[balenopower]

It’s like the calm before the storm. Step on the gas and it moves and then suddenly there’s an eruption of power and torque. Not only are you moving at an alarming rate but at the same time you’re also fighting to keep it straight. And if you do this in the city, lord help you! With no ABS, you’ll be either trying to slow it down or most likely rear end the rear bumper of the car in front. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting my pre-worshipped Hyundai Getz CRDI.

Prologue

November 2012, the Baleno is sold and a new set of wheels makes way into my garage, you can read about that here:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ove-story.html

Life is usual, and I'm happy with the City being my pleasure wheels, with the Nano and my bikes being my city runabouts. But as you have it, things take a turn. My wife who is based in Mumbai gets an opportunity to work in Pune where I do and after a lot of discussion we come to the point that we need a beater car. Now the requisites of a beater car is that, pre-worshipped is good (read cheaper to buy), should be cheap to run (cng/diesel) and lastly should be cheap to maintain. My need for the car was an every weekend Mumbai-Pune drive, so decent highway manners was a must and work and back for the wifey. Thus began the search. Looked for a couple of Swift petrols to convert into CNG, but somehow things weren’t working out. Looked for a couple of deals on t-bhp and then I finally found this Getz in the list. Belonged to a team bhpian and had reasonable less km on the odo considering it was a diesel. Called him and set up a meet. Saw the car, drove it but not like I stole it. Checked what was important and finalized a deal.


Perfect in a lot of ways

Spending a few days with the car, I found it was just the right car for me in a lot of ways. It’s more spacious than the Swift, it’s a diesel (the most powerful diesel hatch at that) so no hassle about conversions, although cng would have been more economical, the diesel is still more economical than using my City for the same, very good highway manners with an excellent ride quality.

Then there are the imperfections…

Pre-owned meant there was always going to be some expenditure. The biggest one here was the tyres. It was already shod with 195 section Michelin XM1’s but they had seen 50k km. As a result it could be a dicey situation on the e-way especially minus the ABS. They had gone hard as well which meant ride quality was suffering too. The car was due for service and the insurance had expired as well. A few rattles and some minor glitches but that was it, nothing major. Spare parts are not exactly cheap but then thankfully not difficult to source either. Only after buying I have started noticing a lot of Getz’s on the road. So hopefully I should not have problems.

Making it how I want it...Slowly

So after a weeks use, finally gave it for service. Oil changed, rattles fixed. The CRDI badge is missing at the back and I'm still waiting for those. The headlights were pathetic white Phillips 35W crystal vision. Put 100/90 Phillips rally along with a cutout and a relay. Finally I can see at night. The biggest kharcha though were the tyres. Took a call between Continental and Yokos, Continentals it was. CPC2 shod and the car is a different animal. Ride quality is fantastic and so are the grip levels. Alloys are on the list but a little later.

As of now I'm loving the car and so is the wife. Its rare (the diesel), its economical (when I want it) and its bloody fast (all the time :P). Already done 2k km since I bought it. Its fantastic on the highways, but mind you not a very comfortable drive in the city. It surges ahead in second without using the accelerator when you actually want to crawl at speeds slightly better than what first gear manages, while putting it in third will see you lugging the engine because the speed is too slow. A Swift is definitely a better drive in the city. Idling the engine to cool the turbo after every drive is also something that is a little annoying and something that I am getting used to since this is my first diesel.

Then there is the handling. It’s soft and as a result the ride quality is brilliant. But the term handling is something that Hyundai simply forgot when it put that massive engine in the Getz’s compact engine bay. It rolls and it understeers and how. Steering feel though is slightly better than the newer i20 and that provides some solace. Moral of the story, Fast on the straight is good, but fast in the twistys in this thing will be plain stupid!

As of now I’m pretty happy about owning something pretty common by name but still quite rare. The Getz CRDI did not sell in big numbers owing to its big price tag and very short life span and reading about it in KP Zen and Phoenix’s thread only makes me happier about owning this cult Korean. Some pics and more on the car later.














