I just finished 2000 kms in my new SAIL-UVA. So thought it would be a good time to write about it & share my experiences.
A little flash back and reasons behind the search of a new car
I have been a proud user of the Getz CRDI from the last 4.6 years. I had covered 76,000 kms in that vehicle & enjoyed every bit of driving it. We decided to sell the Getz off in Dec 2012 and shop for a new car, so that we can benefit from some of the tax saving options given by the lease program in my company.
A parting shot of my worshipped Getz:
The must have’s & the good to have list :-
The must haves:-
1.Had to be Diesel
2. Had to have ABS
3. The car had to have bright & spacious interiors
4.It had to be very low on service & maintenance costs.
5.Creature comforts like power steering, A/C, power windows etc
6. Most importantly, it had to be under 8 lakhs.
The good to have's:
1.Powerful engine. Would have loved to have something like the 110 BHP power house of the Getz.
2.Good looks.
3.Dead pedal.
4.Driver armrest.
The must have list was pretty much frozen & we were not ready to trade off anything from that list. However we were ok to compromise on the "good to haves" list.
Now coming to the decision making & buying experience.:-
Fiat Punto What I liked:-
Robust build quality,
The sports version was fun to drive & the most powerful hatch back available I guess.
What I disliked:-
The interiors.
Fiats association with Tata. Somehow always felt that Tata guys never want to sell Fiat products.
Basic version was too "basic" & the top end model was much overpriced.
Why this car wasn't bought
It’s the same thing that had happened when I was looking out for a hatch 5 years earlier. At that time, I was so inclined towards the Palio. The interiors & Fiats association with Tata were the only two things which kept me away from buying the Palio at that time. History repeated itself this time as well with one additional factor of cost which kept me away.
Ford figo What i liked
Handling
Price - Top end was priced very attractively.
Build quality
What i disliked
Interiors, though spacious in comparison to some other hatches, still had a cramped feel. This I think is largely attributed to the all black color theme.
Too common
Engine noise
Projected ownership cost
Why was this car not bought
We heard horrifying stories about its lack of ground clearance & ownership costs. This kept us away from putting our money on a Figo.
VW polo What i liked
Design
Build quality
Brand Name
Handling
What I didn't like
Ownership cost being an unknown area
A bit over-priced.
Why was this car not bought
Things went against this car majorly because of its cost & fear of high maintenance cost.
Hyundai i20
[i]What I liked[/u]
The most good looking hatchback in market today as far as I am concerned.
Loaded to the brim.
What I didn't like:
Claustrophobic rear seats
Overall cramped interiors
Steep pricing of the top variants
Number of variants available – 5 variants for one model is very confusing. I liked the way it was with Nissan Sunny; only two variants to choose between them. Period.
Why was this car not bought
Its interiors were a big turn off & things went bad when we got the price list in our hands.
Toyota Etios Liva What i liked:
Toyota reliability
Ride quality
What I disliked
Interiors
Hated the center mounted console
Why was this car not bought
Just because of its ugly interiors. Nothing else.
Marutis
None of the Maruti cars were in our discussion. One simple reason for this was that the only cars which would have come in this price bracket were the Swift & Ritz. Both were so common that they never excited us.
Nissan Micra & Renault Pulse
Didn't spent much time thinking about these because the looks didn't appeal to us.
And then the visit to Chevrolet showroom happened & finally this is what we bought.
Things I like about the SAIL
1. Space: It's one of the most spacious hatchbacks. There isn't even 1% of exaggeration when they say it can give serious competition to some of the sedans out there.
2. Brakes: The brakes & ABS of this car work wonders, have never felt so confident when braking. Maybe this is because I was previously using a car notorious for lack of ABS & good brakes.
3. Suspension: Suddenly, Bangalore roads have become better. It takes really large potholes & big humps for them to filter into the cabin.
4. Seats: Though a little on the firmer side, it gives adequate under-thigh support (front seats). Something I greatly missed in my older Getz.
