[Sommos]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

I'd say December is the best month to buy a car, and barring Verna i guess all other brands are running big discounts on there Diesel sedans for its 2012 inventory. Don't worry about the regulations just yet, go for your choice of vehicle i'd say !!

@ Travelex : Shed off your inhibitions and go shopping for your dream car. This December is the best time to search for the dream car as the discounts are high. This Diwali the demand for cars was not good for all manufacturers except MS and M&M, so everyone is carring a huge inventory of cars.

Originally Posted by MCR

I drove the Verna only at 100 kmph. The limitation was because Mysore road is not built for speeds. At 100 Kmph, the car felt really comfortable. Since I take this road regularly in my Punto, I could easily compare the two. Also, I drove my Punto on the same road after the TD just to re- check as to what I felt was true. The braking is quiet good to be honest. Its just that the feel is missing, which you get in a Linea/Punto.
As I mentioned earlier, if you could get used to the light steering, the handling is defenitely not scary! ( I did flick the steering at 80 Kmph a few times to check this. The car behaved perfectly normal)

Regarding the TBHP report, it was with the first batch of the car. Also, the speeds mentioned are in the range of 120 - 140 Kmph which I never tried to reach in the TD vehicle!

I respect your judgement on the issue and since you also have a Punto you are in a better position to compare the two.

But it is still hard for me digest that the Verna is in the same league with Vento and Linea in terms of handling.

Many congratulations for your new car.

[byomjeet]

Hi Experts,

Your advice is essential.

I am utterly confused as to which car should I go for. I have shortlisted two cars for the time being, namely VW Vento and Skoda Rapid (both diesel). Which one will be better?

Moreover, I am a bit tall (about 5'11') and I wanted to have a vehicle with high seating position so that getting in and out of the car will be easy. I will be using the car mostly inside the city and monthly running will be around 1500-2000 KMs.

Given my requirements, should I go for one of the cars I have mentioned above or should I go for an USED INNOVA?

Please help me taking this decision.

[VW2010]

Given my requirements, should I go for one of the cars I have mentioned above or should I go for an USED INNOVA?

Test drive both Rapid and Vento and pick the one that you like. Both are capable and drive worthy and very few things differentiate.

Around Dec booking a 2012 model would get you fabulous discounts if you push them.

To me used car would be an Accord 2.4L or the infamous 3L V6 both selling around 6-7L.

[KINI]

Originally Posted by byomjeet

Hi Experts,

Your advice is essential.

I am utterly confused as to which car should I go for. I have shortlisted two cars for the time being, namely VW Vento and Skoda Rapid (both diesel). Which one will be better?

Moreover, I am a bit tall (about 5'11') and I wanted to have a vehicle with high seating position so that getting in and out of the car will be easy. I will be using the car mostly inside the city and monthly running will be around 1500-2000 KMs.

Given my requirements, should I go for one of the cars I have mentioned above or should I go for an USED INNOVA?

Please help me taking this decision.

Have you test-driven both the cars??Were you happy with the seating and other factors??I have TD'ed the Vento.Driver's seat when set to the highest position gives pretty decent visibility.The car is a hoot to drive!!
But easy ingress/egress and high seat position are the hallmarks of the SX4.I owned one for 4 years.It's a pretty decent car that's being sold at good discounts!!
Any reason why you aren't looking at the Fiesta??The car is simply brilliant to drive inside the city.Zero turbolag,great F.E,adequate power and loaded to the gills!!Visibility from the driver's seat is pretty good as well.Plus the Ford F&F offer gives great discounts!!

Go for an Innova only of you travel with 5 or more people on long journeys often!!

Hope this helps
Cheers

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by byomjeet

Hi Experts,
Moreover, I am a bit tall (about 5'11') and I wanted to have a vehicle with high seating position so that getting in and out of the car will be easy. I will be using the car mostly inside the city and monthly running will be around 1500-2000 KMs.
Given my requirements, should I go for one of the cars I have mentioned above or should I go for an USED INNOVA?
Please help me taking this decision.

