[optimist]

Congratulations! All the best and have a blast with your beast.

Just saw this thread. I was having a little fire fight with my magnum. I can never hope to write as much.

[Poitive]

Mates,

The pictures are taking some time. Often on some crazy schedule. Do want to do a decent job of it. Please bear with me.

Thanks for the interest in the VVS Magnum
Makes it a joy to share.

Will also keep adding to the information and experience with the VVS Magnum bit by bit. If you notice, there is very little shared about this particular example. (guess I had talked way too much about the Optra in general on the previous threads anyway).

Originally Posted by arvi86

Ah, and here it comes finally! Congrats for taking the plunge and plonking in you money on the Chevrolet Optra VVS Magnum. For the price at which it retails, it is a steal. Its a pity not many people realize the value and substance in the Optra. You did and you will reap the benefits. Wishing you many many happy miles in the car!

And, bring on the photos soon!

You speak my heart, @arvi86. This seems to be one of the most undervalued cars around. Guess that is what makes it sell as low. From the bit of talk I had with a fairly senior GM fellow, they have very poor margins on this car.

Hope it'll live up to the high expectations. @Optimist is already having some trouble with his steering fluid etc and he took delivery only a few days back.

Originally Posted by charthom

Poitive,

Finally,yes finally and finally... what else to write-it is ridiculously obvious. Congratulations!!

As usual your review is

1.Intelligent
2.Fiercely passionate
3.Extremely logical
4.Impossibly detailed-a bit more actually- too lengthy quotations from other posts have been a bit of a botheration- especially the way you structured the article.
5.With pin point accuracy
6.Thoroughly unbiased and honest
7.Totally palatable and well written
8.Disarmingly simple

Thank you for the wishes, @Charthom. It's always been a pleasure hearing from you, especially with your warm and expressive ways. Thanks for your kind words.

Initially, I had left out the section with quotes and had put up the thread, but it was moved to the assembly line. Wrote to the mods, but there was no reply (no complaints whatsoever - I understand they are taking out time without pay for doing what they are doing). So presumed that it may be due to lack of talk about various topics which are covered an a typical/'near standard format' ownership review.

Now with the above, was feeling that rush to get the thread back to the main forum and the simplest way to get that was to reorganize the posts available to me, merge a few, add a section with quotes from my (long and overly expressed) decision process from other threads.

Even had a line below the heading of the post with quotes (#10) informing people that they may want to skip this post, if they had been clued in to the prequels to this thread. Also thought that it may be relevant information to others considering these cars and it would give a synopsis of the part before the purchase. Ideally, I may have structured the report with an index sort of an opening post with links to posts below, but it seemed quite like writing a book then. Was taking up far too much time.

Your decision and final review has taken some time-hungry and frustrated, we had almost begun banging the table with our plates. But here it came,steamy and appetising.

Your remark here almost had me chuckling and laughing at the same time!
Just the visual of you banging the table! LOL
Am glad you found it steaming and appetizing. I never thought I was a good 'cook'!!! Ha ha.

But beware - there should be a lot more coming up

Great car-so happy that you bought it. Great person-so happy that you got what your tastes are in synchronisation with.

Please add snaps- we want to see "that" Optra- just to look a Optras,the better place will be the neighbourhood Chevrolet show room or just sit at my balcony-even my friend has one!!

Enjoy the drive,Mate. And continue posting those gems of thoughts.

Thanks for the kind words, Charthom.
As the wishes flow in, am convinced that The VVS needs to model for us (no, won't be calling up Laxman!!) - you wouldn't have to sit in your balcony for this.

Originally Posted by Torquedo

Pardon me for hijacking your thread Poitive

No worries at all Torquedo. We've done that to each other in the past! Ha ha.
Did you find your man? (no pun intended!!!)

Originally Posted by amit1234singla

Congratulations Poitive, a little late though. Just saw this thread today only. Optra Magnum D is indeed a special car. Back in Sep/Oct'10 my FIL was looking for a Diesel sedan and booked Vento TDI before launch. After launch and TD, he cancelled his Vento booking and picked up Optra. In no time now his car is over 30k km's (his monthly running is about 3.5k km's due to business). Needless to say, he is very very happy with the purchase. His car is mostly driver driven but he feels very comfortable driving her himself as well for short distances (he is 65). No issues whatsoever in 30k km's, even for spares that too with dealers in Punjab. I think, Delhi/ NCR should be even better.

