[Axe77]

Originally Posted by RSimonS

I have 2 cars


2. 2015 EcoSport AT with about 20K kms on the odo

Looks like I am on both boats.
.

I'm just curious - Why do you say that (both boats)?

My impression was that today's Fords give you the best of both worlds - reasonably reliable products with good A.S.S. as well as decent performance. Is your experience with the Ecosport not the same or did you simply mean in terms of general perception and relative strictly to Innova's bullet proof rep.

[srh]

I cannot vote for this poll. From my perspective, more than reliability or driving pleasure, what matters is the comfort that the car provides. That means good ride quality, low NVH, generous space and good AC.

[hkollar]

Driving pleasure evaporates the moment you have to run behind the service center guys. In 2000, I had a petrol "Indica 2000". It was a pleasure to drive as it was not bogged down with the Diesel counterparts sluggish performance. At 75BHP (1.4L engine), it had quick response & very good highway demeanour. It was also very comfortable in long rides (especially front seats).

But, I had terrible experience with it. The entire exhaust system would rust in differrent places, needing some component or other to be replaced every 3 months. Electricals led to a few breakdowns. Internal AC would leak water in the cabin, and would stop cooling at times.
My enduring memory of that car, is when the exhaust pipe was hanging (due to rust) and I wasn't even sure of reaching service center - so asked my wife to follow me. It gave way in the middle and we had to call in service center guys, Who disassembled the piece and took it for repair. Also when it's electricals failed in the middle of Chalukya Circle (Near Vidhana Saudha Bangalore), and me and a traffic cop had to push the vehicle to a side!

All that in a car that was only 2yrs old at the time!! In 3rd year I sold it at 30% my purchase cost (low resale value due to it being a Petrol).


Never bought another product where I can't be certain of reliability. Currently have a Innova 2005 (12 years and 125,000km on ODO). Never once had a problem. It doesn't have a squeek in cabin. Still runs on original clutch. And looks good for another 12 years!!!

We also have two other Maruti Cars (Ertiga & Estilo) at home, both are very reliable. Estilo is now 8 years old. Again not a single problem on road, though the clutch wore out and had to be replaced.


I thoroughly believe that the real 'driving pleasure' is when car never gives up on you.

[srh]

Originally Posted by hkollar

Driving pleasure evaporates the moment you have to run behind the service center guys. In 2000, I had a petrol "Indica 2000". It was a pleasure to drive as it was not bogged down with the Diesel counterparts sluggish performance. At 75BHP (1.4L engine), it had quick response & very good highway demeanour. It was also very comfortable in long rides (especially front seats).

But, I had terrible experience with it. The entire exhaust system would rust in differrent places, needing some component or other to be replaced every 3 months. Electricals led to a few breakdowns. Internal AC would leak water in the cabin, and would stop cooling at times.
My enduring memory of that car, is when the exhaust pipe was hanging (due to rust) and I wasn't even sure of reaching service center - so asked my wife to follow me. It gave way in the middle and we had to call in service center guys, Who disassembled the piece and took it for repair. Also when it's electricals failed in the middle of Chalukya Circle (Near Vidhana Saudha Bangalore), and me and a traffic cop had to push the vehicle to a side!

All that in a car that was only 2yrs old at the time!! In 3rd year I sold it at 30% my purchase cost (low resale value due to it being a Petrol).

Guess that people like me benefited from your travails. I still have a 11 year old Indica petrol with 90k+ on the odo. Has been completely reliable even after a major accident and a fair bit of abusive driving. The only grouse I have it the refinement - which one clearly misses.

I guess that in today's time, most cars are equally reliable to a base extent. So it is other aspects that come to mind often while choosing a car.

[prakash_ajp]

I voted for "Driving pleasure over absolute reliability"

I think an important factor that plays a role is "how well you understand your car". Now there are several faces/levels to this "understanding".

• Wanting to know how a car rides or handles, in other words, thinking beyond commuting from point A to B.
• Knowing that the better care you provide to the car, more you get out of it.
• The physics behind it, for e.g. why a sporty car has a harder suspension
• When you have a flat tire, do you roll up the sleeves and pick up the jack and spare wheel, or do you look for a puncture shop?
• When you take it to the service center, do you simply go by what you are told or you try to understand why a brake pad/disc needs to be changed so soon.
• It is about understanding why something failed in the machine.
• Or it could be as simple as understanding that all machines are prone to failures.

Not everyone views/treats a machine the same way and I think this understanding is what drives people to go this way or other.

[Ajay_J]

Chose reliability. I don't have temperament and patience to handle niggles and frequent visit to service center.

