rear. I know these straddle multiple categories but I wanted to know how they feel and handle. My most recent TDs were that of Verna CRDI and the Magnum.

Of all the cars I TD, the Magnum really won my heart. Amazing pick up. I TD'd on the Nice corridor and in just a few seconds I was doing 140 from 0 and I reached 190 in no time - I stopped at this point as I was not confident. The car was awesome, absolutely no vibtrations and felt glued - you just do not realize till you look at the speedo. We switched off the music and listened - hardly any noise inside the car. The brakes are awesome too - we had come to a place where the road ended and i noticed it a bit late - hit the brakes and the car just decelerated - no zigzags, no vibrations, not pushed away from your seat - it handled admirably. The pulling power was awesome too. There was a pretty steep climb and the car was fully loaded (5 adult, 1 kid), AC on, i was in third gear and the speed dropped to 20. It just continued to pull - no knocking, no funny sounds. Just awesome. Took the Kanakapura road back into the city and the ride was very smooth. The only minus point is its GC & the headlight/wiper stalks interchanged (though unlike Ford, the boot and bonnet openers are on driver side). You really have to be dead slow if you do not want to scrap your bottom. I had taken the TD car from Vijay Auto (opp Jayadeva Cardiology). They were very polite and very helpful. I spent more than 4 hours with these chaps in the showroom and on the TD. He offered to give me a 2007 car with free insurance (approx 40K) and the 3 year no cash maintenance offer free. With the 2008 model only the no cash maintenance was free. But I do not think I will be buying it as it is way over what I had initially budgeted though I can stretch myself I do not want to do it (the mind wins over the heart! :-( ). Even the base model is quite well loaded. If you have the money, I would just say go for it.

When compared to the magnum, the Verna CRDI is not that great. I hated its gear throws and its handling though I TDd it on the ORR and was weaving in & out of traffic. And if you consider the TBHPians advice to change the tyres it comes really close to the Magnum base model (that was the reason i TD the Magnum) though you get the ABS with Verna for this price. This coupled with Hyundais attitude (they just are not interested in selling the car), makes me feel it will be a bad choice. I do not think I will buy this as well.

The closest to Magnum in ride and handling at a lower price is the Fiesta 1.6 Petrol. The only thing I am afraid of is the ***.

Nowadays, I drive 99% in the City and approx 1000Km per month so I wont gain much by the diesel cars. I just wanted to check out the Verna CRDI and Magnum in case I start going on long trips again.

I am still making up my mind and may probably just continue with my Wagon R. :-(

PS: I do not really like the SX4 for all its VFM appearances.

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

Thank you for your suggestion. I am afraid I was never a fan of big SUVs. They are definitely good looking and handle our pathetic roads better - but they are heavy and don't handle corners the way sedans do. I doubt if one is in my league. Now i know i mentioned Innova - but it felt more carlike - at least to me.

i stand corrected - and corrected big time - i must say. I have been driving a Nissan Pathfinder for about 6 days now, and this 250 bhp beast has really impressed me. So much so that i never went back to my second option for ride, the Camry V6.

Now, i know Indian roads are different and our cars are anemic, but how different will the driving experience be? One thing i am going to do once i get back is to TD the Safari & Innova once again. Probably it ain't only Sedans after all.

Time for me to go and read all threads w.r.t SUVs

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by hsejars

Hello All,

I have been looking out for a sedan for quite a while now and am thoroughly confused :-).

hsejars - sorry you didn't not get much replies. Probably this thread has been idle for some time now - but seems like you really loved the magnum. What stops you from buying it?

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by clevermax

Hmmm.. so most of the Palio users think alike when they buy their next bigger car? I think so. Yesterday I met a fellow Palio User who recently bought an Optra.

Dr, What about upgrading to a Skoda RS? Will it not offer a rock solid handling better or similar to a Palio?

If the RS was available for less than 10lakhs it would have been in my garage last June. I am not bothered about rear seat comfort as my daughter would have had to suffer the cramped rear seat of the RS and she is too young to bothered about it.
Buying a second hand turbo charged car is absolutely against my grain of thought but I have nothing against second hand normally aspirated cars.

[wilful]

Skywalker - here's my two bit as well -
I think your original idea of NHC Gxi is a good one. I use one myself - only I have gone in for the CVT. Let me tell you -it is very good in bumper to bumper. I have had no problems on the highway as well - but then I am not what you would call a "dyed in the wool" driving enthusiast.
Yes - the low ground clearance is an issue, esp when it is fully loaded.
The other thing I am not happy with is the lack of safety features like ABS and airbags.
FE for me - in Cochin - is 9 in the city and about 12.5 to 13 on the highway.

[harsha.cs1]

hse jars,
just go for it if you love it so much. follow your heart for once and you won't regret. look, your income is only gonna get higher. so what you think you can afford today, is much less than what you can actually afford after a couple of years. but if you buy something smaller now and want to sell it and upgrade, it's gonna cost you a bomb. so just go for it...
... and verna, with bigger tyres, is still a verna!