[haisaikat]

Last month my 11.5 years old Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLX crossed the 90,000 KM mark on the odo. Just 10K more to cover 1,00,000 KM which at the current pace would be another 1.5 years to reach. Its time I put together the much awaited ownership review. I will try to keep things to the point and not get much carried away in the spirit of my first love . While its difficult to summarize 11.5 years of journey in a less than 5 -7 minutes read yet I am giving my best shot

The decision
My desire to own a car was from a long time even before I got in a job. However what gave me the ultimate push was the constant, unpredictable and arrogant refusal from the yellow Taxi-s in Kolkata if I had a destination not to their liking. I still recall that day in 2007 when I was standing on the road at 9 am in the morning with my father who could barely walk at an age nearing 70 and had an urgent doctor appointment regarding his chronic terminal disease. Happy to see their monopoly shattered with the advent of the App-cabs. So after that day decided to go ahead and started preparing for the buy. I did not know driving back then in 2007 and hence could not dare to take test drives, so the research was extremely Googled.

I was never a fan of the sedan and back in 2007 there were very few sedans in my budget, the whole idea of compact sedans had just started to take shape. More than sedans I liked hatches and Station Wagon types form factors which are nowadays generalized in MPV category, not sure why I had this taste but I still go by that. The two contenders I had hanging finally were Hyundai Getz and Tata Indigo Marina. In the Marina I admired the luggage space and the tail size shape better, but as in all tata cars of those days in this segment the front was a look alike of Indica which turned me down.

Frankly, I chose Getz for its rear seat shoulder room primarily thinking about the ease it would bring to 3 adults on the rear seat and funny it may seem only because alloys looked better and ABS was an advertised safety feature which I understood very less but got sold on eventually the top model which had some interior styles additional apart from Alloys and ABS over the next lower model GLS.

The purchase
I purchased the car from Saini Hyundai of New Alipore, Kolkata and I recall there was a wait period of almost 1 month from paying the booking amount of 5,000 till the delivery since they had to order the top model from their Chennai manufacturing. On road price was around 5.2 Lakhs financed around 95% by HDFC.

Accessories
Sadly on an alloy version the stock 14 inch tyres of Goodyear were not tubeless, so got exchanged with Pirelli tubeless (dealer offered) by paying 4K extra. Other accessories included in the price were as below

1. Floor mats - 6 pieces - lasted for 10 years, developed holes in the driver side one, so changed it, rather put new at the bottom and old at top)
2. Seat cover, faux leather
3. Keyless remote with security alarm
4. Leather Steering cover (lasted for 10 year, changed it after that)
5. A perfume
6. Anti-Rust
7. Car Cover (got a free one later on by post from GoodYear, had i known, wouldn't have purchased)

Later on I got the following items installed additionally within next 1 year

1. VKool Sunfilms on all 6 glass panels, VK70 and J60 for around 24,000. Even in 12th year they are running excellent with no bubbles or peel offs. Sadly though, the front windshield broke once and after that I did not fit with film on it again. Rest of the doors / windows remain fitted.
2. JVC KWXG700 2 DIN Music system (purchased for 8.5K from US) with JBL xxxx speakers on all 4 doors (persuaded the dealer to install it, speakers + harness+ installation charged to 10,000). Lost the remote now, but the thing works great. The 6 inch JBL speakers emanate good amount of bass without a dedicated sub.
3. Jvc KS-BTA200 bluetooth adapter purchased from US for around 5500 rupees to allow handsfree calling from phone. Came with its mic and connection to stereo system and showed incoming caller id on stereo screen. This worked great but alas, lasted for 2 years only, thereafter I switched to external bluetooth handsfree

The initial days and the drive
I learnt proper driving on this car only. I recall getting up at 6 am in the winters of 2007, accompanied by the trainer to get my hands settled on the car. I was up and running with confidence in just 3 weeks thanks to both the trainer and my enthusiasm. I recall at one point in time towards the end of 3 weeks period I used to go to office and return back once during early morning around 7 am with the trainer by my side and then during busy traffic hours once again around 9 am in the day and return in the evening around 7 pm to get the feel and confidence with the trainer once again. Even after the training period I never used to leave the opportunity to drop anyone at home just to get some more drive times and practice. The car is a fun to drive around even in city traffic and make you crave to drive more, a feeling I still share.

