[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Pretty much how i felt after back to back TD's of the car. I liked the Swift more, but Punto 90 impressed me with its drivabilty! Heck, i could take the car over a speed bump, with 4 adults on board, and all this on an incline in 2nd gear!

If you're waiting till the month end i'd suggest waiting a little more and trying to buy during dasara/diwali time. Last year, they had very good discounts going on from Sept-end till the 2012 model was launched, almost close to 60k.

Thanks shashank
I will take your advice and wait till the festive season begins. You are right about the extra discounts part. Why pay more when I can bargain for some more discounts out of them and get the car for cheaper, if it is Punto Sports . 50-60k is a lot of money, and I can get other add-ons with the money I save - like the RD tuning box, or leather upholstery.

I guess I'll hold on to the Swift booking till October beginning anyway, since my name happens to be at priority number 1 now for a Blue ZDi. According to the sales rep at my Maruti dealership, even if the production restarts now, their focus will be on VDis and LDis since that is bread and butter for them and since ~70-80% of built-up bookings are for VDi. Possibility of ZDis arriving at least 3-4 months after production restarts, is not uncommon according to him. I'll just hold on to the booking just in case they receive one suddenly.

[Sheel]

Don't like the Figo D Karthik? It is all the Car you want. (With that absolutely gorgeous T-Jet in your garage)

A friendly suggestion as I know most shy away because of its looks. But if you can get over the looks, would suggest test-driving it.

[adits]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Comparing the kit list with the Punto sports / Swift ZDi is out of question.

The Swift fits me perfectly, the Punto is amazingly spacious in the front with seats pushed back. Fabia feels like another (higher) segment altogether in interior quality. Pity that the Fabia has that wretched 3 cylinder mill which just doesn't do justice to its capabilities.

Battle now narrows down to Swift ZDi and Punto 90 HP Sports

Agree with most of your points on the Liva. FYI the GD does have ABS but no airbags though.

On the other hand, the reasons I rules out the Swift were
- At 5'11", I do not fit into it (front seat or back). - Using only the rear seats after moving the front ones to make space is not possible
- At 8L+ OTR the ZDi is too pricey.

I guess my search for my next hatch (to replace my aging Santro with a diesel given that my running is now over 1,500 kms /month) resulted in the Liva coming closest in spite of its shortcomings.

For others considering giving me advice, my biggest requirement is
- interior space (I have had to restrict who sits where in the Manza to ensure no one pokes their knees in the back of the one sitting in front)
- We are used to taller cars (My car history for the last 15 years has been 2 Indicas (V1 and V2), 1 Santro and 1 Manza)

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Don't like the Figo D Karthik? It is all the Car you want. (With that absolutely gorgeous T-Jet in your garage)

A friendly suggestion as I know most shy away because of its looks. But if you can get over the looks, would suggest test-driving it.

Thanks a lot Sheel . I did consider the Figo, but it lost out due to 2 main reasons -

- Extremely boxy look. I didn't like the look one bit. Looks are important for me , considering it is something I am spending hard earned cash on, and something I will look at everyday. The design is plain boring.

- I didn't fit well in the cockpit. I felt like I was driving a Maruti 800. Ergonomics are extremely important for me since I am a bit taller (at 6'1") and will be using this hatch in heavy traffic conditions for almost 4 hours everyday. I don't want to buy something where I will get cramped easily. The Punto is same as the Linea in ergonomics, and we already had the Swift at home, so either of them will do.

It was otherwise ticking all my other requirements. But I believe I will go with the car which has more bhps on paper.

Originally Posted by adits

Agree with most of your points on the Liva. FYI the GD does have ABS but no airbags though.

On the other hand, the reasons I rules out the Swift were
- At 5'11", I do not fit into it (front seat or back). - Using only the rear seats after moving the front ones to make space is not possible
- At 8L+ OTR the ZDi is too pricey.

I guess my search for my next hatch (to replace my aging Santro with a diesel given that my running is now over 1,500 kms /month) resulted in the Liva coming closest in spite of its shortcomings.

