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Old 4th April 2005, 16:54   #61
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai
That was a ....Anybody has heard about or seen a Baleno after frontal collision, I'd like to know just how the occupants survived the crash, provided they survived.
I agree. Really unbiased review.

Regarding safety, I believe that apart from the Alto ( which has a good crash rating, atleast in the car mags), most Marutis are scary to drive. :(
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Old 4th April 2005, 16:59   #62
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hi Samurai
I have been driving a Siena1.6 for 4+ years now & the petra is almost the same car with different looks.

Ride is unbeatable. I have done 90kmph+ on bad roads (if you remember Hassan-Belur-Halebid roads 3.5 years ago). No car (NHC, Baleno) except Octy (different class) comes close to this. You feel safe in this car at whatever speed. I have driven my mom at 140kmph+

In terms of service, I have not had major issues with the Sundaram folks.. maybe I get special treatment for having bought their first 1.6 .. I just need to prod them into getting things done.. The workshop is well equipped and tech guys well qualified. They also pick-up and drop the car from my office on time!! It is the customer interface guys which could be better.

The sheer driving pleasure delivered by the 1.6 engine under the hood is incomparable.. Let it go beyond 2500 rpm and you begin to get a taste of Nirvana.. The gearing also feels optimally matched to the engine..

Interiors: I think my car came with higher trim levels than today's cars. A really good deck with a 6-speaker system. Only addition I did was a 10-CD MP3 changer which holds almost my entire music collection. But all equipment is rock-solid. Especially switches, which on other cars feel like they will break with a little pressure.

Looks - who cares? although I love the look of my car

Reliability - have just done a 6 day 2500Km drive without a single problem on a 4 year old car.. Have multiple other 1000km+ drives without problems. Only times the car died on me were:
1. When the battery died last year
2. Last weekend when the engine started stalling after 100Km. Started after cooling down and no problems since. Havent figured it out yet nor have the Sundaram guys.

Service cost- In 4 years I have spent around 25K on service (including battery) + 15K when a bus caused a chain accident at a stop light.
Buying exp. - wont comment as mine is 4 years old (was good then)

Bottomline: Petra is the best product in this class. Buy if you want to follow your heart, do not care too much about resale value, can accept reasonable ASS.

thanks
Nitin
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Old 4th April 2005, 17:27   #63
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This thread started at 24th jan, and now it is 4th April.

@Samurai - Have you decided which car to buy?
so please let us know your opinion about it cause you are the one who has to decide at the end of the day.
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Old 4th April 2005, 17:28   #64
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Hey, at least he is not flip-flopping between all cars starting from 800 to NHC/Optra.
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Old 4th April 2005, 17:47   #65
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tabrez02
This thread started at 24th jan, and now it is 4th April.

@Samurai - Have you decided which car to buy?
so please let us know your opinion about it cause you are the one who has to decide at the end of the day.
Please note that I had decided to buy Petra on Jan 25th (#35) and after that I didn't post until today. Today I revived the thread to re-inspect my decision based on what I have learnt about Fiat and other cars since then.
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Old 4th April 2005, 17:58   #66
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nitinbhag
hi Samurai
I have been driving a Siena1.6 for 4+ years now & the petra is almost the same car with different looks.

Bottomline: Petra is the best product in this class. Buy if you want to follow your heart, do not care too much about resale value, can accept reasonable ASS.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Actually Petra is quite different. Siena came in many trims including options for ABS, Air bags, etc. Today Petra (Petrol) comes in just one trim, no safety package, take it or leave it kind of deal.

I don't care about resale value or FE. However, it is not so easy to say the same about ASS. I run a company and have to deal with many vendors. It is my experience that the product value is greatly affected by the ASS provided by the vendor. A great product backed by non-existent support simply diminishes in value.

Anyway, I won't make any firm decision until I test drive both Petra and Baleno.
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Old 4th April 2005, 18:59   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by speedsatya
the baleno comes with 165/80r13 ,circumference=1866.73mm,OD=594.5mm

so with 185/65r14,cir.=1872.7mm,OD=596.021mm

but with 185/60r14,cir.=1814.58mm,OD=577mm
This is getting off-topic, I'll continue this discussion to another thread where it belongs.

