[crosscap]

Lately, I am also seriously thinking about the fiat palio. I shall wait for the 1.3 MJD launch. Most of the owners feedback on palio in this forum were quite positive.

[ravibhat]

Palio is any day good car, whoever baught it they are very happy with it.

I like Fiat's technology, ride and build quality!

Ravi.

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by ravibhat

Palio is any day good car, whoever baught it they are very happy with it.

I like Fiat's technology, ride and build quality!

Ravi.

Hi Ravi, thanks for your feedback. What's your opinion about the maintenance cost? Which fiat model do you own?

[crosscap]

I need some help from the wagnoR owners. Does wagonR have provision for speakers on the doors? Can I fit in a music system later on?

[someshb]

Originally Posted by crosscap

I need some help from the wagnoR owners. Does wagonR have provision for speakers on the doors? Can I fit in a music system later on?

WagonR, frankly, is not a music friendly car. There is provision for small front speakers on the dash, but no provision for rear speakers. You can either fit round speakers by cutting the hatch door or you'll have to fit a plank and fit those oval speakers. Fitting the plank will result in loss of boot space. If you still insist on maruti, the zen estillo comes with provision for front and rear speakers in the door.

[crosscap]

Hi BHPians,

Sorry for being silent for such a long time. I came back from Helsinki to Allahabad a few weeks back. I took some time to settle down. I started test-driving few cars. Dew to some other commitments, I have to reduce the budget. I can only afford upto Rs. 4.5 or 4.7 Lacs OTR. So accordingly, I dropped few cars from my shortlist and added some new. Below I discuss my experience with these cars. I need some feedback from fellow BHPians, so as to take a final decision.

1. i10 Magna

Driving Experience : Pick-up was too good. It was difficult to control this machine in narrow alleys of Alld. The rear suspension was excellent. I drove fast on some roads full of potholes. My parents were sitting at the back. They felt very little jerk. I am 5'8'' tall. I found that the leg space for the driver's seat is little bit cramped. However, there was enough legroom for the rear-seat passenger sitting just behind me. Later, I shifted to that position when the TD driver was driving the car. The front seat barely touched my feet. I found that three adults can sit comfortably at the back only for short trip. They can not stretch their legs or hands too much. That would be a problem for long drive. There was a hump in the middle of the floor for back seat passengers. I was sitting in the middle for once. The sitting psoture with two legs put on either side of the hump, was really uncomfortable. The gear ratio was fantastic. I could drive at 20 KM/hr even at 4th gear. Shifting gear was a real pleasure.

Interior : The beige interior was imply gorgeous! I liked it. The quality pf plastics used are quite good. However, it lacks electrically controlled side-view mirrors. So when driving alone, the driver can not move the left side view mirror, if necessary. Both front and rear seats were comfortable. The rear seat has a good amount of thigh support. Boot space was okay, more than Zen Estilo or WagnoR(see below). Minus point : it can not be opened from inside. AC was very powerful; took 5-8 mins. to cool the entire car. All 4 doors has power windows. There is a central lock too. The dashboard looks nice with a big dial for the speedo. It shows alarms for not wearing seat-belts and open doors. I liked these features.

Exterior : Has a typical European look. I liked it, as I got used to it. The quality of the body steel was good. Finishing was good. I didn't notice any panel gaps.

Price : i10 Magna : Rs. 4,43,170/- OTR (pre-budget price). The dealer promised to give discounts of the order of 15K. Basic accessories will be given for free. This is not a final deal.

Dealer : Dee Hyundai, Allahabad.

2. Zen Estilo VXi

Driving Experience : Legroom for the driver was less than i10. The engine was responsive. Pick-up was not as fast as i10, though I could drive at 20-25KM/hr at the 4th gear. Shifting gear was not at all stiff, though the TD vehicle was 1.5 years old. AC was quite good. It didn't take much time to cool down the entire space. Zen Estilo has the power side view mirrors. That's a plus point for me. The suspension was okay, not as good as i10.

Interior : Was quite dull compared to i10. The quality of plastic is very cheap. The rear-seat legspace was too small. Once I pushed the driver's seat back, it almost touched my mom's feet. Note that my height is average. There was not thigh support from the rear-seat. It's difficult to accommodate three adults comfortably at the rear for long drive. Boot space was less than i10. I found it's not sufficient for long drive. Zen Estilo VXi has power windows for all 4 doors. It has central locks too. There was no alarm for not wearing seatbelts and open doors.

Exterior : Many people didn't like its look. I somehow liked it, though from the front it looks like an insect. Bosy material seems to be cheap. Panel gaos were visible near the back.

Price : Zen Estilo VXi : Rs. 4,08,126/- OTR. Deal : Less 11K (free insurance) + Rs. 34K discount from excise duty reduction, consumer offer + corporate discount(this includes a free Sony mp3 player).

