[imp!]

Originally Posted by k_nitin_r

In the past decade, Korean automotive manufacturers have been doing quite a bit of catching up. I had a management case study on Hyundai - its products were generally considered inferior in quality so to make their products attractive, they offered a longer warranty period on all their vehicles to make up for it. Whenever a customer came to the workshop, the defect would be recorded and all of this information would be collected to identify possible design flaws from repeated defect

I can quite believe this has done wonder for the cars but it was found sadly lacking in the driving experience. I don't know why I'm surprised. I have yet to experience a hyundai that drives well.

[zulfi hansi]

Now that the Terrano might come in 4wd mode, will that make the cut? But IMO it might not be VFM since it will be priced 50K more than the Duster and Renault has been brutal in raising the price of Duster. They just might have out priced themselves from the market if you see the present slowdown.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by zulfi hansi

Now that the Terrano might come in 4wd mode, will that make the cut?

Yup, you are right Zulfi.

Also, luggage space on the Terrano/Duster is insufficient for long trips. This coupled with their 4 seater ability takes them off my list.

[sh@rpshooter]

There has been a talk of a New Endeavour hitting the roads..any idea around that ?

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

There has been a talk of a New Endeavour hitting the roads..any idea around that ?

The new Endeavor is scheduled for launch sometime next year but going by the fact that is actually an "All New" vehicle, I m sure it will be expensive, unless Ford decides to do an "Ecosport" with it.

[sh@rpshooter]

i have waited one year and still on my scorpio which is now beginning to show its age..my wife got the benefit of this frustration as she is now driving a nice VW Polo !

after so many threads what would you choose between a tossup between a Scorpio and a XUV ? i somehow have a problem with the products form the Tata stable.

The Force Motors entry looks good but cannot risk it...everything else is not Worth the price

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

after so many threads what would you choose between a tossup between a Scorpio and a XUV ?

If I were to choose between the Scorpio and the XUV, I would choose the Scorpio because I mandatorily need a 4WD vehicle with 4H and 4L options.

This one feature apart, I would gladly choose the XUV over the Scorpio.

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

i somehow have a problem with the products form the Tata stable.

What issues/notions/perceptions?

[sh@rpshooter]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

<snip>


What issues/notions/perceptions?</snip>

Well, I admit it is extremely perception driven but ever since i have test driven a Safari eons back, it felt like driving a boat ie turn the steering and the car follows after some time !
I believe tata has got this right now..but the perception I get from most folks is that they still have think "truck" instead of "Car"
so not able to shake that off..and buying a car is lot to do with the heart.

I can afford to wait for some more time..somehow getting a scorpio again seems odd ! but the other options are too expensive

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

Well. i admit it is extremely perception driven but ever since i have test driven a Safari eons back, it felt like driving a boat ie turn the steering and the car follows after some time !

Yup, that is pretty much how the older Safari behaved.

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

i believe tata has got this right now..but the perception i get from most folks is that they still have think "truck" instead of "Car"
so not able to shake that off..and buying a car is lot to do with the heart.

Completely agree with you, but then, the Safari continues to be amongst those vehicles which have always appealed to the heart.
Irrespective of what you end up buying, I would strongly recommend you take a test drive of the Storme.

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

I can afford to wait for some more time..somehow getting a scorpio again seems odd ! but the other options are too expensive

I m on the same boat. While Hariya, with his old fashioned CRDe heart is tough as nails, I cannot say the same thing about these new-gen MHawks. Also, they seem to have more niggles than their older variants.

But tell me, do you actually need a 4WD vehicle?

[sh@rpshooter]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

But tell me, do you actually need a 4WD vehicle?

practically No although I do need a 5+ seater which is masculine and has a character and does well on long drives
4WD is a love-to-have-although-i-cannot-practically-justify kind of a thing.
I am fairly convinced that i personally cannot drive a 15Lakh+ car on Bangalore roads unless it has offroad capabilities.

So I do prefer an SUV as the 1st car (and so does my wife a). 4WD is a plus and nice to have. for the price..unless the new Endy makes it at a 20L OTR which now i suspect to the point of impossibility and since the Skoda Yeti no matter how technically good, is still a wimp and a 5 seater at that, not too many options other than Mahindra/Tata
BTW was thinking the VW Taigun might hit the shores ( a 5 seater, but more Macho..have seen it in Brazil and loved it) but that is not happening

let me do a TD for a Storm as well anyway...have a feeling Ill end up with the XUV now. (maybe the AWD version)

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

practically No although I do need a 5+ seater which is masculine and has a character and does well on long drives
4WD is a love-to-have-although-i-cannot-practically-justify kind of a thing.
I am fairly convinced that i personally cannot drive a 15Lakh+ car on Bangalore roads unless it has offroad capabilities.

Makes sense.

I do NOT recommend the Endy for its bumpy ride and b-a-d seats in the middle row.

The Yeti is an excellent car but lacks road presence completely.

The XUV is what makes the most sense to you, in its 2WD or the AWD avatar, depending on your budget.

