[himanshugoswami]

i would say T-Jet suits your needs to the "T" (Pun very much intended )

[raajks]

I have a suggestion,

Upgrading your car to a T-Jet now, may not be a great idea.
With new Fiat's 1.6 engines, A Punto Abarth round the corner. You may want to consider holding your horses

Why not add some bells and whistles to your ride
1) A Bilstein suspension
2) Pete's re-map would take your 1.6 S to at least 135 BHP
3) Better brakes
4) A good exhaust

This would keep you going for another year maybe, by then your options would have widened and you would have experienced your Fiesta in its brightest form.

Do remember to ping Jerish (jerish666) in this forum if you are interested in amping your ride!

[reignofchaos]

Yep makes no sense to go from the 1.6S to a T-Jet. You lose on handling and gain a little bit in power. But the gains are negated by the weight disadvantage.

It is not an upgrade - the only logical upgrade for you is the Laura TSi/vRS.

[Mi10]

Originally Posted by raajks

1) A Bilstein suspension

The Stock ones are probabaly the best in the Segment as far as an ethusiast is concerned. IMHO, makes no sense to splurge 80 odd kays here

Originally Posted by raajks

2) Pete's re-map would take your 1.6 S to at least 135 BHP

A Remap on a NA Petrol will probabaly get you 6-10 BHP at the max.
My car running Pete's Remap with a BMC CAI got a 79 WHP / 126 NM when Dynoed !

135 HP is not possible unless you slap on a Turbo !

Originally Posted by raajks

3) Better brakes

Yes, Fiesta need better brakes - actually root cause of poor braking is 70% shitty NCT 5 tyres and 30% Brakes

Originally Posted by raajks

4) A good exhaust

Please tell me if you find one. I am seriosuly on the look out.
Miltek has stopped its Exhaust for Fiesta 6 months back ! Most Tuners atleast here are scared to touch open a Ford ! :(

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Yep makes no sense to go from the 1.6S to a T-Jet. You lose on handling and gain a little bit in power. But the gains are negated by the weight disadvantage.

It is not an upgrade - the only logical upgrade for you is the Laura TSi/vRS.

^Yes. +1

Once the New Octavia launches, i think the Laura TSI price will take a dent.

[Mi10]

Originally Posted by anachronix

What! Dude, I would say take a test drive before you easily write the TJet off. The steering feedback of the TJet is as good as S and it times it feels a lot better than the S!

The Linea has better brakes than the Ford or the VAG cars too!

Yes Man ! Of course i TD'ed both old and new T-Jet.
Old was better to me ! New Ones sits tad high for gain my confidence. It may handle good, but driving position and height does matter too !

Steering Feedback, till date there isn't a car under 10L to beat S. I am telling this as i did a comprehensive TD of almost all cars before i ended with Rapid.

Brakes , i agree they are much much better than Ford.

Originally Posted by anachronix

There is a famous quote "Power is nothing without Control", if I was you I would fix the handling first.

I agree, but i feel handling is a over hyped thing for our GQ's !
Unless we drive in Track (for maybe thrice a year ?) or take it to ghats i dont think it so supremely important !

Reason is If i follow a Fiesta S with a Rapid TDI on a typical Highway, and if we both push, i dont think either of them are going to run away to glory (out of sight, to be precise).

I mean you can still live with it, not as bad as we think ! On a Track or Ghats its a difference story altogether.

Originally Posted by anachronix

Those are awesome figures for the TDi, is the S up & running now?

Yes, S is running on Pete's Remap + BMC CAI + Tarox Rotors on Stock Cams.

In another couple of months i should be able to fit the Stage 2 Cams + Stage 2 Remap

Originally Posted by anachronix

The Turbo Charged 112bhp TJet engine does make over 160bhp in the Abarth versions. A remap will only make things more better and its a gasoline and can rev a lot more than the diesel engines so it should have better 0-100 timings and even better top speed if anyone wants to do a remap!

