[Meili]

I would suggest Maruti Ritz or Swift Desire if you are after a sedan.

Both these cars have proven track records. They come with 2 ORVM's 2 reverse lights, wiper/indicator stalks properly configures, rear window fully usable.

[Skyline GT-R]

Hi. i recently purchased a Figo 1.4 ZXi, (Ownership thread will be out in a week after i finish my 1st service)

Did about 1.8Ks till now & i am pretty impressed with the handling & driveability of the car. The rear passenger room is as spacious & comfortable as a sedan & there is decent bootspace (4 medium size bags).

Fiesta Classic is the one to go if you definitely require a sedan. The dashboard design and many interior parts are shared with Figo. Good VFM.

Logan will damage your image, Thats all i have to say.

[Meili]

Hi dot

Agree with you 100% regarding seal belt being a life saver. Speaking out of first hand experience, I was involved in a moderate speed(70kmph) crash which resulted in the car rolling several times and turning turtle. The Toyota Echo I was in (overseas)was a complete write off. Nothing from the car could be salvaged. And yet, I unbuckled and managed to crawl out unscathed. No injuries whatsoever, not even a scratch on my body.

[vina]

Originally Posted by Meili

Who in his right mind would buy a Logan? Or for that matter the Ford Figo?

The Logan has wiper blades that are configured for LHD market. Are you going to drive around in that in India? Even the turn indicator stalks are configured for LHD. Also it comes with a single reverse light.

Ford Figo has all these problems (but not the wiper issue) plus its rear windows can only be rolled down half way.

I guess if the wiper blades and turn indicators were that big a problem then Meru/Easycabs/others wouldn't consider it.

Wiper blades are supposed to wipe the windshield and if they do that what's the problem? Same with indicator stalks. Single reverse light may be a problem but I hear it is very common.

As far as rear window going down halfway is concerned - I don't give a damn (nor should almost anybody else) - I don't expect my rear passengers to open pull down the windows when AC is running, nor pull down the windows much when the car is moving. And when the car is stationary you can open the door (in fact illiterate drivers in UP/Haryana/Delhi/Punjab call the door the "khidaki" - which means window, and not "darawaza" which means door).

Rear window going half way only can be though of as a safety feature too - the risk of a kid (or an adult kid) putting an arm out of a moving car is minimised.

Originally Posted by Meili

Why cant you choose some other proper car which can at least offer you the basics, for the money are spending on it. Please do not promote companies that skimp on safety or has poor design features.

I don't think I'm promoting anybody - this is purely self interest at play. I have certain requirements and I'll go by them.

And in your next post you promote Ritz - which skimps on real safety features even in its top end diesels.

[vina]

Originally Posted by Meili

I would suggest Maruti Ritz or Swift Desire if you are after a sedan.

Both these cars have proven track records. They come with 2 ORVM's 2 reverse lights, wiper/indicator stalks properly configures, rear window fully usable.

Both are cramped inside if you must lug 5 people. Under-thigh support not all that great, meaning people sitting in the rear will be very uncomfortable in a few hours (I get uncomfortable in an Indica, this is worse)

Also Dzire means waitlist I don't have much time to wait (not that I like the car anyway)

[Meili]

Originally Posted by vina

I guess if the wiper blades and turn indicators were that big a problem then Meru/Easycabs/others wouldn't consider it.

Meru/Easycab are budject call taxi companies. Since when have these people had the customers welfare at heart. And besides these taxis are not driven by the owner, and needless to say never driven with any pride either.

Consider that the Indica when it came out, was booked in bulk by taxi companies, for obvious reasons. Today it is the turn of Logans and Indigos.

Prestige cars only make it to the premium cab stable, and that's another matter to talk about.

I'd hate to see a gentleman like you get duped by unscrupulous manufacturers like Ford and Mahindra Renault. I am going through my Autocar vehicle list to help you choose a car in your price range. Standby.

