[Poitive]

Originally Posted by nanduchitnis

My advice:

Keep the Swift for city drives and buy a SUV.

A sedan will limit you in space as compared to a Scorpio.

If you like driving log distances and tour, SUV is the answer.

Personally have not really liked how SUV's handle. The higher centre of gravity makes them unsuitable for sharp cornering. The Scorpio, though huge on the outside, is not really too spacious on the inside. It works well when there are many people to be seated. A lot o people love the idea of being in an SUV and it overrides other concerns.

[Champion]

Hello there epic! I am another Swift VDi owner (albeit a 2009 model) and I kind of think the natural progression would be the Vento. It looks solid, drives majestic and would certainly last the ordeal. I kind of think (and know too) that a Volkswagen product is always solidly built since one of my cousins have been using a wide variety of their vehicles for their company right here in Dubai. He's so crazy about VW that he would have nothing but the Passat for his car while he knows he can afford the others from the same range.

I am planning one for my next car back in India in say maybe 3 years from now. I know it would be an old one by then, but I know it would still be solid and perhaps rid of all its wriggles as well.

Cherio
Champion

[bluevolt]

I will suggest you to wait for Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Verna, both are launching very soon. So you should wait and check these two cars. Check out the scoop threads in Indian car scene forum. No point of getting again a swift again. If you wish to consider a hatchback then Honda Jazz is the best car (many would turn down because of high price). I guess Skoda Octavia is discontinued (though you can consider pre-owned). Best of luck and Happy hunting.

[scuderiamania]

Originally Posted by Epic

Hi all,

I currently own a December 2005 Swift Vxi Petrol. It has done around 63k kms till date and still running strong. It is shod with 15" X 6.5" OZ Racing rims with 205/55/R15 Yokohama S-Drives. I mostly drive in the city and do around 100 kms a day. I drive out of town probably once in 6 months or so. I am totally in love with the car and love it specifically for its handling and stiffer suspension as it is driven by me alone almost 90% of the time. The rest of the time is with my parents or friends.

I would now like to go for a bigger car and looking for a sedan with similar or better characteristics of the Swift in terms of feel and handling. I was first looking at the hatches and my choices were the Hyundai i20, VW Polo 1.2/1.6, Honda Jazz and even the new 2011 Swift due to launch soon.

However, since I already experienced a hatch, I though of going in for a sedan instead. My choices are - Ford Fiesta, Maruti Suzuki SX4, Skoda Octavia, VW Vento, & Hyundai Verna.

Other than the sporty feel and handling that I get in the Swift, my main requirements and most important are the after sales service. I am so used to the flawless after sales of Maruti Suzuki that I don't want to experience anything less!

Except for the VWs, the above hatches & sedans mentioned have also aged now. What do you guys suggest I do? My budget is 10L max and I plan to buy this car by December 2011 or January 2012.

There is something wrong with your statement. You mentioned that you travel around a 100 km every day with outings once every 6 months. That would mean 100km*30days-a-month*12 months-a-year*5 years=1.8 lakh kms. But you are mentioning that you have covered only 63K kms. Therefore your average daily travel is something in the region of 35kms. Thus I would suggest a petrol car. Though you might agrue that the difference in pertol and diesel prices do not just a petrol anymore, I have a feeling that diesel is going to be de-regularised sometime in the next 2-3 years.

Originally Posted by shuvc

want a deal? Outgoing Fiesta
wanna drive? New Fiesta (as per reviews)
practicality? SX4 Diesel
practicality at a slightly higher cost? Vento
passionate? Linea MJD/TJet, Cedia
play safe? ANHC

+1 to what Shuvc has said. A perfect categorization of your options.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by Epic

Except for the VWs, the above hatches & sedans mentioned have also aged now.

The Vento looks as aged as old wine. It may be a competent car, but it looks very bland and aged. The SX4 fits your bill perfectly more so because VW has very less A.S.S and increasingly more sales.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by nanduchitnis

My advice:

Keep the Swift for city drives and buy a SUV.

A sedan will limit you in space as compared to a Scorpio.

If you like driving log distances and tour, SUV is the answer.

Totally out of the question!!! I am the only one who drives, I have parking for only one car and just can't afford to keep 2 cars! Buy an SUV? If you are suggesting Scorpio, Safari, etc; I do not consider these vehicles as SUVs. A real SUV would be the Fortuner, CR-V and the likes.

Originally Posted by bimbrahw

My suggestion is go in for the new Swift to be launched model. If the MUL guys bring in the one with similar features that they sell abroad, it sure will have good new features like start/stop switch, etc. Go in for the diesel this time. The torque that the diesel develops is mindblowing not to mention the terrific fuel economy (I get 19-20 kmpl with AC on full time in Delhi traffic). The new Swift will be built on a completely new wheelbase. It will be wider and longer and thus address the problem of cramped rear seats that our present Swifts have.

For people living in metros, a hatchback is the best car to have unless of course the length of a car for some means a status symbol. In Delhi, parking attendants will shoo away people driving long cars as they gobble up precious parking space while giving them the same parking charges as a small car.

My suggestion, the new Swift diesel... pray they launch the Zdi version ...

Happy Driving !!!

This is a nice suggestion and I am surprised no one mentioned the new Swift; of course that's probably because I had mentioned I require a sedan. I hope it will be as good or better than the current Swift.

Originally Posted by scuderiamania

There is something wrong with your statement. You mentioned that you travel around a 100 km every day with outings once every 6 months. That would mean 100km*30days-a-month*12 months-a-year*5 years=1.8 lakh kms. But you are mentioning that you have covered only 63K kms. Therefore your average daily travel is something in the region of 35kms. Thus I would suggest a petrol car. Though you might agrue that the difference in pertol and diesel prices do not just a petrol anymore, I have a feeling that diesel is going to be de-regularised sometime in the next 2-3 years.

