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@Optimist, am writing this from the phone mate. A search on this thread should provide the answers. Also more insights on the probability of the Optra being discontinnued/upgrades, on the new Aveo etc - things you have been looking for on other threads.

If you or anyone are seriously considering the Optra, reading (or atleast skimming) through this thread should provide value.

The last week has been spent sleeping, eating, dreaming, breathing this :P and finished reading almost all the threads on the Optra Magnum.

I'm just waiting to be assigned a VIN number tomorrow :)

This is indeed a very nice thread for Optra. In fact this is radically different from any ownership reviews.
If I were CEO of GM, I would have recruited Positive as head of Marketing.stupid:

I have owned the Magnum LT for 3+ years now (bought it in May 2008), Mine is a platinum metallic, which I guess is no longer avbl. Let me try give you all a quick insight into the the "real" pros and cons of the vehicle from my experiences so far. These are my honest opinions after extensive driving in the Magnum

The car as many of you have pointed out is an absolute gem and total VFM. I haven't paid a single rupee till date on any of the services. It's just the fuel and the add-ons which I have spent for. The CPCO covered for all the services and consumables. I have complete 32k kms so far and 70% of it has been on highways. Let me try to highlight a few things which really strikes you about this car, the engine, the space and drive-ability. Top -class is the word which to mind. The acceleration is something which needs to experienced and cant be penned down. I think someone pointed out the ease of driving on those rumble strips near toll-plazas, it's fun to just glide over them when other are trying to negotiate the bumps. This speaks volumes about the car's suspension. High speed handling is terrific , I have driven at some high speed in my 3 years and have always been the leader of the pack if I wanted to. No stock car in the 10-12L segment can touch the stock Magnum on the highways. If you get a a re-map done or just pete it it's a different beast altogether. It improves the in-gear acceleration and also takes care of the turbo lag.

There are however a few things which owners and potential owners need to to be wary of the in the Magnum.

Firstly, the Brakes , they will trouble you after a couple of years, atleast for me they did. The disks will lose shape and you will experience brake shuddering. This is true specially if you are someone who likes to push the car on highways and the famous Magnum torque will propel you , now to slow down or stop you have to depend on the brakes. I have seen and heard many Magnum owners complain about braking. If under warranty disks can be replaced or they can be skimmed to correct the unevenness on the surface. You can opt for performance disks(tarox etc.) if you decide to remap or pete the car.

Handling- Although the handling is largely excellent for car of this size and power, it can't be compared to that of the Vento's high speed handling which is way better in the curves specially at high speeds and I'm talking of 150 + speeds. In the 120 and 130 speed range it can be compared to Vento or any car with good handling. Straight line , I haven't seen any other vehicle in this segment come even close to the Magnum, its a torpedo!!

Diesel fuel pump- Although the newer models are equipped with a modified pump , I know of a few friends who have had fuel pump failures on 2009 and 2010 models with the check Engine light comes on. The fuel pump costs ~22k and if you are not in warranty this can hurt your pocket. Never allow the tank to run low or dry.

Rear Seat- I think the rear seat of the Magnum is very good compared to cars in this segment. However on long drives i.e 600+ kms it's definitely gets slightly uncomfortable for the third person if 5 people are traveling. The arm rest when folded up is best described as decent back support but for long periods without a headrest it's kinda tiring and if you are tall its even more uncomfortable. However the leather and cushions are excellent and gives you great comfort if just 2 people are sitting on the back seat. Leg room is good if the driver is about 5.5- 5.7" anything above that and seat will be pushed back giving you avg leg room.

I think everything else is top -notch and has been widely discussed in the forum. All the creature comforts can be added on if needed.

I have tried to be un-biased here and tried to point out a few things which may help people understand the advantages and the "few" disadvantages of the Magnum.

Finally want to close by saying It's a great car and totally worth the money you pay for it.clap:

Thanks,
Bharath

The threads in question
1. This thread
2. Driven! thread



There has been the odd suggestion on threads and even by PM to consider merging the two threads.

Why the Driven! thread was started is mentioned in it's OP.

As the discussion progressed on this thread, more and more people kept getting involved (thanks for that guys). I got pretty clear about my decision, but it seemed that others too were referring to the thread (page 11) and thought that it would be a good idea to keep that thread running. Made a more formal announcement on page 15. The thread title, which was about a what car upto 8L and about if Optra would be discontinued was changed to it's present form.