[hkollar]

Originally Posted by srh

Guess that people like me benefited from your travails. I still have a 11 year old Indica petrol with 90k+ on the odo. Has been completely reliable even after a major accident and a fair bit of abusive driving. The only grouse I have it the refinement - which one clearly misses.

I guess that in today's time, most cars are equally reliable to a base extent. So it is other aspects that come to mind often while choosing a car.

Yes. The first few years Buyers were the guinea pigs for TATA MOTORS!!

I do hope their products now are better, but in most review and also in the forums here that is not what I hear. Their fit and finish & niggling problems still persist. I wonder when we will produce cars of the quality of Koreans or Japanese. to be fair - Germans and American company cars are also not very reliable.. Though some of them are absolute pleasure to drive.

[drsingh]

Originally Posted by srh

I cannot vote for this poll. From my perspective, more than reliability or driving pleasure, what matters is the comfort that the car provides. That means good ride quality, low NVH, generous space and good AC.

This is the most under appreciated aspect on enthusiast threads
This is the secret sauce of Hyundai.Boat like handling aside ,a family man has to worry about the comfort of rear seat passengers who are often senior citizens. Driving at comfortable speeds , getting over horrible roads/ speed breakers,good space,rear seat cooling ,ride quality becomes the top priority for a vehicle that will be used to ferry passengers in the back seat.Low centre of gravity as compared to body on frame vehicles increases comfort over long distances traveled at high speeds.

The i20 comes with a wheelbase of 2570 mm (longer than the Etios), suspension tuned for comfort,great space. It makes a much better choice than the sub 4 metre sedans as a car meant for passengers.

I would put 'ride pleasure' ahead of 'driving pleasure' and not compromise on reliability .

[SlowRider]

I choose reliability. Not because I don't enjoy driving. But because I can afford a bit of boredom behind the wheel; I can't afford the potential costs associated with owning an unreliable car. I suspect this decision comes down finances for a lot of people. Should things improve to a point where I can afford to sink some money into a better automotive experience without making a considerable dent on my finances, I'm definitely voting for performance.

[timuseravan]

I choose reliability. I used to be firmly in the driving pleasure category but now with family and responsibilities, sadly I have to rate reliability higher.
Luckily my Scorpio and Duke 390 cover both amazingly well

[agbenny]

Originally Posted by timuseravan

I choose reliability. I used to be firmly in the driving pleasure category but now with family and responsibilities, sadly I have to rate reliability higher.
Luckily my Scorpio and Duke 390 cover both amazingly well

You are lucky!
My Scorpio was with me for 6+ years, and I can never rank it as a reliable vehicle, I had every possible niggle including ABS issues. BUT - thoroughly enjoyed it for its driving pleasure. I am sure you like it for its driving pleasure too.

Also, KTM Duke - I had briefly TDed it long back - while it should be reliable, I am sure it has a high riding pleasure. :-) Am I correct?

[GT3]

Ideally I would look for a mix of both. But if only one parameter is to be selected it would be ABSOLUTE RELIABILITY.

A car with excellent driving standards and poor reliability will never let me enjoy the pleasure it offers. I enjoy driving any car, so it is reliability for me.

[jayakumarkp]

Such a difficult choice to make.
In my opinion the choice would be made to an extend based on the budget at hand.
If I had unlimited budget, I would choose a vehicle each from both the spectrums. :-)
Having said that if I can find a vehicle satisfying both, that would be the best.
In my case while choosing a hatchback, I ended up choosing Figo 1.5 Tdci. It was a great combination of both performance and reliability in my perspective.

[asr245]

If money wasn't a problem, I would keep some from both spectrum. Driving pleasure for my daily drive & absolute reliability for family drives.

If I can afford only one, absolute reliability it is. Can live with 363 boring days to avoid the terror of being stuck somewhere on Indian roads with my family.

[Rahul Bhalgat]

Originally Posted by GTO

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. That doesn't mean I'll touch an unreliable car - no way do I want to live with a headache!! Just that I'm willing to live with acceptable (not exceptional) levels of reliability if I get a lot of driving satisfaction in return.

I have only one car, do not have driver and I use the car for business tours, family outings and weekend errands.

Car giving driving pleasure for 357 days is ok for me. 8 days downtime will be no problem. But it will be a big problem if those 8 days are unpredictable and unforeseen. This is why I will prefer reliability. Having said that, it is the owner's responsibility too, to use the car carefully and to carry out timely preventive maintenance. But in the first place, the car itself shall be reliable by design and by build quality.

I'm willing to live with acceptable (not exceptional) levels of driving pleasure if I get good reliability in return.