At cold start the engine settles at 1100 RPM and can make the car move forward without touching the gas pedal in first gear. The optimum speed of 50 km/hr marked with a red line in the speedometer is achieved at 1350 in the 5th gear, if I go to 60 km/hr the engine would be revving at around 1600 RPM and its silent except the tyre / road noise. At 80/85 km/hr the RPM goes to 2000 RPM and 100 is at 2500 - 2700 RPM. In initial years when I used to push the car to even 120, the steering and cabin was silent with no vibration except the wind noise.

The goods over the years that I liked in this car
Drive-ability

• The super smooth and easy gear shifts (this must be serviced at times to keep it smooth)
• The excellent 3rd gear which can pull up from low 18-20 km/hr to higher speeds without requiring to shift gears in slower traffic clubbed with the 2nd gear that allows sudden instant torque to move the car into the right lane of traffic, in traffic all it matters is the right lane selection which grows as intuition over time and to allow one to take the correct lane at times sudden pulls are required to beat the competition in the traffic
• The very usable driver armrest, spoils you with one hand driving capability
• The clutch foot rest or the dead pedal is best for convenience and comfort even in city driving, gives feeling of driving an automatic, increases clutch life by not forcing to ride it all the time as otherwise I would have no where to rest my left foot
• Hydraulic steering for a realistic feel of the control and not like superlight and unreal feeling electric steering in cars of similar price bracket or notch higher in its time like the Maruti Sedans of that time

Interior / Comfort

• Beige finish of the interior gives a sense of roominess inside (I do opt for regular interior cleaning at the service center with dash polishing in spite of driving with windows up all the time) and the faux plastic wood finish on inside door handles and dash gives a nice premium feel
• Rear seat comfort, shoulder room for 3 adults achieved very easily
• Excellent boot space of 290 litres clubbed with 60-40 rear seat split, made numerous airport trips with loads of luggage using these two utilities
• Superb NVH levels even in the 12th year, of course I changed the engine mounting recently and it improved things greatly
• The flat dash and the wide windscreen gives a sense of superior airyness and space in the front seat. The dash is useful for keeping temporary things and its low height helps get superior road visibility, so much so that my toddler can stand on the front and see the road ahead without difficulty. I do not find this in many cars
• huge windows giving complete wide view of the sides
• The A.C. is super, I do service regularly but knowing contemporary swifts of 2007-2010 I can safely say this one beats all of them. Its not chilling that disturbs you but its soothing, very composed

Exterior

• The rock solid build quality of the body protects from trivial dents. Even in higher impacts I have seen that bumper covers have shattered with no damage to anything inside
• The rear defogger and wipers are saviors on those rainy days
• The rubber lines on the door are good from protecting against mild grazes.
• The tall antenna and rear spoiler looks awesome

The not so good aspects
General Things

• The responsiveness of the engine beyond 80km/hr is not that great, so do not think of those 100 km/hr + overtakes with this one if you have a worthy opponent would be easy, but in city this is a killer, as someone called it "perfect urban commuter"
• The engine although being 1341cc generates power less efficiently as a result the FE takes a hit. In earlier years, summer with full AC in city I used to get 11 km/l and in winter max 12 km/l. Nowadays its 10 km/l on an average.
• The headlamps have lower intensity than competitors

Cost of Service

• I purchased the car in 2007 Nov and the model became obsolete soon after with the advent of i20 first generation. So now in 2019 the spare parts cost is almost double and that has increased the cost of maintenance to a large extent inspite of parts sharing with
  with Verna, sometimes parts arrive from the Chennai factory as they are solely procured on order and hence servicing takes 2-3 weeks in certain cases. To give everyone a perspective until the 6th year the cost of routine service was around 8-12K INR per year. Thereafter the cost gradually went up, of course as some of the wear/tear parts had to be anyway replaced hence 7th year onwards the average servicing cost per year (two services combined) varied between 20K to 50K INR of course this may include accident repairs as well since I never liked a car with scratches. Yet I am still keeping the car since I paid lifetime road tax and now its an emi free period that I am enjoying. Even if I were to pay the same amount in EMIs for a new car in 5-6K INR a month I would not get a car as big and spacious as this one.
• The hydraulic steering has become harder over time and less convenient for one hand you turns which was possible even some years back. This is because around a year back fluid leakage was detected and SA told me that internal wear and tear in steering column was the cause. New steering column would cost around 50K INR, alternative was to get external lathe work done to create new bush / bearings which would cost around 7.5K INR. I went for the later one, working not so bad but not as great as the original smoothness, the ABS light always remain lighted at present, need to check with the SA next time. However nothing that halts the car midway or impacts anything else and I can still change lanes in one hand easily when the other hand is busy changing gears, its only during situations that require a complete turn of the wheels is difficult with one hand. One of my friends told me that in his Ford Fusion of similar age this same problem has developed and he has purchase the fluid and keeps on topping it up every month to make up for the leakage.
• The Suspension is not meant for abuse or rough treatment, not sure if this was my sole problem but since this was my first car initial 15-18 month I was less conscious in avoiding pot holes and road patches that resulted in shocker change during the warranty (I had 5th year coverage extended separately) but over the years several times the shockers got replaced at my own expense as well post the warranty. The newer ones go well for initial 30-60 days but thereafter starts to degrade, of course if the car is fully loaded this is not felt, but me alone in car - yes I feel the bumps and jerks more often. The SA once told me that unless I change the entire suspension which would now cost upwards of 50K INR changing shockers will always be temporary.

