[ashthedivx]

Civic !! As a popular belief, pick it up if you drive it own. Civic's revv happy engine makes it a perfect balance between power and luxury, though more gadgets will be a welcome change.

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by manikjeet

these are the two Indian car which have blown me away

the zen for its driveability
i have a 2000 model mpi zen and that car pull from mere 35-40 Km/hr
in 5th gear and the zippyness of the car and ease of parking

like i say

No car is like zen or will ever be.

+1 to that. I know what you are saying. Puts many to shame in the pulling department.

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

Complete with OZ alloys, Momo steering, Ralliart pedals, spoiler and carbon finished dash.

Which one of these things make it a better driver's car? A bunch of brand names, a spoiler in a FWD car and fake carbon fiber. What really makes the Cedia a driver's car is the sorted chassis and rally suspension. Funny how no one mentions that - not even HM.

The 1.6S is a proper driver's car, straight from the factory. The Swift needs work to bring it into the same league.

[devarshi84]

That has been said here already by numerous posters. I am trying to point out to the latest attempt by HM which also has the show to match the go.

[aaggoswami]

I dont remember if I have posted on this thread earlier or not, but I yesterday came back from 900+ kms journey in Baleno.
Saturday we did Vadodara-Somnath and then Somnath-Dhandhuka, approx 750 kms.

All the time I was wondering about the current generation of cars. They are simply not communicative or enjoyable. The present generation of cars are not a good combination of space, pace, FE, maintenance, handling and ride. The route has many corners and in Baleno they were just enjoyable. On bad roads too, we were able to keep 100+kmph and cruising in this car is great. Overtaking grunt is nice, braking is nice, composure during braking is also good. Handling without doubt is one of the best for such an old sedan. Comfort level is also very high, space inside is nice, nice AC,... the list is very long.


At somnath I did talk with a Lancer owner. He had similar feelings and told me that he is unable to find a replacement for his car. Even at Rs. 15 lakh mark, cars like Baleno, G1HC, Lancer, Ikon and Esteem are not available. Their maintenance and spare part price is very high. He came from Bhavnagar to Somnath.

All the cars mentioned here were capable of giving good FE, space, comfort and entertaining drive without worry of expensive maintenance. Their composure at speeds upto 160 and braking stability is something some sedans have to learn.

Its not about XX or xxx bhp @ xxxx rpm, but its how the power is delivered and if engine is eager or not.

Current generation of cars are way behind. Forget handling, even motors are not that entertaining. A good combination is not present. Even G3HC does not come close as it loses on ride quality and handling.

Right now, we are not able to find replacement for our car.
It almost bring a tear in the corner of my eye when I think of those days.

@ mods :
sorry if the post looks OT, but could not resist from posting this.

[GTO]

Said it like it is, aaggoswami! They really don't make cars like the OHC & Baleno anymore. Light, revv-happy and high on feedback. The only true drivers car today (for 8 lakhs) is the Fiesta 1.6S. But even that is very "solid" and "subdued" compared to the hyper nature of the OHC.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

All the time I was wondering about the current generation of cars. They are simply not communicative or enjoyable. The present generation of cars are not a good combination of space, pace, FE, maintenance, handling and ride. The route has many corners and in Baleno they were just enjoyable. On bad roads too, we were able to keep 100+kmph and cruising in this car is great. Overtaking grunt is nice, braking is nice, composure during braking is also good. Handling without doubt is one of the best for such an old sedan. Comfort level is also very high, space inside is nice, nice AC,... the list is very long.

I can see that you plan to hold on to your Baleno for a long time to come.

At somnath I did talk with a Lancer owner. He had similar feelings and told me that he is unable to find a replacement for his car.

Why do you think my OHC Vtec is not on sale yet? The only head+heart upgrade to the car is the Civic, but I don't think its worth the 8 lakh rupee differential (price of new civic less resale value of my OHC).

[kiku007]

I feel that the low slung seating position of cars like the OHC, Baleno, Lancer and my beloved Ikon also contributed to the fun factor. I just love that seating position, almost feels like gliding on the road.

Nowadays we can just walk and sit into the car:( Fiesta and SX4 for eg.
These do have their benefits in City driving with good visibility but then it takes away the Go-Kart like feel!

