[theragingbull]

Originally Posted by sbraj

Or it could be the other way around. If Honda does not correct the pricing soon, this car may take the same path as Ford's Fusion. Honda may introduce a new car in the segment and Jazz could turn out to be the old looking.

There is always a risk in going for a car rejected by the market.

I do not think so. The Jazz is currently selling in decent numbers(~600/month) and Honda knows the number will either be constant or will increase with some price reductions. So the Jazz will never be phased out. It's the Honda reliability that really sells in India. If the Jazz was badged as a Fiat/Hyundai/Tata, it would not even sell 50 units a month!

Suhaas, go for the Jazz if price is no bar. Although i would have recommended an i20 if you were on a budget cuz it's VFM. Would space be a priority for you since you already have the more spacious Civic?

[shuvadips]

Jazz has almost everything right except for the price. But since price is not an issue for you you might try out JAzz. Top end Punto and i20 are other options which you might try.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by handsofsteel

Absolutely spot on!! the headroom at the rear is something six-footers find extremely handy. the magic seats are a delight, parking is a breeze. infact, if not for the '3-box bias' of the Indian Junta, i find it hard to justify the need for a sedan when you have a car like this.
And the nothing-to-write-home-about sales in the market do give it a snob value. its a head turner alright.

Without a doubt!

Originally Posted by vnk77

You say money is not constraint for you. And you also said you want peace of mind with the car that you buy. So I would recommend JAZZ.What else you earn money for? For peace of mind, right? So if you have the bandwidth go for JAZZ.

Originally Posted by sbraj

Or it could be the other way around. If Honda does not correct the pricing soon, this car may take the same path as Ford's Fusion. Honda may introduce a new car in the segment and Jazz could turn out to be the old looking.

There is always a risk in going for a car rejected by the market.

Originally Posted by theragingbull

I do not think so. The Jazz is currently selling in decent numbers(~600/month) and Honda knows the number will either be constant or will increase with some price reductions. So the Jazz will never be phased out. It's the Honda reliability that really sells in India. If the Jazz was badged as a Fiat/Hyundai/Tata, it would not even sell 50 units a month!

Suhaas, go for the Jazz if price is no bar. Although i would have recommended an i20 if you were on a budget cuz it's VFM. Would space be a priority for you since you already have the more spacious Civic?

Originally Posted by shuvadips

Jazz has almost everything right except for the price. But since price is not an issue for you you might try out JAzz. Top end Punto and i20 are other options which you might try.

I don't think the Jazz will ever go the way the Chevy SR-V/Ford Fusion went. You see, Hondas will always do well in India irrespective of the price! Look at the CR-V! Even the Honda City (when it was first introduced) was very expensive, but it still sold like hot cakes!

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

Anyway, another Update:

One of our distant relatives had come to visit us over the weekend and they'd bought a brand new top-of-the-line Maruti Suzuki Ritz. They gave us a full demo of their car and my mother wasn't too happy but she said that it was alright! The ride, the handling and the engine is pretty good and we were impressed with it. But we've decided against it since we were always ready to stretch our budget to 9 lakhs. We felt that we can look for something more expensive!

Yesterday, we test drove the Fabia.

When I drove it, the lack of power was very VERY apparent. It struggled on inclines and overtaking requires one to drop not one but two gears to get the power you need. It's a very underpowered car. And to add to things, the engine is probably the least refined engine I've ever seen! It clatters to life like a diesel motor and the NVH levels are pretty high as well.

My father did feel that the engine lacked some power but he wasn't disappointed. My mother didn't care about the power delivery at all! In fact, my parents loved it to bits! I have to agree with them on a few points. The Fabia is a very comfortable car. It feels a million bucks! The gearbox is supple and the steering is great. The ride is amazing to say the least. And it's feature packed too. One thing that my mom felt was very necessary in the seat-height adjustment thingy and the Fabia had that feature while the Jazz didn't. She felt a lot more comfortable in the Fabia than in the Jazz and she has given it a vote over the Jazz! She loved the solidity and the build quality of the car that we've missed in all the other cars.

Oh, and it fits in our parking slot even better than he Jazz *slaps palm on forehead*

But I hate it. It's extremely underpowered. Even our Santro feels faster! Now my parents say that for city driving, you don;t need power. And I agree, somewhat. But the Fabia doesn't even move for Christ's sake!

We still have to come to a conclusion, but at the moment, my parents seem to prefer the Fabia over the Jazz.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Oh, and it fits in our parking slot even better than he Jazz *slaps palm on forehead*
...
We still have to come to a conclusion, but at the moment, my parents seem to prefer the Fabia over the Jazz.

