[ramraman]

Hi all, I had started my earlier posts on completing 5 months and 5,000 kms . And now, am back with a 11 months and 11,000 kms report.

Time is such a strange animal - when you are waiting for your car to be delivered after the booking, it moves ever so slowly. Once you start flooring the pedal, it whizzes past before you can say Horn-OK-Please!

Though this is my first car ownership (and driving experience!), must say I have gone through a lot! Dont get me wrong - I have loved every moment of owning and driving my 'Berry', as I call my berry red i20, but the last 11 months have put me through the entire ownership experience that many would go through over a matter of years. That includes fights with the service centre (I won), tyre suppliers (I won), more than a minor accident (I dont know who won, I only paid the bill), driving on every major road leading out of Mumbai (and coming back!), every kind of terrain (except snow; most Mumbaikars will know what I am talking about), all kinds of weather and all sorts of traffic.

The result? Awesome! Condition of the car? Couldnt be better! (But for some minor scratches)

Let me first get into the driving experience, and then in subsequent posts, the specifics of the accident, fights etc.,

Key stats:
City driving: about 75% of the odo
A/C on: mostly
Traffic: heavy to bumper to bumper 50% - 60% of the time
Driven by: self
Driving speed:
- In the city: higher of 60 - 80 kph or whatever traffic permits;
- On the highway: 80 - 100 kph
Driving style:
- In the city: anyone who drives slower than me is an idiot and anyone who drives faster than me is a madman (you get the drift);
- On the highway: fast, careful, disciplined. i.e., if I can see the bumper of the vehicle in front at eye level, its time to remember the saying "apne aukaat mat bhoolna".

Fuel economy:
- In the city: 12 (A/C on, bumper to bumper traffic)
- On the highway: 14 + (A/C hardly on)
- Elsewhere: Yet to be tested

Problems:
Cant think of anything major or worrisome, hence will get into trivial stuff. Wife thinks I am paranoid.
Divided the issues into 2 categories - (A) with i20s in general, (B) those specifically (I think) with my car and (C) those specifically (others think) with me - outside the scope of this forum.
Category A - generally with i20s:
- horn is a bit feeble; am deciding between getting a more powerful horn and getting my ear checked at the ENT
- decent amount of road noise filters in, particularly at higher speeds. Aha! That means I dont need a visit to the ENT, right?
- throw of the high beam leaves much to be desired; once on the unlighted and rainy Mumbai - Ahmedabad highway, had to drive in the beam of a truck for several kms; needless to say, the truck's horn got overworked
- throw of the A/C in the rear seats is on the lower side (though the cooling is pretty quick and effective)
- A/C vents that send a stream of cool air to the back of my head (last time I checked my head is screwed on right, so this cant be a Category C problem)
- obstructive A-pillar that on several occasions contrives to disprove the hypothesis of my head being screwed on right
- petrol pump attendant unfriendly spare wheel that has to be unscrewed and taken out every time to fill air
OK. Now for the serious stuff.
- lot of body roll - this makes cornering particularly unnerving. On an adventurous afternoon, I tried cornering in the 40 - 60 kph range and at the higher end, I really thought the car would roll over
- for a car this loaded, the 1.2 L engine feels a bit low power. This is great for city driving and even the highway spin, but really pulls you back while overtaking (need to downshift to 3rd) and going up inclines fully loaded (2nd it is). It really galls me to see Maruti Zen overtaking me on a crowded incline / starting off from zero at toll booths. Ofcourse, once the baby starts coursing, it accelerates rather fast. Maybe the 1.3 L thats used on the Getz would have given the added power?
- the passenger door can be opened even with central locking on. It is not only foolish to have it this way, but dangerous too, if there are children in the front seat.

Category B: specifically with my car

- strange plastic rattling noises, that disappear as mysteriously as they appear (after thorough testing, I have concluded that these are not cauesd by the umbrella in the boot or by the coat hanger on the front seat)
- I have read of several users complain of steering column rattling noises, but thankfully, I haven't had any problems in that
- mileage that fluctuates a fair bit - I tank her up from the same pump everytime and take the same route to work. In largely similar traffic conditions, mileage tends to vary by as much as 1 kmpl (measured by the full tank to full tank method)
- a slightly mis-aligned front wiper that lets out a farting sound (no kidding) with every sweep; lately, it even leaves a semi-circular streak bang in front of the driver - should I get the rubber blades replaced?
- flapping sound from the front right hand side tyre on a recent highway spin. This bothered me for a while and then it disappeared. Am yet unable to figure out what this was.

Cant really think of anything else, will add in later posts if I come up with any.

Now to my favourite topic - aspects of the car that I like:
- overall, the car is very responsive, and very very driver friendly. Its a joy to drive this car (having subsequently driven a Maruti 800, Chevrolet Tavera, Ford Ikon and Indigo, I can certainly attest to this fact)
- gear shifts are smooth and effortless (except for the first gear, which sometimes does not slot in fully)
- excellent gear ratios for city driving - can lumber along at a snail's pace at 2nd gear
- I find the steering wheel pretty responsive - remember I started driving with this car, so this is my real benchmark. However, several people tell me that the steering feedback is low. I find however, that it would be nice if the EPS tightened more at higher speeds
- very smooth clutch, that is not heavy at all
- fly by wire controls (brakes, throttle) that are effortless to work, making even long drives joyful (though the longest so far is 350 kms in one day)
- height adjustable driver seat - this is really a boon - has to be experienced

What else? Cant really think of much more. Its 5 AM and my brain is getting into idling mode. Better sign off here. More in the next post!

Until then, drive safely.
PS: Drive safely even after that, ok?

[kalpeshc]

Can you detail out the incidents with the service center and the tyre suppliers? Where do you get your car serviced?