The VTEC strikes back!

Floyd de Souza · 12th December 2005, 11:21

Hi Goldie,

Congrats on your purchase.

I forgot to add one more point...depreciation. You buy a Ford or GM car and you have lost 20% the moment the car leaves the showroom. Its anybodys guess as to how much a Fiat would depreciate.

RX135 · 12th December 2005, 12:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

OK BOSS!!!

PS : Rtech - I owe you one. Hehe

Peace, aamen!

Just curious, did Rtech tell you to keep Fiat (and Fiat boys) out of this thread?

Floyd/Goldie, I totally agree about your "piece of mind" reason. And your S10 (or GTX) are *not* meant for FE.

Shan2nu · 12th December 2005, 12:33

Quote:

Just curious, did Rtech tell you to keep Fiat (and Fiat boys) out of this thread?

U wouldn't understand, It's a "Moderator" thing. Don't worry, it's got nothing to do with you or fiat owners.

Shan2nu

RX135 · 12th December 2005, 13:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

U wouldn't understand, It's a "Moderator" thing. Don't worry, it's got nothing to do with you or fiat owners.

Oh ok, not a problem! Carry on. It was just my wild guess.

Jaggu · 12th December 2005, 13:22

@shuvc:i think i saw the same color for the Crv here in bangalore

Sheshagiri · 12th December 2005, 20:29

Hey Goldie, Congrats and wish you a lot of fun on the new car. Buddy, did you get any freebies from the dealer. Mine is refusing to give me anything more than the mats....

Folks,I am taking delivery of my Vtec on Wednesday and a Bluish Silver too. Was wanting to go in for some basic extra's like Leathers, better speakers etc. Hoping you could help me with the below Q's

1. I like the Mags on the old Vtec, the disc like ones. Wanted to know if Honda still sells them.

2. If I decide to go for 15 inchers, do you think I will be able to sell the stock 14 inchers

3. If I change the tyre's and wheels, will it impact my warranty?

4. I have 2 year old terrorist in my back seat (my little chap)

, do you think leather is a good idea?

help

goldie_malhotra · 13th December 2005, 09:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheshagiri

Hey Goldie, Congrats and wish you a lot of fun on the new car. Buddy, did you get any freebies from the dealer. Mine is refusing to give me anything more than the mats....

Congrats on your new buy - its a great vehicle and you wont be let down.
Must say that Honda is acting very pricey compared to other brands - they are not giving any discounts or freebies - they never have and maybe never will :(
They are confident that they have a good car and it will sell like mad even at this price - they were able to carve a niche with the NHC and hope to increase that with the VTEC.

Quote:

2. If I decide to go for 15 inchers, do you think I will be able to sell the stock 14 inchers

Yes, though you may find a better deal if you go to an accessories dealer rather than get them changed at Honda dealership.

Quote:

3. If I change the tyre's and wheels, will it impact my warranty?

No impact as per what my Honda dealer said.

Quote:

4. I have 2 year old terrorist in my back seat (my little chap)

, do you think leather is a good idea?

Maybe you would like to go for PU instead of leather - it offers a simiilar look n touch at a much lesser price, and is easier to clean as well, a bit tear-resistant too.

cnu · 13th December 2005, 10:30

Ravi and Seshagiri, congrats on your new purchase. Have a blast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldie_malhotra

Maybe you would like to go for PU instead of leather - it offers a simiilar look n touch at a much lesser price, and is easier to clean as well, a bit tear-resistant too.

If you are ready to spend that few extra bucks, then go for leather. Otherwise the PU covers would be good specially if you have kids. Its easier to clean. I went for the PU covers for my NHC and it costed me about 4K from the Honda showroom.

Rtech · 13th December 2005, 10:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

OK BOSS!!!

PS : Rtech - I owe you one. Hehe

Shan2nu

ROTFLMAO!! Just saw this!

And no RX, it has nothing to do with FIAT.

Sheshagiri · 18th December 2005, 15:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by cnu

Ravi and Seshagiri, congrats on your new purchase. Have a blast.

If you are ready to spend that few extra bucks, then go for leather. Otherwise the PU covers would be good specially if you have kids. Its easier to clean. I went for the PU covers for my NHC and it costed me about 4K from the Honda showroom.

