[sbraj]

Originally Posted by punitkakri

Well looks matter to some extent. I am not averse to either the look of the Jetta or the Sonata. Both seem elegant cars and have good road presence. So not a huge issue here.

In that case, I would go for Sonata. That is a safer choice, as we are yet to see how the A.S.S. side of VW is unfolding. VW may fare well in the long run (with help from Maruti's A.S.S.), but as of today, Hyundai scores much more than VW.

[Caramelo]

Originally Posted by punitkakri

Well looks matter to some extent. I am not averse to either the look of the Jetta or the Sonata. Both seem elegant cars and have good road presence. So not a huge issue here.

thats good to know. each car has its own look.

Hyundai cars have committed to at least 90K discounts which i feel will be pushed up again. Now, i have driven the Sonata as well as Jetta. both are fine with me.
My concerns moving ahead are.

• When is the new Sonata headed here. What can be the expected price.

the new sonata looks just awesome. it can beat anything in the looks dept. even the honda accord. plus it has the diesel advantage.
[/quote]If the Jetta is replced by the Crdi in April what kind of price difference can we expect. i don't it could be more than 1 -1.5 lac

• If prices of both cars increase by a huge amount, i do not want to be in a position as to not afford either car post budget hike plus the factors discussed above.

• this is one concern. as your budget is at most 20 lac onroad. but i think wors't case scenario you will have to shell out like 40-50k more in delhi in april - may.

Hmm i haven`t driven the Cruze automatic. If possible please highlight the strengths weaknesses vis a vis the VW DSG.[/quote]

150 bhp engine powerful engine. best among the class.
bigger than civic, corolla, in dimensions (just about not much)
PEPS system. push button start/stop. no keys required. unique feauture.
fully loaded in terms of goodies.
chevy cruze is the car being used for WTCC championships by chevrolet. so it has track racing capable chasis.
you can forget the complaints about the turbo lag as you will be driving auto box.

i think cruze auto matic is also a good bet but its a segment below the sonata. but it will save you a lot of money. you won't have to strech your budget to 20 lacs and the power is equal to the sonata diesel engine.

[navin]

Originally Posted by Akki_5

+1. It's sad that Mr. Chajju has moved out of AutoBahn. He was probably the best they had. I went to him after reading your post recommending him in one of the threads.
BTW, who would you now recommend at AutoBahn?

Mr Nawaz so far has been responsible.

[k2max6]

By any chance Kizashi is not due before December 2010/Jan 2011. Confirmed News.

[punitkakri]

Originally Posted by sbraj

In that case, I would go for Sonata. That is a safer choice, as we are yet to see how the A.S.S. side of VW is unfolding. VW may fare well in the long run (with help from Maruti's A.S.S.), but as of today, Hyundai scores much more than VW.

Hmmm that is what it seems like. Now just waiting for April to see whether the CRDi engines are introduced and what impact they have on the JEtta price.

Originally Posted by Caramelo

thats good to know. each car has its own look.


the new sonata looks just awesome. it can beat anything in the looks dept. even the honda accord. plus it has the diesel advantage.

If the Jetta is replced by the Crdi in April what kind of price difference can we expect. i don't it could be more than 1 -1.5 lac

• this is one concern. as your budget is at most 20 lac onroad. but i think wors't case scenario you will have to shell out like 40-50k more in delhi in april - may.

I just hope the New Sonata comes by April -May and is prices around 18 lacs or so. It`ll become a no brainer then. However i dont really see that much activity on the Hyundai front and dont expect the new sonata to arrive before next year, anyways the new sonata range starts from $19,000 odd in the US. Hopefully it start from 15-16 lacs here.
Anyways the car prices are likely to go up by abput 25 -30 K. So dont think that would be a problem now.


