[ampere]

Originally Posted by narsi_6989

Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

I can tell you from my experience of owning a Vento and Linea.

Thanks guys. Thats the perspective I was looking for. No I am not looking for a car now. Just wanted to understand the pulse on these two sections.

I also remember other members asking the same question why should one differentiate just based on the 1.3 Vs 1.5/1.6. Even I believe that 1.5/1.6 is a great differentiator. But is it a deal breaker is what I wanted to know from member's buying experience. I do understand that Linea is awesome product, and if Maruti can match it with Ciaz the sector will only heat up more. But just wanted to set the equation other than the engine options alone.

On the services front as Amit mentioned, I hear much much more positive feedback on Fiat esp in Bangalore after they have gone solo. The same I can't say about VW/Skoda.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by ampere

Thanks guys. Thats the perspective I was looking for. No I am not looking for a car now. Just wanted to understand the pulse on these two sections.

The Linea facelift or old and the 2 euro twins Rapid/Vento are not hot selling models. Most of the times people may consider Vento/Rapid/Linea but then they go knocking on Honda/Hyundai doors. The City and the Verna numbers are staggering compared to the poor sales of the 3 euro cars.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Linea facelift or old and the 2 euro twins Rapid/Vento are not hot selling models. Most of the times people may consider Vento/Rapid/Linea but then they go knocking on Honda/Hyundai doors. The City and the Verna numbers are staggering compared to the poor sales of the 3 euro cars.

Verna yes. But City happened now thanks to Diesel. Of course they did good numbers even with petrol. My point was only on diesel. There was this Verna side and a non-Verna side which include the rest (VW/Skoda/Fiat/Ford etc).

But now I think that discussion itself does not hold good thanks to the new equation (City). If they could make a it bit more stiffer, a VGT for a facelift ... thats it. But the niche will still remain.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

For that reason alone my money would go to the new facelifted Ford Fiesta. It's a very sweet package with brilliant driving dynamics. The Linea is better in dynamics but put down by the 1.3MJD compared to the Ford.

+1
Does the facelift include any re-work on interior space? (Rear)

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by ampere

But the niche will still remain.

For that reason alone my money would go to the new facelifted Ford Fiesta. It's a very sweet package with brilliant driving dynamics. The Linea is better in dynamics but put down by the 1.3MJD compared to the Ford.

[malayrai]

Hello All,
First of all thanks to GTO for the excellent official review of the Honda City. It really shows the kind of detail the official reviews are written in. Well, I seek your advice on the following issue which has been a big dilemma for the past one month or so.

Background:

I am looking at a sedan within Rs. 1 million for mostly city driving with an average running of about 1000 KM per month.

After test driving lot of cars booked an IVTEC Honda city VMT in December 2013. The cost on road is around Rs. 10, 02,000 (Gurgaon). Initially booked golden brown but then changed it to Silver and due for delivery in a week’s time.

Recently during a discussion with my friend came to know that with an attractive discount, the Diesel Hyundai Verna (SX) is costing around 10,35,000 on road (Gurgaon). Got tempted towards it (differential of Rs. 35,000, is fetching me a diesel car). The test drive was good, but found the steering really unresponsive, suspension soft for high speed with the odd vertical movement in the car and the turbo lag in first and second gear below the 2000 rpm mark. Having said that found it much better than the IDTEC Honda city which I test drove just for kicks when it was launched in January.

Seeking your valuable input to:

1. Whether the Diesel car makes economic sense considering my usage.( But at the same time also the fact that it’s just 40K price differential).

2. Keeping in mind that I have been driving a Petrol Maruti Alto so far, so I am anyway going to upgrade skipping next 2 segments for either of the two options (City Petrol or Verna Diesel).

3. Is it a big hassle for first time Diesel car drivers to get used to the functioning of a Diesel car?

4. Considering Cost being the same should I go for Petrol Honda City VMT or Diesel Verna SX. (Usually the Petrol vs Diesel debate hovers around the time required to recover the cost differential which in this case is very low).

