[visweshkalambur]

Note from Mod: There are several spelling & grammatical errors in your posts. This negatively affects the board experience for other readers.

Kindly ensure that you proof-read your posts prior to submission. Also, it would be a good idea to use spell-checkers.

[brraj]

Congrats on the Magnum Tcdi.
Why didnt you buy LT model ?

[chetan_l]

Originally Posted by brraj

Congrats on the Magnum Tcdi.
Why didnt you buy LT model ?

Well, the honest answer is moolah! That said, I am not too much into leather and chrome.

I would have loved to have the ABS and Airbags though. Perhaps, if Chevy had an in-between model with the safety features and minus the leather and chrome, I would have gone for it; no second thoughts...

Note: My posts still need to be moderated as I am a newbie; hence my responses are getting delayed - please bear with me [I have a few more posts to go before I get my graduation ]

[swiftnfurious]

Congrats on the rocket!! I am sure you will enjoy each & every drive with this car.

Just one grouse for me on this thread ! That's too many stickers on a car! You could have used just one [GOT BHP?, if you ask me] and left it for others to figure it out whether you actually got bhp!

Wish you miles of happy & safe motoring!

Originally Posted by chetan_l

I would have loved to have the ABS and Airbags though.

How much more does LT cost? For a car of this power & acceleration, ABS is a MUST if you ask me. Does LS have all 4 disc brakes?

Please add more pics [interior shots too] and let us share your excitement as well.

[chetan_l]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Just one grouse for me on this thread ! That's too many stickers on a car! You could have used just one [GOT BHP?, if you ask me] and left it for others to figure it out whether you actually got bhp!

Aha! Left to me, I may have exhausted the entire sticker set on this car. It took my wife to knock some sense into me

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

How much more does LT cost? For a car of this power & acceleration, ABS is a MUST if you ask me. Does LS have all 4 disc brakes?

Please add more pics [interior shots too] and let us share your excitement as well.

LT is more expensive by about Rs 1 lakh. For this, we get ABS, Airbags, ACC, Leather interiors and a bit of chrome.

I agree ABS is a serious requirement; nevertheless, the brakes of the Magnum is quite powerful. All four wheels have disc brakes with the front wheels being ventillated discs. 100-0 kmph stopping distance is a reassuring 49.5 m

So, keeping price as well as the reassuring all 4 discs in mind, I opted for the LS

Also, I am not too sure if the airbags is a great option for many of us in India. I have to force my passengers to use their seat-belts all the time but many do not oblige. Airbags without seat-belts could be more dangerous than no airbags at all!

Others - let me know if you see similar issues

[visweshkalambur]

Chetan - I personally would go in for a model with ABS and Airbags for a car which has as much power as Optra does. Per my understanding, the airbags are activated only if the seat belt is on. I hope that is right?

In addition to what you mentioned you also get teh 6 CD changer in the LT model. I quite like the ACC in this car and the leather interiors. This is personal opinion thought.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by visweshkalambur

..Per my understanding, the airbags are activated only if the seat belt is on. I hope that is right?

I once had a chat with a guy from Bosch who writes codes for Airbags. He told me that "usually" Airbags activate only if the seat belts are worn; coz the impact is so severe [by Airbag], that it can cause major damage if the passenger is not wearing seat belt.

He also told me that sometimes manufactures specifically ask for Indian versions to have the Airbags activated even when seat belts are not worn!

So it depends on how the manufacturer intends to have it activated.

[Raps]

Hey Chetan,

Congrats on your new black diesel rocket, wonderful ownership report.

Guess what! I am getting my LT SD grey next week

Ownership report will follow soon. So eager to lay my hands on this car.

Cheers,
Raps

[chetan_l]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

He also told me that sometimes manufactures specifically ask for Indian versions to have the Airbags activated even when seat belts are not worn!

So it depends on how the manufacturer intends to have it activated.

That sounds scary...
Keyur had posted a thread where the passenger had apparently removed his seat belt, but the Airbag was inflated in a crash.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...side-down.html
Refer:

Originally Posted by keyur

Nope - the owner had just told the driver to take it slower and the owner had released his seat belt to take out his wallet for paying the toll.

If this is something that can be prevented by manufacturers, one would expect them to make seat belts compulsory!

[JustCause]

Nice review. You faced quite a lot of ups & downs, even before ownership. Rest assured, the Magnum will keep you happy for years to come.

We should declare the Optra as the sleeper car of the decade. Only a few know about the wild cat that lurks under the 'Accountant's car' looks.