Hmm i haven`t driven the Cruze automatic. If possible please highlight the strengths weaknesses vis a vis the VW DSG.[/quote]

150 bhp engine powerful engine. best among the class.
bigger than civic, corolla, in dimensions (just about not much)
PEPS system. push button start/stop. no keys required. unique feauture.
fully loaded in terms of goodies.
chevy cruze is the car being used for WTCC championships by chevrolet. so it has track racing capable chasis.
you can forget the complaints about the turbo lag as you will be driving auto box.

i think cruze auto matic is also a good bet but its a segment below the sonata. but it will save you a lot of money. you won't have to strech your budget to 20 lacs and the power is equal to the sonata diesel engine. [/quote]

Ya you are right. Cruze is good value for money. I once again checked out all the cars yesterday. Have to say Sonata feels a lot bigger and i`ll be able to procure a Diesel manual sonata for about 15.5 lacs in Delhi, which is not that much more expensive than the LTZ.
Now in Delhi (on road- pre budget)
Jetta comfortline is 17.60 lakhs
Jetta Trendline is 15.11 lakhs
Cruze LT - 11.66 lakhs
Cruze Ktz - 13.56 lakhs
Sonata Manual 2.0 crdi - 15.5 lakhs after discounts
Sonata automatic is - 16.6 after discounts

Originally Posted by k2max6

By any chance Kizashi is not due before December 2010/Jan 2011. Confirmed News.

Could you please mention the source of this information.

[punitkakri]

Another part decision has been made. The cruze is now out of contention. The rear seats were just not comfortable enough and the interiors at the rear seem cramped. The low headroom didn`t help matters.

Now the choice is between
Hyundai Sonata 2.0 manual crdi (On Road around 15.25 lakhs (after discounts)

VW Jetta Comfortline 1.9 (On Road around 17.40 lakhs (after 20,000 discount on insurance.)

Both prices @ New Delhi

Head says Sonata but Heart says Jetta. Utterly confused.
Need delivery of the car in Delhi by May 2nd week at the latest.

Guys again please suggest between these two models now. Really confused.

[Anand123]

Hear what your heart says. Buy the Jetta.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by Anand123

Hear what your heart says. Buy the Jetta.

Warning!!! Hearts are fickle in nature.

Many hearts have said Skoda, and later repented.

punitkakri, why don't you get feedback from (Delhi based) VW owners in this forum on how is VW's A.S.S. ? It is always better to take a decision based on data, rather than guess work.

If VW's A.S.S. is satisfactory in Delhi, then go for Jetta.

[khoj]

@punitkakri
Since you have not listed any preference for diesel or petrol, I would recommend the Nissan Teana. This will meet your criteria #3 & 4 perfectly but will stretch your #1 criteria by 3 lakhs for the OTR Delhi price.

[punitkakri]

Originally Posted by khoj

@punitkakri
Since you have not listed any preference for diesel or petrol, I would recommend the Nissan Teana. This will meet your criteria #3 & 4 perfectly but will stretch your #1 criteria by 3 lakhs for the OTR Delhi price.

I was tempted by the Nissan Teana as well, but ruled it out due to the following reasons.

• Overbudget by about four lakhs.
• High running costs. Low fuel efficiency.
• Service issues can arise. There is a major lack of service centres.

I do know the car is very comfortable, but these issues are significant.

[punitkakri]

I spoke to the Hyundai dealer yesterday and they say that Sonata Transform delivery will take 45 days minimum as the car is now produced on a made to order basis. Now my question is this a good thing or a bad thing?
On a positive side one gets a newly manufactured vehicle. On the downside could be the spares issue. One might have to wait a while before the spares arrive.
Please suggest what you guys think.

[issigonis]

Originally Posted by punitkakri

Another part decision has been made. The cruze is now out of contention. The rear seats were just not comfortable enough and the interiors at the rear seem cramped. The low headroom didn`t help matters.

Now the choice is between
Hyundai Sonata 2.0 manual crdi (On Road around 15.25 lakhs (after discounts)

VW Jetta Comfortline 1.9 (On Road around 17.40 lakhs (after 20,000 discount on insurance.)

Both prices @ New Delhi

Head says Sonata but Heart says Jetta. Utterly confused.
Need delivery of the car in Delhi by May 2nd week at the latest.

Guys again please suggest between these two models now. Really confused.

punitkakri,

You may go through my post on my initial experiences with the Comfortline : Team-BHP > Indian Cars > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports Got my VW Jetta

Please test drive properly, think deeply about your requirements and then decide. I was surveying the segment for nearly one and a half years before I decided.

My source in VW has not confirmed the possibility of a crdi engine for the Jetta, yet.

Regards

[deepakchan]

Originally Posted by punitkakri

Another part decision has been made. The cruze is now out of contention. The rear seats were just not comfortable enough and the interiors at the rear seem cramped. The low headroom didn`t help matters.

