[supertinu]

Originally Posted by umeshx

Am thinking of dumping my Palio 1.1 petrol (2007) for Beat Diesel.

Would this be a good idea?

Here are things I expect apart from mileage and fuel cost cut :

1) Availability of service centres in Chennai. Fiat/Tata service sucks !!
2) How good would the car be after 3 yrs and say 30000 KMS? I am planning to use it for say 8 yrs (70 KMS)
3) Availability of spares. Availability over the counter is even better but not sure whether you get over the counter spares for anything other than Maruti !! Fiat Palio spare are available only after wait time !
4) Lesser cabin noise. Palio petrol cabin noise and rattling is too much
5) I am 6 ft 1 inch. Can I sit in the back seat comfortably?

Thanks a ton.

I am really excited reading Beat Diesel reviews !!

Considering you have a rather roomy Palio right now, I am sure you will find Beat a little constrained on space. Esp on the backseat if you consider for yourself 6Ft+ height. Best way to tell is a test drive. Sit for yourself and decide. Lot of other hatchback options are available with better interior space.

[sans]

Gone through the entire thread and found it very useful for newbies like me .


Talking about the quote,I booked my Beat LS at Autovikas Pvt. ltd ,Pitampura,New Delhi.
The guy Sunil Agarwal is one gem of a guy and gave me an awesome quote which was hard to digest.

I got the below offer...

Ex showroom : Rs 479,411
Insurance : Rs 11,750 (Got it done on my own from Oriental insurance.Dealer qouted Rs 14,134)

Registration and Smart card :Rs 24,641
MCD charges : Rs 4000
logistics and handling : Rs 7500
Cash Discount : Rs 5000

Net was Rs 522,302

Freebies involved :
Car Centre locking and Seat covers
Gear Lock
Full car kit involving Matting,teddy bear,leather key cover,etc.


BEAT IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[thoma]

Originally Posted by sans

MCD charges : Rs 4000
logistics and handling : Rs 7500

Hope you are aware of this thread regarding the handling charges. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...rges-scam.html

What does this MCD mean?

[sans]

Originally Posted by thoma

Hope you are aware of this thread regarding the handling charges. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...rges-scam.html

What does this MCD mean?

oops
I didn't know that....
MCD- Municipal corporation of Delhi....

[narchennai]

Originally Posted by sans

Gone through the entire thread and found it very useful for newbies like me .

The same here, I read this thread for 10 times before advancing the LT model I have just owned.

Originally Posted by sans

logistics and handling : Rs 7500

Surpirise!! this never happened here at KLN Motors , Chennai. And the whole buying process was very transparent. One thing I watched out was that Insurance quote was too high, so I got that done myself thereby saving Rs.7k.

Originally Posted by sans

Freebies involved :
Car Centre locking and Seat covers
Gear Lock
Full car kit involving Matting,teddy bear,leather key cover,etc.

I could manage to get Remote locking, though its very basic (Does not even come with a reverse horn sound), Mats, Mudflaps, Chevy teddy, Pen, Key Chain, Tissue box, Documents leather pouch, car cover and while leaving the dealership on the D-day - a Fresh blueberry cream cake from the dealer as a gift.

[ani_meher]

Not much updates on the Beat Diesel in T-BHP. Guess all the owners are silently enjoying the ride

Some updates on my 11 months old 9700km run Beat.

1. Lowest mileage: 16-17 when driven in mad Pune traffic.
2. Highest mileage: 23kmpl when driven 120kms on Pune-Mumbai highway at mostly 80kmph and AC at 1-2 setting in evening.
3. Rear bumper was out of alignment because of cars rear ending. From left, it was hanging down a bit. It required a change of some socket inside the bumper, costed 409rs inclusive of labour of 200rs.
5. Lights are good. I travelled in a Figo at night and missed Beat's powerful headlights.
6. In monsoon my stuff placed in the glove box in parked car were found wet! Didn't find out the reason, and it never repeated itself. Perhaps it was due to AC, but not sure.
7. Low Seat height is no bother at all, as it was suspected earlier.
8. The glove box is not fully covered, but it's rear is open. I placed my wallet in it, and later had a very tensed evening as it went missing. Found it after removing the glove box and blindly putting hand behind the machine area behind it (I think it's part AC unit). Note to self and other Beat owners: Don't keep valuable stuff in glove box, especially when it's getting full!
9. The fully turn-able OVRMs have proved their worth many times now, as they have been bumped numerous times by hurrying people.
10. Pet peeves: Beat PS doesn't have Day-night IRVM mirror and clock, two important accessories that I really miss. Perhaps I will get a Day night mirror soon, because most people love their upper beams. Missing clock is a software limitation.