If you can stretch your budget just a little, the Hyundai Verna is a good choice, it is the about the same compact dimension as your logan (4.3 metres) . Or consider the i20 from the Hyundai stable. Another capable all rounder with a good choice of engine. Diesel i20 is mated with a good 6 speed box.

[vina]

Originally Posted by Meili

Meru/Easycab are budject call taxi companies. Since when have these people had the customers welfare at heart. And besides these taxis are not driven by the owner, and needless to say never driven with any pride either.

Consider that the Indica when it came out, was booked in bulk by taxi companies, for obvious reasons. Today it is the turn of Logans and Indigos.

Prestige cars only make it to the premium cab stable, and that's another matter to talk about.

I'd hate to see a gentleman like you get duped by unscrupulous manufacturers like Ford and Mahindra Renault. I am going through my Autocar vehicle list to help you choose a car in your price range. Standby.

If you can stretch your budget just a little, the Hyundai Verna is a good choice, it is the about the same compact dimension as your logan (4.3 metres) . Or consider the i20 from the Hyundai stable. Another capable all rounder with a good choice of engine. Diesel i20 is mated with a good 6 speed box.

Meili

I'm sure your intentions are good. Thank you for that and I'll be glad if you can point to something I have overlooked.

I'm a humble man with much to be humble about, if my wife were not threatening a divorce ( not exactly, but you get the idea) I would have bought an Alto K10. I'm not after the kind of prestige that you gain due to your car, I have plenty of prestige of better kinds today. For now a Figo TDCI Titanium has been booked and if all goes well, will be delivered this Saturday.

I'll look at i20 pricing and see if it makes sense. One reason I didn't explore it was that many people had complained about a design problem with its steering. Autocar would never mention it because most people come to know about it after 6 months of using the car, while Autocar's job is finished in 5 minutes.


Regarding Logan as a taxi - I travel by Meru a lot, on the front passenger seat usually, chatting with the driver to the airport (and always tip 10%+) Also between Bangalore Mysore I have travelled by Indica a lot (earlier I travelled a lot by Indica in NCR) - all taxis.

The Logan guys always praise their Logan and are apprehensive about Tatas. The indica guys praise their cars too (though the cars look old, in almost all cases the suspension etc. works fine) and praise Logan even more !

I have seen many Logans with more than 200k kms and at least three with over 300k. The Indica that my taxi provider sends for me on Mysore-Bangalore has already done 400k and had an engine rebuild recently - the driver says the pickup has been effected slightly but I could notice no difference. If this is not reliability I don't know what is - you can ask GTO who seems to be bothered a little too much by his Merc these days.

The one thing these guys told me in no uncertain terms - regular service from a good mechanic and preventive maintenance is a must.

[mdsaab]

you seem quite smitten by the logan, so are you going to give it a shot or just stick to the already booked figo?

[vina]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

you seem quite smitten by the logan, so are you going to give it a shot or just stick to the already booked figo?

I'm defending Logan because it is a good car and people let blind prejudices without evidence cloud their vision.

I'm actually smitten with Manza (and would gladly pay extra), however TASS consists of asses is what I keep hearing even from taxi guys running Tata cars who are happy with the cars.

I think the next car will be one of these two.

Unless Ford dealership screws up royally or by some miracle Logan prices drop 50k in the next 3 days, Figo it is.

[A350XWB]

vina, I own a Ford Figo TDCi Titanium for the past 3 weeks and I have already done 1660 km on it. My brother owns a 2008 Logan DLS, which he bought used, when it was 28K km old. As a user of both the vehicles, I can tell you that Logan is one of the most understated cars in India. The ride quality is excellent. The engine pulls well in traffic and on the highway, it pulls well till 110-120 without hesitation (if you use the right gears and keep the engine on the boil), after which it struggles. The interior and boot space is huge, much better than Figo. It is a quite wide and a proper 5 seater, unlike many others. Handling is not bad either which I found better than the Tatas. On the top end, you get ABS and driver airbag. But there are negatives also. The ergonomics are not spot on, especially the placement of power window switches and AC controls which work the opposite way. In the Figo, you get dual airbags and ABS in Titanium. Also, you will get a pretty decent music system, with Bluetooth connectivity. If your primary use is in the city, I would recommend to go for the Figo else, the Logan. You cannot go wrong with either. Good luck.