Many thanks,

[ishaanranderia]

Originally Posted by malayrai

Hello All,
Considering Cost being the same should I go for Petrol Honda City VMT or Diesel Verna SX. (Usually the Petrol vs Diesel debate hovers around the time required to recover the cost differential which in this case is very low).

Many thanks,

i understand the temptation, especially considering the price, but i would ask myself the question (since i assume your running is low, as you are considering a petrol car) you will be owning a car for the next few years (most modern cars are good for 6-7 years at the least) do you want to own the car you will enjoy after the initial excitement has worn off or follow your head and book the vern a, mind you diesel petrol price gap is reducing and will keep reducing for the foreseeable future (considering the expensive subsidy costs to the government).
I say this as i own a hyundai i20, i got swayed with the great features it offered but every time i drive the car i really don't care much for the suspension, the complete lacklustre feel of the steering and though the features are great the car feels devoid of any soul.
Now this is my feeling, anyway driving in city traffic is a pain i would not want to compound it with a boring car, its strange but i enjoy driving my 7 year old fiesta with no features so tot speak of (compared to newer cars) than the i20, which also suffers from a wobbly ride.
I would go for the city, from previous experience i can tell you its a great city car which holds up well to wear and tear and there is something nice about a well engineered product that you cannot put into words.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by malayrai

Background: I am looking at a sedan within Rs. 1 million for mostly city driving with an average running of about 1000 KM per month.

I was using a Maruti WagonR before purchasing my Punto diesel two years back. While deciding on the car, I had a look at petrol options as well- since my yearly usage in the WagonR was just about 10,000 kms per year. Finalised on Punto mainly because of the FTD factor, and not the diesel advantage.

And guess what? 2 years and 3 weeks later- the ODO stands at 63,000 kms now.

A good (specially diesel) car can easily change your usage pattern. I never had a plan to take the car for so many intercity trips, but wife started preferring the car for all trips- and it made financial sense too compared to other modes of transport. Upgrading from an Alto (WagonR in my case) to a million rupee sedan is a big upgrade and you might want to end up driving a lot more than the initial estimates would suggest.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by malayrai

Seeking your valuable inputs

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

A good (specially diesel) car can easily change your usage pattern.

A very valid point. As @CD puts it since you are upgrading from an Alto to 10L sedan, its a huge set-up.

- So your usage pattern can get altered (or rather mutated!).
- This would be mainly outside your realm of daily driving.
- See if you can visualise that change today. If even by an ounce you can sense that, opt for the diesel version.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by malayrai

Hello All,
First of all thanks to GTO for the excellent official review. It really shows the kind of detail the official reviews are written in. Well, I seek your advice on the following issue which has been a big dilemma for the past one month or so.

Background:

I am looking at a sedan within Rs. 1 million for mostly city driving with an average running of about 1000 KM per month.


1. Whether the Diesel car makes economic sense considering my usage.( But at the same time also the fact that it’s just 40K price differential).

2. Keeping in mind that I have been driving a Petrol Maruti Alto so far, so I am anyway going to upgrade skipping next 2 segments for either of the two options (City Petrol or Verna Diesel).

Echo the comments made above on this. If you are driving close to 1000 km per month in your alto, your usage will definitely be higher with a C Segment Sedan. When I had my Zen 3-4 years back, my usage was only~5000 per year, for the last couple of years, for my SX4, usage went up to ~9000 per year. Now with my Vento TSI, I have clocked close to 5000 km in 4 months. All through this, my 'standard' usage pattern has not changed. It is just that a better car makes you take it out more and makes you 'find' excuses to go on drives and hence increases the 'ad-hoc' usage beyond what we plan for

So suggest you keep this in mind before deciding.

