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Old 6th May 2008, 11:46   #1
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Reasons for settling on for a Logan 1.5dCi DLX

FIRST OF ALL I WOULD LIKE TO THANK TEAM-BHP FOR APPROVING MY MEMBERSHIP.

I have been driving an Indigo LS since August 2004, I required a sturdy, rigid & refined diesel car.
I’ve mostly owned Maruti cars. Owned Old Gen 800, New Gen 800, Van, Zen & Esteem. Over the years ive noticed steel quality & thickness of sheet metal thinning. Am not at all convinced that for my long time use (will keep my car for over 6-7 yrs) Dzire Diesel would last. I have seen rattling a couple of Swift Diesels in my Indl Complex after 1.5 years so I shudder thinking about how it’ll last for many years, nothing to take away from its engine, its brilliant! On a trip to Kiev & Odessa in Ukraine, I saw a Dacia with over 3.5L kms on the odometer. On further enquiring, I came to know that in Ukraine they import used German (Opel (plenty of them!), VW, Audi’s), Czech (Skoda), Romanian (Dacia – Badged Renault here), Italian (Fiat - ‘Idea’ & ‘Multipla’ MPV’s) & French (Citroen, Peugeot, Renault) cars as they have a very long life span (built to last) coz taxes on new cars are v high there & its cheaper for them to get 1.5L kms run European imports & then use them till at least 5L kms.

Have always believed in the adage, Petrol get a Japanese make as they make fuel efficient petrol cars & diesel get an European make.

After using the Indigo for nearly 4 years whatever people say, ill never go for an Indian Engineered Car, sorry to say but its true. There are so many problems in the car that I may have to write a 500 page book about my experiences with the ‘More car per car’. The only aspect I liked about the car was its sheet metal is very solid.

Not keen for Ford, so Fiesta was counted out. Verna again coz of Korean build (I own a Viva though) was not convinced with long term diesel wear & tear with the flimsy body that it would last long. Also I had taken a TD of Verna but there was body roll when I was between 80-90kms & did not feel very confident at that speed, maybe coz of stock tyres or build I don’t know what. Though the car zipped post 1800-2000rpm it was exciting but I was holding the steering with both hands like my life depended on it plus the front seemed heavy compared to the back maybe that’s why it was rolling a bit side to side.

Palio Stile MJD again though I liked it, I did not consider it as I’d have to go for service to the same Tata guys with whom I’ve been fighting 4 years on & off plus my reqt. was boot space too.

Took a test drive of the Logan. Looks wise I still don’t like the boot finish, the rear tail-lights look like fangs. But all that changed when I took a TD. It felt sturdy, solid as a rock at high speeds, excellent boot space (with family & friends airport trips i as a ‘driver’ have to make), amazing rear seat Legroom & Width. The Pickup was not earth-shattering, it was strictly respectable. Did not like LHD controls (I kept switching wipers on to give signal indicator), LHD wiper & no boot release (more on that later). The thing that will be most difficult is to get Dad, who is over 70 years old, used to LHD controls. Took the wife for Test Drive (Believe me she was totally against the Logan) & she came out a convert.

Folks don’t buy this car if ure more image conscious than practical, need a lot of fast tracking, need to impress ur girlfriend, neighbours, relatives, friends, need to assert uve ‘arrived’ etc. Am going for it coz I care two hoots about anyone. I am more impressed with the overall aspect of owning it i.e. VFM, Fuel Efficiency, Big on Interior & boot Space & Build Quality. Rear looks wise am still not impressed with, but positives outnumber the negatives by a Whopping Margin.

Now the booking part, which variant should I buy? After a lot of thinking am going for the model 1.5DLX Silver Colour & not the top end DLS for reasons below:

No boot release – dealer is offering it FOC as part of Accessories Bouquet.

DLS has Remote Central Locking – OEM Remote Locking that comes with car has one manual key & one remote key which I confirmed with dealer, suppose I keep one with Dad & one with me, don’t you think it will be inconvenient? Outside Piranha or Cobra provide at least 2 remotes.