As you also mentioned, I also think this car is underrated than what it actually is as a product, more so due to Chevy's marketing strategy.

Wish you many many happy miles with her. Take care of running in properly, don't fall for the power at hand (I am sure you won't)

Thanks so much Amit. You had gotten us in touch with this wonderful comparo thread on Sedans upto 12L by @Smartcat in the Choosing thread. That too had taken me a step closer to the Magnum.

Your FIL really is crunching miles but the thousands!
Am not surprised that he is happy with the purchase. With that sort of running, I'd expect a lot of it to be on highways. Though the car is good in the city, it seems to be brilliant on highways.

As you too suggest, another beauty of this car is that it is very good to be driven in, besides being loads of fun to drive.

This car not doing as well, may be due to various reasons (it probably deserves a write-up) but the intrinsic product quality and design would surely not be one of those reasons.

Falling for that power is so so so tempting - it is a lesson in self-management and will-power!!!! Not funny, but still is LOL.
The good part is that even if kept within 2000-2500 RPM it performs very very well. For a non-enthusiast, there may be little reason per se, to go beyond 2500 RPM on this beast!

PS: I wonder what spares your FIL may have had to look for, given that the car has been troublefree.

Originally Posted by NoRules

Yo mate,

I am so very happy for you. It has been a parallel journey, yours n mine in search of a good spacious diesel car and if I am not wrong, we both got the delivery around the same time. Wish you many many miles of happiness. Drive the beast safely. While it is a strong performer like VVS, it can get aggressive like Sehwag too

Will look forward to read more of your experiences with the car.

Hey NoRules mate! The feeling is mutual. Meant to get in touch with you, but somehow I am active on such stuff a bit too late in the 'evening'. We have been going in parallel and it is ending (or rather starting, in another sense) together too.

Thanks for the wishes mate. Wishing you all the very best with your beast, again. Given the long distance capability of these beasts, maybe someday, our Magnum's will meet and exchange smiles too!!!

Oh yes! This one can surely be a Sehwag. Surely! That is the beauty of this car. Sachin too may be compared to this car, given the overall range the car displays, but it being as undervalued, it just had to be compared to Laxman. The "VVS" in his name, of course was a bonus.

I really am itching to share more about this car.

Originally Posted by nileshch

Congratulations, Poitive!! Finally you went for the best performer in the class. And awesome descriptions you've done. You have a lot of patience! And hats off to your extended research on all the cars. Your threads have been very comprehensive and beats any C segment shootout ever written!

Thanks @nileshch. Finally, one did go for it. It brings such a smile, each time I drive it.

Thanks for appreciating the descriptions and write-ups. In my heart somewhere, I was pretty clear I wanted to go in for the Magnum, but the head too had to be convinced, hence the TDs. And writing about them was my way of giving back to this wonderful collection of people on the forum. Has been an enjoyable process for me too. And comments like yours only make the experience better.

PS: I am not sure if I mentioned before, the 'research' and 'history and background' stuff was more of a confirmation, if at all; not a major factor in the decisions. It was the TDs which were really convincing for me, and the attitude to go for what one saw to be a good product, despite it being only moderately successful.

Edit: Just noticed the post by Optimist.

Originally Posted by optimist

Congratulations! All the best and have a blast with your beast.

Just saw this thread. I was having a little fire fight with my magnum. I can never hope to write as much.

Thanks for the wishes here as well, Optimist.

Hope your issues with your Magnum get sorted out very very quickly to then bring a lot of smiles to you. But given your name and tagline, you may be smiling anyway!

Any clue on how the damage to your car happened?

Looking forward to your ownership review. Mine is probably getting too complicated and lengthy, so a shorter one may be very much welcome and pleasing to read.

[pravingmh]

Originally Posted by souravc

At last Poitive , you stopped your flirting with the Optra and took the plunge !

The amount of flirting the Optra received would have put Cleopatra to shame.