I do agree with you on the ZDi being a bit overpriced. Quite frankly I have no options apart from the ZDi and the 90HP Sports. I am a little surprised to know you didn't fit into the Swift. The Swift has a bad rear seat space, but the driver ergonomics are fantastic. Since I'll mostly be using this car solo for office commute, rear seat will hardly be used. Maybe max usage will be to dump my office backpack. I've been driving a 2006 Swift and never get tired driving it. Did you consider the Ford Figo that sheel mentioned? It turned out to be too cramped for me at 6'1", but it could be a good choice for you perhaps.

For others considering giving me advice, my biggest requirement is
- interior space (I have had to restrict who sits where in the Manza to ensure no one pokes their knees in the back of the one sitting in front)
- We are used to taller cars (My car history for the last 15 years has been 2 Indicas (V1 and V2), 1 Santro and 1 Manza)

Apart from the Liva which is sufficiently spacious, since you mentioned interior space being an important criterion, why not look at the Indica Vista? That thing has oodles of space in the back. Truly "Sedan class" in terms of space.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I guess I'll hold on to the Swift booking till October beginning anyway, since my name happens to be at priority number 1 now for a Blue ZDi. According to the sales rep at my Maruti dealership, even if the production restarts now, their focus will be on VDis and LDis since that is bread and butter for them and since ~70-80% of built-up bookings are for VDi. Possibility of ZDis arriving at least 3-4 months after production restarts, is not uncommon according to him. I'll just hold on to the booking just in case they receive one suddenly.

In that case, its best you wait and take delivery of the Swift. Its the car which appealed to you the most so you'll be very happy and satisfied with it. The Punto 90 surfaced mainly due to the non-availability right ?

OT:I'm also seriously considering replacing the Polo tdi, which is 6 months old and has 6k on the odo with something better. Under-powered issues aside, two critical parts had to be replaced under warranty in this short period. Rear brake assembly in May and today the steering cone set. It'll be a disaster economically, but i'll be happy.

My options are the same as yours, Swift ZDi and the Punto 90

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

In that case, its best you wait and take delivery of the Swift. Its the car which appealed to you the most so you'll be very happy and satisfied with it. The Punto 90 surfaced mainly due to the non-availability right ?

I'll wait for 2 months, but quite frankly I have no hope of the Swift coming in anytime soon. The SA says 4-5 months easily for ZDi even if production starts now. The lockout needs to be lifted, new staff hired and trained and then production will start. God knows how long that will take. I will hold the booking till october and try to pester the SA to somehow find one blue ZDi for me from some remaining stocks somewhere, or get an allotment in the first batch after production starts. If it doesn't work out beyond october, I'll bid adieu and head to Prerana motors for a Red Punto 90HP Sport.

You're right, the 90HP surfaced due to non-availability of the Swift, but it seems now like I am liking it more and more, than the Swift itself! An RD tuning box and the lag issue between 1st and 2nd gears of Punto 90 is almost taken care of. Cost-wise also, it is similar to the ZDi after discounts. I'm extremely satisfied with the top notch servicing quality and staff at Prerana so another Fiat will not be a problem too. I have the elder sister T-Jet+ already, a younger sister 90HP will be more than welcome to join the garage . The festive season should bring in some more discounts so I'll hang around till then and take the plunge. Of course, all this will happen, assuming there is no sign of my Swift by Oct-Nov time frame. *Fingers crossed*

OT:I'm also seriously considering replacing the Polo tdi, which is 6 months old and has 6k on the odo with something better. Under-powered issues aside, two critical parts had to be replaced under warranty in this short period. Rear brake assembly in May and today the steering cone set. It'll be a disaster economically, but i'll be happy.

My options are the same as yours, Swift ZDi and the Punto 90

Sad to know about these 2 major repairs done under warranty for such a recently bought car. You could consider booking the Swift now itself if you are looking at the ZDi, they charge a token advance of 10k. If you're lucky, you might get it next year this time *lol*. The last I heard, the nationwide booking backlog for Swifts is 65,000 as on monday, according to my SA.

[adits]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I do agree with you on the ZDi being a bit overpriced. Quite frankly I have no options apart from the ZDi and the 90HP Sports. I am a little surprised to know you didn't fit into the Swift. The Swift has a bad rear seat space, but the driver ergonomics are fantastic. Since I'll mostly be using this car solo for office commute, rear seat will hardly be used. Maybe max usage will be to dump my office backpack. Did you consider the Ford Figo that sheel mentioned? It turned out to be too cramped for me at 6'1", but it could be a good choice for you perhaps.

