Chevy Optra Magnum LS TDCi Cashmere EDIT: Got Delivery

obed5579 · 31st July 2008, 16:20

Hi Folks,
After a lot of research, numerous test drives, and reviews thanks to Team BHP I decided to get myself a Chevy Optra Magnum LS TDCi.

The main critera I had in mind for a new car were:
1. Performance - I own a Ford Ikon 1.6ZXI and the Ikons performance was the bench mark. I had to have a drivers car.
2. Good looks - interior and exterior
3. SPACE and Comfort - I am 6'2" and my Dad is the same. I didnt want to to eat into the backbenchers space

4. Diesel powered with decent FE
5. Acceptable TCO

Cars I evaluated Hyundai Verna, Ford Fiesta, Skoda Octavia and Chevy Optra.

Why did I go for Chevy Optra Magnum TDCi LS?
I visited the Sundaram Motors Show room in Chennai for a test drive and they offered me to test drive 2 optras. 1 was a brand new one and the other had done 25000km. I really appreciated this test drive offer as no other car dealer did so.
The Test drive of the new car was wow. I was amazed by the performance, ride/handling, comfort and absolute no noise in the cabin other than the air flowing through the a/c vents. Pickup was great, I was doing 80km in second gear and the handling was good. Gear
shift was very good. The Optra swallowed the potholes with ease, the independent suspensions really did what it was designe to do. It was a drivers dream. There was volumes of space in the car and rear legroom was the best of all the cars I tested.

Test Drive of the 25000KM Optra, driving this car was not different from the new one other than that it was noisier when you rolled down the windows. The performance was almost same, so was the ride and handling. I did hear or feel any unwanted rattles or vibrations.

The two test drives really gave a very good insight into the overall quality of the car. I felt it was good.

GM's Cashless ownership offer also appealed to me though I knew this was another marketing strategy. But, a lot of folks advised me to go for it.

The cost of maintenance was a lot cheaper and price of spare parts were affordable for me. I did a reality check with a few of my friends and Team BHP reviews on the maintenance costs and found that in some cases it was even cheaper than Ford Fiesta and definitely less than Octavia.

I choose the LS model because I normally drive around 50 KMs a day and very few long drives, so I didnt feel the necesity for ABS and Airbags.

Why not Octavia?
Both Optra and Octavia have their pros and cons(which I am not getting into). They have different DNA. For me it was the Price. It was not in my budget. Also the interiors of Skoda Octvia Ambient which I considered of buying was not upto my liking.

I also considered the new Ford Fiesta SX, It was pretty decent for city driving and returned good FE. Its interiors would have also put some of the luxuary cars to shame. But dropped the idea as I didnt want to go for a Ford again and again space was a major constraint.

I am supposed to take delivery of the Car next week. Will keep you posted on the same.

Team BHP folks and Chevy Optra Owner on Team BHP - Thanks for putting you reviews. It helped me zero in on my new car.

Lukeskywalker · 31st July 2008, 16:49

Congratulations on your booking. Optra is a great car, I have about 35000kms to prove it. Please post the on road price along with any freebies offered.
Goodluck.

vchounal · 31st July 2008, 16:51

Congratulations on booking of Magnum. I also underwent a similar selection process like you. The TD of Magnum overwhelmed me. I have also booked a Cashmere colour Magnum LT yesterday but I will receive the car by 12 August.

We will surely share our experiences of owning a Magnum.

aaggoswami · 31st July 2008, 16:52

Congratulations!

GM has slashed the prices of spare parts. Aveo was the begenning of the procedure.

mjothi · 31st July 2008, 16:57

Congrats and welcome to GM family

How was the reception and handling in Chennai Sundaram Motors? I checked there around 2 yrs back when I was in Chennai and they were least bothered to sell any cars :(

mobike008 · 31st July 2008, 17:05

Congrats. Great car and choice of color. Enjoy the oodles of torque it develops. Please post the ownership cost and pictures too.

throttleking · 31st July 2008, 18:22

welcome to the world of Magnums

its a lovely car and you will enjoy the performance. i am sure you will soon start doing highway trips as well. Congratulations Again!!!

kris905 · 1st August 2008, 22:21

Congratulations on your new car. You are going to enjoy your ride.

