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View Poll Results: For me, it's:
Driving pleasure over absolute reliability 353 49.16%
Absolute reliability over driving pleasure 365 50.84%
Voters: 718. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 27th September 2017, 18:08   #151
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

As someone with two direct injection turbo petrols with dual clutch boxes, its obvious I choose driving pleasure over reliability. Most cars these days are perfectly reliable when serviced and cared for properly. I spare no expense on that aspect and so far none of my rides to date have ever left me stranded.

Reliability for the sake of reliability is just boring. Might as well drive a washing machine with wheels if all one cares about is reliability. For me cars are all about the emotional connect that make you feel special.

Last edited by reignofchaos : 27th September 2017 at 18:21.
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Old 27th September 2017, 18:17   #152
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Quote:
Originally Posted by romeomidhun View Post
Some Maruti cars are not only reliable, but are fun to drive too. Consider Swift, S-Cross 1.6, old Baleno, Zen etc. So, don't think that all who voted for "pleasure" are non-Maruti owners. The reverse is also true. Eg: There are a lot of Toyota owners who might have voted for reliability.
Totally agree to your comments.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Reinhard View Post
However like I said, majority % of Maruti owners undeniably buy them for reliability/availability of service centers.

I was just relating MARUTI's overall market share which is upwards of 50% with member feedback.
Maruti & Hyundai knows the sweet spots if Indian minds and we Indians value reliability, resale and mileage over anything else. Hence this scenario.
Having said that performance oriented cars always come way below their list
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Old 27th September 2017, 18:19   #153
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

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Originally Posted by Reinhard View Post
Considering the market share that Maruti has in India - I'm glad that those like us who picked "pleasure" are at least in the fight & close! I expected us to be outnumbered by a big margin .

No offense to the brand and certainly not to owners. Just that the primary reason why people buy a Maruti is reliability in most cases.
Maruti might be the market leader, but here in Team BHP its not the case. I believe other brand car owners easily out number Maruti owners. Probably the reason why a Maruti car hasn't won COTY in team BHP.
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Old 27th September 2017, 18:39   #154
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Driving pleasure above all. No second guess!

I used to own a Fiat Punto- which I have extensively driven an owned it for 7 years and 1,35,000KM. In all that time apart from a clutch Master Cylinder give away the car hasn't given any trouble at all. It was a the perfect machine offering best in class maybe above driving feel and ownership experience.

Skoda Rapid is the car that I own now- It can't be compared with the sure footedness of a Fiat Punto or Linea in corners but it's fun if you can slap on a set of 17inchers and good set of tyres. I have heard so many horror stories here about Skoda service or reliability (recently even I have posted one it was a battery discharge problem) , but then again it's a one of incident and mine is 2 years and 50,000KM and counting. The feel and driving pleasure is way ahead of competition needs some updating though.

In my honest point of view, cars are meant to be driven. Not to be bought based on re-sale factor or it has so many new features. It's an emotional attachment , in which you will be spending money more than the same segment ones but the car gives back ten fold and ultimately puts the grin on your face. Some of us have chosen this brave path, but we are definitely more happy and grinning all the way.
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Old 27th September 2017, 18:44   #155
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Voted for driving pleasure over reliability though I would love to get the best of both the worlds. As per me there aren't many cars that fit that bill apart from maybe the City iVtec , S-Cross 1.6 etc. But then the facelifted S-Cross is devoid of that engine option

The voting results look neck to neck which looks misleading to me, given the cars we see on the road. But then this is a just a sample which might not be a true measure of the whole population. What can be a better measure to check the authenticity of this poll?

Last edited by Waspune : 27th September 2017 at 18:46.
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Old 27th September 2017, 18:54   #156
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

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Originally Posted by Waspune View Post
What can be a better measure to check the authenticity of this poll?
Authenticity? Its authentic already!
Its a reflection of TBHP members only. Trust me, in the big picture, we are more or less misfits in the population. A bunch of people who are taking time out from errands and work to talk about cars .

In all probability, the mindset and thought process of BHPians will be different than the masses on a lot of points.
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Old 27th September 2017, 18:55   #157
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Voted for 'Driving Pleasure'. I drive the 3rd Gen City and it gives me a mix of both Driving Pleasure and Reliability. I just love it. But if at all I had to choose between Octavia vRS and Camry, I would go for the Skoda.
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Old 27th September 2017, 19:02   #158
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Reinhard View Post
Authenticity? Its authentic already!
Its a reflection of TBHP members only. Trust me, in the big picture, we are more or less misfits in the population. A bunch of people who are taking time out from errands and work to talk about cars .

In all probability, the mindset and thought process of BHPians will be different than the masses on a lot of points.
By authentic I meant that the poll results should match with what we see on the road. But then we are a bunch of enthusiasts (members of team-bhp) , a different sample all together which should translate in results in favor of the 'driving pleasure' option by a good majority but even that is also not happening . Its neck to neck as I said.

Last edited by Waspune : 27th September 2017 at 19:06.
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Old 27th September 2017, 19:16   #159
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

I don't derive any special pleasure in driving a car (please don't kill me for saying this on the forum!). I love my car because it has cost me a substantial sum to buy. I love my car because it protects me from sun, rain and cold. I love my car because it has made my life happier, speedier and comfortable. That's about it.

To me, a car is just a means to an end and not an end in itself. I use my car to please myself; the car itself is, in its standalone avatar, incapable of giving me anything more than physical comfort.

With this preamble, I can safely say that reliability is of utmost importance to me. My car should be capable of taking me anywhere, anytime; without as much of a murmur.

