[Montoya]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

The NHC strugles to climb an incline of more the 30 degrees with 2 people in 3rd but there is enough pulling power in second and first.

Take your lancer the same way and it will feel the same. 3rd is never used to climb. Usually first and second are..

[SMG]

Thanks again Montoya.
Baleno is on the list just as a back up.

[veyron1]

well, the baleno is serious competition to the city in terms of overall package. first, to the average joe, maintaining a baleno is far easier than maintaining a city. also, the baleno outperforms the city on the performance sector. yes, the boot volume is lesser than the city, but the and ride comfort is same, if not better; the handling, definitely is. as for the looks, well, the city is overstated, whereas the baleno is understated.... i personally prefer the looks of the baleno.

and the guy in the fiat forum is talking crap- the city isn't underpowered... i have tried climbing some steep hills in sabutara, gujarat, in the NHC, with 5 people and luggage. the car pulled fine. of course, the car couldn't keep up with my safari, but comparing the two doesn't do justice to the car. besides, the safari was on 4X4 H at that time.

and yeah, petrol cars aren't supposed to climb hills in third- even some diesels, too for that matter.

the NHC is a great package overall, but when comparing it to the baleno, well, it pales slightly.....more so if the buyer is a revmaniac.

p.s- have you considered the accent/ viva crd-i, smg? they have decent street cred, enough class, performance that can give all the mid-sizers a run for their money, and triumphant fuel efficiency. the only flip sides are; the rear seat, which isn't as comfortable as the city or the baleno, the boot isn't as big as the city, and the handling won't enthrall you either. but it scores on all other counts. and trust me, that mutha of an engine will leave you longing for more. no other car will give you 16 kmpl while travelling @ 140 kmph to a litre of diesel, in this price category. of course, there's the option of a secondhand octavia- but a new car would be better for you, i say.

and besides, the money you save over the fuel bills will leave you grinning all the way to your ATM. so, go to a hyundai showroom, and give the crd-i a try, before deciding on anything....

[SMG]

Originally Posted by veyron1

p.s- have you considered the accent/ viva crd-i, smg? they have decent street cred, enough class, performance that can give all the mid-sizers a run for their money, and triumphant fuel efficiency. the only flip sides are; the rear seat, which isn't as comfortable as the city or the baleno, the boot isn't as big as the city, and the handling won't enthrall you either. but it scores on all other counts. and trust me, that mutha of an engine will leave you longing for more. no other car will give you 16 kmpl while travelling @ 140 kmph to a litre of diesel, in this price category. of course, there's the option of a secondhand octavia- but a new car would be better for you, i say.

and besides, the money you save over the fuel bills will leave you grinning all the way to your ATM. so, go to a hyundai showroom, and give the crd-i a try, before deciding on anything....

Good suggestion. Will give a thought. My running won't be more than 1000 Km/month that's why never bothered about Diesel. But yes, CRDi does make some sense.

So far I owned 3 cars and all of them were used, so this time decided to have a new one.

Thanks for your inputs, veyron1.

SMG

[lamborghini]

Why not the Petra?
It is cheaper then your other options and comes fully loaded, is more comfortable then the NHC, more safer then the NHC and Baleno, More sturdier then the NHC and Baleno, has a big boot, a 1.6 litre engine, better looks then both the cars, Has better interiors then the Baleno.
There is also the ikon which is the same price as a baleno and is bigger, sportier and more fun to drive stock.

[Montoya]

Hey veyron,

I dont think so maintaing a baleno is that easy.. i guess maintaining a NHC is way easier.. you dont have to do anything and i didnot find any problems with maintaining the NHC till she was with me.. but yeah Esteem being balenos sister did give quite lot of problems that was 2000 model and nowever models have cheaper quiality since maruti has got the price as well as the quality down.. but what kind of performance the Baleno gives is flat out wheras City gies very drivable performance.. ride confort must be same but comfort interior quality is far better in the City rear legroom boot room, driving postion again outbeats the baleno by far.. as always looks are deceptive and alloys do the trick to every car..

Nothing beats the Octy though

@ lambo.. in what sense do you fell that the Petra is more comfy then the NHC? Boot is almost similar..

