[Guna]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Optra Magnum :
Positive points.

2) More spacious than G3HC.

This may not be true, eventhough Optra gives a impression that it is more spacious than G3HC.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Guna

This may not be true, eventhough Optra gives a impression that it is more spacious than G3HC.

If I am not wrong, Optra has 2600mm wheelbase and G3HC ( ANHC ) has 2500mm. Moreover this city is not as cab-forward as G2HC ( NHC ), so its my assumption that Oprta will have an edge in space depratment and also it will be more comfortable as it is expected that G3HC has slightly low rear seat. Optra has none of these issues.

[shuvd]

The Magnum is a good car. Not a driver's car, but a good family car IMHO. The engine is brilliant and the ride is the magic carpet kind.

GM A.S.S here in Calcutta is pretty bad. I had to wait around 2 months for the ORVM "glass". Resale is also quite bad.

[Ym-enjn]

At present Megnum is the segment leader and it has got one of the best rides. It has got 2.0 lt engine which is even more than Laura and gives very good performance by itself. Its fully loaded and even have sun and moon roof and a lovely maintenence offer. All these points add in its favour along with that it is a diesel. IMO at present it is a better buy than ANHC which doesn't even have alloys or leather.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by bhp1

City has altogether taken the ball game to a diff. level. Optra could be considered a good buy some time back, but not now, competition has moved forward. Also, there is news that GM might introduce new Optra (Chevy. Cruz) by mid next year.
Its always good to opt for a newer car with latest tech.
New Honda City wins against Optra hands down, only noteworthy competition is in the form of Altis & Civic ie. cars from a higher segment!

Sorry, disagree with almost everything you've said. The Optra is easily one of the best mid-sizers on Indian roads today, and your post is wrong on so many levels.

1. It's not always better to "opt for new car with latest tech" as you claimed. Just ask owners of the Laura or the Passat. These are cars that came loaded with tech and gizmos that have been nothing but trouble for the owners. Also, can you point out some of the "latest tech" that's available on the City and not on the Optra? Please take the trouble to differentiate between genuine technology and mere frills.

2. "New city wins against Optra hands down".
Could you explain how, exactly? The Optra is better built (just close the doors on both cars and listen to the sound if you don't believe me. The Optra doors close with a reassuring muted 'thunk' that you will never find on the City), has a phenomenal engine that would leave any City in the dust, has phenomenal suspension and handling, and is larger and roomier than the City. The only strong points the Honda offers in comparison are nicely done interiors, lower NVH (because it's petrol and not diesel) and legendary Honda reliability.

3. Even comparative reliability between the two cars is not an issue, because the Optra is pretty reliable too. I know several people who've owned both petrol and diesel Optras for years and they have NEVER had reliability issues. A-S-S from GM on the Optra is also not a problem, and now with the 3-year maintenance cost holiday GM is offering, the savings are phenomenal. They even pay for consumables like engine oil.

4. The only point (for me) where the City wins will be in eventual resale value. BUT... the OP said he "fell in love" with the Optra. That has to count for a lot, in my book. If you love driving a car you're going to keep for 5 years, then it's worth it to take a slight hit on the resale value when you sell it. And FYI... I dont think the Optra will suffer very badly from resale value because it's a very good car, AND it's diesel. Fuel costs are going to continue to rise, and diesel cars are becoming more and more sought after than their petrol counterparts. I would totally buy a well-maintained diesel Optra that had the right amount of mileage and was in good condition.

I'm not saying the City is a bad car. Far from it. The city is a really good car, but your assertion that it "wins hands down" when compared to the Optra is laughable.

Originally Posted by Lukeskywalker

My Optra has been with me almost 3 years now and not once have I had any issues with servicing, also have not spent any substantial amounts on spares either, though I own the petrol version, I can still safely say that GM service is not as bad as it is sometimes made out to be.
Cheers,
Hari.