A long drive at 2AM
?
No problems.

A forest route devoid of human habitation for 100 kms?

I am ready.

Bad roads, no roads, mad roads?
Let's go!

Well, that's my car.

Unless there is an accident, one day in a year is all that a good car should be in the service centre - for the annual health checkup. Not more.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
My pick would be driving pleasure. As an example, I'd rather enjoy the car for 357 days of the year, having it off the road for about a week, than have a car that's with me for 363 days, but doesn't bring a grin on my face.
I am okay with a car that doesn't bring a grin on my face but would hate to own one that will be the cause of a frown once every 3 months. For, while its okay if the downtime of 8 days (365-357=8) happens once a year, it is certainly not a pleasing proposition to house your car in a garage for 2 days, 3-4 times a year.

I would rather get hitched to a Mr. Dependable than tie the knot with an extremely attractive but inconsistent swashbuckler.

As I am typing this, I see that the poll has thrown up an interesting trend - 203 votes each for pleasure and reliability. I was expecting a landslide victory for the proponents of driving pleasure!
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Old 27th September 2017, 19:31   #160
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

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Originally Posted by PrideRed View Post
Maruti might be the market leader, but here in Team BHP its not the case. I believe other brand car owners easily out number Maruti owners. Probably the reason why a Maruti car hasn't won COTY in team BHP.
Seems like you are degrading the Team-BHP members and polls! Not all here are ardent brand-loyals. Many Maruti car owners may vote for non-Maruti cars, and vice versa. So, let's un-link the poll results from brand ownership.

Another thing: we all claim that we are enthusiasts. But enthusiasm doesn't always mean "driving pleasure". A person who is looking for beautiful-looking cars is also an enthusiast - his enthusiasm is about the beauty of cars. Another person may be very enthusiastic about extracting the maximum mileage from every liter of Petrol. Another one may be very enthusiastic about a sweet exhaust note and nothing else.

Last edited by romeomidhun : 27th September 2017 at 19:35.
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Old 27th September 2017, 19:38   #161
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

I would go with driving pleasure over reliability. However, it is not as black and white as the poll looks to put it I would not touch the 1.8 TSI of Octavia but I have happily settled for the RS. It does not take the away the potential pains that one gets with Skoda but it is also not a ticking time bomb. The driving pleasure for sure outweighs the potential gremlin but it is not a blind pursuit of driving pleasure in face of reliability.
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Old 27th September 2017, 20:15   #162
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

I voted for driving pleasure.

In my opinion there is nothing as absolute reliability. Even the best of cars can fail. Today almost all cars available in the market are more or less reliable (some more than the others). I believe that a new car from the factory is reliable (if it is not a lemon), the long term reliability depends on the maintenance and competence of the service centre.

I can live with few niggles as far as I am sure that I will get a resolution when I visit the service centre (In real world scenario rarely happens).

I drive an I20 Active CRDI, wanted to go for a Polo/Vento but didn't in favour of reliability of Hyundai and against the bad service reputation of VW. I miss the driving pleasure of VW every time I drive my I20 and cannot help wondering what if. My experience with Hyundai ASC not being good add fuel to fire. I had to visit service centre multiple times for smallest issues to be sorted.

In the perfect world if there were a car which had Fiat's ride and handling, VW's build quality, Hyundai's interior and features, Maruti's peace of mind and pricing
That would be a perfect car(for me).
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Old 27th September 2017, 20:33   #163
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Quote:
Originally Posted by romeomidhun View Post
So, let's un-link the poll results from brand ownership.
Well this looks quite contradictory to me. I mean the poll loses its sheen if we don't do what we think. Its like I like a car 'X' but I buy a car 'Y' because its more reliable. If at the end of the day I went for a more reliable car then I should vote for reliability and vice-versa.

NOTE: My comment is wrt a car and not a brand.

Last edited by Waspune : 27th September 2017 at 20:47.
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Old 27th September 2017, 20:44   #164
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Learnt the hardest possible way. I am never ever ever going to buy another bike or car for that matter for the brand as even the best of the brands can produce lemons (Kawasaki in my case) and the bigger the brand they are the less likely they shall accept that its their fault. I would just buy something that brings a grin on my face. That way I am very lucky with my Scorpio.(Touchwood)
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Old 27th September 2017, 22:20   #165
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Re: Driving Pleasure vs Reliability - If you had to choose?

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
[center]
Would you sacrifice reliability for driving pleasure? Or will you forego 'driving feel' for that smile when your car performs flawlessly day after day?
Driving IS a pleasure, for anyone worth his automotive salt on this forum - like food of all kinds is a pleasure to a foodie. To me, each car offers a different flavour and taste while driving it. Would I choose a continental menu, or would I go with Japanese? That entirely depends on whether I am in Japan or Italy.

Reliability has nothing to do with it - that's like counting calories every time you sit down to eat. Absolutely reliable cars (compare them with low calorie meals) are equally a delight to drive as are those that are not so healthy & fit (high in calories). I am therefore unable to vote, because both reliable AND unreliable cars are a pleasure to drive.

But I hate being stuck with a dead car in the middle of nowhere without the means and knowhow to fix it - as I am equally averse to consuming large quantities of chilies with my meal and ending up with an upset tummy.

For some, perhaps, an overwhelming dose of chilies offer a gastronomic thrill that I cannot even begin to imagine - as much as an unreliable car thrills them while driving (will it break down? will it not? will I get home? will I not?). As for me, I relish the flavours that a Premier Padmini offers, as much as the flavours of driving a Merc SLK350.

Last edited by SS-Traveller : 27th September 2017 at 22:21.
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