[HemantR]

Hi All,
I am asking this question to all teambhp autogurus to know your views and experienced knowledge about these brands. (I am not a car expert or very knowlegable car person so some of my questions may be basic in nature)
I shortlisted Swing 1.6 and Marina Diesel (As i heard that Tata's petrol models are not efficient). My requirement is for somewhat more space (budget : Max 6.75 to 7.0 lacs on road in Pune) and also look, (long drive of around 250 km once in a month )[Note : daily drive of max 8-10 km in city ] so i'am going for Station Wagon.
Technologically and safty wise Swing is more superior to Marina. My mind is also favoured for SWING . (Right now i am don't own any car)
But still, Can anyone of you please clear my following queries.

1. After sale service of Opel and Tata ?

2. Maintainance reliability of OPEL and TATA engines ? Which
requires more attention and frequent servicing ?

3. Availability of OPEL Spares ? Are they are really very expensive. ?But does OPEL cars requires frequent spare repairs / changes ? ( as i heard wear 'n tear of TATA spares is more )

4. Average (with AC on ) of these 2 models , what company is saying as follows :
Tata Marina (diesel) : 13-14 km/l in city, 16-17 km/l Highway
OPEL Swing : 12 km/l in city, 15km/l hinghway
But forget what company claims. If any one knows
What is Actual average does this mahcine gives ?

5. Which is more "VALUE for MONEY" car ? [Please don't consider Resale value]

6. Which car has more robostness, easy handling, performance and worth buying ?

7. If any one knows actual practical TOP speed of OPEL SWING and TATA MARINA can achieve?
i.e. Enging performance
And stability of both at high speed (say 120 km/h )


thanks in advance
Hemant, Pune

[sridhar24]

I would also suggest you the Swing if you are not considering the resale value of the car. Indigo Marina can't match swing in many areas like performance, handling and also the build quality and its purely a value for money car. I would personally go with Swing.

[RX135]

If resale is not a problem, also consider Weekender from Fiat. Tons of space, safety, ride quality etc. One more to consider in your budget, will be Maruti Baleno-Altura.

I am not sure why you want Diesel Marina? Your mileage does not justify diesel engine.

Between the two choices, I'll choose swing.

[Shan2nu]

Well i haven't driven the Swing but i can give you my views on the Marina Diesel.

Pros :
1. Value for money.
2. Ideal car for Indian roads.
3. Effortless steering.
4. It's a diesel, so FE is taken care of.
5. Loads of space.
6. Impressive braking (for it's class)
7. Soft suspenssion helps tackle bad roads without a sweat.
8. Good driving position.

Cons :
1. Fit and finish not upto the mark.
2. Feels very underpowered (especially on the highway).
3. Overtaking needs to be planned before hand.
4. The test vehicle i drove had 300kms on the odo and had already developed squeaks in the dashboard and the front-left suspenssion.
5. Handling is good upto 100kmph, beyond that it gets uncomfortable.
6. Understeers a lot, so be careful while taking those fast sweeping turns.
7. Shift quality is still below average.
8. Noisy engine.
9. High seating position amplifies body roll.

Verdict :
A very good car, if you want to get from point A to point B. But don't expect any hair raising performance or handling. The Swing should be much more fun to drive.

Shan2nu

[gkrishn]

FYI i own a sail 1.6. Never driven any indica variants.

1. After sale service of Opel and Tata ?

It all depends on the delear who provides service in ur city. Next time when u come across a corsa or a indica in a traffic signal, chat up with them. You should get some feed back there.

2. Maintainance reliability of OPEL and TATA engines ? Which
requires more attention and frequent servicing ?

People have different opinions here on this. I have driven 8500km so far, nothing much. I know couple of poeple who own corsa for 2,3 years and facing not much problem with it.

3. Availability of OPEL Spares ? Are they are really very expensive. ?But does OPEL cars requires frequent spare repairs / changes ? ( as i heard wear 'n tear of TATA spares is more )

I dont see any problem with availability of spares.

