[kodivasanth]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Have voted for the Linea
1) I would rather put in more money and go for Civic and no I dont think City is 85% of Civic.

I had voted for Honda city. I know that the engine and performance is good especially in the old honda city. If it is the thrill I need, then its Honda city. But my dream car from the honda stable would be the Accord. I fell in love with the Accord when I was still in my high school.

[himanshugoswami]

while looking for a new car about 3 months back, ANHC was also on my shopping list- however, one test drive and we never returned to the Honda showroom- reason?- flimsy build, apalling lack of equipment and not too great road manners.

In comparison, the linea was a very very alluring prospect, even though the engine had less grunt compared to the ANHC. the only thing that went against the linea was TATA service support, sinc ei had just burnt my fingers with a Safari and TATA's legendary service capabilities, I did not want another round of headache.

If Fiat launches the linea with a more powerful petrol, it will be the most complete midsizer out there. the ANHC is not even close when you compare the two.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

There are about three threads on ANHC i guess with regular updates. I have updated my thread at regular intervals - i have done 6K Kms and going for 3rd service tomorrow. So far no complaints. Overall experience has been very pleasant and the services were extremley quick and efficient. I drive to Magnum usually on Saturday morning around 9:30 AM, give the car for service and hit Metro for shopping. I get a call around 12:-12:30 PM saying car is ready. Avg mileage is 11.x in city with 100% AC.

Thanks for confirming the mileage.

Most of the service center's does this kind of service these days, i repeat a regular service at dealer has following:

All fluids, check/top up
Lubricate doors
Air filter cleaning
Engine oil change (if recommended)
Water wash
Attend to specific niggle if reported
Road test and deliver.

Trust me they dont even check a single nut and bolt otherwise, reason is modern cars are built well and dont require so much of attention like an older design. Charges for the same were 500 and now slowly everybody has jacked it to 750-800 bucks.

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

well, if you want rattles, breaking plastics and falling logos to make it exciting - no thanks. I would rather be boring (no offense - i couldn't resist this one )

Ouch i feel bad for my swift! I was more referring to lack of character from the car.

Originally Posted by FastLove

Why is it that for One car to be Good the other has to be Bad ??? Cant there be 2 Good cars on the road?? (or for that matter 200 good cars??)

If a Honda owner has invested his lakhs on a City and is enjoying his experience , it is not going to get any better or worse if Linea is any good or bad (and vice versa) .

I think is high time both the camps grow up and accept each other, both are terrific cars and let me repeat both have + and - and there is no reason why one should run the other one down, insecurity???

Atleast for competition sake and that helps customers at the end of the day. Look at Honda adds in the last few weeks, why do you think H has upped the ante by providing certain features on a newly launched car? Competition!!

Originally Posted by karanraheja

I would totally disagree against this! I wouldnt call it a let down. For the size of Linea it deserves more power. Fiat should give it multiple engine options .

Yes let me rephrase, biggest let down for a customer like me, is lack of engine options. Hope thats fine?

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

3) Last and very important at that, emotional connect and character. Unfortunately there is no character or emotional connect each time I see a city but its completely opposite when I see a Linea. For me cars are not just a medium to go from point A to point B and I value a lot of the intangibles. If not the Linea, I would rather buy the Fiesta 1.6S

Yes this is where camps begin, some connect to overall feel, some to engine, some to reliability and some with the looks. All are right in their own perspective. That doesnt mean that other person is a total jerk who has blown his money out!

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

secondly, as an ANHC owner i have nothing new to report in the car except i drove XX KM per day and/or we went on a long drive vacation
That's what i was doing in my ownership thread, but now the MODS (none other than GTO) have requested me not to post my travel experiences in my ownership thread, most probably, it will see lesser and lesser updates (e.g. only when it goes for service)

Go ahead and share the travel experience under travelogue, the description of the drive and couple of neat picture of the car will drive home the right message

[GTO]

Originally Posted by StarVegabond

If in absolute terms in a country, Oranges are consumed much much more than Apples (month on month, everymonth) then one can surely conclude Orange is more popular and preferred by consumers.

Absolute out of the box thinking. Thanks for sharing, I (and am sure many others) thoroughly enjoy such posts.

You only missed out on one point : The best seller is also priced higher. Still it manages to maintain its top position month after month. The person who talks with his cheque book is making a stronger point than one with a keyboard. Note : This is something that the Honda City has maintained since nearly every year of introduction. Of course, they have also been the most pro-active with frequent model upgrades. Third all new City in 10 years, while the OHC / NHC and even ANHC have had some updates from time to time in their production years.

