[markiv]

Originally Posted by EatMyDust

I'll be taking the spark td too on this weekend. If I dont like it, I'll book the Swift-Petrol. I'm eager to get my wheels asap!

Swift is the "safe" option, go for it i say. Anyway I dont want to see too many Palio 1.6's on the road, it will reduce the novelty factor

[Nimz]

@ EMD - hold on reg the Swift as well.. As per my discussion with a sales rep in a MUL showroom the discounts could increase towards the month end. June end is a qtr ending month. But again I dont think you can expect much discounts as MUL would want to gear up for the spike in sales in Aug -Sep. Did you TD the stile 1.6 as well? See any difference from the retro???

@vinodv001 - agreed but the Matiz engine and design has undergone numerous engine revisions and am sure the guys at GM wouldnt cut corners like the Koreans also the current spark is also based on a Chevy design. If it had been the Daewoo Spark. Yes I'd have second thoughts about it. Again its something personal and not to be confused as a generalization (Off-topic: Read on this forum that GM cars use first grade steel compared to others who use recycled steel. If its true then we know GM )

all said and done.. I am in love with a fiery Italian beuty in red called the retro sport 1.6. But may have to go with a pesky american gal thanks to concorde. Thats life I guess.

[gemithomas]

Nobody buys a FIAT 1.6 for mileage. They buy it for sheer performance. In the bargain you could get F.E figures of above 10-11 in city and 14-15 on highways if you at all decide to drive in "FE.Mode". Which i think is good enough. You cant get the same F.E figures for a 1.1, 1.3 and 1.6 engine. Its stupid to compare things like that.

In case you are looking for F.E its better to stay with some 'safe' option.

[ashwin_seattle]

Performance wise, nothing can beat a Palio 1.6. But still its wise to go for an intermediate option, Swift fits the bill. Then comes UVA

[sithon]

Originally Posted by Nimz

@ EMD - hold on reg the Swift as well.. As per my discussion with a sales rep in a MUL showroom the discounts could increase towards the month end. June end is a qtr ending month. But again I dont think you can expect much discounts as MUL would want to gear up for the spike in sales in Aug -Sep.

hey Nimz,
Not sure about the increase in discount but i think we can assume it wont decrease; According to MUL pratham motors the 5 k is valid till EOM June and i asked them why the decrease from 15k to 5k to which they mentioned the sales have picked up (pratham itself have several "folders" booked ) and thats why the decrease. So going by that - i doubt it would decrease.

Btw, EMD and Nimz,FYI: Concorde just called today to say there is a 1.6 stile available for TD tomorrow (BUT ***, these guys are really giving a delivery vehicle with the Odo off for TD as they said they received 3 cards and also will give it for TD after the PDI - Pre Delivery Inspection is done ! ).
I plan to do a TD of the 1.6 stile this week. (Btw, i started to write a TD report for the 1.6 retro vs the 1.1 but the whole window got closed somehow ) well hope to do that this weekend .... or so

Btw, what problem did u face with Concorde?

[EatMyDust]

@nimz: dude, i spoke to the manipal icici finance guys yestrday after seeing the advt in the newspaper

they're quoting 8.99% for 3 years (as advertised in the paper) which comes to an EMI of Rs 3157/- per month per lakh of loan.

i asked him, when mul guys are charging 12%, how u can afford to give 9% - he said "Sir, our 9% offer doesnt contain any accessories. So we make up on the profit by not giving any additional accessories"

So, my opinion is: When i buy using finance, its bettr to go for w/o acc and a lower rate of int. and then get the acc fitted from outside. Cos, from what i read on the forum, acc are comparatively vrey cheap outside than the dealer.

team-bhpians? any suggestions on that?

[Nimz]

Originally Posted by sithon

Btw, EMD and Nimz,FYI: Concorde just called today to say there is a 1.6 stile available for TD tomorrow (BUT ***, these guys are really giving a delivery vehicle with the Odo off for TD as they said they received 3 cards and also will give it for TD after the PDI - Pre Delivery Inspection is done ! ).

If we buy a new FIAT from these guys dont know how many people would have TDed before we get it!! Is that the case all over India or only with Blore dealers. Heard rave rviews about Bhandari. How is it there?

@ Sithon - Well with Concorde - asked for a TD of the Retro. Visited them and said will want a TD. Later called up (I had to call up and remind them that I wanted a TD). Checking availabilty went to Concorde and had to wait around as the guy was "very busy" After threatening the receptionist to walk out. He did the formalities and got a guy to accompany us who was not too keen to come wth us in the first place and didnt know a thing about Fiats. Then the odo was off. Then asked him for some info whihc he said he will get back. Am still waiting... all small small things which doesnt give you a good feeling.

@ EMD - offer is also free extended warranty. That should make the 1.6 approx 5 Lacs on road. Let us all know how your TD of the spark went.

@ Sithon - can you list down any differences you felt between the Retro and the Stile 1.6?

Thanks NImz

[EatMyDust]

Hey Nimz,

I took the Spark td finally! I went to Sundaram's on fri morning at 11am. Not many ppl around for TDs; good for me...

