[anujmishra]

Recently I have started taking test drives of my probable cars in Bangalore. Even after taking few test drives, I am yet not realize few points which I was expecting in test drives

1. You can't really find driving position suitable for you in 5-6 Kms testdrives.
2. You can't realize full potential of engine on most of crowded roads of city. This is as good as any car riding on clutch on stop and go traffic.
3. Most of the showrooms situated on crowded streets or markets.
4. You can't adjust big or small steerings of different cars.
5. You may not able to realize turning radius of car during short test drives.
6. You may not able to get the stability of cars on high speed.
7. You may not able to realize stability of cars with full load.
8. Test drives involves greater risks as car maneuvering is almost new to person taking test drive. There are some incident posted on Team-BHP itself.
9. You may not able to realize headlights strength (this is low priority point but significant)
10. You may not able to realize fully comfort of rear seat suitable for you and your family or acquaintances.
11. You may not realize all gadgetry available in car for your requirements.

I would like to get the views of all test drive honchos,

• How do you really take test drives to take out most?
• What points people should keep in mind during test drive?

Please share your views here so that people going of test drive get benefit after reading this thread.

[Shan2nu]

To our family a test drive is all about those 5-6 kms. If a vehicle impresses us within that time period, thats good enough.

Be it the OHC VTEC, Innova Petrol or Wagon R, we've never regreted buying any of these.

PS : All you have to remember is that there is no perfect car out there. You just go with the one that satisfies a bit of all your requirements........or a hell lot of the most important one!!!! LOL

Shan2nu

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

a) 2. You can't realize full potential of engine on most of crowded roads of city. This is as good as any car riding on clutch on stop and go traffic.
3. Most of the showrooms situated on crowded streets or markets.

b) 5. You may not able to realize turning radius of car during short test drives.

a and b) If the area is crowded, then IMHO, when taking a turn one can get a better idea about turning radius.

1) Before going in for a test drive, be very clear about your requirements and expectations from the car.
This itself plays a big role.

2) One has to be very keen on observing all the points, like engine response, suspension, handling, etc. The key point is deeply observing all the points.

3) Dont be under pressure. Generally I have seen that there is queue for TD. Here dont come under pressure that other also has to take TD. Be considerate for other's but dont come under undue pressure. If you come under that pressure, you will not be able to note all the points and behavior of the car. The game is over then for you.

Take your own time to find the driving position most suitable for you. Adjust seat, steering ( if available ) to your comfort level. Drive the way you had earlier decided, not the way salesman tries to tell you.

4) Dont go with some prejudgment in mind ( about the car ), but go with an open mind. Its a different thing that those salespersons can ruin your mood, but keep that away.

5) Take family members and/or friends along. Its possible that they have noticed something you may miss. Their views help.

Generally I have seen that salespersons try thier best to remain center of attraction for entire TD drive and try to focus you attention on positive points. If the sales guy speaks much, ask him to calm down.

6) Take a friend's or relative's car ( if available ) for a drive.

[oss]

Do your research beforehand; most of the stuff like features, TCR, etc. can be found in the brochure/website.

TD is mainly to see how spaceous the car is, the ride & handling and the engine response, and above all how the car feels to look at and to live with.

I personally check the low end thoroughly as city traffic is where we are going to spend most of our time in and go for an all out acceleration & braking once to check the mid-range/quick overtake maneuver (in city driving conditions). The steering feel and the ease of maneuver/U-turn can be checked to some extent in the TD.

The ergonimics, fit&finish, how well laid out the switches are to reach, etc. can be checked in the showroom.

You can't really test the top-end unless you get a really open stretch, which is highly impossible in a TD condition unless you get it for a long TD to outskirts.

Always go with a companion to get their opinion on the space & ride aspects, as the sales guy will be bothering you enough with his useless talk, and not let you concentrate on the car/drive.

[ph03n!x]

While a test drive is good to take before buying the car, what is to be noted is that test drive cars are not the real deal. I was highly biased against the Punto Petrol because the test drive car was way to sluggish and clumsy to drive. That changed only when I had a chance to drive a friend's car on a long, in city as well as on the highway.

For me, deciding on the car is done much before a test drive- by driving friends' cars and getting their ownership experience, reading reviews in Team-BHP as well as a few automags, etc are the deciding factors.

The "test drive" at the showroom is not really a test for the car, but for the showroom and staff!

[iamswift]

I did not do test drive at all. Its entirely based on the reviews (a lot of it - the research last for about 3 months) and personal ownership experience from friends and colleagues.
I already decided on my car when I went for showroom. When salesman offered test drive the TD car was not available. I booked my car without a test drive.

[Axe77]

Here are some tips on taking a test drive as they randomly come to mind.

1. List on a piece of paper all your personal top priorities before going to the showroom to ensure you certainly have these covered when seeing and driving the car. No car is perfect – what matters is whether the car in Q. meets your list of priorities.

2. Spend lots of time with the car within the showroom before the TD. Understand all the controls in advance so these come naturally to you during TD and experimenting with these do not detract from your TD experience.

3. Anything that can be experienced / understood with the car standing in the showroom should be left out of the TD (e.g. music system – don’t experience this during the TD. I always like the music system off during the TD so I can hear and experience the car instead.

