[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I've heard the body roll can be fixed by changing into wider tires, not sure about that one though.

Definitely not true! It has to do with the suspension, the rate of which stays the same no matter how wide the tires are, as well as the width between the L&R suspension components...which aint gonna change either.... plus the center of gravity and a lot of other things which wider tires dont really affect.

Ok, so your not keen on the baleno as well coz its a maruti.... hmmm

Looks like what you will be left with is the NHC (and the optra..although it is much bigger...if its ok with your wife)
Also, as NC mentioned...now that i think about it the ikon kinda fits ur descriptoin. Its an involving drive, and apparently has a nice rear seat ride.

back to you.....
cya
R

ps - test drive as many of the options as you can..it will definitely give u a better idea...and take ur wife...she just might take a liking to a bigger car.

[cheatingdeath]

well the gtx tornado is really good.... with eletronic side mirrors and extra map lights really coool gear shift knob... interiors amazin abs and stuff.... but engine compared to ikon a litlle sluggish till 1500 rpm then its fast and u also have 103 horses under the hood compared o 93 in the ikon and i own one tornado sooo...its pretty cool... have run 63km without a clutch plate change no brake pad changes only ..... nothing as yet ... just changed the light in the a/c switch lol its ur choice ... take my advice check out the ford interiors normal accent interiors and then the gtx ... ull see the difference.... only thing is the korean name hyundai

[RX135]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Even before posting my query I knew Petra is the perfect car for me. But there are issues like

1) I read stories of horrible quality of service by Bangalore Fiat dealer. Government office attitude.
2) Fiat India website practically disowns this model. What kind of company decides against publishing info on their own car. What is their plans for this car? Will they abandon this model?
3) With this kind of apathy by the company, will there be enough spare parts available when need arises?

On points 2 and 3. I had interacted with few Fiat sales folks over this. They are "claiming" that they are revamping the whole website and hence not a mention of the car on their website. Its hard to digest for me, since it is more than 8 months now since they launched the car. Anyway, that is the "official" line.

They are going to launch Euro III Petra at end of March and face lifted Petra/Albea may be down the line around 1 to 1 and 1/2 year.

Spares may not a big hassle since there are lot of Palios on road and both Petra and Palio share lot of parts. Remember, Petra is sedan version of Palio.

Now it's your call!

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by cheatingdeath

only thing is the korean name hyundai

and also check the korean horses.mabbe korean horses are always tired.otherwise who will say that the 1.6 has 103 under it.
or mabbe like speedo error the koreans have BHp error.
no offence meant dude ,but teh 1.6 gtx is really pathetic for its 100+horses.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Definitely not true! It has to do with the suspension, the rate of which stays the same no matter how wide the tires are, as well as the width between the L&R suspension components...which aint gonna change either.... plus the center of gravity and a lot of other things which wider tires dont really affect.

I am also not so sure about the effect of wider tires on body roll, however I saw these comments in some other threads

Originally Posted by Dovin

The big body roll noticed during test drive has almost completely disappeared, thanks to the Michelin Pilot Preceda tubeless.

Originally Posted by Dovin

The idea is to get a feel for the stock car and then decide what I need. The roll of the body while conering is quite high in the demo car. I'm hoping the move to 185/60 tubeless will help somewhat.

Originally Posted by GTO

I see you are very uncomfortable with the Fiat service in Bangalore. And you clearly dont want an Accord.

It's not that I am uncomfortable with Fiat service in Bangalore, I haven't had any first experience with them. But I hadn't heard any good thing until today. That may be changing...

I discovered that one my neighbour in my flat complex has a Petra. So took my wife for a stroll along the parking lot and she was very happy with the looks and the size.

In conclusion, I think I will go for a Petra afterall. Hopefully, service at Sundaram will continue to improve, the recent buyers appear to be satisfied.

My purchase will be few months away, may be I'll end up with the facelifted (which it doesn't need, except interiors) Petra.

Thanks everybody,
Samurai

[RX135]

Originally Posted by Samurai

In conclusion, I think I will go for a Petra afterall. Hopefully, service at Sundaram will continue to improve, the recent buyers appear to be satisfied.

