[razor4077]

Fair enough! I guess that leaves you with the Altis and Civic. A Cedia won't really give you peace of mind, given the questionable a.s.s that HM provides. Lovely car though, and you shouldn't care about the resale value much, given that you want to hold onto it for 7-9 years.
The XUV is tempting but you'd have to wait a long time to even book the vehicle!

[Ajith-s]

This forum is great - less than 12 hours since I posted and already some good advise.

@drmohitg: Thank you for pointing out my typo, Yes I mean "not" considering XUV500 because of I am upset with Mahindra for the wayt they handled the Logan.
Thank you for your inputs. ALtis still remains on top of the list. Diesel - am not considering. So Cruze is out.

@mayankjha1806: Thank you. Altis remains on top of the list.
I dont mind waiting - but the Logan is already three years old and I dont know if I wait for another 6 months what will happen to the already low second hand sales price. The vehicle is in top condition though.
Regarding the TCO of Skoda, I get the point, but as my usage is low, I was thinking it wont be so bad.

@razor4077: Thank you for the inputs. You are right the schemes Skoda announced this week makes thier value prop attractive.

Current Status

Just got back from the second test drive of the Altis. Felt eaiser to drive today. Family was there. My younger one (he is 4) told me that I dont want the old car, let us take this home . They have liked it.

However, Ravindu Toyota (Bellandur, Outer Ring Road, Bangalore) is acting funny saying only Rs 10,000 worth of accessories -not other schemes or discounts. That means the 1.8 G is Rs 15.5; with 10 k worth of accressories. I am not happy with this, was expecting there will be more discounts on petrol cars now. Will be looking at other outlets, and am still negotiating.

Thank you all once agian.

[drmohitg]

Why don't you take a look at the pre owned cars? Toyota has just increased its prices from 1st october and now the Altis has become even more costly. Do take a look at the used car market too if your interested. You might even land up a very good deal on a used civic.

IMHO if you are comfortable with Skoda after sales and higher TCO then there is nothing to beat the Laura. The Altis is an equally good car but the Laura wins in the pricing.

[antz.bin]

OK Ajith, as a fellow owner of a Logan DLE, I wish to tell you that we had a very very similar requirement set to yours. Just booked a Civic AT (though Used). Fits all the requirements to the T. Do give it a TD. Personally Liked it much more than the Altis and the Optra D. The GC in itself is not much of a problem with the Civic, because mathematically speaking, its just 2mm lower than the Logan. The problem was the softer rear suspension setup. Which is actually an easy + cheap + DIY fix. Driving pleasure (and even FE I guess) is higher on the Civic than the Altis. The AT on the Altis is really 'lazy' in comparison. In terms of upkeep costs, the Civic should be cheaper to maintain than any of the rest of the cars in your shortlist.

Fluence and Laura is something I would stay away from due to (different) After Sales Service issues.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

Fluence and Laura is something I would stay away from due to (different) After Sales Service issues.

I can understand Skoda reference there (due to the negative publicity on AS&S), but from where did AS&S issues for Fluence pop up? Is that just an assumption, because I don’t think they have sold enough to report so many AS&S issues

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

In terms of upkeep costs, the Civic should be cheaper to maintain than any of the rest of the cars in your shortlist.

Altis might work out to be as cheap as civic to maintain if not more.

[antz.bin]

Originally Posted by vb-san

I can understand Skoda reference there (due to the negative publicity on AS&S), but from where did AS&S issues for Fluence pop up? Is that just an assumption, because I don’t think they have sold enough to report so many AS&S issues

I was referring to the sparse service availability (in terms of no. locations) of Renault. Hence the *Different* in my earlier post.

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by Ajith-s

Current Status

Just got back from the second test drive of the Altis. Felt eaiser to drive today. Family was there. My younger one (he is 4) told me that I dont want the old car, let us take this home . They have liked it.

However, Ravindu Toyota (Bellandur, Outer Ring Road, Bangalore) is acting funny saying only Rs 10,000 worth of accessories -not other schemes or discounts. That means the 1.8 G is Rs 15.5; with 10 k worth of accressories. I am not happy with this, was expecting there will be more discounts on petrol cars now. Will be looking at other outlets, and am still negotiating.

