Hi friends,
Sorry about the long silence, just couldn't help it.
Anyway, since i recently crossed >10000Kms with my T Jet, i thought of taking some time out to update this thread.
I took delivery of the T Jet at the beginning of October 2014. I crossed the 10K mark in the second week of May 2015 - that makes it approximately 8 months, averaging 1250km/month. Not very far from the initial calculation i had made, prior to buying the car. As i mentioned in my first post, i own a Maruti Alto LXi (2008), which take care of my day to day commutes to work and to the supermarket. Like my earlier Baleno, the T Jet is almost exclusively used for highway trips, out of town.
Issues faced till now:
Practically nothing, other than the initial few issues i described in my initial post. Those issues were sorted out then and there.
- The fuel lid do 'misbehave' once in a while, but i have now learned how to close it, in case it doesn't close with the first attempt.
- The 'wobbling' of the steering was taken care of in the first service (5K kms) and is barely noticeable now. It does feel somewhat 'wobbly' when my speed exceeds 120kms - planing to address it at the next service (15k kms)
- I got a call from the Fiat service center in April 2015, asking me to take the car to them, for a 'voluntary recall' for replacement of the 'electric cable' of the mobile charging / cigarette lighter socket. The replacement was done in less than half an hour and the whole thing took barely a hour at the service center.
- There was an issue with the wind shield washer pump - while trying to clean the windshield by activating the pump (and the wiper), the water hose carrying the water from the reservoir to the nozzle used to get disconnected, apparently from the pressure developed. Initially i thought the pump has stopped working or the nozzle had got blocked, but i soon found out that the water hose is getting disconnected. I initially fastened it with a thin plastic cord and informed the issue at the time of the first service and it was corrected. The issue has not come back after the first service.
The experience so far with the T Jet:
I drive the car myself all the time and each time it is a pleasure to get behind the steering wheel!
The car takes off like a 'jet' leaving everyone behind, including two wheelers
. The car is 'agile' and you practically never feel short of power. Even when cruising at upper three digit speeds, if you need to execute a quick overtake, there is still power for you to tap!
I have tried high speeds for brief periods on empty stretch in the highway. My usual driving speed is between 110-120km/hr on the highways. You feel 'in control' all the time. And i use the cruise control extensively. One added benefit from the cruise control i am finding out is that it prevents me from over speeding (further) - if i am already cruising at say 110kmh and someone else zooms past me, i do not step on the accelerator as a 'reflex' (which i used to get tempted to do)!
There were a few instances where i did engage in some sort of a 'race' on the TN highways, esp in response to someone trying to overtake me 'aggressively' - i know it is 'childish' to engage in this sort of thing, but i guess it is OK to have some fun, occasionally. Every single one of them have learned a hard lesson after such 'races' - do not mess with a T Jet on the highways, esp if the guy driving is not averse to speeding!
Negotiating the curves on the highways, even when driving at 120km/hr with the cruise control on, do not require you to slow down / disengage the cruise control - the T Jet manages the corners as if (to borrow someone else's words) on rails! (The only thing you need to worry about is the stray cow/animal who may not have the same regard you have for traffic rules!)
The ground clearance is so good that you will never hit your belly anywhere, even in village roads. The only one instance where something hit the underbelly of my T Jet was during our recent trip to Kodaikanal. I was trying to park my car off the road, on a muddy patch, and failed to notice a rock jutting out from the mud. The T Jet, even when fully loaded, will go over the most ill-designed sharp hump without scraping it.
The brakes, to lay man like me, is simply too good. In fact, the only instance of someone 'scratching' my T Jet happened when a two wheeler tail ended me in the town, when i braked at a red light. Luckily it was nothing bad.
No 'rattling' issues till now, i hope it stays that way for many thousand kilometers more!
The 'Blue and Me' system is a bit complicated, i should admit. I use the blue tooth connectivity to talk on my phone while driving, but i am yet to utilize the full potential of the 'Blue and Me' system.
Overall, as you might have understood by now, i am enjoying my time with the T Jet.
The only 'fly in the ointment' with the T Jet is the mileage - rather expectedly! The best mileage i have measured is about 13.5km/l - on a drive of about 540km from Pondicherry to Kottayam (Via Villupuram, trichy, Dindigul, Theni, Kumily). The mileage for drives within the town is a lowly 8.8-9km/l. All with AC on all the time. I have not made any conscious effort to increase the mileage by altering my driving style, till now.
The Car at the fiat showroom (Manakular Motors) ready for delivery:
The snap was taken when we stopped for tea somewhere between Batlagundu and Periyakulam, on our way from Kottayam to Pondicherry, via kumily - Theni - Dindigul - trichy.
On the ghat road to Kodaikanal, from Batlagundu.
The car crossed 10000km by 15th May 2015 I have added another 1000km, since then)
The boot is quite voluminous and swallows a lot of your luggage and other stuff!