[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by hkollar

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

I agree, except that "never" is too harsh a standard. I would also qualify that before it gives up on you, the car should be able to limp along such that you aren't stranded in the middle of nowhere.

The poll itself is poorly designed. The term "Driving pleasure" is ambiguous, and means vastly different things to different people. And as above, there is no such thing as "Absolute Reliability".

[Durango Dude]

If you spend a bomb and derive driving pleasure from it, it's a mistress and not a car: it's for those with deep pockets; who don't mind getting stranded in the middle of no where and will again go in search of a new mistress! Basically, it's not pleasure alone it's 'pleasure pain' and the sedans come with a rider not to wade in water more than 25 cms depth, that depth can be found when there's a deluge of sorts even in the cities of India. Basically driving pleasure is a 'baby' that never grows up and you better get rid of it in 5 years or it will become unmanageable.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

If you spend a bomb and derive driving pleasure from it, it's a mistress and not a car: it's for those with deep pockets; who don't mind getting stranded in the middle of nowhere and will again go in search of a new mistress! Basically, it's not pleasure alone it's 'pleasure pain' and the sedans come with a rider not to wade in water more than 25 cms depth, that depth can be found when there's a deluge of sorts even in the cities of India. Basically driving pleasure is a 'baby' that never grows up and you better get rid of it in 5 years or it will become unmanageable.

Not quite agree there. Driving pleasure need not be always related to deep pockets. Infact the two parameters mentioned in the poll can be applied in any price range. I may buy a Linea T-Jet whereas my neighbor whose priorities are different may go with a Honda City or a Ciaz. In a different price bracket, I may go with a BMW 530d whereas the other person may go with the Lexus ES300h. It’s just each one’s personal preference – nothing much to do with the mistress/deep pockets analogy you have mentioned.

[hkollar]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

If you spend a bomb and derive driving pleasure from it, it's a mistress and not a car: it's for those with deep pockets; who don't mind getting stranded in the middle of no where and will again go in search of a new mistress! Basically, it's not pleasure alone it's 'pleasure pain' and the sedans come with a rider not to wade in water more than 25 cms depth, that depth can be found when there's a deluge of sorts even in the cities of India. Basically driving pleasure is a 'baby' that never grows up and you better get rid of it in 5 years or it will become unmanageable.

I wonder how is one to know the depth of water!! I don't drive around with a scale and I certainly don't intend to get down to measure the depth!!

Even the so called high ground clearance vehicles, can not manage in water that is over 25cm (10-12inch)... Only really high mount SUVs have 15-16 inches of space between ground and cabin base or exhause (not ground clearance itself, which is the lowest point of the car from the ground).

[snan]

Thankfully I don't have to choose one over the other - my second car / fun car is a GT86 which is both majorly fun and reasonably reliable given its after all a Toyota. As long as you don't do too many mods and don't take it to track often it is genuinely a great balance

[bhpfaninblr]

Has to be reliability. Nothing like being stuck on the road - I remember in the 90s we had a Premier Padmini at home that would break unpredictably....No Fiats for me!

Luckily Suzuki and Hyundai among the cars I have owned provide a good mix of reliability and driving pleasure. The Verna diesel is a reliable beast

[abhisheknandan]

Thumbs up to reliability. I can never even imagine getting stranded on a road with my family after a wonderful drive because I had invested in a vehicle which broke down. Driving pleasure is never ending. The more high end vehicle you buy, the better the driving pleasure would be.

It is important to be aware of the condition of your vehicle. Irrespective of the brand, some cars are just not made for Indian conditions.

[giri1.8]

For pure pleasure I always prefer something with 2 wheels! that doesn't mean I want something boring and soft.

Currently own a swift, and this would be the kind of balance I look for in any segment. I wish to stay away from cars that are expensive to fix, takes a lot of fun from driving, being extra careful is never fun IMO.

Preference : Reliability,easy to fix car with balanced ride and handling(roads are too bad for hardcore handling).

[ACM]

There is another aspect to consider. I have replied earlier in favour of driving pleasure. But I also realized later that a manufacturer who is able to technological deliver driving pleasure is also likely to result in a reasonably reliable vehicle. It may not be the most reliable but will also not be anywhere close to being called unreliable either in todays times.

[glikithvinayaka]

A mixture of both, but if there was a gun to my head I would choose reliability.
And I thought that's why the Japanese existed to provide us with a bit of both
Go JDM

[artemis_fowl]

Well, I guess I can safely say both (thanks to the Japanese )
I own the Swift (yes, the original one with the G13BB engine) and a Forester
Need I say more?
However, I did choose “driving pleasure” over “reliability”, simply because I can’t see myself driving a Corolla Altis/Camry over and Octavia/Superb. Even with the DSG.

[King_pin09]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Why not both?

This is a road I drive regularly. The video is from December, in a 9 year old car. After many such drives, I gave it for service in June. I had no problems to report.

Sorry to be off-topic here.

I presume the video is in fast play mode else this is something closer to what I call 'rash driving'. The Visibility is low and plenty of twists/ turns. You had a near-miss at 1:54 sec and so many instances of hard braking and tyres screeching.

Take care mate drive carefully.

[download2live]

Before marriage, it is car which is fun. After marriage and kids person becomes time poor. Hence a car which is just reliable. After retirement or somewhere near it, when the responsibilities reduce, then if the health permits, a fun car. Unless mid life crisis hits one before that.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by King_pin09

I presume the video is in fast play mode or else it is closer to what I call 'rash driving'. The Visibility is low and plenty of twists/ turns. You had a near miss at 1:54 sec. Take care mate drive carefully.

Relax mate. As the video title says, it is in 2X speed. As the GPS speedo reveals on the left bottom of the screen, I was driving only in the 40s.

[VWAllstar]

It depends on for whom and for what purpose you wish to buy the car.

For family, especially those who are above 60 years of age the car should be easy to drive and reliable. But today we see a lot of compromises which gives rise to such high ambiguity. Most reliable hatchback of the country was Swift but today it is the most unsafe car because of its built quality.

For me it will always be driving pleasure. As most of you have mentioned, I would rather have smiles per mile than having the car outlive me without much joy.