Originally Posted by Poitive

guess I had talked way too much about the Optra in general on the previous threads anyway

Congratulations on the car. Your persistence in various threads forced me to TD the Optra and rule out the Cruze.

The thread intro and history has perhaps set a new bar on the Ownership reviews. Loved the history bit.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by pravingmh

The amount of flirting the Optra received would have put Cleopatra to shame.

It seems many are flirting with it. I am just more vocal about it.
Reminds me of this song which has been doing the rounds for a while now: "Main karu to Sa*la Character Dheela hai"

Congratulations on the car. Your persistence in various threads forced me to TD the Optra and rule out the Cruze.

Thanks mate!
Oh yes, an Optra is worth a TD for most.
From the reports on the Choosing thread etc, it seemed that many Optra's aren't in good condition. If you go through that thread, I think you'll also find some satisfactory Optra TDs in Bangalore. You could take the TD from the same dealer.

If you find the cabin of the Cruze acceptable, and don't have tall people in the rear bench, it is a very good car. Loads of fun on the highway. Optra, IMO, is a more practical and more complete car.

The thread intro and history has perhaps set a new bar on the Ownership reviews. Loved the history bit.

Thanks mate! I have been wondering if anyone ever cared for that bit of history and that talk about the famed designers of this car.

[Poitive]

EXPERIENCING THE VVS MAGNUM

Haven’t thought about how much there may be to share. It may be a lot. So will start to write in small parts every now and then. Will start all such posts with the same title (hope I remember).

I have yapped around the forum on the qualities of this car for a while now. Mainly to get people to at least TD this gem of a car. It probably even bugged a few members. So instead of starting to talk about the merits of the car, let me start with …

A few things which I don’t like much about the car - and possible reasons why things may be how they are
(now you may pick up your dropped jaw!!! Yes there are some things that I do not like about this are too!!!)

The location of the Indicator and Wiper stalks
It is as per a Left Handed drive. I quite detest how some manufacturers don’t take the Indian market seriously enough to make the suitable modifications as per our market. Also would like to see it being a rule to put the stalks based on a convention. Will just quote my thoughts on this, from a thread I had posted on a while back:

Link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post2416967

Originally Posted by Poitive

Is there a correct side for indicator stalks?

We could debate as to why left or right it better. I'll get into that bit later. To start with, there ought to be a convention for this. Drivers should not have to change from one side to another when they move from one car to another.


Why should there be a convention?

When talking about accidents, we talk about presence of mind and of fraction of a second decisions. Having the indicator stalk on a the 'wrong' side can cause confusions and delays. Also consider that there are older drivers and the like on roads. Agreed that it may not be the biggest tool to save oneself from an accident, but yes - it is a tool. Indicating your intentions in difficult situations can save one from an accident. Also good driving practice to do so, which prevents accidents in the first place, even if one isn't in dire situations.

With so much talk of safety - having a convention would only add to it, and at minimal cost. It also doesn't 'effort' from users to be safer (for a seat belt to be effective the user has to 'wear' it)

So, I do believe that there should be a convention for having it on the same side in all cars in a country.


Now, which side should the indicator stalk be on?

A large part of the driving population is used to the stalks being on the right. Again, also consider the driving population outside this forum, for a moment guys. Does it seem more prudent to get all of them adjusted to the indicator stalks on the left or vice a versa?

But should we not move them to the side which is better?
Which side is better?

If the stalks are on the left, it leaves one hand (the right) to be totally free to be on the steering, which seems safe.

But wait, it also seems to cause some confusion for some of us. The left hand is to manage both the gear and the indicator. Many times, when one is taking one hand to the gear (possibly moving to a lower gear before a turn), and one needs to given an indicator (to change lanes or to take a turn), it seems plain convenient to use the other hand to give the indicators. Now, I suspect most of us comfortably use the indicator without moving our hands from the steering, with just a flick of the fingers. (In case that is not convenient on some cars, I'd call that a design flaw and the indicator stalks should be closer to the steering).

In case of dire situations, it also seems safer to control all three (gear, steering and indicator) together, which is possible with the indicator stalk on the right.

