[anjan_c2007]

I am planning to buy a new car and have researched a lot.Many of your threads and posts with facts and experiences were of immense help.I was vacillating between an used Scorpio CRDe and the brand new Swift VDi or Swift DZire VDi.
Yesterday, I finally bid adieu to the used Scorpio plan, as though robust and very reliable, it would be a pain to drive it on city roads and to park it, due to its gigantic size.Moreover all the used Scorpios I had seen were driver-driven and hence the degrees of abuse were higher, even at 50K kms or odd.
The choice zeroed upon the Swift Dzire then, as the Swift being a hatch with little luggage space, would be a turn-off for long drives with the family.
And then, it was a visit to a local Maruti showroom today. Enquiries revealed that the DZire VDi did not come with ABS and airbag options. The ZDi did. Whereas, the Swift VDi had the ABS option. Oh, the Japanese they are so canny and shrewd. This is perhaps because even the A Star buyers of the above the base models, can have the ABS option and of course the Swift VDi has it. Thats because there's lot of competition from rival brands in the A Star and Swift hatch segments. The DZire does not have any competitor - the archiac Indigo, Ford Ikon or the Logan base models and the Hyundai Accent slot in here, but are basically outdated.Sorry the Logan is not outdated, but it does not offer a cut-throat competition of much consequence to the DZire.
And coming to the Tatas, they have got away with the Indica Vista since Sept 2008, sans the ABS and airbags even in the Vista Aura, its flagship variant.So the law of probability says that we cannot expect the new Indigo to come with airbags and ABS, when it debuts in March 2009. And I am still scared of owning Tata cars.
Back to the DZire, it has bookings for three-four months now and the Swift has it for 45-60 days. I saw a ZDi and test drove it for a pretty long time. Having driven the 1.3 MJD Swift, the DZire also felt silky smooth,with almost no diesel clatter invading the cabin but the barking was hard. The gadgetry was quite upto the mark and VFM for the price.And only today, the new price lists after the revision of 27/1 have reached the dealer. The ZDi is gonna cost Rs 10K more, given the increase in the basic price, taxes and insurance that all rock'n roll around the ex-factory basic price. Pre-price rise it was Rs 7.31 L and now its going to be Rs 7.41 L or so. No freebies are offered and even the rubber mat is to be fitted, as the car comes only with soft carpets. The alloys are from Hindalco (Aura brand) but branded as Suzuki (the "S" logo) near the hub centre.The music system offered is the 4 speaker Kenwood, with whom MSIL has an age old relationship since the 800 DX days.The boot space is quite magnanimous for a car of its size.
The DZire rattles a bit over potholes and does not have the feel of any tough Fiat, Ford or the Logan. Its typically a light Japanese car which promises lots of fuel economy and durability apart from low maintenance. The engine's 75 bhp/19kgm torque are quite OK for its size and for our expectations.
At Rs 7.41 L, I told the Dzire salesman that maybe I go for the Hyundai Verna CDRi ABS, which costs just some Rs 70 K more and comes with freebies and some discounts. The salesman was undisturbed, as the waiting list has put in some degree of confidence in their product.
Another gremlin I could notice was that the OVERDRIVE Jan 2009 issue (car buyers guide) lists the City and Highway fuel consumption of the Swift LDi/VDi/ZDi ( 1065/1075 Kg) as somewhere around 16.9/19.3 kmpl, whereas for the DZire LDi/VDi/ZDi (1115 Kg)its somewhere around 15.84/23.02kmpl. How come the DZire achieves this feat with 40 Kg extra metal?
So things going well, I will get the car by early April. The colour choice is silky silver.White was good, but my Maruti 800 and Bolero are both white.

[bullboy]

congrats. So u r also into the waiting list . My friend is waiting for the last 6 months.

[manish7]

In Pune, Linea Dynamic pack costs 8.27 on road! You may consider that.
Dezire may have upto 6 months waiting period

[ravibhat]

Congrats on booking! I hope you will get the car more faster than promised because next 3 months car sales expected to come down very much unless some miracle happens.

I advise test drive other cars while you are on waiting for Dezire. If you like any other do go for this. Dezire is not worth that wait

Regards,

Ravi.

[anjan_c2007]

Thanks ravi, bullboy,manish. Manish, I am not so inclined towards the Linea, as its wide bodied and even wider and longer than the Scorpio, I was looking for. In cities these cars cause parking problems.But thanks for the suggestion. As regards the waiting list, the dealer told me that some unexpected cancellations are taking place due to the economic crisis looming lrge. So hopefully, I will get mine by April. Will post pictures here.