Hi Folks, I took delivery of my Vtec a couple of days back and trust me....its a fabulous machine. Its really a WOW feeling when you floor the pedal. I finding it hard to resist.....and am planning weekend drives just me make sure I finish my first 5k Kms ASAP.

I finally decided to go with the leathers and had them installed. I checked out Stanley, while he is very good....he charges a hefty premium for the brand name. I checked out Ivion and found them very reasonable and very honest. They dont claim to be better than stanley but they are no less. you get the same leather and finish for a lot lesser.

Stanley was charging me 38K for Nappa and Ovion did the same job for 27K. I strongly reccomend Ovion.

Other than the leathers, I restricted myself to bumper protectors and VTEC POWERED stickers, I also put in a Carry Boy boot tray and a Hyderaulic Jack.

When I have some more money, I will install better speakers and a sun control film.....Right no I am in a hurry to complete my 5k running in mileage........

hellspawn · 19th December 2005, 02:57

congrats goldie and sheshagiri on ur new purchases.....i was wondering doesnt nhc vtec have leather seats as a part of its equipment list cos i remember reading about it....the next question might sound it a little stupid considering that there was an endless discussion on it throughout the topic,but here it goes...will a nhc vtec offer better f.e.than a ford ikon 1.6?and if yes how much increase?

Sheshagiri · 22nd December 2005, 00:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellspawn

congrats goldie and sheshagiri on ur new purchases.....i was wondering doesnt nhc vtec have leather seats as a part of its equipment list cos i remember reading about it....the next question might sound it a little stupid considering that there was an endless discussion on it throughout the topic,but here it goes...will a nhc vtec offer better f.e.than a ford ikon 1.6?and if yes how much increase?

Hi there,
While Honda is a fabulous car, they are a little stingy when it comes to giving some extra's. The Vtec comes with premium beige upholstery and not leather. I ended up spending a bomb to have the nappa leather on my seats and door trims. Ovion did a fabulous job and I would strongly reccomend them.

Even the OE speakers are bad and not to my liking. I fitted in some Rockford components and now it sounds WOW.

With regards to the fuel efficiency, I am getting 11 kmpl within Bangalore city with 80% a/c. I have absolutely no idea about FE of Ikon 1.6

devarshi84 · 22nd December 2005, 00:32

Sheshagiri. your new car is giving 11kmpl with a/c. THis means that you can expect 12-13 after the cars been run-in.

A noob question. Does this car have a spoiler? Not the boot spoiler but a proper wing spoiler. Hows the power compared to the other cars you have driven like the ikon,baleno,lancer,optra etc.?

cnu · 22nd December 2005, 10:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheshagiri

....VTEC POWERED stickers, I also put in a Carry Boy boot tray and a Hyderaulic Jack.

Sheshagiri, How much did these cost you ?

Floyd de Souza · 23rd December 2005, 10:33

Took a short TD (about 1/2 hr) of the NHC Vtec yesterday. Called the car to my office at Ballard Pier and the route though short took me through Regal, Nariman Point, Marine Drive, Churchgate and back. Decent enough to get an idea of the cars abilities in different traffic conditions. My impressions as follows :

1. Very good driveability in city conditions. The gearbox mates the engine perfectly. Certainly better than my S10.
2. What oomph! : On marine drive, which did not have too much traffic, I floored the throttle in second...and wow...it just took off. The characteristics were very similar to my S10 though more refined. The engine has got a peculiar "growl"..exciting but not harsh.
3. Ride & handling : Excellent in traffic due to the light steering which though vague is Ok once you get used to it. Ride is harsh...you can feel the bumps. I feel this is one area where the City really needs to up its game. Tried an 80kph lane change to test the handling and thought it was decent enough though not great...most of the cars in the C & D segment have it beat...my opinion. I feel that once you get used to the steering (which will take some time as compared to HPS)...the car can be pushed.
4. Braking : Very good. A tad over servoed but excellent bite. They should have given an ABS/EBD option at least.
5. Gearbox : The best I have come across. Better than my S10..which I consider slick.
6 A/C : OK. I would rate my S10 higher. I feel they could have used a more powerful compressor to accomodate for the cabin design.
7 Fit & finish : What you would expect from Honda and for the price you pay.
8 Overall : It is worth the 79K over the Gxi thouh in my opinion the entire range is slightly over priced. If you do 60-70% of your driving in the city and want that extra thrill on the highway and are able to get used to the steering and slightly harsh ride then go for it.