[chetan_l]

(@MotoringLover - thanks for your wishes; since I was still a newbie requiring moderation till yesterday, my responses got delayed)

@Raps - hearty congratulations on your buy! I loved the SD Grey color - it will be brilliant on the Optra!

@JustCause - you mean like Superman in Clark Kent's garb, right
Unlike other goodies that remain best when kept secret (I am talking about pristine nature spots for instance), this is one secret that we need to evangelize.

The more the buyers, the merrier...Chevy will keep the product line alive that much longer

[keyur]

Originally Posted by chetan_l

Perhaps the most under-rated car of the past decade, the Optra Magnum is a hidden gem.

Congrats Chetan. You will not regret the decision. I have done 14K on my beast till date, and man, I STILL get that stupid smile on my face when I get the boost!

I have done a lot of big and small mods on my car - just have to update them here. Keep a watch on my thread!

Originally Posted by Torquedo

All the Optra owners are a bit possessive about their machines and I would assume you'll be the same.

A few tips that I have followed during my running in of the beast.

1) Keep the revs below the 2K RPM mark till 2000 Kms, Keyur if he is reading this will give me a sound beating but I stuck to it.

2) Let in the engine warm up and settle down after cold starts and before you call it a day respectively.

Step on the GAS and you'll forget about the dated interiors and stuff !!

Chetan, ignore Torquey - that guy did not cross 90 for more than a month. I told him to sell his car asap (just kidding torquey)

• All you need to do is ensure that you remain under 3k not 2K.The engine does not need too much running in. So, for the first 1000k, don't revv above 2.5k. You can still hit 120 in the 5th gear! See this
• Try to keep the stalls to a minimum.
• Especially in the winter, ensure that the glow plug gets time to heat the engine block (wait for 5 secs more AFTER the 5 beeps) at the start of the day. Then start the engine and idle-wait for about 30 seconds after - this is to ensure that your turbo gets lubed.
• Keep tyre pressure (warm) at 33.

Originally Posted by visweshkalambur

4. I have experienced some improvement in ride quality using Nitrogen. I personally recommend it.

He Vishwesh, can you elaborate on this.
Air contains 78% Nitrogen. The Nitrogen filling centres do not use pure Nitrogen, but use machines that filter out the Oxygen - the Nitrogen purity is around 90%. So, does the 12% extra Nitrogen really help? I tried this earlier, but did not notice much of a difference, so reverted to air.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Congrats on the rocket!! I am sure you will enjoy each & every drive with this car.

Just one grouse for me on this thread ! That's too many stickers on a car!

He he, the same thing came in my thoughts. I remembered the time in my childhood when I use to plaster every available surface with stickers!

Originally Posted by chetan_l

The more the buyers, the merrier...Chevy will keep the product line alive that much longer

Hope so, pray so!!

[visweshkalambur]

Originally Posted by keyur

Congrats Chetan. You will not regret the decision.
He Vishwesh, can you elaborate on this.
Air contains 78% Nitrogen. The Nitrogen filling centres do not use pure Nitrogen, but use machines that filter out the Oxygen - the Nitrogen purity is around 90%. So, does the 12% extra Nitrogen really help? I tried this earlier, but did not notice much of a difference, so reverted to air.

Hey Keyur... for one.. the air pressure stays so for much much longer than regular air when i use nitrogen. I have felt a little difference in ride quality when i use nitrogen. This cud be perceived but still stick to it.

[chetan_l]

Originally Posted by keyur

I have done 14K on my beast till date, and man, I STILL get that stupid smile on my face when I get the boost!

I have done a lot of big and small mods on my car - just have to update them here. Keep a watch on my thread!

Would love to keep track! You, Torquedo, Viswesh, Optimist and many others were the prime drivers for my ultimate decision...

Originally Posted by keyur

• All you need to do is ensure that you remain under 3k not 2K.The engine does not need too much running in. So, for the first 1000k, don't revv above 2.5k. You can still hit 120 in the 5th gear! See this
• Try to keep the stalls to a minimum.

Your post is very useful. I have ended up stalling the engine many a times (have been driving a petrol Palio for the past 7 years). I needed to learn to downshift more often... thanks

[DeKay]

Great review Chetan and congratulations! The optra magnum is one of my favorite cars and is a contendor for my next purchase. I just hope GM comes with a worthy upgrade for this one, or even a minor facelift to give us an assurance that it will not be discontinued soon.

Would love to see some interior pics and the reverse cam in action.