Interior Comfort

• The rear leg room is sufficient but not great as Ford Figo which was also its contemporary cars. I am not a tall guy yet with my driving position set the rear set legroom may be okay for shorter trips but not great for longer drives (> 2 hrs +)
• In cases where the car is parked outside in hot sun (days like 40 degrees C + temperatures) for prolonged period and I start the car, the AC struggles to cool the cabin at 4th speed (highest) of blower but performs better in 3rd position of the blower, may be its time for another service of the AC and top up of the gas. It may also be because the front windshield film is no longer there. Eventually the AC catches up but may take longer time if the sun continues to burn us. It seems as if the AC cooling rate is same as the cabin's heating up rate by the sun, so whoever starts first wins.
• The seats have become harder over time, our i10 seats are still softer although it has just crossed 5 years. Sometimes thought of removing the seat covers, but dropped the idea as I can live with it.
• The security folks at my office have the process of opening and closing the boot lid daily since they cannot see whats inside with the parcel tray obstructing the view of whats beneath. At times when I used to pick up and drop my wife in her office the same process was repeated 3 times a day. Eventually in 2014 the two hydraulic shockers of the boot became weaker and closing the lid was not happening in one go properly so much so that I had to replace them in 2015.
• The rear defogger lines developed problem in 2012 with 3 lines not working, warranty claim was rejected stating that sunfilm on it may be the cause, although the defoggers still does their job to an extent where I can live with it.

Major repairs / Services

• Shockers are changed regularly, and even now.
• Power steering repair, mentioned earlier
• Clutch cable and Brake pedal was changed around 65-75K KMs
• Engine timing belt was changed around 63K KMs
• Engine Fan belt was changed around 80K KMs
• Initial Pireli Aquamile tyres were one of the worst, within first 3 months one of the front ones bulged out in one place, had a very difficult dealing with the dealer, eventually got replacement which also had similar issue, decided to move ahead with Bridgestone Turanza (most likely) first pair changed at 30K KMs and next pair at 40K KMs. Thereafter around 75K KMs changed all 4 tyres again with GoodYear (got from service center)
• The engine mount had weakened over time, I did had to drive the car through street floods of Kolkata every year at least 2-3 days and that damaged it initially. Every time during service instead of changing it I used to ask to make a stop gap fit and it used to work to an extent in reducing the vibration to steering and NVH inside cabin used to rise. However the negative impact it did was damage the steering column which resulted in the repair I mentioned above. Had I known this earlier probably I could have changed the engine mount earlier and avoided the damage to the steering column. However, must say that with the change of mount, the steering vibration is completely gone and its silence like before inside the cabin.
• The ignition coil change happened post 70k KM alongwith the plugs than connect to the engine. This was a costly replacement. Otherwise post ignition the engine was vibrating alongwith the car and the power was less in lower gears resulting in knocking.
• The front row passenger side power window mechanism developed faults so that it would suddenly not lift up after being put down. In 2015 the switch was changed and then again in 2018 the motor and entire mechanism was changed for 10K INR because it developed faults.
• The silencer pipe and muffler assembly was changed recently as there was a hole that had developed in it and rusting had started in the 12th year. In one of our last road trip there were several grazes underneath the car, not sure if that was the trigger.
• There were 2 major accidents the car met, once in 2008 in the 1st year itself in heavy rains I collided head on to an Indica and damaged the head light on right, bumper broken and bonnet dented inside and was replaced. Another case in 2018 where a hired day driver while carrying my mother and sister back home tried to take a different lane ignoring that a truck was coming from behind and impact happened damaging the front-right alloy rim, tyre burst and fender and door and headlight with bonnet dents. Repairs were high in both cases.
• Other minor ones included changing hornpad, changing horn, removing the keyless entry remote since there were problems recently

