[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

if only people loose their non-Maruti perceptions.

Well only if could match the unparalleled A.S.S of Maruti. Not only that, people have the feeling that if a Maruti gets konked on a road there will be a good bunch of people available to repair it. So that is very difficult to beat! Maruti scores here. So when people think of a good car, peace of mind is also a big factor they look at. There have been instances on this very forum where people have bought SX4s without TDs when it was launched.

[Sawyer]

Its a chicken and egg situation isn't it really. Maruti had the same issues in 1984, when every roadside shop could fix the Fiats and Ambys. But they have made full use of the 25 years to also build a great service presence. As will any manufacturer who wants to sell in volumes here. All of them intend to, some will succeed. Hyundai already has, and GMI is making the right moves, but time is the only thing that will answer this one.

[Takumi-san]

I am not arguing against the A.S.S. of the Maruti. After our own debacle with Daewoo and Matiz, I recommended dad against the Honda (despite their image world wide) and for a Maruti. That car has served faithfully over the years. Its also because dad abuses his cars like there is no tomorrow and I did not think that the Honda would be a sound investment. The Esteem hasnt given cause for complaint.

However, their esteemed A.S.S. goofed up not once but twice and caused the car to be stranded on the road. I have now realised that the best thing is to personally check the car completely including looking under the hood and at parts replaced whichever A.S.S. / manufacturer it may be.

But I guess in some corner of my mind I would not want my car to be that absolute peace of mind, fixed anywhere type of vehicle. That one doesnt sound like its got character or the X factor. Thats just me - and perhaps my youth talking ; its not a practical approach , but then my mind could never control the heart when it comes to cars.

Its true though, the A.S.S. of Maruti is a deal-breaker in most of the cases. This reputation has been earned by the hard work of this company and is something that other manufacturers should learn to emulate. Especially that of low spares manufactured in India and engineers that are thoroughly trained in repairing these machines.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

But I guess in some corner of my mind I would not want my car to be that absolute peace of mind, fixed anywhere type of vehicle. That one doesnt sound like its got character or the X factor. Thats just me - and perhaps my youth talking ; its not a practical approach , but then my mind could never control the heart when it comes to cars.

Go read my post on cars with character!

[Sawyer]

Back from a drive to Mahabaleshwar to check out the Spark, and the car did very well. Given its limitations. As I do in all my cars, I shut the AC climbing the ghats, and in this case, the 1 liter engine is noticeably grateful. Came down the ghats a lot quicker than I can in a SUV, and a lot more fun too. The great thing is the very little space you need to scoot by a truck labouring up an incline! If the car had an engine like the 1.2 Kappa in the i10, I think it would be a real blast to drive. The 1 liter is good, but the 1.2 would make it a driver's car as well. And the Kappa works very well in the i 10. Maybe one day we will be able to buy cars after mixing and matching engines as well!
Front seat comfort and ride was exceptionally good all the way. I still can't get over how small the car is on the outside, when seen from any angle. And yet, the two front seats do not make for a congested feeling.
The only disappointment is the FE so far. With a large amount of highway driving, and a light foot on acceleration for running in concerns, and 70% AC use given the good weather, I am getting just 15 km to the liter.
Perhaps this gets better once the first service at 1000kms is over and/or the engine gets freer in use, as they do once a couple of thousand kms are clocked. Any similar experiences?
Other minor glitches to attend to at the service is the parking brake setting, and a slight vibration I feel in the brake pedal when I use it at speeds. And of course an oil and filter change, as standard operating procedure I follow for all new cars, that I will pay for in this only instance in the next three years for this car.

[greenhorn]

hey. there are as many tata workshops in every nook and cranny ( god knows we need them!)

yet, that doesnt seem to be helping much.

[Sawyer]

Spark back from an uneventful 1000km service with the oil and filter change. The referred glitches are successfully addressed, and the engine/gearbox is just a tad smoother. No news is good news! Polite and smooth service experience.

[Takumi-san]

Nice to know. Regarding shutting off the a/c on ghats, isnt it a must on all cars irrespective of the engine capacity? I would even do so in a SUV - mind you not the flyovers / small slopes but for the really steep ones only.

The 1.2 L would be good, but the demand of the hour which the Spark addresses is a small extremely frugal petrol car.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Takumi-san

Regarding shutting off the a/c on ghats, isnt it a must on all cars irrespective of the engine capacity? I would even do so in a SUV

For once, you haven't my post fully!

[Sawyer]

In the city, with the AC on, I am getting a disappointing 9 kms a litre. GMI says that a FE check is usually done by them only at 5000 kms. Also, I filled in about 16 litres of fuel to get the tank to totally full, from a 3/4th full reading on the gauge. On a 35 litre tank, that does not look right either. Anyone has any inputs on these two issues?

[BomBatt]

Sawyer, 16 Lts from 3/4 position seems too much. The max I have filled from this point is 10 - 12 lts. Are you sure the pump guys did not trick you?