Let us also imagine a less dire situation. I am on an undivided highway trying to overtake a long lorry. I move lanes to do so. Now as I am trying to overtake, I want to move to a lower gear if needed. Instinctively, my left hand moves to the gear shift. Would I not want to be able to control the indicator stalk if I need to indicate my intentions to the vehicles around? I, for sure would like to have that option.

For me, it is pretty clear which side the indicators work better for myself.
(Just in case I needed so specify it - the right side)

I just tried to share my thoughts and no offense is meant to anyone. Others, of course may want to agree, disagree, change their opinions or stick with them. Given good enough reasons, I too am open to a change in opinion.

My experience with the stalks - Got quite used to them within a few days. Almost never went for the wiper, when I wanted to use the indicator (which I use a lot)

But I still have a problem. When? Well, when it rains. I tend to get mixed up on which side to use which function from. My bigger issue is in times where a fraction of a second may be important, but I already shared views on that in the quote above.

Hope we have a rule, with a convention, from the government soon.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@Mods, would like to keep all such posts about the experience in separate posts, than merge them with replies. It seems to me that it will make the thread a lot more readable, though it may result in back to back posts (a lot of my posts anyway tend to be very very long). In case you think I should not follow this format, please let me know and I shall post accordingly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note: There was some interaction with the mods. Became quite clear about how the miscommunication about moving the thread to the main forum may have come about.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

@GTO : Thanks for changing the title.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by Poitive

But I still have a problem. When? Well, when it rains. I tend to get mixed up on which side to use which function from. My bigger issue is in times where a fraction of a second may be important, but I already shared views on that in the quote above.

I absolutely agree with that!! Its been almost 2 months now since I have shifted to the left handed steering controls of my new car. I have adjusted easily for day to day use. But when there is a reflex action, due to a sudden change of events on the road, I have gone for the wipers (with the spray ) instead of flashing the headlights!! Or I have turned on the indicators in the rain, when i wanted to switch on the wipers!

Still need time to undo the fourteen years of conditioning the mind has got for the right handed controls!

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by nileshch

I absolutely agree with that!! Its been almost 2 months now since I have shifted to the left handed steering controls of my new car. I have adjusted easily for day to day use. But when there is a reflex action, due to a sudden change of events on the road, I have gone for the wipers (with the spray ) instead of flashing the headlights!! Or I have turned on the indicators in the rain, when i wanted to switch on the wipers!

Still need time to undo the fourteen years of conditioning the mind has got for the right handed controls!

Few years ago when i was posted at Bangalore my company bought a Logan for me which had the left hand drive orientation for the wiper / indicator stalks and at the same time I had my Baleno back home at Hyderabad. During week days I drove the Logan and every weekend I used to come back to Hyderabad and drive my Baleno. Within couple of months I became totally comfortable with both the sides and that experience has now come in handy with my new Magnum.

[prabhuferrari]

Poitive,
I threaten to go on fast post dinner till breakfast, unless you post at least one photo of your car. Is your car not sulking that you haven't taken her/his photograph yet? Come on man. Don't make us wait further,

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by nileshch

But when there is a reflex action, due to a sudden change of events on the road, I have gone for the wipers (with the spray ) instead of flashing the headlights!! Or I have turned on the indicators in the rain, when i wanted to switch on the wipers!

Still need time to undo the fourteen years of conditioning the mind has got for the right handed controls!

Exactly my point.

The intuition and reflexes don't work well enough. Some things just should not be compromised.

Originally Posted by NoRules

Few years ago when i was posted at Bangalore my company bought a Logan for me which had the left hand drive orientation for the wiper / indicator stalks and at the same time I had my Baleno back home at Hyderabad. During week days I drove the Logan and every weekend I used to come back to Hyderabad and drive my Baleno. Within couple of months I became totally comfortable with both the sides and that experience has now come in handy with my new Magnum.

Do you notice a change in time needed to respond? Do you need to pause a tiny bit before you respond to an stimulus? I mean, comparing it to how it was when you were only using a RHD orientation.

How is your experience with the Magnum going NR?
Which fuel are you using?
Do you notice any turbo-lag?

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by prabhuferrari

Poitive,
I threaten to go on fast post dinner till breakfast, unless you post at least one photo of your car. Is your car not sulking that you haven't taken her/his photograph yet? Come on man. Don't make us wait further,

Gosh!

