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Old 15th January 2009, 20:26   #571
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Originally Posted by romeomidhun View Post
Can you explain why i20 is less of a challenge by Linea?

I think i20 is among the cars that may be hit by Linea. Because even though both benefit from the novelty factor, Linea at around 6L - 6.8L gives stiff competition to i20 which comes around 5.7L - 6.5L.
Simple! Those who want a sedan will go for Linea. Those who "can" buy a sedan but want to buy an hatch instead (for various reasons - practicality in crowded cities, features, Hyundai badge (for A.S.S.) etc) can opt for i20. After all, for all practical purposes, (at almost 4m long) it is also a pretty big car.
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Old 15th January 2009, 20:40   #572
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Went out at lunch to see the i20, Didnt get a TD because the queue for the TD was a mile long
Will go around later.
The car looks lovely! Would look better once people start buying them and blinging them up with tyres and bodykits.
Interiors are nice, There's plenty of space, liked the visibilty and ergonomics,and even though I'm not a big fan of gadgets and gimmicks, this car has me floored with the amount of goodies that are thrown in.

When is that CRDi coming?
 
Old 15th January 2009, 20:45   #573
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Originally Posted by rippergeo View Post

When is that CRDi coming?
The sales guy at the showroom said they have no news about the diesel and even IF it comes out this year it would be the 1.4 crdi sold abroad and not the 1.5 vgt found in the verna !
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Old 16th January 2009, 09:41   #574
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Originally Posted by SkyWalker View Post
@Gangsta - Sonata & Elantra - didn't complain they were overpriced. I just say they failed. Getz,i20&Verna CRDI are overpriced. Think i mentioned this in a previous message too.

Verna Petrol - sorry - cant buy your argument. Diesel sells coz its got a good engine and there's not much to compare to, but petrol is a dud in its class. There's no reason anyone would prefer it over a City, Fiesta or an SX4.

As for Linea D - game has moved on and Palio is a 7 year old car. Linea is a better looking, better featured and better built car than its competitors and comes at much less price. Verna D topend model costs 10L OTR and dont even have airbags!!! But knowing its a FIAT - anything can happen. Only time will tell
Linea is a good pack no doubt. But 10L OTR for Verna D? In which part of India you are getting Verna D at this price. In Delhi Ex-Showroom - Rs 810370. Taxes and stuff will make it something 8.5-8.6 lakh. Top end sx with ABS. around 1.5 lakh difference. That's a lot

Fiat's present image is like dingo mingo in terms of A.S.S, let us see and hope for the best. Because Janta don't know much about fiat's diesel engines, all they know is looks, brandname, mileage kitna hai and service or spare parts costly to nahi hai. If the car lacks in anything, means car in india = flop. here major role will be A.S.S.
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Old 16th January 2009, 10:24   #575
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Originally Posted by Gangsta View Post
here major role will be A.S.S.
Major role would be junta's willingness to trust Fiat again!

The car by itself can eat all the competition for breakfast,lunch,evening snacks and dinner all of it!!! There is no reason why anybody should even think about your Vernas or Fiestas or SX4s or even Citys.

Its only a question of Fiats credibility with aam junta now!!!
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Old 16th January 2009, 10:53   #576
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yes what a thinking. dude there are still guys left like me who just drives the verna and next thing the booking amount will be given

i have been one and have referred 9 more purchases just like that yes the TD vehicle was mine ofcourse!

i had a bad crash still i just got it back a couple of days ago. just cant wait to get my hands back on her

FIAT will left in the dust when it comes to A-S-S all the parts required for the work required to get my car back from the profile pic state! was readily available with MGF. i doubt such a case will be there for LINEA. its not the case with FIAT . they are notorious for Parts stock! .
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Old 16th January 2009, 11:58   #577
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@Gangsta: blame it on high taxes in Bangalore - its got the highest prices compared to anywhere. Verna SX ABS will be 10L OTR. ANHC S M/T will be 9.68L OTR.
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Old 16th January 2009, 16:13   #578
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Drove the i20 today .... hmmmm 6/10

Hey guys,

Just had one of the cars come over , i had expressed interest and they sent in a sales exec, driver and car.

I love the look and feel of the i20, excellent design and i think it would give some of its European rivals like the peogeot, seat and citron a run for their money, at least in the styling department. This car felt like it was designed by saab or something for hyundai. I currently drive a 1.6 DOHC Accent. The Plastics, driving postion, fit and finish beat every hatch i have ever driven ....
V V nice.

Width wise and elbow room, it beats the accent.

