[iraghava]

Originally Posted by salilpawar1

But after seeing some cars like the supercharged Chevy SRV, I see light at the end of the tunnel, but as Mr. Navjot Sidhu says, let's hope this light is not of an oncoming car or a train.

Salil - Few problems with the SRV here:

1. We don't know what the exact output & cost of the kit is.
2. We don't know if it's even gonna be launched.
3. At around 10L give or take a few thousand IMHO it's ridiculously expensive.
4. There are other flaws too with the car which need to be addressed like the gearbox for instance.

So GM might be thinking on the right lines but it needs to do a lot of work to make it into a decent & worthy product.

[goldie_malhotra]

Originally Posted by iraghava

Salil - Few problems with the SRV here:

1. We don't know what the exact output & cost of the kit is.
2. We don't know if it's even gonna be launched.
3. At around 10L give or take a few thousand IMHO it's ridiculously expensive.
4. There are other flaws too with the car which need to be addressed like the gearbox for instance.

So GM might be thinking on the right lines but it needs to do a lot of work to make it into a decent & worthy product.

Adding to that, they are still not clear whether to retain the original warranty with the upgrade or not.

[Boom Shiva]

Originally Posted by salilpawar1

as Mr. Navjot Sidhu says, let's hope this light is not of an oncoming car or a train.

Off Topic: Not his own phrase. It's been around for many years. Glad his train is taking him to jail now. He should have been put there years ago for murdering the English language.

And now back to the topic at hand...

Supercharged SRV sadly looks like another badly executed idea from GM. From the new crop, I think Civic is the best driver's car, though it is more of an overall performer than a rocket.

[herculesksp]

I've been looking for some reviews of SRV on TBHP, but I am not finding any using the search. Neither in Reviews section nor anywhere else on the site. Is the car so bad that no one even went for a TD or wants to talk about it?
For that matter, it refuses to find this thread also. Duh!!!

[iraghava]

Originally Posted by herculesksp

I've been looking for some reviews of SRV on TBHP, but I am not finding any using the search. Neither in Reviews section nor anywhere else on the site. Is the car so bad that no one even went for a TD or wants to talk about it?
For that matter, it refuses to find this thread also. Duh!!!

Well that's because very few people have bought the car. AFAIK there are only two people on the forum who have SRV's, one of them I think is aadix. You could PM him for a review.

[iraghava]

Sorry just checked it's Adi who owns an SRV. Also have a look at these threads:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/new-ca...=Chevrolet+srv

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...=Chevrolet+srv

[Yusha]

AFAIK there are only 2 cars being made in India which can be considered to a car for a driving enthusiast. The RS and the Swift. The RS more so. The swift could have done with a bigger engine even if it made it a bit pricier. All the other cars Civic, Elantra, Accent, Esteem, Corrola etc, though good to drive are no driver's car. The swift can be really thrashed on a mountain road or any roads with curves. Same goes for the RS. I have driven both these cars in Uttaranchal and i loved them.

Sadly in India FE and VFM rules everywhere. Manufacturers look for volumes not for petrol heads which make about .0001% of the car buying population. Thats the biggest reason why we get very good cars in India but no car which really blows your socks away. You have chauffeur driven cars in India. Out on the roads in Delhi I have seen Maruti 800's being driven by a chauffeur. Even saw a M3 being chauffeured driven.

So the cars are comfy, VFM, good FE. Handling is compromised for a good ride. Drive a Octavia on bad roads on speed. Rides not good. Drive a Civic on bad road. Comfortable.

If you live in the South of India and love driving and you have a RS, Civic or a Swift, take it to a track. You will love it. Out on the roads all cars feel the same. Almost.

What we need is some like Lotus in India.Or a TVR.

[arindambasu13]

none, GTO. The OHC is a legend in itself, and i wonder why Honda does not bring back the hard ride searing performance of the old car

[wanderlustindia]

Originally Posted by herculesksp

I've been looking for some reviews of SRV on TBHP, but I am not finding any using the search. Neither in Reviews section nor anywhere else on the site. Is the car so bad that no one even went for a TD or wants to talk about it?
For that matter, it refuses to find this thread also. Duh!!!

@Hercules, I remember seeing a story on the erstwhile "AutoShow" (the one hosted by Ms. Kriplani) about a super-charged Chevy SR-V. The test driver (Karthik is his name, I guess! I don't like him ) kept saying the SR-V is no fun to drive in stock condition. The gearbox is poor, the engine is rather lazy and does not do justice to the 100 horses under the hood. With the super-charger the power is bumped upto 120 odd horses, but it costs a fortune to install a super-charger and perhaps even voids the warranty of the car. If I remember well, Chevy was selling just 3-4 cars a month and now the production has stopped.