Ask any OHC / NHC owner today if they think they overpaid? The fact is, after several years of ownership, nope we don't think so. The ANHC costs nearly the same as the OHC Vtec did 10 years back. Whats the price of a newer generation? Ask Maruti which sells the Ritz (int'l wagonR replacement) at 75 grand more, or Skoda (Laura is the new Octavia) at 3 lakhs more. Honda & Toyota always give us the latest products. Toyota even discontinued the Qualis at a time when it was the segment leader!

Originally Posted by anachronix

Atleast the TDCi is good upto 120KMPH which is good enough safe speed that could be done in our Indian roads?

Sure is. But as I stated earlier, the TDCi is a terrible benchmark to start with when talking of performance. While the refinement + fuel efficiency are top grade, it is SLOW and known to require effort on the highway.

Originally Posted by Ram_NP

May be AHNC owners do not have much to write in rather than normal service details and their driving experience.

Or as i say its too boring that dont have anything much to report just kidding.

To be honest, there have been hardly any updates on my OHC thread in two years. Reason : There is NOTHING to update. Whatever I have posted already in terms of the engine, driving experience and reliability still stays. The car just goes on working and working with one scheduled maintenance visit to Linkway Honda each year.

Compare that to my Benz thread . There are developments every 3 - 6 months. And I am very particular about updating ownership threads.

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Only this i would disagree, niggles doesn't mean you have to find an accommodation near to the A.S.S. This is where the perceptions are built and sometimes blown out of proportion.

Yes, that accomodation comment is surely an exagerration. However, what isn't an exagerration is that my 7 year old OHC has ZERO niggles, and brand new Fiats seem to have their own share. I don't know if I'd be happy with niggles in my brand new car. The only new car in my family which has had such niggles is the Tata Indigo.

Lets accept that Fiat has priced the Linea well. Sure, they have BUT at the cost of compromise. It was their comeback car and its a fact that the Linea is currently running on wafer thin margins. The compromise? Engine + fit / finish / quality. In fact, its priced so low that Fiat has already started making revisions to the original launch price.

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

What worked for Honda City were the engine power (I still love that 1.5L 100 bhp engine), fuel average and reliability and that built the brand which was already strong in India.

No doubt.

European cars like Astra were at disadvantage straightaway because they were heavier so not as efficient but had the ride and handling and interiors to die for but what happened to the brand? There are countless other examples.

Don't overlook the fact that the first gen Astra had a TERRIBLE engine. Opel quickly updated in 2 - 3 years. However, once the Astra ran high miles, the upkeep was so bad that it all but ruined the Opel brand in India. Get this : GM discontinued the Opel brand altogether in favour of Chevy.

Another good example would be Skoda and you will agree that Octavia has been a reasonable success. The Skoda brand was built on the fuel efficiency aspect of the 1.9 TDi so much so that people overlooked the shocking A$$ and maintenance costs.

Do you know that the first Skoda workshop in Mumbai ran on a generator? Still, the Octavia was a heck of a car for its time and deserved the success it got. Too bad that went to Skodas head. I sincerely hope they make amends because the Superb (and Laura too) is such a fantastic machine. It deserves better customer support.

Even an Indica Diesel engine survives for around 2 lakh kilometers and it rarely sees the authorized service center

LOL! I as an Indigo owner can tell you its the exact opposite. Sure, we'll hear of the odd Indica owner that had no problems for 1.5 lakh kms, but we are NOT considering the reliability of one car. Rather, we are evaluating that model over 1000 - 10000 examples. No manufacturer becomes a genius at making a handful of zero-trouble cars, respect to the ones who do it with 50,000 cars. And a majority of Indicas / Indigos have frequent niggles & problems. I hear that the Vista has been a step ahead, but too early in the day to comment. Few Vistas have run 50,000 kms.

[shrinivasap]

Regarding regular updates - i nver find anything to update. I have travelled 11000 KM in my ANHC in last 8 months. I didn't update or discuss here because:

a. I had no issues so far.
b. Been very happy with all kinds of travels i did which includes good road (NH 7), Bad roads (NH 47/48), Ghats (Shiradi, Charmadi, KodaiKanal), lots of long drives...
c. No niggling issues so far to come here and report
d. Didn't see any other ANHC owner reporting any issues so that i can participate
e. Have been getting excellent *** from magnum Honda (which i reported once)
f. Consistent FE

Now, that said - frankly there is nothing that makes me to keep updating here. If i have, i will be the first one to report here.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by shrinivasap

Now, that said - frankly there is nothing that makes me to keep updating here. If i have, i will be the first one to report here.

On the contrary there are many things which would help others, egs: Magnum Honda experience?? I would love to hear about it and then decide if i need to change Whitefield service, since its been deteriorating.

Travel experience, how much fun it was to drive the car, what was the FE. Any issues like grounding, poor visibility during rain etc etc

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Yes and I ask you, what possibly can go wrong in car that in the name of equipments only offers you four power windows, a manual A/C and a de-fogger?