Dealer : Greenland Motors, Allahabad.

3. WagnoR VXi

Driving Experience : Almost same as Zen Estilo. Driver's leg space was more compared to Zen. Suspension was so-so.

Interior : Very dull and boring, even compared to Zen. It's made of very low quality plastics. On the other hand, it's quite roomy. There was plenty of legspace for rear seat passengers. The boot space was bigger than Zen estilo. AC was just fine; very efficient. No alarms were provided for not wearing seat-belts and open doors.

Exterior : Basically looks like a bread box from all corners. I didn't like it much. Surprisingly, WagnoR is immensely popular in Allahabad. Every third car on the street is a WagnoR. Panel gaps were visible near the doors and back.

Price : Rs. 4,11,800/- OTR. Deal : Less 5K(50% free insurance) + discount of Rs. 36,750/- from excise duty reduction and consumer offer(the latter includes a free mp3 player from Sony).

Dealer : Greenland Motors, Allahabad.


4. Tata Indigo CS GLS(Petrol):

This car was a total surprise for me. I didn't put it in my shortlist. However, when I look at it first in a Tata Motors stall in our Institute, I was spellbound. It has a killer look, in particular from front and rear.

Driving Experience : The TD vehicle was only 1 month old. I drove it on a very rough road just to taste the suspension. There was 3 persons sitting at the rear including one of my friends who is 6'1'' tall. They felt very little jerk. The vision was clear. There was enough leg space for a driver of my height. The steering was responsive. I could maneuver it with few fingers of my right hand. The gear throw was short and smooth. I had no trouble shifting them. Again I found that I could drive at 20KM/hr even at 4th gear. The engine was smooth. It emits hardly any sound.

Interior : First, it has plenty of room. Inside Zen Estilo or WagnoR I felt suffocated. Even within i10 I had trouble stretching my hands. This is really a big car. There are plenty of rooms for 3 adults at the backseat. Even when I pushed the driver seat to its maximum, it didn't touch my friend's feet who was sitting just behind me. The AC was efficient. It was quite hot outiside when I Td'ed this vehicle. Within 10 mins. we felt comfortable inside. Okay now the minus point. The quality of plastic used looks cheaper. There are panel gaps near the glove boxes. There was no power windows even for the top-end model. The side-view mirror has to be adjusted manually. There is no central lock, no rear defogger. There was plenty of room in the boot space -- signature of a real saloon. The rear seat can be folded twice, so odd-shaped luggages can be accommodated easily. Both the fuel door and the boot can be opened from inside.

Exterior : It has smooth curves. From front and rear it looks gorgeous. The body material is not at all cheap. I opened the bonnet and found the bonnet cover is very sturdy. The headlights looks nice. Minus point : no tubeless tyres.

Price : Rs. 4,13100/- OTR. Since this is a new car, the dealer is not giving any deal except for free basic accessories. For Rs. 3450/- they are providing extended 3 year warranties.

Dealer : Motorsales limited, Allahabad

I am now under real dillemma. The deal from Maruti is really sweet(in particular on Zen Estilo). On the other hand, we liked i10 very much, though it is a bit overpriced for a car of that size. Now, today Indigo CS has changed the whole setup. The "big car, small price" tag is too alluring. Earlier, I didn't consider Tata. From this forum and others, I found that Tata cars' built quality is not good. Within a few years, people have reoprted some broken parts. On top of that, Tata Motor's after sales service was not at par with Maruti or Hyundai. My colleagues advise me to go for Maruti since it would be my first car in India.

Fellow BHPians, I badly need your help/suggestions. How good is Tata's petrol engines? How did the old petrol models of Indigo perform? Given my report, what car should I go for? I am also planning to TD a swift soon.

[crosscap]

No comments yet! I need some suggestion badly.

[greenhorn]

crosscap, list out your priorities ( ie FE, build quality, vfm, space etc ) . then all of us will get a clearer picture. You're overwhelmed by all these features these cars give. prioritise your needs and choose accordingly

Also, try out the indica Xeta which have all the features except the boot ( and maybe more , like power windows) and comes much cheaper

alternately, why not try the indica turbo/dicor - highly recommended if you'll be doing a lot of highway running

[lohithrao]

OT ah allahabad reminds me of "Parimal Thripati" of Chupke chupke

coming to topic, go for Palio you wont regret!

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

crosscap, list out your priorities ( ie FE, build quality, vfm, space etc ) . then all of us will get a clearer picture. You're overwhelmed by all these features these cars give. prioritise your needs and choose accordingly

Thanks greenhorn. Pardon my ignorance, I haven't fully understood the meaning of vfm. This term is very much Indian, not present in Europe or US. I have an intuitive feeling : a reliable, hassle free yet cheap car. Does vfm include resale value? Unless I fully understand this term, I can not be able to place it at the correct order. I would like to keep the car at most for 5 years.

