[vitriol]

Hi Guys:
I have a petrol Accent GLS (2002) and a NHC Exi (2004) looking to add another car:

I'm looking for a new car around 7 lacs give or take a bit (not counting octroi etc)

Usage:
- Heavy Highway driving (Mumbai-Pune Expressway + Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway) Avg. 3 trips a week. 300km per trip. Driver Driven.
- 45 Minute south bombay commute on other days. Self.
- Usu 1-2 passengers in the car.

Thoughts:
- Need as much backseat room as possible on those trips
- Would rather not buy one of the cars that I already have
- Can think of a slightly more expensive car if fuel efficiency is good
- Need a good bacseat ride
- Was thinking that the Innova would be a bad Idea on the Mumbai-Pune expressway because of its high center of gravity. (Im very concerned about the car toppling over)
- I dont like the NewHondaCity rear suspension, it has become really hard and bumpy, I think its because its not an independant suspension, its a H type torque based one.


Any Ideas?

Cheers,
V

[navin]

Ford Fiesta is one option. A used Optra 1.6 VGIS maybe another. If you want to save fuel but dont mind a slightly poor rear seat a used Skoda Tdi could work as well. I like Skoda for the highway as it is built like a tank.

[Mpower]

Check out the Fiesta diesel. If you like the backseat, then the answer is easy. Indigo may have a better back seat, but it all depends on how tall the passengers are.

[DCEite]

Ford Fiesta It is... has got a responsive diesel, and its Fuel efficient too.

[tsk1979]

Innova stability is not an issue. Unless you are into serious drifting you dont have to worry about toppling.
As for your price, Optra 1.6 is good but fuel efficiency is not as good as NHC. As you will be driver driven, back seat comfort is unmatched if you go for innova.

As for Fiesta, how tall are you. If you are around 6+ then forget back seat comfort in that car.
Rest whatever choices you narrow down upon, go to the showrooms, sit in the back seat and get test driven on bad roads. That will give you the best answer about comfort and then you can choose based on FE etc.,

Shan2nu, who is a team-bhp mod too, has a innova petrol. The diesel version will give you same comfort and also save you fuel costs. You can check out his review here

[trinadha]

why not scorpio or else
innova both are good or else used endever
all the above ones if u go with more than 5 to 6 passengers
else u want a sedan go for maybe fiesta diesel (wait for any owner feedback)
do tell us more about the travelling how many paasengers and what is your build i.e height etc

[tsk1979]

He is scared of Innova toppling. Scorpio will be a nightmare

[devarshi84]

Within 7lacs

a lancer is fun to drive which will be a deciding factor due to long distances. Has got good visibility, good FE, and fun to drive.

Maruti Baleno also makes sense but I guess its a bit smaller and high speed handling certainly not as good as the lancer

BUt as you said that you can stretch your budget a bit, check out the new hyundai elantra petrol. You will get big discounts and its a good car too.

[spacebar]

guys i test drove the ford feista. Majorily dissappointing. firstly i test drove the diesel fiesta. yeah its a diesel engine and so pickup is supposed to be delayed... but a whole 3 seconds before the the turbocharger kicks in and then you get RESPONSE? and till then? watch all the cars go blasting past you at the red light? nah thanks. ok i understand the weight issue (as with all ford cars) and the ooooh yeah the suspension is sweet. But for some 7+Lacs, the car is not worth it.
Then i tried the petrol Fiesta. Hmm got to be better than the diesel it is 1.6L petrol. To my utter amazement, its exactly the same response. How could Ford possibly get a petrol car to behave like a diesel car? Have to give it too these guys, they know how to get mileage out a car. Again the suspension, build quality, Air Con (wow!!!), and feel were great. But i wouldnt want to drive this car myself. i'd rather just sit in the back and enjoy the air conditioning and let the driver deal with the traffic.

next day i checked out the Innova. I have to say i was pretty sceptical because everyone keeps raving about it and i dont fall for that. So first thing i did was took it too 100kmph in some crazy seconds cause i didnt even realise i was there till i looked at the speedo and saw the needle sitting comfortably at 110kms. i had to reconfirm if i was driving a diesel innova. YUP i was.
Whoa!!! what happened to delay time in diesel engines? i guess Toyota hasnt heard about that. (they should meet the Ford engineers). Well i slammed on the brakes at 90kms and the car came to a complete halt instantly. The only thing that didnt stop was the customer service agent (not wearing a seatbelt) who gave me the meanest possible look and buckled his seat belt.
Next test - can i get this car to tip over. so at 80 i decide to yank the wheel first left and then right (hard but in control) - amazing the cars spring coil suspension on all 4 wheels is superb. it held up the car on all fours with out a effort i couldnt get more creative as the customer service guy kind of got pretty pissed. the last thing i had to check was if i had dreamed the pickup on this DIESEL innova. So once again i took of and . . . . . . . . . . we are buying the innova G2 in 3 days. I guess i too have joined the Raving Innova lunatics.
After we pickup the car we are heading straight for Mussoorie (uttranchal). if you want to test a car - thats the place to go. If God willing we get some snow there, i'll let you guys know if Toyota is snow friendly enough for some of us crazy Indians.
ciao. . .

[racing4cure]

why not the corolla or the sonata??? i ma sure u will will be able to meet u r criteria there..waddya say guys..or u could wait for the scorpio after the rewirked suspension..

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

Within 7lacs

a lancer is fun to drive which will be a deciding factor due to long distances. Has got good visibility, good FE, and fun to drive.

Driver driven, owner in back seat, so fun to drive does not make sense

Maruti Baleno also makes sense but I guess its a bit smaller and high speed handling certainly not as good as the lancer

Back seat comfort. He find the NHC bad in the back seat, wonder how will he take the baleno.

BUt as you said that you can stretch your budget a bit, check out the new hyundai elantra petrol. You will get big discounts and its a good car too.

FE issue. He said will go for a higher end car if FE is good. When you make 4000kms/mo FE can save you 7000 in fuel(for diesel).

[shuvc]

How about considering the Tavera ?

[abhibh]

Hi,

Just recently driven Tavera Top Model... The car is overall good. Pickup is also good. and average is also around 14 in city and around 18-20 on highway.. But lokks are not of MUV/SUV.. But still a good car... Though just test drive it...

2 nd option Go for fiesta TDCi or 1.6..

[Technocrat]

I would have & will still suggest the Fiesta, as it perfectly fits your requirements but somehow i was not too happy with the rear seat's thigh support, so I suggest you check this car because apart from this everything else is just great.

[Catamaran]

Innova all the way, spacious, safe & sturdy, suitable for long drives, and toyota reliability...
CAT