OHC - Get in, pull the seat all the way back, slide the back rest a bit! Rev it. Bliss

[Guna]

Originally Posted by kiku007

I feel that the low slung seating position of cars like the OHC, Baleno, Lancer and my beloved Ikon also contributed to the fun factor. I just love that seating position, almost feels like gliding on the road.

Very true. New generation cars focus more on comfort then being sporty which also includes higher seating position, ease on ingress etc.
When Narayanan Karthikeyan drove ANHC on the track for ACI, his main complaint was how high and un-sporty the seating positon was. Inspite of these shortcomings (skinny tyre, not so communicative steering etc) ANHC did reasonanbly well and the figures are only a shade bellow Civic.

[chetanhanda]

Originally Posted by kiku007

I feel that the low slung seating position of cars like the OHC, Baleno, Lancer and my beloved Ikon also contributed to the fun factor. I just love that seating position, almost feels like gliding on the road.

Nowadays we can just walk and sit into the car:( Fiesta and SX4 for eg.
These do have their benefits in City driving with good visibility but then it takes away the Go-Kart like feel!

OHC - Get in, pull the seat all the way back, slide the back rest a bit! Rev it. Bliss

Exactly..first thing is the feel of the car and how low it sits;position of the pedals etc

[_raVan_]

I dont know how many people follow this thread, but a question to you all. Which are the driver oriented cars available in the A, B, C and C+ segment today?

My list would be (in order of their prices):
a) Polo 1.6
b) Linea T-Jet+
c) Civic
d) Cruze

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by chetanhanda

Exactly..first thing is the feel of the car and how low it sits;position of the pedals etc

Originally Posted by kiku007

I feel that the low slung seating position of cars like the OHC, Baleno, Lancer and my beloved Ikon also contributed to the fun factor. I just love that seating position, almost feels like gliding on the road.

OHC - Get in, pull the seat all the way back, slide the back rest a bit! Rev it. Bliss

Hey Chetanhanda, 2 since I posted that and do you know how much things have changed for the bad? :(

I'm so spoilt by cars like Fiesta that I find it difficult to get inside the driver's seat of an OHC. Haven't grown in size also

[arvi86]

A very nice thread, indeed! For some reason, I have never been to this thread until today. How true? Most of the driver's cars that we all have lusted/loved are now no more. The Lancers, the Zens, the Gen1 Citys and the Balenos (though I hate its rear looks) are all gone and, as many have said in this thread, without any proper repalcements.

In the current marketplace, we can count in one hand, the number of driver's cars available for sale. VW Polo 1.6, Fiat Linea T-Jet, Ford Fiesta 1.6 S and Honda Civic are the only cars that comes to my mind now. Glad that I am driving one among them. In my opinion, Hyundai is one company which has changed the marketplace for worse. They make fantastic cars that are excellent in the city butt doesn't handle all that well on highways, especially at high speeds. And, seeing the success that they have met with in our country (even after repeated criticism from enthusiasts), all companies would be only too happy to follow their business model. What else could explain a company like Honda toning down their cars?

[carfreak77]

I believe that one of the main reasons why we don't see driver oriented cars nowadays is due to growing concern for the environment. Car manufacturers are literally fighting a war against each other to see who makes more fuel efficient engines. In this process, the peppy engines get lost! Car manufacturers now focus on FE as one of their primary parameters when developing engines. Let's hope some car manufacturer is brave enough to make a peppy and revv happy engine in the near future.

[arindambasu13]

The K12 engine from Maruti is one of the power plants which come to mind when one talks about fun to drive cars within 10 lakhs.

It is without doubt a gem of an engine, offering revv-happiness, a super slick transmission, good steering feedback and a fantastic suspension (the vehicle in question is the new Swift). While the one grouse with the little 1.2L jewel would be the low end torque (rather the lack of satisfactory low end), once we move to the mid range and upper echelons of the rev band, it is nothing but pure bliss, and the exhaust note, even in stock form is real sweet. And though the seating is higher up as compared to older vehicles like the Baleno and the OHC, it still provides that wraparound cockpit effect what with its sporty all black interiors and supportive front seats.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by kiku007

I find it difficult to get inside the driver's seat of an OHC. Haven't grown in size also

Noticed that I have started feeling the same everytime I get in or out of the Baleno. And I have also not grown in size. But yeah, have got older, which could explain it.