4. Average (with AC on ) of these 2 models , what company is saying as follows :
Tata Marina (diesel) : 13-14 km/l in city, 16-17 km/l Highway
OPEL Swing : 12 km/l in city, 15km/l hinghway

Opel figs are not realestic. I get consistent 10 in city. And 13 on highway. But this could improve if ur more gentle with the car.

7. If any one knows actual practical TOP speed of OPEL SWING and TATA MARINA can achieve?
i.e. Enging performance
And stability of both at high speed (say 120 km/h )

i gone upto a max of 140. And its pretty stable.

Also the ride quality is pretty good in corsa models. Have done couple of long drives so far. Its very comfortable.
The interiors are good.
And 1.6 is minimum required if ur going to fully load the station wagons. In swing u might feel slightly sluggish with A/C on.

One neg side, check out the space available inside the car. Particularly the back seat leg space.

BTW have u considered fusion???

[ajmat]

May be you should consider the Fiat Palio Adventure - much superior to the others. Fuel consumption is higher for for your type of use(10 km/day) , not such an issue

[Stratos]

I would personally say go with the Marina. In a station wagon you normally dont see performance..and for that matter..the Marina also isnt slow as a snail. Its definately more spacious than the Swing, looks better, costs less, service of the dealers is good.

[Rtech]

Hey Hemant,

Firstly, welcome to T-BHP!! I would be interested to know how you came about this forum.

Now, the swing or the Marina.

Well, how much space do you actually need? If what you are transporting can fit in the relatively small cargo bay of the Swing, then go for it. That's if you can live with the higher price and more expensive servicing and spares.

The Swing is leagues ahead of the Marina in fit and finish, performance, build quality and features as well. IMO, it looks a lot better than the Marina. Also, since it's a bit smaller, it would be easier to use on tight Pune roads.

However, the Marina has the Swing covered on the price and space area. Simply speaking, you cannot get more interior space for your money in any other car! Being a diesel, your running costs would be lower and parts and service would be much cheaper.

As Ajmat mentioned, the Fiat Weekender/adventurer is an option (if they still sell these) but these cars are depreciation disasters, so not recommended.

Overall, I would prefer the swing for its mix of refinement and proper engineering. I would be willing to pay the premium for these qualities.

[speedsatya]

since you have a budget of 6.5 to 7 lacs,i suggest that you dont go for any of these ,because even though the Swing is big from outside ,on the insides it 's very cramped.the marina is okay .and wat to say about the Weekend/Adventure,just stay away from fiat for the time being at least.

you can easily get a Scorpio in your budget.its a superb vehicle and can be easily manouvered in city traffic.

i go for the Scorpio.

[HemantR]

Hi All,

Thanks for all who shared their important suggestions and experiance with me.
Some of you asked me to go for FIAT adventure , but as all of you know , even the Adventure is a nice car, after sale service is really bad, And currently FIAT has stopped production of ADVENTURE (one of FIAT dealer in Pune gave me this info after speaking to FIAT company representative, May be after april they launch it's variant)

Secondly, I shortlisted Marina Diesel and not Petrolonly after hearing (from the dealer only) that TATA's Petrol engines are not very reliable and not FE and will give only 5-6 km/l in city.

thanks
Hemant

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by HemantR

Secondly, I shortlisted Marina Diesel and not Petrolonly after hearing (from the dealer only) that TATA's Petrol engines are not very reliable and not FE and will give only 5-6 km/l in city.

thanks
Hemant

hey Hemant,

there is no way a tata petrol engine will give 5-6kpl and expect it to sell.
somone has given you the wrong information.
i have seen petrol indica's giving about 15kpl on the highway and about 10-12 in city.

my vote goes for the scorpio.



satya

[RX135]

Originally Posted by HemantR

Hi All,

Thanks for all who shared their important suggestions and experiance with me.
Some of you asked me to go for FIAT adventure , but as all of you know , even the Adventure is a nice car, after sale service is really bad, And currently FIAT has stopped production of ADVENTURE (one of FIAT dealer in Pune gave me this info after speaking to FIAT company representative, May be after april they launch it's variant)

Secondly, I shortlisted Marina Diesel and not Petrolonly after hearing (from the dealer only) that TATA's Petrol engines are not very reliable and not FE and will give only 5-6 km/l in city.