Exactly. I know someone who's had his Optra for four years now, and other than standard consumables, has never had to change a single thing on the car. Four years with no major maintenance or failures?? That sounds pretty damn good, if you ask me.

[karanraheja]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

G3HC :

Negative Points.
3) Honda A.S & S.

OT:
Since when did that become a negative point?? I think poor interiors should replace this point.

@Rahul
If you are almost sold on the Magnum i think you should go ahead with it.

[beanstalk_230]

I have owned both optra's and i vouch for their reliability factor. NO problems so far (Touch wood)

Moreover the magnum is BETTER built than the generation earlier. The door itself speaks for it which is quite heavy in comparison. No doubt better built than HC.

I think it basically comes down to petrol vs diesel. Depends on the usage. G3HC is a good car no doubt but yep has its share of negatives as all city's (exception OHC probably)

And till now I am really shocked with the type of service bills I have received. (No cashless service for me ) They are incredibly LOW for a diesel.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by karanraheja

OT:
Since when did that become a negative point?? I think poor interiors should replace this point.

In this forum and at various places I have read this. Moreover also experienced this. My father's boss owns G2HC. He is not happy about the servicing part. Cost of spares is high as compared to his Verna. The way the dealership handles car is also not good. He has got a few scratches on the boot lid and on rear bumper. This has never happened to his earlier car, Maruti Zen ( orginal with 1.0 ltr 60bhp engine ).

In general, the A.S & S. for either GM or Honda is not as high rated as lets say Maruti or Hyundai.
Yes I forgot to mention poor interiors, but the ICE under the hood balances this.

[ImmortalZ]

I saw the ANHC at the Honda showroom in Trivandrum when I went to do first service for my Civic. I agree with most of the points here - the exterior looks good, but the interior is in serious "Meh." territory.

The AGM at the showroom wasn't very happy about the fact that it doesn't come with alloys or foglamps. She said she has no idea about the options packages mentioned here. The paint looked normal gloss and the passenger side wiper arm has a very wacky shape.

It may have cured the bad looks of the NHC, but they have taken away some of the good points as well.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

Such statement aren't going to passe anyday, considering a price difference of more then 30-40% between diesel and petrol. .

Please do not throw numbers without data. Optra Magnum diesel is about 75,000 rs. more than petrol version which is 7.5% more. Not 30-40 %. Also resale value of diesel will be more than petrol of the same make/model.

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

A car should be pocket friendly not only maintenance wise but also in running. This is reason why marutis, hyundai and honda rules the sales chart anyday over any other brand.

Honda cars are more expensive to maintain than Chevrolet (Which is now providing 3 year maintenance holiday). Please do some research before writing in this forum.

Originally Posted by ashthedivx

Diesel machine are usually torque machine but are heavy on pockets if they are ran handful i.e. 20-30 kms daily as diesel vehicles require extra care while following service schedules which can be skipped anyhow in petrol cars without any glitch.

Again this statement is passe. Modern day diesel do not need extra maintenance. I am not sure who gave you the idea that you can skip maintenance schedules in petrol cars. It is equally important to adhere to maintenance schedule of any car. Now a days diesel cars have maintenance schedule of every 10K kms while honda still insists on a 5K maintenance schedule which I believe is a fleece.

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Yes I forgot to mention poor interiors, but the ICE under the hood balances this.

You've got your ICE under your hood???
Wrong place, pal.

[narayan]

[quote=DieselFan;1037054]Please do not throw numbers without data. Optra Magnum diesel is about 75,000 rs. more than petrol version which is 7.5% more. Not 30-40 %. Also resale value of diesel will be more than petrol of the same make/model.


i think he meant the fuel - not the car - but still 30-40% is not correct. more like 25% ( Delhi prices )

[bhp1]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Sorry, disagree with almost everything you've said. The Optra is easily one of the best mid-sizers on Indian roads today, and your post is wrong on so many levels.