Yes. Petrol Turbo Remaps are the game changers !
0-100 timings will be better even in Stock Form.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Yep makes no sense to go from the 1.6S to a T-Jet. You lose on handling and gain a little bit in power. But the gains are negated by the weight disadvantage.

It is not an upgrade - the only logical upgrade for you is the Laura TSi/vRS.

I don't agree.

A car that handles well need not necessarily be faster than a car that doesn't handle as well. Perhaps on a track but certainly not in the real 'Indian' world.

Yes, the Fiesta probably handles better, I'm not sure. I'm not the best judge of a car's handling characteristics. I believe that the Fiesta does have the edge when it comes to outright handling.

But attempting to carve corners in a Fiesta will get tedious after a point because of the stiff ride. A good balance between ride - handling is what we should look for, given the kind of roads we've been blessed with.

I believe that in the real world, a car that rides better is faster than a car that handles better.

While you will have to slow down in the Fiesta because of the stiff ride, the Linea's suspension is known to be compliant over uneven road surfaces ridden with undulations. This allows you to hold on to higher speeds for longer.

The Linea is a good 'parallel-upgrade' to the Fiesta 1.6S. If you're looking at new-car-options, there are few to choose from. The T-Jet is one of them. A used Laura vRS will be hard to find. The Laura 1.8 TSI would be a better option.

Cheers!

[Vroom barabar!]

You will easily get a 2-3 yr old used Laura 1.8TSI under 10 lakhs. It is one of the best cars to drive under 25 lakhs and is mod friendly too.

[vb-saan]

^^I agree with Suhaas, from the available lot (in production currently), the TJet looks to be the best option, and the GT TSI if you are game for a AT hatchback.

Regarding the Laura, I believe they stopped vRS assembly by end 2012. I read in the New Car price thread that there is a discount of 1.5 lakhs on 2013 models and 3 lakhs off on 2012 models. Do note that the 2012 Laura TSI Ambition is quite skinny on features, where as the 2013 models get touchscreen audio, Bluetooth, 16” alloys etc.

[suhaas307]

http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...da/Laura.html/

Here is a fairly new and low-mileage Laura 1.8TSI you could consider. It's in Mumbai and is advertised for under 10 lakhs. You'll be left with some spare change that you could spend on suspension upgrades or a mild remap. Or maybe new shoes.

[sandeepmohan]

I responded earlier to this thread query.

If it has to be a new car at 10lac, you intend on sticking to stock specification and driving pleasure is most important, there is nothing to replace/better a T Jet.

If you can cough up another 4 lacs, there could be some 2012/2011 Kizashi's still around. As a brand new (old) car, it does not get any better than this. Peace of mind ownership too.

[anachronix]

Interesting, are you saying that you found the Rapid to have a better steering than the Linea?

Originally Posted by Mi10

Steering Feedback, till date there isn't a car under 10L to beat S. I am telling this as i did a comprehensive TD of almost all cars before i ended with Rapid.

Lol! Then only track drivers and folks living in the ghats would have complained about Hyundais, right?

I agree, but i feel handling is a over hyped thing for our GQ's !
Unless we drive in Track (for maybe thrice a year ?) or take it to ghats i dont think it so supremely important !

With a lot less power and torque if the S can stay close with the Rapid thats a testament for how much handling dynamics are important than outright power!

Reason is If i follow a Fiesta S with a Rapid TDI on a typical Highway, and if we both push, i dont think either of them are going to run away to glory (out of sight, to be precise).

Then why bother with TC'ed oilburners, the TJet is expensive than the GT TSi and comes with lot more features, power & should be easy on maintenance cost too.

Yes. Petrol Turbo Remaps are the game changers !
0-100 timings will be better even in Stock Form.

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by wanderlustindia

Thanks fellas, really appreciate your words.
So far it appears the options are:
3. Honda Civic (used)

I am willing to consider the Civic now and I reckon I should be able to find good examples under the 10 L mark. How good is the Civic AT? I would not be averse to an Auto-tranny if the driving experience is not compromised much! I understand an Auto will not have the same feel as a manual but then I realise that I am not getting any younger, and that in Mumbai traffic an auto could be a boon!

