[Sommos]

Originally Posted by Motoringlover

A diesel sedan certain makes a strong case considering your high mileage on a routine basis, but since Tjet is not a very frequent selling car, you could make up by getting a higher discount. In others words think of it this way.

-------SKIP-------------------------
Good luck with your hunt

Best - ML

Originally Posted by vb-san

Since you liked both the MJD and T-Jet, decide based on what make more financial sense. With the said running, the T-Jet will make sense if you are getting a huge discount (I can see a few of the members going for the T-Jet due to this reason). Both choices are from the same manufacturer, and hence there is nothing to differentiate on the ownership experience. And even the featurelist is pretty matched I guess.

From what I have learnt from the dealer only a handful (10 or even less) of the 2011 Tjet (which presently has a discount of Rs. 2.36L) are left over in the factory. Moreover, they are all FTA or Black, no other colours are available. I have heard that some 2010 model Tjets are lying in the factory and the company is offering 35K more discount on them.
I donot want to go for the 2010 model as it is lying unused for 2 years.
Again I feel that taking the blow at one go is better than the daily dose of injection. This is absolutely the reason for opting for the Diesel MJD.

Originally Posted by teamveevee

So if you are planning to make long trips with the new sedan go with Diesel now irrespective of the discounts on Petrol. But if Diesel prices go up later (for the record, i am supporter of diesel price deregulation) bad luck.

Let us see Sir, what happens.

[goXrive]

Greetings to all of you.

For those who have not checked out my posts in "Introduce yourself" thread, I am a 26 year old Mumbai guy looking for a new vehicle for me and my family. I currently own a Chevrolet Aveo 1.6 LT(petrol) bought in 2006 and has run 119000km which I am thinking of NOT selling. I want to go for a diesel this time as the daily commute from home (Kandivali E) to office(Worli) and back is around 60 kms approx. Both Dad and my offices are in Worli so we travel together alongwith a driver. I frequently go for weekend trips as well.

Yesterday, We (Dad, me and driver bhaiya) had gone to test drive six cars which included Fiat Linea Multijet, XUV5OO, Verna, Renault Duster, Volkswagen Vento and Ford Fiesta in that order. All DIESEL offcourse as we had planned for a Diesel buy this time. Had decided to buy one which is agreed upon by all three of us.
Let me put briefly my experience for each of the cars.

1. Fiat Linea Multijet.

We reached at the showroom in the morning and there was a white coloured suave looking Linea Emotion(2011 model sadly) waiting for us to test drive at the Wasan Motors, Borivali East. Sales people were well behaved and I saw many people who had come to test drive Tata's Manza(surprised because Manzas are rarely seen in Mumbai). Test drove Linea from showroom to Thakur Complex signal a length of about 2 kms to and fro. Handling was superb, excellent ride quality and good looks but not very good interiors. There was definitely a turbo lag but I had serious fun behind the wheels.

Also enquired regarding current Aveo LT's valuation which they said around 1.1 lacs + 30 thousand exchange bonus. Not satisfactory for us as it is well maintained. Dont think any one will offer 2 lacs for such a old car so we have decided to keep it for some more time. Maybe we can replace it with a Ford Ecosport to be launched early next year. Got a proforma invoice for the Linea (as it will be bought on company's name) and left. Dad really liked the rear seat of Linea.

2. Mahindra XUV 5OO
Then we went to G3 at SV Road, Kandivali West to test drive the stunning SUV from M & M. W8 variant was out of our budget so looked at W6. I was impressed but Dad did not want such a bulky vehicle for commuting through heavily jammed Western Express Highway everyday. Tried to explain more regarding awesome features but in vain. My XUV5OO dreams over and out!
Cant buy such an expensive vehicle on my own money for the next 3 years at least.
No test drive. No proforma invoice.