[DragonRider]

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

let me do a TD for a Storm as well anyway...have a feeling Ill end up with the XUV know. (maybe the AWD version)

Did you get a chance to TD the Storme? I actually took a couple of test drives of the XUV before buying my Storme, and it frankly didn't connect to the heart as much as the Storme did. I agree that the XUV is a wonderful piece of engineering from Mahindra, and I probably would have gone for the W6 but I was not too happy with the constricted rear-view and the brakes make you wonder, if they really are all discs. That said, the XUV is definitely something that'll appeal more to the modern buyer (if you know what I mean), but for me it was the Storme all the way, call me old fashioned or maybe I am really getting old .

[sh@rpshooter]

Originally Posted by DragonRider

Did you get a chance to TD the Storme? I actually took a couple of test drives of the XUV before buying my Storme, and it frankly didn't connect to the heart as much as the Storme did. I agree that the XUV is a wonderful piece of engineering from Mahindra, and I probably would have gone for the W6 but I was not too happy with the constricted rear-view and the brakes make you wonder, if they really are all discs. That said, the XUV is definitely something that'll appeal more to the modern buyer (if you know what I mean), but for me it was the Storme all the way, call me old fashioned or maybe I am really getting old .

hey Dragonrider... while we take practicality to some level, in the end it is a connect with the heart and that is very subjective. As i said i dont have anything against the Storm but personally dont feel "Connected" to it including the looks and neither does the wife like it much. but cant really find any fault with it either. if all for practicality i would actually go for the Innova or Skoda Yeti
I wish the XUV were a little bit more Bull like than the feline it is but beggars cant be choosers. if i were willing to pay the 12L more i would have just gone for the Toyota Fortuner !

...and am not getting any younger either and may start to need to worry about the back and neck which get stressed on a high CG vehicle so my next vehicle would either need to be a Sedan..or lady luck wills a VW Toureg

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by sh@rpshooter

..but the perception I get from most folks is that they still have think "truck" instead of "Car"

Well, the Safari is a "truck" in the true sense and rightly so. If you want an SUV that feels and drives like a car, there are quite a few "softer" options in the market

[n.devdath]

I had a very pleasant experience with Nandi Toyota today and would like to share it here for the benefit of all.

My uncle, who has always been keen on buying a pre owned Fortuner literally held me by the scruff of my neck over the past week and told me to find him a pre owned Fortuner for around 17 lac.

After hectic scouting, calling and traveling all over Bangalore, I zeroed down upon 4 vehicles. 2 white and 2 grey.

Though my uncle was particular about buying a white vehicle, he agreed to give the grey ones a look. One out of the two greys' was dismissed since the owner was too rigid.
The other one was at a dealer and hence, after my preliminary inspection, I took it to Nandi Toyota, Kanakapura road, for a check on the service history, an underbody check and an accident inspection.

It was around 1730HRS when we reached the place and I was attended by someone who gave me the service history promptly but told me that all the mechanics and the service bays were full and hence I would need to come back the next day for a "General Checkup". He was kind enough to do an accident check of the vehicle as well.

In the meantime, the two white vehicles that I had listed were available for inspection today and hence I drove one of them to Nandi Toyota, Hosur Road at around 1000HRS and instructed a driver to bring the other vehicle there.

The place, as expected was full of cars. The guard at the entry gate asked me if I had an appointment and upon my saying no, gave me an entry pass with a number written on it.

At the service reception, there was a lady behind a small table and a computer who attended to me promptly and asked me the purpose of my visit. When I told her that I was planning to buy this vehicle pre owned and hence would like to get it inspected, she said I had to book an appointment since they were full.

I then spoke to a young service advisor. He was probably in his early twenties.

He immediately walked over to the vehicle, took a quick look and asked me if I sensed anything wrong with it. I told him that the MID didn't seem to work properly and I felt the vehicle shudder at speeds of 120kmph and above.

In the next 10 minutes, he called 3 senior technicians. One from the body shop, one from the electrical dept and one team leader named Justin.

He then called me to the service reception counter and showed me the detailed service history of the vehicle and patiently answered all my questions.

The electrical technician reset the ECU by disconnecting and reconnecting the battery, the body shop technician inspected the vehicle for accidents and then Justin and me went for a drive together.

Justin is a senior technician with more than 8 years of experience with Nandi Toyota and we went on a 30 minute drive where he checked the vehicle for all its parameters in detail. Even though he received multiple calls during our test drive, he told all of them that he was busy and would come back and attend to them.

At the end of the test drive, the service advisor that I spoke to told one of his juniors to issue a gate pass for the vehicle and give it to me.
When I asked him for any money to be paid, he smilingly said, "Nothing Sir, it was our job and too small to be billed."

I have NEVER received such a warm, prompt and FOC response from ANY dealership except M&M, and at M&M, I get such privileges because I know people there.

And yes, this is not the first time I have taken a car to a service center to get it inspected.


After today's experience at Nandi Toyota, Hosur Road, I m tempted to look at a pre owned Fortuner again....!!!


PS: The second white vehicle had an accident claim and was hence not inspected/cancelled.