[Omtoatom]

Originally Posted by Hayek

So after having tested the Vento TDi, Vento AT, City AT, City MT, Jazz and Verna 1.6 CRDi AT, I still think the best car of the lot is the Vento Petrol AT by a wide margin. But the Verna Diesel AT (subject to my wife's views as the TD car arrived late and she could not test it) does seem a good compromise if I don't get visibility on availability of the Vento Petrol AT soon (the latest I heard on that is the formal launch of the refreshed Vento is likely next weekend). Waiting periods are about 2 months for the Verna Diesel AT, or so I am told. Would be good to get perspective from users here.

So you're hung between the Verna Diesel AT and the Vento Petrol AT right? IIRC, there should be a difference of almost a couple of lacs between the two - so I'm assuming that is not really a factor.

We have the Verna 1.6 CRDi SX MT in the family and it is a great car to drive in the city. All the bells and whistles. Comfortable ride. Cutting-edge styling. A highly refined motor too. However from a handling and high-speed stability point of view, it falls woefully short on long distances. I personally like my car to be confidence inspiring at speed and while cornering, which the Verna may necessarily not be. So that's that.

On the other hand, much has been written about the 4-speed auto GB of the Verna. I haven't really driven one but the overwhelming sentiment is that its rather sluggish. However I did note that you found it better than that of the 5-speed City.

Between the two, if you have no qualms about buying a petrol, I would suggest that you pick the Vento AT anyday. It is one heck of a package. I don't know what the waiting times are but I would think that beauty is well worth the wait, don't you my friend?!

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by Omtoatom

Between the two, if you have no qualms about buying a petrol, I would suggest that you pick the Vento AT anyday. It is one heck of a package. I don't know what the waiting times are but I would think that beauty is well worth the wait, don't you my friend?!

I finally got a quote for the Vento Petrol AT, with estimated delivery times of about one month. Surprisingly, they have actually increases prices of the Vento Petrol AT by Rs. 4000 (excluding the navigation) while decreasing the price of the diesel by Rs. 30,000 - I guess they have decided that the few idiots like me who are considering it are completely price insensitive. No material discounts on offer either. Will take a call next week, most likely. Thanks for your inputs.

[acroback]

Test Drove Linea Multijet 2012 Emotion, Vento Highline TDI 2011 Model and Fiat Classic TDCI Titanium.


Views :-

1. Linea 2012 Emotion MJD:

+ves
- Great handling and suspension.
- Steering feedback is awesome.
- Feels like well built (atleast chassis and metal parts.

-ves

- Goddamn turbo lag in lower gears, though torque is okay'ish at low speeds.
- Plastics look horrible.
- In ergonomically designed car seats and layout. No bottle holders, awkward seating postion, steering which look like an intrusion to your personal space.
- Such a big car but where is the space?
- Test drive Car's front seat was rattling give away its TATA loyality.

2. VW Vento TDI

+ves

- Couldn't find a single part which was not solid or was cheaply built.
- Solid build quality all over.
- Torque, torque and more torque.
- Turbo lag looked well in controlled.
- Airy interiors.

-ves

- Who on earth designed that steering wheel. My al cheapo Santro has a better steering than a 13L Vento.
- Suspension a little too soft to my taste, or may be TD car was abused a lot.
- TD car was horrible, AC not working, rear handle missing etc etc.
- VW guys actually refused to take my -ve feedback on car.
- VW guys were unprofessional in deriding their own brand Skoda IMO. They said- Do not go for Skoda Rapid, their service is horrible and what not. When I replied and who owns Skoda? - their answer "Grin".

3. Skoda Rapid

1. People not interested in selling Rapid. So came back without driving it.

4. Ford Classic TDCI Titanium

+ves
- Steering steering and steering. Direct, hard and great feedback. This is how steering should be. I actually preferred it over Linea's steering.
- Handling was just wow. Made a fast sharp S maneuver at 80kmph and it moved without a fuss. Just Wow.
- Rear suspension was good at speeds I think.
- Braking was top notch.
- Interior was cheaply built but seemed like built to last. Everything was solidly built.
- Very low NVH levels compared to what the engine sounds when you are outside.
- VFM pricing
- Effective AC

-ves

- Rear space is not great
- No ACC ( can live with it ).
- lacks high end features of its competitors.

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by acroback

Test Drove Linea Multijet 2012 Emotion, Vento Highline TDI 2011 Model and Fiat Classic TDCI Titanium.

2. VW Vento TDI

+ves

- Couldn't find a single part which was not solid or was cheaply built.
- Solid build quality all over.
- Torque, torque and more torque.
- Turbo lag looked well in controlled.
- Airy interiors.