Closing notes
If anyone asks me whether I am happy, the answer is yes hands down, not just the nostalgia of this being my first owned car or the fact that this car has seen several important phases of my life and family and has served well in all situations, but also the predictability and reliability in spite of higher service cost at present. It has never had a breakdown in any commute be it short or long and even at this price of maintenance I am not going to get anything new which is any bit closer to this car. However had it not been the first car I may have gone for GLS option which is one trim lower and offered pretty much the same things.

Finally some pics of my car
Note: Pardon the compression artefacts introduced while resizing to upload friendly specs

This one is back from 2008 during the first late night outing during Durga Puja with my family.


The car during our first highway trip to sher-e-punjab with friends back in 2009


Those were the days


The flat dash of the car (in 2009), induces feeling of roominess at the front


The dash with pizza on it while our hands are busy with other stuff at a drive-in cafe in Kolkata (today)


The car, as it is standing in the heat outside last Sunday, its still my daily workhorse, pardon the grains from the long shot zoom. Notice the tint on the side windows, because of the vkool films which gives a Golden tinge from a distance and angle but if one stands next to the car, its completely visible.


The front dash (today)


Rear Seats (today)


The ODO Reading (today)


The VKool Logo placed facing the windscreen on the dash looked cool even back in those days (today)


From the rear, with the T-BHP sticker (today)

[haisaikat]

Of course there are a few points I may consider while buying a new car if I upgrade / replace from here

The drive

• 7 seaters with good boot, realised it's more fun with more people but not at the cost of a smaller boot especially when you have infants on board.
• Diesel engine for more power and lower fuel cost, yes, in spite of any upcoming bans, this is the car enthusiast in me. Of course better FR will also be on the lookout but I am less bothered on it.
• Rear AC Vents, with preferable controls
• At least equal or greater shoulder room from rear seat
• Better immunity from driving in flooded streets, not sure if this would be just higher ground clearance or higher engine mounting ot something else, may need suggestions
• Fog lamps
• Rear defogger and washer / wiper for rainy seasons especially
• tilt and telescopic steering, gets has tilt steering only which does the job 60-70% anyway)
• Intermittent wiper (very useful in Getz)
• Day and Night Mirror, nice to have if auto dimming
• Dual horn so that one fails the other takes over (like happened for my Getz once)
• Electrically adjustable and foldable ORVM, it's a pain not to have this, slipping the car through that narrow passage where folding mirrors effortless is a must without leaning over and doing it by self.
• Brighter headlamps, had always thought the headlights of Getz are a bit less I'm intensity than some others.
• Automatic gear shift, yes I think that is the future
• Tubeless non alloy/ steel wheels, they are way cheaper to maintain and less prone to damages like alloys.
• Antenna on roof should be short, in present Getz the tall antenna gets hit in low clearance parking every now and then.
• Capable of carrying loads, the Getz could go up a steep incline with AC on and 5 on board in 2nd gear with minimal velocity very easily, of course otherwise 1st gear is to be engaged
• airbags and abs

Interior / Comfort / Convenience

• Boot lamp
• Cooled glove box
• Illuminated globe box (this is a very convenient feature in Getz)
• Bottle holder on doors, missed this on longer drives
• Definitely tinted / heat rejection glass with UV protection as those being standard for the car would also be covered in insurance claims which at present is not the case for sunfilms. Also no chance of voiding warranty of any sort
• A car without a parcel shelf so that it can save opening and closing the lid in every security check by allowing direct visibility of the boot from outside. Although I am confused here, the utility of that shelf is also immense
• Ample cup holders in the car
• vanity mirror on the sun visors (just like the getz) with lights if possible
• 2nd seat reclining if possible to help in longer journeys, presently I cannot do that and feel 150 km + stretch at one go is fatiguing for the rear passengers.
• Beige or semi beige interiors and preferably not an all black one, I feel claustrophobic in blacks.
• Door puddle lamps for ease of ingress and digress to the car.
• Rear Defogger and Wiper