4. If possible, try and simulate all traffic conditions e.g. bumper to bumper traffic (stop and go – is there any lag or lack of responsiveness); mid range acceleration and flat out performance. I firmly believe in multiple TDs – visit a showroom that’s in an open area (e.g. Apex Honda in Sion is a better TD venue than say Apex in S’cruz). If you’re going to be chauffeur driven, get driven in the back seat to guage comfort.

[oss]

Originally Posted by Axe77

3. Anything that can be experienced / understood with the car standing in the showroom should be left out of the TD (e.g. music system – don’t experience this during the TD. I always like the music system off during the TD so I can hear and experience the car instead.

That's a good point. I always find the sale guy turning up the volume and putting the AC on full blast, but make sure that the audio is turned off while doing the TD. I also drive with the AC on at blower speed 2, but windows rolled down partially to check the engine noise and the low speed traction with the AC on.

[dadu]

Originally Posted by anujmishra

Recently I have started taking test drives of my probable cars in Bangalore. Even after taking few test drives, I am yet not realize few points which I was expecting in test drives.

You can't, unless you have driven the vehicle to some few 100kms which definitely cannot be a test vehicle. All brochures will only boast about the features and vehicles.

On a lighter note, its like arranged marriage no matter how much time you spend before marriage and talk on the phone, you get to know the finer points come out only after you are in one.

[TheARUN]

According to me, you have to drive a car for 500 kilometers to be able to safely comment on its capabilities. Not 500 kilometers at a stretch, but overall.

The best way would be to rent the car! Self drive a car and then buy it, don't depend on the showroom guys, they will be trying their best to get off with the 'formality' of the test drive

[GTO]

If the point of your test-drive is to evaluate a car from the purchase POV, you'd do well in sticking to the following guidelines:

BEFORE TESTDRIVE:

1. Knowledge is king. Good news is, since the advent of the internet, knowledge is free too!! Extensively search through Team-BHP (forum & official testdrives) to jot down points on the cars of your interest.

2. Make a list of 5 - 10 factors that are MOST important to you. Could be power & performance, back seat comfort, fuel efficiency, a diesel engine option, ride comfort etc. etc. Basically, prioritise your requirements. Why? Simply because there is no perfect one-size-fits-all car out there. What may be good for you may not be suited to someone else's usage patterns. As an example, the things that matter most to me are looks, performance, driving position & pleasure, brand / reliability / build quality and safety. I couldn't care less about fuel efficiency, and don't see compact interiors as a deal breaker at all.

When test-driving, see which car fits your requirements & preferences best

[bblost]

Goto a second hand car dealer.
Check out how the car ages, looks like, feels and of course a fair idea on the resale value as well.

This is in addition to test driving a brand new car.

[ikoneer]

List down your priorities and choices on what you want from the car. Then it becomes easier when you do a test drive.

As said by others, there is no car that meets all the requirements and we may have to look at the major satisfying factors or knock off the minor stuff and go for the best options available.

I always take all my family members with me for the TD (assuming i finalize on the car) and when doing TD it would be fully loaded. This helps me to know the backseat comfort, car pulling power in city traffic and suspension.

You can also request for a long TD session and mostly the dealers will oblige. But preferably, not during these 'sale' times

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

PS : All you have to remember is that there is no perfect car out there. You just go with the one that satisfies a bit of all your requirements........or a hell lot of the most important one!!!! LOL
Shan2nu

Yes, I agree that is what come into picture at end.

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

2) One has to be very keen on observing all the points, like engine response, suspension, handling, etc. The key point is deeply observing all the points.

3) Dont be under pressure.

Point 2: This is something only experience people on that can tell. Suspension, handling etc. it is very difficult to get at the time of TD.

Point 3: This is where most of the people give up and they tend to trust on salesman's talk than realizing oneself.

Originally Posted by oss

Do your research beforehand; most of the stuff like features, TCR, etc. can be found in the brochure/website.

TD is mainly to see how spaceous the car is, the ride & handling and the engine response, and above all how the car feels to look at and to live with.

Sometimes one's research data may not be suitable for you. It may be biased towards his likings.

Exactly, I also feel TD should be limited to space, ride, engine response etc.

Originally Posted by ph03n!x

The "test drive" at the showroom is not really a test for the car, but for the showroom and staff!

Most of the TD cars are not perfect. It was driven like hell in those few thousand kilometers and it really feel very old to drive after that.

Originally Posted by iamswift

I did not do test drive at all. Its entirely based on the reviews (a lot of it - the research last for about 3 months) and personal ownership experience from friends and colleagues.
.

This is what most of the car buyers do in India.

Originally Posted by dadu

On a lighter note, its like arranged marriage no matter how much time you spend before marriage and talk on the phone, you get to know the finer points come out only after you are in one.

Nice example dadu. LOL.

Originally Posted by GTO

If the point of your test-drive is to evaluate a car from the purchase POV, you'd do well in sticking to the following guidelines:

BEFORE TESTDRIVE:

1. Knowledge is king. Good news is, since the advent of the internet, knowledge is free too!! Extensively search through Team-BHP (forum & official testdrives) to jot down points on the cars of your interest.

2. Make a list of 5 - 10 factors that are MOST important to you...

Nice suggestions. Many people who take TD they just see how is seat, how is interior, how is music system and sitting positions. He straightaway ignore many important points which are vital for his decision.

[vsh]

Originally Posted by bblost

Goto a second hand car dealer.
Check out how the car ages, looks like, feels and of course a fair idea on the resale value as well.

This is in addition to test driving a brand new car.

very nice point indeed. so far i had not thought about it.