-ves

- Who on earth designed that steering wheel. My al cheapo Santro has a better steering than a 13L Vento.
- Suspension a little too soft to my taste, or may be TD car was abused a lot.
- TD car was horrible, AC not working, rear handle missing etc etc.
- VW guys actually refused to take my -ve feedback on car.
- VW guys were unprofessional in deriding their own brand Skoda IMO. They said- Do not go for Skoda Rapid, their service is horrible and what not. When I replied and who owns Skoda? - their answer "Grin".

3. Skoda Rapid

1. People not interested in selling Rapid. So came back without driving it.

I myself spent a good part of the last 4 weeks test driving the vehicles that you mentioned here & you hit the nail on its head by saying what you said about VW & Skoda dealerships.

A major reason why i did not opt for VW & Skoda was the outrageous attitude of the dealerships, it was like they already sell enough and who cares for a new customer, take it or leave it & I got a similar test drive Vento car which was in a dilapidated state, whereas Skoda was clearly not interested in selling the Rapid, no feedback accepted, no follow-up calls at all. Simply shocking was the behavior of both VW & Skoda before selling the car.

God only knows what would have happened if i had bought the car from them.

Eventhough Vento no doubt is THE BEST car in this segment, Somehow i am not convinced about the VW after-sales service still though the owners on team-bhp are all pretty much satisfied.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

ISimply shocking was the behavior of both VW & Skoda before selling the car.

I am surprised ( and disappointed) that these morons didn't improve in the past 2 years . Our pre-sales experience was a pretty forgettable one, in fact we had a thread on TBHP where we used to exchange information on waiting time and dealership experience.
Hopefully with VW having sacked their sales and marketing team and putting a new one in place and Skoda having put around 10 senior guys on probation due to performance issues things would improve .
If pre-sales is horrid , very few would be willing to take a bet on post sales- agreed !

[aseems]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

A major reason why i did not opt for VW & Skoda was the outrageous attitude of the dealerships, it was like they already sell enough and who cares for a new customer, take it or leave it & I got a similar test drive Vento car which was in a dilapidated state, whereas Skoda was clearly not interested in selling the Rapid, no feedback accepted, no follow-up calls at all. Simply shocking was the behavior of both VW & Skoda before selling the car.

My experience with Skoda in Navi Mumbai was just the opposite. Very keen on giving a test drive and offering a good deal on the Rapid Ambition Petrol. But am still confused between Linea and Jazz. Heart says go for the Fiat but head says Honda. Rapid is caught in between. Just loved the build quality. The thud on closing the door was so much better. I wish to keep the car for atleast 10 years and Skodas dont qualify on that. Looks like its going to be Jazz (its ready delivery). Just need a good dose of Vitamin M.

On the contrary experience with Hyundai was the worst. Same standard reply "we dont have a test drive vehicle".

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by souravc

I am surprised ( and disappointed) that these morons didn't improve in the past 2 years . Our pre-sales experience was a pretty forgettable one!

This should probably move to the Vento review thread but the issue seems to be a lack of systems. VW Downtown and Arya Honda are owned by the same group but the Honda guys are well informed, follow up and keen on closing a sale, the VW guys keep expressing helplessness due to a lack of information from the company. Shockingly, VW dealers had no clarity on pricing of the Vento refresh for 2 days post the 4 page ad, and are still confused about whether the optional gps device is really optional or not. We are still considering the Vento only because we felt its much better than the City
(and the Hyundai sales experience was even worse), but anyone who is undecided on product will likely look elsewhere.

[souravc]

Originally Posted by Hayek

This should probably move to the Vento review thread but the issue seems to be a lack of systems.

This is the link to the old pre-sales thread
Vento pre sales crib thread
Post sales has been pretty ok for me at least , we have a very active Vento community on here and information flow is a great help so that's a great support for all of us connected

[acroback]

Actually Fiat people were more courteous and professional with constant follow up.
I would have finalized a Linea Emotion in a jiffy, had Fiat been as professional as Honda in sales and services.

Alas, I am very confused now. Heart says Ford Classic (wow, what a great car for a driver), mind says Nissan Sunny/Tata Manza.

Any suggestions??

[sam_boy]

Originally Posted by acroback

Actually Fiat people were more courteous and professional with constant follow up.
I would have finalized a Linea Emotion in a jiffy, had Fiat been as professional as Honda in sales and services.

Alas, I am very confused now. Heart says Ford Classic (wow, what a great car for a driver), mind says Nissan Sunny/Tata Manza.

Any suggestions??

+1 for the FIAT guys of Prerana motors. They gave me 2 longish test drives without any fuss and were very well informed. I felt really low when i said no to them.

[gauravkcec]

Query for a friend.

Budget: 10 lakhs on road.