Just show your parents the different threads in TBHP related to Skoda nightmares. I am sure they will be convinced.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sbraj

Just show your parents the different threads in TBHP related to Skoda nightmares. I am sure they will be convinced.

Sbraj, could you provide me with the links to these threads? I'll gladly show them the threads.

[theragingbull]

Do your parents know about "Skoda After sales"?
If not then plz show them this thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...rned-year.html

I agree the build quality and comfort in the car is top notch. But then, if you want such a car, then why not wait for the Polo? That will have more equipment and even better quality than the Fabia. And I'm sure it's not as underpowered as the Fabia. Keep in mind launch is just 10 days away!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

Do your parents know about "Skoda After sales"?

No dude! They didn't know about it! In fact, after the test drive, I mentioned it to them in front of the Skoda guy

He said that he wasn't aware of any such incident. And the guy even went to the extent of saying that the Jazz has been recalled all over the globe (including India) for a 'serious' electrical problem that's related to the electrical windows. He even argued with me saying that the Jazz is being recalled even in India when I went against his claim! I don't blame him though, the guy is just trying to sell the car!

[RickyC]

Fabia is indeed a very solidly built, well designed/finished product, the only couple of issues being lethargic engines and poor *** of Skoda (which I believe is actually improving ! )
However, if your parents have liked Fabia for its built quality and finishing, it does make sense to wait for POLO. The initial reports suggest it to be a fine balance of sporty engine (even if it's a three pot ) and exceelent ride quality. It's being launched on 23rd.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Sbraj, could you provide me with the links to these threads? I'll gladly show them the threads.

Below post from GTO summarizes all the issues reported so by Skoda owners.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post1273840

Originally Posted by theragingbull

I do not think so. The Jazz is currently selling in decent numbers(~600/month) and Honda knows the number will either be constant or will increase with some price reductions. So the Jazz will never be phased out. It's the Honda reliability that really sells in India. If the Jazz was badged as a Fiat/Hyundai/Tata, it would not even sell 50 units a month!

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I don't think the Jazz will ever go the way the Chevy SR-V/Ford Fusion went. You see, Hondas will always do well in India irrespective of the price! Look at the CR-V! Even the Honda City (when it was first introduced) was very expensive, but it still sold like hot cakes!

See this thread, and the related link.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-research.html

It will be launched towards the end of 2011.
...
So, it will likely compete with bestsellers like the Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai i20. Fuel efficiency will be high, like with the City.

[suhaas307]

The Punto came home yesterday. After calling them a hundred times. They promised me that they'll get back to me every time I spoke to them over the phone. We wanted to test drive it sometime in the evening. That's when my mom and dad would be free. But they kept postponing the TD and tried to reschedule it to sometime in the morning even after I kept explaining that we're not free in the mornings!

Out of sheer frustration, I threatened that we'll just skip the Punto TD and go ahead and make our decision based on the cars that we've already test driven. This threat sort of woke them up and they finally made it yesterday!

The guy (who apparently happens to be the team leader) was awfully quiet. He was mum about everything! We asked him several questions about the car and he seemed to be dumb struck!

And to top it off, the Punto 1.4 Emotion Pack that arrived for the TD was horribly maintained. It hadn't been cleaned for ages and hadn't seen a single service since it rolled out of the assembly plant!

What a horrible way of making a first impression. No wonder people seem iffy about Fiat's reliability and A.S.S.

Is this the beginning of Tata/Fiat's relationship with us!? I hope not.

Anyway, the Punto is a terrific car! It's solidly built, looks and feels a million bucks and is generously equipped unlike the Jazz. We loved it! The interiors are not as spacious as the Fabia's or the Jazz's but that's fine. We won't need much space anyway. The ride, handling and stability is top notch. To be very honest, we're sold!

However, we did not like a few things. The AC seemed to take an ion to cool the interiors. I think there was something wrong with it. And the car feels terribly underpowered. The car's 1.4 engine that makes 90 horses on paper doesn't translate into good performance figures. The short gearing (especially the 1st cog) is not inspiring enough. It almost feels like the Fabia's 1.2 3-pot mill!

But we're not going to take our 2nd car onto the highways so it wouldn't be a huge problem as such. Oh and did I mention? The engine is snarly! It sounds great when it's pushed hard! I love that sound! Reminds me of our old Ikon 1.6!