I was facing a similar dilemma about 3-4 months ago, i too was on the lookout for a good diesel vehicle, had similar usage like yours that too mostly inside the city and my constraint too was my height & build (6'2" and too put things politely, lets just say heavily built :P)

Vento wont be too comfortable if you are looking at good ingress/egress, even though your height wont demand too much of a headroom still 5'11" is a pretty substantially larger height when compared to the average Indian. Of the vento & Rapid, i felt that Rapid had a better seating position along with "realtively" easier ingress/egress. But of all the cars i test drove, Sx4 was simply the best in terms of offering me space (read headroom & room to move my heavily built body), besides Sx4 has the great property of providing with very easy ingress / egress not only for me but also for my senior citizen parents. Also, for city driving, Sx4 is powerful enough to reach speeds of 110-130 pretty easily, definitely not in the league of Vento / Rapid but roll on acceleration / in gear acceleration figures are next only to the Rapid & Vento.

Apart from the Sx4, the only option that should fit your requirements moderately is the new Fiesta (as rightly said by Kini). But still if you really are looking at an MUV/SUV option, why not take a look at Ertiga Zdi which would provide all the goodies along with a very good engine which should be sufficient for city driving, another option would be a new Duster / a used XUV, though still my gut feel is that the Ertiga would be a great fit for your requirements which would fit your bill and also save you some lakhs.

EDIT: Just for your info, i finally zoomed in for the Sx4 & the Ertiga. Finally went in for the Sx4 since i had always loved the muscular looks of Sx4 right from the date it came in, besides there were some pretty decent discounts on the Sx4. Also, even though Ertiga would have saved me about 50-60K did not go for it since it had almost a month and half long waiting time quoted to me.

Hope sharing of my experiences will help you out in your conundrum. Good luck !!

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by byomjeet

I am utterly confused as to which car should I go for. I have shortlisted two cars for the time being, namely VW Vento and Skoda Rapid (both diesel). Which one will be better?

Moreover, I am a bit tall (about 5'11') and I wanted to have a vehicle with high seating position so that getting in and out of the car will be easy. I will be using the car mostly inside the city and monthly running will be around 1500-2000 KMs.

Please help me taking this decision.

Please go through the official review of the Rapid and you would get some comparative analysis of the VW cousins. However, it is always advisable to shortlist the cars and take a TD and decide which suits your requirements better.

Since you would be driving mostly in the city, the Verna is also a VFM package. Just take a look at the comparision between the Vento and Verna by a fellow member :-

Originally Posted by MCR

Finally after a lot of thinking and numerous test drives, I have decided on the Fluidic Verna Ex variant. I will make the booking in early 2013. I considered various cars upto 13 lakhs OTR. The Fluidic Verna did not even feature in my earlier shortlist. However, decided to take a TD. The TD was very good and also I was very impressed with the car. The car is more spacious then the Linea and Vento. Also missing is the transmission tunnel which is very huge in the Vento and there by eating up a lot of space.

I consider Verna as a tremendous package in terms of Engine, Transmission, Ride, Handling, Features and Safety. Airbags (atleast driver side) and ABS was a must and Ex variant has these.

Originally Posted by MCR

Engine :

Verna - Smooth , controlled noise with Minimal Turbolag (128PS@4000RPM / 235Nm@1900-2750RPM)
Vento - Slightly noisy and gruff with Minimal turbolag (105PS@4400RPM / 250Nm@1500-2500RPM )

Transmission :

Verna - Manual six speed - Very smooth and sure slotting
Vento - Manual Five Speed - Sure slotting but not as smooth

Ride and Handling:

If you can get used the extremely light steering of Verna, you could make the car handle slightly better. I drove on Mysore road (towards Kengeri)at 100 Kmph in a Verna. This is a usual road which I take in my Punto. On this road there are a few curves( near Kengeri NICE junction for Ex.) which can tell you how a car would handle. The Verna behaved perfectly fine. The body roll was completely controlled. Much akin to Punto. Similarly there are a few large humps and on these the Verna did not bottom out, even after taking the hump at 40 Kmph. The car did not feel wallowy either.

