[kpzen]

Loving_aalap
Ask your friend to test drive both cars as per his daily driving style and then decide.
For 25-30kms a day a petrol vehicle can also serve the purpose.
What about Dzire/ Ikon TDci?

RX135
I liked the last line of your post.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by RX135

Are you sure that it is well informed difference?
if you like to win straight line drag race, go for Verna.

Yes RX135, it is. As per ACI's spare parts survey, the sum of parts surveyed for the Verna CRDi is Rs.62572, whereas the Palio MJD's total is Rs.78752. Even the Palio Stile's total is Rs.72960. The Linea is not on that list, but I presume that since it's a more premium car with the same MJD engine, it will not be cheaper.

As for winning drag races or not, I would leave it purely to loving_alaap and his friend to decide.

Originally Posted by sharanramesh

but on most other parameters i think the linea wins outright. the sheer presense makes you believe you are not in a car worth 8 odd lakhs...

Aha... the Indian "lambi gaadi" mindset... Buy a Safari EX for the same money!

I doubt someone would be looking to use all the 100 odd horses...but when it comes to doing the daily routine of drive to work, evening with family, drop the kids to school i would surely not mind settling for a car that lacks a little in performance but makes up in all other departments.

...the A-Star or i10 are equally good, if not better for those jobs...

we have heard horror stories of their Service facilities but we have also heard the same about Skoda, the same about ford, the same about toyota.

...and the Skoda story is not a story, it's a drama in real life.

id rather drive around feeling a million bucks than drive around a twitchy car aiming at the next tree to park its 100 odd horses.

Sounds offensive. Surely Verna owners can drive better than that? PW, have you lately parked your Verna up a tree? In any case, sharanramesh, by your logic, any vehicle with over 90bhp is a danger to drive...

[sharanramesh]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Sounds offensive. Surely Verna owners can drive better than that? PW, have you lately parked your Verna up a tree? In any case, sharanramesh, by your logic, any vehicle with over 90bhp is a danger to drive...

haha.... sorry i didnt mean any offensive. we are all power hungry people in automobiles. but surely thats not the only reason i would choose to buy a vehicle costing 8 odd lakhs. thats the point i was making.

but ur post was funny. nice!

[djay99]

Sharan Ramesh is right. You cannot use all the 110 horses and 240NM torque everyday. Also remember that a verna is not easy to drive in city and may be fiat linea too.
Also Verna is overpriced anyday for the features and stuff it offers.
For a 25-30Km per day drive, buy a petrol. It makes lot of sense choosing a petrol over a diesel for a 30KM/day drive.

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Yes RX135, it is. As per ACI's spare parts survey, the sum of parts surveyed for the Verna CRDi is Rs.62572, whereas the Palio MJD's total is Rs.78752. Even the Palio Stile's total is Rs.72960. The Linea is not on that list, but I presume that since it's a more premium car with the same MJD engine, it will not be cheaper.

Why are you assuming/ presuming when the data is available? Its there on Fiat website - go & check Linea & Verna spares cost. Since Fiat dared to post it on their official website, trust you would give it some kind of authenticity.

also why are you comparing Verna with Palio spares?

[clevermax]

Originally Posted by sharanramesh

As far as engine goes, yes the verna makes good sense.

but on most other parameters i think the linea wins outright. the sheer presense makes you believe you are not in a car worth 8 odd lakhs but in a car worth a lot lot more money.

so i would recommend to your friend a fiat linea over the verna, id rather drive around feeling a million bucks than drive around a twitchy car aiming
at the next tree to park its 100 odd horses.

Agree 100% to that. Verna has no presence comapred to Linea whatsoever. It's just another car. Ask your friend whether he needs just that, or a car which gets him those ogles while behind the wheel.

[predatorwheelz]

No offence meant to anyone particular, but the myopic viewpoint exhibited by some people amazes me!

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

PW, have you lately parked your Verna up a tree? In any case, sharanramesh, by your logic, any vehicle with over 90bhp is a danger to drive...

Hehe, no doc. I've been driving the Verna for more than 6 months now, everyday in peak Kolkata traffic (people who've lived here will know how tough that is). I find the car more manouverable than my Indica V2.

And mind you I'm not speculating here. I actually own both cars.

Originally Posted by djay99

You cannot use all the 110 horses and 240NM torque everyday. Also remember that a verna is not easy to drive in city and may be fiat linea too.
Also Verna is overpriced anyday for the features and stuff it offers.

Who says you cannot use the power of the verna everyday? Dude, the Verna has an awesome lower rpm power spread. Aalap's friend will enjoy powering out of traffic signals and brisk runarounds in the city, as much as he will enjoy the good highway jaunt.

Plus (as already stated), I've lived in Ahmedabad for 2 years. The city has some good roads inside (SG Road and Ring Road) and awesome highways all around.

FYI, I've debated almost 9 cars before deciding on the Verna. I thought the Verna was the best Value for Money when one compares its features offered to its price.

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

also why are you comparing Verna with Palio spares?

His comparison was to point out that even the Palio's basket of spares is priced more than the Verna, so Linea obviously would be more so!

Originally Posted by clevermax

Verna has no presence comapred to Linea whatsoever. It's just another car.