Oh that is because I have recently moved jobs which requires me to travel a total of around 100kms per day.

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

The Vento looks as aged as old wine. It may be a competent car, but it looks very bland and aged. The SX4 fits your bill perfectly more so because VW has very less A.S.S and increasingly more sales.

Yes but the SX4 will be a very common on road and so will the Vento. I will need to wait to see which new models will be available by then and also if they would fit in my budget and then decide.

[Naparajito]

You can also try the LINEA MJD. The car is just awesome. The handling is a major + point. The car handles like breeze and it is the car with all the features in its segment. 93HP is enough but if you want more power add a pete's box or a spider box for 28 or 23 k. the power is upto 126HP and 285Nm torque.

[Epic]

Originally Posted by Naparajito

You can also try the LINEA MJD. The car is just awesome. The handling is a major + point. The car handles like breeze and it is the car with all the features in its segment. 93HP is enough but if you want more power add a pete's box or a spider box for 28 or 23 k. the power is upto 126HP and 285Nm torque.

I am skeptical about Fiat after sales service.

[Speed Pujari]

Originally Posted by Epic

I am skeptical about Fiat after sales service.

I would strongly recommend you talk to the real owners before jumping to conclusion. Fiat customer service was ranked#2 by JD Power. I own two fiats and till date no issue with After sales.

[souravc]

I am someone who upgraded from Swift to a sedan, I still own the Swift though. First and foremost I love the Swift , a bit crazy and fuzzy about it -- still celebrate its birthday on the 27th of August every year , I am so much in love with my Swift Though I felt quite a bit "rattled" by its body noise , specially the door noise.

I have upgraded to a Vento TDI because thats the car which seemed like an upgrade in the fun to drive category. While I was worried about the A.S.S , I took comfort from the following :-
1. VW is making massive investments in India , launching 13-14 models within a span of 18-24 months is no mean achievement!
2. VW has gone ahead in India with exclusive dealerships which is a big comfort ( unlike Fiat )
3. I have personally visited the workshop nearest to my place , the equipments are awesome , setup supervised by VW - that shows a lot of commitment

Having said that , would the service centres be as omni-present as Maruti ? I would not expect them to be anywhere close , the right benchmark would be Honda - I am pretty much sure that the numbers would be comparable within a year at the most .

The spares/equipment cost would most likely be in the league of the City.

Someone mentioned bland looks , for me it was a question of whether to go for "flashy" looks or "understated" looks - Vento was my choice as I preferred understated looks. I love the build quality , absolutely solid - had a few minor incidents /accidents which further reinforced my faith in the robust quality of the car

[nomadabhi]

A thread that saved me from creating a new one.

I am driving an Estilo LXi (Dec, 2007) and was seeking an upgrade. Everytime I try searching an upgrade, I end up worrying about the A.S.S. being spoilt by flawless/cheap MASS. My monthly running is approx 1875kms and once in 2 months family trip adds additional 500-1000kms.

High average on diesel is tempting but at this point of time my dad is against it as it will surely attract taxes in near future.

1. What I would like to know is that people who are planning to buy a new vehicle in near future, should they be worried about diesel price hike or the taxes it may attract.

2. Considering the A.S.S, cheap spares and garage availibility during long drives, I find myself inclined to MS and can go far upto Hyundai.

If you drive mostly within city limits than the best would be to check the reputation of A.S.S close to your home for all kind of vehicle makes you wish to consider. This may help you to get a bit comfortable with the A.S.S part.
However, if you drive out on lengthy routes frequently then you know you are spoiled by M.A.S.S (atleast I'm)

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by nomadabhi

1. What I would like to know is that people who are planning to buy a new vehicle in near future, should they be worried about diesel price hike or the taxes it may attract.
2. Considering the A.S.S, cheap spares and garage availibility during long drives, I find myself inclined to MS and can go far upto Hyundai.

IMO the diesel price taxes would not happen in the near future. It would be complex.

Suggest since you have not mention on a sedan, to go for the Next Gen Swift .

Cheers!

[Epic]

Originally Posted by Speed Pujari

I would strongly recommend you talk to the real owners before jumping to conclusion. Fiat customer service was ranked#2 by JD Power. I own two fiats and till date no issue with After sales.

I don't think I would need to speak to Fiat owners. I have done a good enough research and have noted that the closest 02 service centers to where I live are at Powai & Worli. I live at Bandra West. That would be an approximate 1 hour drive one way to Powai & around 45 minute drive one way to Worli. The number of service stations are negligible as compared to Maruti Suzuki.

I believe that Fiat & Tata share their service stations? That's is more than enough to keep me away. I have been to Fortune Cars at Powai and I was shocked by the way the cars are driven around rashly there. The mechanics really don't have the proper knowledge or don't really give you a convincing answer to their suggestions on solving a particular problem. It is more like a trial an error method that they use so no idea how they got the #2 rank.

However, this was my observation and experience at a Fiat Authorized Service Center.

Also a friend of mine had bought a used 2007 Fiat Palio Stile 1.6 and has been suggested to take an AMC of 8k per year from Shaman Motors as parts are difficult to get.

[srishiva]

Maybe we should have a poll to find the car from which people are moving to Ventos (since they are so many). I find more Swift owners are moving for a diesel sedan to Vento.

[bikxsans660]

Originally Posted by srishiva

Maybe we should have a poll to find the car from which people are moving to Ventos (since they are so many). I find more Swift owners are moving for a diesel sedan to Vento.

I agree!! Vento TDI is a hit. Also latest sales report state Ventos selling above Citys this month. Whats not to like in the VW. But again to each his own. Guess have to research a lot before taking the plunge.

All the best.