[khoj]

Originally Posted by GloryManUnited

Kitna deti hai ?

No seriously, I am usually not too hung up on mileage numbers. But 9-10 kmpl is a reasonable expectation IMHO.

I was initially tempted to post on the thread given the title and your opening post but then thought of letting it be as my recommendation would check each and every one of your requirements but fuel economy and resale value. Now that I know your expectations of mileage are realistic I am posting here, assuming that you will understand when I say that people like us are not in the car resale business and we usually hold on to our cars for a minimum of 5 years as is evident in your case too with the Ikon. You are talking of buying a new car but I do not recall seeing a mention regarding selling the Ikon.

My recommendation is the Cedia as I definitely found my happiness with it earlier this year. Now available only in the sports version at 09.60 Lakhs ex showroom with a uniform price across the country. The car has everything that you have mentioned be it w.r.t. the interiors being well knit and classy, auto air con, safety features such as air bags, ABS + EBD, strong body, seat belts with pre-tensioners and load limiters, independent suspension and disc brakes on all wheels, a stiffened chassis and a gem of an engine under the hood. The 2.0 L unit never runs out of breath. With 115bhp and 170Nm of torque on tap it is rock steady at 160 KmpH and still returns 14.0KmpL on the highway and 11.5KmpL in the city with 100% ac. The chassis is stiff, the suspension firm but not overtly so and the goodies are phenomenal what with the OZ alloys (all 5 of them), the MOMO steering wheel, a reverse camera integrated into the Lcd screen of the integrated ICE, complete with mock carbon fiber dashboard trim, superb seats offering the right amount of support and superlative NVH package in addition to small stuff like the dead pedal and an anti reflective coating on the OSRVM which cuts glare from the headlights of vehicles behind you at night. The car also comes with a one year 'Road side assistance' package FOC and this one actually works(per my own experience).

At the service station the fact that Mitsu does not sell too many cars turns into a boon. As the A.S.S. personnel have all the time to listen to you and then act upon your request/instructions and do a fine job while they are at it.

As for the sales side I would urge you to log on to their site and fill up the enquiry form.

Here is the link Mitsubishi Motors | Cars in India | Sports Cars | Car Prices | Mitsubishi Cedia | Pajero | Outlander | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution

Do post your impressions once you have test driven the vehicle.

[GloryManUnited]

I had never really considered the Cedia primarily due to its ownership with HM. But the way you describe the car, its certainly worth taking a look ! Will check this out as well.

[GloryManUnited]

I had been silent on this thread since a few weeks but there was a lot of action happening on the ground. I have driven a bunch of cars and here goes the story ...

I was previously averse to the used car market but having read some amazing success stories in TBHP, I was tempted. So one fine day I did drop by a used car dealer that specializes in what it terms as premium cars. (Looking at his collection, it seems the ANHC makes the cut; i'll reserve judgement on that )

What I had in mind was an MT CRV, not more than 3 years old with a mileage in the 30K ballpark, tops. This particular dealer has an army of CRVs, but all of them AT !! He did have one MT variant which we took out to testdrive in the night (Just wanted to subject it to the night-drive test, you see). I liked the interiors of the car, especially its dashboard. The cabin was roomy with good rear-seat space. I loved the note of the engine when I turned the key. The cabin was very quiet when I shut the doors. So far so good. What I didn't like about the car though was the way it tosses the passengers around even on the tiniest of speed-breakers. So a lot of body roll in my opinion. Its possible that I am spoiled by the sedan experience; the ikon is so well behaved in this respect ! I rejected that particular CRV since I did not like the service record etc. Not too sure if I will consider another CRV should a good piece come along. Perhaps I will need a longer TD to make up my mind.

There was this immaculate Camry with around 20K on the odo. The ownership of this car had awesome creds. The wife simply loved the car. Unfortunately for me it was an AT. Took it for a spin. The comfort levels were out of this world. Loved the bluish-green console. But the drive? Boring !! I was still tempted. But when I researched it on the net, I realized that this car is like a luxury yatch !! Excellent if Chauffeur-driven but dull to drive if you are going to be driving it. Decided to give this a miss.

I am still in the used car market though and if an excellent MT CRV or a fine Passat comes along, I may just end up buying it. The pre-owned route will certainly let me jump a segment higher.

Back to the new car options then. Drove the Cruze the other day. WHooooosh !! Wow what performance. I just loved being behind the wheel. Almost 100 in the second gear. Wow !! This car is certainly up there on my list now. If only they hadn't used Indica's plastics . Why can't they just make cars that are good in all departments ! I mean what were they thinking !!? The dealership experience at Kroppex was good though. A red diesel rocket is certainly going to sit in my garage unless I find a worthy contender. This car has loads of equipment; it must be noted. The grey interiors don't look very classy in my opinion. The cabin was very quiet and the suspension was good. I have read about its low GC; didn't quite feel that way.

