[vivekkr_99]

Hi,
I had taken delivery of my White Verna CRDI on Jan 31. As I plan to keep the car for at least 4-5 years, I opted for a 2006 model. As it was 2006 model, I got it for the old price (7.35 Lakhs) and there was a reduction in the insurance amount too by around 5K. There was 10K exchange bonus as well as free extended warranty for one year (though I'm yet to receive the extended warranty document).
Have completed 1300 kms till now and gave the car for first service today. I am getting an average of around 16-17 kmpl (with 100% a/c) with a mix of city and highway driving (13-14 kmpl in city and 18-19 kmpl in highway). Have covered around 800 kms in city and 500 kms on highways.
The suspension feels really good and it glides over medium sized pot-holes. The brakes are ok, although I didnt have to really put them to harsh tests. But even during those not too harsh brakings (from 100 kmph), the car holds its line very well. As you all know, the car is a good performer and hence not repeating what other experienced people have told before.
I feel the a/c is very good and we usually leave it in the medium position (2/4). The cooling is instantaneous and the back seat also gets cooled pretty fast.
The one bad thing I felt about this car was the steering wheel. There were a couple of things though. When going through pot holes, I could feel the steering wheel vibrating a little bit and I also felt the steering wheel going a little up and down with the gutter. Another thing I started to notice of late, was that the car was swaying a little bit to the left when I take the hands off the steering wheel on a straight road. Actually, I started noticing this only after I went through a couple of posts in this forum regarding this wavering.
Today, while giving it for 1st service, I told those guys about the steering wheel issues. After some time, got a call from the service centre telling that they tried wheel alignment but still the problem persists. They have found out that there is some issue (a crack, he told) with the steering wheel rod and they are replacing it under warranty. So, have to wait till tomorrow afternoon to get the car back.
I've also asked them to put a seat cover and garware sunfilm on the side and rear glasses. I'll be out of station till this Friday, so will get back with more news after 1st service by this weekend.

[rohitbagai]

Hey Vivek,
Congrats!
Verna is adictive...right?
The steering wheel rod problem may be assiciated with the vibration that you felt. But not sure. Update us when you get the car back from them. Have you upgraded the tyres or its running on stock ones?
Dont forget to take the warranty card ASAP what's their reason of such a delay?

Rohit

[vivekkr_99]

Originally Posted by rohitbagai

Hey Vivek,
Congrats!
Verna is adictive...right?

Thanks Rohit, yes you are 200% right. I love this car each time I take her out for a ride. Whenever I see other Vernas on the road, I just wave my hands at them

Originally Posted by rohitbagai

The steering wheel rod problem may be assiciated with the vibration that you felt. But not sure. Update us when you get the car back from them. Have you upgraded the tyres or its running on stock ones?

Yes, I think so. Anyway, waiting for those guys to update me about the status. I have not upgraded the tyres, was planning to, but ran out of cash. Its just the stock tyres currently.

Originally Posted by rohitbagai

Dont forget to take the warranty card ASAP what's their reason of such a delay?
Rohit

The dealer had told initially that it will take around 3 weeks to get the extended warranty card. So till now, I hadnt done any follow-up on that. Now he says, he will do the followup and get it done. Anyone has an idea how long it takes to get the warranty card?

[squarecut]

Fog lamp is very useful at night time. It improves thhe visibility dramatically for the driver. It should be considered a safety device, rather than just an embellishment.

[srirambr]

Originally Posted by baddy

Note from the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT use Slang / SMS language. Do type in full and proper english for the benefit of other readers

hmmm i got to drive a frnds verna crdi, without ABS on the ECR chennai........... first thing i noticed was the turbo lag, not as much pronounced as other turbo cars, but pretty much to hurt wheel spining take off's(not that i didnt manage to burn some rubber, purposefully ) but once the turbo started to spool up, man i've never experienced such an accelaration in ANY other car, i've driven,(except may be for the track prepared esteem)...... was already doing 140mkph in 3rd gear, so shifted to 4th n wanted to find out what best this baby cud manage........within seconds the needle was soaring past 170kmph, cudnt do much bcos thats when i realised that this car had suspensions that was feeling more less like a wiggling piece of jelly, took a corner at 160kmph n thats when i lost all my faith towards the vernas handling prowess's it was like handling a ship rolling n pitching all the time, it really made me feel very unsafe to push it further more, so just relaxed, n the steering wheel is very bad too, no feed back at all, n a lil old M800 had hell lot of responsiveness than this big baby........ but the brakes where some thing that gave me an out of the world feeling, it bites bloody well, n slows the car like nothing else, but a lil too sharp to lock the wheels!!! this is when i really missed the ABS.......... hmmm n at the end of my drive i found out the fastest diesel engine for Rs8lakhs

my impressions on the car,
PROs: a very beautifull engine n damn powerfull, good interiors.... a world better than the accent, very comfy ride, seats pretty good..... n superb brakes!!!
CONS: worst handling car, very nervous at high speed cornering, nil responsive steering wheel, n quite a bad AC i must say!!!