The Engine however, as sliky smooth as it is (Great NVH isloation) felt over tuned. Was a little soft, like cotton.

I liked it at first , we were 4 passengers in the car ... i was the only big 6'2 pushing 90 kg bloke, the rest 50-60kgs.
4 passengers including me were comfortable with me, my seat at the back et all ... Good upholstry, so good that i would probably not want to upgrade to leather.

I drove it at a brisk pace , overtaking would be fine, the seating position, leg room ... all was really nice. The HUD (display) was excellent and nicely positioned (safety) so you never need to take you eyes off the road to change the track. It had to be high reving (albiet quiet highs) or you would be just sitting there.

Great road manners, and a tight enough turning radus, i think the tyres and alloys on it were excellent.

Audio quality was very average, id budget for a couple of tweets, a bass tube (removable) and an Amp.... i wonder how that would fit on the OEM, i dont think it would be too hard.

I then decided to do pali hill (not the zig zag road side (higher incline), just up pali hill) .... sorry , it was really really tired.

SO, if i had to advise anyone about this car , id say , its a buy if your in the city and its great to get around. I just think that paying 6,50 ish for a car id be a little upset with on a ghat or with 5 people onboard may be a little too much of a compromise. Its a NO for weekenders, large built families of 4, or people living in the hills .... but it wasn't meant for them either.

I could be wrong, but seeing the needle on the tacho at 3.5 k - 4 k so often would have to have an effect on FE....no matter what the designers on the kappa team would like you believe. I guess we'd know better once some ownership testimonials come in.

The engine was smooth in a very Maruti 1000 kind of way, if, any of you who drove that after owning an 800, know what i mean.

Couple of other points noted on the test drive .... the engine stalled three times in a 4 km test. Maybe it was my driving style (lower than required revs, from me being used to the 1.6 100BHP clunker of my accent).

There was a ESP ... Or ESC red light on the console, and just as i noticed it, the sales exce said it was something to do with the power steering .... i was worred .... she said dont worry ... its a small stearing issue :-O

I was sold on this car, but then i saw the Linea, i think im going to give that a test drive before i make up my mind.

Cheers guys

Maz
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Old 16th January 2009, 16:52   #579
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Originally Posted by lancer_rit View Post
I just wanted to highlight that i20 Asta is the highest spec model, and it should be compared to Swift ZXi, its highest model. If Swift VXi has to be compared, the right one to be compared is i20 Magna.
At ex-showroom level, ZXI -> Asta has a premium of 50+k.
Agreed. Though we also have to consider how much does the ZXi really sell? Peanuts. If a fully-loaded Swift doesn't move off the showroom floor quick enough, despite Marutis mega brand and distribution strength, that is enough to tell me about our markets acceptability to 6.5 lakh rupee petrol hatchbacks. Atleast until a Honda or Toyota hatch comes around.

Quote:
disappointed that Fiat only offers Airbags as an option on the highest variant ?
That sucks. Several manufacturers offer ABS / Airbags only on the highest variants. What if I want only an air-con + power windows, but also ABS? This will definitely change as the awareness levels & demand of safety features increase.

Quote:
So they did good to launch a fully loaded version. They needed to provide more variants though!
You bet they did. My problem is with the not-so-premium engine and pricing. I appreciate and actually prefer a long list of standard equipment. I generally buy only the top-loaded variant of any car.

Quote:
Tata Vista should also be a hot seller, but somehow, not taken off as expected.
The "Indica" badge and near identical profile was enough to restrict its success. How I wish..... The not-so-impressive sales have little to do with the actual product or pricing.

Quote:
the lowest of which can't be called 'premium' in the way we discuss here.
Glad we are agreeable on the fact that such a small engine is not premium. Now, the key question is, what will they price the premium engine at? They have simply left themselves no room!

Quote:
But let's say we take the 'premium alround' definition, then would i20Asta with 1.4l engine at current price have been a good offering in your view ?
Doesn't matter what I want since I am not the target market by a mile. However, I believe that the maximum price at which the market will accept a premium hatch is just under 6 lakhs for a *premium* petrol (NOT a lousy 1.2) and about 6.6 lakhs (tops) for the diesel. On the road.

