Optra SRV Test-drive

[devarshi84]

Had been lazy these days with nothing much to do. So took up a chance and went to Gallops Motors Chevrolet, the GM dealer for Ahmedabad.

The history for GM is scarred in Ahmedabad. They started with Milestone GM with the opel brand. Then MIlestone gave up with the arrival of Chevrolet brand and just took care of service and spares. Infinity group took up the opportunity ad started the infinity Gm dealership. THe friendship lasted only 2 years as Toyota warned Infinity group to discontinue their Inifnium Toyota dealership if they didnt cut GM ties. Now Gallops GM is owned by NG group which also rus Gallops mall.

Its was around 2-30 PM when I reached Gallops mall. The building is a huge 3 floor complex with the showroom in the front, Service at the back and the 2 floors serving as iventory.

the security guard was polite and prompt in taking my initials in his recordbook. I was courteously escorted to the showroom desk. A young lady asked my for my needs and within a few seconds a sales girl came out with a OPTRA SR-V brochure. The display model was a red basic option pack car.

She immidiately offered me a test drive but I declined to go right away because I wanted to look at what the car was. my first impression was that its a well built car. The basic model lacks alloys and 5kmph bumpers. It comes with steel wheels and 2.5kmph bumpers.

The interiors do not do justice at all to an 8lac car. Honda city has muuuch better interiors and I would happily pay more for a NHC vtec instead.

The rear lights took my heart out in red and started throbbing. Its looks sexy. The same cannot be said about the front though. Front and rear legroom are more than sufficient. The 2-tone upholstery is pretty much in contrast with the rest of the interiors. I found the booth to be spacious enough too. But the steering is not tilt and rake. The seat does have height adjustment with lots of headroom to compliment tall people also.

After 25 mins came the time for a test drive. The vehicle had done 179kms when I took the wheel. I was really amazed at the speed with which they brought the demo car out.

Took the seat, adjusted the proportions and fastened the seat belt. Adjusted the mirrors and switched on just the a/c fan. Rolled down the windows. The cabin was extremely silent. Something one would expect from an 8lac car.

I slotted the gear into first and the srv started rolling smoothly. The blue car shone brightly in the hot ahmedabad sun. The registration was done on the gates and I was out on the highway with the car in my hands. The gal was pretty too . I just thought of taking the car straight to a coffee shop. LOL

having test driven the cedia just 2 days before and driving my friends civic since last week had my mind spiralling on what to expect from the test drive.
I let go of the clutch and pushed the gas pedal. NOthin happened. The car started moving verry slowly. The salesgirl was quick to cover up and say "Sir the tyre pressure doesnt seem right."

I checked the steering and the pressure was certainly alright. I didnt say anything and took the car for a spin. The same confort levels were evident as in the optra. The cruise mode was certainly comfortable. the car is silent event at 80kmph. I cruised the car upto sarkhej Circle which is a slightly busy area. Didnt break or shift down but let the car slow down to 30. WOw! amazingly the car is smooth even at 25.

took a u turn and let my hands do the magic. Took the car all the way to 125 and wow, did she zoom. Ride and handling are first grade. But the pickup certainly lags compared to a palio 1.6, NHC vtec or a baleno.

The steering is just right but a centre boss horn on the base model is a strict nono. The premium model comes with a 4-spoke steering wheel which is certainly recommended.

What I think of the car ? Its a nice car to own if you are not looking to rip. For a family living in a conjusted city like Mumbai and Ahmedabad, looking for a luxurious hatchback, this car makes sense. Ride comfort and handling levels are certainly first grade. From the 4 colours available I would select black. The car would be a better seller though if prices 1.5-2.0 lacs cheaper.

Verdict- NO (Needs a price correction and loads of sports add-ons.)

[sushanthr77]

Hey, whats this - "5kmph bumpers" and "2.5kmph bumpers"?

[namit]

Nice review ....

All Chevy cars dont have a fast pickup in comparision to others.

Otherwise brilliant cars but in case of SRV yes its definitely 1 lac expensive.