3. Hyundai Verna
Next, we drove our Aveo to Shreenath Hyundai in front of Infinity mall, Andheri W. I had driven a friend's fluidic Verna on Mumbai Pune expressway and it was a big NO from my side. But definitely its the highest selling vehicle and merited a small test drive. And everyone in the family likes this car's exterior looks. Father test drove this vehicle and it was impressive on Linking Road and a demo was given on all the features. With such a raised rear height in fluidic design, the rear view in the mirror is severely obstructed by the height of rear backrests. During monsoons(and it was raining heavily), it can be an issue as ORVMs are also not dependable. Dad had issues with it.
Got a proforma invoice and left. Not very satisfied. Here, old Aveo was valued at meagre 1,10,000 and without any exchange bonus.

4. Renault Duster

At walkable distance is the Renault Andheri West showroom. Duster was a looker from the outside especially this colour in the image below.

It looked good from the front but I liked the rear more with black engrossed "D U S T E R" on chrome. All the enthusiasm evaporated as soon as we stepped in the rear seat. CRAMPED. And the rear AC vents make it worse. Safety features are missing in the lower variant and higher variants are almost as expensive as the XUV5OO W6. Dad was always against the idea of everyday SUV use for office commute. So the newly launched highly successful DUSTER was not made for us. We did spend some time with the beautiful Fluence standing alongside.

5. Volkswagen Vento
I actually knew beforehand that this will be our next car. We walked from Renault showroom to Volkswagen Mumbai West next to Solitaire Honda. Gulped a cup of lemon tea and were shown a demo of white colored Vento Trendline with lots of added accessories. The sales guy BANGED the doors to show the sturdiness of the car's body. No other staff looked towards us even after the noise it made. I understood this was a routine exercise! We test drove a silver coloured Highline kept outside. Highline's interiors were at least two notches above the Trendline with many features making it a great mixture of quality and functionality. Both father and the driver also drove the vehicle and were highly satisfied. The service period for the car is 15000 km / 1 year which is excellent. The sales guy told us not to go for any extra coating/polish as the car has good quality paint with 6 year anti-rust warranty. Took the proforma invoice and left.

6. Ford Fiesta

On the way back home, went to SC Ford in Malad West. Tried Fiesta. Felt cramped on the back seat. And offcourse I have heard that its a great handling driver's car with not so great rear seats. Not what we require. Many of you would have recommended Nissan Sunny on that thought. But we actually needed a combination of both a good driver's car and good rear seats.

We have almost finalised Vento Highline now. The colours that were in mind - Shadow Blue or Black. They have Shadow Blue (my fav color in Vento) and the waiting time they quote is at the max 10 days! Black isnt available with them right now and we will have to wait for 1 month at least.

Please suggest whether a good decision is made or not. Final decision will be made in 2-3 days. Volkswagen is giving a good 17k discount and also, free accessories worth 9k. I was thinking of a spoiler. Will it look good on shadow blue Vento? We are still open to any other cars by the way.

It was my first long post on the forum. Please give suggestions for better presentation. I will definitely write a long detailed review of the new car(whichever it be) as soon as its delivered. THANK YOU.

[Sommos]

As you mentioned excellent handling and ride quality of the Linea and it is a fun to drive car. Can you elaborate your experience of the vento in these aspects. I would also like to know the features available in the Vento and also the cost of maintenance, if you have any idea. Also can you give the OTR price of Linea and the Vento?

Actually I am also looking for a diesel car and am inclined towards the Linea for exactly the features that you mentioned in your post.

[kmadhok]

Any particular reason you left out the Skoda's? IIRC Rapid is on the same platform as the Vento. Also, Skoda's now have a new showroom/ service center in Kandivili so should be an added advantage.

and incase you have not read the reviews already here are the links to the Vento's review
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ve-review.html (Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review)
and the Rapid's review
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ve-review.html (Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review)

[goXrive]

Originally Posted by Sommos

As you mentioned excellent handling and ride quality of the Linea and it is a fun to drive car. Can you elaborate your experience of the vento in these aspects. I would also like to know the features available in the Vento and also the cost of maintenance, if you have any idea. Also can you give the OTR price of Linea and the Vento?