Short List: After short test drives of a few cars Nissan Sunny XL diesel and Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDi ex variant.

Please differentiate the two on the basis:
a:Opinions on ride and handling specifically highway dynamics between the two. Test drove both and he felt no clear difference within city limits. Will try for a highway test drive. The car will occasionally go on highway trips but speeds will be limited to 120.
b: He has driven the ritz vdi for around one lakh km and has had no issues whatsoever. So how do both the cars compare in terms of the reliability of suspension, clutch,electricals,electronics and the engine. The car is expected to be driven on some rough roads although at sane speeds.
c: Resale value: Car would be driven for a maximum of 100K kms (2-3 years) and then replaced so which of these will fetch a better resale.

At present his heart is set on verna but wanted a second opinion as he has never owned a car which was not a maruti, so in reliability terms which will be better. Skoda rapid,Tata manza and VW vento were left out due to horrible after sales stories from skoda and tata and VW not being to his taste.

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by acroback

Actually Fiat people were more courteous and professional with constant follow up.
I would have finalized a Linea Emotion in a jiffy, had Fiat been as professional as Honda in sales and services.

Alas, I am very confused now. Heart says Ford Classic (wow, what a great car for a driver), mind says Nissan Sunny/Tata Manza.

Any suggestions??

I'd strongly advise you against the Tata Manza, even though Tata has managed to put up a pretty decent car with India's national engine the MJD, they have not really managed to pull up in the service field as yet, also the quality of interiors is not all that great & feels pretty cheap in quite a few areas. Ford Classic although definitely a very good car which is fun to drive, but is definitely low on comfort & space.

Of the lot, i'd say Nissan Sunny seems pretty good, though if you are considering Diesel cars then the choices mentioned by you have a very wide price range difference, with the Manza & Ford Classic being in one price range & Nissan Sunny exceeding the two by a pretty decent margin.

Originally Posted by gauravkcec

Query for a friend.

Budget: 10 lakhs on road.

Short List: After short test drives of a few cars Nissan Sunny XL diesel and Hyundai Verna 1.6 CRDi ex variant.

Please differentiate the two on the basis:
a:Opinions on ride and handling specifically highway dynamics between the two. Test drove both and he felt no clear difference within city limits. Will try for a highway test drive. The car will occasionally go on highway trips but speeds will be limited to 120.
b: He has driven the ritz vdi for around one lakh km and has had no issues whatsoever. So how do both the cars compare in terms of the reliability of suspension, clutch,electricals,electronics and the engine. The car is expected to be driven on some rough roads although at sane speeds.
c: Resale value: Car would be driven for a maximum of 100K kms (2-3 years) and then replaced so which of these will fetch a better resale.

At present his heart is set on verna but wanted a second opinion as he has never owned a car which was not a maruti, so in reliability terms which will be better. Skoda rapid,Tata manza and VW vento were left out due to horrible after sales stories from skoda and tata and VW not being to his taste.

Your friend should definitely go for the Verna 1.6 CRDi of the two mentioned here.

Firstly, the resale value would be miles ahead of the Nissan Sunny & secondly Hyundai is a well established name as far as after sales service is concerned.
Both the cars are pretty evenly matched in terms of features & city driveability, also the speeds mentioned by you will be taken care of with ease by pretty much all the cars in this upto Rs. 10 Lakh price range.

Though the price difference between the Nissan Sunny XL Diesel & Hyundai Verna 1.6 Ex variant is nearly to the tune of a lakh rupees. Probably the Verna model would exceed the Rs. 10 lakh budget set by your friend, though the Verna would justify the extra rupees spent by giving a much greater re-sale value !!

If budget is a constraint then the Sx4 ZDi can be a good option which would cost just above Rs. 10 Lakh OTR, whereas the Hyundai Verna would probably take your friend at least a 60-70K over Rs. 10 Lakhs

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by joslicx

prodigyy if you are prepared to wait a bit then do look at the upcoming Ford Ecosport! It is going to be one hell of a car if reports are to be believed. Its got the same character as the new Fiesta and Autocar says that the interiors are better (or feel better at least). The SUVish stance will be a boon to a tall person like you and theres ample space at the back as well.

Do go thru the Ecosport thread here on tbhp.

Always wanted to have an SUV in my parking lot, unfortunately the space constraint in my parking area & narrow roads of my locality as well as my workplace parking lots have ALWAYS stopped me for going in with an SUV.

I have always always always argued to no avail with my family & my own head on this one, but have lost out every single time.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Having given the SX4 a good deal of TD before I finalized on the Vento, let me give you a fair viewpoint. The car is more than enough for driving in the city, infact if you have driven a Swift, then you'll kind of feel at home. And on the highways, although it would not be able to match a Vento or a Verna (?) on every aspect, however it will do the job sufficiently.

