[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

If LT is 5.5 L in Navi Mumbai, in Bangalore (going by the difference in Petrol versions) it should be about 5.93L in Bangalore, not so good, Ritz Vdi is about 6.15 L OTR in Bangalore, difference of about 22K, not so good. The difference should have been at least 60K. For just 22K I am missing a lot is what I feel... or am I?

To compare with Ritz VDi, the better bet will be LS and not the LT. LT has more equipment level [ACC, rear wash / wipe, defogger, OEM stereo & speakers, key-less entry etc, electric ORVM? ] than Ritz VDi and still a 22K lesser. What you miss in LT will be the 1 cylinder and extra horses which anyway can be neglected for a city car.

I had infact provided the details of the extra equipments a couple of pages back which compares with Swift VDi. Ritz VDi has a similar level of equipement like Swift VDi.

[fangface]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

If LT is 5.5 L in Navi Mumbai, in Bangalore (going by the difference in Petrol versions) it should be about 5.93L in Bangalore, not so good, Ritz Vdi is about 6.15 L OTR in Bangalore, difference of about 22K, not so good. The difference should have been at least 60K. For just 22K I am missing a lot is what I feel... or am I?

I test drove the Beat D LT today, and with 4 people in the car it felt peppy enough and quite responsive in every gear. I honestly dont feel that it is "underpowered" compared to the Ritz VDI. The mileage should be better on the Beat too.

The back seat honestly seemed more comfy than the Ritz too, I am 5'9 and the back seat had more than enough leg room with the front seats in the default position.

Apologies if this sounds harsh, but why do you feel that the difference should have been at least 60k? Is the Chevrolet brand and the 1 missing cylinder so much of a downer?

The Beat LT, in my opinion has superior interiors and a more comfortable ride, especially in the front seat. Additionally, you get the USB music system with 4 speakers. Add in a few minor features like the rear wiper + defogger, spoiler etc,i think the feature set of the 2 cars is identical and one could actually argue that the Beat is more feature rich!

Being priced lower than the Ritz, Figo etc is actually fair to cover for the marginally lower boot space and the smaller engine. Again, just my opinion

[zulfi hansi]

Originally Posted by Nash24

The current BEAT LS is 480951 on road in bangalore. i took the price list just 3 days ago. after the 25k discount is it about 455000 on road.

The Beat LT is 533205 on road, after discount its about 508000 on road.

I stand corrected, the source was the AUTOCAR magazine price list which is very accurate most of the time, what comes to my mind is that GM has done a very cheap thing of increasing the price and then reducing it, by way of discounts. This is not fare. Getting to the point, if it costs 5.5 L for Beat LT diesel in Navi Mumbai (the difference is about 5K only, that also I am not sure anymore), it should be about 5.6? & LS for about 5.1? in Bangalore OTR. What the heck, we are all shooting in the dark, lets wait for price release which may come to Bangalore by another 2 days or so, Nash you need to get the official prices.

[Nash24]

Hey guys,

No offenses to anyone.

Sadly I've dropped the beat out of my mind today evening.
It was not an easy decision, i'll put my reasons below.

1)Today afternoon me and my friends, we headed out to Ford, Maruti and Chevy dealerships. To drive the Figo, Ritz and the Beat Diesel.

Liked the figo to some extent, but dropped it within 20 mins, just because off the looks(Subjective my personal decision).

Next drove the Ritz, Liked the plastics, i think this is best maruti ever in terms of interiors quality and finish, i'm 6 feet tall, felt this car was very comfy for my seating position, Rear space is good, Boot is 280 litres approx, Looks are great, has awesome road presence, i have no problem with the rear design, even the Honda Crv has a similar rear just that the rear door shape is a little different in the CR-v its concave instead of Convex anyways few guys do not prefer the rear, i think the looks will grow over such people slowly
Overall felt its a very roomy car inside, feels like a big car once your in it.

Alright now coming to reasons why the Beat diesel is dropped by me.

1) The test drive car had done about 500kms, I have complained in the past the under thigh support in the rear seats is very poor. My family members and friends sat behind in the car, I drove the car in the most bumpy roads plus on flat city roads, the result was sadly no one happy in the rear seat . The thud sounds are well controlled, but no comfort in the rear seat at all. I tried my best to convince everyone that we can add a 2 inch cushion when i make a custom made art leather seat cover, but no one was convinced they made me sit in the rear and took me for a drive, i was totally disappointed too. My friend made a comment that my alto on michelin XM1+ is more comfortable in the rear bench than this car, With a sad face i gave a few negative points to this car for that.