The Honda dealership experience is continuing to surprise me. I have visited Whitefield and Dakshin Honda and I am yet to drive the Civic. How does one get a Honda Civic test-drive in this world? I am so curious to know ...

A few weeks back I had driven my friends brand new Altis. The car is a good package overall. The NVH levels were good. The dash was spartan. The space inside the car was adequate at best. The equipment level is good considering the price of the G variant. I couldn't really rip his car since it was not run-in yet. I plan to take a regular TD shortly. A good car overall and if not else works out, Altis is what I will buy. Sigh!

And so the quest continues ...

[lamborghini]

@GloryManUnited:
Since you are now open to used cars, how about considering the following as well:
- Honda Accord 2.4 M/T: In M/T guise it is almost as fast to the 100kmph mark as the Auto V6! Plus better FE.
- Mitsubishi Outlander: A superb car! It has a tiptronic auto gearbox (so you can change gears as you want, and still be comfortable in traffic), is fun to drive, well built, and has a host of features! However, the Mitsubishi badge has killed the resale a bit, so you could find a low mileage one at a low price! I personally like the Outlander over the CR-V.

Avoid the Passat. The M/T was recently launched, and would not available at low prices. Also, there was a thread mentioning how the Passat wasn't the most reliable.

[v.anand]

@GloryManUnited, @lamborghini is spot on at mileage figures of Laura TSI. I need few more days time to tell the real numbers but by the looks of fuel gauge indicator, trip computer and distance to empty meter, I am presently getting 9 to 10 in city at pre-run in stage which is good and more than I expected. In fact its better than my other car, Palio 1.6. Problem is the engine is so free to rev and begs to redline and I am still holding on to the temptation just to run it in well. 6 to 7 kmpl is achieved only when thoroughly driven hard but thats the same with every petrol car in its segment like with the exception of Altis, which surprisingly I don't feel like driving it hard and to keep it sedate.

[GloryManUnited]

@lamborghini and @v.anand

Accord is just too long for my garage ! Outlander as well as Cedia come from the HM stable in India and that for me is downer !

The mileage numbers that v.anand is observing for the Laura TSi makes this option so very interesting to me! The car had almost everything else going for it anyways. Great performance, comfort !! The only issue I see is that the TSi is available in Ambiente trim only :(

I visited Nandi Toyota the other day and drove the Altis manual. The TD vehicle was the GL variant and the very first disappointment was the steering wheel itself. The wooden top made it very thin to hold; it made it look real ugly is altogether a different matter ! The visit ensured that the Altis is well and truly out of my list. I wonder what all the hoopla about its rearseat is?? To me it appeared cramped. The biggest disappointment was the engine though. There just wasn't any juice in there. Infact on my way back I found my very own Ikon so much more refreshing to drive in comparision . The toyota does not like to be revved at-all. By the time I hit 60, I already was on 4th. That's not good. Not expected from a 15L car !

I drove the Cruze again today. They didn't have a MT today so I drove the AT instead. I must admin this is the best automatic I have ever driven. The gear shifts were so smoothe. It even has a manual mode where you can shift up and down. I felt the MT had more juice though; I am not sure if that is just my perception. I seem to be warming up to the grey interiors too. The rear seat though is as cramped as the Altis. I am begining to believe that is 1 compromise I will need to make when I buy a car in this segment.

So here is my current list, not any significantly shortened unfortunately:

- Cruze MT LTZ
- Civic VMT
- Yeti (the elegance trim)
- Laura 2.0 TDi CR MT
- Jetta 2.0 MT

[suhaas307]

We as a family own a Honda Civic and the experience is fabulous to say the least. You did mention that it's one of the top cars in the list but the only thing that's pushing you away from it is the fact that there are many newer cars in the market that come with trick gadgetry like stop/start and so on. But it's just a big fad, IMO.

Let me tell you something. The Civic in India will never go out of style, even 5 years from now, the interiors will look great and reasonably fresh! And I guarantee you, once you've experienced the Civic, you wouldn't really want any other car! It makes you feel a million bucks when you're inside! The quality of the plastics and other materials is truly amazing!

And the other reason as to why you should go in for the Civic now is that in a few years time, Honda might give it several substantial changes. And many of us believe that the changes won't be up to the mark. We're expecting the new Civic to look more like the current City it might just lose its charm.

As far as I can tell, the only issues with the Civic is the low ground-clearance. And even that might not be much of a problem if you are careful over speed-breakers. Eventually, you'll learn how to tackle them! Also, the boot is not much larger than your Ikon. Trust me, we had an Ikon as well and the difference isn't much.