You know what? I had plans to take pictures today afternoon. Here is how things went:

Had plans to drive to some nice location in Delhi to take the pics.
Tried out the camera which is intermittently giving issues.
The battery died down.
Was very keen to put up at least one 'good' picture.
Thought - what the heck - let me use the phone camera and get at least one up.
Went to the car to notice that the chauffeur hadn't cleaned the car at all.
It had rained last night and the car was a TOTAL mess.
(Sadly, I am not much the kind to go about cleaning much myself).
Was still in two minds about clicking whatever I could.
Drove down to the location in mind, but the location wasn't conducive to click pictures (don't want to reveal the location yet)

Eventually returned without a picture :-(

Now, I was almost worried, as I had read your fast being from breakfast to dinner and not the other way round. Good one Prabhu.

Hope I can manage to move out early enough tomorrow to take some pictures.

Thanks for the interest in the VVS Magnum. It must be gloating now.

PS: Noticed your post much later, Prabhu.

[MAS]

Originally Posted by Poitive

[center][b][u]
My experience with the stalks - Got quite used to them within a few days. Almost never went for the wiper, when I wanted to use the indicator (which I use a lot)

But I still have a problem. When? Well, when it rains. I tend to get mixed up on which side to use which function from. My bigger issue is in times where a fraction of a second may be important, but I already shared views on that in the quote above.

It is only question of time till you get used to this reversed configuration. You need to take care till then as the windshield may get scratched due to dry wipes made. Even Ford, VW have these reversed configuration. I find this reversed configuration to be more comfortable when compared to the default Indian configuration.

Imagine you are turning (left or right), you pull/push the indicator stalk using your left hand and prepare to take the turn, you shift to a lower gear using your left hand. Your right hand is holding the steering firmly and you find the indicator stalk has cancelled itself out. What do you do? As the left hand is free, the indicator can be turned on easily.

Okay, now i am ready to be smoked.

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by MAS

It is only question of time till you get used to this reversed configuration. You need to take care till then as the windshield may get scratched due to dry wipes made.

You might find it funny (and guess it is to do with the immense sense of oneness one felt with this car), even in the TDs I almost never made a mistake. Rather, on coming back to the RHD configuration, I was going for the left stalk as the indicator one. LOL.

Barring the rain, I am quite used to it. Only having some issues in the rains.
My point is that it can increase reaction time. Especially for someone who changes between RHD and LHD configurations. It may change from person to person, however. Also, after some adaptation, the difference in reaction time may reduce. It simply should be one sided. Hope one doesn't get accelerator as the left pedal and clutch on the right someday

Even Ford, VW have these reversed configuration. I find this reversed configuration to be more comfortable when compared to the default Indian configuration.

Reversed?
I think they are just saving cost and not adapting to what is (or has been) 'normal' for India, due to lack of a rule.

Can anyone shed light on if more 'developed' countries allow different types of configurations?

BTW, GM has got the RHD (Indian) direction for it's stalks in the new Optra (ie Cruze).

Imagine you are turning (left or right), you pull/push the indicator stalk using your left hand and prepare to take the turn, you shift to a lower gear using your left hand. Your right hand is holding the steering firmly and you find the indicator stalk has cancelled itself out. What do you do? As the left hand is free, the indicator can be turned on easily.

I see the logic there. However, I hope the other side to this will also be appreciated. Mentioned in the quote above. The indicator stalks can easily be managed by a flick of the fingers in a well (or even averagely) designed car. Having control over the gears is of a lot of importance, especially when one is in a low powered car, to keep the engine on boil. (@MAS, if you actually end up with a 1.3MJD or NFF, you may value this more).

Okay, now i am ready to be smoked.

Just discussing mate. Good to have both sides to the story.
My bigger point is that there should be a convention. Whether it is for RHD or LHD. Let it be the same across all the cars.

[Poitive]

.

EXPERIENCING THE VVS MAGNUM
.

Before I take the theme of what I didn't like further, let me assure anyone considering this car and reading this, I am immensely satisfied with the car as a whole. It is meeting or exceeding my expectations on almost all significant counts. Simply loving the experience till now.

