[Shyamtanu]

My sincere thanks to you for the snaps... I do not mind the window switch light absence that much, but guess what, when I earlier asked the Pashankar guy in Pune about this, he said, 'of course it does, Sir'.. but then, one of his sellsperson said they don't, and when I mentioned that, this guys responded 'He does not know, Sir'.. but I had my doubts still, and thanks a ton for clarifying them.
Have you bought this one.. just 425 Kms?? congrats on your purchase, wish you many years of happy driving with the new baby... also, the cashless is really cashless or they take some 15k for this?

[srijit]

Originally Posted by WheelWake

Of the two reasons given below as being the problem area in Aveo, I know a friend of mine who was considering Aveo but could not as he is more than 6ft.

That is funny cos a friend of mine got an Aveo instead of a Honda City, just because it was easier for him to get into. He's 6'4"

[deky]

Originally Posted by Shyamtanu

Have you bought this one.. just 425 Kms?? congrats on your purchase, wish you many years of happy driving with the new baby... also, the cashless is really cashless or they take some 15k for this?

Oh No, its just the trip meter reading, i usually do this to check the mileage. The car has done about 3500kms, i bought it 2 months back. Its not entirely cashless they do charge some amount for it, which is about 12K if i remeber correctly, but the same can be taken as a discount if you dont need the offer. I took it just thinking of it as an insurance against any defects in the car due to wear and tear or any failures like fuel pump or stuff.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Shyamtanu

I completely agree with the fact that finally it is ones own choice, but what I trying to understand here is, is something seriously wrong with the car/brand at the first place.

Thats why you have the forum. Read up on ownership reports and talk to the owners of Aveos. The car is piece of art with sound engineering and great interiors and ride quality.

[nemo]

Based on my test drive a year or so ago i feel the refinement is one of the reasons. Not many will notice but the gear shift is awkwardly positioned both in Aveo & UVA

[Shyamtanu]

Originally Posted by Mpower

In India its hard to sell anything other than Maruti, Hyundai or Honda. I was discussing cars with my 'non car' friend the other day and suddenly he burst out 'Ikon is crap'. When I asked why, he didn't even know!!! Someone said and someone else said.....

I know exactly what you mean, not everyone really understands why a car should be called good/bad? I personally liked the feel of Ikon, if AS.S was not a concern of Ford (can someone throw some light on this in Pune as it seems in recent posts that they have improved?) I would have considered fiesta as well. One of my friends in Pune have bought the Sxi duratorq, but telling me that service bills are quite high (he bought it last year only) and bad diesel in Pune is causing damage to the engine, does it happen often?

Back to Aveo... Deky, I would like to know does it stall in the second gear or it is a VGIS thing? I did notice that it takes bit of time to ooz out the energy.. like turbo effect.. but VGIS works to some extent like a turbo, and if you ask me, I like the fact that I can drive it at 100 and 25 kmph without a gear change!

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by srijit

That is funny cos a friend of mine got an Aveo instead of a Honda City, just because it was easier for him to get into. He's 6'4"

I agree. The dashboard hitting the knee is because they would have their seat adjusted to the front. If I move my seat very further, I too hit the dash and I am no where near 6"

Btw, I guess thats why we have seat height adjustment, and front & rear adjustment for each individuals taste right?

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by nemo

Based on my test drive a year or so ago i feel the refinement is one of the reasons. Not many will notice but the gear shift is awkwardly positioned both in Aveo & UVA

Somehow this always seems to have been an issue with the GM stable, right from the Opel days. I remember the gearshift on my Astra was always set in a bit of an awkward position. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about the positioning of the lever was off.
I've driven Aveos and Optras, and found the same issue. It's not a big deal, but...

[Swifty2008]

One of my friend is having an Aveo and he is a very happy owner. I have driven the vehicle a couple of times and found it good.

[itwasntme]

My 1.4 Base has given me excellent service over 6,500km and 15 months of ownership. No niggles except a squeaky driver seat. No rattles at all which is pretty good given Bangalore's roads.

