Test drive : Optra Magnum tcdi diesel

cooldude1988765 · 27th June 2007, 09:14

It usually does go up by a little rodeo and the 13.6kpl in city isnt bad at all

babhishek · 27th June 2007, 12:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by basilmabraham

Cool...that removes a major concern of mine...was worried, I would have to shell out extra money, if at all buying the car, to get the LT to have the ABS...
Mileage figure also looks very promising...now this has become a car to look out for..

ditto.
LS looks like a good buy.
I think they could have kept the cosmetic stuff like leather seats and 2din etc separate from the safety features like ABS and EBD.
Would have definitely helped the numbers in terms of sales.
LS it is.. anyways I wasn't quite keen on leather and chrome touches.

sam_78 · 2nd July 2007, 00:46

Finally, I test drove the car yesterday. Loved the performance,what a fantastic car! Went today and signed the cheque , it 'll take 10 days for them to deliver the car

.

I m extremely happy ,i dont know how will i wait for 10 days .

dockap · 2nd July 2007, 01:50

Ya man i know thats how i felt when i test drove it but i was lucky car was released on 9th and i got mine on 11th (was right there when they were unloading the first car from the truck took it for test drive and signed the cheque)

iraghava · 2nd July 2007, 02:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam_78

Finally, I test drove the car yesterday. Loved the performance,what a fantastic car! Went today and signed the cheque , it 'll take 10 days for them to deliver the car

.

I m extremely happy ,i dont know how will i wait for 10 days .

Well Sam Congrats! Finally you liked & booked a car!!

V-16 · 2nd July 2007, 10:12

I took a test drive too and was pleasantly surprised.
In a nutshell, The silent engine is rev happy and will happily redline to 4500rpm easily. The low end and mid range torque makes it the ideak city car and im told its a highway stomper. The cabin is well insulated and at times it is difficult to believe that one is driving a diesel. The car also seats the rear occupants with more comfort than a more expensive Octavia. I thought the performance was in the league of the Laura. Road handling is not much of an issue as one is not looking at road hugging abilities at best it was passable and much better than a verna. The gear shift which was vague in the optra is now, well, not so vague but can still improve. Could'nt do timings on this car as it was a demo car. The way it pulls away from a traffic light is to be experienced. Its awesome. A verna and an Octavia starting from the same light as me, were left tasting the dust of the rear tyres. Wheel spins in the first and second (in a diesel?) leave you smiling from ear to ear.
The asthetics:
The front looks rather good and very contoured as compared to the older gen optra but the rear needs to be looked at too. Its not inspiring. The overall look of the car is of a larger car than it actually is. The boot space tough not in the league of the Octavia (nothings in that league) is good enough for a car o fthis segment.
For: Gem of an engine, Decent fuel economy, Good interor space
Against: The Optra (Chevy) Badge, Slightly miffed handling, No automatic version, Gear shifts.
To sumit up I think its going to give sleepless nights to the other diesels in its class, and some above. I wish they'd make an automatic option and reduce the price by a lakh- lakh and a half, then it'd make a lot of car sense.

jyobeb · 2nd July 2007, 15:12

I took my friends car on a trip to Yercaud and back. A distance of about 600Km. As I am a driving fiend, my friend asked my to enjoy myself. With three others in the car we took off. The turbo lag within the city was very present, though for one used to the Dicor, it was very very liveable with. The torque is phenomenal and in the right power band pushes you back in your seat. Overtaking was always a breeze. All you had to do was ensure you were in the power band, step on it and literally whoosh past any car or truck. The traffic was pretty heavy but the power enabled me to do some pretty amazing maneuvers.
Uphill was very enlightening and the car came into its own and I breezed past cars which were going up pretty fast too. The torque keeps you smiling all the way. On the Karur bypass I touched an indicated 190kmph, at which the car was very composed and stable though tyre noise was pretty high.
The air conditioning was nothing special and I feel the petrol Optra's was better.
The ride was pretty decent and composure was very good. The braking on the high end model with ABS was truly inspiring.
Best of all, we returned to Madurai and filled up to get an average of 16 kmpl. At the kind of speeds I was doing, I though that was very good indeed.
In short, a car I truly enjoyed driving.

basilmabraham · 2nd July 2007, 15:42

@Jyobeb

Thats a good review/Drive report. Very inspiring for a prospective owner..and the FE seemed unrealistic

16kmpl after doing 190kmph...too good...cant wait for my TD...