Now the choice is between
Hyundai Sonata 2.0 manual crdi (On Road around 15.25 lakhs (after discounts)

VW Jetta Comfortline 1.9 (On Road around 17.40 lakhs (after 20,000 discount on insurance.)

Guys again please suggest between these two models now. Really confused.

I was in the exact same confused state as you since November 2009. I had tried the Cruze LTZ Manual, Sonata 2.0 Manual CRDi, and the Jetta 1.9 Trendline TDi. I didn't go for the comfortline since I was particular about the stick shift. The Cruze was eliminated for the exact same reason as mentioned by you. I didn't like the suspension which I felt was hard, and the rear legroom (very less in my opinion). I didn't notice the headroom being low since I didn't ride on the rear seat just sat on it once when stationary.

Last week, I had made up my mind on the Jetta Trendline 1.9 TDi. After the necessary approvals from the elders at home, the cheque was made and today (March 3rd 2010), I went to the showroom to make the payment. Two days ago, the salesperson said once you make the payment, he could get the car (heaven blue color which is very rare) in a week to 10 days time. When I went today with the payment, we met the manager who informed us that there would be an unprecedented delay in delivering the vehicle. It seems they won't be getting any 1.9 Trendlines in the month of March. He was trying to push 1.9 Comfortline again.

I was very particular of stick shift. I had tried both stick and auto in the month of November when I did all the test drives. Still I was wanting to go for the stick shift only. The reason given for manuals not being available was all these are CKDs. The sales targets set by the company for India has been achieved because of the sudden spurt in the number of dealers to 40. And the CKDs that have to received by Indian Volkswagen have all been received and assembled. And there are no fresh supplies till April. So I either have to wait for 6 weeks (tentatively no confirmation given), or go for the comfortline which the factory has stock of. I was really confused and took back the cheque with me. I said I will get back to him in a couple of days. I heard the sales person saying the manager is even willing to give me the Comfortline for a day or two all for myself to convince myself for the car. I have not yet agreed to it. I am still wondering what to do.

[khoj]

@deepakchan
Try out the comfortline. It has sports seats in the front which are excellent and of course there are other goodies too. You may even be able to drive a good bargain considering it is the end of the financial year and all that jazz. The heaven blue with black Vienna leather interiors makes for one classy vehicle.

At the end of two days if you still want the Trendline, well your money is still with you and you might get an updated engine with the next lot. Heard that Crdi and Tsi will be introduced in the diesel and petrol respectively in the Jetta range.

[sabynag]

Originally Posted by deepakchan

I was in the exact same confused state as you since November 2009. I had tried the Cruze LTZ Manual, Sonata 2.0 Manual CRDi, and the Jetta 1.9 Trendline TDi. I didn't go for the comfortline since I was particular about the stick shift. The Cruze was eliminated for the exact same reason as mentioned by you. I didn't like the suspension which I felt was hard, and the rear legroom (very less in my opinion). I didn't notice the headroom being low since I didn't ride on the rear seat just sat on it once when stationary.

Last week, I had made up my mind on the Jetta Trendline 1.9 TDi. After the necessary approvals from the elders at home, the cheque was made and today (March 3rd 2010), I went to the showroom to make the payment. Two days ago, the salesperson said once you make the payment, he could get the car (heaven blue color which is very rare) in a week to 10 days time. When I went today with the payment, we met the manager who informed us that there would be an unprecedented delay in delivering the vehicle. It seems they won't be getting any 1.9 Trendlines in the month of March. He was trying to push 1.9 Comfortline again.

I was very particular of stick shift. I had tried both stick and auto in the month of November when I did all the test drives. Still I was wanting to go for the stick shift only. The reason given for manuals not being available was all these are CKDs. The sales targets set by the company for India has been achieved because of the sudden spurt in the number of dealers to 40. And the CKDs that have to received by Indian Volkswagen have all been received and assembled. And there are no fresh supplies till April. So I either have to wait for 6 weeks (tentatively no confirmation given), or go for the comfortline which the factory has stock of. I was really confused and took back the cheque with me. I said I will get back to him in a couple of days. I heard the sales person saying the manager is even willing to give me the Comfortline for a day or two all for myself to convince myself for the car. I have not yet agreed to it. I am still wondering what to do.

It may be worth to wait a couple months if your eyes are on Jetta. The new stocks from Mexico may come with some new things under the bonnet :-)