Last edited by Samurai : 4th April 2005 at 19:02.
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Old 5th April 2005, 15:00   #68
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Yup, I have the estate variant, not the sedan and while both the cars are quite similar the Adventure offers an even better ride quality - I remember a trip to Rajasthan - on the highway from Tonk to Jaipur villagers had blocked the highway so some of the vehicles took off the road and went onto a dirt track which bypassed the village - saw an indica get stuck , ours was perhaps the only car which went easily through that bad patch- I even decided to go a bit fast with 4 passengers and the ac on in the dirt and stones and no problems at all - It's a great car and the Petra on my test drive defiinitely felt better than a baleno ( which is still better than the other Japanese/Korean small cars ) on bad patches yet not as composed as the heavier adventure (which also has stiffer springls and shock with more travel). - but I'd like to warn about the supposed deterioration in quality standards at Fiat since we bought our car.

Two niggling problems I have seen Palio variants face are - tyres getting worn very fast - okay the adventure's Pirelli's arent suited for tarmac but getting worn by 15K is bad , and condensation or even water sloshing about in the head/tail lights. I don't know if these have been fixed by now.

Take a drive in both the cars and see which you feel more comfortable in - as I said I feel more comfy in the baleno but my folks prefer the Fiat, the feel matters a lot - the car must put a smile on your face when you drive it.

And try driving in both city traffic as well as on an expressway/traffic free road to get a feel -
The Palio variants are a bit difficult to handle in heavy traffic for me due to poorer visibility - those thick A pillars ! - safe definitely.

btw - Zee News once showed a programme on accidents on the Geater Noida expressway - 3-4 people were dying a week almost - in cars - Zee managed to obtain a clip - A tata sumo victa was being tested and in in the background you could see a maroon palio at maybe over a 100 crash head on into a light pole and jump up 5-6 feet - they all survived.

So make your choice - both are great cars yet both have some drawbacks.

One advice about the baleno - try and have a look at the Beam Blue model - I got that colour and it stands out from all the other cars.

If you want to exchange the tyres , ask the dealership to give you bridgestones , not mrf's or Jk's as some tyre dealers may offer you a 100-200 a tyre more for the bridgestones.

Don't sell the rims if you ever want to participate in some kind of rally/autocross etc - they'll come in handy then - you dont want to be risking your alloys then , besides not much of a price is offered for the rims.

hope this helps,

zaphod
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Old 6th April 2005, 00:00   #69
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Zaphod,

Thanks for the great info. Yes, safety is one of my concerns, being a parent and all. How valid is Maruti's claim about their safety features?

BTW, I am planning for Black whether I buy the Baleno or Petra.
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Old 6th April 2005, 11:44   #70
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Still not decided?
Dude go for a petra. It rules. Besides you can get a hell lot of accesories for the amount you save.
It safer, faster, more comfortable, cheaper and a whole lot better.
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Old 6th April 2005, 12:57   #71
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for the engine and bulid quality, alone, petra will win hands down
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Old 6th April 2005, 13:05   #72
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Quote:
How valid is Maruti's claim about their safety features?
That's all marketing - every car in the market has features such as a crumple zon and side impact beams - I suggest you search for the NCAP crash tests - they're online somewhere and you can check out the baleno's performance there . I'm not sure if the Palio/Petra is there as well .

Lemme put it this way - I wanted to drive fast and have access to reliable service so i got a Baleno , but If i had kids I'd get the sturdier Petra

Black looks great in a Petra - and on a Baleno as well .(don't get the so common silver tones)
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Old 6th April 2005, 13:08   #73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zaphod
Lemme put it this way - I wanted to drive fast and have access to reliable service so i got a Baleno , but If i had kids I'd get the sturdier Petra
I am trying to stay away from this thread, but can't resist. Who says you can't drive fast in Petra? Reliable service varies place to place. (of course I am sure that you are getting good service for your Baleno).
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Old 6th April 2005, 14:07   #74
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And If U want to drive FAST, then that 1.6l Rasper from the Petra.
There are not many Engines like that in the world, leave alone in India
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Old 6th April 2005, 14:14   #75
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zaphod
Yup, I have the estate variant, not the sedan and while both the cars are quite similar the Adventure offers an even better ride quality
A little off-topic, zaphod, how'bout writing a review on adventure? if it is going to be relaunched any sooner, i plan to upgrade my palio 1.2 nv to adventure sometime next year. i want your opinion on its ride quality, high speed road handling and any other aspect that you can think of.
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