Second, the term "build quality" is also not clear to me, unless I see an example. Will you say the build quality of WagnoR or Zen Estilo is better than Indica/Indigo, if you consider all the parameters given below? Does this term include the quality of electrical components or does it only include the panels, mirrors, interiors plastics and bumpers?

Saying that here are my priorities :

1. space
2. FE
3. vfm
4. build quality

Originally Posted by greenhorn

Also, try out the indica Xeta which have all the features except the boot ( and maybe more , like power windows) and comes much cheaper

Okay, I will do that. I am somewhat biased towards a car with a proper boot. Moreover, I had a feeling from this forum that xeta is not as successful as indica diesel.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

alternately, why not try the indica turbo/dicor - highly recommended if you'll be doing a lot of highway running

That's a good point. I intend to use it for highway driving, since I am planning to do "Bharatdarshan" on GQ, so I will definitely TD the indica turbo.

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by lohithrao

OT ah allahabad reminds me of "Parimal Thripati" of Chupke chupke

Ha, Ha.. that's a good one. One of my favourite movies .

Originally Posted by lohithrao

coming to topic, go for Palio you wont regret!

Well, I have asked the sales person from the Tata dealer to send Palio for a test drive. However, do you seriously suggest palio for a first car in India? Earlier fiat's after sales service was terrible. Fiat parts are expensive and not readily available. Moreover, I found that the sales person are not so much informative about fiat vehicles as they are about the ones from Tata. For example, they were unaware the palio MJD has been launched. On a positive note, I must add that though Allahabad is not a big town, I have seen quite a few palios around.

[karanraheja]

I would advice you to wait for the Swift Dzire. if you want a hatchback
i10 would be a great buy.

[crosscap]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

I would advice you to wait for the Swift Dzire.

If Dzire costs 50K more than the corresponding Swift model, it would be out of my budget. In my previous lengthy post, I have reduced my budget from 6L OTR to 4.5-4.7 L OTR.

The Maruti dealer has no idea when it is going to be launched. I asked whether they know anything about its launch at the end of this month. According to them, it would be launched in October-November of this year, though ram_hyundai of this forum has the internal scoop that it is going to be launched around 26th of this month. I presume those sales person don't have much information.

Originally Posted by karanraheja

if you want a hatchback i10 would be a great buy.

Yeah, I liked i10. It was the first I test drove in India. As far as the first imprerssion is concerned, it created so much impact upon me that Zen or WagnoR appeared quite boring to me. Still, I think it's a bit overpriced for a hatch.

[lohithrao]

hmmm there is a risk involved in service part, but i don't think the parts are expensive! you can get toi know by other fiat owners.. i know a couple of them and they have no issues..

Do a lil bit of research on the service part, catch hold of any palio owner there and am sure you will get a fair idea.

On performance i think no other car in this range would come close to it!

OT "chup ke chupke" is one of my favorites too

[greenhorn]

Originally Posted by crosscap

Thanks greenhorn. Pardon my ignorance, I haven't fully understood the meaning of vfm. This term is very much Indian, not present in Europe or US. I have an intuitive feeling : a reliable, hassle free yet cheap car. Does vfm include resale value? Unless I fully understand this term, I can not be able to place it at the correct order. I would like to keep the car at most for 5 years.

Second, the term "build quality" is also not clear to me, unless I see an example. Will you say the build quality of WagnoR or Zen Estilo is better than Indica/Indigo, if you consider all the parameters given below? Does this term include the quality of electrical components or does it only include the panels, mirrors, interiors plastics and bumpers?

Saying that here are my priorities :

1. space
2. FE
3. vfm
4. build quality

I guess considering the things you've mentioned, i guess there are two types of VFM at stake here

short term VFM ie how much you're going to get for the money you're paying now

and

long term vfm ie , if it is worth it in the long run

the former, the indica wins in all segments.

the latter , is really a personal thing- how much you're going to run the car every month, how carefully you treat the car etc.

Similarly, build quality, from your assesment seems to be of two types- the visual build quality - how well you car appears to be put together. In that aspect, the indica is a bit behind , apparently. People speak of imperfect shutlines etc. Me , it really doesnt matter

The second type of build quality is how well the car feels to be put together- the way the doors shut, the way it goes over potholes, the way it feels when you sit in it and drive.
For me , the indica satisfies the latter criteria

PS: to appreciate the turbo, you really need to rip the car- i doubt if they will let you do that :(

If you know someone who has a turbo/indigo TDi, ask them for a highway drive. It would be better if they demonstrate it to you - the turbo kicking in

from your requirements , i think the logan, indica/indigo and the aveo/aveo UVA should be the cars you should be looking at