Maintainability

• Good non metallic colour options that will make scratch painting cheaper, I am fine if looks are slightly compromised
• Dealer experience was below average for me at Saini Hyundai New Alipore, not just the tyre problem but also they messed up my smart card writing Santro instead of Getz initially, correction later on at my own cost resulted in writing Santro-Getz. However the service was exactly opposite, the prolonged ownership has resulted very good rapport and handling at service be it the Mominpur workshop ornyhebone at Rampur both are excellent, nowadays I visit only during delivery of car for higher services otherwise WhatsApp photos and chat does very good.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Long-Term Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[rayjaycleoful]

Very well written review of a rare car. I had a 10 year old,90 k driven Getz for a few months. It was a short but fun experience. What I really liked about the car was the space, engine and ergonomics, compared to i10s and i20s. The front seats were really wide, the gear fell into your hand,etc. And it had great drivability (low speeds in high gears) and pep compared to the 1.2 Kappa.

[dark.knight]

The car I have always liked since the first time I saw it (it was huge for its time, absolutely massive proportions in comparison to the bestselling Kei-cars), had the fortune of owning one for 9 long years in its Prime avatar. It served every purpose to the fullest, be it going to restaurants and social events with family, carrying groceries, shifting stuff from office or home, aimlessly exploring the city and malls with friends, and of course, driving all by my lonesome.. a fully connected man-machine bond.

Oh who I am kidding trying to type so maturely.. the car was a mini-bomb, compact, fun around the twisties, one of the deadliest combinations of well-weighted, excellent feeling, 100% pure feedback steerings I've ever experienced till date. That engine just puts a smile wider, and wider and wider as long as its city acceleration and around 3000-4000 RPM, and I didn't even need to cross 2.5k RPM 99% of the time as the gears were well suited for anything south of triple digits.. the torque was insane building up even at 900 RPMs.. it seems so silly ridiculous even today. Its only weak point was higher revs but I was never one to overspeed or drive rashly, the car had great chassis, brakes and acceleration.. better than any car sold today in that segment.

Today I drive the opposite of this car, the only thing that remains as a memory is the same slanted H logo, but everything else is different, its more quieter, has poor low-end torque (due to automatic) but good meaty torque in a flat way, rides very, very solid, quieter suspension, more sophisticated and excellent knee-room in the back. I'm not sure I can go back to the Getz today but it was THE car for our needs then, in an era where only the Maruti 800s or Altos or Hyundai Santros were available with a sudden jump to Honda City, Hyundai Accent etc at much higher prices, this car was the equivalent of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears concept of just right.

Keep the car for as long as possible, once sold, another like it will not come by at all, I'm writing by experience as I exchanged it for financial prudence (like any middle-class born man would and I was buying the Elantra out of my own earnings as a surprise for the folks so things got a bit tight).

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by rayjaycleoful

What I really liked about the car was the space, engine and ergonomics, compared to i10s and i20s. The front seats were really wide, the gear fell into your hand,etc. And it had great drivability (low speeds in high gears) and pep compared to the 1.2 Kappa.

Rightly observed, the shoulder room of this car was the best back in those days which made it the space master when it came to seating in full capacity. I recall having 4 adults of average built in quite a few trips on the back seat of course for shorter runs but it still worked.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

The car I have always liked since the first time I saw it (it was huge for its time, absolutely massive proportions in comparison to the bestselling Kei-cars), had the fortune of owning one for 9 long years in its Prime avatar. It served every purpose to the fullest, be it going to restaurants and social events with family, carrying groceries, shifting stuff from office or home, aimlessly exploring the city and malls with friends, and of course, driving all by my lonesome.. a fully connected man-machine bond.

Yes you are right it was ahead of its time, Hyundai was and still is the best in interiors even in their lowest segment Eon. Back in 2007 not to my knowledge many hatches may have a driver armrest, clutch footrest and clutch start system. It was indeed ahead of its time. And yes, its utility was many folds. I recall once being late to an occasion in the humid summer of Kolkata so much so that some folks decided to go on their own instead of taking a lift, midway they gave me a call saying they would rather be late than to go in a normal taxi (non-AC) and finally we went together . Passengers loved taking trips in this car, the extra space mattered a lot, still does. Numerous flooded streets it has overcome easily without ever halting once, yes incurred damages too afterwards but it has done its duty well.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Today I drive the opposite of this car, the only thing that remains as a memory is the same slanted H logo, but everything else is different, its more quieter, has poor low-end torque (due to automatic) but good meaty torque in a flat way, rides very, very solid, quieter suspension, more sophisticated and excellent knee-room in the back. I'm not sure I can go back to the Getz today but it was THE car for our needs then, in an era where only the Maruti 800s or Altos or Hyundai Santros were available with a sudden jump to Honda City, Hyundai Accent etc at much higher prices, this car was the equivalent of the Goldilocks and the Three Bears concept of just right.

