Performance and Ride comfort in one car?

Samurai · 24th January 2005, 15:31

Hi Guys/Gals,

Just discovered this site over the weekend. Couldn't wait to join and ask some questions.

My last car was an Acura 3.2TL (2001 Model) and my current car is a Santro Xing Automatic...

Yup, shocking but true. How did this happen? Well, a year back I moved back from USA to India and therefore I had to giveup my Acura. However, my wife moved back 6 months earlier than me and therefore got to choose our car for India. She wanted it small and easy to drive, hence we ended up with a Santro Xing Automatic. After I returned back I didn't have much choice but run around in the Santro until it got a little old...

.

This year I want change my car to something that is actually fun to drive. I want a driver's car and I don't care about fuel economy. I live 2KM away from work, therefore that takes care of my contribution towards saving environment. And I don't care much about resale value. However, I don't want a big D segment car that becomes a hassle to drive in Bangalore traffic or park in narrow roads. Therefore, I want to pretty much to stick to C segment cars. And no B segment hatchbacks either, time to move up...

Meanwhile, my wife added one more requirement. She wants excellent ride quality. Since she had a miscarriage recently (which she blames on Bangalore roads) I won't argue against that point. However, that pretty much eliminates Ford Fusion and Icon from my short list. She also prefers auto transmission but not insisting on it anymore.

My Short List of Contendors

1) Fiat Petra
Perfect car for me. Great performance and good ride comfort and good looks. But how to deal with nightmarish sales and support service?

2) Ford Icon 1.6 Zxi
Good performance car but bad ride quality.

3) Ford Fusion+
Heard good things but also heard that it has terrible ride quality at low speeds on bad roads.

4) Hyundai Accent GTX (Tornado)
Great Service, good luxury. However, not so sure about the performance factor and ride comfort. Need some real feedback here. How does it rate versus Petra?

5) Hyundai Accent Viva
Great Service, good luxury. However, not so sure about the performance factor and ride comfort. Need some real feedback here. How does it rate versus Petra or Accent GTX.

6) Honda City Gxi
Good luxury and good looks. But has low ground clearance and is underpowered.

7) Mitsubishi Lancer
Couldn't find any road test reviews on the Indian version, need some serious input on reliability too.

Having previously owned two Marutis, I won't buy a Maruti anymore. As a former Tata employee, I wouldn't consider a Tata product either. If I have missed any other performance oriented car in C segment, please let me know.

Regards,
Samurai

amitoj · 24th January 2005, 15:41

One more soul tortured by the bad roads of bangalore joins! Welcome mate. Be prepared now to recieve a flood of information. If i am not mistaken, i think petra will win hands down. Also, try and make this post a poll. That will help.
And add Chevy Optra also to ur list of probables.

Cheers
Amitoj

Rtech · 24th January 2005, 15:48

Firstly, welcome to the Forum Samurai!

Now, I'm probably not going to win any friends over this, but seeing your driving distance to work is just about 2km, and you seem aware of the environment, why don't you consider selling the Santro and getting yourself a Reva? That would be the ideal car for your wife, short trips to the market and even for you to take to work. All this while protecting the environment! (damn, I think I'm the first bhpian to recommend the Reva!!)

For your second car, which you could use for your nights out or when you do longer trips, get the Honda City, or maybe an Optra 1.6 as you said you wanted a good ride quality.

This should give you some more to chew on before you buy something

Shan2nu · 24th January 2005, 15:52

Why don't you look at the big cars like the Skoda RS or the Accord 2.4 M/T (not even the V6 auto).

Quote:

6) Honda City Gxi
Good luxury and good looks. But has low ground clearance and is underpowered.

Man, stay away from that car if you like driving. Go for the older City models (1.5 or 1.5 Vtec).

Shan2nu

Rudra Sen · 24th January 2005, 15:53

Reva is not at all good in terms of ride quality and comfort.
Performance again....well.

speedsatya · 24th January 2005, 15:54

even though u dont want a big D-segment car,a pre -owned older generation Accord can be considered.
of the cars that u have listed none of them have any spectacular performance to rave about.

or mabbe u can wait for the vtec 110bhp city .

how abt the skoda .u get performance with economy.

Samurai · 24th January 2005, 15:57

I arrived at this dilemma only after exploring the second car option. We were originally planning to keep the Santro and buy the second car. We live in a flat and therefore have only one parking spot, additional car park is not available.

BTW, I didn't see the poll option in the edit screen. I am not yet familiar with this board's features, may be I'll do the poll thing once I am more familiar.

Regards,
Samurai

Samurai · 24th January 2005, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Why don't you look at the big cars like the Skoda RS or the Accord 2.4 M/T (not even the V6 auto).

Dude, these cars cost almost twice my budget. Besides, I prefer a mid-size car, afterall I have to live and drive around Bangalore roads.

BTW, did somebody mention a 110HP VTEC Honda City...

I am willing to wait a few months if some new models are expected...

Regards,
Samurai

Shan2nu · 24th January 2005, 16:44

Quote:

Dude, these cars cost almost twice my budget. Besides, I prefer a mid-size car, afterall I have to live and drive around Bangalore roads.

oh ok. In that case i'd suggest the Baleno or a 2nd hand Vtec.