Lots! my 4 hour old Swift DDIS started flashing cabin lights every time i went over a pot hole? Same engine, power windo, ac and no defogger. So i disagree there are lots of things that can go wrong.

[Stratos]

I might be voting long after this thread was born, but my answer always will be the Honda City. Personally, I love the Linea too, but I will not go for it if I have to. Reason? I would like to have a complete peace of mind when I put approximately 10lac rupees on a car. In technical terms this is called reliability. And Honda comes with that reliability. Frankly, even though the Linea is way better that the City in looks and passion (as some may say), it still lacks the perfection with which Honda makes its cars. This is my personal opinion and I do not mean to bad mouth FIAT. I am a fan of their cars too. And in some cases, especially the back seat comfort, I hate both the City and the Linea

[tsk1979]

The linea appears to be more VFM, same kit for lower price etc., but my vote goes to ANHC.
The major factor is peace of mind. Fiat may have come a long way from Palio days, but at the end of the day the after sales and service experience you get with a honda, or for that matter even a Maruti or Hyundai is much better than what you get at TASS.

At the end of the day the ANHC gives better peace of mind. Linea may be a better car, but you don't just buy a car. You buy a package, a relationship.

Fiat cars were never the problem, it was the other stuff, Maybe after 2 years when there are enough satisfied long term owners of Linea, things may change, and along with that my vote, but right now, its ANHC!

[Trapezio]

Originally Posted by GTO

Toyota even discontinued the Qualis at a time when it was the segment leader!

When the Qualis was launched in India it was already one generation old buddy! In fact when Autocar scooped it, many other manufacturers refused to believe that Toyota is bringing an old platform here! The Qualis launched in India was launched in Asia in 1986.

But I agree Honda is very strict with these things. City is the best example. But Toyota is not.

[WhiteKnight]

Originally Posted by anachronix

@ WhiteKnight, do a TD of the Linea 1.4 FIRE. I easily did a 160+ on the car and it was easily chasing a Fiesta TDCi while I was on a highway touring with 4 people on board!

I'm sorry I missed your post. My goal post is a few seconds ahead of yours

Fact of the matter is, my next car must be quicker than the one I have now. I also want a car that could sustain speeds on highway without straining the engine or me.

There would be poeple who find Linea's performance great, not me.

[Stratos]

Originally Posted by Trapezio

When the Qualis was launched in India it was already one generation old buddy! In fact when Autocar scooped it, many other manufacturers refused to believe that Toyota is bringing an old platform here! The Qualis launched in India was launched in Asia in 1986.

I think that was because the Qualis was Toyotas first car for India. Plus, they knew that they could maintain its price in a sensible margin and as we all know, it worked, from the sales point of view.

One thing, I remember seeing in the new ANHC was that its engine bay is big and can fit a much bigger engine than the current one, (possibly from the Civic?). A great advantage from the point of view of customization.

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

but at the end of the day the after sales and service experience you get with a honda, or for that matter even a Maruti or Hyundai is much better than what you get at TASS.

Tanveer, have you had first hand experience of Honda A.S.S.....I would be very surprised if you did and still make this statement.

Sure they are better than Tata in some cities, but putting them in the same bracket as Maruti or hyundai is a bit of a strech.

[Trapezio]

Originally Posted by Stratos

I think that was because the Qualis was Toyotas first car for India. Plus, they knew that they could maintain its price in a sensible margin and as we all know, it worked, from the sales point of view.

Sure. It did work. As you said the sales is the best proof. But does that make a decade old platform any younger?

I just said they do not have the policy of giving latest platforms like Honda. Anyway, guess we are going OT here.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Trapezio

When the Qualis was launched in India it was already one generation old buddy!

Ah, that's a slipup on modernity. But even though it was outdated, the damn thing performed day after day compared to its chief competitors : The Sumo & Armada (or was it Bolero)? A Qualis of last model year vintage and an Innova of the first year of launch have the same resale (if the Qualis isn't more)! Such is the markets love for that car. Toyota was literally testing the waters with the Qualis. Minimal investment. Even today, they are rather slow. The Camry is still imported as a CBU and the Fortuner took all of 4 years to come home.

But no one can deny that Toyota (alongwith Honda) updates its products today and offers only the latest. Look at the Altis! What pricing!

[Jaggu]

Stratos: i completely understand and respect your views, but let me correct you on 2 aspects.

1) linea i dont have to put down 10 lakhs, its 1-2 lakh less and that is the biggest attraction for me personally
2) Fiat in 2005 and in 2009 are very different when it comes to reliability, may not be AS reliable when it comes to small niggles, but nevertheless the car/brand in India is pretty reliable and customer service also has improved