Well written post. Yes, I too pushed the car upto 170 and back tracked. The car dosen't ooze the confidence you should get at that speeds. Though the engine is extremely responsive and ever ready to unleash the horses, the car's handling is a big question mark.

[rks]

Originally Posted by srirambr

Well written post. Yes, I too pushed the car upto 170 and back tracked. The car dosen't ooze the confidence you should get at that speeds. Though the engine is extremely responsive and ever ready to unleash the horses, the car's handling is a big question mark.

Maybe it is not the car that fails to ooze confidence, maybe *you* lack the confidence to push the car? I bet that for every driver who says that the car cannot be pushed around corners, I can find you one that will say the opposite. I say this from experience with the Santro -- I have found the complaints made against this car's cornering abilities to be almost totally baseless.

My suggestion is to switch to tubeless tyres if you haven't already done so-- even stock-size tubeless tyres will make a huge difference. And for high-speed cornering, set tyre pressures slightly higher than recommended (Bridgestone India recommends 5 psi above recommended pressures for high speed drives). Make sure your tyre pressures are set accurately and when the tyres are cold. Of course you should check your wheel alignment/balancing and do tyre rotation regularly -- this becomes especially important for handling at high speeds.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by srirambr

The car dosen't ooze the confidence you should get at that speeds. Though the engine is extremely responsive and ever ready to unleash the horses, the car's handling is a big question mark.

Once you get used to a new vehicle, its only a matter of time before you're able to push it to the limits. Yes there are those that can be pushed from the word go without any acclimatisation, but then you have compromises elsewhere - harsh rides over rough roads for instance.

(For illustration only - this is NOT to compare the Verna to a 350 bhp+ monster): Some people that drive lighter sportscars say my Lumina is a handful. Initially it was, but now I can throw it around just like any other vehicle thats capable of those speeds. The advantage I have is that being heavier the Lumina is a lot more stable at high speeds than the lighter 'sports' cars. I like it this way - the inability to start pushing it to the limits from the moment one gets into the car for the first time is a small price to pay for the comfort and stability.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by srirambr

Well written post. Yes, I too pushed the car upto 170 and back tracked. The car dosen't ooze the confidence you should get at that speeds. Though the engine is extremely responsive and ever ready to unleash the horses, the car's handling is a big question mark.

Gosh, I wonder if any car in this segment inspires confidence in handling while driving at speeds over 160 kmph ?? First of all, Indian roads are not built for such speeds, except a handful like the Bombay-Pune Expressway and the Golden Quadrilateral.
I've read a lot about handling issues with Vernas, but recently I was chasing a Verna CRDI on the Srisailam highway from Hyderabad on my Fiesta 1.6, and found that it was really taking the curves pretty fast, even hair pin bends. Mine being a new car, I did not push it to its limits to overtake the Verna, but the Verna did put up a pretty good competition, and unlike what I had read,it did appear to do a good job in cornering the ghat road at a high speed.
Anyways, I am not a Verna owner, so I cannot comment on how it feels to drive at such speeds. But I wanted to dispel the notion that it cannot take curves at a good speed.

[ram_hyundai]

please someone enlighten me friends.
i did my 10000 km service and when i checked the oil after service it was black like anything .when i got in touch with the service guy he says its like this for all crdis .is it true ,im very worried abt this.

ram

[tsk1979]

Check any diesel car, the oil will turn black within hundred kms.
Don't worry about it. As long as the oil is "oily" and not watery, you are safe.

[Sam Kapasi]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Gosh, I wonder if any car in this segment inspires confidence in handling while driving at speeds over 160 kmph ??

Yes. Mitsubishi Lancer. I own both a Lancer and a Verna CRDi. The lancer is stable, beautiful and confident at 180.

The Verna is like a boat. Swinging all over the place.

[vnabhi]

Thanks for the update, Sam. How old is the Lancer?

[BUSA]

vnabhi
Gosh, I wonder if any car in this segment inspires confidence in handling while driving at speeds over 160 kmph

Also a Chevrolet Optra

[varun.ppl]

Originally Posted by BUSA

[/i]

Also a Chevrolet Optra

Hey Busa, u forgot the other GM car i.e. an Opel Astra. The car is damn stable at 160+.

[drsvijay]

how is the AC in verna...? I feel its not as powerful as i see in Skoda/Innova..