1. It's not always better to "opt for new car with latest tech" as you claimed. Just ask owners of the Laura or the Passat. These are cars that came loaded with tech and gizmos that have been nothing but trouble for the owners. Also, can you point out some of the "latest tech" that's available on the City and not on the Optra? Please take the trouble to differentiate between genuine technology and mere frills.

2. "New city wins against Optra hands down".
Could you explain how, exactly? The Optra is better built (just close the doors on both cars and listen to the sound if you don't believe me. The Optra doors close with a reassuring muted 'thunk' that you will never find on the City), has a phenomenal engine that would leave any City in the dust, has phenomenal suspension and handling, and is larger and roomier than the City. The only strong points the Honda offers in comparison are nicely done interiors, lower NVH (because it's petrol and not diesel) and legendary Honda reliability.

3. Even comparative reliability between the two cars is not an issue, because the Optra is pretty reliable too. I know several people who've owned both petrol and diesel Optras for years and they have NEVER had reliability issues. A-S-S from GM on the Optra is also not a problem, and now with the 3-year maintenance cost holiday GM is offering, the savings are phenomenal. They even pay for consumables like engine oil.

4. The only point (for me) where the City wins will be in eventual resale value. BUT... the OP said he "fell in love" with the Optra. That has to count for a lot, in my book. If you love driving a car you're going to keep for 5 years, then it's worth it to take a slight hit on the resale value when you sell it. And FYI... I dont think the Optra will suffer very badly from resale value because it's a very good car, AND it's diesel. Fuel costs are going to continue to rise, and diesel cars are becoming more and more sought after than their petrol counterparts. I would totally buy a well-maintained diesel Optra that had the right amount of mileage and was in good condition.

I'm not saying the City is a bad car. Far from it. The city is a really good car, but your assertion that it "wins hands down" when compared to the Optra is laughable.

"Optra is the best midsizer in roads", I think you are highly mistaken. Where would you put Altis & Civic then?
Also kindly have a look at the sales figures, Optra sells peanuts in front of City!
1) It is good to opt for newer tech., otherwise people would be sitting on Amby's & Padmini's still! Honda is offering cutting edge iVtec on City, can you find faults with that. Apart from that have a look at its styling & design, don't you think it has taken the game to the next level, most think like this , even the auto. mags. Only if you could do more reading!
2) Heavy built is not the only thing to look in while buying a car, do you know the roots of Optra, they can be traced to Daewoo, maybe good thing in your view! Optra had been beaten to the ground by the previous City itself, we are talking about a new one here! Maybe now you can see the diff. in successive genarations & not compare to Skoda's!
3) For reliability & Maintenance, please refer to various surveys by groups like JD tec., Honda has GM beat over there! We are not going by your small control group !
4) GM cars by far have the worst resale in India, be it in 5 years or immediately after delivery!

Laugh if you want to but all I can say is your mind is prejudiced! Also, a very important point worth considering is that Optra's new gen. has already been launched/displayed abroad & is expected to come to India by mid of next year, so this gen. Optra does'nt stand a chance against the New City.

[Nitronium]

IMHO, this 'my car is better than yours' sparring can go on till you've traced the origin of the screws in each of the cars.

What really matters when you're putting hard earned money into a car is the way you feel about it. In this case, both cars are relatively low maintainance vehicles, and from what i can gather, service and spare parts will not pose too much of a problem , considering they are both pretty reliable.

rahulsm has clearly stated that he fell in love with the Magnum . How would he feel if he bought the HC and saw an Optra drive by? Lame, but it's like comparing it to the girl who you never asked out, and saw walking off with some other guy!

So in this case between two evenly matched cars, it should be a decision of the heart. And this mine is better non-sense can really be given a rest.

My 2 cents. Cheers

[Guna]

I think the sales figure alone are not indicator of how good a product is. Apart from doing research against their requirements, most customers would go with the 'wisdom of the crowds' and buy prodcuts which are already selling well, which would result in that product selling even more . This multiplier effect widens gap and sometime a very competant product can suffer. This is what I feel being a buyer of somewhat unpopular cars (Fusion, Forester) .