The salesman told me that Honda was having trouble selling to corporates as they had withdrawn all discounts and it would be just a matter of time before they did start offering them(atleast to corporates).

12th December 2005, 11:21	#61
Floyd de Souza BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 321 Thanked: 228 Times	Hi Goldie, Congrats on your purchase. I forgot to add one more point...depreciation. You buy a Ford or GM car and you have lost 20% the moment the car leaves the showroom. Its anybodys guess as to how much a Fiat would depreciate.
	() Thanks

12th December 2005, 13:22	#65
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,369 Thanked: 17,301 Times	@shuvc:i think i saw the same color for the Crv here in bangalore
	() Thanks

12th December 2005, 20:29	#66
Sheshagiri BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 80 Thanked: 4 Times View My Garage	Congrats Goldie Hey Goldie, Congrats and wish you a lot of fun on the new car. Buddy, did you get any freebies from the dealer. Mine is refusing to give me anything more than the mats.... Folks,I am taking delivery of my Vtec on Wednesday and a Bluish Silver too. Was wanting to go in for some basic extra's like Leathers, better speakers etc. Hoping you could help me with the below Q's 1. I like the Mags on the old Vtec, the disc like ones. Wanted to know if Honda still sells them. 2. If I decide to go for 15 inchers, do you think I will be able to sell the stock 14 inchers 3. If I change the tyre's and wheels, will it impact my warranty? 4. I have 2 year old terrorist in my back seat (my little chap) , do you think leather is a good idea? help
	() Thanks

19th December 2005, 02:57	#71
hellspawn Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: noida Posts: 1,686 Thanked: 9 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	congrats goldie and sheshagiri on ur new purchases.....i was wondering doesnt nhc vtec have leather seats as a part of its equipment list cos i remember reading about it....the next question might sound it a little stupid considering that there was an endless discussion on it throughout the topic,but here it goes...will a nhc vtec offer better f.e.than a ford ikon 1.6?and if yes how much increase?
	() Thanks

22nd December 2005, 00:32	#73
devarshi84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Ahmedabad - Tor Posts: 4,024 Thanked: 213 Times View My Garage	Sheshagiri. your new car is giving 11kmpl with a/c. THis means that you can expect 12-13 after the cars been run-in. A noob question. Does this car have a spoiler? Not the boot spoiler but a proper wing spoiler. Hows the power compared to the other cars you have driven like the ikon,baleno,lancer,optra etc.?
	() Thanks

23rd December 2005, 10:33	#75
Floyd de Souza BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 321 Thanked: 228 Times	A short TD of the NHC Vtec Took a short TD (about 1/2 hr) of the NHC Vtec yesterday. Called the car to my office at Ballard Pier and the route though short took me through Regal, Nariman Point, Marine Drive, Churchgate and back. Decent enough to get an idea of the cars abilities in different traffic conditions. My impressions as follows : 1. Very good driveability in city conditions. The gearbox mates the engine perfectly. Certainly better than my S10. 2. What oomph! : On marine drive, which did not have too much traffic, I floored the throttle in second...and wow...it just took off. The characteristics were very similar to my S10 though more refined. The engine has got a peculiar "growl"..exciting but not harsh. 3. Ride & handling : Excellent in traffic due to the light steering which though vague is Ok once you get used to it. Ride is harsh...you can feel the bumps. I feel this is one area where the City really needs to up its game. Tried an 80kph lane change to test the handling and thought it was decent enough though not great...most of the cars in the C & D segment have it beat...my opinion. I feel that once you get used to the steering (which will take some time as compared to HPS)...the car can be pushed. 4. Braking : Very good. A tad over servoed but excellent bite. They should have given an ABS/EBD option at least. 5. Gearbox : The best I have come across. Better than my S10..which I consider slick. 6 A/C : OK. I would rate my S10 higher. I feel they could have used a more powerful compressor to accomodate for the cabin design. 7 Fit & finish : What you would expect from Honda and for the price you pay. 8 Overall : It is worth the 79K over the Gxi thouh in my opinion the entire range is slightly over priced. If you do 60-70% of your driving in the city and want that extra thrill on the highway and are able to get used to the steering and slightly harsh ride then go for it. The salesman told me that Honda was having trouble selling to corporates as they had withdrawn all discounts and it would be just a matter of time before they did start offering them(atleast to corporates).
	() Thanks