Hahahaha! Another convert here!

[Rehaan]

I am also not so sure about the effect of wider tires on body roll, however I saw these comments in some other threads

Hey Samurai,

I remember Dovin's thread....but i guess i missed that statement!
MAYBE there is a tiny difference if he has gone up a rim size (i dont think he has) or has got tires with stiffer sidewalls or something, but either way i dont think it will make a difference in the case of the petra. Maybe its just the placebo effect.

However, with wider & better quality tyres you will be able to attack corners at a much higher speed.

cya
R

[Shan2nu]

Well Rehaan using a lower profile should actually reduce the side wall flex. This will reduce body roll, but by a very small margin. To make something like the Petra handle really well, you will need stiffer suspension, no doubt about that.

But low profiles do help improve the handling.

Shan2nu

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Well Rehaan using a lower profile should actually reduce the side wall flex. This will reduce body roll, but by a very small margin.

Hey Shan2nu,

Thats exactly what i have said, concluding with the fact that he has not gone for a rim upsize (coz hes got 185/60s).

And what we are both concluding is that in the Petras case it is quite clearly the narrow track and the suspension setup. (and a rim upsize wont be worth it for trying to sure a bit of bodyroll...becoz afterall the stock sidewall is pretty low to begin with at 65profile of a 175 on a 14" wheel.)

cya
R

[Shan2nu]

becoz afterall the stock sidewall is pretty low to begin with at 65profile of a 175 on a 14" wheel

You'll be amazed to see a pic of the Indigo cornering hard on those same sized tyres. Man the wheel rim is just milimeters from the ground. It's amazing how much body roll that car has. Will post a pic of it tom.

65 might sound like low pro but on cars like these, the sheer weight of the vehicle exerts so much lateral force on the tyres that the sidewalls literally get compressed.

Shan2nu

[navin]

If I were you I'd seriously consider the Baleno (under 600,000) for it's VFM. It is the least expensive of the "big" cars and is reliable if not modern. If you budget streches to over 800,000 the NHC CVT and the Optra 1.6 would be my short list. The CVT for it's lovely tranny and the 1.6 for ride quality (for cars under 900,000).

My bigget concern would be your wife's needs. Performace can come later.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

You'll be amazed to see a pic of the Indigo cornering hard on those same sized tyres. Man the wheel rim is just milimeters from the ground.

As agreed, true point.
Would love to see that pic though... quite rare to see a pic of an indigo on the limit.

cya
R

[rahulmd]

Hey Samurai,

i have had a Petra 1.6 for 5 months now. WONDERFUL car!!!! GOOD FUN to drive. Best enjoyed on the highway. Will have you finding relatives in remote corners of the country that you suddenly want to visit ;-)

Main worry when i put the money on the table was also service. I have been to the service centre 4 times now. 2 for regular service and 2 to fix up some other issues. (1. a bonnet that refused to open, due to a loose cable and 2. to tight some screw on the exhaust manifold which was creating a metallic sound when the engine was cold).

The service per se is not bad at all. The work shop is quite well equipped and organized. its just the attitude of the people out there which is annoying. I guess we are all so used to competitive aggressive customer service environments that we find their laid back attitude to customer service a little irritating.

Im trying to get pal'ly with one of the guys at the service station to kind of smoothen the whole process.

As a happy/ satisfied Petra owner, i tell you, "GO FOR IT"

[Shan2nu]

As agreed, true point.
Would love to see that pic though... quite rare to see a pic of an indigo on the limit.

Well Rehaan, here it is. Look at that sidewall, it's as good as gone. Lol



Shan2nu

[gkrishn]

Very recently one of my friend's NV got one of the rear door damaged and it had to be replaced. The metal sheet used in the replacement door was of very poor quality. When one gives a firm push, the outer layer caved in, much like in esteem. Also that door didnt feel as heavy as other doors. And the delear said that, thats what they got from fiat.

This job was done at TVS sundaram bangalore. Donno if they have rigged us, or really this is the quality of the parts from fiat.