Not so fabulous Fabia. Quote:
Originally Posted by Scooby STi I think a generalization about Europeans not being able to make cost effective small cars is completely uncalled for, I think its best to avoid any generalizations altogether. Renualt, VW and Peugeot make some great hatches (warm/hot) and all of them are VFM propositions on par with their Japanese counterparts. Also, I do not think i'd compare a Tata or
Hyundai to something that is essentially a VW Polo (same parts bin but the Fabia is bigger). Its at least a generation ahead of anything from Hyundai and at least two geeratiosn ahead of Tata as far as quality is concerned. I do feel its overpriced by 1L, but its something a discerning customer will still find OK. About the NVH issue, the noise is barely audible inside the cabin, the V and H part is negligible when compared to the 3 pot from Hyundai ( I have previously owned an Accent Viva CRDi). The ride quality on the Fabia is top notch, so if your an objective Indian customer with space, interior quality, standard equipment, FE and ride quality in mind, the Fabia makes a pretty compelling argument. |
Mr Scooby, I'm sorry but you seem to have missed the point. I never said Europeans cannot make a good small car. They can. It's a cheap small car that they cannot make. I should have put word "cheap" in italics. I mean cheap by Indian standards and not by European standards. No European can match Maruti, Tata and Hyundai ( MTH ) on price front. I'm not comparing quality and technology of a VW or other Euro hatch to an MTH hatch. Euro hatches would be superior. They have to be, after all one would have to pay so much more for a Euro hatch over an MTH hatch.
Coming to Fabia, it may be loaded and be technologically superior to MTH hatch but it's a lot pricier, too. Different people have diffrent reasons to buy any car. A guy with lot of cash would pick a Fabia just like that ( although even they are reluctant to do so and I would get to that later ). Then a not-so rich guy who happens to be a die-hard Skoda fan who worships that badge would say ," Hey, this hatch sure is pricey. I can't afford one but then what the heck, it's a Skoda so I just got to buy one even if it means stretching my budget." These two different class of buyers may pick up a Fabia. The latter more. But for the most of us who weigh any product in terms of the amount we tender to buy that product, the aspect of Value For Money zooms into focus and in most cases that VFM steers our decisions towards cheaper options. After all most of us ( I mean those most of us who are not rich enough to splurge cash or are not lucky enough to be gifted a car by dad / uncle or whoever ) work our a$$es off to earn money and hence do tend to think twice before spending that hard earned money on any consumer product. It is these people who would walk towards MTH hatch. And whether you like it or not this group is in majority.
Will rich guys buy it? Well, the trouble with Fabia is that even rich ( well, most of them ) would dismiss it as just another hatch. It may be a Skoda and it may bristle with technology but at the end of the day it's still a hatch and that is a big infra dig for most rich guys. They find a 17 lakh Laura cheaper and more value for money than 8-9 lakh Fabia. You can't blame them. Inida and USA are sedan countries while Europe is a hatch continent. USA loves sedans for their wide roads and Inidan for their wide ego and status perceptions. You can't change that. Whether you like it or not, even an outdated pre-owned 2 lakh Opel Astra sedan commands more respect than a brand new 4 lakh Santro. Most of the rich guys will go ahead and buy Laura, Superb, BMW , Merc or any such other luxury sedans as their budget permits, but not a pricey hatch even when they can pretty well afford. The not so rich tend to look for value for money and would give Fabia a miss when the cheaper options are available.
BTW, regarding the tech supriority of Fabia over cheaper hatches, as has been pointed out by you, you may read several readers' comments on this thread itself who have found Fabia engine to be noisy, sluggish and very rough sounding--- sounding like Matador or a tractor, as has been pointed out by some readers. Someone even pointed out that even Indica engine is better. I haven't seen a Fabia up close and personal yet, but if that is true then people will have even fewer reasons to buy one. |