Here is a thread which I wanted to post before deciding on the car that I have already booked. I never had the patience to answer the two questions to become a member while I had enough threads to make a decision on what I didn’t want. The day when I put a little effort to register, I was already looking for accessories for the car. Yet I would like to share this small write up and get myself introduced to team BHP. And its only me who drives so I wanted a drivers car rather than chauffeur
Disclaimer – Cannot explain things technically. So forgive me for my ignorance.
It all started sometime in December when me and my wife decided to get a second car. Currently we own a Swift VDI(Close to 2.5 years). The first draft was very straight forward and it was between Scorpio and Safari. Little did we know that after exactly two days the draft stood as Safari, Scorpio, Ford Endy, Toyota Fortuner and Yeti (We wanted to get a Yeti the day it was announced)
Note – I am 6’1 and I drive with lots of space between my knee and the dashboard. So the driver seat is quite backwards and that’s how I test the rear space for my needs.
We test drove all the cars from the above list. And a short review on each one of them is below.
Safari – This was our favorite for its size, seating and the commanding driving position. The vehicle felt so safe and test driving the same both in the high way as well as around kathipara bumped up Safari to No 1 in the list straight away.
Cons – Clutch and Gear shifts. Not a technical guy, but I feel the gear ratios are set awkwardly. The Second gear in particular feels like forever and there is no rush from the engine the way you want your second gear to be. At least for someone who has been driving a Swift for over two years it felt awkward
Scorpio – My family members own a Scorpio(so was always against it) and I never liked sitting in the rear seats. Driver’s seat was a different story. Yet safari scored over Scorpio personally for me. I liked the ride quality even over speed breakers, better in safari compared to Scorpio. Never was in favor for Scorpio and the test drive never helped my case to buy a Scorpio. Personal choice rather.
Ford Endy – Best among the rest with respect to space. I liked the third row seat which was not as bad as either Scorpio or Safari. Definitely the third row seats are positioned in a way that it atleast doesn’t put too much strain for short trips unlike Safari or Scorpio.
Cons – Stiff ride. Cost was atleast 50% higher than Scorpio or Safari.
Toyota Fortuner – Fantastic piece of machinery and the only put off being the wait time and the break issue that every owner has discussed in this forum.
Yeti – Personally could not picture this in the same class as any of the above. I and my wife hated the rear seat space. Overpriced for what it offers and definitely felt like getting a size 10 Fabia instead of normal size 9 Fabia.
Cons – Rear space is cramped (personal feeling), very less equipment for the price we pay and didn’t feel the factor I was looking for in my second car.
This is when we saw the Maroon(Rosso brunello??) Superb and we started getting awed by the car. The first hint from wife on why not a Superb while we are ready to spend as much as 20L for an Endy or 22-24L for the Fortuner.
Test drove superb. One word to describe the car – SUPERB. The same day met my friend who had a Jetta who gave us a typical “Enjoy the car” ride in the Jetta. His Jetta was Black with Beige and the moment I stepped inside the car, it felt like I was being surrounded by some heavily protected walls. Never felt the cocoon’ish feeling before in any other car. He showed what the engine can do and walked us through most of the features.
We returned home around 11 and the list now changed completely.
Safari, Skoda(Laura or Superb), Jetta and Civic.
Remember we saw the superb first. So Civic felt too simple from the dashboard to the features. The price was steep as we were comparing the civic with Superb and Jetta. So the Civic was pushed to the bottom.
After quite a few hours of discussion we were down to Safari, Jetta and Laura. Superb was taken of the list for the 26L price tag of the diesel engine. Way over our budget. The first thing we test drove was the Jetta. Then we test drove Laura the same day just after Jetta. There has been no good review about Gurudev motors - Chennai and the service stories about Skoda played a part in our decision to go ahead with Jetta. Also the features offered at 18L on road for Jetta was too good compared to the DSG based Laura AT.
Jetta felt far more comfortable, the ride quality was definitely better within the city compared to Laura and overall Jetta felt more like a home than Laura. And then the ultimate factor, when wifey just pointed towards Jetta (Vanity mirrors off course played a part).
About the Jetta:- Looks –From the front the car Looks simple and will take a few seconds to see it as a VW Jetta. The first look will always remind you of Tata Indica/Indigo [FONT=Wingdings]J[/FONT]. It’s a boon in a way to not get noticed too much. A simple look at the boot and you know it’s definitely something huge. The tail light was one of the attractive sights for us.
Interiors – You have to sit inside to feel the difference if you are coming from a Maruti stable. When the reviewers here in Team BHP say cheap plastics you realize what they mean seeing the build quality of this beauty. Fantastic leg space in the front. The rear seats are short distance 3 seater and anytime 2 seater. This is mainly due to the raised floor for the transmission at the back.
Ride Quality – Superb(oooops). Yes its fantastic both in City and Highway. Feels like a tank but glides like a feather.
Snob value – Big time!!!!. In the middle of so many Skoda’s , civic and city, VW does stands out. Wife always said she wanted a Civic. One day with Jetta and she ditched Civic.
I have booked the vehicle and am waiting for delivery. I am taking delivery on Jan 19th being very auspicious and giving enough time for myself to drown in anxiety and excitement. Color will be revealed with pictures after Jan 19th. And I will definitely post a detail review of the car soon.
The least I could do in my Introduction!!!
VW2010
RE Bullet, Swift VDI and expecting the new addition VW Jetta !!!!