[malayrai]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Echo the comments made above on this. If you are driving close to 1000 km per month in your alto, your usage will definitely be higher with a C Segment Sedan. When I had my Zen 3-4 years back, my usage was only~5000 per year, for the last couple of years, for my SX4, usage went up to ~9000 per year. Now with my Vento TSI, I have clocked close to 5000 km in 4 months. All through this, my 'standard' usage pattern has not changed. It is just that a better car makes you take it out more and makes you 'find' excuses to go on drives and hence increases the 'ad-hoc' usage beyond what we plan for

So suggest you keep this in mind before deciding.

Thanks for the perspective. Really useful to know from first hand experience. The only outstanding question remains is if any of you have an experience in comparing a New Petrol City with 2014 Verna Diesel. All other things being constant. Given the clear running cost advantage of a Diesel car, really interested to understand the points in favour of petrol City 2014. Any perspective on driving experience will be really useful. My heart is leaning towards the City while mind is going towards Verna.

[sam_boy]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

High speed cornering and comfort - Fiat and Ford , no one else. Be it 120 or 190 kmph Linea feels the same, no fuss no sweat. high speed cornering and cuts on highways is extremely comfortable on Fiats. Vento kind of gives me false feedback from the steering which takes me away from road reality.
The steering mechanism on Jetta however is way better and similar to Fiat/ Fords

I drive a Rapid ( read same as Vento) and I never felt any discomfort in high speed. I have taken it till 165 + Kmph and still the car felt great. Having said that I do agree that Ford has the best steering feel but in Rapid/Vento it is not bad either. Again I have absolutely no problems in high speed cornering, but I have Pirreli tires in my car and I think they play a big role there. Given a chance I would drive a ford/verna inside the city and it would be always the Rapid on the highway. Again my personal opinion

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by sam_boy

I drive a Rapid ( read same as Vento) and I never felt any discomfort in high speed. I have taken it till 165 + Kmph and still the car felt great. Having said that I do agree that Ford has the best steering feel but in Rapid/Vento it is not bad either. Again I have absolutely no problems in high speed cornering, but I have Pirreli tires in my car and I think they play a big role there. Given a chance I would drive a ford/verna inside the city and it would be always the Rapid on the highway. Again my personal opinion

I used to do 800 kms road trips in my tall boy WagonR. It felt perfect, never had a problem maintaining 100 plus all along. Body roll, electric steering- nothing bothered me back then. After using the Punto for 20k kms- driving the WagonR felt like a weird and vague experience.

It's all about perspective. So I guess it's better to take the word of an owner who owns/ drives both cars as the last word.

[sam_boy]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

I used to do 800 kms road trips in my tall boy WagonR. It felt perfect, never had a problem maintaining 100 plus all along. Body roll, electric steering- nothing bothered me back then. After using the Punto for 20k kms- driving the WagonR felt like a weird and vague experience.

It's all about perspective. So I guess it's better to take the word of an owner who owns/ drives both cars as the last word.

My bad, forgot to mention we have a Ford Fiesta ( My younger brother spins it) and I have driven that for more than 10K kms !!!

[adarsh76]

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[urajkumar]

Originally Posted by malayrai

Thanks for the perspective. Really useful to know from first hand experience. The only outstanding question remains is if any of you have an experience in comparing a New Petrol City with 2014 Verna Diesel. All other things being constant. Given the clear running cost advantage of a Diesel car, really interested to understand the points in favour of petrol City 2014. Any perspective on driving experience will be really useful. My heart is leaning towards the City while mind is going towards Verna.

My two cents. Honda is a new model & hence resale value will be better down the line considering Verna is expected to get a face-lift soon.

Having owned a Hyundai & honda earlier, while the Hyundai features are good the driving experience is not even close to Honda. Hence if you are someone who likes driving, Honda is the way to go (based on the feedback from others) but if ur not bothered about how it drives then Hyundai makes sense. Also if i am not wrong, the rear space & ergonomics are better in Honda. Look at what counts for you & decide.

At least whenever you can, my suggestion is to listen to your heart !