Apart from the Liva which is sufficiently spacious, since you mentioned interior space being an important criterion, why not look at the Indica Vista? That thing has oodles of space in the back. Truly "Sedan class" in terms of space.

The first test I do on any car I even look at is push the front seat back and check the available space. As you said, the Swift lost it there as quite often there will be an adult in the back seat and I know the pain I endure with 2 people bickering in the Santro.

Figo and Vista were ruled out by the spouse. Figo for its relatively low height(the indicas, manza and santro have spoilt us for the height factor and she hit her head twice when getting into the car). Hence, could not even TD the figo.

Vista means my second car will also be a TML one and with no help from me, the spouse did not like the niggles the manza faced. (The same reason the Nano was ruled out).

[fuel_addict]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

OT:I'm also seriously considering replacing the Polo tdi, which is 6 months old and has 6k on the odo with something better. Under-powered issues aside, two critical parts had to be replaced under warranty in this short period. Rear brake assembly in May and today the steering cone set. It'll be a disaster economically, but i'll be happy.

My options are the same as yours, Swift ZDi and the Punto 90

Sad to hear that about these incidents with your Polo. How is your experience with VW A-S-S so far? I can imagine how hard it is economically to consider replacing a 6 month old car. Maybe you can swap your car for the (rumoured) upgraded Polo TDi few months down the line (hopefully). The ZDi is like a distant dream if you book now. The Punto 90HP is a good option.

Originally Posted by KarthikK

I'll wait for 2 months, but quite frankly I have no hope of the Swift coming in anytime soon. The SA says 4-5 months easily for ZDi even if production starts now. The lockout needs to be lifted, new staff hired and trained and then production will start. God knows how long that will take. I will hold the booking till october and try to pester the SA to somehow find one blue ZDi for me from some remaining stocks somewhere, or get an allotment in the first batch after production starts. If it doesn't work out beyond october, I'll bid adieu and head to Prerana motors for a Red Punto 90HP Sport.

You're right, the 90HP surfaced due to non-availability of the Swift, but it seems now like I am liking it more and more, than the Swift itself! An RD tuning box and the lag issue between 1st and 2nd gears of Punto 90 is almost taken care of. Cost-wise also, it is similar to the ZDi after discounts. I'm extremely satisfied with the top notch servicing quality and staff at Prerana so another Fiat will not be a problem too. I have the elder sister T-Jet+ already, a younger sister 90HP will be more than welcome to join the garage . The festive season should bring in some more discounts so I'll hang around till then and take the plunge. Of course, all this will happen, assuming there is no sign of my Swift by Oct-Nov time frame. *Fingers crossed*

.

Your wait period for the ZDi seems to be never ending. Now with the issues at Manesar, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be far away. Very unfortunate for people who have booked their Swifts. Since you already own a T-Jet and are happy with the service, I would pick the 90HP Punto sports if I were in your shoes. It's a fabulous
car in its own right. If the service quality is no issue, the Punto makes a lot of sense at the price and engine on offer.

[parimal_g]

Have you checked the new swift as when I was driving the same my left leg was hitting the lower portion of dash while operating clutch and in terms of refinement Punto is way ahead am loving every moment with her, clutch has longer play but it's very light and you have already used to Fiat as T Jet has same clutch play..go for it as additional space in boot you can take her to highways also for your weekend drives ;-) And who knows if any price increase comes in between.

[rudrah]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

Since you already own a T-Jet and are happy with the service, I would pick the 90HP Punto sports if I were in your shoes. It's a fabulous car in its own right. If the service quality is no issue, the Punto makes a lot of sense at the price and engine on offer.

here. The Punto 90HP makes sense since you already have the TJet and happy with the service and quality. I assume you do not have any service issues from TASS too.

The new Swift has excellent interiors but I've heard the braking system of the new Swift are not too great while Punto's braking is fabulous. You surely know how fantastic the TJet has it already! That confidence is what matters.

In the end, the Punto will never age on you..be sure of that!

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by KarthikK

You're right, the 90HP surfaced due to non-availability of the Swift, but it seems now like I am liking it more and more, than the Swift itself! An RD tuning box and the lag issue between 1st and 2nd gears of Punto 90 is almost taken care of.