Hey, i also live near bellandur, if they give a good deal we can promise of booking two cars, will PM you my contact details. I am also looking at Fortuner , and may buy that instead (But not really sure, XUV 5OO has made me greedy in saving some precious cash), only rationale is i am not comfortable having two petrol cars in my garage. A Diesel Altis is a real pain to drive and there are no other Diesels in this price range which offer similar peace of mind.

If all the above confusion means that i have to wait another few months, i would not mind, and in the meantime Merlin will also be launched.

EDIT: I am not able to PM you my details, looks like you have disabled it.

[narula123]

@mayankjha1806:

I recently test drove the new Altis petrol and have driven the Cruze and Civic in the past. As I have been spoilt by high-revving Jap petrol engines (all thanks to my Honda), I have never been a fan of diesel motors and all their turbo-lag etc etc. But I must say that the Cruze still managed to impress me with its motor. Also the new version (with black interiors) dosnt have as much lag as the previous version. Keeping in mind the way petrol prices are heading north, the Cruze indeed becomes very irresistible not withstanding its cramped rear seat (at par with my OHC) and the plastics which arn't a patch on the japs and Europeans.

Coming to the petrol cars, The Civic definitely felt sportier than the Altis to sit in and to drive. The new Altis certainly feels nicer to drive now (as rightly pointed out) and has the potential to impress a Honda fan like myself. QC and A.S.S is at par for both and is top notch although I have seen Honda's service quality deteriorate over the years. I saw the pics of the upcoming Civic too and I must say the present model looks better IMO. Anyways, the Altis has the more sober looking interior and exterior while the Civic is well, Civic. In anycase, for the duration you want to keep the car, facelifts and model revamps are something you would have to digest and live with.

Out of the three, I would pick the Civic if my running did not warrant a diesel or else it would be the Cruze for sure. I wouldn't risk with the XUV500 immediately basically because of M&M's QC and electrical reliability issues no matter how loaded and VFM it might be. Fortuner indeed is highly overpriced in comparison but gives u bullet-proof reliability and peace-of-mind.

Hope to see you in your new ride soon. Best wishes.

[Ajith-s]

Originally Posted by drmohitg

Why don't you take a look at the pre owned cars? Toyota has just increased its prices from 1st october and now the Altis has become even more costly. Do take a look at the used car market too if your interested. You might even land up a very good deal on a used civic.

IMHO if you are comfortable with Skoda after sales and higher TCO then there is nothing to beat the Laura. The Altis is an equally good car but the Laura wins in the pricing.

Thank you.

Yes I have thought about used cars. The issue is that I am not much of an expert to judeg the quality, and I have heard of horror stories of pre-owned cars. Second problem is the price of pre-owned cars in Blore. AM sure if one is knowledgeble and thorough for a this segment it makes a lot of sence.

Have not dropped this idea completely.

Regarding Laura; now Vinayak (the dealer) is saying that the Rs. I lakh discount is no longer there, and only the free insurance + free 3 year maintenance + free one more thing = all equivalent to around Rs. 90,000, extendable to Rs 1 lakh. So essentially the "Diwali Discount" is an eyewash. They have taken away the Rs 1 lakh discount on the petrol cars and just added this. I told them give me the Rs 1 lakh + the Diwali offer and we can talk. It is a stretch. Let me see if they will play. From what I could gather the petrols are not selling for them.

[Ajith-s]

Originally Posted by antz.bin

OK Ajith, as a fellow owner of a Logan DLE, I wish to tell you that we had a very very similar requirement set to yours. Just booked a Civic AT (though Used). ..............
Fluence and Laura is something I would stay away from due to (different) After Sales Service issues.

Thank you. Nice to meet a loganer.
I have not completely dropped the idea of second hand car. Also am still to TD the Civic.

Fluence - I have ruled out completely. Though I love the looks and the reviews are good. Did call them today to see if I can get any update on offers and new models. Very interesting call.

Asked about Petrol. They said "Great car Sir, great you will love it"
I asked "So what is the price and am sure you will have some festival discounst"
Sales person "Rs 18 lakhs"
Me "Discount?"
Sales person "No, No discounts"
Me "Oh, I thought there will be discounts, as I saw ads in the paper"
Sales person "No Petrol is upmarket car, doing well so no discounts at all, on the Diesel we can give you leather seats and parking sensor worth 55 k for 5 k. So the Diesel is only R 15.5 lakhs"

I politely kept the phone down thanking him.

