Finally my registration to Team BHP was approved. Thank you Admins. Its great to be a BHPian.
After lots of reviews (6 Manufacturers, several trims), i finally booked my
Hyundai Elite i20 Asta 1.2L Petrol and expect to get delivery before end of this month (quite surprised at the 15 day delivery period and double checked with the dealer that its not a left over car !!).
I had the following in mind before the choice was made:
- Driveability in City conditions
- Looks, Features ( i like cars with lots of electronic gizmos)
- Budget of 8 Lacs (Having sold my Pajero for a similar amount)
- Feel Good Factor
- Time to deliver
- Petrol version as i will use the car sporadically (no brainer to opt for Petrol, further petrol & diesel costs in Goa are marginal, Rs. 7 diff., from knowledge Diesel Cars create Service problems if unused for long time)
Before reaching Goa, had called all the concerned Dealers and confirmed Test Drive for the selected Cars. i.e. Volkswagen Polo, Honda Jazz, Hyundai Elite i20, Maruti Suzuki Baleno, Fiat Punto Evo & Ford Figo.
Polo/Evo: Volkswagen Polo was removed from the list as the dealership situation in Goa was not clear. had been following since November and no change until this day. They are not selling cars here, further bad reviews by friends who own the Polo firmed my decision to exclude the Polo. Similar Story with Fiat Punto Evo.
Jazz: Had a Test Drive, of Honda Jazz, on the appointed date and time, overall good experience, but was let down with the dashboard shape and contour. So another off the list. add to that a 1-2 month waiting period.
Baleno: Baleno was in the top 3 of my list. however, the dealers were not honest in their approach. Early December, i was informed that Showroom will open end of december in Goa and Car will be launched at the time. Regular follow Ups had new dates provided by the Dealer. As of now, Showroom opened 1st week of Jan and just the S-Cross on display, though bookings have started for Baleno, no way i would have booked the car without a Test Drive and first hand look. [Latest] it seems the Baleno won't be on Display until February and Test Drive Car late Feb or March. Further, waiting period (as informed by the salesman at Nexa) is between 4-5 months (not guaranteed), so out of my list.
Figo: Showed up at the showroom (in Panaji) on the appointed date and time, 8th Jan, and was informed the Test Drive Car is not available at the location. so discussed all other possible details with the Sales Guy, finalised the trim (Titanium or Titanium+ (as they had a good offer running for the +) and walked away agreeing to a test drive in 3 days. Similar to Nexa/Baleno, was let down by the lies as regular follow ups yielded nothing. They kept insisting test drive of the Diesel T+ or the Aspire Petrol. While, i was not ready to test drive one version and buy another. anyways after 10 days, took a test drive of the diesel version. From the first instance, the Car key looked as if it will break at some stage, it was thin and the plastic holding the key didn't look promising. second was the headlight controls which are on a switch in the corner, where your right knee would be. The test drive was good, the car has good drivability but lacks a lot of features compared to the others. further to the fact that they consider themselves a viable competitor to i10 (not i20).
Elite i20: Though the Elite i20 was not in my top 5 initially (i didn't have a good idea about the Indian Car scene, having lived in Abu Dhabi for several years), it moved up to the top 2 position, thanks to good reviews by several car experts. as with other cars, showed up at the showroom, albeit very late (having spent more time at Honda & Ford earlier in the day, a phone with no internet meant getting directions to the place was difficult and relied on asking pedestrians. Though the Alcon Hyundai Showroom is right on the NH-17 highway, which i found out later). when i meant very late, almost all the staff had left, except 2 or 3 Guys and the security. However, the last sales guy present was kind enough to entertain me and promptly took me to the Test Drive Car, Spent a good 30 mins driving the car, checking all that i can. I liked the car interiors and features such as the "Start Button". Came back a week later and booked the Asta 1.2L Petrol version, again a good service by the Sales Lady who handled my case. Prompt and professional, Still have to work out the insurance as i have had better offers from outside the showroom.
Make : Hyundai
Model : Elite i20
Variant : Asta
Fuel : Petrol
Booking Date : 14th Jan
Color : Red Passion
Expected Delivery Date : Last Week of Jan
Dealer & City : Alcon Hyundai, Porvorim, Goa
Freebies : Car Cover
Others : Additional Warranty for 3rd Year, Underbody Rust Proofing
What i didn't Like: The Extended Warranty is not straightforward, for ex. for increasing years, its decreasing KMs
What i liked: Fast Delivery and professional Staff and of course the Car