[roy_libran]

Logan DLE 1.5 - 4 yrs of ownership, Almost 70K on the ODO. I can vouch for:

Pros:
- Overall build quality
- Engine Driveability and Refinement
- Smooth Gearbox
- Ground Clearance
- Cheap and decent A.S.S.
- Fuel Efficiency
- Space (Too much of it, in fact)
- Air Conditioning
- Excellent Suspension
- Good Handling
Cons:
- Wipers (Minor thing - Haven't faced any real problem due to this)
- Basic Interiors (I am perfectly fine with this)
- Image (I absolutely don't care about this)

All I can say is, if you are budget conscious and want a trouble-free and long lasting car, go for it. I don't think there is a better Value Proposition in the market than this.

[shridhar.s.i]

Hey Vina,
If diesel is what you are looking for, then why not go for a Punto (I wont suggest a TATA as you seem to be skeptical about it)
The car has a solid built and looks beatiful, in my thread you have mentioned Ritz Diesel so i can suggest that as well if you are hellbent on going for a diesel car, the Maruti *** is proven, the engine is proven, the cost is justified for the product being offered so all falls in your favor
Just give it a thought, i know it is a tough choice with all these options but if you read my thread i went thru the same trauma and finalized the Ritz as IMHO it is the most practial and pocket friendly hatch in the market as of now

[vina]

UPDATE:

the Ford dealership called me a few hours ago to tell me that they have the Figo for delivery if I have the cash ready. I'm kind of impressed, they told me two weeks on Saturday, 1 week yesterday and 1 day (including registration etc.) today !

Many thanks to everyone - in the last 24hrs especially to A350XWB. His post is making me salivate towards Logan a little and I might have visited the showroom today if Ford didn't have the car ready already.

I probably shall need to replace my father's 800 pretty soon (max 2 yrs) and I think the next car will be Logan.

By the way (this may be off topic) Fortune Ford quoted 16.5k for insurance, I told them I want comprehensive package riders and they told me that is additional 5k.

Does it make sense? For 2k-3k I wouldn't mind, but if the difference in taking insurance from outside is more I would rather explore those options.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team: Please use the "edit" button if posting within 30 minutes of the first post, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

[Fordmanchau]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you!!!
I guess you can negotiate on the Insurance cost. Fortune Ford has tie up with Bajaj Allianz, Royal Sundaram and IFFCO-Tokio for Insurance. Ask them that you want to speak to Archana from the Insurance department and negotiate with her for the best quote from these three companies. She will help you. I renewed my Ikon's insurance from Fortune Ford and the lady has been very helpful.
All the best.

EDIT: Also try to contact their Khairatabad and Tolichowki Showroom seperately and enquire about the insurance cost. But IMO mostly it will be routed through their centralised insurance section, but then you can take a chance.
EDIT 2: just guiding your attention to below thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-sale-m-m.html

[Meili]

Hi vina

Congratulations on your new car. If its not too late for you to back I would have tried a bit harder to discourage you from buying a Ford. If the deal is finalised, please do point out the glaring omissions and designer faults in the car in an attempt to gain a substantial discount on the vehicle.

While we were shopping for our secong car (a hatchback) although I refsued to test drive the car because of the many flaws on it, my brother did take out the diesel Figo for a lengthy test drive and he was royally impressed by the engine. So there you have it, to its credit the car seems to be driver focused and capable of proving fun on the road.

BTW if its of any interest to you, we still have not been able to find a hatch for ourselves and are banking heavily on Mitsubishi to launch their Colt in the next couple of months. This after we cancelled the booking made with Nissan and the money refunded after realising that their cars came with a single reversing light.