Salesman (Suresh) was very helpful but of not much of use. Must've started his career recently - he didnt even know how much emi per lakh for the spark ??!!??

i had to wait for about 10-15 min before i took the td. so, i went over and had a nice look at the UVA and the SRV.

The SRV looks fab da! the dashboard looks damn cool. wow-o-wow! I think the interiors are cooler than the Palio sport. Man! I'd love to take a TD of that machine. Its worth some 8 lakhs they told me, i wonder if they'd mind if i only want to take a TD and not buy it . btw, i saw the reverse gear on that babe is in the top left groove; american eh?

Then, I also checked the UVA and it *SO very* spacious. I think the King Kong advt on TV is completely justified, . Dont forget to check it out, when you go there. Its not as expensive as i thought too. the price on the UVA 1.2 is comparable to the Swift Lxi, but the difference in prices in the higher variants are considerable. But then i felt the rear seat comfort in the UVA is the best i've ever seen in this category.

Leave all the timepass aside, lets get on with the spark Td. But before i start let me tell u one thing, I'm not an expert at driving, so may not be able to share much about the drive quality part.

I checked out the LS and the LT. As I wasnt interested in ABS and alloys, i chucked out the OPTION pack and since AC and PS is a must (for me), i didnt check out lower variants.

Few imp diff between LS and LT, that I remember and were of imp to me.
- Fabric door trims
- Only front power windows on the LS
- Spoiler, Roof rails, body colored handles etc. (exterior)
- Rear de-fogger and rear wiper and washer
- Fog lamps
- Central locking


The Spark looks kind of Okay. I find the toothless grin and the huge rear lights rather irritating. However if u expect attention when u drive around the city, i guarantee u'd get more than ur fair share with the spark!

If cars have personalities, I would put the spark into the same category as a reckless teenager with an extremely casual attitude.

The interiors are not so very comfy. The front seats are still better, the rear seats dont feel big enough for a guy my height (5' 11). Actually i had read about this in a mag, and i wanted to check it out myself, and yes- its more than true. As soon as i put my legs in the driver's seat, i hit the steering wheel (exactly how i had when i td-ed the estilo); i adjusted the seat back and asked my friend (height 5' 5) to sit behind. She said its comfortable at the back but then i felt it'd be tough for back seat passengers to sit there for longe drives.

Add to that, it'll be very very diff to seat 3 guys at the back.

Reg. drive quality, as i already said, i may not be the best guy to comment (hardly driven cars much), but here's my 2 cents.

I felt there was absolutley no kind of power defeciency (With 4 adults in the car and the AC on full blast) in contrast to the stile 1.1. In fact, the car feels so nice to drive around. I gelled in easily, gear shifts are smooth, i had no problems whatsoever, pick up is more than OK for city driving. Basically she feels as smooth as to drive around!

But I have a concern, i wonder how she'd be when i drive over the hebbal flyover to work everyday hope, she wont run out of steam there!

One more thing, i tried the Swift ZXi's AC, and felt that the Spark's AC is nosier than the Zxi. Can anyone else comment on this? But otherwise, i felt the spark did a good job of keeping external noise out of the cabin.

The cabin's airy alright, and view is un-obstructed ( Mind you, i'm not appreciating the brainless idea of placing dials in the center of the dash )

We went back, and discussed about the prices, colors and availability.

Prices:
LS: About 4.16 (WHite) 4.21 (other colors)
LT: (not OPTION pack) About 4.50 (WHite) 4.56 (other colors)

No extra accessories (??!!??) :( No Cash discount and no corporate discount either

Delivery : 10 days

FE: According to an Auto mag: 12.5-13 in city and 18 on highways (which is good enough, i thought)

Finance: 12.62% for 3 yrs, 12.98% for 5 yrs (whoa! fiatata's giving better)

hmmm, so that brings me to my decision. My 4.5 lakhs will go in favour of the SWIFT petrol. (Lxi, ofcourse) the spark's a little bit too childish for me

Nimz, post ur review soon, i remember u said u're going for the TD on sunday?


- EMD

[Nimz]

Originally Posted by EatMyDust

If cars have personalities, I would put the spark into the same category as a reckless teenager with an extremely casual attitude.

NIce one EMD.

You say its very nice to drive around. Gear shifts as nice as the Swift?

Well so another brick in the wall ooops another one going for the Swift!!

Hardly any discounts on the Swift and a waiting period of 1 month or did you get any?

Also work out the math. May be the Palio would work out better..

As for me am thinking of posting a wanted Palio sport ad in the markets section of this forum.

The AC noise is something am hearing from the first time. Will watch out for that and may be fellow bhpians also can comment on the same and also they could tell you about the spark carrying you over the Hebbal flyover.

Wait for my TD and maybe I'd also be another brick in the wall.. who knows

Nimz

[EatMyDust]

hey nimz

waiting period's ok, i think, its just the hype- should be able to get swifts soon i think.

one more thing, actually its unfair on my part to compare spark to the swift (except for the price) the real comparision should be between the spark and the estilo and santro. (santro i keep aside for the time-being, because of some bias in my mind )

so, if u compare the estilo and the spark, i can see there's a lot of difference which makes one buy the estilo!