My advice: Avoid European cars. They might be sold, sturdy and everything, but they aren't as reliable as Japanese cars. the only other car I'd suggest you to buy is the Cruze. Check out Moderator mobike008's Cruze. That might help you in your decision.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

My advice: Avoid European cars. They might be sold, sturdy and everything, but they aren't as reliable as Japanese cars.

I would add one more nail to the coffin. European cars are also extremely expensive to maintain. Just go through the posts and ownership experiences of European brands.

The only exception is GM. They has made the right move. They give you an all inclusive maintenance plan within the car price.

[dhantannan]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I would add one more nail to the coffin. European cars are also extremely expensive to maintain. Just go through the posts and ownership experiences of European brands.

The only exception is GM. They has made the right move. They give you an all inclusive maintenance plan within the car price.

GM is American, my friend... and actually now Chinese as GM India has been taken over by a Chinese company ! Not many know that I believe.


However, I agree with all Civic lovers... Its just the best in its class. Go for it !!!

[motorhead5]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

As far as I can tell, the only issues with the Civic is the low ground-clearance. And even that might not be much of a problem if you are careful over speed-breakers. Eventually, you'll learn how to tackle them!

My advice: Avoid European cars. They might be sold, sturdy and everything, but they aren't as reliable as Japanese cars. the only other car I'd suggest you to buy is the Cruze. Check out Moderator mobike008's Cruze. That might help you in your decision.

Cruze was great for its performance and equipments. But its lag is a really terrible!!. Btw, 3 year free maintenance is not there for Cruze. You have to buy it.

Now on Civic - You might get used to the ground clearance issue if you drive only in good roads (I hate 'getting used to' ). If you plan to take her through bad patches and high ranges, its a pain. But yes, you get reliability. So it all depends on what your priorities are..

[khoj]

Originally Posted by dhantannan

GM is American, my friend... and actually now Chinese as GM India has been taken over by a Chinese company ! Not many know that I believe.

This is Team bhp. Almost all, including a few newbies such as yourself are aware of that development.

Infact there are a thread or two on the forum where people have posted their reactions on the Chinese takeover.

[mjothi]

Just saw your "Requirement"

And me thinks, you can head straight to Civic. Yes, it does have low clearance, but to get more idea on this PM this "civved" guy laluks.

Look at his travelogues and check the kind of terrain. You will be amazed. And for the cost, I think other member has pointed to laluks thread on maintenance cost.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Aroy

I would add one more nail to the coffin. European cars are also extremely expensive to maintain. Just go through the posts and ownership experiences of European brands.

The only exception is GM. They has made the right move. They give you an all inclusive maintenance plan within the car price.

I'd forgotten to mention that. European cars, when compared to Japanese cars, are very unreliable. You will invariably find yourself turning the key and trying to crank up the engine only to hear a whimper and some beeps.

Originally Posted by motorhead5

Cruze was great for its performance and equipments. But its lag is a really terrible!!. Btw, 3 year free maintenance is not there for Cruze. You have to buy it.

Now on Civic - You might get used to the ground clearance issue if you drive only in good roads (I hate 'getting used to' ). If you plan to take her through bad patches and high ranges, its a pain. But yes, you get reliability. So it all depends on what your priorities are..

Unless there are 5 people in the car, the Civic will not scrape its underbelly anywhere inside the City, I can vouch for that. Unless of course you go to Padmanam Nagar, where even some crossovers will find it hard to negotiate the built-for-Hummer speed-breakers.

Earlier this month, we drove 1700 odd km to Goa and back and the only speed-breakers we scraped were near Peenya and Nelamangala. The rest of the drive was smooth despite being fully laden (4 adults + 1 week luggage)

[ashish22]

Avoid the idea of the used passat. That car will surely leave a big hole in your pocket when it comes to maintenance. You should check out used outlander as well (if there's any)
Among the new contenders cruze and civic really are your best bet. I suggest you go through the threads of two Hyderabad Bhpians who recently bought cruze and civic. Mobike and spadix respectively.
Excellent threads for anyone who is in cruze vs civic situtation.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by dhantannan

GM is American, my friend... and actually now Chinese as GM India has been taken over by a Chinese company !

My slip. I know that GM is American. What I wanted to say is that barring Japanese/Korean cars, the European & US vehicles demand a lot of expenditure on their maintenance.

My perception is that these vehicles are designed to perform at the limit of their components capability, hence to avoid costly litigation in case of failure; just as in case of Aircraft; you change them regularly. It is a moot point that the Japanese/Korean components last much longer. The European design gives us brilliant performance at the cost of frequent change of components, where as the Japanese/Korean design gives us relatively tame performance along with exceptional reliability. You choose what you want and pay accordingly.