Quote:
Originally Posted by joslicx View Post
The car by itself can eat all the competition for breakfast,lunch,evening snacks and dinner all of it!!! There is no reason why anybody should even think about your Vernas or Fiestas or SX4s or even Citys.
While the Linea is an extremely competitive sedan, I don't agree with your statement. Anyone looking at petrol is better off with the more powerful competition. The Fiesta 1.6S is a heck of a drive while the ANHC will deliver on the kind of durability, efficiency, performance and high-revving that the petrol Linea can only dream about. When it comes to the diesels, I can still see people choosing the Verna for its stonking engine and awesome after-sales. The Fiesta 1.4 D is outclassed at the moment....about time that Ford brings in the 1.6 diesel. Simply put, there is something for everyone in the C segment.
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Old 16th January 2009, 16:56   #580
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Originally Posted by mazherr View Post
I then decided to do pali hill (not the zig zag road side (higher incline), just up pali hill) .... sorry , it was really really tired.

SO, if i had to advise anyone about this car , id say , its a buy if your in the city and its great to get around. I just think that paying 6,50 ish for a car id be a little upset with on a ghat or with 5 people onboard may be a little too much of a compromise. Its a NO for weekenders, large built families of 4, or people living in the hills .... but it wasn't meant for them either.
Exactly my observation. And we were only 2 people going up the Valkeshwar stretch. The engine wheezes & runs out of breath on an incline. Not really a fitting choice for a premium 7 lakh rupee hatch now, is it?
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Old 16th January 2009, 18:44   #581
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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
the ANHC will deliver on the kind of durability, efficiency, performance and high-revving that the petrol Linea can only dream about.
Whats the base for this statement. The car is not on the roads yet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
When it comes to the diesels, I can still see people choosing the Verna for its stonking engine and awesome after-sales. The Fiesta 1.4 D is outclassed at the moment....about time that Ford brings in the 1.6 diesel. Simply put, there is something for everyone in the C segment.
The first priority for anyone looking for a diesel saloon is the fuel economy, performance really is a bonus. With 90bhp 1.3 JTD under the hood the Linea will not be a slouch, no matter what the magazines say.
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Old 16th January 2009, 19:13   #582
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Originally Posted by GTO View Post


While the Linea is an extremely competitive sedan, I don't agree with your statement. Anyone looking at petrol is better off with the more powerful competition. The Fiesta 1.6S is a heck of a drive while the ANHC will deliver on the kind of durability, efficiency, performance and high-revving that the petrol Linea can only dream about. When it comes to the diesels, I can still see people choosing the Verna for its stonking engine and awesome after-sales. The Fiesta 1.4 D is outclassed at the moment....about time that Ford brings in the 1.6 diesel. Simply put, there is something for everyone in the C segment.
Oh well I didnt mean in terms of performance. I meant more like in terms of being VFM. Killer looks, plenty of space, good engines (very well respected one in case of diesel), good build quality (+ over the likes of SX4, City), good interiors, features for everyone (city doesnt have auto aircon or alloys), price (biggest +), refreshing new car feel etc etc.
In comparison Fiesta,Verna,SX4 already feel old/outdated. Serious competition is City!
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Old 16th January 2009, 19:58   #583
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Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Exactly my observation. And we were only 2 people going up the Valkeshwar stretch. The engine wheezes & runs out of breath on an incline. Not really a fitting choice for a premium 7 lakh rupee hatch now, is it?
While I'm one of the persons who is complaining about the absence of a more powerful engine on i20, the reviews that I've read about the 1.4, i20 (UK) aren't very encouraging. Most reviews seem to talk highly about the 1.2 (not sure if it is Kappa) as compared to the 1.4. Wonder if Hyundai really has a better petrol engine to offer at all.
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Old 16th January 2009, 20:20   #584
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Originally Posted by CBlazer View Post
While I'm one of the persons who is complaining about the absence of a more powerful engine on i20, the reviews that I've read about the 1.4, i20 (UK) aren't very encouraging. Most reviews seem to talk highly about the 1.2 (not sure if it is Kappa) as compared to the 1.4. Wonder if Hyundai really has a better petrol engine to offer at all.
Talk highly in what respect ? Fuel efficiency ?

Hyundai definitely has better engines to offer. But think of the early 1.2 buyers, and also about what could be the price point for say a 1.4L petrol.
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Old 17th January 2009, 00:05   #585
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Talk highly in what respect ? Fuel efficiency ?

Hyundai definitely has better engines to offer. But think of the early 1.2 buyers, and also about what could be the price point for say a 1.4L petrol.
Not FE, but in terms of liveliness of the engine.

As much as I hope the i20 is launched with a more powerful engine, I don't want it to turn out like the Fabia 1.4 - which is not something a petrolhead would really enjoy.

On a different note, I saw quite a few TD cars in action today near the Hyundai showroom at Cauvery circle.

Last edited by CBlazer : 17th January 2009 at 00:12.
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