1. If you are in Pune, make sure you talk with both Fiat dealers. I saw Adventure at Jay-Vijay showroom approx. 1 month back.
2. *** Make sure you talk with Fiat sales person than relying all on dealer *** I was told that black/hazel grey color for Petra is discontinued, while Fiat informed me that it is not the case. (Now its available)
3. Coming back to your Diesel/Petrol Marina. 5-6 kmpl in city can not be true. Indigo happily gives somewhere between 10-13 and there is no reason why Marina should give so less.
4. Your daily travel (8-10 km) does not justify Diesel car, so think again.

I mentioned Fiat as an option ONLY because you said resale is not an issue. If you do care, then chuck this option off.

[RX135]

Hemant, word of caution while dealing with dealers! Take their talk always with a pinch of salt. Many times, they have vested interests. So, use your own judgement and always try to get information from other sources (I suggest, talk to car owners).

Hi Hemantha,

I have recently bought an Indigo Marina LS at B'lore. This is first car for me. So I will not be able to give comparison w.r.t. other cars and finer ascpects like gurus around here. Here are some of my
experiences with Marina:

Originally Posted by HemantR

3. Availability of OPEL Spares ? Are they are really very expensive. ?But does OPEL cars requires frequent spare repairs / changes ? ( as i heard wear 'n tear of TATA spares is more )

You can see cost of freuquently used car spares for any Indian car models in AutoCar magzine. I hope last they do publish twice in a year(Sep/Aug'2004 Autocar issue has it). From that I found Indigo parts were cheaper . You can see for OPEL spare parts.

Originally Posted by HemantR

4. Average (with AC on ) of these 2 models , what company is saying as follows :
Tata Marina (diesel) : 13-14 km/l in city, 16-17 km/l Highway
OPEL Swing : 12 km/l in city, 15km/l hinghway
But forget what company claims. If any one knows
What is Actual average does this mahcine gives ?

I recently went for 2200 km trip from B'lore to Visakhapatnam on NH5. With AC on I got 17-19 kmpl.

In B'lore bumper to bumper traffic , I got from 13-14(without AC, as B'lore and my commute timings don't need AC)

I use Diesel with BPCL HSD or with System-D diesel addtive(where HSD from BPCL not available) OR HP turbo jet Diesel.

Originally Posted by HemantR

5. Which is more "VALUE for MONEY" car ? [Please don't consider Resale value]

I feel it is Marina.

Originally Posted by HemantR

7. If any one knows actual practical TOP speed of OPEL SWING and TATA MARINA can achieve?
i.e. Enging performance
And stability of both at high speed (say 120 km/h )

On NH5(which 4-laned because of Golden-Quadrilateral-Project) I travelled till 130 kmph. Till 100 , I won't feel difference. After 110 you get some feel. Breaking is good.

On return trip, we travelled with 5 people, lots of luggage with AC
on. Here my co-driver(he was expereinced pro) even went for 140 kmph. We were able to control/break vehicle properly. All of us felt comfortable and back seat comfort is good.



Around B'lore, I also went for Lepakshi, Nandi Hills and Kolar for
sight seeing with 5-6 people without any appreciable discomfort.


About repairs on my vehicle:
- Minor electrical problems like: Stuck (Steering horn, Emergency light swicth)
- There were minor squeals from seats.


Till now I have finished 5300 kms on this vehicle. Will study more & tell more in future.

BTW If you want to buy any of these vehicles, please wait till April'05 -- by that time all Eurro-III norms will be in effect and tatas (and others) may add some new models mods/etc.


You may also wait for Innova(provided it priced less).Autocar revie said it would be 7-9 lacks.

[GTO]

I wouldnt recommend an Opel (New / Used) to anyone. Have too many friends/contacts with bad ownership experiences. Theres a reason that GM is gradually phasing out the Opel brand from India.

GTO