When driving a Vento on the same road, I felt it was slightly better composed than the Verna, but not so much that it made a huge difference. The ride quality of the Vento is a bit stiff (similar to Punto) compared to Verna.

But the reason I chose Verna over Vento are :

1. Better features for the Price (VFM)
2. Better showroom experince and response
3. Better A$$ (For sure) and choice.
4. Free Service for a year(Labour charges)
5. Cheaper spare part prices

[imp!]

Originally Posted by byomjeet

Hi Experts,

Your advice is essential.

I am utterly confused as to which car should I go for. I have shortlisted two cars for the time being, namely VW Vento and Skoda Rapid (both diesel). Which one will be better?

Moreover, I am a bit tall (about 5'11') and I wanted to have a vehicle with high seating position so that getting in and out of the car will be easy. I will be using the car mostly inside the city and monthly running will be around 1500-2000 KMs.

Given my requirements, should I go for one of the cars I have mentioned above or should I go for an USED INNOVA?

Please help me taking this decision.

Well this entirely depends on how much of a petrol-head you are. Is this only going to be your personal vehicle or are more than two people going to be driving in it a lot? how fixed are you on diesel? Used Innovas are very expensive and really not worth the money, especially with your budget. I own one and I despise the car with a passion that is only matched by people who love it! Please post some more of your requirements so we may be able to provide an all-encompassing feedback. I too am about your height and I have driven both sedans you have mentioned, ingress and egress should not be an issue, but then, there may be other options that would suit you better!

[amitpunjani]

Originally Posted by KINI

Have you test-driven both the cars??Were you happy with the seating and other factors??I have TD'ed the Vento.Driver's seat when set to the highest position gives pretty decent visibility.The car is a hoot to drive!!
But easy ingress/egress and high seat position are the hallmarks of the SX4.I owned one for 4 years.It's a pretty decent car that's being sold at good discounts!!
Any reason why you aren't looking at the Fiesta??The car is simply brilliant to drive inside the city.Zero turbolag,great F.E,adequate power and loaded to the gills!!Visibility from the driver's seat is pretty good as well.Plus the Ford F&F offer gives great discounts!!

Go for an Innova only of you travel with 5 or more people on long journeys often!!

Hope this helps
Cheers

Buddy i would vouch for SX4, by far its the most economical sedan by all means. I recently bought SX4 ZDi and i am completely satsified. The amount of power and comfort one needs for City and highway drive, its all there in the car.

Yes, there is abit of Turbo lag around 1,500 RPM, one can live with that. Above you have peace of mind with Maruti.

BR

Amit

[Ravi Krish]

Dear Gurus,

It is now 675 Kms on my Rapid! I am enjoying it so far. Will post a detailed experience report once i reach 1000 Kms. here's a pic of my latest pet.

[byomjeet]

Originally Posted by KINI

Have you test-driven both the cars??Were you happy with the seating and other factors??I have TD'ed the Vento.Driver's seat when set to the highest position gives pretty decent visibility.The car is a hoot to drive!!
But easy ingress/egress and high seat position are the hallmarks of the SX4.I owned one for 4 years.It's a pretty decent car that's being sold at good discounts!!
Any reason why you aren't looking at the Fiesta??The car is simply brilliant to drive inside the city.Zero turbolag,great F.E,adequate power and loaded to the gills!!Visibility from the driver's seat is pretty good as well.Plus the Ford F&F offer gives great discounts!!

Go for an Innova only of you travel with 5 or more people on long journeys often!!

