[funkyp]

I have a long story to tell which spans over 9 months from booking a Jazz, almost taking delivery a couple of times to finally getting home a swift!!!

I drive a '99 model Honda City and love it. Period. However, the age was showing on the car and I started my hunt for a new car sometime in May '11.



My wife and I were clear that we did not want a sedan. Primarily being used by 2 people in the city, we did not see a point in lugging an unused boot around in the maddening city traffic.

T-Bhp reviews, ownership reports and test drives led us to a common choice. The Jazz. It was like first love for both of us. A near perfect car if I could call it that (if only it had a diesel). At this point, I must tell that the swift was never even considered as my wife used to drive the car earlier, and did not want to get the same car again!

Price of the Jazz being where it was back then, we started negotiations with multiple dealers for the best deal. Things went in a limbo for a while as we never got that sweet deal, and then luck smiled (or so i thought)

In July, the dealer called saying jazz prices had been dropped by over 1.75 lakhs! I couldnt believe what I heard, but a quick check on t-bhp confirmed the news. I immediately paid the booking amount and confirmed our white jazz select with Solitaire Honda.

The booking experience at Solitaire Honda was good and quick. The dealer took me to the stockyard to do a PDI of the car and soothe my senses. It was a Feb 2011 manufactured car. A week later, I arranged funds and went to make the complete payment, only to hear disastrous news. The stockyard of Solitaire had been flooded, all cars submerged and rendered useless. Agony. The dealer could do nothing to help. All cars available with other dealers had long been sold out.

All I could do was wait for the facelift. Followed every bit of news on the launch. Every single day was a pain. Biggest worry being the re launch price. However, all went well, the facelifted launched at the same price, with a couple of additional features. Hated the over doze of chrome, but decided to live with it. Re - confirmed my booking and waited for delivery.



The stock came, but having heard about the new Urban titanium colour, decided to hold till I saw that colour. Also was confused between select and X. The car was given to some other lucky soul. Saw the urban titanium, did not like it, and again switched to white. It was mid sept.

White came in the next lot, but with goodyear tires. I wanted Michelin so decided to wait again. Yes i was being paranoid! The next lot was supposed to come in 10 days, and the dealer informed that they are also shod with goodyear. Couldnt wait any longer and decided to go ahead with it.

And then a series of tragedy stuck. My sis-in-law had a serious accident and the entire family moved to delhi to take care of her. Called the dealer to postpone delivery. Then Honda got stuck by floods. No cars!

THIS was when I started to think about a diesel. Petrol prices had shot through the roof and every time I tanked up the city, i was a good 2.5 - 3k lighter. Add to that news about petrol prices going up every second day. Even with a usage of 750-800 kms a month, I felt diesel was worth it. I had the option of Punto, i20, micra, pulse. I even convinced my wife to have a look at the new swift. I had read that the new swift had almost nothing in common with the old one and the interiors were a class apart, so why not give it a shot!

Cars tried (Jan 12):

Punto: Somehow never liked the interiors. The flat silver finish is not to my liking. The engine was noisy and wifey felt the car was a little heavy at the steering. Out.

Micra: Nice traceable engine. Ok interiors, not a fan of the greige though. But no ABS. Out.

Pulse: Same goes as Micra. I feel its better looking. But no ABS. The sales guy gave gyaan about the brakes being so good that ABS was not required ever!!

Polo: 3 pot diesel. No record of service levels/cost. Almost 70k over a fully loaded swift. I didnt have money to give in charity to VW. Out.

Swift: With great effort, managed to drag wifey to the showroom. The TD ZDi was brought and she peeked inside with interest. The waterfall console caught her fancy. The black finish with silver accents, all creature comforts and the lovely design. It made her momentarily forget the funky dash of the Jazz. Point scored.

The TD itself was a revelation. The motor was easy to drive, NVH well contained. She refused to believe this was the same motor under the punto. The turbo boost, however slight, was a delight. She fell for it. Nailed.

