[Nash24]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

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.

Oh Lord! 140km daily

Can i suggest something mate, please read my posts on this thread.
This 3 cylinder isnt the right way to go if your going to clock 42000km every year(140*25*12)

I Agree GM is giving 3 years or 100000 which ever is higher,but once your engine becomes old, the warranty will not get those vibrations removed, they'll just do some minor repairs but this will not give you a hassle free experience. you reach 1 lakh on the odo in just 2.5 years.

I think 4 cylinder indica ev2 basic is the way to go. its a sterdy car, build dead strong, can be managed without ABS since your tight on budget

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Nash24

you reach 1 lakh on the odo in just 2.5 years.

And sell it as soon as it does.

Originally Posted by Nash24

...4 cylinder indica ev2 basic...

Thanks but no thanks. No more Indicas for me. We all know how reliable they are. If the Beat isn't reliable and niggle-free, I would wait for the Liva Diesel.

Originally Posted by Nash24

without ABS since your tight on budget

Budget is not a concern as much as VFM and overall cost savings during the ownership period is. And ABS is more important than power windows for me.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

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.

No keyless entry and E ORVMs on the LT. Also, Ritz VDi too is equipped with speakers. And it's a bigger car. Rear seat and boot included.

[oxyzen]

Originally Posted by Nash24

This 3 cylinder isnt the right way to go if your going to clock 42000km every year(140*25*12)
I Agree GM is giving 3 years or 100000 which ever is higher,but once your engine becomes old, the warranty will not get those vibrations removed, they'll just do some minor repairs but this will not give you a hassle free experience. you reach 1 lakh on the odo in just 2.5 years.

It is not true that if running is more then 3 cylinder is nor the right way to go.Sure the engine vibrations will be more and the mountings and some parts may have higher tendency to detoriate. But this the 2nd diesel with 3 cylinder. It is too early to pass a comment.

From a different perspective, if the running is 140KM, (and I guess it is on highway) Beat is not the right choice. Why?
1) Poor Handling - Soft suspension tuned for ride in city.
2) Short gearing - Ideal for city
3) Torque characteristics - The lag free nature of the engine is a boon in city. For highway you need a different tune.

It is basically a city car. Not a highway cruiser.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by oxyzen

...I guess it is on highway...

Nope - medium to high traffic old highway with maximum speeds never exceeding 80-90 km/h, frequent gearshifts, potholed roads most times of the year, and overall average speed of 40 km/h. My highway car is a Scorpio 4wd!

Price announcement and a test drive would help make up my mind. Till then, I'll desist from committing to an yes or no.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

ABS would be a good thing to have though.

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

And ABS is more important than power windows for me.

If you want ABS, Beat will have it only on the LT-O model which should be pretty close to Ritz VDi. Guess other than this, Liva D should be your option and I hope they will have a safety kit option on the base variant itself. Just curious, are you looking for any low mileage pre-owned diesel cars?

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

No keyless entry and E ORVMs on the LT. Also, Ritz VDi too is equipped with speakers. And it's a bigger car. Rear seat and boot included.

I stand corrected on keyless entry [E-ORVMs anyway I had a doubt and confirmed its not there] & Thanks. Ritz VDi doesn't have Radio or speakers as per the website.

Originally Posted by oxyzen

It is basically a city car. Not a highway cruiser.

+1. The car may not perform great on a highway and the FE will not be great for a 100+ kmph drive as well since the gear ratios are short.

Edit:: Saw SS-T's comment after submitting the above point on highway drive. With the kind of speeds mentioned, guess Beat D will make sense. But frankly, if Beat D LT-O varaint is going to be priced around Ritz VDi ABS, I would rather pick up a Ritz VDi since the engine is a 4 pot one and have already gathered enough feedback on engine life upto 2 lakh kilometers.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Just curious, are you looking for any low mileage pre-owned diesel cars?

Not at all. As I said before, it's overall VFM - where the main issues would be low maintenance, high reliability, high FE and good resale value - that matter, not just the cost of the car itself. Find me a 15L car that does 35km/l, needs no maintenance and costs 2000INR per service and depreciates like a Toyota or Honda, I'd still buy it.

@Sutripta: You get my thought process?