Now after this, I tried to involve a more open discussion on other cars also. The thread just seemed to waver into nothing. Almost silent. And then as we got back to talking about the Optra, there was a lot of action (about page 16-17 IIRC). It seemed that most of the people following this thread were more interested in the Optra.

The Driven! thread was largely quiet. Probably because the OP mentioned that what car discussions can be on this thread.

Now given the above, and the TD's already being on the Driven! thread also, it made sense to do what I am suggesting below:


Despite the title, this thread could be more for Optra centric discussions, though we don't have to limit it to that - just a guiding principle.

The Driven! thread could be more for a more general talk about all the other cars in the segment. Comparisons between various cars would be good, as it could help members decide better. For people clearly not interested in the Optra, it may not make sense for people to go through as many pages on this thread. That thread could also be expanded for Petrol cars.

Of course, there will be some overlaps and that is fine. The above is only a guiding principal.

Hope the above system will be better for members in general.

Edit: Aah, this was the 500th post :) Enjoying the experience on TBhp immensely. Thank you guys. And a special thanks to all those who helped me become clearer about the What-car decision. No no! I am not running away anywhere ;) You guys will have to bear me a bit more!!!

PS: Have lagged on this thread. Many things/comments in mind yet to be shared. Sorry for not being able to respond on time.

I was pointed to this thread by Poitive after I posted in his other thread. And after reading ALL the posts, I was wondering - how the heck did I miss this?
I am an Optra fanatic, and this seems to be the thread that I should be hanging out on!
I purchased my Optra in May and this thread could have been useful (or maybe not - afterall I did buy the Optra without going through this ;))

As per the suggestion by Poitive, I am posting the review of the Verna Fluidic, as a specific 'comparison' (ahem) between the Optra and the Fluidic.



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Copied from here as the thread is now closed. You may check this post to get a background of the following :

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I did write a response to this 4-5 hours back, but there was a small nagging thought troubling me since. Did I write the answer in all fairness or was it because I am overwhelmed by my Optra? Was I biased, and am I really being unfair to the Fluidic? Did I recollect my Fluidic test drive experience correctly or was I blinded by the Cruze (that was my option then)?

Finally, at around 7 in the evening, I could not stand it any longer. I got in my Optra and drove to the nearest Hyundai showroom (Kundan Hyundai, Nigdi). They were near to closing time, but the sales person was courteous enough to arrange for a test drive of the Crdi SX 1.6.

While they were making arrangements for the car, I took a peek at a petrol variant (base model). The base model is pretty dull - all the features that people look for are absent in the base model - no issue there, just mentioning it! The doors felt very light (an not in a good way). It had a clanky feel, not the thud! I thought maybe because it's the lower end, they have tried to skimp here as well...

The sales guy arrived and we went for the drive. I got into the car (the demo vehicle was a 1.6 Crdi SX)., shut the door - 'CLANK'. Opened the door, got out checked all the doors one by one - "CLANK, CLANK, CLANK". Where the heck is the 'THUD' - searched around, didn't find it ;). The doors are light - not in a good way - I realized that I was automatically comparing every thing with the Optra. The interiors felt decent, the integrated music system too looked good - it has usb, aux, bluetooth and the works. The seating was OK, not very good, no huge encompassing seats, no lumbar support. The window control buttons looked OK, the ORVM control looked shoddy. (As I am writing this, I am trying hard to make this sound softer, and am realizing that I am being too critical, but i can't mellow it anymore than I have - if you don't believe me, take the Optra for a TD, check these very points, then take the Verna for a TD and let me know)
I then remembered the comment about the camera, so I slotted the car into reverse - the rear view was visible in the rear view mirror (along with a marking grid to indicate the distance). The sales guy walked to and fro behind the vehicle at my request. There I noticed 2 things :

1. The video quality is not very good - the aftermarket rear view cameras I had seen earlier seemed much better. The camera itself looks very good, positioned nicely - tried cleaning it - no change in the video quality.
2. The car has reverse ultrasonic sensors as well. The display for these is near the speed console. This causes problems as I am not sure whether I should look at the speedo console or the rearview mirror while backing - they should have put the reverse distance display in the rearview mirror as well (like the aftermarket ones).

So, in my honest opinion, do not consider this as a point of comparison - 7-9K will get you a better aftermarket one.

All this time I had not started the car. So, as the next step, I started the car slotted it into first. That's when I realized that I just SHOULD NOT have driven down in my Optra for the test - it was just plain unfair!!

