[pras.oct25]

Originally Posted by newcoolgadgets

I am surprised by the FE too, inspite of driving her hard, I still did not notice a huge drop in FE (atleast that's what the DTE suggests).

You will find that often the car gives better FE with more aggressive driving

I will explore the tyre upgrade option, although I do not put the car in extreme handling situations. And Nagpur's market is not so aggressive as in the metros, so I doubt that I will get a god price in exchange. What should I get for the Bridgestone 185/65's?

You dont have to be aggressive to require the 195s for the verna. They will give you comfort like you have never felt before, and not to mention better steering feedback as compared to the lifeless feeling you get on the 185s.
I got rs 1000 for each of my 10k km run bridgestones. But I was probably just lucky. Prices tend to fall dramatically for used tires, so the sooner you change the better. Trust me you wont regret the change.

Manish, I am quite satisfied with the SQ. If you want to upgrade, I suggest you start with upgrading the rear speakers to JBL. If you are looking for more bass, you can add a 4 channel amp to power the rear speakers AND install a sub in the boot. The stock Kenwood HU itself is good, and does not need an upgrade IMHO.

I dont know about the new system, but the SQ is mind blowing on the stock sound system and speakers of the previous gen. verna.

[anekho]

neat car dude! may i suggest you get the rear de-badged? I feel it ruins the look of the clean lines the car has.

cheers

[breezydrive]

Originally Posted by anekho

neat car dude! may i suggest you get the rear de-badged? I feel it ruins the look of the clean lines the car has.

cheers

Like this! Looks cool!

[newcoolgadgets]

Originally Posted by pras.oct25

You will find that often the car gives better FE with more aggressive driving

Really, if that is the truth, I will be happiest person on the road!

Originally Posted by pras.oct25

You dont have to be aggressive to require the 195s for the verna. They will give you comfort like you have never felt before, and not to mention better steering feedback as compared to the lifeless feeling you get on the 185s.
I got rs 1000 for each of my 10k km run bridgestones. But I was probably just lucky. Prices tend to fall dramatically for used tires, so the sooner you change the better. Trust me you wont regret the change.

I will be exploring the tyre shops today to see what deal I can get.

Originally Posted by pras.oct25

I dont know about the new system, but the SQ is mind blowing on the stock sound system and speakers of the previous gen. verna.

I too feel the stock system is impressive. I was only suggesting options to Manish, as he feels the sound is not up to the mark.

Manish, dumb question but, are you sure your HU is tuned properly; i.e have you fiddled with the Bass, Mid and Treble settings?

Originally Posted by anekho

neat car dude! may i suggest you get the rear de-badged? I feel it ruins the look of the clean lines the car has.

Why, just the other day, I was reading a DIY guide to debadging on this very forum. However, I will explore that option later when I have had enough of showing around the ABS and SX badges to everyone in town !

[sylvan]

@newcoolgadgets: You have just pushed another person in going for Verna. I was contemplating between verna and optra (2008 model)..but optra was way out of my budget. Now with arrival of manza, I was thinking of going for it. But when I had a look at the suspensions, Manza had hydraulic shocks and Verna has Gas filled.
I think verna will not let the minor bumps and pot holes slip into the cabin.
Please comment on Verna Shocks. My main requirement is great torque and good suspension. Every time I drive past verna, I get a feeling as to why is the Verna guy letting a santro overtake him
Do you think, it will make any difference if I book a Verna in Jan 2010 rather than doing it now?

[manish.thomas]

Originally Posted by newcoolgadgets

Manish, dumb question but, are you sure your HU is tuned properly; i.e have you fiddled with the Bass, Mid and Treble settings?
!

I have tuned it myself and got the same checked with a pioneer dealer here in chennai. Anyways, I have to either live with the same or need to fix my old single din pioneer Hu which I ripped from my old esteem. The only problem with that I would completly ruin the good looking dash. No money for a double din now

[wind_rider]

@ New Cool Gadgets :

congrats dude nice ride, This was supposed to be my Dream car for purchase .
But thanks to recession and other stuff , my budget was cut short by 4 Lacs , so it has to be my cutie Punto for quiet some time now .

But driving in this mad bangalore city traffic , i am really happy with the Punto .!