I think waiting for the Swift is a good option based on what i experienced. I had a Swift ZDi booking, but due to the never ending wait, i settled for the Polo since Punto was outright rejected by my dad.

Initially i thought i'll get a tuning box done and all under-powered issues will be taken care of, but my bad luck resulted in me landing up with a troublesome car. I was unhappy with the power now i doubt its reliability as well. Not a good position to be in 6 motnhs down the line, hence the suggestion

Originally Posted by KarthikK

Sad to know about these 2 major repairs done under warranty for such a recently bought car. You could consider booking the Swift now itself if you are looking at the ZDi, they charge a token advance of 10k. If you're lucky, you might get it next year this time *lol*. The last I heard, the nationwide booking backlog for Swifts is 65,000 as on monday, according to my SA.

I called Mandovi motors, they said 5-7 months waiting for the ZDi from when the production restarts, so i can assume next year July delivery PROVIDED no further disruptions arise.

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

Sad to hear that about these incidents with your Polo. How is your experience with VW A-S-S so far? I can imagine how hard it is economically to consider replacing a 6 month old car. Maybe you can swap your car for the (rumoured) upgraded Polo TDi few months down the line (hopefully). The ZDi is like a distant dream if you book now. The Punto 90HP is a good option.

The experience has been average mainly due to attitude and not the quality of workmanship, but nothing unexpected really. The arrogance of the sales staff seems to have rubbed onto the service folks too. Its pretty bad economically, i thought i'll lose 10-15% of OTR but all dealers are quoting a loss of 20-30%, double of what i thought and i'm not ready to lose so much.

You're right about the New Polo, but its worth considering only if its with a proper 4cyl engine.

[ajay_satpute]

Originally Posted by rudrah

The new Swift has excellent interiors but I've heard the braking system of the new Swift are not too great while Punto's braking is fabulous.

The braking system of the new Swift is only problematic on the non-ABS variants. There's a separate thread on that particular issue on TBHP.

And agreed with Punto 90. The Punto 90 Sports version is too tempting. I LOVE the black sports version especially. Looks really stunning and outstanding in the crowded hatch market, IMHO.

[S2!!!]

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

I called Mandovi motors, they said 5-7 months waiting for the ZDi from when the production restarts, so i can assume next year July delivery PROVIDED no further disruptions arise.

Wow. Is the new Swift thaaaat good that people are willing to wait for nearly a year for their cars to be delivered to them?? Or does Maruti Suzuki custom build each Swift to the owner's whims and fancies?? I can't understand why anyone would wait for something for so long which is not even that special/ exclusive. Its a great product no doubt, but with a waiting period of 9 months, its just too hyped. It kills the whole enthusiasm and excitement of receiving the car finally after so long. The feeling would be more of a relief that finally it has arrived, more than any other.

Two of my friends bought the new Swift out of which one waited for exactly 4 days for a grey Zdi and the other 25 days for a white Vxi (and I thought that wait period was too long)

1 question I always had when I see the hatchback threads. Is the Vista that bad/ poor quality that no one ever considers it?? It has soft touch plastics, the same 1.3L diesel engine, much more space than any other and it yet is never mentioned in any one's consideration list.

[shashank.nk]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

I can't understand why anyone would wait for something for so long which is not even that special/ exclusive. Its a great product no doubt, but with a waiting period of 9 months, its just too hyped. It kills the whole enthusiasm and excitement of receiving the car finally after so long. The feeling would be more of a relief that finally it has arrived, more than any other.

Two of my friends bought the new Swift out of which one waited for exactly 4 days for a grey Zdi and the other 25 days for a white Vxi (and I thought that wait period was too long)

Well if i knew the Polo would trouble me so much, i would've waited for Swift even if it took more than 6-7 months to come.

One reason, reliability!

Your friends are lucky to have got a delivery so quick. Many instances on the forum where people have waited for 7-8 months for the ZDi!

[KarthikK]

Originally Posted by fuel_addict

Your wait period for the ZDi seems to be never ending. Now with the issues at Manesar, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be far away. Very unfortunate for people who have booked their Swifts. Since you already own a T-Jet and are happy with the service, I would pick the 90HP Punto sports if I were in your shoes. It's a fabulous
car in its own right. If the service quality is no issue, the Punto makes a lot of sense at the price and engine on offer.

