Chevy SRV Driven

Mani Srinivasan · 7th July 2006, 21:27

I drove Chevy SRV (the top end model) yesterday - having waited long for Civic launch and finding that it is not available for test drive.. Came back impressed:

1. Dealer was prompt to send the car to my office @ 11:28 AM (promised to be there by 11:30 AM).. Hats off Sundaram Motors!

2. Car is (my opinion) - Looks Great, stands out from the crowd and a head turner.. I have a feeling that it will be another Fiat Adventure..hope it does not fail like Fiat..

3. Gear Shift ... awesome.. having driven a Baleno for 3 years, find the gear shift to be amazing.. much better than Optra...

4. Commanding view..

5. Great interiors (compared to Baleno).. spacious and rear seat is excellent.. taken over from Optra..

6. Accelaration.. great... but felt after driving my Baleno later - hmm...Baleno is better.. and Adventure was even better.. (fell in love actually.. but the FIAT dealerships.. made me reconsider)

7. Ride - great.. on Koramangala I block road (has anyone seen it recently.. I mean the road) went without any problems..

8. Handling .. great.. surprisingly for a car which has a GC of 185 mm

9. Breaking good.. Baleno on 185 is a little better..

10. VFM car - at 8.7 on road in Bangalore - beats Civic by 4 lacs..

Hmm.. where does it leave me?

Well, I might buy.... guess what ....Octy 1.9 TDI.. which I test drove today.. and was blown over.. before that I will give Civic a try (dealer promised a test drive tomorrow)...

caroholic1 · 8th July 2006, 10:14

Did u click any pics??????

navin · 8th July 2006, 10:39

Mani, Is not the SRV in competition with the NHC and high end Fiesta? How much smaller is it compared the the Octavia which you seem to have also considered. How much smaller than a Baleno? I ask becuase my mom is considering a car smaller than the Octavia/Corolla but larger than the Palio. The Aveo (poor gear shift, no auto box), Fiesta (poor interiors, no auto box) and NHC (CVT was underpowered) were considered but rejected.

Does the SRV come with an auto box?

normally_crazy · 8th July 2006, 14:10

Seen a SRV on the roads yesterday - didnt particularly like what I saw..looks like a Optra and nothing eye catching as well...and a size bigger than the Palio....but what section of the car buying folks is this car aimed at ?

I really dont see any reason why a person who spends that much of $$$ will buy a SRV over the Optra ?

Mani Srinivasan · 9th July 2006, 10:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by caroholic1

Did u click any pics??????

Nope.. I did not have a camera handy and I had the brochure to show to my family..

Mani Srinivasan · 9th July 2006, 10:43

Quote:

Mani, Is not the SRV in competition with the NHC and high end Fiesta? How much smaller is it compared the the Octavia which you seem to have also considered. How much smaller than a Baleno? I ask becuase my mom is considering a car smaller than the Octavia/Corolla but larger than the Palio. The Aveo (poor gear shift, no auto box), Fiesta (poor interiors, no auto box) and NHC (CVT was underpowered) were considered but rejected.

SRV - except for the price - does not seem to have any comparison with any cars - whether Fiesta or NHC or Baleno.. It is aimed at segment of people (in my opinion, a minority) who do not care for a boot but want a big hatch..

It is comfier than a Baleno - ride is better and handling as good.. Engine is good too but as I said earlier, I would choose a Baleno for the engine..

When it comes to seating comfort - well.. it is better than even Octy and Civic!!!

If you do not want a boot - go for it!!!

Quote:

Does the SRV come with an auto box?

Nope!!!

w 12 · 10th July 2006, 00:02

Good review..

How is the rear legroom / comfort compared to the normal optra ?

Is the rear seat pushed back to improve leg room , as there is no boot anyway?

are there AC vents for rear passengers?

what is the OTR price of base version in blr?

navin · 10th July 2006, 10:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mani Srinivasan

When it comes to seating comfort - well.. it is better than even Octy and Civic!!!!

That is a tall statement for a car that costs 25% less.

superavi · 10th July 2006, 11:47

Navin,

I went with Mani to try out the cars recently (Civic, Octavia and SRV). Now the SRV is an optra with an excellent gear shift, with the same 1.6 ltr engine, minus the boot. Seating is the same as the optra and it felt much better than the Octavia and the Civic. The octavia was too cramped in comparison, while the Civic had good room, the legs were cramped as they simply will not slide under the seats in front making you sit at an awkward angle, thigh support being inadequate.

I felt that the SRV is a better car in terms of seating than the others.

Superavi

navin · 10th July 2006, 12:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by superavi

Seating is the same as the optra and it felt much better than the Octavia and the Civic.

any comparision to the Corolla?

superavi · 10th July 2006, 21:28

I'm not too familiar with the Corolla. I last rode in the back seat of the corolla a few months ago and my memory fails me.

The corolla does look (from the outside) as the bigger car however.

Superavi

islero · 14th July 2006, 09:25

So what are the prices for the diffretn variants?

dhall_gagan · 14th July 2006, 09:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by normally_crazy

Seen a SRV on the roads yesterday - didnt particularly like what I saw..looks like a Optra and nothing eye catching as well...and a size bigger than the Palio....but what section of the car buying folks is this car aimed at ?

I really dont see any reason why a person who spends that much of $$$ will buy a SRV over the Optra ?

Hi,

SRV is not launched in competition with NHC . It has created a new segment as reported by the TV interviews of Chevrolet officials.

