[vikrantw1]

Hi folks
Have gleaned loads of info over this forum - however this is more pertinent to Chennai - as moving there from Delhi and opting for company funded car under 15 lacs OTR
Now I need a car that has auto transmission, must have abs and airbags
With my budget that is essentially the Corolla, the Civic or the Octavia

Now my questions to people in Chennai would be to rate these cars in Chennai - only based on
a) Dealership experience - ie how would you rate the dealers in Chennai of Toyota, Honda and Skoda - this is pertinent since I would not want ownership hassles - particularly relevant because of Skoda
b) Roads in Chennai - Does one require high ground clearance - my visits there dont indicate many speedbreakers but what about the state of roads in the monsoons - in which case Civic may not be a good option
but need your rankings based on experiences of ownership of these cars in Chennai

Aside from these questions I am pretty much aware of the merits/ demerits of these cars having driven them reasonably frequently

Also welcome would be if someone has any idea of what would be availble under 15 lacs in Chennai - with Auto tranny, abs and airbags

Plus do let me know of any discounts being offered in Chennai - this being year end and all

Hope to catch up with tbhpians once there

Thanks for all the help in advance !

[ballkey]

There's an Embera CRDi that has a H-matic transmission. Fully loaded too.
Should be within striking distance of 15 L.
While I wouldnt know about the big three, Hyundai is pretty good, as everywhere else.

Chennai roads do get battered hard during winter. Unless you drive around mostly upmarket posh locations, you're bound to get some rough riding.

Frankly, I wouldnt want to be driving any of these big cars here. Not just for the roads, but general traffic conditions too. But you're from Delhi, may be a lot worse there...

[ram_hyundai]

i second that.h matic tranny in the hyundai is good.less maintenence cost also compared to other three.diesel advantage.all goes in its favour,but poor sales figure is an issue.but a the vehicle is too good for our roads,

ram

[csentil]

Chennai roads are decent enough. Atleast there's a working government there unlike Karnataka, sadly. :-( I've taken my Civic there quite often there and I've not had any unpleasant encounters there. Chennai has lesser number of speedbreakers too.

However traffic is a concern. Chennai when compared to Bangalore, vehicles drive very close to each other. Also there are too many autos, cycles & two wheelers who can give you a nice scratch !!

I personally liked the Civic AT. Its 5 speed unlike the Corolla 4 speed tranny.

Chennai monsoon is for 2 months and even then it rains mostly when there's a depression/cyclone on the coast, unlike the South West Monsoon when you get a lot of uniform rain spread over weeks/months. The rest of the time its hot, humid & sticky. :-)

[fb1]

I have a corrolla auto, awesome car. fun to drive.. hella powerful. Diesel I would suggest the laura!

[vikrantw1]

Thanks for the responses guys - so seems like given my usage - about 1000-1200 kms per month - a corolla might be good
What about dealership experiences - who has better dealers - toyota / honda

[fb1]

Lanson Toyota is awesome, never had any problems with them.