[abhi182]

I am planning to sell off my trusty 3.5 year old Corsa to a friend..I wouldn't have even considered selling it but he is the one who has talked me into it :P

I have had a brilliantly good time with the car from the day I picked it up from the showroom and headed out to Chail (Shimla) the next day till this date when I clipped it across the Bangalore- Chennai highway this Sunday under heavy torrential rains when pretty much half the cars had stoppped by the side

But perhaps it is time to move on to something new, as he put it which brings me to the next qstn.what next?

Here is my take on some of the cars I test drove Y'day and today

A) Honda City ZX (Non VTEC):
Pros: Good resale, trustworthy brand, decent ride, very low NVH (Noise & vehicle harshness)
Cons: 77bhp only :( doesn't feel too responsive, more expensive than the other choices (at approx 8L on road ) in Chennai

B) Ford Fiesta 1.6 Zxi (Petrol)

Pros: Looks good, decently powerful, nice handling, Has sold a lot (given the large number of Fiesta seen on the road) which (possibly) means it should be a good car....Reasonably priced

Cons: Not sure of the Ford service quality + Don't find the car too exciting also. slightly high NVH levels

C) Hyundai Verna Xi

Pros: Looks (to me) the best of the lot, Nice drivetrain, responsive engine, somewhat exciting to drive

Cons: Slightly overpriced for the car it is (7.1 on road), sloppy steering, sloppy interiors, Also, why isn't it selling?, there are hardly any Vernas seen on the roads!

D) Chevy Aveo

Haven't test driven it as yet so can't really comment, planning to take a TD tomorrow, but any comments appreciated

E) Now if that wasn't confusing enough, I made an interesting discovery today that the lancer (Not the cedia) 1.8 (122bhp) petrol automatic is priced at 6.97L ex-showroom in Chennai (Which is the same as 1.5 Petrol Manual...funny...isnt' it?)
Unfortunately, the sole Mitsubishi dealer in Chennai has no test cars for that currently and doesn't know when (if ever) hewill have one...
In terms of sheer VFM, the lancer looks quite droolworthy, but then the Lancers' sale stats aren't exactly confidence inspiring, and I have exactly no clue what the FE figure , amintenance costs and the over all trustworthiness of the vehicle would be like


Just for the record, I am looking for a vehicle thats fun to drive, has a nice responsive engine, has a great suspension and low NVH (Coming from a Corsa) and handles well..Fuel efficiency is a consideration but not a very big one as long as the FE isn't too bad (say ~10 with AC in the city)

Size, interior space etc. is not a consideration at all...As the vehicle normally will have no more than 2 people in it


Also, i did search around on the forum before posting this as I could not find any other post that sounds as confused as mine :ashamed:

Oh and BTW I had posted a similar thread before in March when most of the recommnedations were in favor of the Aveo..However, certain I couldn't make a final purchase back then due to some other personal commitments ....ANd since a lot has changed on the automotive scene in the last 8-9 months, I though creating a new thread may be better than bumping up the old one

[RX135]

Originally Posted by abhi182

E) Now if that wasn't confusing enough, I made an interesting discovery today that the lancer (Not the cedia) 1.8 (122bhp) petrol automatic is priced at 6.97L ex-showroom in Chennai (Which is the same as 1.5 Petrol Manual...funny...isnt' it?)

Are you sure? I can not stop drooling.

[abhi182]

^^100%
weird na....the 1.8 INVEX is the same price as the 1.5 manual

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by abhi182

E) Now if that wasn't confusing enough, I made an interesting discovery today that the lancer (Not the cedia) 1.8 (122bhp) petrol automatic is priced at 6.97L ex-showroom in Chennai (Which is the same as 1.5 Petrol Manual...funny...isnt' it?)
Unfortunately, the sole Mitsubishi dealer in Chennai has no test cars for that currently and doesn't know when (if ever) hewill have one...
In terms of sheer VFM, the lancer looks quite droolworthy, but then the Lancers' sale stats aren't exactly confidence inspiring, and I have exactly no clue what the FE figure , amintenance costs and the over all trustworthiness of the vehicle would be like

When I verified with the dealer in Bangalore, I found that model of Lancer is Euro-2 compliant and not Euro-3 (year 2005 onwards, all cars in metros should be Euro-3). So you can't get it registered in urban areas.
If you can get a Euro-3 Lancer at that price, wow, nothing like that. I would have gone blindly

[ashu2025]

Hello abhi,
I think , out of the4-5 choices given by you, I think Honda City ZX would probably be the most favoured car on this forum. for all the good reasons too. It has got more resale value and better FE (around 13) with classy interiors. cons may be the low ground clearance and suspension and above all I also think this car is hugely overpriced. why not, if ppl are willing to pay for the Honda brand sake.

