[isiv]

Yeah, those were the days... There were only two sources of info on the Indian auto scene those days - Indian Auto and Auto India. Overdrive, Autocar etc. came in much later. By the start of every month I would be at the local magazine store buying up the latest issues with saved up pocket money, reading it over breakfast, lunch, dinner, even in the crapper. Devouring every line first page to last sometimes more than once.

Going a bit OT here, I'd like to share some quips from the mags of those days.

If my memory serves me right, I think it was Auto India that carried one of the first 'What car' sections (that I read) with a brief on every model available those days. Some of the pros/cons lines I can recollect are:

Maruti 800: More Maruti 800s on the roads than any other car. Displays less finesse than a bicycle on bad roads

Maruti Zen: The Maruti 800 on steroids

Maruti 1000: With a full load and a/c this car will have to be paddled through traffic with the gear shift.

Daewoo Cielo: Daewho?

Mahindra Armada: A trustworthy old lady with heavy makeup

Padmini 137D: At idle, the engine sounds like a sumeet mixer full of ball bearings

Padmini deluxe: For those who need a boot, but do not have much loot.

Contessa: Depreciates the moment you drive it out the showroom and the parking attendant will charge you double without batting an eyelid.

Mahindra Classic: There are fourteen warning lamps on the dashboard that make it look like the cockpit of a WW2 warplane.

There was also an article on the lemons of Indian car industry. Of the lines I remember about the Standard 2000 (How many of us even remember that car?): The sheep in wolf's clothing. The battery had a lifespan less than that of a moth.

Cheers

[ajmat]

Peugeot 309

What you will like

Strong Mechanicals
Brilliant Handling and steering
Excellent ride over bad roads
Decent room

What you wont like

Frumpy dated looks
Suspect plastics
Poor dealer network
Tappity engine (petrols)
Short seat squabs

[Anoopscv]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Would just love the Contessa to be on the list too, though its technically 80s.

Yes its India’s first practical ‘luxury’ & Muscle car HM Contessa.
Capacity : 1817 cc
Drive : Rear
FUEL Capacity : 65 Litres
Gross vehicle weight : 1650 kg
Boot capacity : 600 Lts.

WoW!

[GeeTee TSI]

How about the rare Rover Montego? (and the still rarer Estate variant?) Some of the earliest cars with contemporary features like turbo diesel engines, modern design and suspension with electrically operated features we never knew existed!

[Samba]

Excellent thread, rated 5*.

Fiat Uno :

What you'll like:

• Solid build quality
• Smooth petrol and a powerful 1.7L, 57Bhp diesel engine in offer.
• Spacious boot.
• Most comfortable ride quality and most spacious cabin in its segment.
• Confidence inspiring handling. Rock steady at high speeds.

What you'll dislike:

• 1.0L, 45Bhp Petrol engine lacks the punch. (Though the 1.2L, 63Bhp petrol Uno introduced in late 2000 was a good performer.)
• Costly and unavailability of spare parts.
• Boxy rear design.
• Many cities lack a Fiat dealership.
• Under-steer is prominent in the diesel Uno. Begs for a tyre upgrade.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

[arvi86]

Wow, this is a brilliant thread. I always think about the cars of the late nineties that marks the 'coming of age' of the Indian car market. Specifically, there are two of them that I loved then and still do for what they offered - Mitsubishi Lancer and Hyundai Santro. The Lancer is covered already and so here's how the Santro's review summary would have looked in 1998:

What you'll like:

• Spacious cabin and ease of entry/exit thanks to its 'Tall Boy' design

• Value for money pricing; Hyundai has gate-crashed into Maruti's party

• Featured loaded 'DX' variant (Air-conditioning, power steering, front power windows, rear adjustable head restraints, fog lamps and rear washer/wiper to name a few)

• Excellent quality, fit and finish inside and out

• Brilliant driveability inside the city from the 1.0-liter petrol engine

What you'll dislike:

• Oddball styling is a hit or miss, mostly the latter

• An unknown brand in India; Hyundai's image in international markets isn't great either

• Questionable after-sales service (Bad stories of Fiat and Peugeot aren't forgotten!)