As for the comments you have heard, probably the reason is the SX4 doesn't have a turbo rush similar to the (older) Swift; it has a more linear acceleration and hence the feeling of not having a good mid-range.

The car is sturdy, feels large (for a sedan) and is value for money. I haven't driven the Nissan Sunny yet, but I believe you should give that a shot. But if the SX4 ticks all your boxes, then I'd recommend you stop doubting your decision and go ahead with it. This car won't let you down for sure.

Thanks for the precious advice given, did give Nissan Sunny a shot, but limited availability of Nissan workshops and an average drive did not inspire confidence in me to go with a Nissan, moreover i thought even though the Sx4 is older it would still give me a better resale with the Maruti badge than the Nissan.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Of the three models short listed, pick the sx4. The verna would have been a good choice as well but pricing is the issue. Have you considered the petrol version of these three. Cheaper and if driving quantity is limited offsets the higher petrol price.

Am just curious whether you test drove the Jazz. Yes it is petrol only for now (Honda testing out diesel engined brio so can assume whole range will have diesel in some time).

Ahhhhh Jazz !! I am in love with this car, had bought the old Jazz when it launched and simply love the car for all the things it offers. The car now has gone to my brother in law, as he loved the car alot too; and being my bro-in-law i couldn't dare say a no in front of my WIFE

Originally Posted by filcord

Test-drive the diesel SX4 zdi. As far as room, comfort and handling are concerned, I'm quite happy with my petrol zxi. If the diesel has the reponse you're looking for, go for it. It's a Maruti after all, and peace of mind is guaranteed.

Yes, the ZDi is awesome too, loved the car and am getting it soon !! Thanks for the precious advice

Originally Posted by sandeep3in

Having driven the cars mentioned here the vento/verna and Sx4.I doubt about the ability of Verna to beat the sx4 . I had instances when i took Verna past the 80 kM/hr, it didn't inspire confidence in me . I doubt the ride and handling of Verna . Though the specs suggest there is difference between a 120 BHP and a 90BHP car , you just don't feel confident to use that 120 BHP on the Verna.These are purely my thought so verna owners, please don't bash me .

Vento/Rapid is a drivers cars , good performance and can beat the sx4 in straight line drive.The ride and handling is much superior than the sx4 .

If i need to rate, i would rate vento/Rapid followed by Sx4/Ertiga and then the Verna

Gave both the Verna & the Sx4 three test drives each just to convince myself on either of them. Sx4 suited me and my needs much more than the Verna, though dearest wifey loved the frills of the Verna, but i loved the drive of Sx4 more than the Verna.
Verna somehow did not inspire confidence in me, could have managed the price as a person ready to spend 10 lakhs can easily manage another 70-80K without a hassle, but then i have ALWAYS loved the Sx4 right from the day it was launched.


To all team-bhpians;
Thanks a ton for all the valuable advice given, helped me a lot in convincing myself on the Sx4, i was doubting my decision purely because of the low numbers turned out by the Sx4 besides the talks about Sx4 being discontinued by MSIL were all hindering my purchase of the Sx4. I as of now though am completely satisfied by my decision of buying the Sx4. Thanks again to all !!

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by gauravkcec

Query for a friend.

Budget: 10 lakhs on road.

At present his heart is set on verna but wanted a second opinion as he has never owned a car which was not a maruti, so in reliability terms which will be better. Skoda rapid,Tata manza and VW vento were left out due to horrible after sales stories from skoda and tata and VW not being to his taste.

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Your friend should definitely go for the Verna 1.6 CRDi of the two mentioned here.

Firstly, the resale value would be miles ahead of the Nissan Sunny & secondly Hyundai is a well established name as far as after sales service is concerned.
Both the cars are pretty evenly matched in terms of features & city driveability, also the speeds mentioned by you will be taken care of with ease by pretty much all the cars in this upto Rs. 10 Lakh price range.

Verna 1.6 SX is indeed a hot selling car at the moment, but I would suggest you TD the Verna on the highway and bad roads (since as you said, the car will run on some bad roads) for the suspension behaviour and also the brakes before you decide on the same. Go through the official review of the Verna and other ownership threads on the forum and then take an informed decision. Please don't fall "only" for the features of the Verna, the features should be treated like an iceing on the cake.

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by Sommos

Please don't fall "only" for the features of the Verna, the features should be treated like an iceing on the cake.

Exactly my thoughts too. I prefer my car to be good with a good after sale service to ensure a hassle free ownership experience. Goodies, gizmos and frills come second for me.

For the usage quoted by the Original poster, i doubt if Verna would be able to maintain its composure on bad roads, i believe the right choice for such roads would be one of either Sx4 or Linea