[sathya_nars]

Due to lower GC, less boot space and no ABS, I discarded Verna - went with SX4.

@Ashwin, You are first person to say that SX4's performance is less than Verna, till now I didn't hear from anyone.

BTW, while driving in city conditions (most of time), I didn't think performance numbers (few seconds here & there) influence too much to decide a car, IMHO.

[ddd]

dear ashwin 390,
yes it helped - thanks! we are leaning towards the diesel though - if we break even over 4 years (extra cost for diesel vehicle vs etc cost for petrol fuel) then it doesnt matter which car we buy. (though for immediate benefit of about 3 k lower emi every month the xi is tempting!
decision making has not been one of my greatest skills!
anyway the good thing is that we HAVE to buy the car by the end of the month (otherwise our old maruti 800 will collapse!!!) and so one way or the other we will make a decision by tomorrow morning!
as of now it looks like the diesl sx (by the way it matches feature to feature with the XXi - except that it does not have alloy wheels).
when we finally have the car in our garage i will let you know what it is!!!
thanks a million for your help.
d

[VBV]

Originally Posted by sathya_nars

Due to lower GC, less boot space and no ABS, I discarded Verna - went with SX4.

@Ashwin, You are first person to say that SX4's performance is less than Verna, till now I didn't hear from anyone.

BTW, while driving in city conditions (most of time), I didn't think performance numbers (few seconds here & there) influence too much to decide a car, IMHO.

@Sathya, You missed airbags :-) and of course 16" wheels
Verna might be slightly faster due to its weight being 50 kgs lesser. But that's a very minor change. However VTVTi might add in another difference.

Nice review Ashwin, enjoy your car safely.

Handling is subjective. Fiesta is supposed to have greater handling than all its friends in the category. Verna has too soft a suspension to have good handling. IMHO, harder suspension(not too hard) will be better for cornering.

[ashwin390]

Originally Posted by abhilashvk

Good write up!
Ashwin, with your kind of driving dont you think the VGT with 110 bhp and 24 Kgn of torque will be better for the adrenalin rush? I understand that daily usage do not justify the mileage for a diesel car, but the drivability and power flow from the VGT mill is amazing, is n't it? Just curious.

Well, i have taken care of that with a nice workaround....

I have had free-flow headers installed, and am going to get a Green Cone filter installed in another 2-3 months. That should push the power to near about 115-120 bhp. Already with the ffh, the car handles like the CRDI. And the whole setup will cost me about 20K. Still cheaper than the CRDI

[ashwin390]

Originally Posted by sathya_nars

@Ashwin, You are first person to say that SX4's performance is less than Verna, till now I didn't hear from anyone.

BTW, while driving in city conditions (most of time), I didn't think performance numbers (few seconds here & there) influence too much to decide a car, IMHO.

About the SX4 performance.....like i said earlier, it may have been because of a badly maintained test vehicle. But as it happened, the one i drove did not leave me with a good feeling. I am more than sure that most SX4's have good performance. However, once you get a bad feeling about a car, you just cant buy it.....you know what i mean.....

And true, the few seconds i shave off here and there dont really matter...however, if does feel nice to be able to have small street races with other cars at signals......my favourite spot being the MG road stretch.....makes going to office a lot more fun.....

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by ashwin390

Well, i have taken care of that with a nice workaround....

I have had free-flow headers installed, and am going to get a Green Cone filter installed in another 2-3 months. That should push the power to near about 115-120 bhp. Already with the ffh, the car handles like the CRDI. And the whole setup will cost me about 20K. Still cheaper than the CRDI

Ashwin..
No offence but the Handling of Verna CRDi is horrible and i call it a speed boat.
You can definitely compare your car's performance with the SX4, fiesta and other petrols in the category. But comparing it with the performance of CRDi doesn't hold good since a free flow and whatever u get cant match the torque figures of CRDi which is quite neck breaking at times.

[dirosden]

ashwin, the stock size of verna xi is 170/70 R 14. did you change it to 170/90 R 14 or is it a typo?

i totally agree with kpzen. inspite of all the good things we found in the verna (petrol version) like excellent interiors, good sound proofing, adequate power etc. the car seems to have the lousiest suspension/handling, sometimes compared to even my earlier Indica. it rocks like a boat when you go over any bad patch. the reason given by the dealer is its got soft suspension matching international standards and there is no way we can stiffen it or make it better.

everybody in my car has regularly complained when the roads arent anything less than top quality.

wondering if upsizing the tyres is the only option for me. i am currently running on stock tyres (MRF ZVTS) and wondering if a 185/65 R14 from Bridgestone or Goodyear will help in solving this. waiting for the experts to come out with the verdict on the thread started by styx71 - <a href='http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-alloy-wheel-section/28471-wheel-upgrade-verna-r14-r15.html' >Wheel upgrade for Verna - R14 or R15?</a>

PS: Sorry if the above link didnt come alright!!! BTW

[ashwin390]

Originally Posted by dirosden

ashwin, the stock size of verna xi is 170/70 R 14. did you change it to 170/90 R 14 or is it a typo?

Its not a typo..i took the figures from my tyres directly!!!!!

[dadu]

I had requested ashwin to share his Cost Benefit Analysis (post #12) done as an excel format so that fellow BHPians can also use it.

Since he was not able to upload, I have done it on his behalf, direct your queries to him, if any.

The excel file is here.

[jeetu4444]

guys verna is an excellent car......well i have verna crdi.. which has done 15k and is brand new till date ,and i have changed my tyres to 16 inc 195.....and the handling and suspension is just perfect

[princesri1981]

great review Ashwin390, u have made a smart choice, and lookin at your thoughts towards choosing the Petrol version, I completely agree with you.

nice to see someone going into such a detail and knowing his car so much

Have fun with your car