Optra Magnum LT @ 10.48 lakhs OTR or some other car or wait longer

sydras · 11th December 2010, 13:09

I've had the opportunity to drive the cars you've mentioned as I've been in the market for a new sedan recently. I finally ended up buying a City but the Optra was the only other car that impressed me from a full package (10-12 L budget, rear seat legroom, performance, handling, interior quality, VFM) point of view.

Following was what I liked about the car:

1. Very good power delivery in 2nd, 3rd 4th gears. (Much better than the Verna that has power only in 2nd gear and does not feel linear) Does not feel like a heavy car like the Cruze though it is solidly built. I noticed some turbo lag in the Cruze automatic but the Optra's power delivery felt almost linear and delivered just when you push it.
2. Gearbox is the best seen from Chevrolet so far. (It's miles ahead of the Beat whose gearbox appears to have been put together by monkeys. Horrible car the beat is. The Spark's gearbox felt so much better.)
3. Noise isolation from the outside world is very good.
4. Suspension felt good. (Not as good as the heavy Cruze which just soaked up potholes on ORR like they were nothing but it felt nice).
5. Best implementation of 4 disc brakes seen so far. Even better than the Cruze and definitely much better than the Verna. (This may be subjective but I definitely don't like hyper sensitive brakes.)

What I did not like was:

1. Hydraulic steering is a bit too heavy for my taste at low speeds. (I prefer the light electric power steering of the City).
2. A/C felt poor.
3. Horn is very difficult to access. (I did not like the two small horn buttons on the steering spokes. In my opinion, only the M800 did a good implementation of these type of horn buttons.)
4. ABC Pedals were hard (but were ok to use for the duration of the test drive. Might be an issue for long or even extended city driving.)
5. Leather seats make one feel sweaty. They stock leather is not top notch but ok.
6. Indicator stalks on LHS. Wiper on RHS.
7. Cannot see bonnet from driver's seat at all(Minor issue. Can't see the City's bonnet also but the Optra feels longer. Maybe my hangup).

In my opinion, the Fiesta's interiors are not better than the Optra's. The materials Ford uses in Figo and Fiesta, even in the top end variants do not seem of very high quality. It's ok but not great.

The Optra's interiors looked much better to me. It's a little dated but it's a D segment car and I felt that the overall build quality was much better than the Fiesta.

I test drove the Fiesta Diesel also. What impressed me about the Fiesta Diesel was the power delivery. It felt very linear and almost like a petrol car. Also, the handling felt good.

Only issue I would fear with the Optra is that it might be replaced next year but the salesman told me that Chevrolet does not have a model in the 10-11L price bracket (since the Cruze is somewhere in the 14L+ range and only the Aveo and the Uva might be phased out next year).

vishnurp99 · 11th December 2010, 16:10

How much is the OTR for Fiesta? If it's not too less than vento maybe you can consider the vento also. I have a fiesta and have taken the test drive of vento. The backseats in Vento is more spacious than the fiesta and the vento is a newer entrant with a powerful engine. The only thing that worries me about VW is it's expensive *** tag and it's unproven nature in indian conditions. Maybe you can do some thinking on this and then decide. Fiesta is not expensive to maintain at all in comparison.

Optra Magnum is also something which i wouldn't recommend since it's old in the tooth and it was never a succesful car in the indian market. You just have to compare the octavia numbers to the magnum numbers to see this.

basilmabraham · 13th December 2010, 06:35

Thanks guys.

The current offer I have for the Fiesta is 8.80 lakhs OTR for the SXi. I have not negotiated further, hoping for a few more freebies thrown in. If all goes well, I will settle for the Fiesta, a decision should be taken today.

Vento OTR is 10.48 lakhs. I am not in a mood to take on whatever VW has planned for the After sales, also , there is a waiting period of 5 months odd. Dont think its worth the wait.

basilmabraham · 14th December 2010, 06:22

I have booked the Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi SXi at Kairali Ford Trivandrum. Will get delivery next week.

Mods: This thread could be closed down as I have reached my decision. Thanks.

