Hi,
It is that time when the itch has started to go for a comfortable big luxury sedan that can carry my family in comfort on long journeys and then also provide the driving pleasure when am alone driving the car around. I have contacted fellow members and all have been very helpful in providing me the desired information i required (thanks team bhp).
As you know, i had recently acquired a Fiesta last year and i drive that car maybe 30-40% of time, rest of the time it is driven by my sister for whom the car was bought. My Vento has completed over 3 years with 44k on odo and i am now getting bored of it so casually asked my dad if it was time time to exchange it for some D segment sedan and he agreed so i started searching for our new car
My requirements are :
1. Has to be a diesel since the car would be used on long highway trips + trips to the hills and would do a annual run of atleast 15-16k kms.
2. Has to be an automatic since the traffic in Delhi is pathetic and i want mine as well as my father's left leg to take some relief from the heavy diesel clutches.
3. Has to be built well with good safety features, 6 airbags is a bare necessity since our Ecosport has them. No compromise here.
4. The car should be hoot to drive since my benchmarks are pretty high now, no light steering or soft suspensions. Car should be great to drive.
5. Need decent back seat space so my old parents can comfortable sit there when/if we go out on a long highway drive, would be an added bonus if the rear seat can accomodate our huge 50kgs golden retriever.
6. Germans are pretty unreliable and i know that due to so many part failures in my Vento but i have no other choice, these guys make such great cars that it is impossible to shift onto some thing else.
My requirements left me with Jetta, Octavia, Pre owned 320D and Pre owned X1. Jetta was ousted as it is too similar to Vento and i need some thing fresh now, interiors were too bland. X1 is an outgoing model and the rear seat space was bad.
My observations on the cars i drove, Q3 was driven by me just today and was a wild card entry but it was rejected within 5 kms.
Audi Q3 Pros
1. The interior quality was top notch with every button that felt very premium.
2. Most refined diesel i have driven to date and the car was revv happy.
3. Huge sunroof was a brownie point and even the ride was pretty comfortable.
4. I hate SUV stance but dad liked the good road presence and that the car was easy to maneuver.
Cons
1. Absolutely and i repeat this once again, absolutely dead, pathetic, ultra light and dead steering. Infact i felt as if i was driving a Hyundai Verna, i was shocked that the steering felt so light even in dynamic mode. My Vento on 205 S Drives has much better weight and feel than Audi's steering and i am not even bringing Linea/Fiesta in picture here.
2. The car was super cramped, front width seemed too narrow, front seats were too flat without bolsters and there is no push button start at 45L.
3. Thanks to that light steering, handling was nervous and i never felt connected to the car.
4. Rear space was as bad as X1 and the car was rejected then and there.
Skoda Octavia Pros
1. She looks fabulous with the bi-xenon projectors in front and has excellent road presence. The interiors were lovely and felt rich, infact at some places, the plastic quality was better than BMW.
2. There is ample space at front, width wise also it is great and the car feels very airy. Rear seat space is excellent with a huge 590 litres boot.
3. There are so many features in the new anniversary edition like push button, panoramic sunroof, paddle shifters, rear view camera etc and some of these things are even missing in 320D or Q3.
4. The 2.0 TDi AT was very nice to drive, steering was well weighted and it was a surprise for me. This car felt a lot better to drive than Q3 and the DSG was quick to upshift as well. The rear suspension was a bit harsh and noisy owing to the cheaper torsion beam. I had a blast driving this car though.
5. The car costs 25 on road for 2.0 TDI AT anniversary edition and Skoda is offering a 60k off, i can save another 40-50k on insurance so that amounts to just 24 on road for a brand new 2.0 AT anniversary edition.
Cons
1. Skoda has poor after sales and service and i know that but after paying 24L i do not get the badge value that premium germans command.
2. I have to face the wrath of incompetent VAG guys once more and i shudder to think of dealing with these guys once again for next 4 years.
3. There is no other negative i can think of really, it is an extremely good package at half the price of a new 320D.
BMW F30 320D Pros
1. Boy was this car fun to drive or should i say super fun to drive. Rear wheel drive, excellent chassis and one cracker of an engine coupled with an equally competent ZF gearbox.
2. Ride was good even on the hard runflats and i did not feel any extra harshness or stiffness. The driving position was spot on but my dad was not comfortable as the seat height was too low even on highest position.
3. It stuck like a leech around corners, steering was lovely and weighted very well. Chassis balance was mind blowing, true driver's car.
4. The stock 9 speaker HIFI system was mind blowing, one of the best oem audio systems i have experienced to date.
Cons
1. BMW have softened the rear a bit too much and the rear bounced/bobbed a bit over undulations and it was a bit uncomfortable as i had expected a lot more from BMW.
2. The quality of some plastics was a bit off the mark, absence of cruise control and paddle shifters is plain silly.
3. The maintenance would cost a bomb compared to Octavia and the wait times for spares would be even longer.
4. The ground clearance is a bane and the car did scrape over a speed hump near my residence with 3 on board.
What should I do now
2.0 TDI AT Octavia anniversary edition costs around 25L on road Delhi with 4 year Skoda warranty, after 60k cash discount and another 60k saved on insurance, this is going to cost well under 24L for a brand new Rio Red Octavia. The only negative is that there is no badge value but the car is very practical and very spacious, it is extremely good to drive. Sep,2014 BMW 320D luxury line is available for 29L and the car has clocked 12,000 kms. Dealer is saying no accident history with full service record (car has done only 1 service so far). I will have to stretch my budget by another 6 lakhs since i need to shell out 1 lakh for 5 year BMW extended warranty. I will get a car which is hoot to drive but it is pre owned and i am wondering how will the car fare with 4 on board over the pathetic roads of Himachal.
New 320D luxury line costs 38 on road with around 6 lac discount and it is way out of budget. Heart says BMW but mind says Skoda, Octavia is a very practical choice and i wish i had not driven 320D, it was so good that i fell in love with it, still wondering if it would survive the pathetic roads and potholed ridden highways of North India. Octavia can definitely take much more abuse and the ground clearance looks sufficient as well. Octavia's service should cost 10-11k and and 320D will be around 20-21k which is not much of an issue though.
The biggest downer was that a friend of mine recently bought a 320D in my appartment and i saw him when i had gone to Bird Automotive Gurgaon to see 3 series with dad. He told me that he had taken the car out on a night drive and the car malfunctioned while passing through water which was not even till lower bumper, the car stalled and he was very dissatisfied. It has been a week and BMW guys have no clue and are not giving proper updates, this was a deal killer for my dad but i understand such things can happen.
Are BMW's more susceptible to run flat/rim damage and hydrostatic locks or am i worrying too much.
Help me guys!