[Ashok Naik]

Originally Posted by dev.devil.1983

Hello All,

I have been driving an Alto LXI since 2011, and now feel a need to switch over to a new set of wheels. My need primarily is to have a family car which can tuck in comfortably my wife and my 2 year old daughter, as we roam around the city and occassionaly explore the highways. As of now my monthly run streches to 200 kms but i foresee a switch in my work location which may lead to an average monthly run of 1000 kms. Hence, i need to have a car which meets these conditions. I have done a bit of looking around and have zeroed on to Beat Diesel PS and Hyundai i10 1.1 Magna(with dealer fitted CNG). Both these cars fall within the same price bracket and i look forward for your expert opinions finalize on the best out of the two.

I did take a test drive of both the vehicles and found i10 to be comfortable, with ample space but have my apprehensions with respect to the new irde2 engine as compared to the now discontinued kappa 1.2. Also, would like to have opinions on the dealer fitted CNG and how does it fare in the long run.
The Beat Diesel on the other hand though cramped up at the back, was comfortable to drive and was smooth within the gear shifts to provide decent pickup. I couldnt feel the engine noise within the cabin but have had some negative feedback about the same. The main reasons for me being a bit inclined towards the Beat is because of a diesel car being within my budget and the mantainence package(@ 31500) being provided by chevrolet which ensures no further mantainence cost for the next 3 years. I did have very negative feedback from my mechanic who services my Alto, saying the engine of Beat doesnt last long and would loose all its steam within a span of atmost 2 years.

Looking forward to all your help here in letting me decide which one to go for.

Thanks in Anticipation
Dev

Hello Mr. Dev,
Welcome to the forum.
Hope my views are of some help-
BEAT DIESEL PS-
1. Smooth, refined, 3-cylinder diesel unit.
2. Ample power, torque and a very comfortable and easy-to-drive city hatchback.
3. Terrific fuel economy, the worst driver gets as low as 18 kmpl under any condition.
4. Chevrolet's maintenance schemes will not pinch the pocket.
5. But the Beat does not have an engine immobilizer on any variant. Thieves find it very easy to steal. Your Alto has an engine immobilizer. Ask the Chevrolet dealer if they can fit the engine immobilizer in the Beat. Compel him to fit it. They were offering me a special factory-fitted engine immobilizer Beat PS when I asked them why Chevy had missed out such an important anti-theft device.
6. The Beat fits the bill perfectly for your highway drives.
I10 1.1 IRDE-
1. The IRDE is the same Santro engine. Reliable and sturdy.
2. Excellent low end torque.
3. Good mileage figures, excellent with CNG.
4. The i10 is a good family car.
5. Not so good for your highway runs. Tyres are undersized(R 13 tyres) The Beat comes with R 14 tyres.
6. Running on CNG would reduce the engine life of the car.

My take-Go for the Beat Diesel PS and force the dealer to fit an engine immobilizer for you.

Regards,
Ashok.

[motionfreak]

It's the same engine with one less cylinder.
Go for Beat. It will not only an upgrade to your alto but vey refreshing and different type (funky one) of car too.

[dev.devil.1983]

Originally Posted by Ashok Naik

Hello Mr. Dev,
Welcome to the forum.
Hope my views are of some help-
BEAT DIESEL PS-
1. Smooth, refined, 3-cylinder diesel unit.
2. Ample power, torque and a very comfortable and easy-to-drive city hatchback.
3. Terrific fuel economy, the worst driver gets as low as 18 kmpl under any condition.
4. Chevrolet's maintenance schemes will not pinch the pocket.
5. But the Beat does not have an engine immobilizer on any variant. Thieves find it very easy to steal. Your Alto has an engine immobilizer. Ask the Chevrolet dealer if they can fit the engine immobilizer in the Beat. Compel him to fit it. They were offering me a special factory-fitted engine immobilizer Beat PS when I asked them why Chevy had missed out such an important anti-theft device.
6. The Beat fits the bill perfectly for your highway drives.
I10 1.1 IRDE-
1. The IRDE is the same Santro engine. Reliable and sturdy.
2. Excellent low end torque.
3. Good mileage figures, excellent with CNG.
4. The i10 is a good family car.
5. Not so good for your highway runs. Tyres are undersized(R 13 tyres) The Beat comes with R 14 tyres.
6. Running on CNG would reduce the engine life of the car.