What would a pre-worshipped Laura vRS cost like?
Any other options?

A Civic AT?! Well, no disrespect. There is a Civic AT and a type I Accord AT in the family. We just sold off our 1.6 Ikon Sxi (for an amaze diesel!)

My personal order of preference: Ikon followed by Accord.

The low end torque of Civic is sad, the Accord blows it away in effortlessness and drive-ability. The AT is very normal. Neither the Civic or the Accord are great handlers anyway, and you would never get that tight, frisky cat feeling which the Ford gives.

That said, I'd go with akshay's suggestion and buy a pre-worshipped Laura TSI. I guess that's the only proper upgrade. Yes, it won't be as frisky, but what a magnificent engine. Preferable anyday over the Civic. Suhaas' link is drool worthy!

If you absolutely must have an AT, buy a 2007+ Accord V6 and do it up!

[Mi10]

Originally Posted by anachronix

Interesting, are you saying that you found the Rapid to have a better steering than the Linea?

Dai ! Where did i state that ?, I have already said Rapid Under steers a Lot !
I told i TD'ed all cars recently, hence i have a direct back to back comparison with my S ! And None of them lived up to it, incl the Rapid, the T-Jet and the Polo GT TSI !

Originally Posted by anachronix

Lol! Then only track drivers and folks living in the ghats would have complained about Hyundais, right?

A Feeling of Satisfaction cannot be valued !
In that sense, yes a good handling car can never be replaced ! But from a purely objective POV, an average / above average handling car its not a deal breaker !
I ve owned Hyundai's Suzuki's Ford's Renault's and now Skoda. So i am talking from actual ownership perspective here ! I ve lived with these for a minimum of 1 year, so handling is a overhyped thing for an average joe !

Originally Posted by anachronix

With a lot less power and torque if the S can stay close with the Rapid thats a testament for how much handling dynamics are important than outright power!

While the testament is there ! Whether it keeps up or not is dependent on the type of road !
Fiesta is hard to beat in Traffic laden highways or Fast Ghats section. But on a typical straight GQ's, S would struggle to even catch up with Modern Gen oil Burners - (Includes Old/New Verna CRDI) as well !

Originally Posted by anachronix

Then why bother with TC'ed oilburners, the TJet is expensive than the GT TSi and comes with lot more features, power & should be easy on maintenance cost too.

Yeah i Agree ! What i dont agree is T-Jet handles better than the S ! Maybe our driving styles are different ! But i am just telling whatever i felt after driving.
Anyhow the OP has said he wants only a Petrol car, so no point in comparing with Diesel Cars

BTW, come over for Tea, we are just 1 Building away !

Cheers

[shivasuma]

Originally Posted by Mi10

But on a typical straight GQ's, S would struggle to even catch up with Modern Gen oil Burners - (Includes Old/New Verna CRDI) as well !

Don't agree here. The roads might be straight but far from being even. Just try taking a Hyundai (I own a I20 Crdi and speak from experience) at speed over the minor undulations on the road. The car would be all over the place. You can maintain a higher speed in the fiesta S than a hyundai over such roads. Ultimately, it depends on the driver. I have been overtaken by a Fortuner (I was in my Jetta) at speeds that cannot be mentioned on the forum. I thought the guy in the Fortuner was nuts and he definitely was lucky to have not had a mishap.

BTW, off topic, but I am selling my I20 and getting a rapid TDi on Wednesday.

[Sawyer]

A little OT, but it seems posters here could give a quick answer.
My son is looking to buy his first car, and has access to a very well kept 2008 Civic for Rs 5.5 lakhs. Should he buy that or go for a new Classic 1.6 by paying a couple of lakhs more? He is a good driver and values the ride/handling/NVH factors a lot.