DLS has Single Din CD Player – Note it’s a regular CD player & not a MP3 player, plus was not satisfied with speakers that they provide, hence preferred having my own choice of ICE. I can buy a system which can plug & play my iPod, USB Pen Drive & put better speakers with woofers, tweeters & amps.

DLS has Driver Side Airbag – This is a feature that I would have loved & advice all car manufacturers to have this as standard for obvious reasons.

DLS has a Computer which calculates Avg. Fuel Consumption – A couple of friends have confirmed that readings are not accurate & they trust tank full method to calculate Fuel Consumption, so that too goes out of the window.

DLS has rear defogger – Frankly I have a rear defogger in my Accent Viva which I have used precisely 3 times in 4 yrs, only on the days of very heavy rainfall with the climate in Mumbai here I don’t think I’ve used it enough. Hence i was not too concerned about this too even though it’s a good feature to have, I got to admit.

DLS has Front Grill Chrome Plated – can be fitted outside.

DLS has Driver’s seat height adjuster – Again in the Viva I can assure u ive hardly used it, once I got the judgment but I may be wrong.

DLS has Glove box Light – No problems; I’m not worried.

DLS has Ashtray – I don’t smoke

DLS has Lumbar Support – this I cannot comment as I have not driven a car with Lumbar support to decide, I just test drove the DLS version for a little while & plus did not use it.

I did not go for the base model DLE & I opted for the DLX which has power windows, Rear Head Restraints & LH ORVM.

Last but not the least, the price difference between the DLS & DLX is approx 60k’s If I go for the DLS & trade-in the OEM Music system & speakers, I will not get anything substantial for it.

Have booked the vehicle for 7.05L on-road Mumbai after all discounts with free Remote boot release, Teflon Coating, Rubber Matting, Garware Sun Film & Mud Flaps. Mr. Sachin at Bhavsar Motors, Prabhadevi Mumbai, had assured me delivery with registration within 10 days but 1 day before i was assured delivery (on 5th May) he now says that Silver is not available & only White is available at the moment. How gullible i was to give him full cheque in advance . As there is a special occasion in our family i am forced to accept White.

So these are my reasons why I took time to decide to go for the mid model DLX. Also last but not the least I add that this is my individual opinion & I recommend all readers to go as per their preference, their experience; in short buy as car which u think pleases your head, heart & most importantly pocket, don’t bother about my opinion or anyone else’s, after all you’re the one who is gong to use it, not your advisor. I hope that I have been unbiased towards other brands but if you feel I’ve gone OTT I express regret for the same but in the same vein I assert that I have written what I analyzed & felt with all sincerity.

Will post more later about my ownership experiences once I get the car.

Anil

Last edited by ajmat : 6th May 2008 at 12:10. Reason: Removed Font Tags. Please remove them before posting. Thanks
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Old 6th May 2008, 13:06   #2
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Excellent writeup.

Jap for petrol and Europe for diesel! Nice thought.

Hope you will keep this thread updated about Logan once you get the car.
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Old 6th May 2008, 13:47   #3
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Nice write up on your experience, Anil.

Hope to see your initial owner review, soon.
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Old 6th May 2008, 14:49   #4
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hope i get delivery on time


hope i get the car delivered on time. i will surely post my update & feedback on the vehicle. thanks for your comments.
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Old 6th May 2008, 15:39   #5
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Loved the writeup. Quite detailed and logical explanations about selection of variant. Please keep the thread updated after you get the car.
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Old 6th May 2008, 15:48   #6
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7 lacs for this car(Logan)?. And, it's a steal of a deal?. Everyone has a right to their choice, i guess. Enjoy your new car.And, you're one of the few members to post the actual price paid for your new car. I appreciate that. Cheers!
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Old 6th May 2008, 15:52   #7
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hi anil

welcome aboard!

if only all of us were as frank, fair and as humble as you, the whole world would be a wonderful place!

Very nice, fair,unbiased review - and I am sure it will help many people who believe in simple analysis and sensible judgement as to what would be of maximum value and benefit to them.

