[Turbocharged-KC]

Originally Posted by roadtrip

@ KC,

Aah, sorry, from your first post it looked like you were fine with either fuel.

Go for the Innova, I say. It's the car you really want, I think I think it still holds its own in the image stakes, especially the top-end version in a metallic grey. You get pretty much all the equipment you'd need, too. It might not be as young as you'd want, but for what you're getting, that isn't a big compromise.

Another option, if you're willing to wait a little, is the upcoming Innova, which I think I'd seen on the Autocar website a little while ago. I don't quite know when it's coming out, but you'd do well to ask around.

Yeah.. we had more or less decided on the Innova. The image thing is something that I can really live with.. but what matters to me is the driving it through Mumbai in traffic. We are definitely looking forward to the Automatic tranny in the new Innova.. when it comes. Hope it does soon. It would be an unbeatable choice in terms of comfort.

On the flip side, my brother and I, both of us like to drive and we are really keen on getting a vehicle that drives well. So its a tough choice between comfort and pleasure.

Yes it would have that typical toyota steering feel but the new Innova would still be a great choice.

[khoj]

Originally Posted by Turbocharged-KC

On the flip side, my brother and I, both of us like to drive and we are really keen on getting a vehicle that drives well. So its a tough choice between comfort and pleasure.

For a vehicle that provides both comfort & pleasure give the Cedia a shot. The fact that it seats 5 in comfort is an added bonus. Putters around in second in bumper to bumper traffic with no foot on the clutch (I am talking Bombay traffic) and tears up the tarmac on the open highroad and it's 2 liter mill still returns 10+ in the city and close to 14 on the highway. Priced on the right side of 10. Extremely well engineered and very well put together. The A.S.S. (have tried them in several cities) is A1. Bombay has the benefit of direct company showrooms in Atria mall and in Malad plus the A.S.S. has in the recent past been taken over by Aquest auto (read Lakozy motors of Toyota fame) and raised the bar up a few notches.

[mandheers]

Originally Posted by khoj

For a vehicle that provides both comfort & pleasure give the Cedia a shot. The fact that it seats 5 in comfort is an added bonus. Putters around in second in bumper to bumper traffic with no foot on the clutch (I am talking Bombay traffic) and tears up the tarmac on the open highroad and it's 2 liter mill still returns 10+ in the city and close to 14 on the highway. Priced on the right side of 10. Extremely well engineered and very well put together. The A.S.S. (have tried them in several cities) is A1. Bombay has the benefit of direct company showrooms in Atria mall and in Malad plus the A.S.S. has in the recent past been taken over by Aquest auto (read Lakozy motors of Toyota fame) and raised the bar up a few notches.

I second khoj on this.

Do play the dutiful brother and take bade bhaiyya for a TD of the Mitsubishi Cedia.

I was in a similar dilemma this past January and had all barring the Cruze (that was before they came out with all black interiors) on my list, Corolla Altis, Civic, Laura TSI ad even the Octi vRS of yore.

All it took was one TD of the Cedia and my mind was made up. It now comes at a reduced tag of 9.8 ex showroom, Mumbai regn and which is not bad for a 'Street Legal Rally Car'.

If you like a car which drives well (well, that's an understatement for the Cedia), then ek TD toh banta hai bhai.

The fit+finish of this car does not feel like a Japanese car at all, the quality of materials used is far superior to even those I saw in the Civic. So nothing tin'ish about this one.

Mine is due for it's 10k service, and it's a delight to drive. It's like a new car everyday, drive it sedate and it ambles along, push it a bit and you can throw it against about anything on the Indian roads.

I have had my bit on the road against a Cruze and a vRS, a fellow TBhpian has made an A6 look bad; amongst the others on his long list.

Lastly, the After Sales guys are a very decent and honest bunch with service turnaround times at 1 day, with pick-up and drop thrown in.

Have fun!

[kevinephraim]

Hey TC-KC,

The first post was a real nice read! I'm also in the same quandry and have the same 2 cars shortlisted, namely the innova and the cruze.
I have had the innova from 2006 till 2009 and the family loves it. But it was a pain to sell off, even though i had the top end vx model, ( the reason for selling it requires another thread) it has the taxiwalla image as you rightly said. Though it has absolutely everything going for it.

Power-wise it has only 102 bhp which if required can be pete'd to 140 if i'm not mistaken.

Thats where the cruze comes in! It has the power, the looks, the interiors and a lot of the gizmos seen in 15+ lakh cars. I did not have much of a problem with the rear leg room, but I'm only 5'9", so maybe you have a legitimate reason.