I agree that the Linea is a much more beautiful car than the Verna. But dont you think beauty should be left for the beholder to judge? Please desist from posting such subjective comments.

[sharanramesh]

Predator,

I hands down agree with your logic for selling the Verna, all i am saying is lets not assume that everyone gets excited by the power figures. which is the biggest selling point of the verna.

We till now still do not know what is it that "the friend" in question looks for from a car.

cheers,

[ImmortalZ]

Originally Posted by sharanramesh

...yes we have heard horror stories of their Service facilities but we have also heard the same about Skoda, the same about ford, the same about toyota. ...

Wait, what?!?

Never mind Toyota doesn't have a product in the segment, but it does have the best A.S.S. of the three, by a country mile.

Having TDed both the Verna and the Linea, and having a close relative who owns a Fiesta, here's what I think.

If you like to float around like a rockstar, get the Linea. It does look a segment bigger - it actually is. It is nearly Civic size. But unfortunately, it doesn't even have as much space as it's rivals, let alone D segment sedans, as some FIAT proponents have placed it in. FIAT have failed to translate the bulk into usable cabin space. People taller than six feet positively cannot use the back seat because of the sloping roof. The engine is underpowered, but third gear is infinitely usable. You'll have to use the clutch quite a bit.

If you want a rocketship, get the Verna. It will beat quite a number of D segmenters with that engine. Handling is a bit disconnected at high speeds, but Verna owners say it's all hogwash. Maybe I'm just used to my Civic's HPS. Looks are quirky, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In black, with some proper alloys and sunfilm, it will look quite mean, as predatorwheelz has done to his Verna. The Linea feels a bit more grown up in that respect, and is all euro chic.

The Fiesta is the best handling of the lot. It is also the oldest running and as such, looks are a bit dated, but not bad in any sense. Engine is underpowered, but has tremendous mileage and is easy to potter around in city traffic.

As for airbags, I will not comment as people will make any sort of reasoning to put their favorite in the limelight, as the ANHC vs. Linea thread proved a while ago. I humbly request people to not let this thread devolve into the same vitriolic trash that the former did, forcing the mods to do some major surgery work to make it usable again.

Ask your friend to drive them all, research about the A.S.S. in his city and then go in for the kill.

[predatorwheelz]

@ Immortalz - Very well written. I myself saw your quoted thread and pondered what hogwash people had written there. Your comparison between the 2 cars is also very neutral and objective.

OT - So you own a civic, eh? That explains your avtar pic!

@sharanramesh - I agree. Without knowing what Aalap's friend's exact requirements are, ultimately we are all throwing pebbles in the dark!

O Doc Aalap, please enlighten us all!

[AirWind]

@loving alaap: Hey, I read your thread title, but would like you to influence (rather caution) your friend that a car with ABS+Airbags is a safest choice, specially for a diesel where the car surges forward (due to the meaty mid range turbo band) when you downshift to reduce speed.

Though I'm used to driving a Swift P, I have had scary moments with my cousins Swift D and feel the bite of the Vxi brakes much much better than the Vdi, though both share the same discs/calipers.

[kailashnj]

Go for the Verna - Best drivers car. You will love the cheap spares and one of the best A.S.S in the country.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by VahanPujari

Why are you assuming/ presuming when the data is available? Its there on Fiat website - go & check Linea & Verna spares cost. Since Fiat dared to post it on their official website, trust you would give it some kind of authenticity.
also why are you comparing Verna with Palio spares?

Would I trust comparison data from Fiat's website, or from an auto mag like ACI? Do you mean to say a Palio would be more expensive to maintain than a Linea?

Originally Posted by sharanramesh

We till now still do not know what is it that "the friend" in question looks for from a car.

So I said...

As for winning drag races or not, I would leave it purely to loving_alaap and his friend to decide.

Originally Posted by AirWind

...a car with ABS+Airbags is a safest choice, specially for a diesel where the car surges forward (due to the meaty mid range turbo band) when you downshift to reduce speed.

Though I'm used to driving a Swift P, I have had scary moments with my cousins Swift D and feel the bite of the Vxi brakes much much better than the Vdi, though both share the same discs/calipers.

Not sure what you are trying to say. Diesels are inherently more unsafe, so ABS+airbags are a must? Or Swift diesels/all diesels have poorer brakes?

[RX135]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Would I trust comparison data from Fiat's website, or from an auto mag like ACI? Do you mean to say a Palio would be more expensive to maintain than a Linea?

Why speculate, when you have the data available in hand? If Fiat puts wrong data on their website, their competitors will sue them.

RapidShare: Easy Filehosting

As per the data available:

• Verna is around 270% more expensive for service parts/consumables.
• For mechanical parts, Verna is around 12% more expensive.
• For accident parts, Linea is around 13% more expensive.
• Linea has longer service interval of 15,000 km.

Originally Posted by kailashnj

Go for the Verna - Best drivers car.

May I know what is your definition of "Best driver's car"?

[ImmortalZ]

No they won't. Car manufacturers put wrong data about their competitors on their websites all the time with a silly disclaimer.

It's all slimy marketing.

For me, a driver's car has everything to do with the handling. In that department, the Fiesta has them all beat. Of course, in the diesel form, it doesn't have an engine that does justice to the chassis. The 1.6S is where it's at.