Actually I am also looking for a diesel car and am inclined towards the Linea for exactly the features that you mentioned in your post.

Hi
I liked the Vento's acceleration more than the Linea. It had significantly lesser turbo lag. Vento is amazing especially in the middle revs - 2nd, 3rd, 4th gears. What made me say Linea is a fun to drive car is majorly the steering wheel and ride quality. I found the steering wheel perfect for my driving style. Ride quality of Vento is as good but I found the steering wheel to be not as good as Linea. I think I will start liking it with practice. But overall I think Vento is a better package. The ex-showroom for Linea multijet Emotion was close to 8.9 lacs while Vento HL ex-showroom was 9.9 lacs. OTR for individual comes out to 10.1 lacs for Linea and 11.3 lacs for Vento HL. OTR in Bhilai might be significantly less. Also, try Skoda Rapid.

Originally Posted by kmadhok

Any particular reason you left out the Skoda's? IIRC Rapid is on the same platform as the Vento. Also, Skoda's now have a new showroom/ service center in Kandivili so should be an added advantage.

and incase you have not read the reviews already here are the links to the Vento's review
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ve-review.html (Volkswagen Vento : Test Drive & Review)
and the Rapid's review
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ve-review.html (Skoda Rapid : Test Drive & Review)

Hey. Thanks for the links. I had seen Rapid at a showroom some time back. My preference of Vento over Rapid is purely subjective. I like both Vento's exteriors and interiors more compared to Skoda Rapid. Also, Skoda's A.S.S. is not praised by the people buying it. The interiors of Rapid is in my opinion a big disappointment. The colours offered on Rapid are also not as exciting.

[gishu]

Originally Posted by goXrive

But we actually needed a combination of both a good driver's car and good rear seats.

We have almost finalised Vento Highline now. (snipped)
Please suggest whether a good decision is made or not. Final decision will be made in 2-3 days. Volkswagen is giving a good 17k discount and also, free accessories worth 9k.

Been in the same boat (now almost sea-sick) for the past 2-3 weeks. If you want a 'jack of all trades', there is no doubt in that segment - it's the Vento. With almost ready delivery + significant discounts (if you're buying as part of a company scheme - you can get much more. Try the Thane dealership.) Only thing is the relatively high running cost - 15k kms/1 year : 15K was the salesman's estimate of a visit.

If you're ready to take a risk on Skoda (keeping aside the horror stories of yore), the Rapid is also a strong contender.. better NVH insulation and felt like they had tweaked it based on Vento feedback. It's a ValueForMoney edition of the Vento.

If you need the rear seat on a non-trivial basis, the new Ford Fiesta is not an option. I'd like to meet the person who designed the rear head rests and give him a lifetime achievement award.. so that he stops working.

[DieselDon]

Originally Posted by goXrive

Fiat Linea Multijet, XUV5OO, Verna, Renault Duster, Volkswagen Vento and Ford Fiesta in that order.
4. Renault Duster All the enthusiasm evaporated as soon as we stepped in the rear seat. CRAMPED. And the rear AC vents make it worse.
We have almost finalised Vento Highline now.

TD'd 6 cars in a day ! WoW ! Congrats on your 'Vento' decision. Could not suggest any other (given your circumstances).
For my personal benefit : Is the Duster more cramped than the Vento/Rapid ?

Originally Posted by goXrive

The colours offered on Rapid are also not as exciting.

That is one of the reasons a key stakeholder from my side is quoting verbatim.

Originally Posted by gishu

Been in the same boat (now almost sea-sick) for the past 2-3 weeks.

It has been months now. & With the Duster + @GTO's review yet to come, I am pretty confused.

Originally Posted by gishu

if you're buying as part of a company scheme - you can get much more.

Corporate Discount is 25 K in Hyderabad on the Vento. + 1st year insurance free.

Originally Posted by gishu

If you're ready to take a risk on Skoda (keeping aside the horror stories of yore), the Rapid is also a strong contender.. better NVH insulation and felt like they had tweaked it based on Vento feedback. It's a ValueForMoney edition of the Vento.