As of now I'm tending towards the cruze, which the heart wants, than the innova, which the mind and the family say is the better choice.

[varunrdas]

I would certainly recommend the Innova. Due to its sheer reliability and maintenance. Unlike the cruze, the innova is a vehicle which you would be able to use anyday and would certainly fetch you a good resale value at any point.

Enough power and luxury are there for the 12+ you are shelling out and remember it is a SUV which is good for indian conditions unlike Cruze.

The Cruze is excellent by value of its performance, however, considering the road conditions, i wouldnt have second thoughts picking up an Innova.

[avimal]

Originally Posted by mandheers

I second khoj on this.

Do play the dutiful brother and take bade bhaiyya for a TD of the Mitsubishi Cedia.

I was in a similar dilemma this past January and had all barring the Cruze (that was before they came out with all black interiors) on my list, Corolla Altis, Civic, Laura TSI ad even the Octi vRS of yore.

All it took was one TD of the Cedia and my mind was made up. It now comes at a reduced tag of 9.8 ex showroom, Mumbai regn and which is not bad for a 'Street Legal Rally Car'.

If you like a car which drives well (well, that's an understatement for the Cedia), then ek TD toh banta hai bhai.

The fit+finish of this car does not feel like a Japanese car at all, the quality of materials used is far superior to even those I saw in the Civic. So nothing tin'ish about this one.

Mine is due for it's 10k service, and it's a delight to drive. It's like a new car everyday, drive it sedate and it ambles along, push it a bit and you can throw it against about anything on the Indian roads.

I have had my bit on the road against a Cruze and a vRS, a fellow TBhpian has made an A6 look bad; amongst the others on his long list.

Lastly, the After Sales guys are a very decent and honest bunch with service turnaround times at 1 day, with pick-up and drop thrown in.

Have fun!

Do not TD Cedia else u will fall in love with her. I have one which has run over 35000 km but it stills drive like a new one. Apart from driving comfort and performance i like its high GC and low turning radius

[MAS]

Originally Posted by kevinephraim

I have had the innova from 2006 till 2009 and the family loves it. But it was a pain to sell off, even though i had the top end vx model, ( the reason for selling it requires another thread) it has the taxiwalla image as you rightly said. Though it has absolutely everything going for it.

I always thought Innova was the easiest to sell, but seems like you had some major issues in disposing the Innova VX. Please elaborate.

[kevinephraim]

Originally Posted by MAS

I always thought Innova was the easiest to sell, but seems like you had some major issues in disposing the Innova VX. Please elaborate.

Like i said... it needs another thread. However to cut a long thread short (pun was not intended!). No one wants a 'Taxiwala' Innova with Airbags, Alloys, ABS done only 36k kms in 3 yrs. (I'm out of the country for 6 months in a year). The V is the most difficult to sell. The G Models would be easier.
A reply I once got when I said the engine had only done 36k in 3 yrs was " Arey saab, Toyota ki engine 5lac km jaathi hai, bina ruk ke, Aap saal mein 36000 karo ya 5 lac, gaadi ki keemath saal se girthi hai"

All i can add is that if the car is for a really really long term ownership, the innova v sucks in resale in private ownership!

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by kevinephraim

Like i said... it needs another thread. However to cut a long thread short (pun was not intended!). No one wants a 'Taxiwala' Innova with Airbags, Alloys, ABS done only 36k kms in 3 yrs. (I'm out of the country for 6 months in a year). The V is the most difficult to sell. The G Models would be easier.
A reply I once got when I said the engine had only done 36k in 3 yrs was " Arey saab, Toyota ki engine 5lac km jaathi hai, bina ruk ke, Aap saal mein 36000 karo ya 5 lac, gaadi ki keemath saal se girthi hai"

All i can add is that if the car is for a really really long term ownership, the innova v sucks in resale in private ownership!

While this is true, I must also add that any guy out there will find a reason to give you less money for your car. Once they find one that you accept, they will go on and on. However, while reselling your car, they will try to use that as the USP and ask for a higher price. I am sure you have experienced this before in some other way.

By the way, have you tried selling online?
Also while I dont really need an Innova today, the safety features have me hooked. What price do you expect and have you put this up in the tbhp/ carwale classifieds? Do send me a link/ PM me in case you dont want to post this info here

[spadix]

Turbocharged-KC, I was in a similar situation last year. I started off with a huge list of fun-to-drive cars (starting with the A-star and ending with the Laura petrol). In the middle were a couple of choices that my wife liked - the Figo and the Safari.