(had @MAS in mind while mentioning the above. Please visit his What-Car thread to share your views here - hope it doesn't get deleted, like some recent what-car threads)

More of what I didn't much like about the car

I had bought the LS, without ever seeing it. Had only seen the LT. Was rightly confident about @Turquedo's observations about the LS (he is impressively meticulous). I really didn't think there could be a good enough reason for me to not go in for the Magnum if some trims etc weren't good enough. Now coming to the point below:

The Steering Wheel
(Am not talking about the steering feel. This is only about the wheel itself)

It is a joke! I mean, it really doesn't seem one fit enough to be put in a C/C+/D segment sedan. It should not be used in a car priced about say 3-4L at most.

What I don't like about it:

• The thickness of the wheel. It seems too slender in the hand.
• The material seems pretty basic.
• It doesn't have a good feel on holding it - quite a cheap feel, for the otherwise plush feel of the car.
• Aesthetically poor.
• Horn is far away from the normal grip position. I have found a comfortable way to drive, but I see it is a (near?) flaw in design. Even more so, given it didn't need to have that compromise, since there aren't even any steering mounted controls to increase the distance between the steering grip circle and the horn.

What seems OK or good about it:

• Appropriate diameter. Feels right. Not too big to get into your legs/knees. Not too small, for a car of it's proportions.
• Despite the cheap material, it still has good grip on the hand. It doesn't slip, which is very important. I appreciate this in any steering.
• The horn 'button' in the centre isn't too hard. Is adequate. A little softer may have been a tad better (but I am nitpicking here). It just may become a bit softer with use.

On the whole, it would probably be the first logical upgrade/mod to the car. Am told that the steering can easily be changed (especially since it is without steering mounted controls), but really need to research this.

Any advice on this guys?
Will it affect warranty in any way?
Where can one find one? Do regular accessory shops stock these?
Approximately how much do they cost?
Is it really an easy upgrade?

The little I remember of the Steering Wheel on the LT version

• Was not as cheap looking
• Felt better and probably had a meatier grip.
• Since the centre of the wheel was taken up by the Air-bags, the horn buttons were on the side. A la Maruti 800. I personally don't like such buttons. For this reason alone, if I had to choose only between the LS and LT steerings, I'd go for the LS. Others have reported finding the button configuration better though.

Additional notes:
Even if you are reading this late and the thread has moved onto other issues, please do respond to this.

PS: I really can't imagine the steering wheel to be a part of designed by the original designers, given how impressively this cars design otherwise is (will come to those aspects later). This could probably be the result of some poorly planned cost-cutting exercise.

[NoRules]

Originally Posted by Poitive

Do you notice a change in time needed to respond? Do you need to pause a tiny bit before you respond to an stimulus? I mean, comparing it to how it was when you were only using a RHD orientation.

How is your experience with the Magnum going NR?
Which fuel are you using?
Do you notice any turbo-lag?

I do not find the RHD / LHD orientation an issue at all. I am comfortable with both.

I have done 500+ kms and the experience so far has been good with my Magnum. I somehow do not believe in the 'Premium' fuel. Have filled the tank twice so far, second time an hour ago and used regular diesel. Will try out premium fuel after my first service

Yes, there is definite turbo-lag but again, it does not bother me much. Down shift and pull away is what I do.

There are lots and lots of good things about this machine and few things I am unhappy about based on my personal preferences but I am very happy with my decision to go with Optra Magnum LT. Will drive few more kms before I post a detailed experience.

[ajay_satpute]

Congrats Poitive! Finally it happened. No wonder it had to be Optra Magnum.

Boy o boy, this has to be the longest ownership report on Team BHP. BUTTT, it is also the most informative of all IMO. You have a superb knack of writing long long posts and still keep them on track and informative. Good on you.

Belive me, I have read all your posts on other threads (Driven, Choosing ...,) and all of them were pretty much bang on always. It was a pleasure reading them and please keep them coming. I see you doing Official Car reviews for TeamBHP in the coming future, when the legends hang up their boots.

Dude, please man, we need pics. I know you would be pretty serious and detailed about the pics too, thats why i am not pushing too much, but still hurry up.

Wishing you a very happy and long relationship with the most LOGICAL diesel sedan currently on the south of 10 lacs.