Quote:

BTW, did somebody mention a 110HP VTEC Honda City...

Don't look so happy already, the 110bhp version is the one sold in other asian countries. In India, they're expecting it to produce 100bhp. And 100 bhp in the NHC body shell will be a major disappointment.

Trust me, the older city is much better than the new one, atleast on the performance front.

Shan2nu

Sahil · 24th January 2005, 17:24

If u r budget permits then its the Honda Accord anyday without a doubt over the RS....as the RS is no whr near comfortable compared to the accord.
But since u said its above ur budget i'd suggest the new honda city from the list u have put up..I agree its not a performer like the old city but once u step into it u will realise that its interiors r a generation ahead of the old city. The new city is farrrrrr more comfortable and appealing in interiors compared to the older model.Go for the Gxi model, the biege interiors make it look very rich and roamy.I own both the older first generation city and the newer one and even tho the new one is not as quick, i still prefer driving it for its sheer smoothness and comfort. Looks r certainly not wat we can call a stunner but the exteriors grow on u.
Also u mentioned that u r wife wants auto transmission. I have two new honda citys CVT and belive me its a boon in the traffic.... we bought one and then got another one coz my dad was so happy with it. Just cruise on the D mode and for those racer boy days or just for a rush of power thats needed for over taking shift to the sports S mode and the engine gets very peppy, the automatic is fun to drive, average on my cars has been very good for bombay city traffic the automatic is giving me around 10 which is pretty damn good for an auto tramsission.I think its a no-brainer for u now... the NHC CVT is the car for u...take my word for it ... u wont regret it.

Rtech · 24th January 2005, 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Reva is not at all good in terms of ride quality and comfort.
Performance again....well.

Well, thats why I mentioned selling the Santro and using the reva in its place, and then going in for a larger B+ or C segment car like the Optra!

Samurai · 24th January 2005, 17:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sahil

Just cruise on the D mode and for those racer boy days or just for a rush of power thats needed for over taking shift to the sports S mode and the engine gets very peppy, the automatic is fun to drive, average on my cars has been very good for bombay city traffic the automatic is giving me around 10 which is pretty damn good for an auto tramsission.I think its a no-brainer for u now... the NHC CVT is the car for u...take my word for it ... u wont regret it.

Seriously, how good is the S mode in CVT model? Just yesterday I test drove my cousin's manual Gxi and I was like okay but not thrilled with the performance. My Santro Xing Auto gives 8.5 in the city traffic and 14 in highway, therefore 10 by CVT is great, however that's not a issue to me.

You say the S mode is very peppy, now I may have to test drive one... There are no roadtest reviews available for CVT as far as I know.

BTW, here is a link on upcoming models of 2005.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/...2300391500.htm

Regards,
Samurai

Shan2nu · 24th January 2005, 18:08

Quote:

You say the S mode is very peppy, now I may have to test drive one... There are no roadtest reviews available for CVT as far as I know.

here is the road tes - Overdrive road test of the NHC

Shan2nu

GTO · 24th January 2005, 18:12

Of the list that you have provided, its only the Petra which has the combo of performance & ride quality. You could also look at the Baleno...its a stonker for the price and has the ride quality you are looking at.

If you dont mind going used, how about an old gen 2001/2002 Honda Accord? You can have it in auto if you wish. Its got great performance and superb road manners.

GTO

kbk_75 · 24th January 2005, 19:15

Why not look around for a good condition 2-3 year old Mondeo? None of the cars mentioned above will touch it performance or ride-wise, and since they depreciate quite badly, a 3 year old car should be within your budget! Also size-wise it's slightly smaller than the Accord and much better to drive!