My heart was between Vento, Rapid & Manza (Yeah), until the Duster came through.
Checked Ford EcoSport website yesterday. & my mind has not been the same.

The min-SUVs were late entries in my list (was tempted by the GC).

[goXrive]

Originally Posted by DieselDon

Is the Duster more cramped than the Vento/Rapid ?

Yes it is...Even the Duster is a 4 seater just like the Vento/Rapid. The rear AC vent in the Duster is very badly placed. However in the lower end models of Duster, there is no rear AC vent which might be helpful in creating some space for the middle passenger. However the leg space is pretty bad anyways.

Hey guys help me out.
As mentioned above, Vento highline is almost finalised. Here is the list of prospective dealers :
1. VW Andheri West - Giving 14k corporate discount + free 2 years extended warranty + free first year insurance + free mud flaps + free mats. However the problem is they are not ready to give a written assurance regarding 2 years extended warranty. Why is it so?

2. VW Chembur KSM - Giving 14k corporate discount + free first year insurance + free 9k worth accessorries. Not giving extended warranty free...

I have not heard good things about KSM motors. The attitude is not known to be very friendly with customers. There will be negotiations with VW santacruz and VW Thane tomorrow. If nothing works out Andheri West will be finalised.
Please give valuable suggestions. Will keep you updated.

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by goXrive

Hi
I liked the Vento's acceleration more than the Linea. It had significantly lesser turbo lag. Vento is amazing especially in the middle revs - 2nd, 3rd, 4th gears. What made me say Linea is a fun to drive car is majorly the steering wheel and ride quality. I found the steering wheel perfect for my driving style. Ride quality of Vento is as good but I found the steering wheel to be not as good as Linea. I think I will start liking it with practice. But overall I think Vento is a better package. The ex-showroom for Linea multijet Emotion was close to 8.9 lacs while Vento HL ex-showroom was 9.9 lacs. OTR for individual comes out to 10.1 lacs for Linea and 11.3 lacs for Vento HL. OTR in Bhilai might be significantly less. Also, try Skoda Rapid.

Originally Posted by goXrive

As mentioned above, Vento highline is almost finalised.
----------SKIP------------------
There will be negotiations with VW santacruz and VW Thane tomorrow. If nothing works out Andheri West will be finalised.
Please give valuable suggestions. Will keep you updated.

Firstly Congratulations that you have finalised the Vento.

I am in a bit of dilemma between the Vento and the Linea. Love Linea for the handling, ride comfort, stabilty, steering feedback and the 185 mm GC for the 2012 model.

The OTR price of Linea is 10.6L (no discounts) and Vento is 11.6L with some 35K / 40K discount. Well, need to finalise the car pretty soon.

[goXrive]

Volkswagen Vento TDi vs Fiat Linea Multijet

In my opinion, go for Vento if there is only 1 lac price difference.
1. Turbo lag.... Significantly less in Vento.
2. A.S.S....I have seen people waiting for Fiat's parts to arrive for a month!
3. Mileage...Despite having a bigger engine, Vento gives a better mileage especially on highway.
4. I really do not like the colours offered on Linea....the Tuscan wines and the Ocean Blues....I only like Linea in White/Black...Vento looks good in colours like White/Black/Silver/Shadow Blue.....
5. Some people do not buy Vento as it is quite similar in looks to the hatch Polo from the front! IMHO Vento is also similar to the more expensive Jetta from the front which demolishes that silly argument...