My take-Go for the Beat Diesel PS and force the dealer to fit an engine immobilizer for you.

Regards,
Ashok.

Thanks for the detailed information Ashok, I too am inclined towards beat but my concerns lie once the mantainence package ends at 3 years .. is it going to be heavy at my pocket .. they are providing extended warranty uptil 5 years .. but my mechanic's comments have made me a little sceptical as to how the performance would degrade compared to other cars in the same segment .

[GTO]

Originally Posted by dev.devil.1983

is it going to be heavy at my pocket .. they are providing extended warranty uptil 5 years .. but my mechanic's comments have made me a little sceptical as to how the performance would degrade compared to other cars in the same segment .

If these are your only two apprehensions, please go ahead with the Beat diesel. Reasons:

1. All of Chevrolet's Korean engineered products are reliable. Right from the Spark to the Cruze. You are anyway getting a 5 year warranty too.

2. Your mechanic is ill-informed. Please ask him to provide a technical reason behind why the performance would 'degrade' after 2 - 3 years. I see no reason. The Beat uses India's national engine (with one cylinder less).

BTW, for 1000 kms a month, you really shouldn't be considering a CNG at all. There are way too many disadvantages (boot space, long filling times, scarce highway availability) with CNG.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by dev.devil.1983

......negative feedback from my mechanic who services my Alto, saying the engine of Beat doesnt last long and would loose all its steam within a span of atmost 2 years

Your mechanic is semi-right! In the sense the failure rate of 3Cyl engines per'se a 4Cyl is noticable more. Not just word of mouth, but have a chai talk with any Authorized chevy service person and get a honest feedback. I (being a chevy sail owner) have heard from the horses mouth the issues beyond a 1Lac Km driven 3pot chevy motor.

Having said that - any new car should stay out of your 'mechanic's eyes.

So what you need to determine/weigh is...

1) Nearest service center between a Hyundai and a Chevy
2) Resale value 5years down the line, if need arises
3) Extended warranty offered by both the guys
4) Is CNG a MUST? A beat petrol is a superb zippy package (1000Kms/month of petrol Vs CNG is at most 3000Rs more on pocket) - so you see if that suits you.
5) Take a diesel if you really cross 2-3K kms a month. A petrol Vs diesel service bill of the same Beat is really very different. Say 2.5K Vs 5-6K on a average. And this is approximately once in 6 months depends on usage.

[Ashok Naik]

Originally Posted by dev.devil.1983

Thanks for the detailed information Ashok, I too am inclined towards beat but my concerns lie once the mantainence package ends at 3 years .. is it going to be heavy at my pocket .. they are providing extended warranty uptil 5 years .. but my mechanic's comments have made me a little sceptical as to how the performance would degrade compared to other cars in the same segment .

You are on the right track. Even Mr. GTO has confirmed the reliability of the Beat Diesel. There are myriad posts on this forum related to the Beat Diesel's low maintenance costs.
For a detailed maintenance costs details please visit this website-
http://www.cardekho.com/chevrolet-beat/service-cost.htm

Courtesy-www.cardekho.com

Regards,
Ashok.

[Ocizer]

As a owner of a Beat Diesel and i10 1.1 magna (comparable or superior to the wagon R) I would say buy the Beat eyes closed

because:


1) Excellent urban driveability

hatchback for within the city commute

You will love how this thing pulls in traffic
there isnt much difference even when there are 5 people
in the car and AC at full blast

My wife struggles to drive the i10 in the traffic but
never gets of her phone even when driving at peak city
traffic in the beat

I dont know if its just me but I prefer driving the beat than my dads
punto 1.3 in the city

2) Stable ride

The ride is very flat I have driven it at 120 KPH on bumpy bits
on the highway no complaints from the occupants

In comparison people ask me if i know how to drive when I dont
slow down on the same bumps at 80 KPH in the i10

Im not sure how the wagon R rides though


3) Fuel Efficient and Cheaper to fill up

I prefer not to trust the ARAI figures for petrol cars(i may be wrong though)
In the city i get about 16+ kmpl and 19 on the highway fully loaded with the beat and 10-11kmpl for the i10 in the city

the only fly in the mix is the 7500Kms oil change
that has been revised from 15000kms and from what i heard
you wont be getting Auto Climate control or the screen that
displays AC controls on the new facelift