Agreed fuel_addict. I will be doing this after a month. From the current status at Manesar, it looks like they are still not done with their probe and 'ensuring safety methods are in place', so restarting production is still a good month away it seems. That means it will be a wait till Feb-March for me. I will settle for the 90HP Sports in October.

Originally Posted by parimal_g

Have you checked the new swift as when I was driving the same my left leg was hitting the lower portion of dash while operating clutch and in terms of refinement Punto is way ahead am loving every moment with her, clutch has longer play but it's very light and you have already used to Fiat as T Jet has same clutch play..go for it as additional space in boot you can take her to highways also for your weekend drives ;-) And who knows if any price increase comes in between.

The leg-hitting-dashboard problem was mentioned by GTO in his review too. Surprisingly I didn't have this problem when I test drove the new Swift. Perhaps it was because the seat height was at its lowest position and I was not in an upright position. Punto sports is way ahead in terms of rocket-pull from 2nd gear and upwards. Everything else is the same as the T-Jet, I won't have trouble adjusting to a new vehicle at all with the punto sport.

Originally Posted by rudrah

here. The Punto 90HP makes sense since you already have the TJet and happy with the service and quality. I assume you do not have any service issues from TASS too.

The new Swift has excellent interiors but I've heard the braking system of the new Swift are not too great while Punto's braking is fabulous. You surely know how fantastic the TJet has it already! That confidence is what matters.

In the end, the Punto will never age on you..be sure of that!

Thanks rudrah, I have almost decided on the 90HP Sports now. Just waiting till October beginning to save some more cash and reduce the loan amount. Shashank mentioned festival discounts also which will see me getting a good deal in October. By then, if my Swift doesn't come (which is certain now that it won't), I'm going to Fiat for the T-Jet's younger sibling. It is bigger, better, more powerful.

Originally Posted by S2!!!

Wow. Is the new Swift thaaaat good that people are willing to wait for nearly a year for their cars to be delivered to them?? Or does Maruti Suzuki custom build each Swift to the owner's whims and fancies?? I can't understand why anyone would wait for something for so long which is not even that special/ exclusive. Its a great product no doubt, but with a waiting period of 9 months, its just too hyped. It kills the whole enthusiasm and excitement of receiving the car finally after so long. The feeling would be more of a relief that finally it has arrived, more than any other.

Two of my friends bought the new Swift out of which one waited for exactly 4 days for a grey Zdi and the other 25 days for a white Vxi (and I thought that wait period was too long)

Not sure about the rest of the junta, but in my case, it was slightly different. We were looking for a replacement for our Swift. There was no urgency as such, and we didn't test drive the 90HP back then. At that time we couldn't find any car as good as the Swift, so booked a ZDi and decided to wait. There was no urgency to buy it since we were just upgrading, so we didn't haggle around with the dealer for an early delivery. The waiting periods run for around 5-6 months here on average for ZDi. 6 months later and 1 Manesar fiasco later, delivery day which was supposed to come has come to a deadend. Now it doesn't seem to be in sight for 5-6 more months. You're right. They're not giving us any Bugatti Veyron for us to wait for a year. There are better choices available (90HP Sport), and I will shift base after a month.

Maruti dealers are no angels here in Bangalore. There are lots of politics which go on during allotment. People bribe salesmen to jump the priority queues and get deliveries earlier than others. There are some others who use "influence" to arm twist dealers into giving them the cars earlier, because they claim to know some bigshot. For normal people like us who don't want to play these politics, we have to wait long. Very long. Hence the decision now to shift base.

Originally Posted by shashank.nk

Your friends are lucky to have got a delivery so quick. Many instances on the forum where people have waited for 7-8 months for the ZDi!

+1. Mine must be some kind of record. Booking in March 2012, delivery in March 2013!!

P.S - I drove a colleague's previous gen Swift VDi and the test drive vehicle of the current gen ZDi. The new Swift D doesn't seem to give the same turbo'ed rush as the previous gen VDi. The new Swift seems a bit more linear in acceleration and throttle response. Am I the only one who feels this way? Am I imagining things or does anyone else feel the same way? *lol*