[Modifiedsachin]

I had similar dilemma & opted for Linea Multijet Emotion (March 2012 manufactured) for following reasons

1. Does not have hump (Transmission one) below rear seats, so a 5th passenger does not need to spread his legs discomforting other two.
2. Got a good deal of 9.12L + 29211 for insurance of TATA AIG with 0% dep. so total 941911 Thane on road (Original shown on list was 10.70 on road)
   Had to fight a lot, but got it, with free anti rust coating, free mats, free mudflaps
3. With what I got the 5th wheel is also alloy (New from factory manufactured May 2012 onwards do not have alloy as per dealer)
4. The car has real leather inside
5. Also has auto wipers & auto lights with EBS, EBD & two front airbags
6. The feel is too good even with 1.3 engine
7. The clutch of new 2012 Linea was felt very light
8. When I allowed the car in third gear to slow down to ~>25Km/H and gave accelerator the car did not knocked and took up smoothly
9. The feel of audio with blue & me was good, pairing and seeing the phone book on cluster display was good, you can make voice command to call someone(If you some particular phone then it even reads messages for you).
10. Ground clearance is now 185mm
11. Alloy wheels are of 16" size & tires are of 205/55/R16
12. The boot does not have obstruction of hinges or wings and also has hydro support for the boot lead.
13. Some more but not that significant as its personal liking part

I will be soon writing my first drive & buying experience once I get my Registration number. I got my car home last Saturday (7th 7th 2012) but still waiting for number. Did not wanted to keep at dealer as any damage they will just use these days to repair it and I will never know what happened. Should get the number today & will make number plate tomorrow

Sorry for a back to back reply but wanted to highlight this part specifically about spares.

Originally Posted by goXrive

Volkswagen Vento TDi vs Fiat Linea Multijet

A.S.S....I have seen people waiting for Fiat's parts to arrive for a month!

I just read the thread where all parts for FIAT are available

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/mumbai...le-mumbai.html

Have I read it correctly, are really parts available there???

That was one of the thread which made my decision easier on account of parts.

Though I have decided to get the following parts ordered in advance

1. Diesel Filters (2)
2. Air filters (2)
3. Side mirror glasses (4)
4. Oil filters (2)

So that whatever comes I do not face issue on regular moving parts.

[funda2max]

Folks,

I am looking for a sedan upgrade from Ritz VDi which ran 50K in three years. Here are my priorities for the new car.

1) Safety (ABS and Airbags must)
2) Comfort
3) Diesel

I have taken TDs of Vento, Verna, Etios and planning to take TD for Sunny today. Vento is very costly, goes beyond my budget (Only highline has Airbags and ABS). Verna was stunning, but not so good to drive. Etios was noisy, but offers excellent rear room.

I am going to take a TD for Sunny diesel today, will update my findings.

Any suggestions or advice on which is the good car to buy in this segment?

Thanks

[Sommos]

Originally Posted by goXrive

Volkswagen Vento TDi vs Fiat Linea Multijet
In my opinion, go for Vento if there is only 1 lac price difference.

Originally Posted by Modifiedsachin

I had similar dilemma & opted for Linea Multijet Emotion (March 2012 manufactured)

@ModifiedSachin : Good to find someone sharing the same idea about the Linea.
You got the 10.7L car at 9.41L, a discount of 1.3L, or there is something else which is missing from the post.

Sachin congrats for your new Linea.

[goXrive]

Originally Posted by funda2max

Folks,

I am looking for a sedan upgrade from Ritz VDi which ran 50K in three years. Here are my priorities for the new car.

1) Safety (ABS and Airbags must)
2) Comfort
3) Diesel

I have taken TDs of Vento, Verna, Etios and planning to take TD for Sunny today. Vento is very costly, goes beyond my budget (Only highline has Airbags and ABS). Verna was stunning, but not so good to drive. Etios was noisy, but offers excellent rear room.

I am going to take a TD for Sunny diesel today, will update my findings.

Any suggestions or advice on which is the good car to buy in this segment?

Thanks

Why is there no fiat linea in your probables?

[funda2max]

Originally Posted by goXrive

Why is there no fiat linea in your probables?

There are lot of horror stories about A.S.S and spare parts for Fiat. Fiat is also unsure/unclear about their India strategy. I would have definitely got Linea if it were with TATA (Strong partnership interms of network).

Did Sunny diesel test drive yesterday and found to be inspiring, easy drive characters. I am little concerned about it's gear shift though. Sunny users, Can you please share experiences? This is the only concern for me about Sunny.