Well said, by the way Accent Viva CRDi was also a very good car of its time. Some Accent variants before it was getting discontinued was offered for 4 Lakhs which in my opinion was an excellent deal.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

Keep the car for as long as possible, once sold, another like it will not come by at all, I'm writing by experience as I exchanged it for financial prudence (like any middle-class born man would and I was buying the Elantra out of my own earnings as a surprise for the folks so things got a bit tight).

I still see as very few Getz and Accents on road, almost non-existent but those who have maintained it well still keeping it to the extent possible as I too want to enjoy the EMI free period.

When I visit the service center they keep telling me the same for the build quality to retain it, of course they have the incentives that this car brings in service cost to them.

Like you said, I do wish to keep it, I have paid road lifetime tax, would not get much for exchange. However if I cannot solve the garrage problem if a new car is bought, this has to go. The other thing is the cost of the service, may be I will need to speak to the SC to keep its maintenance limited to a budget and still keep it ticking. I think manufacturers like Hyundai should come up with packaged service / maintenance for older cars to aid both customers and themselves.

[haisaikat]

Some more information on cost of services and repair. There is a Hyundai Care app on Android Playstore which shows all service and maintenance cost from the beginning till date. I have plotted them on a graph. As its evident that after 6th year the yearly service cost started to shoot up. And the Last 10,000 km have been the most expensive (80,000 KM to 90,000 KM). Note that the accidental cost of repair are without the discount due to insurance covers for and as such I had to pay on case by case basis from 10% to 50% (in. Recent years due to depreciation being more) only. Also the cost of service in 9/10th year includes cost of 4 tyres replacement at around 22,000 INR.

[narayan]

Good to come across your thread as I might start using my grand father's Getz which is now lying unused. Its a 1.3 model too. I remember driving it a few years back but very vividly recall the "dead" mid range i.e. overtaking even from 40kmph at 3rd gear took its own sweet time as if like a turbo lag. I noticed that you have not faced this issue. I will need to service the car before I start using it and the costs you indicated gives me a sense what to expect. However, I would not service it at HASS, rather an FNG so hope to save some rupees.Thanks for your detailed review. very helpful.

EDIT; I Think yours was the CRDI ? I am referring to the Petrol in terms of the dead midrange

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by narayan

I Think yours was the CRDI ? I am referring to the Petrol in terms of the dead midrange

I almost fell off my chair when I read this.. wow.. something is seriously wrong with the clutch or engine of that car.

I found 99.99% cars boring to drive after the Getz petrol, drove the Polo 1.2 3 cyl, I fell asleep, Punto - same thing, 1.2 petrol, i20 petrol, please.. 2nd worst after Polo, even the GT TSi with its numb steering was no match for the Getz hydraulic steering system. Swift, my god is it overrated.

Perfect torque (blasts through 20-60 in mere eye blinks), great handling, fantastic proportions and a soft enough suspension to take every road happily. The ONLY time lag was felt was after 90/110, even that depends on how you gear it, if you rev high at around 3.5k (more than enough, no need to reach tens of thousands of revs like I VTEC engines), and slot 5th at 80ish that should be enough to boost till 110, post that YES lag starts visibly, in all other speeds below that it is a go-kart.

Now people will start reporting my posts for fanboyism, just for that I'll clarify that only engines like the 1.3 Alpha, and 1.5 VGT Diesel and 1.1 Epsilon were absolutely torque friendly, the diesel pulled like a locomotive engine.

The Kappa (Kakka?) VTVT engines 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 are not a shadow of the early range of engines, they inherited the boring VTEC characteristics of several thousand RPM to get to a decent speed. EPS, the less said the better, though there isn't a single EPS system I've liked across all brands. Who cares for making the engine sing and butter smooth high revving when I was cruising at 110 at a mere 2.5k RPM? Not a joke.

