[Rameshdude]

Hello guys,
Have updated the thread with the trip experience and photos.
Ramesh

[Rameshdude]

Adding another pic,in addition to the interior pics and detailed trip report.(on page 2)

[Frontosa]

Beautiful man, lovely pics and it seems you had a very good trip. Coming back to the car it looks great from outside but interiors seem a little plain, just my opinion though. But the things you mentioned like good ingress , leg space, good seats and good suspension make them sound like a great chauffeur driven car! Enjoy many many miles on the beauty.

[Rameshdude]

[quote=h@r$h@l;2498436]Congrats Rameshdude on the First (I believe) Fluence on Tbhp

Enjoy your new ride. Do post interior pics and other details and your initial experiences

HI Harshal,pics and details on page 2.

[quote=libranof1987;2498440]Congratulations on the Fluence! Guess yours is the first on T-BHP.

How easy is it to access the engine bay? The way the bonnet is designed, you'd have to bend quite a bit to reach out.

We'll need a lot more pics please.
Thanks librano, yes,the bonnet opening lever is on the passenger side,and is difficult. pics are on page 2

Originally Posted by ghodlur

Mind sharing the the OTR cost and what colour is the car? Is it grey or silver? Request you to post pics of the interior too.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

Thanks Ghodlur,
The OTR price came to 14 Lakh and the colour is "Ash Biege"

Originally Posted by noopster

Congrats Rameshdude! And of course, you're missing good pictures especially of the interiors- could you post those please?

Thanks Noopster. some interior pics are on page 2. Yes,Fluence might give me some fluency in writing too !

[Rameshdude]

Originally Posted by rajcs

Congratulations rameshdude- a great looking car. Thanks for sharing the initial impressions. Rather emotional farewell to the i10.

We will be keen to know how she drives on the hills and highways. So looking forward to that update next week.

Thanks Rajcs . Have posted the experience on the trip on page 2.

Originally Posted by amitwlele

@Rameshdude - Congrats. The color looks awesome. But would love to see more pictures. Would be interesting to read about your experience in the future with respect to A$$.

By the way did not quite understand the mystery behind "TVS Motor Company". Why was the cheque issued in their name? Is there some partnership that i am not aware of.

Wishing you a Very Happy Long Term Ownership.

I heard a squeaking sound from the accelerator on my return trip. Then ,on sunday, it was hardly present. Anyway, on Monday ,i called their service manager,he asked me the details,and then said,he would sent their technician to my place in 2 hours. the guy came,he unscrewed the pedal,and did some lubrication,and all is fine now ! Looks like they are keen to keep a good service image too.

Have posted some pics on page 2. Renault giving me" Mahindra" holiday package,and then "TVS" handling sales. I am still not sure what is all this. Hope everything is good for us !

Originally Posted by flyingkolors

Congrats on your wonderful buy. The car looks awesome in this color and I really like the curves. How are the NVH levels inside the cabin?

And yes, please post more pictures. Drive safe.

Thanks Flyingkolors,there is hardly any noise level inside the cabin.Car is well insulated. Some pics are on page 2.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Congratulations on the Fluence, I really liked the car when I saw it at the Blore Auto Show. The boot seems to be pretty huge though I wasnt a big fan of their different options list for the petrol and diesel. Did the showroom throw in anything for free?

Thanks Neil,yes they just have single model on petrol and diesel. It doeshave a huge boot too. They gave me 2 nights and 3 day holiday package in "Mahindra club Resorts" !

Originally Posted by Habanero City

Congratulations on the Fluence, you can provide us with some more pictures of the car especially the interiors and special features.


HC

Originally Posted by amitk2kin

Congratulations on the Fluence! The color that you have picked up looks awesome! Do share a detailed report on the usage and please share pictures of the interiors!

Thanks HC,have posted some pics on page 2. Have written a detailed report too.


Thanks Amit,have posted some pics on page 2

[neil.jericho]

Interesting thread this. The other day a friend of mine and I were talking and he was telling me how the Fluence has a mini Jag look. A while later we happened to spot a white Fluence in Cochin and I must admit it does have a slight Jaguar look to it. Which is always a good thing!