1. Price ( estilo lxi (3.91) vs spark ls (4.26)
2. Equipment ( estilo lxi gives a lot of things (both power windows/ defogger lamps/ and other things more than spark ls)
3. FE ( estilo is supposed to be better than spark acc to mags)

But then with spark, we have a fresh new look. lesser maintenance (claimed by chevy) and i personally thought the drive quality is better in spark.

i wonder hows the A.S.S. with chevy?

btw, i maybe going to sundaram again tomorrow, i will td the UVA will come back with updates tomorrow!

As i told u before UVA 1.2 base is comparable to Swift Lxi- wanted to make sure which one's nicer.

[Nimz]

Took the Spark TD on a lazy sunday morning. Garuda was however a beehive of activity. With the news of the Optra Diesel launch and seeing the cute Sparks outside asking you to drive rather than drool there were quite a few people.

An accomodating sales guy took me upstairs to see the car. Sat inside. Felt comfortable. Saw the engine. Looked ok to me. Quizzed him about my question for the season "what is motorized throttle intake and how does it help the Spark". Got vague answers which I knew were wrong and didnt press it.

Waited for the TD vehicle. Wanted the LS and got it.

Engine switched on. Switched on?? doubtful!! No tacho so no idea. Sales guy assured me it was on. AC switched on. Sales guy kept it at 1. I moved it to 4. What a ruckus. TOtally opposite to the engine. Didnt observe any perceptible drop in power though.

SHort gearing further increased the feeling that I was in a toy car. But easy to drive. Handling was good. Felt like a kart.. and toy carish again. No perceptible lack in acceleration like the Palio 1.1 and not like the Palio 1.6 either. But fun to drive. Gear shifter was cool. 4th to 5th faced an issue maybe because am not an expert.

And had to turn back. THis is where the kicker comes in. Was on a Small road had to turn around. Sir said the sales guy. THis is the spark you cna turn it easily and I did. Perfect city car.

Didnt find the speedo console irritating. BUT.. the indicator stalks are swapped. Most of the time started the wiper instead of the indicators.

Pros - had a peppy pull, fun to drive, easy to drive also, handles well.

COns - AC is loud. Getting out from the rear seats was a project.

Well.. given the options I might go for the Spark. THough my heart is with the Red Italian beauty who goes by the name of the Retro Sport.

One more thing - the TD car had the odo on unlke the Fiat!! Me happy!!

@ EMD - there was a UVA all ribboned for delivery. Was it for you?

@ Sithon - took your test drives?

Nimz

[EatMyDust]

@nimz: seriously thinking about the UVA now. Did u TD the UVA? Whats ur opinion on that?

i td-ed it on monday morning, found it amazingly good. only thing is i plan to go for the base, which the forum doesnt reco.
There's an interesting review by GeekSrik. I fully agree with what he says there. Only thing that worries me is that...
a. I couldnt see many UVAs on the streets of bangy
b. I'm worried about the ppl on the forum complaining about the lack of power.

Any comments on that?

[Nimz]

UVA was in my initial list but then I found the spark to be almost equal in terms of performance and as per reviews it seems to handle better. FOr me space is not a criteria as am single and would need space only 4-5 years later.

Another reason why I was looking at the spark or a smaller car than the UVA was this could also be used by my wife when we get a bigger car. Hence my leaning towards a cheaper and smaller car. Also this will be my first car.

But the UVA is being praised a lot. Let me TD it next weekend and yes I didnt see many UVAs in Bangalore nor in Mumbai or in Delhi as I saw the other cars.

Nimz

[GeekSrik]

Originally Posted by EatMyDust

@nimz: seriously thinking about the UVA now. Did u TD the UVA? Whats ur opinion on that?

i td-ed it on monday morning, found it amazingly good. only thing is i plan to go for the base, which the forum doesnt reco.
There's an interesting review by GeekSrik. I fully agree with what he says there. Only thing that worries me is that...
a. I couldnt see many UVAs on the streets of bangy
b. I'm worried about the ppl on the forum complaining about the lack of power.

Any comments on that?

EMD,

dont worry about how many people buy uva and how many dont, believe me i ve not seen a well designed car like uva in a while now. good interiors, loads of space (passenger/boot), peppy 1.2 engine, reasonable FE (11-12) and ABS as an option on higher variant.

its definitely not low on power. i ve driven with 3.5 people worth of load (the third guy was real fat) with A/c and pulling on and off from 2nd gear and the car had done some 2000km, and it showed no signs of tiredness at all. and the noise levels are so damn low in that car, that it will easily take the stress off your mind !!

guess i answered your query on the pm you sent me here itself.

[Nimz]

Any idea what is the service interval for the UVA. FOr the Spark it is 5000 kms compared to the Santro and Estilo which are 10K kms. Would the UVA have low maintenance costs or is it realtively higher?

Looks like I got to give the UVA serious thought too.