Back seat comfort was not great, space, boot no where close to Jazz which was our benchmark. But since 2 of us would be the primary user, we decided to overlook these flaws.

It was mid Jan '12. The sales guy at Spectra motors told me of 6 months waiting on the ZDi and tried had to sell the VDi. I did not budge, and asked for a few days before making the booking. Called up various dealers, all quoting almost the same waiting period.

Then I called Shivam Auto Zone. These guys have recently opened the showroom and promised delivery in 2 months. Sounded to me like a trick to get the booking, but I didnt see a harm since everyone else was quoting a minimum of 6 months. Went ahead a paid my deposit of 10k.

Colour choosen : Torque Blue.

Then the wait started again. Meanwhile Jazz supplies had started coming in and a call from the dealer restarted the debate. The Swift Vs Jazz debate. Went for back to back TD of both the cars and loved the swift. Jazz had the space advantage and premium feel, but I was keen on the Swift. Wifey was confused. The heart still felt for the Jazz somewhere.

March 12:

With the excise hike and increase in Jazz price, it was a full 30k higher than when I had last booked it. Made even more economical sense to go for the swift. Finally the dealer called on 23rd March saying my car had left from the factory!! yay!!

I was overjoyed, but held on to my horses given my track record. Prepared to make the payment. Just then the Maharashtra budget was presented and the proposed hike of 4% for diesel cars. That would mean a further 30k on the price.

I prayed that the car landed on time to be able to get it registered by the 31st to save on the hike. This time I was lucky. The formalities were done on the 31st! I was all set to bring the car home.

The delivery experience:

Had informed the dealer in advance that I would arrive by 12 noon on Tuesday. However, nothing was ready when i arrived. A couple of other deliveries were lined up, so i had to wait for a long time. The papers were not in order. I finally lost my cool after 2 hrs of waiting and spoke to the sales manager. Thereafter, things moved smoothly.



The usual rituals of a demo, brief of all documents was given. They arranged for the puja and a customary snap and I was ready to go. Cross checked my list of T-Bhp pre - delivery check list and confirmed things were in order.



The Deal:

NO freebies. Even the mud flaps were charged. All I got was 5 ltrs of diesel!

I made good on the insurance though. The quote at the dealership was for 25k odd for a 0 dep policy. I did my research and got a quote from Royal sundram for 16k!!! Forwarded the same to the sales manager and he agreed to give me the same for 17k. Since I wanted cashless at Shivam, I went with them for the insurance even though I was paying 1k more. Net saving: 8k

Since I did not have address proof papers required by the RTO like MTNL bill, LIC policy (I had airtel and aviva but not accepted), I ended up paying more for the registration.

My net OTR including 2 + 2 yrs extended warranty was 7.9 lakhs.


Upgrades:

Right after driving out of the showroom, I headed for 3M car care Borivali for sunfilms. I was sure about CR70 in the front, but sides and back I was confused between RE50 and CS50. Wasnt sure how the metallic tinge of the RE50 would look. The 3m care guys put a sample sheet on the car to help me decide. I went with RE50.

The installation was fine. The area is covered and avoids any dust. Its been 4 days since and its free of any bubbles. The films come with a 5 yrs and 3 yr warranty, which covers any bubbles forming at a later date. Although the same films are available for 25% cheaper outside, I recommend getting it done at the 3M car care to ensure authenticity and good service. I got a discount of 10% on mentioning T-Bhp and some negotiation.

Net cost: 12,100

Next stop was tire upgrade. This was something I was not sure about spending my money on. The day before the delivery spent lot of time reading up reviews of A-drives, ZLO, XM2s. Should I go in for stock size or upgrade. If yes which one. Most reviews were in favour of a change as the stock MRFs were deemed to be very noisy.

I decided to go with 195/60 15 A-drive. Chose it over Michelin (cost for very little gain) and ZLO (dealer says side walls very soft, may not last. Was cheaper though). Happy with the change. Highway drive on the Pune expressway was comfortable with very little tire noise. That it looks good, is an added advantage.

Net cost: 7000 for 5 tires exchange. Got a swiss knife free.