[xtremeshock]

Congratulations on your new ride Rameshdude, may you have a trouble-free ownership.

Just a couple of questions, 1. How is the shift quality of the gear-box? 2. How did you find the service center when you had visited it.

Regards...

[Latheesh]

Spotted a KL 07 reg white Fluence in Gudalur last saturday and remembered your thread. I like the appearance of Fluence and has built like a tank feel associated.

Congrats!

[Rameshdude]

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

Congratulations on your new ride Rameshdude, may you have a trouble-free ownership.

Just a couple of questions, 1. How is the shift quality of the gear-box? 2. How did you find the service center when you had visited it.

Regards...

Thanks xtremestock,
Gear shift is smooth and easy. Service center seems well equipped.

[HammerHead]

First of all Congrats.
Great looking car. This is one car which turns my head whenever I see one.
Body lines are similar to Linea.

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

I heard a squeaking sound from the accelerator on my return trip. Then ,on sunday, it was hardly present. Anyway, on Monday ,i called their service manager,he asked me the details,and then said,he would sent their technician to my place in 2 hours. the guy came,he unscrewed the pedal,and did some lubrication,and all is fine now ! Looks like they are keen to keep a good service image too.

Nice to hear about the response time. I hope they maintain it and get even better.

Renault giving me" Mahindra" holiday package,and then "TVS" handling sales. I am still not sure what is all this. Hope everything is good for us !

As far as you are getting good A.S.S, I don't think you should be worried about this.

Good luck and drive safe!

[Rameshdude]

Originally Posted by Abhi_Automobile

My only query is: Do you think that buying this at a couple of lacs cheaper than Jetta Trendline fair enough or not?

VW has slowly built a semi-premium image in India (just as Honda had a year or so ago; maybe has it even now). Renault is completely unknown brand in India.

Can you post some interior pics? I guess one of the prime things you can look at to give the spartan interiors a more upmarket feel is 'Stanley Leather'. The Stanley looks particularly good in Black. Having said that, when I checked out the car, I was impressed by its interior quality, if not the trim level.

Happy motoring.

Thanks Abhi,
Yeah, i still don't know if my purchase of this car was a good judgement. Only time will tell. Jetta is way powerful. and trendline feature to feature seems almost equal,except Fluence has good and comfortable seats,all 5 alloy wheels,and good GC. Power is close to Laura MT. Posted some pics on page 2.

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

@Ramesh: Congrats on the Fluence, you will be keenly watched as you are the first Fluence owner here. The flavor of the review: "It's different". I'd say enjoy "the difference" and keep us posted.

Thanks Durango, yes,it is different. Have posted more details on page 2

Originally Posted by C300

Congrats Ramesh. Great choice of colour. Fluence looks stunning in that colour.
Hope to see this thread alive with detail interior pics in coming days!

Thanks,C300, more pics on page 2

Originally Posted by Y@SH

Congratulations! Excellent Review. Your's is the first diesel fluence review on Team-BHP.
Can you kindly post the interior pictures as well? Looking forward to see the interiors. Is the plastic quality poor? Do you feel that the grey interiors make the interiors look dark and less spacious? I think its a good deal at 14L. This car has good on road presence.

The plastics are soft and good quality. Yes,the interior color does looks a bit dull.But i think the interiors are the spacious of the lot.

Originally Posted by arup.misra

Congrats buddy on your new ride? Wish you have a long saga to tell us in the long term ownership report. Give us some interior shots as well. It'll juice up your thread. By the way just out of curiosity, did you consider a shoot out between the new Jetta and Renault?

