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-   -   Here comes my Chevrolet BEAT. EDIT : VIDEO review uploaded on pg 1 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/84883-here-comes-my-chevrolet-beat-edit-video-review-uploaded-pg-1-a.html)

I could have being a Maruti brand Loyalist for the rest of my life if i would have not had my heartbeat racing after catching the first glimpse of Chevrolet Beat when i saw it test driven in December 2009 on Mumbai - Pune expressway. While i was buying my first car i was suggested to go for Santro Xing and Wagon-R, since i was a newbie to driving a 4 wheeler i settled with Alto. After 2 years of driving Alto i felt the need to upgrade my car for following reasons

• The hatchback market now is a loaded with ample options for consumers, which pushes Alto way back to the bottom where Maruti 800 could have being now.
• I was worried about the re-sale value of my car since Maruti is already planning to re-launch Alto with the K-Series engine this would have further depreciate the value of my car, so this was the right time for me to sell it, if not now then never was my thought.
• Cost of buying Alto in Apr 2008 landed to a total 3.38 lakhs and i was getting 2.00 Lakhs on exchange which still accounted to 41% depreciation, considering that my car was single hand driven and in good condition.
• I started getting problems on long drives in Alto, traveling on E-Way is fine but in June i drove continuously for 7 hours from Pune to Kandivali with some short breaks and i got exhausted badly.
• The drag feeling due to A/C was getting evident with the car fully loaded with passengers and luggage.

Some stats about my Alto LXI below

Closing Odometer reading: 21273
Gross Mileage: 16 Kms/Ltr (City + Highway)
Ownership Tenure: 806 Days
Total Spend on the Car: Rs 4,27,160 ( Includes petrol cost + maintenance inclusive of initial car cost)
Avg Running per day: 25.57 Kms

I also started getting poor service from Kothari Wheels who is one of the authorized Maruti service center at Pune - Solapur road, i had to fix an appointment to give my car for 3rd paid service. I had to call 5 different numbers to finally reach someone to accept my request to take delivery of my car. The service representative would be arriving like a very busy guy who would not even wait to list down what problems i wanted to get checked in my car in the worksheet prepared for servicing.

This time one of my front power window of ALTO had developed a problem with the motor and would not lock properly. I was informed by Maruti workshop supervisor that they would have it ordered for me and get it fixed in a week in the meanwhile they did regular check up and servicing of my car and delivered it to me back again. They have not called back till today to inform me if the replacement motor for my car has arrived or not, and i had decided that i was not going to call them. If Maruti claims to be the best in customer service i do not expect such service from them.

While i had BEAT on my mind, arrival of Ford Figo made my choice more difficult. I was taken over by the wide rear seat space and large boot of Ford Figo with some really smart features packed in the car, however to me the car scored low on looks and one of my friend who did buy Ford Figo was already complaining of a petrol thirsty car which was giving him a mileage of around 10 - 11 Kms/Ltr. I also had Maruti Suzuki Ritz on my wish list for upgrade however i started seeing this car getting common sight on the road like Santro and now i10 which proves how popular these cars are with Indian buyers. Year 2010 would be a game changer for Maruti and Hyundai both since the hatchback car market is getting fiercely competitive. I had no Hyundai car on my radar, i dropped Ritz VXI because it was not offering features like rear wiper, adjustable steering, CD player, automatic climate control that Beat LT version was offering me at a price point 30K lower than Ritz.

I decided to test drive both Figo and Beat and see for myself which one suited me well. Ford failed in my test even before the test drive, I placed TD requests both on Ford Figo and Chevrolet Beat website. I did get a call after a month from Talera Motors who is a Ford dealer in Pune and a call from contact centre of Chevrolet confirming me that they were forwarding my details for TD to local dealer. I was wondering why did it take them a month to reach me.

Talera Motor's truly showed how eager they were to sell Ford Figo, when i asked for a TD at my residence the sales guy bluntly asked me to come to their showroom for TD, i refused and this guy did not even have the courtesy to give me a reason why he could not come to my place. I was losing hope with Chevrolet also, no follow up from any local dealer again here as well, after this i placed a TD request for BEAT on Carwale.com and i got immediate response from their team and they continiously followed on my TD request.

I started getting calls from Ford again asking me if i had already purchased the car, i informed them that i have not even got a TD :mad: so they agreed this time to send a sales executive for TD at my office. This time again no action after the call and in another 2-3 days a dumb lady pissed me off badly, she calls up and is again asking me if i am interested to buy For Figo ZXI variant i had shown interest for, and she said if you do not buy the car by the end of the month it would get costlier, Curtains down here for Ford.

Finally i got my TD fixed with Pashankar Auto Wheels and the best part i like about the dealer was that they were not trying to get pushy with me. I do not like sales people going overboard with the sales talk though i understand it is their job to sell, sometimes they get on your nerves. The sales executive who was involved in the sales procedure was helpful throughout. He came with to me to the collectors office in Pune to get my affidavit done since there was some RTO document related hassle for my car's passing.