When the engine came to life, it made quite a bit of sound, not exactly a roar, just a loud sound (can't seem to describe it). I rolled the windows up. The sound subsided, but it definitely was not as silent as the Optra. The vibrations could be felt, and they didn't feel good. (I am ready to attribute this to the fact that it was a test drive vehicle, but it had done a total of 5000 odd kms, so shouldn't affect it that much)

Then I slotted the vehicle into first, butter smooth! So, I thought, the good part starts now. Released the clutch, hit the gas, the car moved ahead. Had to reverse it now, put the car into reverse - gear stuck - tried again - slotted - released clutch - just revved, no movement - slotted again hard - car moved! (ok, no minus points here, attributed to demo car).

Got the car out of the compound, took it to an open road, stopped the car.
Then started the car, put it into gear and let go - was expecting a part of the 265 Nm or a few of the 128 horses to start showing - nothing showed. The first gear is pretty dull - tried it multiple times. Slotted to second, the car showed some promise, but the VGT makes the curve straight. There seems to be no turbo lag - or rather, no turbo at all. (Again, I should not have driven here in the bloody Optra - it's a beast). Drove on, didn't find anything stimulating. It feels as if the car is for some reason not using all the horses. The car feels light on the curves at higher speeds, kinda shaky, due to which you don't feel like 'letting it go'. The rear suspension with the dual torsion bar helps to avoid the roll, but makes the rear suspension not very good. Bumps can be felt.
Now the handling. I am in two minds here. The car has an EPS, not a hydraulic power steering. This makes the steering very light and feather touch, but doesn't give you the feedback like the hydraulic. At higher speeds the steering gets shaky and does not feel very nice on curves. Though I feel that it is good for city driving.
By this time, I was pretty much bored, so pushed the vehicle into traffic. The car weaved well through traffic. The ride was uneventful. Brought it back. Parked it. Got out - CLANK, CLANK (you guessed it, shut the doors).
Opened the boot. Well, the boot has height, but not the length. Gave me a feeling that it's not much - but I may be wrong. Went to the back seat - got in. There is just about enough space. Not much leg room - just enough. Asked two guys to get in with me - it was cramped - and the seats are a bit odd, with three guys - well it's 'uncomfortable' - honestly this cannot be compared to the Optra's rear lounge.
My conscience was clear - crystal clear - now I can repeat 'yes, the Optra is a better bet than the Verna'.. - REALLY !
I got out of the rear seat, and guess what (you guessed right) CLANK!



OK, I am not saying that the Fluidic is not good. It is a good car by itself, just don't compare it with the Optra. There is no comparison on any fronts. It is best compared with the Fiesta or the Vento probably.


Here are the things where the Optra bettered the Fluidic :

1. THUD vs CLANK - The Optra gives a nice solid feeling, nice and heavy doors, heavy trunk lid, solid car. The Verna feels more like a toy car (sorry, but that's what I felt).
2. Engine - No discussion here.
3. Comfort - Both the front and rear seating don't compare in terms of comfort. Driver seat has a lumbar support. Big spacious seats, lots of leg room, and butt room as well. Excellent noise reduction, vibration damping etc. (And this I am saying for the Optra, he he)
4. Power - Loads and loads of power coupled with the stability.
5. Price (OTR) - Optra LS 9.3L vs Fluidic 1.6 SX 10.7. I think that you can load in all the gimmicks and more and still save a ton!

Anyways, I am happy that I put an effort into re-verifying my claim and am sleeping contented!!
__________________


The followup testdrive :

Got a call from Hyundai today. They said that the test-drive vehicle was not serviced when I had taken a TD. Now that they had serviced it, they wanted me to try it again.

Went for a TD.

Observations :

The engine noise and vibrations had reduced - felt better.
The car was more responsive. First gear response better.

Still clanks.
Lack of power is noticeable - all the horses are still not coming out of the stable!
Tried driving at 120. The vehicle was struggling at 120 in a flat road! Lack of power was obvious.

Again, the car seems to be a sound car, good for city driving, not so great on the highway. But for the price, it seems expensive. It would have been great at about a couple of lakhs cheaper.
__________________

Always good to see Optra owners on this thread.

@SLK has been loyal to us and hung on after his purchase :)
Thanks for that ultra-quick response @SLK.