Here are some pro's and cons that i have noticed

Likes

• Fanatastic engine
• Very Refined too
• Excellent ride quality
• Very spacious insides
• the surge with the turbo on song is addictive

Dislikes

• Bouncy rear suspension
• no ABS even with a big pricetag
• No alloys
• No foglights
• Cramped Engine bay
• Rattles can get difficult to eliminate
• Pain to drive in bad traffic
• Hard clutch

Some more images







I LOVE boost




Rust spots




Not really fond of the interior colour but then its not really a choice when you buy used.



Very spacious rear






Parting Shot


The km off-late have been piling on since the car is being used in the city in Pune and for every Mum-Pune trips every weekend. Got the car serviced and ironed out a few problems. The car has smoothened out brilliantly after the oil change. Changed the gear oil as well. Had a looksie at most of the hoses and all at the moment is looking fine. Just one niggling problem remains. The plastic sump guard kind of thing keeps coming loose even though i managed to fix it temporarily. A new one isn't readily available. Had the same problem in the Baleno as well. Other than that everything is working just fine and i am really enjoying the car, especially on the highways.



Efficiency is fantastic and i just managed a 760 km on a full tank with the car capable of doing atleast 10km more, but that would also mean my fuel filter possjibly getting choked with the possible kachra at teh bottom of teh tank messing up things, hence filled it up at that point. BTW this is with 100% AC and 60% highways and 40% city driving.

The suspension is a tad noisy but thats expected after 50k km of our 'well paved' roads. Might go for a suspension overhaul at 60k km. Headlight were extremely poor, but that is sorted out as well thanks to a Bosch relay and Philips rally 100/90 bulbs.





Since monsoons were here it was time for a wiper change and this time i got Hella's instead of Bosch. The DynaEdge series is one of Hella's premium blades. Precurved means it stick to the windscreen all throughout its length and rewards with effective water removal. At 1200 bux for a pair it was a worthy investment.

Havent really put the car to the test since im driving with my wife in it most of the times but expect to do that soon. The very soft set up does not inspire much confidence and lack of ABS makes you think twice before you go exploring. The Honda City has really spoilt me.

Coming soon are a nice set of alloys and a new ICE system that should be going in this week.

[absynthguzzler]

Congrats!

You'll be so pleased with the choice , i can guarantee that very soon , you would figure that this is the best hatch bar none and is a long term keeper.

Just watch out on timing chain tensioner and all hoses and clamps. These two are very rarely checked by service agents unless stressed upon. I replace/check these 5k kms ahead of their schedule.

[Bapu]

Hi,

Congratulations on your purchase

You must really enjoying the power upshift. What's the odo reading that your pocket rocket has.

From the pics, it looks like a really well maintained car.

Keep maintaining it well and you'll have a pleasurable drive all through. I too have it and it's running great a 121K on the odo.

[balenopower]

Its been pouring cats and dogs off late. Last weekend on my way to Mumbai, I decided to put the Continentals to the test and they simply came through with flying colours. Grip is simply phenomenal and even aquaplaning is reduced to a bare minimum. In fact launching the car hard in first and second ends up frying the clutch because of the almost absent wheelspin owing to the tremendous grip. Im loving the CPC2's. definitely recommended.

The car is running great but a few minor niggles seem to have cropped. The clutch seems to turn a little sticky after driving for a while and the throttle movement is iffy as well. I hate the fact the car did not come with a rear washer-wiper, it desperately needs one.

[Rehaan]

Thread moved out of the Assembly Line section. Thanks for sharing!

[rahul4321]

Congratulations on the Getz CRDi. Its one pocket rocket and one of the best cars available today if you want a fill it, shut it and Vrooom Car . Truth be told, i drove it while i bought my Santro CNG in 2008 and was blown away. Then i looked at the price tag and unfortunately i had to blow it away :(. I just wish i had the finances that time................

Superb buy!!!

[karan561]

Hey BP,

Congratulations on your Pocket "Torque" Rocket

It surely is a rare breed & im sure will be good as a long termer too.