I had been to Geeyem motors in Cochin on last Saturday for a TD...couldnt get one as the TD vehicle was not available...though they promptly called me today morning for the same, but I am out of Cochin...anyways hope to get my hands on this beauty next saturday...

Other than the TD, I was pretty impressed with the car...the fit and finish was really good...the seats offered ample space and support...the interiors felt very roomy..overall a very nice package for the money we pay...good VFM...

Two things I noticed were..
1. Cochin GM is not offering the base model as they consider it not part of the luxury band as it lacks alloys and many other frills...anyway I guess the LS is a good model to look for...also, the LT (top end) is worth every penny u pay extra...(around 1lakh extra on road)

2. About the boot release...i was surprised to see the boot release buuton on the driver door...it looked more like a light switch..but once small press and the boot opened...that was new to me...may be am not that optra savvy...

GM Cochin had all colours on display and said the delivery could be made in less than a week. They said around 7 cars have been delivered so far and the response have been good so far...

Vid6639 · 2nd July 2007, 15:44

on the LT the boot can be opened from the key fob remote.

GTO · 2nd July 2007, 16:31

Quote:

I thought the performance was in the league of the Laura.

Will be far better than the Laura! Lighter weight + More BHP!

jyobeb · 2nd July 2007, 16:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by basilmabraham

@Jyobeb

Thats a good review/Drive report. Very inspiring for a prospective owner..and the FE seemed unrealistic

16kmpl after doing 190kmph...too good...cant wait for my TD...

Did 190 only once for about 20 seconds. Was generally cruising at about 110/120

VJ_MAVRICK · 2nd July 2007, 16:53

Hi Guys,
My friend is planning to book an Black Optra Magnum -LT and does anyone have any idea about the delivery time from the dealers in Bangalore.

Rudra Sen · 2nd July 2007, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by VJ_MAVRICK

any idea about the delivery time from the dealers in Bangalore.

Isn't it better idea to call the dealers straight?

VJ_MAVRICK · 2nd July 2007, 17:08

One dealer is not willing to commit a date and says that it can vary between 2 weeks to 4 weeks. So, Just wanted to know the experience of folks who had booked earlier if any here as well as in other cities.

basilmabraham · 2nd July 2007, 22:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyobeb

Did 190 only once for about 20 seconds. Was generally cruising at about 110/120

Ok...cant imagine one maintianing 190 for long in any of the roads...
still 16 kmpl is a decent mileage...