• Unproven long-term reliability

When I first saw Santro's picture in Auto India (don't remember exactly), I was smitten. Yes, I was one of the few who actually liked its styling then. Eventually, the facelifted version 'Xing' was my first ever car (a 2003 model bought pre-owned in 2010 and had it for just more than a year) and I'll forever carry fond memories of it.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by Samba

Excellent thread, rated 5*.

Fiat Uno :

What you'll like:

• Solid build quality
• Smooth petrol and a powerful 1.7L, 57Bhp diesel engine in offer.
• Spacious boot.
• Most comfortable ride quality and most spacious cabin in its segment.
• Confidence inspiring handling. Rock steady at high speeds.

What you'll dislike:

• 1.0L, 45Bhp Petrol engine lacks the punch. (Though the 1.2L, 63Bhp petrol Uno introduced in late 2000 was a good performer.)
• Costly and unavailability of spare parts.
• Boxy rear design.
• Many cities lack a Fiat dealership.
• Under-steer is prominent in the diesel Uno. Begs for a tyre upgrade.
  
  Attachment 1449558
  
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I must add that the UNO had perhaps the best front seats of any car in India and the diesel was really fun to drive

[dean5545]

I'll add my bit too!
TATA SUMO

What you will like:
-Spacious Cabin
-Can easily seat 10 pax
-Value for money at 4.5 lakhs on road Mumbai
-Looks are far better than the Mahindra Armada

What you won't
-Outrageous Handling
-Unending niggles
-Long waiting period( we booked our car in the lottery system in 1995 and got delivery in 1996)

[i74js]

Originally Posted by sidzzone

Think about the Team BHP review of the Ford Escort, or the Daewoo Cielo.

Here's what could've been:

Ford Escort:

What you'll like:

• A solid spacious sedan from Ford
• Ergonomic cabin with lots of space
• Big accommodating boot
• Smooth diesel engine
• Beautifully packaged interiors, easily the best in the segment
• Heavy body translates to excellent ride quality

What you'll dislike:

• Lacking equipment of competition - Power windows offered only in front
• Power steering comes only with the diesel variant
• Petrol engine is terribly under-powered especially with the A/C on
• Handles like a boat

What about the cars that you've experienced in the 90s? Or even the 80s?

My machine has completed 2.4 lac and never troubled me on the road. Components are costly; I am able to source them through my FNG as well as from Ford (Harpreet and Talera) both.

[libranof1987]

I have a surprise entry:

Opel Corsa SAIL

What you will like:

- Solid German engineering
- Impeccable build, fit and finish
- Solid, planted ride
- Way-ahead-of-it's-time equipment list
- That boot could house a house!
- No cost cutting. Anywhere.

What you won't:

- Very high cost of ownership
- Built like a tank = awful FE
- Very patchy dealer and after sales service network

[djpeesh]

No 118NE fans here?

Premier 118 NE



What you'll like:
+Slick gearshift
+Modern looking body (car of the year in 1966 IIRC!)
+Rear bench is spacious
+Reasonably powerful engine, RWD


What you won't:
- Prone to overheating, very frequently (only rectified with additional fans)
- Rust magnet. If you go on a long vacation and leave your car in Mumbai, you might have to pick it up in a dustpan when you get back
- A S S. If you send it to the garage for a problem, it comes back with 5 new ones


(Disclaimer: none of these pictures are mine, collected from Google Images)

[petrolhead_neel]

What a fantastic thread! Thanks for the same.

Heck, I was born in 2002, so can't really contribute much to this thread. But here is my small contribution to this lovely thread, a vehicle with which I have spent quite some time with, though never driven one. So my review will be based upon what I've observed myself and what owners/drivers of the car have told me.

Maruti Gypsy MG413W

Brace yourselves, off roaders, thrill seekers, rallyists and wanderlust travelers. The King is here!

It's June 1996, and Maruti has finally launched the successor to the MG410W. It's called the Gypsy King, and the engine is the same carbureted G13BA that the Esteem uses.