[manish.thomas]

Sylan,
Eventhough I have been driving a verna for only a few weeks now, I feel the suspension is soft and very good for city drives, ( i don't know how it feels on the highway as I am yet to take a long drive with my Verna. When compared to a Santro its much much better. I owned a Santro before and can tell you the difference for sure. The bounciness of a Santro is not at all there. Ofcourse both the cars belong to two completely different segments.

[newcoolgadgets]

Originally Posted by sylvan

@newcoolgadgets:
I think verna will not let the minor bumps and pot holes slip into the cabin.
Please comment on Verna Shocks. My main requirement is great torque and good suspension.

Do you think, it will make any difference if I book a Verna in Jan 2010 rather than doing it now?

The Verna's suspension has been tuned for city driving. It absorbs all bumps and potholes and the car simply glides over bad roads. The NVH levels are so low, you are completely insulated from outside noises and cannot even hear the diesel engine inside the cabin. However, the suspension feels a bit too soft when doing high speed maneuvers on the highway (read 100+ kmph) and is a bit unsettling for enthusiasts. However, if you drive mostly in the city, look no further than the Verna. It's ride is more comfortable than the Linea and the Manza.

A sensible Verna driver will never race a Santro. He knows he can humiliate the Santro anytime he pleases, and therefore is amused by the Santro driver and lets him continue with his antics. The Verna driver will ony race when instigated by a Honda City or an Optra Magnum, or when he is in a tearing hurry to get somewhere!

I don't feel you will find any difference in price in January 2010, other than the benefit of getting a 2010 car. The Verna Transform is rumored to be launched in late 2010, but I am not sure about it. If you need a car right now, you can go for it right away!

@wind_rider, thanks and Congratulations on the Punto. The Punto is a great car in its own right, and I feel it is the only deserving replacement for my 2006 Zen Vxi. btw, did you get the diesel or petrol?

[sylvan]

Originally Posted by newcoolgadgets

The Verna's suspension has been tuned for city driving. It absorbs all bumps and potholes and the car simply glides over bad roads. The NVH levels are so low, you are completely insulated from outside noises and cannot even hear the diesel engine inside the cabin. However, the suspension feels a bit too soft when doing high speed maneuvers on the highway (read 100+ kmph) and is a bit unsettling for enthusiasts. However, if you drive mostly in the city, look no further than

Thanks for the suggestions. I really love this vehicle after having TD'ed Linea/Fiesta et al.They are great cars but I just like to feel torque at the wheels like Verna or Optra.
My drives will be 60% city and 40% highways.
There were concerns on Verna giving a boat ride on speeds over 120kph because of the soft suspension like you have mentioned. I have seen a few threads on tuning verna dampers a little harder so that it handles highway drives equally well.
Is it a worthy consideration?

[newcoolgadgets]

People who comment on the Verna's handling and nervous braking either don't own one OR haven't driven the new Verna with ABS. Agreed, the high speed handling is not in the same league as a Fiesta, but its far better than an Indigo or a Dzire. Upgrading the tyres to 195's will certainly improve the handling even further as many above have commented. If you still feel uncomfortable, (which I doubt) you can stiffen the suspension to achieve even better handling, although at the cost of ride comfort.

[sylvan]

Originally Posted by newcoolgadgets

People who comment on the Verna's handling and nervous braking either don't own one OR haven't driven the new Verna with ABS. Agreed, the high speed handling is not in the same league as a Fiesta, but its far better than an Indigo or a Dzire. Upgrading the tyres to 195's will certainly improve the handling even further as many above have commented. If you still feel uncomfortable, (which I doubt) you can stiffen the suspension to achieve even better handling, although at the cost of ride comfort.

Have booked a Test drive today(my 2nd after 6 months). This time i want my lady to also step on the pedals and see how she feels. I will post Verna's drive, its look and feel, from a lady's perspective.

[newcoolgadgets]

Originally Posted by sylvan

Have booked a Test drive today(my 2nd after 6 months). This time i want my lady to also step on the pedals and see how she feels. I will post Verna's drive, its look and feel, from a lady's perspective.

Make sure you test drive only the Verna SX with ABS, otherwise you or your wife won't appreciate it. It will be the same as driving an ANHC without ABS (hypothetical).

[sylvan]

Yes. I made sure I TD CRDi SX with ABS. Did you get Verna with Keyless entry? I didnt see this feature mentioned in SX.

[manish.thomas]

Yes, CRDI SX ABS comes with keyless entry.