24th January 2005, 15:31	#1
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,836 Thanked: 45,702 Times View My Garage	Performance and Ride comfort in one car? Hi Guys/Gals, Just discovered this site over the weekend. Couldn't wait to join and ask some questions. My last car was an Acura 3.2TL (2001 Model) and my current car is a Santro Xing Automatic... Yup, shocking but true. How did this happen? Well, a year back I moved back from USA to India and therefore I had to giveup my Acura. However, my wife moved back 6 months earlier than me and therefore got to choose our car for India. She wanted it small and easy to drive, hence we ended up with a Santro Xing Automatic. After I returned back I didn't have much choice but run around in the Santro until it got a little old.... This year I want change my car to something that is actually fun to drive. I want a driver's car and I don't care about fuel economy. I live 2KM away from work, therefore that takes care of my contribution towards saving environment. And I don't care much about resale value. However, I don't want a big D segment car that becomes a hassle to drive in Bangalore traffic or park in narrow roads. Therefore, I want to pretty much to stick to C segment cars. And no B segment hatchbacks either, time to move up... Meanwhile, my wife added one more requirement. She wants excellent ride quality. Since she had a miscarriage recently (which she blames on Bangalore roads) I won't argue against that point. However, that pretty much eliminates Ford Fusion and Icon from my short list. She also prefers auto transmission but not insisting on it anymore. My Short List of Contendors 1) Fiat Petra Perfect car for me. Great performance and good ride comfort and good looks. But how to deal with nightmarish sales and support service? 2) Ford Icon 1.6 Zxi Good performance car but bad ride quality. 3) Ford Fusion+ Heard good things but also heard that it has terrible ride quality at low speeds on bad roads. 4) Hyundai Accent GTX (Tornado) Great Service, good luxury. However, not so sure about the performance factor and ride comfort. Need some real feedback here. How does it rate versus Petra? 5) Hyundai Accent Viva Great Service, good luxury. However, not so sure about the performance factor and ride comfort. Need some real feedback here. How does it rate versus Petra or Accent GTX. 6) Honda City Gxi Good luxury and good looks. But has low ground clearance and is underpowered. 7) Mitsubishi Lancer Couldn't find any road test reviews on the Indian version, need some serious input on reliability too. Having previously owned two Marutis, I won't buy a Maruti anymore. As a former Tata employee, I wouldn't consider a Tata product either. If I have missed any other performance oriented car in C segment, please let me know. Regards, Samurai Last edited by Samurai : 24th January 2005 at 15:47. Reason: Typo
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 15:41	#2
amitoj Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Windham, NH USA Posts: 3,351 Thanked: 3,118 Times View My Garage	One more soul tortured by the bad roads of bangalore joins! Welcome mate. Be prepared now to recieve a flood of information. If i am not mistaken, i think petra will win hands down. Also, try and make this post a poll. That will help. And add Chevy Optra also to ur list of probables. Cheers Amitoj
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 15:48	#3
Rtech Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,770 Thanked: 359 Times View My Garage	Firstly, welcome to the Forum Samurai! Now, I'm probably not going to win any friends over this, but seeing your driving distance to work is just about 2km, and you seem aware of the environment, why don't you consider selling the Santro and getting yourself a Reva? That would be the ideal car for your wife, short trips to the market and even for you to take to work. All this while protecting the environment! (damn, I think I'm the first bhpian to recommend the Reva!!) For your second car, which you could use for your nights out or when you do longer trips, get the Honda City, or maybe an Optra 1.6 as you said you wanted a good ride quality. This should give you some more to chew on before you buy something
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 15:53	#5
Rudra Sen Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11,590 Thanked: 6,532 Times View My Garage	Reva is not at all good in terms of ride quality and comfort. Performance again....well.
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 15:54	#6
speedsatya Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: bangalore/manga Posts: 3,169 Thanked: 738 Times View My Garage	even though u dont want a big D-segment car,a pre -owned older generation Accord can be considered. of the cars that u have listed none of them have any spectacular performance to rave about. or mabbe u can wait for the vtec 110bhp city . how abt the skoda .u get performance with economy.
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 15:57	#7
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,836 Thanked: 45,702 Times View My Garage	I arrived at this dilemma only after exploring the second car option. We were originally planning to keep the Santro and buy the second car. We live in a flat and therefore have only one parking spot, additional car park is not available. BTW, I didn't see the poll option in the edit screen. I am not yet familiar with this board's features, may be I'll do the poll thing once I am more familiar. Regards, Samurai
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 17:24	#10
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,294 Thanked: 7,613 Times	If u r budget permits then its the Honda Accord anyday without a doubt over the RS....as the RS is no whr near comfortable compared to the accord. But since u said its above ur budget i'd suggest the new honda city from the list u have put up..I agree its not a performer like the old city but once u step into it u will realise that its interiors r a generation ahead of the old city. The new city is farrrrrr more comfortable and appealing in interiors compared to the older model.Go for the Gxi model, the biege interiors make it look very rich and roamy.I own both the older first generation city and the newer one and even tho the new one is not as quick, i still prefer driving it for its sheer smoothness and comfort. Looks r certainly not wat we can call a stunner but the exteriors grow on u. Also u mentioned that u r wife wants auto transmission. I have two new honda citys CVT and belive me its a boon in the traffic.... we bought one and then got another one coz my dad was so happy with it. Just cruise on the D mode and for those racer boy days or just for a rush of power thats needed for over taking shift to the sports S mode and the engine gets very peppy, the automatic is fun to drive, average on my cars has been very good for bombay city traffic the automatic is giving me around 10 which is pretty damn good for an auto tramsission.I think its a no-brainer for u now... the NHC CVT is the car for u...take my word for it ... u wont regret it. Last edited by Sahil : 24th January 2005 at 17:34.
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 18:12	#14
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,590 Thanked: 301,480 Times View My Garage	Of the list that you have provided, its only the Petra which has the combo of performance & ride quality. You could also look at the Baleno...its a stonker for the price and has the ride quality you are looking at. If you dont mind going used, how about an old gen 2001/2002 Honda Accord? You can have it in auto if you wish. Its got great performance and superb road manners. GTO
	() Thanks

24th January 2005, 19:15	#15
kbk_75 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,233 Thanked: 388 Times	Why not look around for a good condition 2-3 year old Mondeo? None of the cars mentioned above will touch it performance or ride-wise, and since they depreciate quite badly, a 3 year old car should be within your budget! Also size-wise it's slightly smaller than the Accord and much better to drive!
	() Thanks