[barcode]

Moderators - apologies for the uber long post! I have been CarFused for a long time, and I have come to Tean-BHP to attain nirvana and arrive at a decision for my long pending car purchase!

I am graduating from a daily drive of a Hyundai Santro GS 2001 which has completed 1.2 lakh kilometers.

• My daily drive is ~70 kilometers
• Around 1800-2000 kms per month
• I am 6 feet 3 inches tall, and somehow find the Santro uncomfortable. Specially the seats and the position of the pedals
• Test driven: Honda City GXi, Hyundai Verna CRDi VGT, Ford Fusion D, Ford Fiesta D, Maruti SX4, Maruti DZire ZDi, Swift VDi
• I read recently in AutoCar January 2008 that Verna CRDi is one of the cheapest cars to maintain in the segment. And Ford cars are very expensive to maintain. The study took into account labour, mechanical and accidental parts.

Feedback on each car:

1. Honda City GXi - No exclusivity, fully loaded with allows cost 8L on road in Delhi, not too much fun too drive, but seemed decent for long drives. Fuel efficiency is great for petrol
2. Verna: Weird Reverse gear!!! Very peppy car, just a little too big for my liking. And the SX would end up costing 8.5 on road.
3. SX4 - is out, poor on build quality, and fuel efficiency
4. Ford Fusion: Great seating, space. But worries me on maintenance, and no body buys!
5. Ford Fiesta: Sells, but same issues of maintenance etc. Also felt small for my height and the thighs touch the steeting and consoles
6. DZire: Plain ugly!! Great for mileage, cost of purchase (VDi is just 6.3 on road)
7. Swift VDi: build quality
8. Fabia: Have not test driven the car yet
9. Logan - Not too convinced that I'd like to buy it!

Requirements:

1. Comfort: I have frequent back/neck pain from the driving
2. Fuel Efficiency: I am inclined to buy a diesel as the increase in the EMI and the lowering of fuel costs would still result in end benefit
3. Reliability: While I take utmost care of the car, with regular servicing (car has been serviced at Hyundai Company Owned Showroom in Delhi), I have read people having strange issues with Ford Fiesta on the forums
4. Cost of maintenance: This is both for accidental and mechanical maintenance

Questions:

1. Can you let me know the fuel average for some of the cars (especially Ford, Swift VDi and Verna) in a Delhi-Gurgaon travel (35kms each side) scenario?
2. And any other car you'd like to recommend?
3. Should I go for a diesel car?
4. Anyone can share maintenance figures with regular driving?
5. Is Verna over powered for city driving conditions?
6. Is the Honda City due for a change in shape (like the Accord)
7. What if my driving goes down (if I move to Gurgaon, or office moves to Delhi)
8. What are the sales figures for the cars above?
9. Can the drivers seat height adjustable be an add-on? for Verna or Swift?

[vkochar]

Welcome to T-BHP Barcode.

You have mentioned all Diesels except Honda City. Also seeing your daily driving ( 70 kms + ), you have to go for a Diesel. Also with the increase in Petrol prices not far away ( 17 Rs. !! ), It makes no sense for you to end up spending 300 - 400 rs petrol everyday.

In Diesels - I would highly recommend the Verna as it is a great car with very low mantainance. Ford Fiesta is a very good city car but it's going to have a facelift and a new variant ( 1.6 ) very soon. If you can wait then I feel 1.6 should be a good bet but it will be more expensive than Verna I suppose.

Fusion is good but does not sell too much.

Logan is an excellent VFM car and besides its looks and bland interiors, there is nothing wrong with the car.

So it all comes down to Verna CRDi & Logan. TD both the cars and decide for yourself. Also there are good deals on all the above cars. Verna can give you benefits of upto 30k + another 30k ( Finance Payout ) so it really is a sweet deal.

Call Safdarjung Hyundai and speak to Gurmeet there. Mention my name Varun kochar and he can offer you a good deal on verna. I am also contemplating buying one.

[Rotorhead]

Are you particular about cars ?, if not why dont you try the safari 2.2 . If you are doing 70 kms everyday on highway conditions then this suv should do you good, but if its a city then it can be a little strenous. Apart this , have you considered the mitsu cedia ?

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by barcode

I have been CarFused for a long time, and I have come to Tean-BHP to attain nirvana and arrive at a decision for my long pending car purchase!

I am sure the members of Teen-BHP will surely confuse sorry carfuse you even more, they might even jeepfuse you sometimes.

[bharanidharang]

I am graduating from a daily drive of a Hyundai Santro GS 2001 which has completed 1.2 lakh kilometers.
[*]I am 6 feet 3 inches tall, and somehow find the Santro uncomfortable. Specially the seats and the position of the pedals

after 1.2 lac kms... you complain


personally would say... the logan would be the best bet for you.

[barcode]

Can someone tell me what average I would get with the Verna VGT? I currently drive a 999cc First Gen Santro and gives me 13-14 with 75% ac. I rev the old girl to over 100 sometimes! Any benchmarks would help. I drive Delhi-Gurgaon everyday amidst crowded roads.

Originally Posted by vkochar

Welcome to T-BHP Barcode.
Verna can give you benefits of upto 30k + another 30k ( Finance Payout ) so it really is a sweet deal.

Call Safdarjung Hyundai and speak to Gurmeet there. Mention my name Varun kochar and he can offer you a good deal on verna. I am also contemplating buying one.

Hey Vkochar, thanks for the directions! 30k is on the Verna? WOW! This sounds great. How soon do you plan to buy one?

Any ideas on the best possible finance schemes?

Originally Posted by Rotorhead

Are you particular about cars ?, if not why dont you try the safari 2.2 . Apart this , have you considered the mitsu cedia ?