[Eddy]

Anjan !! Congrats and all the best for a speedy delivery.

7.4 lakhs is the OTR ? And in Pune ?

[rayygeorge]

Congrats Anjan and welcome to the Dzire family.I have a ZDi purchased in June just after when it was launched. Covered 6500 Km and no problems at all. Am getting 19.5 Km regularly (full tank to full tank) with full A/C. No rattling issues so far.It is really fun to drive around even in city.You wont feel that you are driving a sedan.
Ray

[TheARUN]

I think if you are going for a DZIRE, you should not be finnicky about colour and variant. That way, you get your car much much faster.

The DZIRE rates in Bangalore are

• 6,00,000 for the LDi,
• 7,00,000 for the VDi and
• 8,00,000 for the ZDi

My personal choice would be the LDi, save 2 lakhs, blacken the A-pillar, get power windows and factory system installed at dealer end and get classier alloys and ZDi tyres.

Few things to watch out in the DZIRE

1. The boot hinges intrude into the dicky and it is not possible to pack too many suitcases, no problem with soft luggage though
2. The MULTIJET is developing issues after 50,000 kms and a lot of them are landing up with second hand dealers for re-sale

[amtak]

Congrats Anjan. I have a query whether you live in Pune or in Nagpur?

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

1. The MULTIJET is developing issues after 50,000 kms and a lot of them are landing up with second hand dealers for re-sale

Arun, is there a reference for this? If true - this should affect all cars - from Swift,DeZire,Vista & Linea.

[gkrishn]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

The MULTIJET is developing issues after 50,000 kms

What?!?!? What kind of issues? This engine is supposed to be bullet proof.

[Bubby]

Many congratulations Anjan.

Originally Posted by TheARUN

The MULTIJET is developing issues after 50,000 kms and a lot of them are landing up with second hand dealers for re-sale

What is the source of information around this or is it just that you have seen people landing with there 1.3l Jets ( MJD, DDiS, Quadrajet ) at second hand dealers.

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

Arun, is there a reference for this? If true - this should affect all cars - from Swift,DeZire,Vista & Linea.

Mate you forgot to mention the car from the parent company of the engine, the car being FIAT Palio

[Gangsta]

Originally Posted by TheARUN

1. The MULTIJET is developing issues after 50,000 kms and a lot of them are landing up with second hand dealers for re-sale

even i heard the same in delhi, but not sure if it is true or not.

[SkyWalker]

Originally Posted by Bubby

Mate you forgot to mention the car from the parent company of the engine, the car being FIAT Palio

dude, just skipped my mind. I though of Linea, but missed this one.

It may turn out to be a rumor - but still worth an investigation. I guess Swift is the oldest and easiest to verify. Dont we have DDIS here which are older than 50K?

[TheARUN]

I was recently doing the rounds for a second hand car, and the DDiS SWIFT was a juicy bite, but many second hand car dealers were complaining, they are refusing to take in SWIFTs under the park and sell scheme. It seems there are issues cropping up.

Look at the potential factors
- Small diesel engine, very less cc. I read a long time ago in a reputed automobile text book, a diesel engine needs to be 1.6 times bigger to perform like a petrol, i.e, a 1000cc petrol engine is as good as a 1,600cc diesel engine. Going by that calculation, the multijet is actually a 800cc petrol engine
- Developing too much power and stretching the capabilities. F1 engines develop awesome power, but last just 2 races. Its cutting edge engineering, where longevity is sacrificed at the altar of efficiency
- The DDiS is abused left right and center. See the way some guys use it. They use it like a two wheeler, going 300 kilometers a day in the city, they rip at every traffic signal, put big tyres and lights and make the car heavy, this is bound to take a toll

Point i'm trying to make is that the MULTIJET honeymoon is over. Its time for the knives to come out, and get some honest opinions.

All of us have heard stories like

1. New car gives 90bhp at the dynamometer, and old one is 60bhp
2. Issues crop up only after 1 year of actual usage. In fact so many people recommend purchase of TATA cars only a year after they have arrived and the teething issues are sorted out
3. FIAT developed the engine at a cost, and is squeezing its worth out but selling it off to all and sundry
4. MARUTI never had diesel as its forte, see the TUD5 it used in the ESTEEM and ZEN
5. There are so many users in a review site that complain about the DDiS