Hey, there was a link about this thread put up on your ownership thread. Quoting from your thread - Check the second link:

I probably also put up a link to this thread on our first interaction on the Optra specs thread - the place you left a link to your thread also.

Yup you are right. And looks like for some dumb reason, I did not click the link back then :Frustrati.
Better late than never though !
(BTW, I have reported my post on your Driven thread to have the content removed and linked here instead)

Continuing on the lighter note : If you don't buy this car after you have TDed it, you will be branded insane!


I thought we were discussing Diesels here, and surprisingly, the Spark and the Beat Petrols have been pretty decent for GM.

I think that Chevy handling is being bashed a bit too much. Atleast in the Optra, the steering is a hydraulic power steering, which feels heavy, but handles extremely smoothly. I have no issues weaving it through traffic at decent speeds, and atleast till now, I have not faced issues with the gear shifts. (more on my handling experience near the end)

I tded the Vento and the Verna, and their gear shifts are much smoother, but that does not make the Optra's bad - I have never (not even once) mis-slotted in my vehicle!

Is that all? Look at the quality of materials - there is no sign of cost cutting at any point. Even the LS model has all the amenities and well loaded, unlike other cars where colours are blocked, features removed etc. There is the THUD feeling too. And all this and more, at a great VFM. The car wins hands down in space, speed, power, FE (at the power it gives), the feel, the build quality, the comfort and the VFM, including lower maintenance costs! The only part it loses out on is the gizmos - thats where the feel of it being from an older generation comes into play.

I think you are comparing the Vento petrol to the Optra Diesel - the Vento TDI goes beyond 10.8 on road in Pune!


:D Jokes apart, the Zen was one of the best cars available at a certain point in time (as long as we are not talking about the estillo)




Well, after I got the Optra, I do!!!

As I have stated in my ownership thread, the roll is what adds to the fun for me - excuse me if I am the only one, but looking at the torque heads here, I am sure that atleast a few others will agree!
I do not agree on the reluctance to change direction. You just need to have a wee bit of a muscle to coax the vehicle - this same 'reluctance' gives the vehicle superb stability at high speeds! On this point, I invite any contenders to go on a drive in my Optra - lunch is on me!


It's good he is not, or he would have been banned for marketing his product!

Good to see you back Bharath. He is the guy who is totally in love with his Optra and who managed to convince his wife's parents to purchase an Optra too!
His opinion about the Optra over a prolonged phone call was what helped me take the final plunge!


If I am not mistaken, this has more to do with the ABS sensors than with the disk warping. The shuddering is a characteristic of the ABS, and also happens if the sensors give a flawed reading. This should not happen on the non ABS versions. I may be wrong about this specific case here, so comments are welcome.


Does the Vento go beyond 150? ;)

Now to the handling part. As rightly said by Bharath, the Optra's handling is great on straight stretches and smooth curves, but on sharper curves at higher speeds, the soft suspension causes the body roll. This elicits more of a psychological response for survival leading to drastic reduction of speeds. But if you consciously push the vehicle, it handles the curves effectively till 150 (done on Mumbai Pune ghats). Couldn't go beyond that - didn't get a chance. Getting the suspension custom stiffened will help!

Also, the car is front heavy, and the steering being a hydraulic steering, gives you a heavy feel, which actually makes you feel very secure at high speeds - EPS vehicles make you hold onto the steering tightly praying that you do not swerve the vehicle even a bit, or the whole vehicle may go for a toss! This same scenario gets reversed in traffic giving easier maneuverability for EPS.

I was driving at a speed of about 120 when my front left tyre deflated suddenly (read burst). If I would have been in one of the soft handling cars, you would probably be reading my report on a very bad crash or possibly my obituary! But the 'heavy handling' vehicle stayed firm on the road and I was able to ease it into the service lane - I am thankful for the so called heavy handling of the Optra - afterall us both (me and the Opty) are hale and hearty and doing well!
At the same time, I cannot stay behind other vehicles for too long, and the handling has never failed me when I need to weave the car at high or low speeds through traffic and turns, so I am somehow unable to relate to the handling issues!

And as for the handling on curves at 150+, most of us won't be doing that anyways! :p

I remember this point being discussed earlier. When I checked out the car couple of weeks ago the seats looked exactly same as what I remember seeing in the 2010 car and even the SE said the seat covers are the same.

Looks like the Chevrolet prices are being updated. Whats interesting is the new Cruze price is not very high when compared to old one.