Thanks Arup,
Yes,i did try the new Jetta. It sure is powerful,an established dealership,Good brand name and image. Whereas,this car and company is new. But somehow i liked the shape (it is different) liked the seating comfort and it is fun to drive too. Why i am so fussy about good and high driver seat was,three years back,i bought a AT civic. I loved that car ,except within a year,because of the low seating,my back began to hurt again.My life was hectic too then,I sold my civic,and changed my life style to a bit relaxed. So my first priority was good driver seat comfort and suspension. Somehow i felt, the Jetta was a bit low seating too.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Congratulations Ramesh! The car looks awesome. I think yours is the first diesel Fluence review we have. Thanks for sharing. As many mentioned, please post some interior pics

Thanks,and have posted some more pics on page 2

Originally Posted by ASTRIKX

Congrats Ramesh ! on your Fluence. I had a few test drives of the vehicle myself and am contemplating buying the car. Could you please help me by providing me with a few inputs,
> How is the clutch ? I found it a bit too hard compared to the other diesel's around.
> What about the Built ? Do you notice any rattles or loose ends so far with the vehicle ?
> You mentioned that TVS & Sons are the agents @ cochin. What about the Service ? Are they the agents for Service and maintenance as well or just Sales ?
Awaiting your reply as soon as you are done with your 'Trip'.
Be Safe & Have Fun.

Thanks Astrick,
Yes,the clutch was hard initially,but now it is smooth . The car is solidly built,with no rattles so far. Their service seems good. After the trip,i had complained about a squeky sound from my accelerator pedal,they sent their service guy to my place,and corrected it.(did some lubrication on the pedal assembly.

Originally Posted by druk75

Congratulations Ramesh! On your new car. I'm so happy for you. Good luck and safe motoring. Do post some nice clean pictures of her as well as the interiors. Also clock in your initial driving experience after your trip. Happy Onam too.

Btw, how much discount did you manage to get. Pls PM me as I'm also considering the car. Test drove, but waited all this time for the new Jetta. The TVS relation is a shocker to say the least. Please elaborate as my first car in India was a Palio and the TVS guys ruined the experience of a very good car.

Thanks Druk,yes the trip was nice and fun. A nice Onam too. Have posted some pics too on page 2. Maybe you should also get their customer list from them,call a few,like i did. I called up two persons. Service seems to be good,i got a prompt response for an issue.

Originally Posted by HammerHead

First of all Congrats.
Great looking car. This is one car which turns my head whenever I see one.


Good luck and drive safe!

Thanks Hammerhead,yes it is a nice looking car.

Note From Support
Please do NOT create back to back posts, when posting within 30 minutes.

[Me-hul]

Hey congratulations on the car. Definitely stands out .

I had a query about keyless entry system. Might sound stupid.
Lets consider a situation: You are close to the car doing some work with the key in your pocket, attention away from your car. Some guy opens the door & drives away with the car(key not required to start the car). Is this situation possible?

[Rameshdude]

Originally Posted by Me-hul

Hey congratulations on the car. Definitely stands out .

I had a query about keyless entry system. Might sound stupid.
Lets consider a situation: You are close to the car doing some work with the key in your pocket, attention away from your car. Some guy opens the door & drives away with the car(key not required to start the car). Is this situation possible?

Thanks Mehul, Good question.
Yes,one can open the door. But to start the car,you need to have the key inside the car.There are sensors,only then,one can start the car.You don't necessarily have to insert the key into the slot to start,even if the key is your or must be in your pocket to start.

[Rameshdude]

Originally Posted by Frontosa

Beautiful man, lovely pics and it seems you had a very good trip. Coming back to the car it looks great from outside but interiors seem a little plain, just my opinion though. But the things you mentioned like good ingress , leg space, good seats and good suspension make them sound like a great chauffeur driven car! Enjoy many many miles on the beauty.

Thanks Frontosa,

Maybe one could call it a good family sedan .The power is not bad,on paper(technical specifications), the power on Fluence and laura are pretty close.( Fluence is 106 bhp,while Laura is 110 bhp) ,but Laura is a 2 lit engine and on road would be more powerful.

A few things,

In this car, "traction control " is on all the time,would it affect the mileage? I can manually switch it off. (the service manager says,it won't affect). In city i get around 15 km/lit.

There are rear fog lamps too ! I feel it would be good during those heavy thunder storms here,almost daily.

[Frontosa]

Honestly none of my cars had traction control so I m not the right person to answer. Keep updating the thread. Last week on my expressway drive to pune, I saw the fluence very close and boy it does have sure presence ! Loved it