So, its clear the SR-V is perhaps a really bad car and the reason why you don't see a mention of it on T-BHP.

[GTO]

I'd recently recommended a Fiesta 1.6 S to a cousin who was looking for a driver-oriented C segmenter. My first reco was a used Skoda RS, but his purchase had to be brand new (tax reasons). Well, I drove it (rather ripped ) last night and gotta admit....if you love to drive, the 1.6 S is your only choice from brand new cars in this segment.

It is a fantastic car to drive. The engine is revv-happy and mated to a pretty slick gearshift. The suspension seemed TIGHT, turn-in was quick too. I love its conservative looks, which form a great base to start souping up (alloys etc.). From the sea of boring NHC's, Vernas, SX4s, Logans & Dzires, the Fiesta 1.6 S is the only car with spunk. This particular example will soon be seen with better rubber and a custom exhaust.

My opening post on this thread:

Anywhere between 90 - 100 BHP on tap (which was a LOT for that time) - Check
Driver orientation. Great to drive. - Check
All priced at 8 lacs or lower. - Check. In the whereabouts atleast.
As cheap to maintain as any other car. - Umm, not that sure about the Fiesta.
Great after-market support for modifications.

Buttttttttttttttttttttttttttt I do think that Ford has lost an opportunity. Big time. For a car with such sporting pretentions, surely a mild ECU remap for another 10 - 20 horses was a good idea? Its not like anyone is gonna buy the 1.6 S for fuel efficiency. A 120 BHP Fiesta would be far more satisfying to own and in keeping with its image.

Potential deal breakers:

- Used Skoda RS' for 7 - 8 lakhs. Performance and driving pleasure is in an entirely different league.

- Ford's inconsistent reliability, expensive parts and inconsistent after-sales.

[sridharps]

Originally Posted by GTO

Buttttttttttttttttttttttttttt I do think that Ford has lost an opportunity. Big time. For a car with such sporting pretentions, surely a mild ECU remap for another 10 - 20 horses was a good idea? Its not like anyone is gonna buy the 1.6 S for fuel efficiency. A 120 BHP Fiesta would be far more satisfying to own and in keeping with its image.

I recently remember reading an interview with M & M Chief and he was mentioning that as an industry, there are pulls from 3 different directions to spend money in developing new cars : a) Increase Fuel Efficiency b) Control emissions c) Improved Performance and that how it would be interesting to see the balancing act being done.
Anyway, coming to the point, it is almost as if all the manufacturers are looking at fuel efficiency as a holy cow, not to be tampered with too much. Be it the Ford 1.6 S or the Cedia Sports(which cranks a mere 115 BHP from a 2 L engine), there is a hesitation to come out with an out-and-out driver's car. It's one leg here and one leg there - which can result in confused market positioning.
While, I have not driven the 1.6 S , and hence have no right to comment on the same, is the driving experience in 1.6 S that much different and significantly driver oriented as compared to a 1.6 SXi? I am left wondering whether the differences more cosmetic in nature? I am happy to stand corrected on this point by you, GTO or by other people who have driven both and can share their experiences.

[GTO]

Good points, Sridharps. Nope, the difference between the SXi & the 1.6 S are not major at all. In fact, one would have to pay close attention to even realise the difference. Steering / handling feel better due to larger stock rubber as well as a firmer suspension. But thats it.

It wouldn't cost Ford any money to remap the ECU toward 20 more horses. But yes, fuel efficiency must certainly be at the back of their head when they decided to stick to the same power output. My question is : who would buy the 1.6 S for FE? The way I'd drive it, the number would never go over 6 - 7 kpl anyways! For efficiency, there is always the 1.4 D.

[ssjr0498]

Agree with GTO,

till date there isn't a better "stock" driver's car than the OHC vtec! under the said price bracket!

The Fiesta 1.6S is brilliant no doubt, but GTO did you not find the engine not as refined as the OHC? I mean doesn't the engine sound a bit coarse at the 6+rpm range?

Cheers
Shrey

[esteem_lover]

If the FE was reported to be below 8kmpl, it would very soon be called a guzzler & the resale would drop like mad. But I am sure there is a market for such cars, if only the manufacturers could see that. Cars like the SRV could have come with a much better engine with 150+ bhp.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by ssjr0498

The Fiesta 1.6S is brilliant no doubt, but GTO did you not find the engine not as refined as the OHC? I mean doesn't the engine sound a bit coarse at the 6+rpm range?

I wouldn't call it coarse but yes, the OHC Vtec engine's revv-happiness is in a different league by itself. The 1.6 S is more torquey though.