2) I have seen GTO's video on page one 3 to 4 times, I got a doubt about engine vibrations, what i did today, i took the car in a very quite lane, no sounds, trees all around, very peacefull place. Opened the Hood, asked my friends to start the engine, my god the engine is shaking like its 4 year old engine, i asked him to rev it, the vibrations reduce but the noise is horrible !!!! We took the car back to the showroom, got it lifted, tried to see the rubber bushes which are connecting the cradle on which the engine is connected to the chasis, not good at all. I am very scared what will happen to engine after 5 years after it has clocked 60k km's when the vibrations are visible on day one. Ofcourse chevy have done a good job too keep the vibrations away from the cabin but still the long term me and my friends Feel this is a pure gamble.

On the other hand, we checked out a 19000km done Ritz VDI, we opened the Hood, friend started the engine, to my suprise, almost zero vibrations. My friends started revving the baby, sweet sound, no vibrations at even 3500RPM. Closed the Hood, Closed the door, Started revving the baby, less noise on the inside compared to the beat, we were shocked again.Rear Seat got full marks from family and friends, Susupension good too. The cabin feels so kool and this baby elephant put a smile on everyone's face. I personally love the Looks of the beat a little more than the Ritz, but family is totally mad about bakers chocolate Ritz, And i like the Blaze Blue Loads

So end of the day me and friends sat down for a cup of coffee, we know the Beat is going to be around 5.1 OTR in bangalore for the BEAT LS and Ritz VDI is 6.1 OTR, the dealer is giving goodies like tints, basic stuff like flaps and mats, a Nippon central locking and under chasis coating Free.My expense is just about 5k for changing to michelin XM1+ 185/70 R14 on day 1, thats it.

So yes we decided to pick up the Ritz VDI in a month or in 15 days from now, I know i'm spending a lakh extra but the above 2 major negative points of BEAT are very well taken care of by RITZ, planning to keep the car for atleat 5 to 7 years so over this long period of time this extra 1 lakh should be worth it

So after almost 2 weeks and 3 proper test drives in the Beat diesel, I've driven the car for about 50km easily, and in the End rejecting it hands down, Sure not to change my mind even BEAT is priced below 5lakh OTR bangalore.

Cheers
Drive Safe!

[adimicra]

Hey Nash,
I thought yours will be the first Beat diesel ownership thread on TBHP.
But, anyways, congrats on booking the Ritz..it is a very competent car indeed.

I think the problems you highlighted are very true.
In fact, I feel though the Beat diesel is a very competent car, it has a limited market in India. Here, we buy a car for all purposes. Very few people can afford to have different cars for different purposes and this is where the problem lies with Beat diesel -
Claustrophobic rear seat
Almost non-existent boot space
Highway performance will be bad, since the car has less power and short gearing - 100 kph at 2900 rpm for a diesel is way too high.



By the way, boot space of Ritz is 236 litres, not 280. It is better than Beat, but much less compared to the likes of Figo and all.

Again, congrats on your Ritz VDI.

[salbin]

The Autocar India Show reviews Beat diesel:

‪Chevrolet Beat Diesel‬‏ - YouTube

[Nash24]

Originally Posted by salbin

The Autocar India Show reviews Beat diesel:

How can autocar not comment on the rear seat?? Guys this is a major let down in this car, read my comments above on this page.

I agree the suspension feels good in the front seats, handling feels good too with the new eps steering, but the rear seat is place where the maximum negative marks are scored by this car.

Originally Posted by adimicra

Hey Nash,
I thought yours will be the first Beat diesel ownership thread on TBHP.
But, anyways, congrats on booking the Ritz..it is a very competent car indeed.

I think the problems you highlighted are very true.
In fact, I feel though the Beat diesel is a very competent car, it has a limited market in India. Here, we buy a car for all purposes. Very few people can afford to have different cars for different purposes and this is where the problem lies with Beat diesel -
Claustrophobic rear seat
Almost non-existent boot space
Highway performance will be bad, since the car has less power and short gearing - 100 kph at 2900 rpm for a diesel is way too high.



By the way, boot space of Ritz is 236 litres, not 280. It is better than Beat, but much less compared to the likes of Figo and all.

Again, congrats on your Ritz VDI.

