[ashtrix]

Hi all,
I plan to replace my good old M800 and have narrowed my choice to new honda city gxi and baleno vxi. my usage will be daily 30 kms in mumbai, weekly outings 200 - 300 kms and occasional long drives 800 - 1000 kms one way.
The looks of either of the cars aren't gr8 but my main concerns are utility and value. baleno scores in terms of power, price and service network but negatives are 165 tyres, interiors and being dated. On the other hand honda has gr8 interiors, tubeless tyres, excellent mileage and is a new entry but i am not too sure about its power, performance on long drives and service out of metro cities.
I will be gr8full to have your opinions.
Thanx

ashtrix

[normally_crazy]

hi ashtrix,

if u want to decide between these 2 cars - go for the honda. it is a much more modern car than the baleno which is an old design. as for power i think the honda has suficient power for long distance travelling - u wont notice the difference in power between the cars if u drive at sane speeds on the highway. as far as service is concened maruti is better but then honda also has good service.

so i wud say - the honda city gxi it is

but yeah if u can extend the budget a bit - check out the honda v/s optra poll where the optra has beaten the honda to this point.the optra is a powerful luxurious car too. why dont u think abt the optra. if not the optra - i say the honda.


cheers

[Revvmaster]

Hi Ashtrix.

First things first, you own a Maruti, so you might get a loyalty bonus when you exchange your car for a Baleno. Here's what i think. The GXi is a great car, but at 8.10 lakhs on-road Mumbai, its a bit too expensive just for an additional music system and wooden fascia. My suggestion would be, buy an LXi (currently retailing around the 6 lakh mark), deck her up with a silver fascia and rubber strips at the Maruti showroom (ask them to do it for free, since they really cost close to nothing), then head out to the nearest tyre dealer, get yourself 185 R14s along with 14 inch alloys. Then get going to the nearest accessory dealer and fit yourself a Pioneer 5650 with 4 speakers, woofer and an amp. Also get yourself a fake leather or leather seat covers of good quality.

Total cost of it all? Rs. 6,50,000 or thereabouts. Your saving is still a straight one and a half lakh rupees over the non-modified GXi. That should straight away give you cash for 2 years of fuel.

I am not saying that the NHC is bad, its a great package. But really the Baleno is a tempting proposition. Just make sure your Baleno is black. Black Balenos with 14 inch alloys look really hot!

Revv

[speedsatya]

hey ash,
the NHC is a more modern car,has more room inside and is more FE.
the baleno is an old design ,but u have maruti's superb service bak up for u.the parts of the baleno have lower rates now,but still they are quite expensive.
the base baleno is definitely a good buy.and also the GXi is somewhat expensive for all that it offers.
and if FE is not an issue ,maybe u can check the optra which is available in the price band of the GXi

[ashtrix]

Thanx all for the swift responses.

Rev, you really tempting me to go for Lxi with all those modifications and hope it wont affect the warranty etc. But NC and Speed too have points.

I dont mind spending more for a good machine once and expect it not to bother me often and make me pay a good sum every time i take it for servicing. I am loyal owner and have been driving my maruti for last 8 years and have driven it like a jeep or a bike u can say.It still runs at 120 kmph on mumbai-pune xpress highway having travelled 90k. I luv to rev whenever get an opportunity and take off roads as well. Budget is not an issue for the right thing and I even thought of Honda CRV M/T that comes with 2.4 ltr ivtec engine but just thought it will be too high a jump from m800 to an SUV and of course that will be stretching to a limit. I am a fan of honda engines but maruti has the best network which gives u a psychological comfort when you drive from bombay to delhi, himachal or down south.

I do hope some more comments and let ye all know when i decide.

Thanx a ton again 2 all you.

ashtrix

[speedsatya]

if budget is not an issue y not wait for the 2005 skoda octavia diesel.its the best value for ur money.the crv manual as u said is gonna be somewat expensive.
how abt a pre owned previous model accord.u can get a good one in 8-9 lacs.

[bhp]

i agree with revv ! black baleno with those crome wheels just look tempting and the city is not worth in terms of power compared to an baleno .

[amit]

You say you like to rev the car when you have an oppurtunity. That strikes off the NHC from your list immediately. AutoCar india have published a long term report on the NHC in one of their lates issues and said that the HC really struggles on the highway. (I think they have a CVT but a manual wouldn't offer any major improvements) Also the car is way toooo costly. Go for Baleno or Optra 1.6.

[GTO]

Both cars are plain ugly, but the NHC is a modern ugly design while the Baleno is an outdated ugly design.

If you like to drive...go for the Baleno. If you are looking at practicality and resale value - jump toward the nearest H.E.A.D.

GTO

[manson]

dude its gotta be the baleno . . . complete value for money . . . . . infact just 2 days back i saw a black baleno standing under a tree i think 14 or 15 inch wheels , looked truly amazing . but i wud somehow even then go in for a metallic red or a white one .
manson .

[lamborghini]

well ...
if u can wait then wait for the new city VTEC ...
it should be a good compromise ...
but a SS said a preowned accord will also do the works ..
its fun to drive with good tyres, bloody fast , comfortable ....
read the review of the accord...
the car is just perfect and one of the safest cars to buy and will not give u problems for a long time..
for around 8.5l u get a low mileged used 2001 accord including some hot alloys and better tyres ...
just go for it and u wont regret it ..
second up is a baleno if u cant wait for the city VTEC as it meets ure criteria perfectly

[Shan2nu]

Don't wait for the new City Vtec. It's gonna be a big let down. That car should have around 100bhp after the power cut down. It weighs more than the old Vtec and has a much higher center of gravity which is bound to make it play 2nd fiddle to the old Vtec in terms of performance.

My guess is, it's gonna be as much fun to drive as a Corolla, which, even though has straightline performance, is not considered an out n out driver's car.

Moreover, with the increased power it won't be able to provide the same level of FE as the "i-dsi" NHC. Now why would some one buy a car that is niether much fun to drive nor is it light on the pocket.

Last time i heard from Honda, they had plans to sack the New City Vtec and bring in the Civic instead.

Shan2nu

[fasbond1412]

go for a NHC staright away u test drive both ull cum to noe how much noise the baleno makes n its poor brakes it tends to weave alot i recently tested the baleno will review soon..

[speedsatya]

guys,
i dont think the NHC is that bad a car.when going to pune to watch the APRC ,i was doing 140-150kph on the xpressway and there was this NHC constantly behind me .and then, when on the last straight stretch .it overtook me with 140 kph on my speedo.and that too quite easily.but his AC was off as the windows wrer down.
maybe when u compare with the baleno its gets less ratings for the highway.

[fasbond1412]

well speed wat was the color of the car it could have been me, which date.. coz my NHC keeps up to 140-150 wid ease.. and NHC is the best C segmenter betta then Optra 1.6 as well.. in sumwayz