After all the waiting and the exchange process was over for my ALTO, i was counting days to delivery of BEAT anxious to get behind the wheels, i went through lot of material here on Team BHP Chevrolet Beat review thread and got most of my doubts clarified with the dealer before hand (Big Thanks to Team BHP Community :thumbs up). Staff at Pashankar Auto had made all arrangements for doing my car pooja and i was explained all the features of the car properly and all final documentation work done at ease. I drove off from the showroom and was little tense about my ability to handle the car returning back home from Satara Road back to Yerwada in heavy traffic condition and at the same time i was excited to get a good feel of driving the car.

Here are my observations on my 1 day old Chevy Beat:

• It feels spacious inside and carries the stunning looks from outside within as well .
• Steering is very responsive and i have noticed a minor loss of power on 2nd gear pick up not as bad as i have read on lot of thread posts here related to BEAT, i found myself changing gears less frequently in traffic conditions.
• I would not suggest an immediate tyre upgrade, however speaker upgrade is something which you can get done on priority, i am getting mine upgraded during the first check up of my car a month from now.
• The moment you start driving at a steady speed in the 3rd and 4th gear you can feel the peppy engine ready to race, i am yet to take my car on a free road at the outskirts of Pune to test the car response at high speed.
• TD Beat car had touched one of the speed breakers in my complex, so i was worried after reading some owners complaining of poor GC, luckily my car has survived the worst speed breaker bump in my office parking.
• No drag effect on the car with AC on, and i tested this today while moving out of Pune Bund Garden Central mall steep pathway out from basement parking on 1st gear, i did face problem with Alto many times when i had to switch off the car AC even on the Mumbai Pune expressway while climbing the roads up in the ghats.
• Engine is super silent and car cabin is well insulated, car suspension is excellent and handles minor potholes and uneven road patches with ease, less body roll.

I would continue posting my driving experience and some more car pictures further and also planning for a video review very shortly.

@KreativeGeek - very nice report. However, as I said - please put this in a separate thread, with all pics possible.

Also keep us posted on the speaker upgrade you go for.

Congrats on the new car, do post some pics

Congrtas KreativeGeek on your prized possession. What plans you have in mind for the speaker upgrade? I have upgraded my car speakers as a matter of priority.

I am planning to take opinion of an independent car accessories dealer in Pune instead of getting my speakers purchased from GM counter at the showroom. No intention to disturb speaker wiring since it would void my warranty if fiddled with. So i would buy some good pair of speakers from outside and would get it installed from the service center. yet to research on speakers.

I have upgraded my speakers in stock location. You can checkout my thread

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1889596

Congratulations @KreativeGeek on your new acquisition!
Beat is a lovely little car with great features in the segment considering the price tag! Looks are relative, but no matter one like it or not BEAT is hard to ignore, on-road! Post some pics and you must be aware, but I think carax @Pune is a good option for trying out various options for upgrading the car.
Wish you many many happy miles :)

Congrats on the Beat! This thread needs some pictures, but what I'm really looking forward to is the video review you promised us :)

Nice way to convince yourself on a new car :). But no, I don't agree with this logic at all. The launch of any new engine will hardly affect the residual of a 2 year old Alto, as long as the older engine is fuel efficient (which it is).

Believe me, upgrading your tyres should be top priority. The Beat is horribly under-tyred in the interest of fuel efficiency. The OEM tyre size is not suited to highway driving at all.

So true. I love the Beat's refinement levels at idling / low speeds.

Drive safe.

Congrats on the Beat. I did check it out in my recent several visits to a Chevvy showroom. It indeed looks classy and i loved its interiors. Black with great fit and finish.

And, some of its colors are really funky. Which color you went with? Add some pictures here and keep the thread live with your experiences.

Congrats KGeek. Waiting eagerly for your video review of Chevy BEAT. Drive safe.

Congrats on ur beat.

Did you opt for the cash less service package?

What do you think about the front visibility of the beat?

Drive safe and enjoy the drive.

No i read good explanation for cash less service package posted on GTO's review thread by some user, which convinced me not to go for it. about the front visibility explanation coming up in my video review, posting it shortly

Part one of the video review of my new Chevrolet Beat, please excuse me for the repetitions of my words in the video. I consider myself very much amateur at doing video reviews, good with writing still. I was getting conscious doing this review as the passerby's were wondering what was i doing with the camera in the car and speaking to myself :)

YouTube - Chevrolet BEAT review - Part I

Here’s the second part of my video review for BEAT. I have not covered the driving aspects of the car and I would be sharing my thoughts over this in my review thread here on regular basis. I am also posting another video link of a short custom video I have made with the snapshots of my car and a collection of some cool footage in this one.
YouTube - Chevrolet BEAT review - Part II
YouTube - Chevrolet Beat video by me

KreativeGeek

First of all congratulations on your new Beat and nice to see you got that funky green. Do tink seriously about the tyre upgrade and that done asap as your tyres are new and you would get a good exchange price.

Your video review is fantastic. I love the attention to every minute detail and the trouble you have taken to showcase every feature of the car. Looking forward to seeing the remaining parts of your review

Drive safe and yes some pictures of your Beat as well :)