After a few cramped long trips in my Zen, it was time to reconsider things. Our luggage was growing out of proportion and I started carrying my golf clubs all over the place. The Zen had completed 42000 km and would need a new clutch and tyres plus some clean up of the bodywork in the near future – so it was spend 50k and keep for a few years or bite the bullet, so I decided the latter.
The car needed to have good acceleration, room for luggage and be a joy to drive and so, it was a choice of :
Fiat Adventure – I nearly went for this but dealer would not budge on price, and was concerned about stretching the brand – 7.5 lakh for a Fiat? Interiors were a bit iffy
Fiat Palio S10 – ditto above - after seeing Amit’s deal and secondhand values, I was glad
Toyota MR2 – no room for luggage but I thought what the hell, somehow buy an old three box later – in another story on this forum, this car was badly rogerred – end of story
Skoda - too expensive, iffy dealer network
Used Honda City – too expensive when you look at second hand interest rates and life cycle costs
Used Honda Vtec – saw one 30km example + subwoofer going for 8l , I calculated that it would cost Rs 50000 more than a new one to run over five years
Lancer – briefly considered a purple SLX going for 6.25 but naaaaaa
So what the hell go buy a new one – I thought of a 1.5 + lots of goodies but you can never retrofit the Vtec engine. I got Rs 25000 +full no claims on my insurance leading to a whopping Rs 50000 discount which made the Vtec a compelling proposition
September 5th 2002, I test drove one, it was a little jerky at low speeds but with a little skill one could get around that and so I decided to order one a week later. We decided on black – it looked really mean
The selling process was fine, they came and picked up the cheques, I got the number that I wanted (daughters b’day) without any extra cost.
We picked up the car on Sept 28th 2002. Immediate impressions were a lot stiffer and smoother than the Zen. It did not feel all the more bigger. For the first 1500 km, I did not strain the engine but some people say that giving a lot of stick is the best thing for running in.
Car did wonders for my image, the watchmen and drivers started salaaming me as I was the new dada on the block .This lasted for 2 months then my neighbours BMW740 arrived! At work, a lot of people thought that I was very senior (that helped). It is the only Vtec in the company so that tells you how boring IT geeks are ! (I am not one). Assessing various parameters:
Performance – The torque is “ barely adequate” , an NHC can lick me to 40kmh because of the low end torque. I find that I keep the car in third on open roads in town, gives me the right amount of torque to control the car when the engine is around 2500 RPM. The car is at its best on windy roads requiring dynamic speed changes. Check out my driving notes to Kerala for more. Got overtaken by a Scorpio on an uphill road. Can pink if one floors the pedal too fast. Speed 93 helps a lot. When I set off at 5.00 am for golf, a lot of my buddies mention that I really fly so maybe it goes faster than it actually seems !
Steering – Responsive but understeery unless at speed
Handling - Pretty good but not the best – the tyres “baleno’ise the potential of the car
Suspension – really tough, larger dia wheels help cope with potholes
Ride – Rear axle tramps about so my wife says
Gearshift – slick but stiff in the morning shifting from ½ to ¾ plane
Bodywork – lightweight but stiff – Black not recommended if you have a half wit that will not learn how to wash a car properly –there is a big difference when he washes and I was. I autoglym it every six months.
Brakes – powerful but rear end breaks away under heavy breaking
A/c - powerful at front and ineffective behind – people keep asking whether I put it on !
Service – they do what they say but you got to question the bill as the they can add stuff not recorded in the job card. Drivers not always on time to pick up. Costs are low 20k service came to Rs 3200 less than my wife’s 800.
Biggest regret – should have put better tyres on .
This car needs better rubber to bring the best out of it and so some introspection….
Is this the best car that I have ever had ? No - the Peugeot 309 is the best handling fwd I have ever driven
Is this car fulfill your needs – As a City runabout, yes – it is compact and rapid
Is this car a mile muncher on the highway ? It does the job but peaky engine and simple suspension can make it frantic (plus my press-on driving style). The low end torque is sorely missed !
Then why do I like this car so much ? It is eager, it accelerates like a scalded cat and sips v little petrol – it is an optimized package for town
Would I buy one again ? I rest my case until I change the tyres but a Skoda 1.8blitz might tempt me. There is still no Indian car that can give the same raw driving pleasure
Don’t misunderstand me. I love the car a lot but the French can teach Honda a thing or two in the suspension/ride department.
What is in my power to improve the beast ? Good set of tubeless tyres – a plus size will do, done enough research to realize that anything more is a diminishing return and may be a suspension brace – I believe these do wonder to handling
So summarizing
Likes – Great package, outstanding quality, raw driving pleasure , good performance / economy
Cons – Lack of low down torque, crude rear suspension, low speed understeer, poor tyres
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