It is for those people who always have some extra change for experiments

Gagan

naveendhyani · 14th July 2006, 12:04

i did see the SRV while it was still in the testing phase (did not have the camera so did not post it) & should i say it looks hot. good looks but 101 BHP is kinda less for such a vehicle. 130 above should have sent it in the league of starting rallyists!!

1100D · 14th July 2006, 12:28

The rationale behind SRV over optra is the sporty nature. But if that was so, why is not the Holden 1.8 even an option? Personally I would not buy the SRV for looks alone, performance wise there is nothing to write home about, not untill there is the 1.8 sitting inside it, in that case even at a higher price I would go for it.

7th July 2006, 21:27	#1
Mani Srinivasan Newbie Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 7 Thanked: 0 Times	Chevy SRV Driven I drove Chevy SRV (the top end model) yesterday - having waited long for Civic launch and finding that it is not available for test drive.. Came back impressed: 1. Dealer was prompt to send the car to my office @ 11:28 AM (promised to be there by 11:30 AM).. Hats off Sundaram Motors! 2. Car is (my opinion) - Looks Great, stands out from the crowd and a head turner.. I have a feeling that it will be another Fiat Adventure..hope it does not fail like Fiat.. 3. Gear Shift ... awesome.. having driven a Baleno for 3 years, find the gear shift to be amazing.. much better than Optra... 4. Commanding view.. 5. Great interiors (compared to Baleno).. spacious and rear seat is excellent.. taken over from Optra.. 6. Accelaration.. great... but felt after driving my Baleno later - hmm...Baleno is better.. and Adventure was even better.. (fell in love actually.. but the FIAT dealerships.. made me reconsider) 7. Ride - great.. on Koramangala I block road (has anyone seen it recently.. I mean the road) went without any problems.. 8. Handling .. great.. surprisingly for a car which has a GC of 185 mm 9. Breaking good.. Baleno on 185 is a little better.. 10. VFM car - at 8.7 on road in Bangalore - beats Civic by 4 lacs.. Hmm.. where does it leave me? Well, I might buy.... guess what ....Octy 1.9 TDI.. which I test drove today.. and was blown over.. before that I will give Civic a try (dealer promised a test drive tomorrow)... Last edited by Mani Srinivasan : 7th July 2006 at 21:34.
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8th July 2006, 10:14	#2
caroholic1 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Delhi Posts: 407 Thanked: 31 Times View My Garage	Did u click any pics??????
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8th July 2006, 10:39	#3
navin Team-BHP Support Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 25,324 Thanked: 9,511 Times	Mani, Is not the SRV in competition with the NHC and high end Fiesta? How much smaller is it compared the the Octavia which you seem to have also considered. How much smaller than a Baleno? I ask becuase my mom is considering a car smaller than the Octavia/Corolla but larger than the Palio. The Aveo (poor gear shift, no auto box), Fiesta (poor interiors, no auto box) and NHC (CVT was underpowered) were considered but rejected. Does the SRV come with an auto box? Last edited by navin : 8th July 2006 at 10:41.
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8th July 2006, 14:10	#4
normally_crazy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,369 Thanked: 537 Times View My Garage	Seen a SRV on the roads yesterday - didnt particularly like what I saw..looks like a Optra and nothing eye catching as well...and a size bigger than the Palio....but what section of the car buying folks is this car aimed at ? I really dont see any reason why a person who spends that much of $$$ will buy a SRV over the Optra ?
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10th July 2006, 00:02	#7
w 12 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: bangalore Posts: 402 Thanked: 26 Times	Good review.. How is the rear legroom / comfort compared to the normal optra ? Is the rear seat pushed back to improve leg room , as there is no boot anyway? are there AC vents for rear passengers? what is the OTR price of base version in blr?
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10th July 2006, 11:47	#9
superavi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London Posts: 286 Thanked: 29 Times	SRV seating Navin, I went with Mani to try out the cars recently (Civic, Octavia and SRV). Now the SRV is an optra with an excellent gear shift, with the same 1.6 ltr engine, minus the boot. Seating is the same as the optra and it felt much better than the Octavia and the Civic. The octavia was too cramped in comparison, while the Civic had good room, the legs were cramped as they simply will not slide under the seats in front making you sit at an awkward angle, thigh support being inadequate. I felt that the SRV is a better car in terms of seating than the others. Superavi
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10th July 2006, 21:28	#11
superavi BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London Posts: 286 Thanked: 29 Times	I'm not too familiar with the Corolla. I last rode in the back seat of the corolla a few months ago and my memory fails me. The corolla does look (from the outside) as the bigger car however. Superavi
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14th July 2006, 09:25	#12
islero Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,574 Thanked: 13 Times View My Garage	So what are the prices for the diffretn variants?
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14th July 2006, 12:04	#14
naveendhyani BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Melbourne Posts: 542 Thanked: 9 Times	i did see the SRV while it was still in the testing phase (did not have the camera so did not post it) & should i say it looks hot. good looks but 101 BHP is kinda less for such a vehicle. 130 above should have sent it in the league of starting rallyists!!
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14th July 2006, 12:28	#15
1100D Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 4,390 Thanked: 4,101 Times View My Garage	The rationale behind SRV over optra is the sporty nature. But if that was so, why is not the Holden 1.8 even an option? Personally I would not buy the SRV for looks alone, performance wise there is nothing to write home about, not untill there is the 1.8 sitting inside it, in that case even at a higher price I would go for it.
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