[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by karan561

Cruze (American) is a FUN car,

Cruze is Korean aka Daewoo product.

Do your research and you'll know.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Cruze is Korean aka Daewoo product.

Do your research and you'll know.

Actually, the underpinnings of the Cruze is of the Opel Delta II (German) platform which is essentially the same platform used in several Opel and Buick cars. The Cruze also wears Daewoo / Holden badges in South Korea / Australia respectively and is named differently.

GM Daewoo did play a large role in the development of the Cruze albeit in collaboration with Opel.

[dkaile]

If pure bliss in driving pleasure is to be achieved then there are still few cars which can rival the BMW 3. But as that would overshoot your budget why don't you give a pre-owned one a try.

Otherwise in the new vehicles, Bhpians have already suggested you fine vehicles like the -
- Laura VRs
- Jetta
and I would like to add in the
- Superb Petrol MT. May be a slight over stretch of your budget but there is no parallel to the smile and status it will bring to the table everyday.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

With no offence meant to Captiva owners, I find the Captiva good for nothing. It surely cannot handle the rough and definitely won't take me to Ladakh.

For whatever it is worth, a friend in Delhi owns a Captiva and he has done Ladakh and more with the SUV.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

For whatever it is worth, a friend in Delhi owns a Captiva and he has done Ladakh and more with the SUV.

For that matter of fact even Nano has gone to Ladakh. But would I want to go to Ladakh in a Nano. Absolutely No!

I also remember someone from this forum went to Ladakh in a Laura and when the turbocharger packed up enroute, had to get the spare flown into Leh. Would I want to be in that situation? Again unequivocally NO!

Point is each vehicle has its limitations and there is no point pushing the boundaries. That's all I wanted to say.

Cheers

[GTO]

If you are open to used, a pre-worshipped E60 525d could be yours for about the same / lesser $$$ than a new VW Jetta TDI.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

You know what you need? A Subaru / Chevrolet Forester. You could get one for dirt-cheap today and slam it with some serious performance kit.

Naah, Suhaas. Whatever Forester owners I know today are a sad lot. When things go wrong, no one here has the familiarity to sort things out. Part availability is a major issue and you'd have to import it yourself.

I've always believed that you should modify only an engine that's reasonably quick in stock form, and modification friendly. The Subaru's wheezy petrol is neither.

Originally Posted by pganapathy

Please buy it soon before they stop production though.

There is no production . The Kizashi is 100% imported (CBU)

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

then how about TDing the Linea TJet

Super suggestion! Power deficit aside, the Linea T-Jet is as much fun to drive as the Laura 1.8 TSI. It's got a better steering and stock suspension.

[Swanand Inamdar]

By the looks of your needs, you dont seem to be in a tearing hurry to buy a new car.
I mean, you already have two in the garage, and just want to get a new one, to add to the feel good factor. I may be wrong, but that's what I could summise.

My choices would be as under (taking into consideration your lack of interest in pre worshipped segment):

1. Linea TJeet: The engine is pretty peppy, Its a fun to drive car. You save on money (over say the Laura VRS) and can utilize that, in souping up the car!

2. Laura TSi/VRS: The only reason I say TSi or the VRS is cause the VRS isnt a true blue RS. Yes, its FTD and more! But the TSi is equally good.

3. Mind waiting for a few more months? If not, wait for the 2013 Octavia/Laura. Seems to be a looker.

Also, do give a thought to the 1.8 TSi Superb MT. Its apparently cheaper than the Laura L&K. But as a self drive, it isnt that great on the FTD factor.

If you do look into the pre worshipped segement, you could get a 525 or a 530 (not too sure) in that price bracket.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by GTO

Super suggestion! Power deficit aside, the Linea T-Jet is as much fun to drive as the Laura 1.8 TSI. It's got a better steering and stock suspension.

But getting a new Linea T-Jet is going to be very difficult. Stock is extremely rare, and even if you happen to find one with a dealer - its already been standing for more than 1 - 1.5 years in the yard.

[KarthikK]

I agree with crazydriver. There are very few leftover stocks of the t-Jet.

My choice would be the Laura vRS, without a doubt.

If you can live with low resale value and the Maruti tag, why not give the Suzuki Kizashi a fair shot too? the 2.5L engine is a hoot to use, and the car is going at heavy discounts currently. You can bag one for as low as 13-14L. Not to forget it is a CBU build, so the build quality, fit and finish are way better than other Marutis.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Since you're not averse to Fiats, the Linea T-Jet is a great option. Just don't forget to give it a nice set of wheels and tires with the left-over cash.

slightly , but it already comes with 205/55R16 tyres as OEM, in case you were referring to upsizing. Anything bigger than this is overkill, in my opinion.

[pganapathy]

Originally Posted by GTO

There is no production . The Kizashi is 100% imported (CBU)

My bad. I meant buy the Laura 1.8 tsi or vrs before they stop production of that. With the way the Indian car industry is becoming "dieselised", I could see that happening sooner rather than later.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by GTO

Naah, Suhaas. Whatever Forester owners I know today are a sad lot. When things go wrong, no one here has the familiarity to sort things out. Part availability is a major issue and you'd have to import it yourself.

I've always believed that you should modify only an engine that's reasonably quick in stock form, and modification friendly. The Subaru's wheezy petrol is neither.

Since Forester comes with turbo engines in other markets, adding a turbo should be relatively simple (compared to other NA engines which are not designed for forced induction) but very expensive (with genuine Subaru components). IIRC 2.0 Turbo version engine develops 170+ bhp. I wonder if someone has done this in India. I have also found that simple modification like KN filter has noticeable effect in the Forester (which was not as effective in my other cars).

[VeyronSuperSprt]

Originally Posted by MileCruncher

Hence want a fast Petrol car.

Want: A fast fun car
Budget: About 16L at the max.

A fast fun petrol car this side of 16L?

The Laura TSI.

Nothing else comes close unless you're doing a pre-worshipped.

[MileCruncher]

I have my date with the Laura TSI today. Lets see how it goes. However I got hold of a friend's THAR today for a few days to drive and experience it at close quarters.

So hopefully will have concrete viewpoints to share in a couple of days.

Cheers

[MileCruncher]

Its not going to be the THAR.

It may not be the Laura TSI also.

Watch this space for googlie!

[Omtoatom]

Wow building a big suspense, aren't we?! Now that you've ruled out the Thar and practically stricken the TSI off your list, I'm very curious. As I'm sure everyone who's advised you on this thread is as well.

Are you taking the leap? Is it the Beemer by any chance?