What you'll like

• A much improved package than the MG410W
  
• G13B churns out 60 BHP, and the light kerb weight of the car means that she's F-U-N
  
• Free revving engine. Very smooth and silent at low revs, ideal for birding. While being very excited, throaty and spirited while being revved hard
  
• Superb off road ability. A true mountain goat with go-anywhere attitude.
  
• Timeless styling. With minor changes, looks even better now! True show stopper.
  
• Reliability. If taken basic care and maintained properly, will outlive the owner. Gives Jeeps a run for their money. No wonder that she's the weapon of choice for the Indian army.
  
• Mod potential.
  

What you won't:

• Ride quality. The less said, the better
  
• Side facing rear seats are a true nightmare, although front seats are quite good.
  
• Basic interiors.
  
• Poor low end torque means that you have the work the engine out to its limit while off roading.
  
• Lacks the diesel torque or pulling power of old-school diesel Jeeps. Also feels underpowered on the open road.
  

**UPDATE**: It's March 2000 and the Gypsy King with a 16-valve, MPFI G13BB engine has been launched in India. It delivers a whopping 20 BHP more. Also gets a much needed brake booster.

Update II: It's 13/12/2015 and the old mountain goat still lives on, not just in the hearts of Indian enthusiasts but also in the Indian army, bird sanctuaries and rallies. Production might end soon. This one has the potential of being a true legend. Slow caps to the King!



(Pictured here is Spidey, arguably one of the best Gypsies ever. Built by our very own mod khan_sultan).

Regards,
petrolhead_neel

[Astraholic]

The "Last king of Sipani" definitely deserves a mention here.

The Rover Montego Sedan/Estate Has been launched in India at a princely price of 10 lakhs(ex Chennai)



What you'll Like:

• 2.0 Litre Turbo Diesel Engine Developed by Perkins UK
• Fastest car in the country. 0-100 in 12 secs flat.
• Loaded with every conceivable feature. Power Steering, AC, Sunroof,Power Window.Luxury like never before.
• Road presence.Status. The rich swag!

What you wont:

• Prohibitive pricing. Can buy 7 ambassadors and start a taxi service for the price of one.
• Sipani's notorious reputation.
• Lack of After sales service.
• Reliability is yet to be tested.

This is a famous 1988 Austin Montego commercial performed by Russ Swift.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RHXg5s7wv8

[FINTAIL]

Originally Posted by djpeesh

(Disclaimer: none of these pictures are mine, collected from Google Images)

I did plan to write my POV on the 118 NE. You beat me to it

A couple of neighbours of mine used to own that car- they sold the cars in 2009 and 2011 respectively.

IIRC- the 118NE had a FIAT 124 body. The FIAT 124 was the European Car of the year, circa 1966.

The engine was the Nissan A12. Smooth, with bulletproof reliability. Was VERY prone to the odd vapour lock problem. The Nissan A12 itself was based on a 'Fifties British Motor Corporation / Morris design.

Thus, in a was, the 118NE was a half - brother of our Ambassador- which itself was based on the Morris Oxford.

PAL could have made the 118 a FAR better product though. Sad.

[Tgo]

Toyota Qualis - Introduced in India in the year 2000

What You'll Like:

• Toyota's First offering in India
• An MPV with robust underpinnings, crumple zones
• Independent Front Suspension, Power Steering, Powerful Air Conditioning and other comforts on offer
• A variety of seating options to choose from
• Very tractable 2.4L diesel engine
• No Squeaks or rattles (unheard of in UV's of that time)
• Terrific Brakes (haven't driven any other car with similar braking power)

What You Won't:

• Bare Basic interiors
• Over Assisted Steering gives no feedback at all
• Styling dates back to 1970s
• Limited dealer network could be an issue
• Lackluster performance from the petrol (guessing..??)

This was the first car we owned which took us to places we'd never have imagined venturing to.


The car served us for 10 years and over 2 Lac kilometers before having a sad (...and vey untimely demise). More can be read on my ownership thread It surely imprinted Reliability through Quality character of Toyota cars in our minds.