Ikon is outdated

Has better interiors then the Baleno

What about the City?? LOL

[RX135]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Why not the Petra?

Notwithstanding all the reasons you mentioned for Petra, if I remember correctly, SMG wrote sometime earlier that he is not looking for any Fiat product. So, that rules out Petra.

@Montoya, I suppose Lambo is talking about ride quality of Petra against NHC. NHC interior is definitely more comfy than Petra, but Petra has better ride quality. Some people tend to compare it with Mercs' ride.

[sivadas]

But the question is whether you need to pay an additional 1.5-2.5(compared to Baleno or Petra) lacs for the more glamorous interiors and ugly exterior(I mean the shape, which many people like).
If you really get 14-15 Kmpl for the NHC in city as some people claim, then it is worth the price. I always felt that for NHC, you are paying too much of a premium for the Honda name.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by SMG

I wonder NHC is such a poor show? Anybody has gone through similar experiences?

By the way I am considering NHC.

SMG

Dont bother about such extreme opinions - reading through it one cant help questioning the credibility of whats written there.

The NHC sells more than any other car in the C segment except the Indigo. Neither the NHC nor the Indigo are particularly well liked by a lot of people here for whatever reason, but over 5,000 people cant be making the same mistake month after month (combined sales figures of the two) and that number is growing.

My advice to you - the Fiats are more talked about than driven, the Baleno is dated but VFM. Stick to the NHC and you wont regret it - the other option you could consider is the 1.6 Optra, depending on your budget. The Optra wouldnt give you 20+ kmpl on the highway, though.

[SMG]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

Why not the Petra?
It is cheaper then your other options and comes fully loaded, is more comfortable then the NHC, more safer then the NHC and Baleno, More sturdier then the NHC and Baleno, has a big boot, a 1.6 litre engine, better looks then both the cars, Has better interiors then the Baleno.
There is also the ikon which is the same price as a baleno and is bigger, sportier and more fun to drive stock.

Lambo, I agree wih you regarding Petra as a car. But as a package I can't. I am not confident about FIAT's after sales support.

See, this is my hard earned money I am putting on the car and probably won't get another chance in next 7-8 years or so. Also I am going to keep this car for 7-8 years for sure.

With Petra people are finding it difficult to get even warranty services, what will happen after warranty expires?

I want peace of mind.

Sorry FIAT but it has to be 'No for Petra' as on today.

[Montoya]

I want peace of mind.

Nothing beats the Honda then. Honda and toyota are meant for their bullet proof reliabilty. Ask any honda owner he will tell you.

[cnu]

Originally Posted by Montoya

Honda and toyota are meant for their bullet proof reliabilty.

Very true... you cant go wrong with one of these.

[SMG]

Originally Posted by Montoya

Nothing beats the Honda then. Honda and toyota are meant for their bullet proof reliabilty. Ask any honda owner he will tell you.

I agree you 100% that's why NHC is my first choice and Baleno is close second.

However Baleno has a little edge over HONDA and TOYOTA because of Maruti's unbeatable service network (in terms of number of service stations all across the country), go anywhere you are well supported and taken care of.

HONDA and TOYOTA doesn't have such an impressive network as on today.

[Montoya]

wait for the new baleno then but my choice as of today will be a NHC however one dealer told me that ABS and Airbags are available on Baleno will confirm.. if it is surely i would go for the baleno..

[CLS_55_AMG]

I bought an NHC last July and to tell you guys, I have been more than happy with my decision. The car may not have as great power or handling as the OHC, but in terms of comfort, ease of driving and f.e., nothing comes close. It has been consistently giving me a mileage of 12 in the city and about 17 on the highway. And for those people who thought 77 bhp was less, well initially I was under the same impression, but with 128 nm of torque thats just 3 nm less than the Baleno. Also, as per ACI, the 40-100 timing in 4th gear is even better than the OHC 1.5. I have driven it a number of times with 5 people, luggage and the A/c on and it pulls away with ease. As per reliability, and the fit and finish the Palio/Petra dont even come close. There obviously has to be something good about a car thats selling more than the Palio, Petra, and Baleno combined.