Fiesta is also a good car, but I like the diesel version more thenthe Petrol one. quite responsive engine, smooth gearshift but inferior interiors, rear seats are not that good for 3 healthy men. suspension also is not among the best. Petrol version 's FE is not more then 11-11.5 in city driving while diesel has award winning FE of 15 in city(as most of the ppl claim).

Verna, i have testdriven yet,but i dont like its looks rightaway. I have read thats its diesel car is more favooured then the petrol one.

Actually I too was in dilemma some 3 months back. and I finally settled for CHEVY AVEO 1.4LS it seemed to me as a good overall package and VFM too. I am quite happy with the car and its showing rather decent FE of 12 kms/litre in city driving with AC. thats pretty good for a 1500 kms driven car. Interiors are excellent. Drivibility and power performance is also top class with the best ground clearance among its competitors. only negative being its hard and notchy gearshifts. though I have now been haibitual of it in 3 montsh time. Its a good car for city drive with family. has got lots of room in rear seats also. above all, its rightly priced too, It was fullly loaded at 6.70L (on road price).

So my choice wud still be AVEO. but you should take test drives of all and choose the best one for you. all cars of modern times are GOOD in general.

[abhi182]

I think Honda City ZX would probably be the most favoured car on this forum. for all the good reasons too. It has got more resale value and better FE (around 13) with classy interiors. cons may be the low ground clearance and suspension and above all I also think this car is hugely overpriced. why not, if ppl are willing to pay for the Honda brand sake.

it does make a very sensible choice but for two reasons from my POV

1- the 77bhp on the non-VTEC (and the VTEC is out of my budget)

2- from a friend's real life experience, and from seeing some of the city pics on the forum after even seemingly minor accidents, i'm hazaar wary of moving from a virtual fortress like the corsa to an almost tinfoil vehicle like the city, all the discussion on crumple zones not withstanding

BTW I did test drive an Aveo and what I felt was that though it's a really nice car to possess otherwise, I didn't see much of an incremental difference over my existing car

[nitrous]

Originally Posted by abhi182

BTW I did test drive an Aveo and what I felt was that though it's a really nice car to possess otherwise, I didn't see much of an incremental difference over my existing car

If im not wrong, the Aveo recieved a 0(zero) star rating for NCAP tests.
Surprising since its designed by pininfarina!

[spookey]

If you like the looks of Verna you should definitely test drive Verna diesel , its really fun to drive with good handling and great power , backed by good hyundai A.S.S , around 8L a bit overpriced but engine is a real gem.

[JRD]

hey abhi..
well looks like you have the right set of cars in mind..
i would have to say that the city and lancer are the best fit for you..

heres what i think
city.(non vtec) : very nicely designed , strong package, has everything except for rubber burning perormance, dont get me wrong but its still as quick as the corsa.. you can go wrong with the car what so ever..

Lancer 1.8: i would say at the price you jus quote its a pretty amazing deal.. the lancer 1.8 would easily be the choice over the city exi. its bigger size wise and engine wise and the performance is pretty amazing for a semiauto box.. and that again is one of the main concerns. its nice to drive but i would prefer a manual car any day.. also the FE will stay on the lower sides because of the transmission..

so jus test drive the car and if you like the transmission then go for it.. its the best fit for you..
also check out the city vtec if your budget allows you.. i got one last month. it fills the power issue of the non vtec one.

hope this helps
JRD.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

If the INVEX comes at the same price as the manual, that would be the most VFM buy in the list...

Also, if you are considering Verna, i gues the diesel VErna is much better than the petrol...

[abhi182]

The diesel Verna goes kinda over my budget as I am trying to limit it to just a wee bit over 7and definitely less than 7.5

[Equus]

I am not sure if the Aveo or even the Fiesta are to be considered as upgrades over your Corsa. I mean, it is an upgrade but not a whole lot Verna Xi seems like a good bet. Why dont you hold on for a few more months and wait for the new Baleno? Not sure about the prices but should be within reach of 7L I would guess.

[omvnbhatt]

nhc-gxi is best as per your requirement. don't go for bhp as hardly make diff. in such traffic.
aveo--left leg touches to dash board and gear shift is almost like indigo(tata is master for producing horrible gears for years)
verna--selling in petrol segment decreasing so it's future and resale.
fiesta-to trust ford-india,it's service,it's spare cost--conclusion-avoid
nhc--revised suspension is not bad as it was earliar.body structure is weaker to corsa

[esteem_lover]

Guys, he does not like the NHC, for obvious reasons. from the choices spelt out, the lancer is the most attractive. but beware that HM is not that serious about their Mitsu plant till date. there has been little or no production activity in their site at thiruvallur. practically speaking, the verna is the better choice (forget about it not being seen on the road & the fiestas being all over the place).

[yogi1771]

if u like to drive go for the fiesta1.6 with ur eyes closed and regarding the a.s.s it has improved quite a lot atleast till date no complaints regarding the a.s.s in mumbai