Next I enquired about leather seating and steering wheel wrap. I was shocked when Stanley refused to do up the steering wheel, saying they cant do cars which come with airbags!! Called up Karlsson, and they agreed to do the steering after some persuasion, but only if I got the seats done too. Since I am not willing to splurge on seating right now, this will have to wait.

Off topic: Can someone in Mumbai suggest where can I get only the steering wrap done. Thats something I really want to get done now.

No other upgrades/accessories I can think of currently.

The Car:

The more time I spend with the car the more I am falling in love. I have since drive for about 500 kms which included some city drive and a highway run to Lonavala. The engine, the equipement levels, the ICE, all of it has met my expectations.

Engine: My biggest concern was moving from a petrol to a diesel. The TDs were never in bumper to bumper traffic on which I usually drive. I wondered if it will be a nightmare with the turbo lag of diesels, but the car has served me well. No problem in any traffic condition. The engine noise is well contained and with AC on, and music playing, the engine is not audible for as high as 2k rpm.

Interior: I personally feel this is the best looking dash among all the hatches on sale currently. Love the design. Fit and finish is good, though quality of some components could be better, especially the power window console. The speedo/tacho/mid arrangement is smart and extremely easy to read. The MID provides most details including outside temperature, 2 trip meters, average and instant fuel consumption, DTE and a clock.



The ICE is above par, and there is no need for an upgrade. I find the sound quality sufficient for all my needs. The sound doesnt crack even close to the max volume which is saying something for a OEM. Compatibility with a USB and iPod/iPhone is a boon. Bluetooth would have been welcome, but i am not a supporter of talking while driving, so dont miss that.

The ACC works like a charm. Mumbai has become quiet hot with ambient temperatures ranging from 35-40 C. With the ACC set at 22C, the blower works at speeds 1-2 and very silent after the initial 2-3 mins when its almost at full speed. Cools the cabin extremely fast.



Space and Comfort: The front seats are every comfortable. finding a suitable driving position is easy and long hours at the seat is not tiring ( have driven 3 hrs during the drive to lonavala). I have not faced the problem of the shin hitting the plastic near the clutch pedal as some other members have observed.

Havent had a chance to sit at the rear, but on a couple of occasion when there were 4 of us on board, no one complained of lack of leg room. However, these were short drives, so will wait before I comment on this aspect. Same goes for the boot.

Running in: I have been trying to follow the basics of running in the car. Sticking to RPM of less than 2k and varying the speed. Even on the highway drive, I avoided sticking to a constant speed. However could not restrain myself and hit 3k rpm once with speed around 120. Avoiding sudden braking also.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my decision. At 8 lakhs, its definitely on the higher side for a hatch, but once you are in the car and driving, you forget all that.

Will keep updating as and when i drive more and have experiences to share.

Suggestions on upgrades/accessories are welcome. Thanks for reading!!

Some pics:

[suhaas307]

Note From Team-BHP Support-Team: Thread moved from Assembly Line to Test Drives & Initial Ownership Reports.

Reading your oven-fresh thread was a delight.

It was great being walked through the entire story and nearly felt involved in it, somehow.

Honda's loss is Maruti's gain here. It's sad that Honda hasn't got it right, even after being around for a while now. WHere is that diesel, Honda?

You've got a great car. The Swift is by far, one of the most sought-after cars to own today, especially if the rear-seat and boot isn't required on a daily basis. Buying a diesel was a wise decision, but I'd still advocate petrol cars if the monthly mileage is under a thousand kilometers.

That said, I'm glad to see that you've gone in for the top-end Swift. The lesser variants have brakes that require attention. The top-end variant doesn't suffer from this problem.

Congratulations on your latest acquisition, and hope to see this thread being updated regularly. Thanks for sharing!

BTW: I love that colour!

[arindambasu13]

Congrats on the car. I have a few things in common with your purchase- the colour of my Swift is the same (that blue just looks fantastic), and the tire upgrade I did was also the same, i.e. Yoko A drives 195/60.