GTO · 2nd August 2008, 12:45

The Optra Magnum suits your requirements to the T; good choice. It would be my pick over the Octavia too, what with its better engine, larger interior space and lower cost of ownership.

How about some pictures to complete your review?

Quote:

I was doing 80km in second gear

This was obviously while testing the petrol?

beanstalk_230 · 2nd August 2008, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

This was obviously while testing the petrol?

Naah GTO; it does 85-90 @ 4.5K rpm in 2nd and 170 OR 165 at 4.5K rpm in the 4rth - tried and tested. Awesome for a diesel IMHO

P.S. It redlines at 4.5K though.

Path_Finder · 2nd August 2008, 20:53

Congrats obed5579! I also checked out all the cars that you have listed (and some more!) - For your consideration and criteria, you have made the right choice of model (& even color!) - Happy riding.
I on my part decided to stay with Petrol and there the Magnum lost! Somehow both the GM dealers I checked with were only hard selling the diesel variant.

vchounal · 2nd August 2008, 21:29

Need some information on GM's Cashless Offer for their cars. I was told by the dealer that you have to pay upfront (ithink it is Rs 26000 for Magnum) to avail this offer. Is it true or is it a totally free offer from GM?

shuvd · 3rd August 2008, 01:02

Congrats on the torquemonster Obed5579!
@ Beanstalk - Someone's having fun eh??

beanstalk_230 · 3rd August 2008, 01:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by shuvd

@ Beanstalk - Someone's having fun eh??

Yea .. in fact its really a nice feeling getting over with the run in period. And yep im lovinn it all in full throttle.

P.S. Was just considering Peter's offer (Bumper)

about the box on my car. Just hoping my dad gets on with it till I complete another 5 - 10K kms on my car. Would be one helluva ride after box and some other thing he mentioned would be added up.

Cheers

shuvd · 3rd August 2008, 01:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by beanstalk_230

and some other thing he mentioned would be added up.

Cheers

What other things??

31st July 2008, 16:20	#1
obed5579 BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 49 Thanked: 7 Times	Chevy Optra Magnum LS TDCi Cashmere EDIT: Got Delivery Hi Folks, After a lot of research, numerous test drives, and reviews thanks to Team BHP I decided to get myself a Chevy Optra Magnum LS TDCi. The main critera I had in mind for a new car were: 1. Performance - I own a Ford Ikon 1.6ZXI and the Ikons performance was the bench mark. I had to have a drivers car. 2. Good looks - interior and exterior 3. SPACE and Comfort - I am 6'2" and my Dad is the same. I didnt want to to eat into the backbenchers space 4. Diesel powered with decent FE 5. Acceptable TCO Cars I evaluated Hyundai Verna, Ford Fiesta, Skoda Octavia and Chevy Optra. Why did I go for Chevy Optra Magnum TDCi LS? I visited the Sundaram Motors Show room in Chennai for a test drive and they offered me to test drive 2 optras. 1 was a brand new one and the other had done 25000km. I really appreciated this test drive offer as no other car dealer did so. The Test drive of the new car was wow. I was amazed by the performance, ride/handling, comfort and absolute no noise in the cabin other than the air flowing through the a/c vents. Pickup was great, I was doing 80km in second gear and the handling was good. Gear shift was very good. The Optra swallowed the potholes with ease, the independent suspensions really did what it was designe to do. It was a drivers dream. There was volumes of space in the car and rear legroom was the best of all the cars I tested. Test Drive of the 25000KM Optra, driving this car was not different from the new one other than that it was noisier when you rolled down the windows. The performance was almost same, so was the ride and handling. I did hear or feel any unwanted rattles or vibrations. The two test drives really gave a very good insight into the overall quality of the car. I felt it was good. GM's Cashless ownership offer also appealed to me though I knew this was another marketing strategy. But, a lot of folks advised me to go for it. The cost of maintenance was a lot cheaper and price of spare parts were affordable for me. I did a reality check with a few of my friends and Team BHP reviews on the maintenance costs and found that in some cases it was even cheaper than Ford Fiesta and definitely less than Octavia. I choose the LS model because I normally drive around 50 KMs a day and very few long drives, so I didnt feel the necesity for ABS and Airbags. Why not Octavia? Both Optra and Octavia have their pros and cons(which I am not getting into). They have different DNA. For me it was the Price. It was not in my budget. Also the interiors of Skoda Octvia Ambient which I considered of buying was not upto my liking. I also considered the new Ford Fiesta SX, It was pretty decent for city driving and returned good FE. Its interiors would have also put some of the luxuary cars to shame. But dropped the idea as I didnt want to go for a Ford again and again space was a major constraint. I am supposed to take delivery of the Car next week. Will keep you posted on the same. Team BHP folks and Chevy Optra Owner on Team BHP - Thanks for putting you reviews. It helped me zero in on my new car.
	() Thanks