[salbin]

Other than Beat, there are 2 more 3 cyl diesel hatches in the market:
-VW Polo Diesel
-Nissan Micra
Anyone did a close comparison of NVH levels between the 3pot diesels?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

...Ritz VDi...

Lower FE, lesser warranty (80k km/4years), higher price when compared feature-for-feature. And maybe it's just me, but I hate that dented hatch more than the goblin-eared bonnet of the Beat (I hate that too!)

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Not at all. As I said before, it's overall VFM - where the main issues would be low maintenance, high reliability, high FE and good resale value - that matter, not just the cost of the car itself. Find me a 15L car that does 35km/l, needs no maintenance and costs 2000INR per service and depreciates like a Toyota or Honda, I'd still buy it.

Isn't that Maruti's forte? Swift or Ritz may be the way to go. But maybe we are getting OT here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I do find the Speedo of the Beat a bit too quirky for my liking. Almost a put off. The front of this car does remind me of the Cruze (one car whose front I find very appealing) and quite love it

[CrackedHead]

Originally Posted by salbin

Other than Beat, there are 2 more 3 cyl diesel hatches in the market:
-VW Polo Diesel
-Nissan Micra
Anyone did a close comparison of NVH levels between the 3pot diesels?

The Micra is not a 3 pot. Its the same engine as the Logan (err.. Verito). Its a 1.5 liter 4 pot engine.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Isn't that Maruti's forte?

I'd say it is not only Maruti's forte. The Liva Diesel should set new benchmarks here - but can Chevy do it with their Beat Diesel? They're trying to make the right noises, the Cruze retains its resale value like a Corolla and appears to be very reliable, and would the Beat be able to beat Maruti at their own game? That's what I would like to know too. IMO the days of Maruti's supremacy are almost over.

[dar3dev|l]

Excellent review ! Beat D would sure be a hit just the the little Spark. This one is purely for the city drivers or office commuters who are concerned with the increasing fuel prices (that includes me too ) As for me i bought the kappa2 early this year and now am in serious doubts of exchanging it for this one.

Kudos to GM !

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Mr.Beat

Considering 1500 petrol cars a month. the Diesel beat should manage 3000 a month? That will take Beat to 4500 mark a month.

They are targeting a minimum of 5,000 Beat diesels a month. It has to have a VFM price tag to manage those kind of numbers.

Originally Posted by rki2007

I see a new segment growing that is the diesel cars at very affordable prices.

Diesel engines are definitely moving down the food chain. It's only a matter of time before the entry level segment (Nano included) also gets oil burners on offer.

Originally Posted by CRtorquefan

Chevrolet is comparing this car directly with Ford figo

I agree. The Figo has more space, a substantially larger boot and an extra cylinder. In terms of pricing strategy, Chevrolet has to undercut the Figo.

Originally Posted by fangface

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.

Thanks for sharing. It's the short gearing and zero turbo-lag at play here.

Originally Posted by Nash24

Ritz and the Beat Diesel.

Congrats on the Ritz! If you can afford the price difference, there is no doubt that the Ritz is the superior car.

Originally Posted by Nash24

once your engine becomes old, the warranty will not get those vibrations removed, they'll just do some minor repairs but this will not give you a hassle free experience. you reach 1 lakh on the odo in just 2.5 years.

Please refrain from making baseless assumptions here. There are many cars with 3 cylinder engines and they have proven "hassle free" to own as well.

Originally Posted by salbin

Other than Beat, there are 2 more 3 cyl diesel hatches in the market:
-VW Polo Diesel

The Beat & Polo diesel, both, are loud on the outside. However, in terms of in-cabin refinement, the Beat beats the Polo hands down. No vibrations, lesser noise and far better driveability.

[Nash24]

Originally Posted by salbin

Other than Beat, there are 2 more 3 cyl diesel hatches in the market:
-VW Polo Diesel
-Nissan Micra
Anyone did a close comparison of NVH levels between the 3pot diesels?

Like another folkpointed out, Micra isnt 3 cylinder, and POLO is very noisy under the hood too.

The noise isnt heard because of the awesome build quality and insulation.
This one of the main reasons why Polo doesnt sell in diesel as well as the 4 cylinder Vento.
(Mods could you please delete this post, unsure how it got posted twice)