In fact, my usage pattern is almost identical to yours; 800-900 kms per months. However, like Suhaas commented, that kind of usage pattern does not mandate a diesel, even taking into consideration a much more substantial difference between petrol and diesel prices than presently. Hence ,after I did exhaustive research and number crunching, I chose the VXI over the VDI. That K12 mill is indeed an absolute delight

Another thing which I noticed, when deciding between diesel and petrol, was that the turbo range is very difficult to use for any extended period of time unless your primary driving is on the highway, and not city traffic.

Wish you many happy miles!

[sandeep108]

Congrats. Same dilemma, but sticking it out for the Jazz. Hopefully anytime soon. Running is very less (<500km/month) so diesel simply does not make any sense. Also need more space in the boot for various chores, new Swift boot simply does not cut it. Otherwise, I too was impressed by the NVH and driveability of the Swift diesel. But I was very close to going in for the Swift ZDi or ZXi.

[devil_klm]

Congrats funkyp on new car. I was following your posts on Swift test drive thread. You are so lucky to get the car within 2 months of booking and the preferred color and before the price hike. Treat your baby very well and wishing you happy miles ahead.

[ninjatalli]

Good lord! Everybody's on TBHP nowdays!

Originally Posted by funkyp

I made good on the insurance though. The quote at the dealership was for 25k odd for a 0 dep policy. I did my research and got a quote from Royal sundram for 16k!!! Forwarded the same to the sales manager and he agreed to give me the same for 17k. Since I wanted cashless at Shivam, I went with them for the insurance even though I was paying 1k more. Net saving: 8k

Was the final deal done with RS? How is the feedback on them - haven't heard a lot of good feedback about them.

Originally Posted by funkyp

I decided to go with 195/60 15 A-drive. Chose it over Michelin (cost for very little gain) and ZLO (dealer says side walls very soft, may not last. Was cheaper though). Happy with the change. Highway drive on the Pune expressway was comfortable with very little tire noise. That it looks good, is an added advantage.

Glad you went for this - 7k is a good deal!

Originally Posted by funkyp

The more time I spend with the car the more I am falling in love. I have since drive for about 500 kms which included some city drive and a highway run to Lonavala. The engine, the equipement levels, the ICE, all of it has met my expectations.

You made a trip to Lonavala, and you couldn't travel the 60 odd additional kms to reach Pune!

Btw on the accessories list - would suggest you to get the mini-side door protectors. The blue color is a magnet for scratches.

[funkyp]

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

In fact, my usage pattern is almost identical to yours; 800-900 kms per months. However, like Suhaas commented, that kind of usage pattern does not mandate a diesel, even taking into consideration a much more substantial difference between petrol and diesel prices than presently. Hence ,after I did exhaustive research and number crunching, I chose the VXI over the VDI. That K12 mill is indeed an absolute delight

Another thing which I noticed, when deciding between diesel and petrol, was that the turbo range is very difficult to use for any extended period of time unless your primary driving is on the highway, and not city traffic.

Wish you many happy miles!

Thanks so much. I know such a usage didn't necessarily warrant a diesel, but i went for it to guard against change in usage pattern. Increased usage/further rise in fuel prices etc over the next 4-5 yrs that i plan to hold the car for.

havent really been using the turbo as most of the time i try to drive under 2k for the first 1k kms. Dont find it any difficult. Turbo boost will only be an added advantage

Originally Posted by sandeep108

Congrats. Same dilemma, but sticking it out for the Jazz. Hopefully anytime soon. Running is very less (<500km/month) so diesel simply does not make any sense. Also need more space in the boot for various chores, new Swift boot simply does not cut it. Otherwise, I too was impressed by the NVH and driveability of the Swift diesel. But I was very close to going in for the Swift ZDi or ZXi.

If my running was that low, you would be seeing a Jazz ownership thread! In fact i even considered a ZXI for a brief while, but wifey put her foot down. If it had to be a petrol, it would be the Jazz. Hope to see your ownership thread soon.