27th June 2007, 09:14	#166
cooldude1988765 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,042 Thanked: 194 Times	It usually does go up by a little rodeo and the 13.6kpl in city isnt bad at all
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 00:46	#168
sam_78 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Delhi Posts: 80 Thanked: 0 Times	Yaaahooo! I booked mine today . Finally, I test drove the car yesterday. Loved the performance,what a fantastic car! Went today and signed the cheque , it 'll take 10 days for them to deliver the car . I m extremely happy ,i dont know how will i wait for 10 days .
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 01:50	#169
dockap BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mangalore Posts: 868 Thanked: 478 Times View My Garage	Ya man i know thats how i felt when i test drove it but i was lucky car was released on 9th and i got mine on 11th (was right there when they were unloading the first car from the truck took it for test drive and signed the cheque)
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 10:12	#171
V-16 Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: mumbai Posts: 4,594 Thanked: 950 Times View My Garage	I took a test drive too and was pleasantly surprised. In a nutshell, The silent engine is rev happy and will happily redline to 4500rpm easily. The low end and mid range torque makes it the ideak city car and im told its a highway stomper. The cabin is well insulated and at times it is difficult to believe that one is driving a diesel. The car also seats the rear occupants with more comfort than a more expensive Octavia. I thought the performance was in the league of the Laura. Road handling is not much of an issue as one is not looking at road hugging abilities at best it was passable and much better than a verna. The gear shift which was vague in the optra is now, well, not so vague but can still improve. Could'nt do timings on this car as it was a demo car. The way it pulls away from a traffic light is to be experienced. Its awesome. A verna and an Octavia starting from the same light as me, were left tasting the dust of the rear tyres. Wheel spins in the first and second (in a diesel?) leave you smiling from ear to ear. The asthetics: The front looks rather good and very contoured as compared to the older gen optra but the rear needs to be looked at too. Its not inspiring. The overall look of the car is of a larger car than it actually is. The boot space tough not in the league of the Octavia (nothings in that league) is good enough for a car o fthis segment. For: Gem of an engine, Decent fuel economy, Good interor space Against: The Optra (Chevy) Badge, Slightly miffed handling, No automatic version, Gear shifts. To sumit up I think its going to give sleepless nights to the other diesels in its class, and some above. I wish they'd make an automatic option and reduce the price by a lakh- lakh and a half, then it'd make a lot of car sense.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 15:12	#172
jyobeb Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Madurai Posts: 1,010 Thanked: 704 Times	I took my friends car on a trip to Yercaud and back. A distance of about 600Km. As I am a driving fiend, my friend asked my to enjoy myself. With three others in the car we took off. The turbo lag within the city was very present, though for one used to the Dicor, it was very very liveable with. The torque is phenomenal and in the right power band pushes you back in your seat. Overtaking was always a breeze. All you had to do was ensure you were in the power band, step on it and literally whoosh past any car or truck. The traffic was pretty heavy but the power enabled me to do some pretty amazing maneuvers. Uphill was very enlightening and the car came into its own and I breezed past cars which were going up pretty fast too. The torque keeps you smiling all the way. On the Karur bypass I touched an indicated 190kmph, at which the car was very composed and stable though tyre noise was pretty high. The air conditioning was nothing special and I feel the petrol Optra's was better. The ride was pretty decent and composure was very good. The braking on the high end model with ABS was truly inspiring. Best of all, we returned to Madurai and filled up to get an average of 16 kmpl. At the kind of speeds I was doing, I though that was very good indeed. In short, a car I truly enjoyed driving. Last edited by jyobeb : 2nd July 2007 at 15:21.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 15:42	#173
basilmabraham BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Sydney/Cochin Posts: 772 Thanked: 76 Times View My Garage	@Jyobeb Thats a good review/Drive report. Very inspiring for a prospective owner..and the FE seemed unrealistic 16kmpl after doing 190kmph...too good...cant wait for my TD... I had been to Geeyem motors in Cochin on last Saturday for a TD...couldnt get one as the TD vehicle was not available...though they promptly called me today morning for the same, but I am out of Cochin...anyways hope to get my hands on this beauty next saturday... Other than the TD, I was pretty impressed with the car...the fit and finish was really good...the seats offered ample space and support...the interiors felt very roomy..overall a very nice package for the money we pay...good VFM... Two things I noticed were.. 1. Cochin GM is not offering the base model as they consider it not part of the luxury band as it lacks alloys and many other frills...anyway I guess the LS is a good model to look for...also, the LT (top end) is worth every penny u pay extra...(around 1lakh extra on road) 2. About the boot release...i was surprised to see the boot release buuton on the driver door...it looked more like a light switch..but once small press and the boot opened...that was new to me...may be am not that optra savvy... GM Cochin had all colours on display and said the delivery could be made in less than a week. They said around 7 cars have been delivered so far and the response have been good so far...
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 15:44	#174
Vid6639 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,730 Thanked: 43,484 Times View My Garage	on the LT the boot can be opened from the key fob remote.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 16:53	#177
VJ_MAVRICK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,239 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	Hi Guys, My friend is planning to book an Black Optra Magnum -LT and does anyone have any idea about the delivery time from the dealers in Bangalore.
	() Thanks

2nd July 2007, 17:08	#179
VJ_MAVRICK Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,239 Thanked: 34 Times View My Garage	One dealer is not willing to commit a date and says that it can vary between 2 weeks to 4 weeks. So, Just wanted to know the experience of folks who had booked earlier if any here as well as in other cities.
	() Thanks