I eventually whittled that list down to four candidates - Cedia, Safari, Cruze, Civic.

I ruled out the Cedia for roughly the same reasons you were initially ruling the Optra out for. But I really think, leaving long-term support issues aside, the Cedia is pretty much the Civic at nearly 60% of the price. Should the 'X' factor make up the balance 40%? That's for the individual to answer. For me it was yes.

I ruled out the Cruze for what I found were bad ergonomics in my case. The cramped rear seat was a concern but not too much as it was mostly going to be either only me or wife and I in the car. But the driver's seat ergonomics were absent for me, unfortunately. If not for this, the Cruze would've been in my parking lot.

Practically, nothing beats the Safari for my needs in this price range (ok - maybe the Corolla or Innova would but I find them unexciting). So obviously I left it out. Who cares for the head anyway?

And finally I satisfied my 4-year itch by buying myself a Civic. And I'm loving it except for the same two issues you've pointed out - GC and ease of ingress for my Mom. The former can be managed for the most part. There's a learning curve involved, that's all. But I see that petrol is a big put-off for you now, and rightly so.

------

Coming to the point, maybe you want to consider the Safari? It's totally out of left field but there, I've said it.

And please don't rule out the Cruze without a proper TD. It's too good a car to be left out courtesy of one stupid receptionist.

EDIT: It looks like the Safari and Cruze TD bits have already been addressed, so my apologies for bringing them up again. By the way, though the Fluence looks good and all (Dad saw a black example at the airport mall and was raving on about its presence) the TBHP review thread was lukewarm especially on the diesel.

Regards,
spadix

[kevinephraim]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

By the way, have you tried selling online?
Also while I dont really need an Innova today, the safety features have me hooked. What price do you expect and have you put this up in the tbhp/ carwale classifieds? Do send me a link/ PM me in case you dont want to post this info here

Selfdrive, I sold the innova finally in Dec 2009. got 7.75 lacs for it. It had done 36545k on the day i sold it. I had bought it in Feb 2006.

[Speed Pujari]

Turbocharged ji, I may not help you in selecting one but can help you in making the list shorter.

Remove Linea from the list, reason it cannot take 5 adults comfortably.

I think other manufacturers are reading this and are able to see the reason of such a high demand of Innova. It is niche and enjoys monopoly. I too find Innova highly comfortable for 5 persons.

[aqualeo2040]

Didnt see the Scorpio AT in this list? It can seat 5+ folks at ease, has immense road presence, quite a few bells & whistles e.g. auto wipers/headlamps, parking aid , blah blah yada yada. Comes in with AT as well and is a diesel.

If Safari is being considered, the Scorp should get a lookie as well? dont you think so TC?

Yeah, I admit that the build quality of either of the trucks are nothing to write home about. However, since the AT is also exported, the fit & finish is definitely better than that of the Safari!

[spadix]

Originally Posted by aqualeo2040

Didnt see the Scorpio AT in this list? It can seat 5+ folks at ease

Having been in both vehicles (and in a few others which at first glance might not strike people as "being as spacious as a Scorp") the Scorp's interior space is no absolutely no match to the Safari's. As I said, many B/C-segment cars beat the Scorp on leg/knee and shoulder room, especially when we're talking 5 adults.

I agree with you that it's worth a look-in because of all of the other features.

Regards,
spadix

[Buffetfan]

Originally Posted by kevinephraim

Like i said... it needs another thread. However to cut a long thread short (pun was not intended!). No one wants a 'Taxiwala' Innova with Airbags, Alloys, ABS done only 36k kms in 3 yrs. (I'm out of the country for 6 months in a year). The V is the most difficult to sell. The G Models would be easier.
A reply I once got when I said the engine had only done 36k in 3 yrs was " Arey saab, Toyota ki engine 5lac km jaathi hai, bina ruk ke, Aap saal mein 36000 karo ya 5 lac, gaadi ki keemath saal se girthi hai"

All i can add is that if the car is for a really really long term ownership, the innova v sucks in resale in private ownership!

Are you saying that the Innova has poor resale compared to the other cars in the segment? I own a 2009 VX and in the past two years, the car has seen 15% depreciation in value.

I paid INR 1260000 for it and can still get between INR 1050000 - 1100000 easily if I sell. I am unsure of other cars in the same price range that would depreciate less than this.