Cons as mentioned are notchy gearshift (now used to it) and dash reflection in bright sunlight (especially if the road is tree-lined). The <2000 rpm unresponsiveness has eased a lot and I have also changed my driving style a bit to stay a bit longer in 1st gear or change directly from 3rd to 1st (when possible), while negotiating speedbreakers etc.

Pros are great interior/exterior looks, solid build with no rattling, relative exclusivity (my office has a fleet of Ford Fiestas as company cars and I didn't want one), high ground clearance (standard 181mm which is quite high) and great mid-range torque needing minimal gear-changing in city traffic when in 3rd/4th/5th gears.

A.S.S. has been good so far for me except for interior cleaning which is usually unsatisfactory for most cars with beige interiors.

Mileage is low for me (10.5km/lt) due to my limited usage (5km each way), stop-start traffic (usually 1st/2nd gear) and upsized tyres (185/60 to 195/60).

Overall, I would highly recommend it as the cons are mostly nitpicking and if one likes the car, there are no showstoppers!

[deky]

Originally Posted by Shyamtanu

Back to Aveo... Deky, I would like to know does it stall in the second gear or it is a VGIS thing? I did notice that it takes bit of time to ooz out the energy.. like turbo effect.. but VGIS works to some extent like a turbo, and if you ask me, I like the fact that I can drive it at 100 and 25 kmph without a gear change!

1. Stall in second gear?? Nope ive never felt that, But definately there is a humming noise from the engine just before the car reaches 2000rpm, thats what they say is VGIS affect. After 2000rpm its very sielent

2. Yes below 2000 rpm its a bit sluggish, but as i have been clocking more kms on ODO it seems to have diminished and the engine has become more responsive (or maybe ive just got used to it so havnt been noticing). So again as i said earlier if you want a car with a great pick up, Aveo is not the car for you.

[WheelWake]

The sluggish performance in my Aveo <2krpm at 2nd gear has improved considerably after the 1st service. And I really love the pick up above 2krpm and high speed stability on a straight road. Although, there is a bit high body roll at high speed due to soft suspension.

[Shyamtanu]

Originally Posted by ghostrider

Somehow this always seems to have been an issue with the GM stable, right from the Opel days. I remember the gearshift on my Astra was always set in a bit of an awkward position. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about the positioning of the lever was off.
I've driven Aveos and Optras, and found the same issue. It's not a big deal, but...

Gearshift position is okay for me... to be honest, when I took TD of Fiesta, the neutral position was almost looking like in 1st gear, and the sales guy also agreed that it is little strange, but I am sure there will thousands of Fiesta owners/lovers who will counter that as well.

it is heartening indeed to see some good feedbacks... please let us know more on your long term ownership...

One more query... does cast iron blocks last shorter than aluminium cast engines? I think the only issue is weight, and probable less mileage as the pulling power reduces to carry the load?

[Shyamtanu]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Mileage is low for me (10.5km/lt) due to my limited usage (5km each way), stop-start traffic (usually 1st/2nd gear) and upsized tyres (185/60 to 195/60).

Overall, I would highly recommend it as the cons are mostly nitpicking and if one likes the car, there are no showstoppers!

Thanks... by the way, have you also considered changing the headlamp halogens to more powerful one, if anyone did, which one to go for?

is it a must to upgrade to 185 i.e. are the stock typres so sleek (rather thin for the size)?

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Mileage is low for me (10.5km/lt) due to my limited usage (5km each way), stop-start traffic (usually 1st/2nd gear) and upsized tyres (185/60 to 195/60).

few points from me...

So far except for one trip, I have never got less than 12kmpl. Agreed that almost 50%-60% I use it on highways, and it gives me consistant milage of 14kmpl during long trips. And to add, my AC will be mostl ON with blower in 1st.

And when you are in highways, you will forget the sluggish in 2nd gear since it behaves extremly well in higher gears. You get good pickups in higher gears too.

Forgot to mention, my Aveo has done 6.6K in these 5 months.