hi folks,
after lots & lots of thinking, innumerable test drives & phone calls we finally went ahead and got her home. (MARUTI SUZUKI SX4:ZXI)
The selection and convincing(parents) process:
My parents did not want another white elephant like the Octavia we have as the Skoda service centers almost never have the parts in stock and the car gets stuck for days at a stretch. you guys wont believe this but the day we went to buy the SX4 the Octavia's radiator fan stopped working and started emitting smoke. So we had to go in a cab to buy the new car as both the Octavia and the Accent both were out of service with the same problem and even Hyundai did not have the parts in stock
All these things convinced
my parents that a Maruti would be the answer to all our woes.
I was a bit skeptical about the SX4's overall quality after reading the Thread on the SWIFT & SX4 rattles.
But after six test drives and taking 3 of the TD cars beyond 150kmph. I had driven more that 100km in the TD's of the SX4 alone. All of this over almost all sorts of roads, This did convince me that the SX4 was a pretty decently made car and the huge Ground Clearance is one of the biggest assets. No more do I look at speed breakers the same way.
Cars considered were the
Optra 1.6 LT:
The Most underpowered car and equipped with the most pathetic gearshift on earth.
Honda City 1.5 S (Manual):
I liked the Honda but, my dad has arthritis and the extremely low seating position was not very comfortable. An added reason being the fact that it would be costlier to maintain. Me and my dad found the car to be bit Over-Hyped as well.
Swift ZXI:
Parents did not like looks. I liked the way she handled and was entertaining to drive.
A-Star ZXI:
Very cramped in the rear but fit for purpose and came with all the safety kit ABS/AIRBAGS
Ritz ZXI:
Parents liked the car but I and my Brother did not like the Blue dashboard, reminded me of the Polo Bluemotion (felt like getting that one instead), as well as the rear looks.
SX4 ZXI:
Everyone liked it. The high seating & ground clearance especially, it had a good engine, loaded with features, and the best part it looked huge in comparison to our neighbors ANHC bought a few days ago.
Hyundai I20 ASTA (6 airbags):
The 1.2 engine didn't seem to do justice to it. Although I liked the safety kit a lot. It felt a bit underpowered though.
The reason why this particular set of cars were chosen was because of the fact that they all had ABS / Airbags. And the size or segment of the car did not matter. I being a petrol-head personally wanted the car to be fun to drive. Since the car would be used by me at all times. My parents would be using it when the Octavia goes for service / repair / etc.
The SX4 seemed like the right choice. pics attached:
suggestions comments welcome!