Hope this helps
Cheers

Thanks KINI for the advise. I have already TDed both cars and aprt from that I have also TDed SX4. With regard to seating position and comfort I liked the SX4 the most but I dont know whether I should go for this low powered (I may be wrong here) car at almost the same price. If I am not wrong this car shares the same engine with the most popular hatch Swift. I dont like the way Fiesta looks, I would rather prefer to take the Classic.

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

But of all the cars i test drove, Sx4 was simply the best in terms of offering me space (read headroom & room to move my heavily built body), besides Sx4 has the great property of providing with very easy ingress / egress not only for me but also for my senior citizen parents. Also, for city driving, Sx4 is powerful enough to reach speeds of 110-130 pretty easily, definitely not in the league of Vento / Rapid but roll on acceleration / in gear acceleration figures are next only to the Rapid & Vento.

EDIT: Just for your info, i finally zoomed in for the Sx4 & the Ertiga. Finally went in for the Sx4 since i had always loved the muscular looks of Sx4 right from the date it came in, besides there were some pretty decent discounts on the Sx4. Also, even though Ertiga would have saved me about 50-60K did not go for it since it had almost a month and half long waiting time quoted to me.

Hope sharing of my experiences will help you out in your conundrum. Good luck !!

Thanks Prodigyy. Obviously, your inputs will help me in deciding the car I should go for. Of all the above cars, I liked SX4. But, I am a bit confused about the price to power ratio.

Originally Posted by Sommos

Since you would be driving mostly in the city, the Verna is also a VFM package. Just take a look at the comparision between the Vento and Verna by a fellow member :-

Thanks Sommos for the insight. Though I didn't TDed the new fluidic Verna; I, somehow, didn't like the low seating arrangement of this car.

Originally Posted by imp!

Well this entirely depends on how much of a petrol-head you are. Is this only going to be your personal vehicle or are more than two people going to be driving in it a lot? how fixed are you on diesel? I too am about your height and I have driven both sedans you have mentioned, ingress and egress should not be an issue, but then, there may be other options that would suit you better!

Thanks imp!. I didn't think about petrol at all. Let me put this in my list also as my average running would be around 2000 (max) per month.

Originally Posted by amitpunjani

Buddy i would vouch for SX4, by far its the most economical sedan by all means. I recently bought SX4 ZDi and i am completely satsified. The amount of power and comfort one needs for City and highway drive, its all there in the car.

Yes, there is abit of Turbo lag around 1,500 RPM, one can live with that. Above you have peace of mind with Maruti.

BR

Amit

Thanks Amit. I think I should take a TD of SX4 again and observe it in detail.

Originally Posted by VW2010

Test drive both Rapid and Vento and pick the one that you like. Both are capable and drive worthy and very few things differentiate.

To me used car would be an Accord 2.4L or the infamous 3L V6 both selling around 6-7L.

Thanks a lot for this advise VW2010. I will definitely look for this car and take a TD.

Looking at all the above I think, I should go for SX4. But, somehow, I am a bit confused about the power of the engine as I have mentioned above.

I will be grateful if you could throw some more light on this and SX4.

A wagon of thanks for each one of you.

[champ27]

Originally Posted by MCR

Finally after a lot of thinking and numerous test drives, I have decided on the Fluidic Verna Ex variant.
The car is more spacious then the Linea and Vento. Also missing is the transmission tunnel which is very huge in the Vento and there by eating up a lot of space.

Congrats in advance. Not long ago I was in a similar situation.The lack of transmission tunnel hump is definitely a big plus when it comes to accommodating a 5th person. I did Bangalore- Goa trip with 5 people in the cabin and it was pretty much ok.

OT : Blue Hyundai, Bangalore is offering free insurance on Diesel Verna for bookings made upto 10.12.12 ( This is what the SA told me).

Glad to hear that finally they have relented and you could get some freebies.