Originally Posted by balenopower

Im loving the CPC2's. definitely recommended.

Was running them on my Punto & was extremely satisfied with them.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by balenopower

Its been pouring cats and dogs off late. Last weekend on my way to Mumbai, I decided to put the Continentals to the test and they simply came through with flying colours. Grip is simply phenomenal and even aquaplaning is reduced to a bare minimum.

One of the few super hatches although it did not have the briliant handling to go with the power.
I haven't driven one but I have driven a CRDI Verna(old) quite a lot and I love the way it takes off and literally leaves everything behind in smoke.

Totally agree with the Conti's. They are the best for wet roads, it is like they were actually made for wet roads only. I have been using the CEC3 on my Figo and on wet roads, with the superior cornering of a Figo, I can make everyone else look like they are standstill!
Look out of for bad roads and rocks since Conti's normally dont adjust to that you will end up gettings minor cuts and punctures on the sidewall.

Regards

[balenopower]

so the Getz gets an ICE upgrade. Decided to go for a full blaupunkt set up. Nothing too loud, just good clear sound.

Blaupunkt London 120 head unit
Components CX 170
GTA 470SF 4 Channel Amplifier
GTB 8A Subwoofer

[djay99]

Congrats for the car. Its a fantastic car when it comes to acceleration, space, ride quality.
Many a times i felt brakes lack bite. Rear ended a car a couple of days back in city speeds just because car did not stop on time. The biggest issue is when you accelerate hard and brake immediately, car will not stop on time because of engine making lot of power/torque. Hyundai did not upgrade brakes in CRDi and choose to keep the same setup as in petrol.

Also was surprised to read that you got a 700KM fuel tank mileage. I never got even 600 when driven at constant speeds hovering 100KMPH.

Is your car a 2008 model? Could you please PM the price you paid as i am planning to sell my car in some months.

[KALINGA]

Originally Posted by balenopower

so the Getz gets an ICE upgrade. Decided to go for a full blaupunkt set up. Nothing too loud, just good clear sound.

Blaupunkt London 120 head unit
Components CX 170
GTA 470SF 4 Channel Amplifier
GTB 8A Subwoofer

By any chance , are you at Aundh ITI road yesterday evening. I saw your car near Reliance Electronics.

[balenopower]

Originally Posted by KALINGA

By any chance , are you at Aundh ITI road yesterday evening. I saw your car near Reliance Electronics.

Yes very much..I had stopped there yesterday. What were u in?

[balenopower]

Originally Posted by djay99

Congrats for the car. Its a fantastic car when it comes to acceleration, space, ride quality.
Many a times i felt brakes lack bite. Rear ended a car a couple of days back in city speeds just because car did not stop on time. The biggest issue is when you accelerate hard and brake immediately, car will not stop on time because of engine making lot of power/torque. Hyundai did not upgrade brakes in CRDi and choose to keep the same setup as in petrol.

Also was surprised to read that you got a 700KM fuel tank mileage. I never got even 600 when driven at constant speeds hovering 100KMPH.

Is your car a 2008 model? Could you please PM the price you paid as i am planning to sell my car in some months.

Surprising that you rear ended a car. I agree it lacks on the braking department but I feel that's only due to the lack of abs. My car has decent bite.

Not even 600 km on a full tank is surprising. But then good fuel efficiency depends on a lot of factors.

[sawnilrules]

I had the privilege to follow the white beauty during one of my runs from Pune to Mumbai on the expressway, and must tell you, she runs faster than my 1500 CC machine....

[balenopower]

Update after quite a while. The Getz has done over 58k km and the sticky clutch problem got accentuated. Gave it for a check up and got the bad news about the clutch plates being very close to wearing out and the master and sleeve cylinder going kaput too. now if that was the bad news, the scary news came at the spare part shop. 12k for the clutch plates and about 7k for the master and sleeve cylinder. Why the ridiculous price? because its imported from Korea and not made in India. Sheesh. Big setback..hopefully i don't get anymore.





note Kia-hyundai stamp