5. Interior ambience & the feel: Though many says that it’s a little outdated, for me, stepping out of the Getz & getting inside the Sail was like getting out of BTS & getting inside a Volvo!!
6. Ground clearance: I had just gone to Kadakani resort in Coorg & people who have been there recently know in what shape the roads are. There was not even a single incident when my underbody scrapped. I remember the first day I brought the Getz; had managed to scrape its underbody near Kundalahalli gate.
7. Bluetooth phone connectivity works like a charm.
8. Light steering: It's a pleasure in the city. However, the downside is that you need firm iron hands on the highway.
9. The gears : Smooth & fun to use. The short throw is so much fun to use. Working through the gear shifts has never be so fun.
10. Chevrolet service package (Chevrolet promise) & the warranty coverage of 5 year / 1.5 lakh kms on engine & transmission should give me hassle-free ownership.
11. AC: Just takes under a minute to cool the cabin, even on a hot day.
12. Electrically adjustable ORVMS: In the mid-variant itself.
Things I dislike:-
1. The rear design: I guess Chevrolet wanted to release a hatchback in a short time and the easiest way was to take a proper sedan and chop off its boot with a razor blade (Sail sedan looks far better). I think there has been never an uglier looking rear on any car in the Indian market. Kudos to the Sail-UVA design team for achieving such a milestone!! It really takes a lot of effort to come up with something pathetic like this.
2. No dead pedal: I would have paid another 20k for one, if there was an option.
3. My new car is having rattling sounds from atleast 4 sides. Though 3 of them got fixed during my 1,000 km check up, still have one more left from the steering column. The technicians suspect the tyre upgrade (have upgraded from 170 65 R14 Apollos to 195 60 R14 Yokohomas). Followup visit to the service center is pending.
4. Trip meter is a pain to use. Was so easy in the Getz.
5. Digital rpm meter is again a pain, but I guess I'll get used to it.
6. ICE isn't the best money can buy..it's not even decent enough. I would surely go for an upgrade later on.
7. No more adrenaline rush over 1,800 rpm. After living with a car like the Getz, Sail will never impress me in this department.
8. Rear seats are a little less on under-thigh support. Doesn't matter to me because I may never sit there during my entire ownership period.
9. The small plastic that covers the USB port of the music system. If you have a USB plugged in, then operating the other controls (near the stick-like volume control & call reject button) becomes very clumsy. It actually takes your attention away while driving.
Other small points that may or may not matter
1. The small storage area on the RHS of the steering is such a boon. Can hold all the small bits of paper that you want to preserve.
2. The doors open real wide. Easy for elders to climb in.
3. Because of the center-mounted diesel tank, the platform is little raised & you get a feel of actually walking into the car (than sitting down).
4. The parcel tray makes annoying noises each & every time you go over a pothole.
5. Opening the boot is a pain. Either you need to pull the lever that’s inside or you need the key. The Getz boot could be opened via the remote lock itself. This may be different in the top end model. In the mid version, there is no remote lock by default & that may be the reason.
6. No seat height adjustment, even on the top end.
7. One liter bottle holders in the front doors are again something that really helps during long travels. Had always missed this in the Getz.
We went in for the LS-ABS TDi model mainly because of its pricing. The on-road price in Bangalore came to around 7.6 lakhs. 60k more for the top end wasn't making sense to us. LS-ABS came in our budget & there was some money left for extra accessories as well.
Things we missed out by going for the mid-version are:
1.Passenger Air bag
2.Alloy wheels – This was negated by adding after=market alloys
3.Rear Defogger
4.Remote locking. Again went in for extra accessories to achieve this.
The dealer & buying experience:-
I had visited the Kropex & Trident showrooms in Bangalore. This deal went in favor of Trident majorly because of their attitude & professionalism. They were able to give me additional discount on accessories (10k to be precise).