Originally Posted by devil_klm

Congrats funkyp on new car. I was following your posts on Swift test drive thread. You are so lucky to get the car within 2 months of booking and the preferred color and before the price hike. Treat your baby very well and wishing you happy miles ahead.

Thanks! yes i was pleasantly surprised to get the car in two months. Trying my best to keep her well and pamper as much as i can. Advice is always welcome!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Good lord! Everybody's on TBHP nowdays!

Was the final deal done with RS? How is the feedback on them - haven't heard a lot of good feedback about them.

You made a trip to Lonavala, and you couldn't travel the 60 odd additional kms to reach Pune!

Btw on the accessories list - would suggest you to get the mini-side door protectors. The blue color is a magnet for scratches.

yeah t-bhp is getting popular I went with the dealer insurance who gave future generali, but since they have cashless with the dealer, should not be an issue. Royal sundram, heard good things about them with the health insurance so thought this might be good. Plus i know people there, so incase required, could have pulled strings!

I went to della, and by the time i was done it was late evening. Pune will definitely happen soon.

Will get the side door protectors soon. But is it really helpful in preventing the scratches?

[DevilsCry]

Congratulations funkyp for your awesome blue Swift! It's simply the best hatch for a family of two. Simply unmatched! Even Figo and Punto are nowhere close. According to GTO, only tyre upgrade and it is the best handler under 10 lac. And you already did the tyre upgrade. Now you have a hatch which even some BMW owners have in their garage for the purpose of sheer fun.

I still remember your post in which you were eyeing the Swift and I asked you to go for it



http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post2662379

Please don't get side door protection unless you really need it. They look quite ugly on such clean looking and untouched Swift. If you are in mood to add some more things then go for a spoiler! It totally transforms the image and makes it look like a true hot hatch!

[AdiSinghV12]

Congrats funkyp on your new ride. Its one of my fav hatchbacks in India. The DDiS is indeed a gem. Got quite a lot of grunt. Drive safe. Cheers!

[volkman10]

Congrats on the most sought after hatch. With the travel you have indicated, diesel is the way to go!
Wishing you a great ownership and happy miles ahead.

Cheers!

[nacd80]

Congrats funkyp,
woha! getting swift zdi in two months itself is a bonus. Enquired today about it at automotive its flat five months wait and almost the same for new dzire as well.
Just curious to know, kitana deti hai?

[wilful]

Funkyp - Congrats on the new acquisition! Smart choice & smart colour. Enjoyed reading your story of near misses - you were just fated to buy the new Swift. Here's wishing you many happy hours of motoring!

[jingaboysr]

Congrats funkyp! I too own a Blue ZDi. Even though it was not my first choice of colors, I'm loving it everyday now. My ownership report is long pending.

Originally Posted by funkyp

I made good on the insurance though. The quote at the dealership was for 25k odd for a 0 dep policy. I did my research and got a quote from Royal sundram for 16k!!! Forwarded the same to the sales manager and he agreed to give me the same for 17k. Since I wanted cashless at Shivam, I went with them for the insurance even though I was paying 1k more. Net saving: 8k

I too did the same. The dealer quoted 17k for a normal insurance and I took the zero-dep from Royal sundaram online. However, I wonder why you paid extra 1k and went through the dealer for the insurance finally? Isn't cashless valid even if you take the insurance directly from Royal Sundaram as long as Royal Sundaram has a tie-up with your dealership?

Next stop was tire upgrade. This was something I was not sure about spending my money on. The day before the delivery spent lot of time reading up reviews of A-drives, ZLO, XM2s. Should I go in for stock size or upgrade. If yes which one. Most reviews were in favour of a change as the stock MRFs were deemed to be very noisy.

I decided to go with 195/60 15 A-drive. Chose it over Michelin (cost for very little gain) and ZLO (dealer says side walls very soft, may not last. Was cheaper though). Happy with the change. Highway drive on the Pune expressway was comfortable with very little tire noise. That it looks good, is an added advantage.

Net cost: 7000 for 5 tires exchange. Got a swiss knife free.