I can completely appreciate your choice of mid model over top model because you have understood it perfectly - all these top end variants usually come with some really excellent features, but for the most part, not-likely-to-be-used-so-often, non functional, frills, which one can replicate/ accessorise at a fraction of the cost.

wish you luck with your new purchase!
cheerio
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Old 6th May 2008, 15:59   #8
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thanks akmar... appreciate it...

and nickatnite, there was no 'sound' car this side of 7L so as to speak. if i'm getting VFM why not? fiesta is 8.26L for around same specs? if im saving 1.25L whats the harm? dzire first of all as i explained, is too flimsy to last 6-7 years IMHO & plus dude when will i get delivery? 6 months??? show me another diesel car thats giving you sound engineering (the most important factor), loads of passenger & boot space (510L), good strong chassis, decent FE & a 50L fuel tank under 7L?
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Old 6th May 2008, 17:00   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anilkalvani View Post
thanks akmar... appreciate it...

and nickatnite, there was no 'sound' car this side of 7L so as to speak. if i'm getting VFM why not? fiesta is 8.26L for around same specs? if im saving 1.25L whats the harm? dzire first of all as i explained, is too flimsy to last 6-7 years IMHO & plus dude when will i get delivery? 6 months??? show me another diesel car thats giving you sound engineering (the most important factor), loads of passenger & boot space (510L), good strong chassis, decent FE & a 50L fuel tank under 7L?
That's my beef. There aren't any "sound" choices available. The Logan is the best, acc. to you. That only fortifies my argument. I do however, wish you the best and i hope you get your car delivered on time!. I'm with you on the 'hunchback on wheels' ,a.k.a the DZire. I wouldn't take it even if given free.
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Old 6th May 2008, 17:20   #10
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Yup shankar, better to analyse & save as much... nice to know that people like you understand what homework a buyer must do before he spends his hard earned money on a car...

& yup nickatnite there are'nt any decent choices under 7L...
and i hope & pray too that i get my car on time
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Old 6th May 2008, 18:34   #11
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Wonderful. Wonderful. I was smiling all the way. Nice write-up. Wonderful thinking. I too did not pay attention to looks when I decided to go for DLX. Yes I too feel that the engile will last for 2lakh Kms.
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Old 6th May 2008, 18:55   #12
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yeah seran... just wanted to tell you since i just joined the forum that i liked the pics you posted of ur beige dlx... how much did you pay for those seat covers? were they dealer fitted? the dealers prices are usually higher than accessories suppliers...
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Old 6th May 2008, 19:47   #13
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A fantastic write up Anil. Lately it seems to be raining Logans on the forum. This is the third I'm seeing in a week. I admit I'm not a fan of the car and one of the reasons is the lack of equipment but this was in the initial days of its launch when they did not have the DLX version. I agree with you that the car has a solid build and the diesel performs pretty well even though its not a scorcher. You are right in saying that its not car for those who want to say they have "arrived" etc, its purely for someone who wants a car with good space and ease of driving. I dont know how the maintenence of the Logan are. I will look forward to updates from you about the cost of ownership.

Congratulations on your new car and hope you get speedy delivery. Pictures of your new aquisition would be great .
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Old 6th May 2008, 21:41   #14
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It is a fantastic vehicle. I use the logan in weekly trips to Hyd with the radio cabs guys. I must tell you - while alot of it is cheap in feel, but the car is ROCK solid. The fellows do 140+ INSIDE shamshabad airport and you don't feel a thing. Only thing that hits you is the bill crossing 110 by the airport gate
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Old 6th May 2008, 22:14   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by phamilyman View Post
It is a fantastic vehicle. I use the logan in weekly trips to Hyd with the radio cabs guys. I must tell you - while alot of it is cheap in feel, but the car is ROCK solid. The fellows do 140+ INSIDE shamshabad airport and you don't feel a thing...
On one of my trips last week, the hotel car that came to pick and drop me was a Logan. And man, was he ripping her! I can feel the pull of the vehicle as he moved quickly thru the gears.

The driver was cruising at most places at 100~120 and the ride at the back was just great.
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