Hey Rotorhead: I am particular, but not so performance thirsty to drive either of them. I want a basic mass marketed car for my daily drive to work IMHO, Cedia looks the best!! Safari is powerful, but I lose on fuel economy..

Originally Posted by bharanidharang

after 1.2 lac kms... you complain

Couldn't afford to buy one before, and then the Internet Industry took off and made dreams look closer home!

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I am sure the members of Teen-BHP will surely confuse sorry carfuse you even more, they might even jeepfuse you sometimes.

hahahahah! i will have my self esteem held high before I get short fused!



More questions:

I am not too keen to get ABS, but should I push myself to get the SX variant? I am specially keen on the height adjustable driver seats and the driver's arm rest. Can I get these in the aftermarket?

[mav2000]

If you are ok with petrol costs and the fact that they may go up further, then go for the cedia, otherwise my bet is on the verna. also you can wait for the new fiat linea, as fiat is extremly good with diesel engines. forget the honda atleast for the time being as there seems to be a new car in the wings and ford has a lot of problems wiht their A.S.S.

[gemithomas]

If you are looking for Comfort. You sould try out the Fabia. THe Fusion too suits your height very well. Just make sure you get the Extended warranty and Total Maintainence Plan to be tension free.

And yes. The Safari too would be a good choice if you are happy with the price and size

[Eddy]

I drive a Swift VDI daily from Dwarka to Gurgaon (60 km total). Utterly comfortable ride with a mileage of 22 and 20 with and without AC respectively.

Comfort: I have frequent back/neck pain from the driving. I have a pillow to support my lower back while driving and its a very comfortable drive.
Fuel Efficiency: I am inclined to buy a diesel as the increase in the EMI and the lowering of fuel costs would still result in end benefit. Pretty good as I mentioned
Reliability: While I take utmost care of the car, with regular servicing (car has been serviced at Hyundai Company Owned Showroom in Delhi), I have read people having strange issues with Ford Fiesta on the forums. 18,000 km and no issues till date. regular servicing and oil changes at every 5k
Cost of maintenance: This is both for accidental and mechanical maintenance. Touchwood, not experienced any. But its a Maruti

Other than this, I drive a Ford Ikon and I can safely say that it is very expensive to maintain if you don't have warranty. In case you have an extended warranty for 4 years, go ahead with the Fiesta. But I heard a new one is coming soon.

My two cents !!

[somebodystopme]

And any other car you'd like to recommend? You choose good cars

Should I go for a diesel car? Yes. You need a diesel.

Anyone can share maintenance figures with regular driving? My friend has Fiesta He tells me he spends Max 400 Every two months. But you have to be lucky with Ford. Swift I have heard is low on maintanance.

Is Verna over powered for city driving conditions? I didnt feel so Test Drive and see.

Is the Honda City due for a change in shape (like the Accord) Yes It is May be this year around August or so.

What if my driving goes down (if I move to Gurgaon, or office moves to Delhi) Depends on how low the driving goes. If Below 15-20KMS per day than only Petrol(Considering the difference in Petrol and Diesel Car is quite Low, Unlike old times.)

What are the sales figures for the cars above? Search google. All three Swift, Fiesta, Verna are selling good. The difference wont make much of a difference.

You can also consider newer Models that are Due launch this year.

[vkochar]

Originally Posted by barcode

Hey Vkochar, thanks for the directions! 30k is on the Verna? WOW! This sounds great. How soon do you plan to buy one?

Any ideas on the best possible finance schemes?

More questions:

I am not too keen to get ABS, but should I push myself to get the SX variant? I am specially keen on the height adjustable driver seats and the driver's arm rest. Can I get these in the aftermarket?

Hi Barcode,

I am in the process of buying one ( Maybe in a week ).After months have finally decided to buy the Verna It has been on my wishlist too long.

IMPORTANT NOTE - If you have to buy a Verna make your desicion fast as Hyundai plans to hike it's price by 24k - 36k I am told by 1st June !!! I am going to send 10k tommorrow to dealer.

ABS variant will take 3 weeks minimum to come as they do not have any in stock. I am planning to buy the Base Model ( WHITE colour ) without ABS.

SX is a good bet but I am not going for it as I hate that stock Kenwood HU and I am not a fan of Clima Control. I'd rather spend that extra money later on for fatter rubber and alloys.

[cooldude1988765]

To "CARFUSE" you more did you consider the Innova and Optra ???

[tsk1979]

You need a compact diesel which is cheap to maintain.
Any reason for a boot?
If not go for Getz or Swift diesel.
I am 6'2" and I found the Verna seating a tad low for my taste. But still it was pretty okay. However getz ergonomics are spot in. After driving over 1500kms in a few days duration too, there was no fatigue whatsoever. I drove the petrol version, but as far as ergonomics are concerned, they are same for both petrol and diesel.

As for the Verna SX, if you throw in the loyalty discounts and other discounts, the SX can fall within your budget. You should get around 15kmpl easily with the modern diesels as long as you keep the car around 2500rpm and don't zoom too much.
100kmph is pretty sedate in a verna, as far as the engine is concerned, but beware, Verna handling is a trifle wanting for that 110 horses.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Any reason you did not consider Indigo / Indigo CS? It seems it comes with DICOR engine too.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

You need a compact diesel which is cheap to maintain.
Any reason for a boot?
If not go for Getz or Swift diesel.
I am 6'2" and I found the Verna seating a tad low for my taste. But still it was pretty okay. However getz ergonomics are spot in. After driving over 1500kms

well im about an inch or so taller than you and compared to the innova the getz driving position is nowhere as good..

barcode - i suggest you take a td of the innova before deciding on anything. also if mileage is a worry to you i just got about 16kmpl in my innova sticking to speeds of 80-90 on a long drive.