Originally Posted by MCR

But the reason I chose Verna over Vento are :

1. Better features for the Price (VFM)
2. Better showroom experince and response
3. Better A$$ (For sure) and choice.
4. Free Service for a year(Labour charges)
5. Cheaper spare part prices

Points 2 & 3 definitely tilted the balance towards verna even in my case

Based on my approx 5 months of ownership of verna, I think it's an excellent choice for city driving. On highways it's good for a sedate driver who likes to take it easy. If one expects anything beyond that then it's wise to look elsewhere. And talks about light steering is again a matter of getting used to and shouldn't be much of a problem.

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by byomjeet

With regard to seating position and comfort I liked the SX4 the most but I dont know whether I should go for this low powered (I may be wrong here) car at almost the same price. If I am not wrong this car shares the same engine with the most popular hatch Swift. I dont like the way Fiesta looks, I would rather prefer to take the Classic.

Thanks Prodigyy. Obviously, your inputs will help me in deciding the car I should go for. Of all the above cars, I liked SX4. But, I am a bit confused about the price to power ratio.

Your doubts and queries are not really out of place. One look at the Sx4's statistics on paper and the first thing that strikes is that Sx4 seems to be underpowered when compared to the Vento, Rapid & Verna. On paper it seems more or less similar to what Fiesta, Sunny & Scala offer, but one drive and all doubts are put to rest. Sx4 a very eager mover & moves pretty swiftly & calmly. I'll quote myself over here

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

here are some statistics taken from Autocar India

20-80(3rd Gear)
Vento - 9.24 - 1st
SX4 - 10.32 - 2nd
Linea - 11.86 - 3rd
Verna - 13.00 - 4th
Fiesta - 13.48 - 5th

40-100(4th Gear)
Vento - 10.50 - 1st
SX4 - 13.01 - 2nd
Linea - 13.64 - 3rd
Verna - 15.10 - 4th
Fiesta - 15.80 - 5th

I'm sorry i dont seem to find the actual source as of now, maybe someone could help you with that, but rest assured, Sx4 has a very strong mid-range. Even though the actual 0-100 & quarter mile figures indicate that the vehicle is slower than the Vento & Verna, still the typical Maruti strong mid-range propels it faster in real-life city conditions. And since you would be using the car extensively for city driving, i feel that the Sx4 should serve you well enough for your city drives. Though that said, you fill up the Sx4 with 4 heavy adults and with luggage in the boot, then you would definitely feel the 1.3 motor being strained. Barring this small aberration all else is upto the mark IMO.

Even though i don't think that Maruti has any real plans to launch a new Sx4 or even a facelift of the same (I may be wrong here), still in case you are worried about the Sx4 being a little long in the tooth & fear that it maybe replaced soon, then you could go for the Ertiga, which has all the bells & whistles, similar space & Comfort and a very good mileage too.

EDIT: There you go found out the relevant thread on TeamBHP itself

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2324856

[byomjeet]

Originally Posted by Prodigyy

Your doubts and queries are not really out of place. One look at the Sx4's statistics on paper and the first thing that strikes is that Sx4 seems to be underpowered when compared to the Vento, Rapid & Verna. On paper it seems more or less similar to what Fiesta, Sunny & Scala offer, but one drive and all doubts are put to rest. Sx4 a very eager mover & moves pretty swiftly & calmly. I'll quote myself over here



I'm sorry i dont seem to find the actual source as of now, maybe someone could help you with that, but rest assured, Sx4 has a very strong mid-range. Even though the actual 0-100 & quarter mile figures indicate that the vehicle is slower than the Vento & Verna, still the typical Maruti strong mid-range propels it faster in real-life city conditions. And since you would be using the car extensively for city driving, i feel that the Sx4 should serve you well enough for your city drives. Though that said, you fill up the Sx4 with 4 heavy adults and with luggage in the boot, then you would definitely feel the 1.3 motor being strained. Barring this small aberration all else is upto the mark IMO.

Even though i don't think that Maruti has any real plans to launch a new Sx4 or even a facelift of the same (I may be wrong here), still in case you are worried about the Sx4 being a little long in the tooth & fear that it maybe replaced soon, then you could go for the Ertiga, which has all the bells & whistles, similar space & Comfort and a very good mileage too.

