![]() | #76 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Pune
Posts: 187
Thanked: 99 Times
| ![]() I would prefer a low seating position for a comfortable highway drive, I feel more secure too. Tried swift/Getz 1.3 and the seating is a little on the higher side, but both are good cars to drive. Getz 1.3 is a good highway car, lots of space, very smooth car and braking is good. I now have a Palio GTX and it's just too good a car. Can easily touch high speed with 5 adults on board and it stays planted on road. I'm sure the Punto also has the same feel, but doubt whether it will cross 170. I like the F1 like driving posture. Another difference is the Power Steering. FIAT gives you hydraulic steering which gives better feedback on high speed runs. In case you need more power, you can go for a pete's box on Punto which can easily take you past 170. |
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![]() | #77 | |
BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 762
Thanked: 434 Times
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My Innova has about 85,000 km in 3.5 years, and it is the car we take the most when we want to drive around the city. Don't have any problems with parking/driving. If it has to be a hatch, then I'd lean towards Polo/Punto/Figo, in that order (mostly for build quality and safety than anything else) | |
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![]() | #78 | |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 41
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![]() | #79 |
Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 1,117
Thanked: 178 Times
| ![]() Pls test drive the VW Polo as well..solid build and pretty stoic poise on highways. I would wait for the 1.6L 104 bhp version though. See http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...review-45.html |
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![]() | #80 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() | ![]() Quote:
The more I read the above post the more stronger the image of 1 car becomes in my mind and that car is the Ford IKON with the 1.4 Dura Torq diesel engine. I believe the price starts at 5.5. L. As a first car it is a much much better vehicle to own than any of the hatches that are available in the market today. I know it is a very old model but that does not take away from the excellent handling of the car, responsiveness of the engine and amazingly great suspension. I have never owned this car but I have driven it extensively on highways and in cities both as a self driven hired car and also in the back seat as a taxi with a driver. The ride on both the front seat as well as the rear is excellent and the boot helps on those long trips. The car is planted at cruising speeds and does not get flapped by strong gusts of wind on the highways as most of the hatches do. Also it has a very strong body structure and though I have seen a few banged up Ikons but never one with a distorted passenger cabin. I feel that the IKON fits the criteria as posted by you above(in bold) perfectly. The only negative is that the car does not offer ABS or air bags but apart from that I cannot find fault with it. Many will say that it is only 68 hp @4000rpm + 160 nm@ 2000rpm but that is on paper and I hope that you would definitely test drive the car and see for yourself as to how those numbers are transferred on to the tarmac before your final decision. The one other thing I would like to say is that kind of speeds that are being flashed on this threads such as 150 ~170 kmph are highly impractical. I currently own and self drive both kinds i.e a hatchback(1.3L petrol) and a sedan(1.6L petrol) and in nearly 20 years of driving around the country have not come across a stretch on the domestic road network where these kinds of speeds can be sustained for more than a few minutes. So do not make this a deciding factor. I will close this post by giving you a link to a travelogue posted by a fellow member on his highway trysts in his IKON. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...runelveli.html | |
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![]() | #81 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: bangalore
Posts: 985
Thanked: 143 Times
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![]() | #82 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 67
Thanked: 8 Times
| ![]() To test drive the i20 at 80-90 kmph, head to Trident Hyundai (100 Feet Road, Indiranagar) and ask for a test drive, on a * Sunday afternoon *. You can zip down the inner ring road (a few breakers before embassy golf links, but you'll still manage to hit 100 kmph on the middle stretch at least) I test drove the i20 CRDI and the 1.2 Petrol on a Sunday (early afternoon), so traffic wasn't a problem and because it's more relaxed, you can spend more time with the car and talk to the sales chap for longer. To test drive the Punto at high speeds, head to Prerana Motors on the Outer Ring Road, again on a Sunday ( morning ) and ask the chap to let you take it for a longer spin. I heard there's a flyover being constructed in the area now, however, so you might have to take the car either towards the electronic city expressway or towards marathahalli to hit higher speeds. Have fun! |
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![]() | #83 | |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 41
Thanked: 0 Times
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![]() | #84 |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coimbatore
Posts: 2,336
Thanked: 3,970 Times
| ![]() Read that a fellow BHPian loved the Figo Diesel's power delivery characteristics, and chose it above the Swift / Ritz counterpart. What is your choice? The Thread: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/hatchb...-diesel-3.html Last edited by ph03n!x : 29th March 2010 at 00:01. |
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![]() | #85 | |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 41
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![]() | #86 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: May 2006 Location: Greater Chennai
Posts: 4,661
Thanked: 537 Times
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It has a really good steering, suspension and handling and is very good VFM. You dont feel like doing 140 until you look at the meter and diesel FE is 18... | |
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![]() | #87 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coimbatore
Posts: 2,336
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![]() But yes, it is definitely a gem of a car in terms of handling. My only grouse would be the engine - the 1.3 VGT mill from the Linea would have made this the perfect choice! | |
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![]() | #88 |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: May 2006 Location: Greater Chennai
Posts: 4,661
Thanked: 537 Times
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![]() | #89 | |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 41
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![]() | #90 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Coimbatore
Posts: 2,336
Thanked: 3,970 Times
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