How did you calculate FE. If its tank full to tank full, FE of 9 is too low. I always fill at Shell. I ask them to do full tank. Once it stops at auto cut-off, my Sparky takes another 6-7 lts for tank full. In this method, I always get an FE of 14-15 kmpl in Bangalore city with 60% A/c use. In summer times, I have noticed that I get 1-2 km less FE as I use 100% A/c.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by BomBatt

Sawyer, 16 Lts from 3/4 position seems too much. The max I have filled from this point is 10 - 12 lts. Are you sure the pump guys did not trick you?

How did you calculate FE. If its tank full to tank full, FE of 9 is too low. I always fill at Shell. I ask them to do full tank. Once it stops at auto cut-off, my Sparky takes another 6-7 lts for tank full. In this method, I always get an FE of 14-15 kmpl in Bangalore city with 60% A/c use. In summer times, I have noticed that I get 1-2 km less FE as I use 100% A/c.

I plan to check at another pump from the 3/4th position the next time. The 14 km is what I was told too, did you get that even when the car was new? How many kms have you done now?

[gaddiwale]

Yesterday I took a test drive of Chevy Spark at Nikhil Automobile, Navi Mumbai.

Now I'm driving a 2003 Maruti Zen Lx (Mpfi, alloy wheels, new Bridgestone Turanza tyres, Autocop, Autogague Tachometer, Sunfilm, Insurance just renewed). Got exactly a year back from Maruti True Value (Rs. 1,65,000). Sofar the car has done 62700 kms and returns a FE of 16-17 km (with 40% A/C) in Mumbai traffic. Fantastic car to drive, easy to maintain and good FE from a 6 years old car. My dad has a 2001 Daewoo Matiz, perfectly maintained, in traffic regularly returns 17-19 kmpl.
I'm looking for a change now as I have driving Zen now I want somthing peppy but the price should not go above 4 lakhs. Thats why I have narrowed down to Chevy Spark 1.0 LT. It has body colour bumper, door handles, OSRVMs, Central locking, Rear spoiler, Fog lamps, rear power window, rear defogger, rear wiper and washer - a complete package.
Drove the car for few kms in Navi Mumbai -
1. Look wise very attactive
2. Looks small but it has huge space inside. Knees never touched front seat (myself 5'8").
3. Liked the beige interiors in Black colour model most.
4. Engine is very silent (driven a demo car).
5. ABC paddles are not well spaced, though not found any problem during driving.
6. Good alround view from driver's seat.
7. Clutch is bit in the softer side. Not got the feel of disengaging the clutch.
8. Gear is bit notchy, same as Matiz. Some times difficult to find the slot.
9. Engine is suparb. Great acceleration from a 1.0 lit engine in any gear with A/C on at full blast.
10. At 5th gear car can roll at around 20kmph without pressing accelerator and with no knocing.
11. A/C has got excellent cooling power.
12. With rear parcel shelf it has a really large boot in comparison to Zen.
13. Ride quality is good enough for a hatchback.
14. Smaller steering wheel is also very precise.
Loved the car, only sore point is the notchy gear shift, I guess because of driven by wire. Nikhil Automobile quoted -
1. Ex-showroom - Rs. 3,82,462 + Insurance Rs. 10,026 + Registration Rs. 31772 = Rs. 4,24,260 and during Ganpati Utsav they are giving a discount of Rs. 47,000. Thus the on road price comes to Rs. 3,77,260. Freebies they are giving Steering cover, full carpet mats and mud flaps. The valuer their valued my 2003 Zen Rs. 90,000.
Guys needs your suggestion. Is it a good deal? My Zen is really in a good condition and think Rs.90,000 is quoted less. What you all say?

[Sawyer]

You will always be better off selling the Zen directly. And consider the black Spark PS version. Even after adding a few essential things like the left side mirror, a sound system, and good quality tint film, you will still be left over with about Rs 50k. Add to that the Rs 25k more you can realize for the Zen, you got yourself free petrol for a year or two!
PS: The notchy gearshift is just notchy - nothing to do with drive by wire! But it will get a little better over time.

[BomBatt]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

I plan to check at another pump from the 3/4th position the next time. The 14 km is what I was told too, did you get that even when the car was new? How many kms have you done now?

I have done almost 14 K now. For the first 3000 kms until 1st service, I used to get around 13 km/L. After that for a brief period FE improved somewhat.

Then, I went for a long drive to Ooty and here something went wrong with my Sparky. I suspect bad quality fuel at a BP Pure for Sure pump at Ooty, but I am not sure. FE went down as low as 12 - 13.

During 2nd service, I complained about low FE. I might have completed 6000 kms during this period. They changed some parts free of cost (seal Hood, Sensor A-distance, some bolt & nut, Element A-air cleaner, Screen wash (conc.), Vehicle speed sensor (VSS), Hood seal installation).

Since then, FE improved significantly.