[druva]

Well I am also looking for a new car and have been watching threads for quiet a while. However curious about a car that seems to be ignored.
(You got to read my ramble...so bear with me).

I currently own a Santro and would like to 'upgrade' however spend as little as possible!

I first fixed my limit as 5 lacs and started searching cars.
I was keenly watching the "5 laks and few thousand more" thread. However I dont think I will go for Palio

I want to restrict myself to

1. Hyundai - good A.S.S. (I am happy with my Santro too)
2. Maruti - good VFM. Fuel Economy. Resale value.
3, Honda - reliable cars. In US, I have driven Civic and CRX for long time..
4. Toyota - like to have - but not innova.. other cars way out of league
5. Mahindra - not sure... maybe on border.

What I am looking for
1. Good Fuel economy. Currently I am driving 30 km per day..
However planning to use car down the line in 2 years will increase to 70 km per day.
Evaluated Petrol vs Diesel. However to recover the 1 lac additional cost of Diesel car, it would require 2 years to break even. (with 70 km per day)

So I am settling for a Petrol model.

2. Good VFM. First generation car buyer. So naturally looking to buy a well spent car.

3. Good A.S.S. I heard from my friends here (@Chennai) that Ford A.S.S. is not good. I also heard the Maruti dealers do cheat. Any comments?
How is Honda A.S.S.? Are the they reliable?

4. People travelling - at weekends 5 people (including kids)

5. Safety. Important than ride comfort. Mostly self driven.

Looking at the choices discussed under 5 laks - I couldnt zero on any car as an 'upgrade'.

However my curiosity is about Maruti Versa. I am surprised that its not even discussed
(or atleast my search results are showing threads with 'vice versa' :-) )

For me it seems to be a good car. However not sure about the 'stability', 'safety' aspects of the car. I notice that it has good ground clearance and bumped front end (compared to Omni) I heard earlier that Omni had stability issues.. not sure if this car is also built on that same mould.


P.S:
1. I couldnt really consider any other cars under 5 lacs as an 'upgrade'. So, if this car is voted out, I would go for SX4, Verna, City or Scorpio. Just that, I would not like to spend that much money, if I dont have too.

2. After reading my post, I felt people might question what do I consider as 'upgrade'. Well atleast the car space should incease (my kids will definitely grow).
If comfort features increases, with good VFM - then defnitely yes.

3. I even patiently navigated the 'car review' threads in team-bhp (went to about 15 pages)..I couldnt find reviews about Versa. I hope I wont be kicked out of the forum, if I buy this car

[condor]

Got the following results for a search for "Versa, stability":
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/search...archid=2027251

This search result also shows the following two threads about the Versa:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ers-board.html
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ersa-vows.html

And this one too , with some good points reg stability, by Ram
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...dth-issue.html

Check the information in these threads. Dig more, you are sure to fine more information on the Versa.

[ram_hyundai]

versa is a good option,even i was surprised why no one was discussing that vehicle.now versa has got enough space in it.8 people can be seated in relative comfort.you can do some mods to the seating arrangements so that its customised for your prefference,mileage would be between 12-14kmpl.low maintenence.resale -i am not sure about that.no much versa on sale in the second hand market.
ram

[druva]

Originally Posted by condor

Got the following results for a search for "Versa, stability":
....
Check the information in these threads. Dig more, you are sure to fine more information on the Versa.

Well After reading the previous threads, I think the ex-owners have been +ve about Versa. However I cant ignore ram's stats of Versa being the tallest boy (debate seem to conclude that stat alone doesnt determine stability). I have taken my Santro to speeds of 130 .. but didnt feel someone pushing me out (ofcourse the road didnt have major curves and winds were not strong). I have driven Dodge Caravan in US (the Innova equivalent) and have felt strong winds pushing me - as precaution I had to remove the cruise control and drove manually to keep the vehicle straight.

I dont think unless there is storm, such a strong wind is there in my parts of India and also I rarely get opportunities to drive in such high speeds.

If I take Test drive in Versa -

1. Can someone suggest how to test stability (ride fast and take a sharp turn?)

2. What is the impact of RWD on versa?

3. As far as ride comfort - I think Santro also fares poor. So I feel my family wouldnt feel the upgrade. So I will keep it a secret.


4. I am sure the 3rd row would be mostly taken by my kids. - Should I watch out for anything - like stability etc. I am not sure what they mean in the threads about 3rd row comfort, stability. Is it, if I more weight in the rear the car would be more stabler?

[druva]

Well test drove Versa..Didnt like it.
Cons:
Seats were not comfortable - both driver and rear seats. Felt cheaper than Santro.
Accelerated fast and turned left at about 60.. heard the screeching sounds.
Also twin AC model gives mileage < 10 as per dealer. {I dont know whether he is trying to sell me Estillo/ Swift }

Pros:
Visibility was good.
Space was good. <Leg space is much better in all rows >


Decided to wait. (Informally dealer said Swift Sedan would be launched in March/ April } Also today's ET carried an article about the upcoming releases - i20, Swift Sedan, Fabia..

[DirtyDan]

Originally Posted by druva

Evaluated Petrol vs Diesel. However to recover the 1 lac additional cost of Diesel car, it would require 2 years to break even. (with 70 km per day) So I am settling for a Petrol model.

There are variables besides fuel economy that make people choose diesels. You should factor in other savings as well.

1.) Diesels last longer than petrols, generally, often much longer.
2.) Diesels require less maintenance. You never have to tune them up. The only thing you have to do is change the oil regularly and air and fuel filters occassionally.
3.) Because of 1 and 2 above you will not have to spend so much of your time taking care of your car.

[koenigsegg]

Logan might be a choice within budget for you. But as you're used to the good build quality and comforts of a Santro, and are already disppointed in the quality of Versa. I guess you might not like the Logan either.

Among your choices Honda, Toyota also will be over 7L+.

SX4 might be worth a test drive as well for you.

I own a Santro currently, and during my search for a new car test drove SX4 and liked it too. I'm finally going for a Corolla.

Not sure what your reasons are for not trying Innova. In my view if you're looking for good comfortable seating space for 5+ people, it is a good choice.

[druva]

Originally Posted by koenigsegg

..
SX4 might be worth a test drive as well for you.

...
Not sure what your reasons are for not trying Innova. In my view if you're looking for good comfortable seating space for 5+ people, it is a good choice.

As I am not happy with the 5lak choices - will be looking at 6.5l ranges.
I think my next set of choices would be SX4, City, Verna. I decided to wait and see the Fabia price/ space and finalize.

As far as Innova - I am not sure whether I will be able to park/ drive comfortably in Chennai traffic.