Keep that car, if you can. Its a cult classic.

[Nissan1180]

Thanks for sharing your experience and review. It is refreshing to see a well maintained Getz. The car was really spacious and solidly built.
I have to say that your maintenance costs seem to be very high, especially because the Getz is quite reliable. Maybe you could explore FNGs because in Kolkata, the service rates at FNGs are reasonable. We have a 2002 Esteem which has run about 60,000 km and the annual service costs have been less than 8,000 throughout the ownership period. Maybe the parts for Getz are expensive, but there would be good quality OEM spares available that are cheaper. A good mechanic can procure them for you.

[haisaikat]

Originally Posted by narayan

I remember driving it a few years back but very vividly recall the "dead" mid range i.e. overtaking even from 40kmph at 3rd gear took its own sweet time as if like a turbo lag.

Originally Posted by dark.knight

something is seriously wrong with the clutch or engine of that car.

I found 99.99% cars boring to drive after the Getz petrol, drove the Polo 1.2 3 cyl, I fell asleep, Punto - same thing, 1.2 petrol, i20 petrol, please.. 2nd worst after Polo, even the GT TSi with its numb steering was no match for the Getz hydraulic steering system. Swift, my god is it overrated.

Perfect torque (blasts through 20-60 in mere eye blinks), great handling, fantastic proportions and a soft enough suspension to take every road happily. The ONLY time lag was felt was after 90/110, even that depends on how you gear it, if you rev high at around 3.5k (more than enough, no need to reach tens of thousands of revs like I VTEC engines), and slot 5th at 80ish that should be enough to boost till 110, post that YES lag starts visibly, in all other speeds below that it is a go-kart.

Now people will start reporting my posts for fanboyism, just for that I'll clarify that only engines like the 1.3 Alpha, and 1.5 VGT Diesel and 1.1 Epsilon were absolutely torque friendly, the diesel pulled like a locomotive engine.

The Kappa (Kakka?) VTVT engines 1.2, 1.4, 1.6 and 2.0 are not a shadow of the early range of engines, they inherited the boring VTEC characteristics of several thousand RPM to get to a decent speed. EPS, the less said the better, though there isn't a single EPS system I've liked across all brands. Who cares for making the engine sing and butter smooth high revving when I was cruising at 110 at a mere 2.5k RPM?

I would agree with @dark.knight that the Getz of @narayan needs some servicing especially on clutch and see if you also need a engine de-carbonization. At times with age or low usage there may be bad spark plugs too in petrol engines or it may be contaminated with moisture resulting in erratic and low performance especially in lower RPM ranges. Happened to me once. So get it checked. Regarding speed, its high FE cruising speed is 50 at 5th gear and every car has its tuning which is different, for this one 5th gear is slow in gathering speeds faster at this speed. Take the RPM past 2100 and then this will work. Otherwise downshift, that is what gears are for. If you do not have momentum of at least 50 kph, use 3rd gear to climb inclines like bridges, etc. So get along using the gears wisely, the 3rd gear is an absolute gem and combined with 2nd will get you out of all tricky urban traffic situations like a breeze.

@dark.knight, we have another i10 1.1 IRDE2, its 2nd gear is more responsive considering its lower weight and moreover it 5th gear linearly builds up speed to beyond 50 kph all the way to 100+ but does not offer a planted ride as Getz given partially by its Weight. Also I believe that an engine like the Getz 1.3 would last longer trouble-free than another one who does more RPMs to deliver same power like the 1.2 etc. Afterall there is "No Replacement to Displacement", your all observations are spot on.

Originally Posted by Nissan1180

I have to say that your maintenance costs seem to be very high, especially because the Getz is quite reliable. Maybe you could explore FNGs because in Kolkata, the service rates at FNGs are reasonable. We have a 2002 Esteem which has run about 60,000 km and the annual service costs have been less than 8,000 throughout the ownership period. Maybe the parts for Getz are expensive, but there would be good quality OEM spares available that are cheaper. A good mechanic can procure them for you.

You are right the last 10K KM was costliest for me. It can either be that the HASS took me fore a ride and guided to change a lot of parts. I would definitely recommend you to look at FNGs. The spare parts are nowadays less produced, I had learnt that couriering them requires 2-3 weeks and hence cost of production is high resulting in a 70% increase in final price to customer as compared to original price. But I never took an FNG opinion and wish to learn in future.