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View Poll Results: Your choice?
Chevy Magnum 216 73.72%
Skoda Octavia 77 26.28%
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Old 11th July 2007, 19:24   #76
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bsmotoring.com certainly speak very positively about this car. Excerpt as follows:

"Deserted highway. Daybreak. The cool night inhabits our eyelids still, but is fading. Wafting, utterly isolated from the romance, at 120-odd kph, is our metal cocoon. The freshly minted daylight flutters loudly behind it like an unsecured tarp. But the indulgent smile I’m about to allow myself vaporises when I realise that the speedo needle disagrees. It points obstinately at 184 kph and it’s still climbing. Now, I’ve ridden and driven a lot faster before so I know what 184 should feel like. The horizon should feel like a viable destination, my vision should narrow so the old porridge in the cranium can process the info and it should not feel this serene. But the Optra Magnum pays no heed. As long as I have the rightmost pedal buried, the needle continues to climb. How much more of this can it take?

The question is answered, and only because the road runs out. I lose my nerve and the space I need to carry on like this at 191 kph. From the inside, it certainly feels like if I buried the throttle pedal permanently, the speedo needle would go all the way round, snap the arrestor pin at the end in half and just keep on going. Until it reaches zero again." ...

Read full article here: Top Story - Front-end centre - Business Standard Motoring
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Old 12th July 2007, 00:02   #77
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Power corrupts and how.

Drpull.. to get 150ps from same capacity engine GM will be using a bigger TC = more Turbo lag, why dont you take the test drive and see for your self or add a Petes tunning box = 150bhp or so.[/quote]

Dear Busa,
I always thought Variable geometry turbo chargers would take care of turbo lag and I believe VGT is not present in the present Magnum. In an SUV they will make sure that turbo lag stays to a minimum and hence the use of the VGT version in the Captiva SUV.
I still feel that GM needs to plonk in the VGT version of the same engine in the Magnum and take care of power needs of those contemplating putting in other power improving gadgets.
Bye and wear your seat belts.

Last edited by drpullockaran : 12th July 2007 at 00:03.
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Old 12th July 2007, 00:31   #78
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@ drpull - SUVs should not have turbolag as they offroad and they need loads of torque anyways with VGT the cars cost would go up by around 35k and FE would go down as well and the turbolag wont go, it will increase with the bigger TC no matter what kind of VGT it has. Even the Verna with VGT kicks in only @ 2000RPM, yes it uses a big turbo since its just a 1.5L so i would say the Magnum's power is more then adequate and i see no reason to grumble, no where in the world is the magnum sold with a 150bhp engine, infact for India they have tuned it for more torque.
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Old 12th July 2007, 09:46   #79
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Yesterday i've seen MAGNUM. I would've liked it, if it had a three-Partition grill like the earlier one. It would make something differrent from others.
can't we mod as old one use to be. Folks,throw some light on this.

Mods note: Do not use font/size tags. Do not use dots in between sentences. Check spelling before posting.

Last edited by Rudra Sen : 12th July 2007 at 10:09.
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Old 12th July 2007, 10:48   #80
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You know guys... its a tough choice as far as for me...
I have liked octavia for as long as i know for so many reasons...
I know GM has entered virtually every segment and are giving every possible car maker in india some good competition...
Magnum is a good car.. Its interiors could have been better.. even Cedia is better than magnum in terms of interiors.. but on paper with specs like these obviously its better than octavia..
But seriously tell me guys.. in driving quality is it really that gud.. I have read some review in "CAR" and have seen some reviews on TV but they dont go gaga over its drive Quality, gear shift and they also say, the power distribution is such that it will not be easy for someone to drive at slow speeds...
Its just my opinion..

Gagandeep..
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"Most people are alive only because its illegal to Kill them"
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Old 12th July 2007, 10:54   #81
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Quote:
can't we mod as old one use to be. Folks,throw some light on this.
Yes we surely can but its gonna cost quite a bit you would have to source the front bumper, headlamps, grille, hood also, fog lights, not worth the money and effort involved IMHO.
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Old 12th July 2007, 14:13   #82
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Quote:
the power distribution is such that it will not be easy for someone to drive at slow speeds...
They want to say that the car has so much torque you cant resist but drive fast.
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Old 13th July 2007, 12:35   #83
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Having driven octavia for last 3 years i can vouch for its tank like build quality but due to bad after sales support and minimal rear leg room i think i will go for magnum over octavia .........
plus magnum is value for money considering its base version is around 2.5 lacs cheaper than rider(octavia base version)
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Old 13th July 2007, 18:25   #84
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Skoda's response to the Magnum.



P.S I have done a high resolution scan, to read text please zoom in.

Last edited by BUSA : 13th July 2007 at 18:27.
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Old 13th July 2007, 20:20   #85
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BUSA View Post
Skoda's response to the Magnum.



P.S I have done a high resolution scan, to read text please zoom in.
cant see the pic. Please
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Old 13th July 2007, 23:23   #86
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1100D View Post
cant see the pic. Please
Can see it and its quiet visible...
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Old 13th July 2007, 23:37   #87
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I like any effort thats in the right spirit, meritorious and in earnest. Therefore its the Magnum now. 7 years down the line if Chevy is still peddling the same car unchanged as the best invention since sliced bread against a sprightly opposition then, I'll prefer the sprightly opposition then.

Thats not taking anything away from the Octavia and her capabilities, btw.

Personally, I'd always prefer a petrol car and a diesel in my SUV only.
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Old 14th July 2007, 22:16   #88
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BUSA View Post
They want to say that the car has so much torque you cant resist but drive fast.
Yup several times in the city i had to brake hard to avoid tailending the vehicle in front of me
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Old 17th July 2007, 20:22   #89
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well i took a so called power dirve in the magnum some 3 weeks back n iam really satisfied its a perfect competitor for the ocatvia, n it even beats it in many a conditions. well first off iam bevildered by the superbike like accelaration past the turbo lag, next the awesome suspension package which soaks all kinds of imperfections that our indian roads offer, i say the ride is one of the best in its segment. n man the rear leg room, phew its light years ahead of the octavia's, i had to really cramp myself inside the rear of an oct RS, but the magnum's felt godly. decent looks, well i seriously prefer the octavia looks more than this, but man at nearly 2.5 lakhs less than the base octavia, this thing is a steal, if i have the money i wud invest it on the magnum with closed eyes. man the performance is shatteringly good, its like an oct RS n a oct diesel combined, hhehehe well i really aint sounding loud
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Old 16th August 2007, 04:11   #90
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i'd totally missed this thread. ever since i set my foot on the pedal of the magnum, i've been floored myself.

the test drive i took a month ago was before i'd read absolutely anything at all about the magnum. that made the experience all the more thrilling. boy, i never did guess the car would rush the way it did.

until the 2000 mark, my attention was on all the sundry things you'd typically about. once it crossed 2000, i was like WHOA... this thing pulls like it's crazy!!

sorry for going off-topic. but the magnum gets me doing it all the time!
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