[navin]

under 5.5 the petra is best value but if one could strech a bit the corsa 1.6 is nice and so is the Ford 1.6 ZXi. Surprising the Flair does not have power steering.

[lamborghini]

the flair has power steering but the lxi doesnot...
well i just saw a couple of petras this past week and it has sold some 170 odd units so far without people knowing so maybe if people knew it should pick up now.
they need to launch the 1.2 also for the vfm indian who wants the cheapest sedan with good average..
typical indians dont care about power
only avg and buying cost

[Technocrat]

guys dont take me wrong, but isn't the comparo unfair, ikon flair & esteem are 1300 cc cars, corsa & indigo 1400cc and petra & accent are close at 1500cc & 1600cc

Also we are missinga lot of points here

Esteem has the best power to weight ratio in its class & has maruti service backup

Ikon is lowest priced & has the reliable ford engine

Corsa has gr8 german engineered engine but crampy space & expensive spares

Petra cud be the nxt matiz which was a gr8 performer but lost due to its parent company's woes so that risk remains wid all the Fiat vehicles

Accent is going quite well currently cud & decent looking( i know all these korans machine have copied designs but at these prices whose compaining ) car wid gud service & spares backup..
----------

so what i mean is the comparo is a bit unfair..pls correct me if i am wrong anywhere

[Rtech]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]guys dont take me wrong, but isn't the comparo unfair, ikon flair & esteem are 1300 cc cars, corsa & indigo 1400cc and petra & accent are close at 1500cc & 1600cc

hey Techno,

The thing is, all these cars are in the same segment. If one of them has a better engine or interiors, thats an advantage for it. Pricewise, they are all similar.

What you have listed about each car here is right on, and thats where a customer has to make his own decision on what his/her priorities are when it comes to their car.

Rt

[sid_lath]

Its the flair for me.
Looks great and drives well. Decent maintainence/service/FE. Good overall package.

Petra gives much more for its price - but am I willing to put 5lacks on a car that seems underpriced but still doesnt sell 100 units/month while the competition is clocking thousands of units. Hell No!!!
And Fiat service is pathetic in this part of the country.

[Gaf]

Somehow, I feel that even though the Petra is a great car - am scared that Fiat might just make the same old mistakes of yesteryear.
Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the car does have a bit tackly plasticy interiors.

[Shan2nu]

I almost voted for the Flair, but since this is the 1.3 and not the 1.6, i gave the vote to the "Petra". It's the most powerful, fully loaded, well built car on this list.

But will i buy one, nah!! It's just not my type of car.

Shan2nu

[GTO]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the car does have a bit tackly plasticy interiors.

Correct. I checked one out recently and the dashboard quality is downright horrible.

GTO

[anshu12420]

i dont think petra is worth even 4 lakhs,its a complete waste of money,poor service,poor interiors,looks are average(palio looks good for the segment)and i bet the car wont fetch 2lakh rupees in second hand market in 6 months,it may have a good engine and good ride but the car is only comparable to b segement hatchbacks,no matter how everyone here may be saying that perta is their choice no one will buy it anyday and the car is nowhere as fun in the corners a s flair and the flairs engine may not have the power of 100 bhp but not everyones gonna race the car everytime the engine is fun enuff,

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ] dont think petra is worth even 4 lakhs,its a complete waste of money

Anshuman, I think you are making a very general and baseless statement. I personally feel the car is great value for money .It has been overlooked by most people since the advertising has not been so great for the car. Also , I have personally seen that Fiat has been improving their service. The statistics are out there too in other threads on this board.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]no matter how everyone here may be saying that perta is their choice no one will buy it anyday

I think we already have a couple of Petra owners in this group. I am one happy owner already *


-Beetle

[Dovin]

Since i've booked for a new petra let me add my 2 bits..

Petra is certainly not my dream car, but then my dream cars start at a minimum of 10 Lac and go a long way above! (the max dream is only a maserati though.. the poor man's aston martin.. i love the earthy style of maserati, aston martin is too posh/bondish! and costs 2.5 times as much. Has anyone taken a look at the Maserati 'design your car' site ? drool!)

I wanted a commuter car where riding comfort and cost of the car were the primary concerns, power steering and power windows (paying toll at vashi toll booth both ways) were a must and since I'm used to driving an esteem, some decent engine output was also high on my list. Since the car would be driven by a driver most of the time and with the arrival of my baby daughter i'm also become a very careful driver, so 'raciness' was not of much importance. Looks had to be decent, unlike the old Sienna (ugh!). Mileage was not that important as long as it was average (8+ kmpl in city). I don't expect to use this car for more than 4-5 years max and not above 1000-1200 kms a month. So given the following criteria in this order

- Riding comfort
- Price
- Accessories (power steering/windows)
- Power/Performance
- Looks

I think Petra is the best under 5 Lac buy, may be even under 6 Lac.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]I think Petra is the best under 5 Lac buy

Absolutely. People who arent convinced must take the car out for a test-drive. On an empty road (100bhp) and on bad roads (world class suspension).

There is a worry about the after-sales service quality in semi-urban areas...but I can worry for 1 - 2 days a year as long as the other 363 are pure bliss!!

GTO

[satish_appasani]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]There is a worry about the after-sales service quality in semi-urban areas...but I can worry for 1 - 2 days a year as long as the other 363 are pure bliss!!

Well said GTO. My new mission, do some free publicity for Fiat.

[sriny_blr]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (satish_appasani @ Sep. 29 2004,18:59)]

I like that...
That was absolutely spot on GTO,

[neverclever]

Talk about Fiat needing some publicity. I have for some time now, had somehwat of a soft corner for Fiat, courtesy my being head over heels in love with the Palio ever since I laid eyes on it.

But my heart aches when I see them turn blind eye after blind eye to their customers. If I could (and if it made any difference), I'd shout it from the rooftops: FIAT INDIA, PLEASE SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE PETRA ON YOUR WEBSITE!

Case in point, you ask? I run an amateur blog on the goings-on in the Indian car market and made a few observations which I posted here.