I dont know which planet they are in. AM sure they will now launch the Duster at Rs 12 lakhs and kill it from day 1.

I also learned that the "new diesel" is planned for end of this year with a power rating of 140 and interiors similar to the current petrol version, and with an AT option......

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

Hey, i also live near bellandur, if they give a good deal we can promise of booking two cars, will PM you my contact details. I am also looking at Fortuner , and may buy that instead (But not really sure, XUV 5OO has made me greedy in saving some precious cash), only rationale is i am not comfortable having two petrol cars in my garage. A Diesel Altis is a real pain to drive and there are no other Diesels in this price range which offer similar peace of mind.

If all the above confusion means that i have to wait another few months, i would not mind, and in the meantime Merlin will also be launched.

EDIT: I am not able to PM you my details, looks like you have disabled it.

Sorry, Am still learning the ropes of the foru, Have enabled the PM option. Would love to connect and see what we can work out.

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by narula123

But I must say that the Cruze still managed to impress me with its motor.

I did TD the Cruze and few things that we instantly disliked were the GC, maybe the GC itself is good but the suspensions are soft. It scrapped every Speedbreaker on the road we test, even the smaller ones which even the Civic (Which is known for low GC) did not scrape, but looking at your suggestion i am thinking maybe i should try it again and see if its any better in the newer versions.

Civic and Altis we both liked, Altis more purely on slightly GC reasons but both are petrol and although my running may not strictly justify a Diesel i would rather not put both eggs in one basket. With the kind of treatment thats being given to Petrol i would not be surprised if it touches 100 Rs soon and then suddenly having two petrols in garage will stop pinching and start biting. Also we could have thought about petrol car if the time was up for Baleno (So we could sell Baleno in a years time and buy a Diesel), but the way this babe is going on i dont think i will need to sell it in next 2-3 years.

[razor4077]

Originally Posted by narula123

Also the new version (with black interiors) dosnt have as much lag as the previous version.

I test drove a Cruze recently, and I specifically asked the salesman if there were any changes apart from the cosmetic ones. He replied in the negative - just the cosmetic changes, nothing mechanical. So not sure about the reduction of lag - just wondering how you came to learn of this.

Originally Posted by Ajith-s

Regarding Laura; now Vinayak (the dealer) is saying that the Rs. I lakh discount is no longer there, and only the free insurance + free 3 year maintenance + free one more thing = all equivalent to around Rs. 90,000, extendable to Rs 1 lakh. So essentially the "Diwali Discount" is an eyewash. They have taken away the Rs 1 lakh discount on the petrol cars and just added this. I told them give me the Rs 1 lakh + the Diwali offer and we can talk. It is a stretch. Let me see if they will play. From what I could gather the petrols are not selling for them.

Yes, they don't sell that many petrols, hence the discounts. There's hardly anything for the diesels. The discount schemes keep changing from month to month. A couple of months ago, it was a flat 1.24L discount, which went down to 1L last month, and below a lac this month. But you can bargain with them to get a 1L+ discount for sure.

[narula123]

Originally Posted by razor4077

I test drove a Cruze recently, and I specifically asked the salesman if there were any changes apart from the cosmetic ones. He replied in the negative - just the cosmetic changes, nothing mechanical. So not sure about the reduction of lag - just wondering how you came to learn of this.

A number of people who have driven both the older and the new version of the Cruze have felt the difference too, so it ain't just me

Post the test drive I asked about the same to the GM mechanic at the A.S.S. He told me that they have reworked on the ECU and a bit of tinkering around with the maps has resulted in reduced turbo-lag. So either he is bluffing or the SA you talked to dosn't know about it.
In anycase, the difference was noticeably there so I was quite happy that they have done something to make the car better.

[mayankjha1806]

Has anyone else felt low GC problem with Cruze, or is it just us. I am thinking is there a possibility of the piece being either having some problem with suspension or something else that it scrapped (correction rather HIT) every speedbreaker from my house to Sarjapur. There is a small one near Sobha apartments on Bellandur (Next to Green Glen grocery store) and it gave a massive THUD when crossing over it.

I will try and TD the cruze again if possible this week.

Any other news if the Fortuner is feeling the heat because of XUV 5OO ?