The Booking & delivery was a smooth process with no major surprises thrown in by Trident. All the things I asked for were carried out without fuss by the Trident team. I appreciate Mr Ravindra & Mr Binny of Trident Langford road branch & their team who heard all my demands patiently and made my buying experience a pleasure. Though I was expecting some surprises on the delivery day, thankfully it was a very pleasant experience.
At the time of delivery
Extra Fittings & accessories
1. Remote locking, Dashboard inserts & side mirror indicators from GM itself.
2. Alloy wheel & Tyres from Sai Iyengar, Indiranagar. I had already shopped here before for my Getz. A dealer who knows his job & does his work with no messing around. Highly recommended if you are shopping for tyres & alloys in Bangalore. I choser Neo alloys & Yokohoma tyres.
With the new tyres
3. Mats, scratch resistant film & carbon fiber film from 3M (Siddhu HSR layout). I am impressed by these guys. Their products & work are of very high standards. Though the carbon fiber film does not provide any protection of any kind, but it does enhance the looks of the car. However I have become a huge fan of their anti-scratch film coating & mats. I would recommend these two to anybody who loves cars. These are a bit expensive, yet brilliant products. And to top it all, the attitude of Siddhu & his team was excellent.
Carbon fibre film installation
After the carbon film installation
Installation of scratch resistant film on the body
A side profile shot after the carbon film install & tyre upgrades
Accessories planned in the future
1.Seat covers. Most probably will be going with Imperial guys on Banerghatta road, based on reviews in Team-BHP.
2. Scuff plates from GM
3.ICE upgrade.
2000 kms feedback:
City Drive :
Very easy to drive in the city. Light steering is a boon. However, dead pedal is missed.
Easy to park
Mileage in bumper to bumper Bangalore traffic has been 12 kmpl
Highway drives:-
Steering is not at all confidence inspiring. For High speeds, this car needs iron nerves & iron hands.
Car feels a little un-settled at speeds over 120 kph.
It really takes big humps & potholes to make an impact inside the cabin. So, if you miss to see couple of unmarked humps or potholes, there is no need to panic. This Car will simply glide over them.
Shot at Coorg
Highway mileage in my trip to Coorg, Calicut & Guruvayoor was 15 kmpl.
Finally, a closer look.
Thats a very capable and spacious car you have bought. Powered by the national diesel, this one is surely for those who buy with their thinking cap on and surely it does not fail them.
The only issue is that GM does not make it any more exciting to buy or own one with uninspiring looks (rear) and patchy marketing. This car has the potential to steal at least a third of the Maruti's most popular competitors.
Coming back to your car, must say that the additions have made it much more exciting than the stock car. Do keep posting more about the car's performance and maintenance so that it helps lot of other folks take a step to place this model on their evaluation table.
Thanks a lot for sharing.
I feel that the Sail Uva is a very under appreciated car. I loved the drive quality especially its ability to glide over pot holes and those precise brakes.
@shreehari : Congratulations on your latest acquisition . And with the added alloys on the fabulous red color that you brought , it surely looks a stunner clap:
I test drove the car a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed by the ride quality . I think GM needs to market its cars better. They have some really good cars out in the market which are under-performing. Hope their fortune changes soon.
Have some fun filled miles with this beauty .
Congratulations on the new car Shreehari. I have also taken a test drive of this Car. It is a breeze to drive the car.
Loved the effect after adding carbon fiber.
What are the service intervals for the car?
BTW.. How could you let go of Getz CRDI :( !! It is such an awesome car, while it is out of production now, it is not easy to find one even in the used car market ...
Congrats on the Sail! clap: Nice review - you have tried to be very very honest! Thank You for that. This is what makes this forum special. Those who own it come up with un-biased pros & cons & help others choose the right product.
I am kinda disappointed to read about the light steering on highway speeds. Anyway wish you miles of happy & safe SAIL'ing! :)
Congrats. Ya, Aveo UVA was also a good package, but sadly it did not work out well. This looks much better in style and look.
And I like your taste on the accessories. Cool man, its matchy matchy :).
