[DieselFan]

How about Jetta Diesel DSG. It may be slightly over your budget but worth considering the same. Good robust car that will go on and on and on till 0.5 million KMs at least.

[Perakath]

I've got to say, in your place I'd buy the automatic Altis.

The Innova offers a lot of utility, though, with all that space.

[Jyodi Backster]

Originally Posted by Perakath

I've got to say, in your place I'd buy the automatic Altis.

The Innova offers a lot of utility, though, with all that space.

I would second Perakath.
You definitely need a petrol automatic for the stop and go traffic.
buy 7 seater Innova V, if you want to be chauffeur driven.
Altis seems to be a good all rounder for both good and not so good roads.

[Perakath]

Originally Posted by Jyodi Backster

You definitely need a petrol automatic for the stop and go traffic.

Actually I'd think a diesel automatic would be ideal given the higher torque and better FE. For example, my colleague has a diesel automatic Laura which gives him 10-12 kmpl. But it cost him 15+ lakhs on-road in Chennai.

[rr_zen]

If the car is not going to be self-driven most of the times, then the best bet would be the Innova IMO. Its a great car to be chauferred around in and also for driving.

[ameya]

Hi All,

Test drove all cars yesterday and there were quite a few surprises....

Innova D was ok: good refinement for a diesel and is just so practical. the vibration at idle through the gear stick is poor though as is the gear shift mechanism....you really need to look for the gears that you want to shift into

the Altis was a disappointment after reading the reviews....claustrophobic interior, over-sensitive accelerator pedal (shoots off to 4000 rpm at a mere tap) and the motor sound unrefined and hoarse above 3500 revs

the Civic was mind blowing: airy interiors, fantastic gear shift (slots into gear beautifully) and great noise insulation. good overall refinement. no 1 choice by a mile...

The downside is the low seating which means you need to haul yourself out of the car as opposed to walking out in the case of the Innova

Which led us to want a desiel motor in a sedan shape....enter the Laura.

It was quite a disappointment to be honest. I dont know what people here are fawning about its "german build" for....the rear parcel shelf rattles and there is a lot of road noise filtering through the cabin. I strongly disagree with anyone who claims that once inside, you cant tell if its a diesel. You constantly hear the diesel clatter when driving...the Civic is definitely more "german" than the Laura for build quality and refinement.

Owing to our mileage however, we might be forced into buying the Innova/ Laura which is where I needed feedback for you all with regards to real world fuel consumption in city driving conditions (NOT manufacturers' unrealistically optimistic figures!)

Could current owners kindly fill in the following for city driving conditions:

Fuel Consumption in kilometers/ litre
1. petrol Civic
2. petrol Altis
3. diesel Innova 2.5L
4. diesel Laura 1.9 TD
5. diesel Laura 2.0 TD

Also, when it comes to maintainance and service costs, I've heard horror stories from Skoda owners regarding cost of spares and level of service...any ideas?? how do the others fair in this field???

Low ground clearance of the Civic: data claims 170 mm when compared to 176 on the Innova....how can 6 mm create such a problem? the Laura btw is 164 mm

Thanks once again.

[ameya]

Can someone please explain the BS4 Innova topic?

Does this mean that Bharat Stage 4 emission norms come into force in Jan 2010??

If so, will all manufacturers have to upgrade their engines to meet the more stringent norms?? why only the Innova and for eg. not the Laura or the other petrols??

Where can I find more concrete information in this regard? Is Bharat Stage 4 equivalent to Euro 3??

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by ameya

Can someone please explain the BS4 Innova topic?

Does this mean that Bharat Stage 4 emission norms come into force in Jan 2010??

If so, will all manufacturers have to upgrade their engines to meet the more stringent norms?? why only the Innova and for eg. not the Laura or the other petrols??

Where can I find more concrete information in this regard? Is Bharat Stage 4 equivalent to Euro 3??

yes they come into effect in early 2010. i think it is the equivalent of euro iv. the innova engine is not of a bs4 standard and will have to be upgraded. engines which pass the bs4 norms dont need to be upgraded.

also the mileage you can expect in mumbai bumper to bumper traffic with an innova is about 9-10 kmpl maybe a little more.

[laluks]

hey ameya, my civic MT gives around 10.5-11 kmpl in city consistantly.
Max I got till now was 13.5 and min 9kmpl. So you can ideally think 10Kmpl :(

The On road cost of Civic these days are a major detterent, though the maintenance is quite cheap. I would have spent around 14K for all the services till 35K Km. My Swift costed more than that till its 20K km

[lancer_maniac]

Originally Posted by ameya

Hi All,


the Civic was mind blowing: airy interiors, fantastic gear shift (slots into gear beautifully) and great noise insulation. good overall refinement. no 1 choice by a mile...

It Has to be.Civic is one of the Best Cars out there in the Indian Market And About the FE my bro in law is getting about 10kmpl in city driving.

[amoghchaphalkar]

Ameya : my Innova's fuel efficiency in city is between 10 - 10.5 km/lit. Worst is 9 km/lit

Just out of curiosity : Why are you not considering the Scorpio automatic ?

[khoj]

Originally Posted by ameya

Hello All,

Thanks for your feedback.

I'm not a transmission expert, but the main motivator for me in considering an automatic gearbox is my assumption that automatic transmissions will inherrently handle stop-start traffic conditions better that the even the best driver who is constantly half-clutching his way forward. Is this a wrong assumption?



The main aim is to avoid replacing the cluch/ gearbox a few years down the line.

Looks like the Innova diesel is the logical choice. I hope the cabin is well insulated to avoid the 'diesel clatter' from filtering through....

Please keep your opinions coming.

No it is not a wrong assumption, you are correct in your inference of auto being better than a manual gear box in stop go traffic.

Inspite of the insulation a diesel is a diesel and clatter does come through. You do not want that either at the start of a fresh day or after a long hard one.

Get the Altis auto for further real world experiences with the car read mrkanitkars thread on 8500kms review with Altis here is the link

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...yr-report.html

[ameya]

Hello All,

Thanks to all owners and contributers who were kind enough to share the real-world fuel consumption figures on this forum.

We have shortlisted the Civic and the Innova. I am assuming both give 10 kpl in the city which means I save a rupee for every kilometre that I run a diesel motor (assuming a litre of diesel is atleast Rs 10 cheaper that a litre of petrol).

Which leads me to comparing running/service costs between the two. Could I request the same owners to kindly share the costs that they have incurred with their respective vehicles please.
For e.g if you could share the total service costs till date and the mileage till date, it will allow me to compute a cost/km for the Civic and the Innova.

Additionally, what (if any) parts have you had to replace? Our City for instance has had new brake pads, clutch plate, power steering pump, air filter x2, fuel pump x2. Could you add these to the service costs when you supply the figures please?

Thanks once again for all your support and wish you all a happy new year.

[vinaydas]

well there is no problem in driving a innova yourself.
its as easy or difficult driving in the city compared to the altis or the civic.
definitely will need small getting used to.
But the diesel engine will work out cheaper in the long run.

[amoghchaphalkar]

ameya !!
any updates ?
which car did you end up buying ?