Our decision is still pending. But we've sort of eliminated the Jazz as my mother isn't too comfortable driving it and parking it. She's quite intimidated by it. Although my dad and I love it, my mom would be using it more than us so I guess the Jazz isn't on the list anymore! *Slaps forehead*

[mkh]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Punto came home yesterday. After calling them a hundred times. They promised me that they'll get back to me every time I spoke to them over the phone. We wanted to test drive it sometime in the evening. That's when my mom and dad would be free. But they kept postponing the TD and tried to reschedule it to sometime in the morning even after I kept explaining that we're not free in the mornings!

Out of sheer frustration, I threatened that we'll just skip the Punto TD and go ahead and make our decision based on the cars that we've already test driven. This threat sort of woke them up and they finally made it yesterday!

The guy (who apparently happens to be the team leader) was awfully quiet. He was mum about everything! We asked him several questions about the car and he seemed to be dumb struck!

And to top it off, the Punto 1.4 Emotion Pack that arrived for the TD was horribly maintained. It hadn't been cleaned for ages and hadn't seen a single service since it rolled out of the assembly plant!

What a horrible way of making a first impression. No wonder people seem iffy about Fiat's reliability and A.S.S.

Is this the beginning of Tata/Fiat's relationship with us!? I hope not.

Not a surprise at all- even i had the same exp and posted on the Linea thread...the car came was soooo dirty that i felt like taking a hose and giving it a shower myself! They are totally dis interested in selling FIAT cars...if this is the initial interest- imagine what if you really need someone who cares at a later stage? Its tooo much of a risk with these guys i feel and esp in bangalore. What dealer was this?
Punto 1.4 should not be underpowered...looks like you are judging all cars by the amount of seconds you need to see before it touches 100 - go by what your mom would need dude...she would like her car to potter around in a cool speed around town!
Punto diesel is a much better engine..as did GTO say in his review..thats the engine of choice- rest being the same
I suspect all this would change when the Polo is seen and TD'ed...

[Nikhilb2008]

Oh man! Welcome to tghe club. Name of the club?

"My parents dont know how to choose a car/ I know which car is best. "

My dad wants an Altis and I dont like it that much.

Your dad wants a Fabia and you hate it.

The difference is, I'm trying to convince my dad that Skoda's service has improved, blah blah whereas you are trying to convince your dad that Skoda's service sucks!

I can totally understand what you must be feeling right now! All the best!

[anuprav]

You can think of Polo launching on 23rd/28th feb

[aparth]

How about test driving I20 just for the sake of it

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by mkh

Not a surprise at all- even i had the same exp and posted on the Linea thread...the car came was soooo dirty that i felt like taking a hose and giving it a shower myself! They are totally dis interested in selling FIAT cars...if this is the initial interest- imagine what if you really need someone who cares at a later stage? Its tooo much of a risk with these guys i feel and esp in bangalore. What dealer was this?
Punto 1.4 should not be underpowered...looks like you are judging all cars by the amount of seconds you need to see before it touches 100 - go by what your mom would need dude...she would like her car to potter around in a cool speed around town!
Punto diesel is a much better engine..as did GTO say in his review..thats the engine of choice- rest being the same
I suspect all this would change when the Polo is seen and TD'ed...

Absolutely spot on, Mkh!

I felt that the Punto is terribly underpowered. It was the 1.4 that we tested and I was surprised that it took forever to pick up speed just like the 3-pot Fabia! It might have felt underpowered because it hadn't been serviced either. That's a possibility!

It is my mom's decision at the end of the day! And she's against the Jazz, at the moment. She doesn't mind considering another TD of the Honda. So we shall see after that. The Polo is high on our list too!

We called the TD from Prerna Motors on Lal Bagh Road. From what we've observed, they're no good!

Originally Posted by Nikhilb2008

Oh man! Welcome to tghe club. Name of the club?

"My parents dont know how to choose a car/ I know which car is best. "

My dad wants an Altis and I dont like it that much.

Your dad wants a Fabia and you hate it.

The difference is, I'm trying to convince my dad that Skoda's service has improved, blah blah whereas you are trying to convince your dad that Skoda's service sucks!

I can totally understand what you must be feeling right now! All the best!

Tell me about it dude! It's sad!

Altis? Why? Has he driven the Cedia? Does he know how awesome it is?

Originally Posted by anuprav

You can think of Polo launching on 23rd/28th feb

Originally Posted by aparth

How about test driving I20 just for the sake of it

with the both of you! Can't wait for the Polo to hit the showrooms. Plus, since we're running out of options now, the i20 sort of makes sense. A harmless test drive won't hurt us!