Hey Mate,

Agree, even i was thinking i'll be the first one to pick up a Black BEAT diesel and put up a proper ownership review on TBHP, but like you rightly said we buy cars for many purposes here in india, I just couldnt see the face of my family members after they experienced a few bumps on the rear seat, One of them said "Noways we can manage in this car if we have to sit for 4 to5 hours on a long drive, 1 or 2 hours in the city traffic also will be nightmare"

These 2 area's of the BEAT are actually making me spend another 1 lakh which is a disappointment to be honest, but like everyone suggested over a period of 5 to 8 years i'll reap it out with a peacefull 4 cylinder trouble free engine and better comfort inside the RITZ
( GM if your Reading this one, i agree you guys cant do much about the engine vibration complaint, but please a sincere request from me, please change the rear seat, needs more under thigh support and the cushion needs to be 2.5inches more thick minimum)

Cheers

[Vasuki]

Great Review. +10mm ground clearance will be appreciated in our conditions, what about the body roll. Does the tyre squeal like older santro? Hope New swift changes the game by bringing about ESP too.

[fangface]

Originally Posted by Nash24

Hey Mate,

Agree, even i was thinking i'll be the first one to pick up a Black BEAT diesel and put up a proper ownership review on TBHP, but like you rightly said we buy cars for many purposes here in india, I just couldnt see the face of my family members after they experienced a few bumps on the rear seat, One of them said "Noways we can manage in this car if we have to sit for 4 to5 hours on a long drive, 1 or 2 hours in the city traffic also will be nightmare"

These 2 area's of the BEAT are actually making me spend another 1 lakh which is a disappointment to be honest, but like everyone suggested over a period of 5 to 8 years i'll reap it out with a peacefull 4 cylinder trouble free engine and better comfort inside the RITZ
( GM if your Reading this one, i agree you guys cant do much about the engine vibration complaint, but please a sincere request from me, please change the rear seat, needs more under thigh support and the cushion needs to be 2.5inches more thick minimum)

Cheers

Congratulations on finalizing your car! wishing you a many happy years with your Ritz. What is the current waiting period for the car, by when do you expect to get it?

[kunalsb]

Good review. The 3 cylinder ploy seems to be a good market strategy. Also kudos to Chevy for providing ABS+airbags for the diesel variant. Most of the manufacturers have restricted these features for Petrol cars only (one of the reasons I ruled out buying a diesel).

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Why, you don't really believe I can be interested in a small car? It's called going green! I got inspired by your air-conditioned motorcycle, btw; this comment should ensure my account hasn't been hacked!

Not hacked! QED. Which leaves the only conclusion that your thought process has been hijacked!

You know I wasn't referring to the 'small' part.

Regards
Sutripta

[Nash24]

Originally Posted by fangface

Congratulations on finalizing your car! wishing you a many happy years with your Ritz. What is the current waiting period for the car, by when do you expect to get it?

The Ritz or any diesel variant from MSIL has not sold well this month, this is feedback from all dealers. Reason is simple, No proper supply from MSIL.

For No reason the waiting periods are building up.One assistant manager assured me ritz wont clock even 4000 this month across india, MSIL is busy using manesar plant for new swift launch preprations and the other plant is unable to manage Dzire and alto volumes.

Ritz is commanding a 7week minimum waiting period for bakers chocolate and about 8 to 9 weeks for artic white.

If i get a consumer discount for aug, i'll have to re do a new booking and invoice and increase my waiting period at present no discounts on the ritz.

I'm not in a hurry to buy the car, but this waiting period is not because of high sales for sure.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

...your thought process has been hijacked!

Well, the Beat looks like a deal that might be hard to beat (pun intended). Looking for a 3rd car with low investment and high savings in running costs, moderate levels of comfort, to be used in 1-person mode majority of the times, retained for a maximum of 3 years and disposed of once warranty expires (aka 'bamuner goru - khaay kom, doodh daey beshi' in Bong - not quite translatable into English!).

[Nash24]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Well, the Beat looks like a deal that might be hard to beat (pun intended). Looking for a 3rd car with low investment and high savings in running costs, moderate levels of comfort, to be used in 1-person mode majority of the times, retained for a maximum of 3 years and disposed of once warranty expires (aka 'bamuner goru - khaay kom, doodh daey beshi' in Bong - not quite translatable into English!).

Awesome, 2nd or 3rd car, this is perfect buy. You dont even need the LS variant if this a 3rd car just to be used for a point A to point B car.

I would suggest Pick up a PS variant, even lesser investment,A/C and power steering is there job done

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Nash24

...3rd car just to be used for a point A to point B...

Quite rightly said. My point A to point B and back each day stretches to 140+km, so extremely frugal fuel consumption, low cost of purchase and maintenance, and minimal service-related downtime are the most important criteria for me. Couldn't care less about ACC - simple HVAC would do. ABS would be a good thing to have though.