31st July 2008, 16:49	#2
Lukeskywalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,396 Thanked: 1,244 Times View My Garage	Congratulations on your booking. Optra is a great car, I have about 35000kms to prove it. Please post the on road price along with any freebies offered. Goodluck.
	() Thanks

31st July 2008, 16:51	#3
vchounal BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Greater Noida Posts: 52 Thanked: 0 Times	Congratulations on booking of Magnum. I also underwent a similar selection process like you. The TD of Magnum overwhelmed me. I have also booked a Cashmere colour Magnum LT yesterday but I will receive the car by 12 August. We will surely share our experiences of owning a Magnum.
	() Thanks

31st July 2008, 16:52	#4
aaggoswami Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Vadodara Posts: 4,997 Thanked: 3,012 Times	Congratulations! GM has slashed the prices of spare parts. Aveo was the begenning of the procedure.
	() Thanks

31st July 2008, 16:57	#5
mjothi Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,290 Thanked: 233 Times View My Garage	Congrats and welcome to GM family How was the reception and handling in Chennai Sundaram Motors? I checked there around 2 yrs back when I was in Chennai and they were least bothered to sell any cars :(
	() Thanks

31st July 2008, 17:05	#6
mobike008 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 12,011 Thanked: 17,215 Times View My Garage	Congrats. Great car and choice of color. Enjoy the oodles of torque it develops. Please post the ownership cost and pictures too.
	() Thanks

31st July 2008, 18:22	#7
throttleking BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 804 Thanked: 447 Times	welcome to the world of Magnums its a lovely car and you will enjoy the performance. i am sure you will soon start doing highway trips as well. Congratulations Again!!!
	() Thanks

1st August 2008, 22:21	#8
kris905 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 39 Thanked: 0 Times	Congratulations on your new car. You are going to enjoy your ride.
	() Thanks

2nd August 2008, 20:53	#11
Path_Finder BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 622 Thanked: 6 Times View My Garage	Congrats obed5579! I also checked out all the cars that you have listed (and some more!) - For your consideration and criteria, you have made the right choice of model (& even color!) - Happy riding. I on my part decided to stay with Petrol and there the Magnum lost! Somehow both the GM dealers I checked with were only hard selling the diesel variant.
	() Thanks

2nd August 2008, 21:29	#12
vchounal BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Greater Noida Posts: 52 Thanked: 0 Times	Need some information on GM's Cashless Offer for their cars. I was told by the dealer that you have to pay upfront (ithink it is Rs 26000 for Magnum) to avail this offer. Is it true or is it a totally free offer from GM?
	() Thanks

3rd August 2008, 01:02	#13
shuvd Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 1,081 Thanked: 8 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the torquemonster Obed5579! @ Beanstalk - Someone's having fun eh??
	() Thanks