Also for Optra Magnum now there is Optra Magnum 2.0 LT and Optra Magnum 2.0 BS4 LT.

So its semi official that cruze has a face lift whereas Optra Magnum's facelift happened during BS4? :)

Car Price: Chevrolet Aveo, Tavera, Optra Magnum, Spark, Captiva in India

Am going to Sundaram Motors shortly to test drive the car in bumper to bumper traffic around cubbon park, minsk square etc to see how it behaves.

Optimist,
I recommend you to go for the illuminated side step garnish. It will look gorgeous on your Magnum.

What's this? any links or images?
The expected delivery date is around 8th to 10th Aug.

I meant long back like 2008 v/s now. I remember reading in one of the threads that the leather changed from pure to PU.

Please check the styling and convenience section here.

Accessories - Styling, convenience, essentials and safety kit

The quote I got today from Sundaram Finance was 11.15 on road. Since I will be going via Orix, I did not pay much attention.

Also check out the various HU. It does not void the warranty according to the sales executive.

Thanks for the info. This is infact a sore point of many diesel vehicles. Another reason for failure of pumps is the quality of fuel in India.


No way. The K10 of suzuki is way better than the one on Spark. So is the K12 and kappa2 than the Smartech engine of Beat. Basically it is not the engine that is lousy. It is the gear ratios.
I did not like the ratios on Magnum as well. Too tall for city drives. Brings out the turbo lag incase you dont want to downshift. They have now learned it the hard way. The Beat diesel is perfect. Had a small TD.


The steering of Magnum (to the extent I remember) was good but not great. I drive a Fiat so my standard of steering feedback was pretty high.
I did not go over 100 so it may not be right to talk about high speed stability. But I did not like the body roll while taking sharp turns and sudden lane changes. On a lighter note, if you like roll, do take some turns on a WagonR. Even at speeds of 30 roll is prominent.
I have never bashed Optra/Cruze/Spark for handling. They are acceptable to 90% of people. And that is because the handling is at no point scary. But when you talk about great handling, I see cars like Linea, Vento, Fiesta, Cedia, Fabia, Figo. (not in any order though).

Though dated, I have to accept the quality of material is nice. Sure there is a thud feeling. But all it needs is a new interior. Why cant GM bring a facelift!

Nope. These are ex-showroom prices available on Net.

You bet. It is still. Estillo just made a mockery of it.

It is not about muscle. It is about lag in response. What it needs is quick steering. Generally longer the wheelbase, more prominent is the problem.
I appriciate the offer.:) May be if I visit someday.

It does 200 on speedo as per the official review.

Do you have any plans for this mod?

Most tyre pressure sensors over-read. Specially the analog gauge ones. Please check your pressure only at fuel stations with digital gauges.
Similar situation happened in My zen to. I was at 60 not 120.

I will in no ways compare the K series engines with Chevy petrols. All i said that they did decently for GM!


I stay in Pune, so by default, sudden lane changes is a necessity here. The Optra has behaved beautifully and has always responded without issues, even at speeds of 30 (as long as you are managing the turbo lag - the lag + the steering combined might create the reluctance effect). But once you learn to downshift, it becomes second nature!
As for the wagon R - I have seen the effect of the roll - I saw a vehicle at a U-turn teeter and topple over to the side - but that's the result of the high CG. In the wagon R, the roll results in the entire vehicle toppling over, but in the Optra, due to the weight and the low CG, the roll translates to the 'scary' feel, but doesn't exactly affect driving (atleast on straight roads, low speeds, lane changes)
I have experienced roll first hand on the Srinagar - Leh trip - I was in a Xylo!

I wasn't talking about you specifically Oxy. Sorry if it felt like that. I came late onto this thread and saw everybody constantly talk about the handling.
I have seen this a lot on such forums - one person makes a statement (either educated or not), and all of a sudden every Tom, Dick and Harry, who doesn't understand the difference between a drift and a fart starts passing comments which just lead to a lot of incorrect rumours being passed about!


I do agree to this to a point, especially at lower speeds where if you are not in the correct gear, the turbo lag makes it prominent. But definitely no such thing at higher speeds.
And yes, the steering is not as peppy as the Vento or the Verna or the Swift for that matter, but it is definitely not something that would contribute to a rejection factor.


Post warranty!

I have a calibrated digital air pressure gauge. Also, I fill up only at HP pumps that have their automatic air filling units in good condition. There was no issue about the air pressure!