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by namit

All Chevy cars dont have a fast pickup in comparision to others.

Like the Chevy Corvette?

[GTO]

The interiors do not do justice at all to an 8lac car. Honda city has muuuch better interiors and I would happily pay more for a NHC vtec instead.

And it will be much more "sporty" too! The SR-V is anything but a sporty car; The engine, gearbox, interiors and pricetag just do dont justice to such positioning.

Enjoyable read, Thanks for sharing.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

The interiors do not do justice at all to an 8lac car. Honda city has muuuch better interiors and I would happily pay more for a NHC vtec instead.

And to think that Optra is soon going to get the same interiors with its facelift /noselift.

[rocksterraghu]

The rear lights took my heart out in red and started throbbing. Its looks sexy. The same cannot be said about the front though.

I totally agree. The front is a sheer disappointment. I seriously wonder why so many times in my life, I chase her thinking she's sexy and she has an average face


I happened to check out the SRV and UVA today and I found NOTHING great about both the cars. The SRV however felt much better than the UVA, but both of them are severely overpriced. The SRV starts at 8.12L (Mysore, On road).

Even though I didn't find the ride quality to be that great, I'd agree that the car handled pretty decently during acceleration as well as braking.

If you want to buy this car, make sure you have so many digits in your bank balance, that you're ready to shell out money like crazy. The sales guy was talking about fuel averages of 7-8-9

Overpriced car, bad fuel average and no great overall looks or performance? I'd say NO!

[devarshi84]

Please add to the post that the saleslady (Whom I am very much interested in taking out for coffee ) also mentioned that spares and maintainence would be heavy.

Originally Posted by sushanthr77

Hey, whats this - "5kmph bumpers" and "2.5kmph bumpers"?

with the latest technology all manufactures have started manufacturing bumpers which withstand crashes at such speeds.

Originally Posted by sajo

And to think that Optra is soon going to get the same interiors with its facelift /noselift.

The current optra LT still gets my vote for interiors. I would recommend Gm to continue on the same basis. SRV will be a big fiasco.

[amit]

The gal was pretty too

Originally Posted by devarshi84

the saleslady (Whom I am very much interested in taking out for coffee also mentioned that spares and maintainence would be heavy.

Normally I would have asked for pictures to support the test drive report but forget the bloody car, we all know what it looks like. I am interested in seeing the lady now!

Why did she mention that spares and maintanence would be heavy? She ain't gonna make sales if she is going to be that honest. I have some expereince in automotive sales, I wouldn't mind giving her some tips for free or maybe in exchange for coffee.

About the SRV, haven't driven or been in one but the interiors seem 'young' compared to the sedan. From what I have seen, I prefer the SRV interiors to the sedan. Yes, the car is overpriced.

[hmishra83]

Even I liked the car from the looks of it. Infact the one in Dark Metallic Red looked awesome in bright sunshine (thanks to the Chevy paint quality).
Th einteriors too looked decent from outside and yes - Young!

[devarshi84]

@Amit: I consider competition as bad. :P

[sajivr]

SRV ground clearance

Srv's manual says ground clearance is 185mm with 185/65 R14 tyres. Also there is an option pack with 195/60 R15 tyres. won't this increase the ground clearance by anothet 18mm (from my calculation.. I might be wrong here).

[BUSA]

Nope it wont increase the GC but decrease it to 173mm

[vid6639]

Originally Posted by BUSA

Nope it wont increase the GC but decrease it to 173mm

BUSA, that is completely incorrect. Changing from 185/65-14 to 195/60-15 will change the OD by 19mm. the radius i.e. the GC will change by 9.5mm.

The ground clearance will go up by 9mm and not go down.

Pls. tell us as to how you calculated that the GC would drop by 12mm??

[BUSA]

Ahhh my bad i saw 195/55/15 instead of 195/60/15, earlier the SRV came with the former and GC was 173mm on those tyres so i thought GM adjust it. Why do GM opt for 195/60/15 when the correct upsize is 195/55/15 with 0 difference in percentage.