[vivekji05]

Agree they are safety equipments which is why I chose the word 'head restraint' over the term 'head rest'. But after a long drive, I found that my neck was paining. On investigating, I found that this was the culprit.

Perhaps this could have been designed better to support the head too.

[bimi]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

The three auto giants Ford, GM and Chrysler from U.S. are struggling and asking for bail-out now, because they concentrated on bigger gas-guzzlers than small fuel-efficient cars.

Even Toyota, Honda, Hyundai in US are facing problems in US

Sir, I think you dont have a clue about whats happening globally. So keep your "poison pen" down, take off your Maruti "blinkers" and think before you write all this crap.

Lets all continue with a good discussion about their experience with the A*. Finally each one of us can decide whether the brighter star is A or i or XYZ

Have a nice day!

[akroy]

Nice review. Can you post some of the interiors too?

Abhi

[vivekji05]

Unfortunately, I didn't click the interior pics. The seats had their plastic covers on, the carpets were muddy so I thought I would click these later may be after cleaning. It rained in between and cleaning was ruled out. I didn't bother getting the camera out again and got carried by the mileage run. After the drive, I got tired and when the dealer asked back for the car, I returned it.

[sukiwa]

@ vivekji05: thanks for a different review, would have liked interior pictures as well.

Wonder why A-star is getting compared to i10. A-star should be compared its previous generation 'Alto' and/or Chevy Spark(at least it has similar sized engine). Price should not be a factor to compare these two cars. I found Advertises in pune newspapers comparing Alto with Spark, strange for me. I feel A-star is overpriced by 20-25k for its specs & interior space, but maruti has too many models in that category and can't help but overprice new models.

[vivekji05]

Compared to the previous generation Alto, this one is much ahead.

But comparisons to the i10 are obvious. That is the best small car so far. And for Rs4 lakhs, you can only buy one car, right? SO it is better to know how it compares with the i10. The i10 may have a larger engine and better performance but those make it more competent than being incomparable to a smaller engined car of similar price.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by vivekji05

Compared to the previous generation Alto, this one is much ahead.

But comparisons to the i10 are obvious. That is the best small car so far. And for Rs4 lakhs, you can only buy one car, right? SO it is better to know how it compares with the i10. The i10 may have a larger engine and better performance but those make it more competent than being incomparable to a smaller engined car of similar price.

Do you mean i10 1.1 or 1.2?

1.2 one would be much more expansive as well for the same levels of equipment (price difference 80k or more). I think i10 1.2 is stacked agianst Swift rather than Astar.
I feel one should compare with i10 1.1 which'd be more apples to apples type comparison.

[aseem]

A great review, kind of like a review should be. No inherent bias, no conclusions on readers behalf. An excellent review and a must read.

[aseem]

And this post just to complete my first *1000* posts in TBhp after 3.5 long years of association cheers:
There were times when I joined and contributed a lot, there were times when I didnt visit the site, there were times when I read a lot, and there is time today when I am looking for a new car, when I cant help but spend more and more time at TBhp. In a country where there are so limited and expensive choices for automobiles, this forum helps keep the spark alive for all our enthuasists. Great Job guys!!!

[enter]

How did you arrive at the figure for A* for a monthly running of 1200 kms? Are the fuel average numbers out? And how will the insurance cost go down by Rs 400 a month? Dude its all beyond me.
We buy bigger better cars for a reason and i10 is clearly the better of the two. Accordong to you mathematical calculations which make little sense to me, Tata Nano would be a perfect buy, why do you even want to go upto the A*!


>> 400 Rs is the difference in the insurance (as I was told) between A* and i10.

i10 would have been a better car if the running cost of both the cars were same. What I was arguing is that if the running costs were different, it essentially means that the calculations change.

Do I need to elaborate more on why the calculations change? I will be happy to do that.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

(AFTER I tried to post this, I find that the mods have merged the threads; hence there would be slight difference in language).

One thing for sure, TD cars do NOT belong to the dealership. Look at the regn. plate. What was the starting odo reading? And how many kms did you cover?

Slotted in between the Wagon R and the Swift, the A-star looks like a comic book character.

"frightened toad" is what I called it. ;-) No offence meant. Some cars look like bread boxes; some look like soap boxes. Some are sleek; some are sexy. Some are curvy. Some are groovy. This one is a frightened toad.

And it is definitely is comic, touted as an Alto replacement, now positioned above even the wagonR, with a smaller engine, smaller body, and still smaller passenger space, non existent boot.

The engine left us impressed however

Who are the "us"?

Some questions though. Which variant was it? (Hope I did not miss it in the review. Which roads were you driving on (to understand the FE better).

And regarding the "silent engine". My wagonR had a super silent engine immediately on delivery. After first service, it became a bit noisy. Attributed this to the drivers (I was a a fresh driver at that time). But my friend whose bajaj chetak sounds (if you can make it out, that is) like a 4 stroke bike, too has the same complaint about the wagonR engine.

[vinayasurya]

The Sidindica's post has a critics voice. Note that he mentioned the merits of the A* star as well may be in a disguised way.

I think this car won't replace Alto. But it may eventually replace the Zen Estilo.Zen Estilo and Wagon R will be cars mainly affected by A *. I dont think it is fair to comapre it with i10.

Because it is new it can eat into the Santro's sales as well. It will be interesting when the Chevy launches the 800 cc spark.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by bimi

Even Toyota, Honda, Hyundai in US are facing problems in US

Yes, ofcourse. Because all of them are selling big cars in U.S. And US people are preferring big cars and SUVs than small fuel-efficient cars. So, they were forced to manufacture big cars, Or may be the reverse also true - that companies promoting big cars as a matter of status symbol there.

But the companies like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Suzuki have not yet asked for bail-outs, because they have good small-car portfolio outside U.S. Only G.M. has nowadays some small car models, that too taken from Daewoo motors.

Originally Posted by bimi

Sir, I think you dont have a clue about whats happening globally.

Your knowledge about 'what will happen' is clear from one of your statement in this forum: "The zxi has airbags, which I feel can be a boon as well as a bane to the typical middle class Indian consumer. As there are numerous occasions for the dual airbags to open up in our Indian roads(read small mishaps which do not warrant a airbag opening)".


So you know when a big accident will occur and then turn-on the Airbag. Otherwise, keep it off. Wow! What a presence of mind! Or sixth sense?

Originally Posted by bimi

So keep your "poison pen" down, take off your Maruti "blinkers" and think before you write all this crap.

You too, please... Your place is the Hyundai sales showroom, right?


Have a nice day there!

[carboy]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

But the companies like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Suzuki have not yet asked for bail-outs, because they have good small-car portfolio outside U.S. Only G.M. has nowadays some small car models, that too taken from Daewoo motors.

When they talk of small cars, they are referring to cars like the Corolla :-)


Subcompact car - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Compact car - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[enter]

Originally Posted by vinayasurya

The Sidindica's post has a critics voice. Note that he mentioned the merits of the A* star as well may be in a disguised way.

I think this car won't replace Alto. But it may eventually replace the Zen Estilo.Zen Estilo and Wagon R will be cars mainly affected by A *. I dont think it is fair to comapre it with i10.

Because it is new it can eat into the Santro's sales as well. It will be interesting when the Chevy launches the 800 cc spark.

I am not sure if GM will be alive to launch a 800 cc car..