EDIT: There you go found out the relevant thread on TeamBHP itself

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2324856

Thanks a lot for such meaningful advice and such valuable inputs. I am thankful that you tool lot of pain for me in searching the thread and giving the link.

It seems, you have read my mind. You were correct when you said that MSIL may not be having any plan for a facelift of the SX4. My worry was exactly this. I was worried about the model, it has been in the market since long and we all are used to it now. If I buy this then that will be just another car. Nevertheless, with you inputs; I, surely, will take another TD of the car and probably will go for it. The positive points of SX4 may be:

1. Its Maruti (Maruti's reliability).
2. After sales service network.
3. Spare part availability.
4. Seating posture.
5. Resale value.

Thanks a lot for the input.

[Prodigyy]

Originally Posted by byomjeet

It seems, you have read my mind. You were correct when you said that MSIL may not be having any plan for a facelift of the SX4. My worry was exactly this. I was worried about the model, it has been in the market since long and we all are used to it now. If I buy this then that will be just another car. Nevertheless, with you inputs; I, surely, will take another TD of the car and probably will go for it. The positive points of SX4 may be:

1. Its Maruti (Maruti's reliability).
2. After sales service network.
3. Spare part availability.
4. Seating posture.
5. Resale value.

Thanks a lot for the input.

Yes, a new Sx4 may not really attract many eye balls and in all probabilities many of your friends & co-workers won't really be appreciative of the choice of your vehicle, but it all boils down to what suits you best and what fits your bill. As i said, in case you need a vehicle which is more towards the beginning/middle of its lifecycle, i'd suggest you go for the Ertiga, you cant really go wrong with Maruti, and IMO its more or less an Sx4 in a different and newer skin. Duster is another option for you.

If you go through the thread till the end, page 24 or 25 shows you the full list of strengths & weaknesses of all the cars. Please also note, new verna is not in the list of the cars mentioned there, the new verna might have had an impact on the final table. Sx4 as is shown in the thread was & continues to be jack of all trades, master of none. Thus is the choice of a person who wants a trade-off between performance, practicality & peace of mind. I sincerely hope our conversation here & the link which i gave above would probably settle the issue for you.

[imp!]

Hi Byomjeet,

What other cars do you have currently? How much rear leg room do you require? How soon do you need to make your purchase? There is the Ford EcoSport that will be out 1st quarter of next year a Polo 1.2TSI that will be the best drivers hatch back in India that is coming out sometime (hopefully Q1) next year. Then there is a new Octavia that is also out next year.
The SX4 is a good safe bet, but, you really need to first prioritize what exactly you want before making a decision. Do you want a car that is fun to drive? do you want a car that is sedate? Do you want a car that can turn on a pin or one that soaks up bad roads with aplomb. Before you make a decision, consider that most cars that you buy today, be they from Maruti or the VAG stable will usually be in service centers for oil changes, fluid flushes and top ups, routine maintenance. That is about it, perhaps 2-3 in the cars lifetime the turbo will be cleaned. My Suzuki Swift has caused me more problems than my Laura TSI.
At a mileage of 10 KPL (either for Petrol or Diesel) you will utilize at most 200 litres of fuel a month. At Rs 80/L for Petrol that is Rs 16000 in fuel. At Rs 55 per litre for Diesel that is Rs 11,000 per month. You can factor in cheaper maintenance and initial costs for petrol vs diesel to see how long it will take to recover the money. The price difference may be even less depending on where you live.

Test drive the Verna, SX4, Vento and Rapid again and observe the smaller differences like quality of build and materials, see how they drive at speed and how well each of the cars hug the road. Try and qualitatively experience which car you feel safer in. Are you chauffeur driven or self driven? All these things have a huge impact on your decision. Don't forget to factor in larger discounts on petrol cars when comparing prices.