Team-BHP - Honda City ZX or Chevrolet Optra 1.6 or Corolla Executive

Hi.

I am looking for a car which is appx 8.5 - 10 lakhs in mumbai on-road mostly personal driven and driven in the city.

My choices have been limited to 3 cars which fall in this price range.

Honda City GXI
Chevrolet 1.6 or 1.6 Elite
Corolla HE 1.8 J

My requirements are as below as per ascending order of importance:
1. Sturdy Ride Quality
2. Maintenance Free
3. Quite a speed devil. So love a smooth acceleration and good braking quality
4. 30 km drive to & fro from office (more or less city driving)
5. No rattling noise within the car and good cabin sound quality
6. Resale value after 3 years
7. Good AC
8. Nice interiors

After test driving the above, these have been my observations which i did not like.

Honda City GXI
Not very responsive at a 1.5 engine
Decent interiors but quite a con job from the exi to the gxi considering its only cosmetic and for the alpine deck and additional 2 speakers and the difference is as high as 80,000.
I am told it gives an average of 11-12 with ac driving in city. Dont know how true that is.

Chevrolet Optra LS
Fuel average at 8 in the city for sure (since friend owns a 1.8 and he is at 7 to a litre)
Notchy Gear Box

Corolla
Slack interiors in the executive model
Bumpy ride
No deck provided even for a 10 lac + car

Considering the above i wish you car enthusiasts could help me pick a suitable car to help me out based on your personal experiences for the car in these segments based on my above requirements and criterias. Thanks in advance to all you guys.

Quote:

Originally Posted by personified (Post 368617)

Chevrolet Optra LS
Fuel average at 8 in the city for sure (since friend owns a 1.8 and he is at 7 to a litre)
Notchy Gear Box

1.6 should be better than 8, unless with your kind of traffic conditions, NHC gives 10-11. VGIS is supposedly fuel-efficient. Resale will not be there, but that doesnt seem to be the criteria. The car has good luxurious feel, rides and handles well. I agree with gear box part. I was not impressed.

NHC belongs to upper A3 segment. Optra & Corolla belong to A4 segment. Hence Optra & Corolla are bigger, longer & wider than NHC. But NHC being based on cab-forward design has the interior space equal to those 2 cars.

NHC GXi has 1.5L engine which produces 77BHP@5000. Optra has 1.6L with 104BHP@5800 and Corolla is 1.8L with power of 125BHP@6000. So among these, Corolla is faster followed by Optra. NHC scores in mileage.

Here are your parameters:
1. Sturdy Ride Quality:Corolla (195 tyres), Optra (185) & NHC (175).
2. Maintenance Free: NHC and Corolla
3. Quite a speed devil. So love a smooth acceleration and good braking quality: Corolla (ABS with EBD) and then Optra.
4. 30 km drive to & fro from office (more or less city driving): NHC for EPS & hence ease of driving.
5. No rattling noise within the car and good cabin sound quality: -even-
6. Resale value after 3 years: NHC (Corolla & Optra might have a successor coming).
7. Good AC: Corolla, Optra (due to bigger engine capacity)
8. Nice interiors: -even-

If you are looking for a good city car, then NHC is for you. If you want to own a bigger & faster car, go for Corolla.

I would really suggest a Hyundai Verna CRDi. one of the most powerful cars in that segment with a wonderful; mileage to boot (14-15 in city on diesel..even if it falls to 10 it is worth it)

An it does not feel like a diesel either in acceleration or in sound

It is far ahead of Honda city (Not VTEC) in power (110 vs around 70), speed. i think handling is a bit better in the NHC though.

I took a TD on both along rough unpaed roads as well as taking a small bump while accelerating..and the verna surprisingly better behaved on both

the Vtec is a bit more in the league..but my only grouse with it is the build toughness..it is too light while the Verna actually reminds me of the mid size cars in the US. I have not TDd it but I am assuming the Body is the same.

I am not too sure of the comparison on maintainence.

Another car which is pretty good in speed and control is the Lancer Cedia..

OK - im listing the best choice against each requirement of yours in italics..

Quote:

Originally Posted by personified (Post 368617)

Honda City GXI
Chevrolet 1.6 or 1.6 Elite
Corolla HE 1.8 J

My requirements are as below as per ascending order of importance:
1. Sturdy Ride Quality - 1) Optra, 2) City and Corolla
2. Maintenance Free - All 3 are relatively maintainence free cars
3. Quite a speed devil. So love a smooth acceleration and good braking quality - 1) Corolla, 2) Optra 3) City
4. 30 km drive to & fro from office (more or less city driving) - 1) City Gxi, 2) Corolla, 3) Optra
5. No rattling noise within the car and good cabin sound quality - 1) Optra, 2) City, 3) Corolla
6. Resale value after 3 years - 1) Honda, 2) Corolla, 3) Optra
7. Good AC - All 3 on par
8. Nice interiors - 1) Optra , 2) City , 3) Corolla

You know what ? Eyes closed go for a Honda City Vtec.

Quote:

Originally Posted by msdivy (Post 368721)

Here are your parameters:
1. Sturdy Ride Quality:Corolla (195 tyres), Optra (185) & NHC (175). Disagree. Optra feels much heavier and sturdier. I seriously don't think you can compare the ride quality.
2. Maintenance Free: NHC and Corolla. Disagree. I've not paid anything in maintenance costs in one year of owning an Optra. Neither has my dad who's had one for 2 years. This is because of free service and warranty. Now Optra comes with 3 years free, at the end of which you plan on selling anyways.
5. No rattling noise within the car and good cabin sound quality: -even- Disagree. Optra's TNRS (Total Noise Reduction Systems) is, IMO, much superior.
8. Nice interiors: -even- Not if you're looking at Optra Royale (fully loaded). In that case it's a no contest.

I think NHC Vtec is good for what you're looking for though. You should take it for a test drive.

1. Sturdy Ride Quality - Optra for sure, NHC and Corolla are at par.
2. Maintenance Free - NHC at the top, followed by Optra and Corolla.
3. Quite a speed devil. So love a smooth acceleration and good braking quality - Corolla, with NHC Vtec slightly behind (though best braking), and Optra 1.6 way way back.
4. 30 km drive to & fro from office (more or less city driving) - NHC, followed by Corolla and Optra
5. No rattling noise within the car and good cabin sound quality - NHC and Optra both have excellent NVH levels
6. Resale value after 3 years - NHC all the way
7. Good AC - Even.
8. Nice interiors - Optra Royale, NHC Vtec, Corolla base and Optra Elite have ok interiors.

Overall, the NHC-Vtec takes the cake - and since you have the budget, why not. But, seriously consider the Cedia, which has most of above, except for resale value and interiors.