Team-BHP - Tips to consider during Test drive of cars!

sathya_nars, i meant the intention of test driving all new models that periodically come into the market.

as an instance, i test drove the magnum last month, without of course, intending to make a buy at that point. so next time there's a new chevy release and i walk in, the showroom fellows wouldn't probably take to me very kindly as they know i'm not about to buy it and i'm there only to enjoy a free drive.

i agree with their rationale, and have no problems with it. but apparently, t-bhp has so many members TDing every new model that's released - which makes me curious as to how they manage it unless they have friends at the dealer.

@crazydriver

well, i guess the only thing they rely on is their gut feeling at the moment, to gauge if the buyer's a genuine party - when it comes to near-minors, that is. little do they know of the persuasive ability (and pestering ability, when all else fails) of college kids to get their dads make a buy... poor marketing skills, you can perhaps say, but the fact is that dealers have to deal with so many test drive requests from TD-shoppers, rather than car-buyers.

Ford and GM cars follow the European standards and have the indication on the left hand side because they don't want the driver to leave his/her right hand from the steering wheel while driving. It all comes down to geting used to the controls in the end. Personally I think it is a good idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by diabloo (Post 524514)

LHD Controls VS RHD Controls:

Cars from Ford, GM have indicators on left hand side. But cars from Maruti, Honda, Toyota, Hyundai have it on right hand side. Adjust from one to another takes very little time. While TDing, be aware of this. Dont reject the car based on this criteria alone.

Quote:

Originally Posted by diabloo (Post 524514)

This is generally not much of a problem at all - some getting used to may be required. I have driven both times even interchangebly, but mananged without much issue.

i did a small test drive then told the service guy to show me what the verna is capable of,..he scared the living daylights out of me. i was like. *** this one is a rocket!!. i then sat at the back, the feel was still there, then handling and stuff i didnt bother for me its all about A.S.S so yes i will buy my third car also from hyundai..its as simple as that. and a benz ofcourse just for show:D.
i mean does these TD actually matter you need to drive a minimum of 100k over the highway and city mixed to actually get the full picture!! does it matter??.
for many it does. for me..its the peace of mind that i look for .
my tip for TD is look ahead and not just the material show value!!.
make sure the safety features atleast ABS is available. you never know when it will save your life!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sathya_nars (Post 508979)

Observe vibration during idle and running. In modern cars, you shouldn't feel it (or may be, very slightly).

TD a 6 months old Alto for a friend. That car vibrates at idle (neutral). I is felt by everyone sitting in the car. Is it common? And it seemed to go away after driving car for 2 minutes. We parked car and put it in neutral and vibration was gone.

What could be the issue there?

Quote:

Originally Posted by veejay.greatone (Post 885771)

hi,
does it mean that honda, suzuki etc have controls at the right side even in europe and america??
Or is it that european manufacturers avoid the extra cost involved in rerouting of connections??

Nice thread. My two paisa worth:

1. check the ingress and egress from all doors. And get all family members to try it. Specially with young kids and elderly people. I realised during one such TD that my 5 yr old could not get in or out of SX4 without help. Its too high on the rear door. Also my mom-in-law found it uncomfortable to get in and out of the car.

Happy test driving!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indian (Post 511451)

I think, few other things to check:

1. Sit in the rear-seat & ask someone else to drive the car. Experience the rear seat feeling, just for the sake of your family members.

2. Check how easy is it to get-in & get-out of the car, both from driver seat & from rear-seat.

3. With the driver seat adjusted to your comfortable driving position, check the leg room at the rear. This is very important, as otherwise, you will hear the backseat people asking you "to move little forward". This will definitely affect your driving comfort.

My 2 cents, It is decided that only I will driving the car and my wife and other senior family members will be the passengers. So, when I TDed a Ritz, I asked my wife and other family members to sit at rear and asked their comfort level. Well, she wasnt comfortable at the rear complaining no back support and she didnt like the rear design, hence i have to reject the car.

Even though during the TD, i sit at the rear seat, i feel the rear seat comfort should be approved by our family members as they will be sitting most of the times.

I agree on the third point, there is no point having a cramped driving position in want of more rear leg room. agree:

Looks like this thread hasn't been revived for a long time. And I couldn't find any other equivalent discussion in the forums.

Well, I have been reading through all the suggestions provided in this thread, and made a comprehensive list of all the things folks should look out for, while test driving. Please keep contributing to it, as and when possible.

Drivability

[ ]in smooth road
[ ]in bumpy road
[ ]in non-existent road
[ ]acceleration up the climb, with load and AC
[ ]ease of acceleration while overtaking a car
[ ]effort needed to shift gears
[ ]weight of steering in high speeds
[ ]visibility from driver’s seat: Signals, Vehicles on side (front and rear)
[ ]reverse without guidance from anyone
[ ]test drive during the night to check the headlights, and rear view

Cornering

[ ]at regular speeds
[ ]at high speeds
[ ]U-turns
[ ]driver’s visibility while cornering

Braking

[ ]at different speeds
[ ]at different roads

Experience in the cabin

[ ]noise of the fans at different speeds
[ ]vibration of the car during idle and running
[ ]effectiveness of the manual and auto settings of the AC
[ ]effectiveness of AC for both front & rear passengers
[ ]ease of access to various controls from driver’s seat
[ ]does adjusting seat height make any useful difference?
[ ]leg room and head room for both driver and passengers
[ ]experience the rear seat travel
[ ]ease of ingress and egress for both driver & passengers

I have also created a Evernote note, in case you wanna import it into your own account - https://www.evernote.com/shard/s15/s...0ec726b11422ee

I, myself, am looking to buy a new car, and am currently TD-ing quite a few ones. I will keep adding to this list as and when I find some more new points.