I too wanted to do this, but postponed due to lack of Vitamin M. My primary concern was road noise. How do A-drives fare against the road noise. In my 3k kms of ownership, I've found the road noise of MRFs *bearable* until now.

[BheemBoy]

Congrats funkyP on your new car.

+1 to what DevilsCry said.

Don't put that door protection plastic piece fitted. They destroy the nice looking doors.

Not sure why Swift hasn't introudced the body coloured ones as we see in other cars which look original and classy. The black ones with odd shape is an eyesore on the Swift.

[funkyp]

Originally Posted by DevilsCry

I still remember your post in which you were eyeing the Swift and I asked you to go for it

Please don't get side door protection unless you really need it. They look quite ugly on such clean looking and untouched Swift. If you are in mood to add some more things then go for a spoiler! It totally transforms the image and makes it look like a true hot hatch!

thanks devil. all your advice played a big role in helping me come to this decision. and i must say it was sound advice, i dont regret my decision one bit!

Originally Posted by BheemBoy

Congrats funkyP on your new car.

+1 to what DevilsCry said.

Thanks! now i will have to rethink the side protectors. will try and see what i can find. if it really spoils the look of the car, will avoid. maybe if i can find some body coloured one it may not look so out of place.

Originally Posted by AdiSinghV12

Congrats funkyp on your new ride. Its one of my fav hatchbacks in India. The DDiS is indeed a gem. Got quite a lot of grunt. Drive safe. Cheers!

Originally Posted by volkman10

Congrats on the most sought after hatch. With the travel you have indicated, diesel is the way to go!
Wishing you a great ownership and happy miles ahead.

Cheers!

Thanks so much guys. I am enjoying it car and the fact that i am paying less per km make its more pleasing!

Originally Posted by nacd80

Congrats funkyp,
woha! getting swift zdi in two months itself is a bonus. Enquired today about it at automotive its flat five months wait and almost the same for new dzire as well.
Just curious to know, kitana deti hai?

Thanks! yes i was lucky with a faster delivery. Please enquire at all dealers in the city. someone might be having a shorter lead time. Someone on the forum got it in 1 day!!

Too early to tell 'kitna deti hai'. Have driven about 500 kms with 200 odd on the highway, 150 in bumper to bumper and rest on moderate traffic roads. MID reads avg fuel consumption at 17.8 kmpl! Seeing that figure from 11-12 i used to get on my city, i am loving it.

Originally Posted by wilful

Funkyp - Congrats on the new acquisition! Smart choice & smart colour. Enjoyed reading your story of near misses - you were just fated to buy the new Swift. Here's wishing you many happy hours of motoring!

Thanks wilful. I go by what happens, happens for good and it sure looks that way for now. loving the swift much more than i did before i got the car.

Originally Posted by jingaboysr

Congrats funkyp! I too own a Blue ZDi. Even though it was not my first choice of colors, I'm loving it everyday now. My ownership report is long pending.

I too did the same. The dealer quoted 17k for a normal insurance and I took the zero-dep from Royal sundaram online. However, I wonder why you paid extra 1k and went through the dealer for the insurance finally? Isn't cashless valid even if you take the insurance directly from Royal Sundaram as long as Royal Sundaram has a tie-up with your dealership?

I too wanted to do this, but postponed due to lack of Vitamin M. My primary concern was road noise. How do A-drives fare against the road noise. In my 3k kms of ownership, I've found the road noise of MRFs *bearable* until now.

I love the blue. I thought about grey for a brief while, but stuck to blue!

Couple of reasons on why i went with the dealer.
1. Royal Sundram did not have cashless with this dealer. This guy has a new setup, with the latest equipment, and i was keen on getting any service/work done here.
2. More importantly, I wanted the car registered before 31st to save on 4% tax hike and did not want this to delay the process.

I am very happy with the A-drive. Dont really have a benchmark to compare against, as i drove the stock for barely 20 kms but the tires are silent. Even on the highway, i didnt feel the noise intruding the cabin.

Hope to see your ownership thread soon.