11th December 2010, 13:09	#16
sydras BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 119 Thanked: 92 Times	Re: Optra Magnum LT @ 10.48 lakhs OTR or some other car or wait longer I've had the opportunity to drive the cars you've mentioned as I've been in the market for a new sedan recently. I finally ended up buying a City but the Optra was the only other car that impressed me from a full package (10-12 L budget, rear seat legroom, performance, handling, interior quality, VFM) point of view. Following was what I liked about the car: 1. Very good power delivery in 2nd, 3rd 4th gears. (Much better than the Verna that has power only in 2nd gear and does not feel linear) Does not feel like a heavy car like the Cruze though it is solidly built. I noticed some turbo lag in the Cruze automatic but the Optra's power delivery felt almost linear and delivered just when you push it. 2. Gearbox is the best seen from Chevrolet so far. (It's miles ahead of the Beat whose gearbox appears to have been put together by monkeys. Horrible car the beat is. The Spark's gearbox felt so much better.) 3. Noise isolation from the outside world is very good. 4. Suspension felt good. (Not as good as the heavy Cruze which just soaked up potholes on ORR like they were nothing but it felt nice). 5. Best implementation of 4 disc brakes seen so far. Even better than the Cruze and definitely much better than the Verna. (This may be subjective but I definitely don't like hyper sensitive brakes.) What I did not like was: 1. Hydraulic steering is a bit too heavy for my taste at low speeds. (I prefer the light electric power steering of the City). 2. A/C felt poor. 3. Horn is very difficult to access. (I did not like the two small horn buttons on the steering spokes. In my opinion, only the M800 did a good implementation of these type of horn buttons.) 4. ABC Pedals were hard (but were ok to use for the duration of the test drive. Might be an issue for long or even extended city driving.) 5. Leather seats make one feel sweaty. They stock leather is not top notch but ok. 6. Indicator stalks on LHS. Wiper on RHS. 7. Cannot see bonnet from driver's seat at all(Minor issue. Can't see the City's bonnet also but the Optra feels longer. Maybe my hangup). In my opinion, the Fiesta's interiors are not better than the Optra's. The materials Ford uses in Figo and Fiesta, even in the top end variants do not seem of very high quality. It's ok but not great. The Optra's interiors looked much better to me. It's a little dated but it's a D segment car and I felt that the overall build quality was much better than the Fiesta. I test drove the Fiesta Diesel also. What impressed me about the Fiesta Diesel was the power delivery. It felt very linear and almost like a petrol car. Also, the handling felt good. Only issue I would fear with the Optra is that it might be replaced next year but the salesman told me that Chevrolet does not have a model in the 10-11L price bracket (since the Cruze is somewhere in the 14L+ range and only the Aveo and the Uva might be phased out next year). Last edited by sydras : 11th December 2010 at 13:13.
	() Thanks

11th December 2010, 16:10	#17
vishnurp99 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: India Posts: 477 Thanked: 1,026 Times	Re: Optra Magnum LT @ 10.48 lakhs OTR or some other car or wait longer How much is the OTR for Fiesta? If it's not too less than vento maybe you can consider the vento also. I have a fiesta and have taken the test drive of vento. The backseats in Vento is more spacious than the fiesta and the vento is a newer entrant with a powerful engine. The only thing that worries me about VW is it's expensive *** tag and it's unproven nature in indian conditions. Maybe you can do some thinking on this and then decide. Fiesta is not expensive to maintain at all in comparison. Optra Magnum is also something which i wouldn't recommend since it's old in the tooth and it was never a succesful car in the indian market. You just have to compare the octavia numbers to the magnum numbers to see this. Last edited by vishnurp99 : 11th December 2010 at 16:13.
	() Thanks

13th December 2010, 06:35	#18
basilmabraham BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sydney/Cochin Posts: 772 Thanked: 76 Times View My Garage	Re: Optra Magnum LT @ 10.48 lakhs OTR or some other car or wait longer Thanks guys. The current offer I have for the Fiesta is 8.80 lakhs OTR for the SXi. I have not negotiated further, hoping for a few more freebies thrown in. If all goes well, I will settle for the Fiesta, a decision should be taken today. Vento OTR is 10.48 lakhs. I am not in a mood to take on whatever VW has planned for the After sales, also , there is a waiting period of 5 months odd. Dont think its worth the wait. Last edited by basilmabraham : 13th December 2010 at 06:37.
	() Thanks

14th December 2010, 06:22	#19
basilmabraham BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sydney/Cochin Posts: 772 Thanked: 76 Times View My Garage	Re: Optra Magnum LT @ 10.48 lakhs OTR or some other car or wait longer I have booked the Ford Fiesta 1.4 TDCi SXi at Kairali Ford Trivandrum. Will get delivery next week. Mods: This thread could be closed down as I have reached my decision. Thanks.
	() Thanks