Overall it is a great car for a new driver or someone who is driving more in city. For highway, sometimes I feel I could use a little more power, but 23KMPL @ 80KMPH is a figure that consoles me otherwise

[thoma]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

6. In monsoon my stuff placed in the glove box in parked car were found wet! Didn't find out the reason, and it never repeated itself. Perhaps it was due to AC, but not sure.

I guess there is a chance of rain water entering and leaking from the A/C duct and pollen filter. It takes air from outside and runs close to the top of the glove-box. Check with the service center if the duct is exposed or clogged anywhere?

[deep_bang]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

Not much updates on the Beat Diesel in T-BHP. Guess all the owners are silently enjoying the ride

Missing clock is a software limitation.
)

I thought I saw a clock on a friend's beat on the dash board where the rpm meter is shown digitally.... Perhaps there are different settings to choose the display?

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by deep_bang

I thought I saw a clock on a friend's beat on the dash board where the rpm meter is shown digitally.... Perhaps there are different settings to choose the display?

Yep, that's the place the clock is displayed on LS & LT trims. But the lowest PS trim has that place empty, and there is no good place to fit any eternal clock either. So the PS owners have to use the clock on their music unit.

[MHG]

To Beat owners who have been unfortunate enough to experience an accident or a bump, how durable do you think the build of the Beat is ?

[su1978]

beat feels a bit underpowered on the highways. Secondly, for a small car like beat fixing of bumper did cost Rs 400+ to one member. That is just a bit on the higher side. Thirdly, to increase the milage and efficiency and the power to weight ratio, feel that the build quality of body has been compromised with. It seems fragile to me.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by MHG

To Beat owners who have been unfortunate enough to experience an accident or a bump, how durable do you think the build of the Beat is ?

I have had the misfortune of being rear ended as well as mistakenly rear ending my Beat. They were all at very low speeds. Every time, I was left to wonder and admire the impact absorbent bumpers. Beat and spark have these fiber bumpers that can take impact upto 5kmph. Other cars with metal or other bumpers will crumple or break, but here it bounces back to original shape just like unbreakable vessels. The bumpers are connected to the body using hard plastic connectors, and hence have a tendency to slightly misalign on impact.

The hanging of the bumper written in previous post was because of at least 3 hits over the period of 10 months. The part cost was alright, but perhaps the 200rs service charge was more than necessary for a 10 mins job.

I would rate the general quality of the vehicle as very good. The doors are thick, no rattles from anywhere. Plastics used inside are good, not at all cheap looking. Very few if not nil vibrations for a diesel engine. Holding the thick steering feels really great.

It is not close to Palio in terms of metal thickness, but definitely far above Wagon R's thin sheet. The top of the car felt bit soft to me, but the side doors and especially the engine covering from all side is of good thickness metal.

[MHG]

Originally Posted by ani_meher

It is not close to Palio in terms of metal thickness, but definitely far above Wagon R's thin sheet. The top of the car felt bit soft to me, but the side doors and especially the engine covering from all side is of good thickness metal.

Nice to hear that. Is GM's build quality above Ford ?

[thoma]

Here is my take on the Beat's build quality -

Originally Posted by thoma

Pulling on half clutch, on un-avoidable situations, the Beat jerks. These jerks definitely add to my view that the Beat is puny. We feel the whole car shudder and the noise is such that it is not heavily built. Make the Ritz shudder or lug on purpose, and we feel it to be better built. Just hit the bonnet and side panels of all the cars with closed fists (not with too much force that it caves in) and feel the build quality of the panels. Hit on the bumper similarly. I felt that the Beat is a notch below the others. Even while turning the steering, breaking, driving over potholes, though the Beat has less rattles, we feel that the Beat is a bit flimsy overall. Rattles were more on the Ritz.

Originally Posted by thoma

Sorry if I sounded confusing on build quality. Panel gaps are acceptable, rattling is very low. But, the quality of the panels (the thickness), be it metal or plastic is a notch below the other cars. I have chipping issues with the paint which I have mentioned else where on the forum. I have not seen such paint quality issues in 4-5 cars in our extended family. Even the engine when revved happily will scream to indicate a not so perfect build quality such as the engine of the other cars. There is a feeling that things might tear apart sooner - it is about the material breaking - flimsiness. Not about the parts getting unscrewed or getting loose like in the Ritz. I can't help change my personal feeling. This does not mean it is too flimsy not to be worthy on the road.

[ani_meher]

Originally Posted by MHG

Nice to hear that. Is GM's build quality above Ford ?

I don't have any experience of Ritz, so I can't comment on Thoma's observation. Also, I too like Ritz, so I am glad that it's better in quality. Though I haven't had any paint chipping issues yet. Besides, It's about a Lakh Rupees cheaper than Ritz IIRC.

Personally, I did feel that Figo's 'interior apparent' quality was bit below Beat. Figo owners please don't pick up fight . It's a great specious car, but the dashboard and the door plastic felt a little low quality.