The highway to Gujarat (NH 48) is riddled with potholes and have to be extremely careful to not bottom her out. (Have not done that yet, fingers crossed).

BHPian Dieseltuned recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A quick update from my side. I did 2 back to back trips from Mumbai to Gujarat over the last 10 days. Each round trip was approximately 550 to 650 kms. My odo currently stands in 3900 kms in less than 2 months of ownership.

Here are my observations:

• The drive is very smooth and comfortable.
• The stock 185 section tyres are doing well.
• The highway to Gujarat (NH 48) is riddled with potholes and have to be extremely careful to not bottom her out. (Have not done that yet, fingers crossed).
• Both my trips were during extremely heavy rains, when I say extremely heavy I mean RED alert issued by government kind of heavy, the headlights in such extreme situations seemed a little wanting. I could be happy with a tad more illumination on the road during such conditions. But, then such extreme conditions are rare.
• The NH 48 does not have a proper median for most of the stretch (proper divider with plantation). This results in blinding lights from the vehicles on the opposite side. The ZX headlights also seemed a bit wanting in such a situation, with very poor illumination on my side of the road if faced with such blinding lights from the opposite vehicles. Is this a case only with the city or do all the cars have the same problem?

A shot with my beloved city at my native village:

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Great view with the seat at its highest position, feels like being seated inside one of the tall boys.

BHPian Nalin1 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A mini-review of the Nexon (XZ+ P), petrol manual, after just a month and 600 km.

Likes:

1. As small as you want outside, as big as you want inside.
2. Premium interiors with a pretty big feature list. Though we are always greedy and want some more features like powered seats, wireless charging, wireless Android Auto etc.
3. Solid feel and build.
4. Great view with the seat at its highest position, feels like being seated inside one of the tall boys like the Scorpio.
5. Decent power and pull. Yet to explore fully as there is a recommended running-in period of around 2000 km.
6. Great seat comfort all over and a powerful AC.
7. Dealers are flexible. They don't care where we get the insurance from. And there are no handling charges.

Dislikes:

1. Bottle holders could have been a bit wider as only some selected types of bottles easily fit in. Or we need to place them awkwardly.
2. Cup holders missing outside, but present in the storage area and glove box.
3. Reverse gear. Can be a pain until you get used to slotting it and get used to slotting it without it getting dislodged on its own, while you are about to reverse!.
4. Missing seat back pockets!. Very silly!.
5. Only one cabin light!. At least should have been in the middle, if they were going to provide only one.

Here's what BHPian Sudarshan_N had to say on the matter:

Replying to the dislikes:

1. I easily keep 1-litre bottles in the provided slots on the door pads. Yes. It is indeed placed at a different angle (45 degrees). But I find it pretty easy to use especially when driving. Maybe you'll get used to it.

3. Yes. Slotting into the reverse gear is not butter smooth. But it doesn't bounce back from the slot. Please check it with ASS.

5. Ahh. Yes. The cabin light doesn't illuminate the rear cabin at all. I am using a chargeable type LED light for this purpose.

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I can't stop talking about the engine refinement. Its absolutely calm and superb to drive on the highways. Even in city, the engine doesn't disappoint at all.

BHPian muglikar recent;y shared this with other enthusiasts.

Update after driving the Sonet GTX+ diesel manual:

I got the delivery of my Sonet on 22nd June 2022 and within the first week itself I was able to cover a 1000 kms and even sent the vehicle for its 1st servicing. These 1000 kms were 60% highway and remaining 30% light city traffic and 10% bumper to bumper traffic.

Initial feedback:

On the highways, the vehicle is a brezze. The 1.5L diesel engine is fun to drive and works wonders at higher gears/speeds and especially when the engine heats up a bit. I use the Fuelio app to maintain logs and get overall average details.

First fuel up ever for the vehicle was for 41.95 Litres and 2nd one was for 39.59 litres (auto cut both the times) and with a mix of 60:30:10 I was able to get a FE of:

18.46 kmpl. Here is a screenshot from the app.

Few quick observations:

In city drive, if you don't use the correct lower gear (keeping it on 3rd gear even if the speed is say 20kmph) and trying to pick up from there, the vehicle manages to climb up the speed but the FE goes down. I was a bit lazy and tired during a routine return journey from office to home and I got an FE of 13 kmpl.

Then the next day I drove with correct gear shifting and I was able to get about 18 and 20 kmpl.

Bumper to bumper traffic completely affects the FE, and I was not able to get anywhere above 14kmpl.

This was for the FE conscious folks.

Performance wise, the vehicle gives great feedback while driving. I was confidently making turns on the Pune Mumbai expressway at allowed speed of 95-100 kmph with zero feeling that the vehicle "wont" manage this. I hope you understand what I mean here.

While driving, the best things are as follows:

Wide touchscreen, UVO, useful ventilated seats, seven-speaker Bose audio, cooled wireless charging, multiple active Bluetooth connections. I can't tell you how these features are a boon. I mean there are 50 other features to list but these ones are really the ones I have used the most.

I had a spare smart phone at home, so I bought a Jio SIM and kept this phone permanently in the car. The entire music system, wi-fi etc is run from this SIM and suddenly my "already" connected UVO car is an "internet car". My personal phone battery does not drain at all. At the same time, my personal phone can get connected to the system as well so I get to attend work calls etc too. Isn't that great? Don't have to press a single button to manage any of this. Just setup once and you are good to go.

I can't stop talking about the engine refinement. Its absolutely calm and superb to drive on the highways. Even in city, the engine doesn't disappoint at all. You get torque even at about 4000 rpm, but most of the times its between 1800-2000 at 95kmph and I guess that's what gives the 26 kmpl efficiency that I got from Bavdhan Pune to Bandra Mumbai. Here is the screenshot for your reference:

I will be doing a road trip soon and will keep you all updated. Cheers and stay safe, drive safe.

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For me, the Compass appeared as the perfect balance between a sprightly and comfy sedan and an accomplished mud-plugger.

BHPian Air Cav recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Happy to inform the enthusiast fraternity that after a sudden brain wave and inspiration I have purchased a pre-worshipped Jeep Compass 4x4 Ltd Manual. I consider this acquisition as short timed, well planned and executed and it has resulted in that which for me in essence is as having gobbled up a mouthwatering deal. Have generally believed in preowned till date I have gone to the showroom only thrice for a Linea T Jet and a Chevvy Beat (wifey's treat) and an HD Street Rod. Rest three cars namely an Ikon 1.6 (1st among equals), Abarth Punto and the current Jeep have been pre-worshipped.

The Compass is a late 2018 registered model with 17817 Km on the odo when I acquired it just over a week back for 14.5 L and I sealed the deal with full down payment i.e cash out and Compass in. I was never was much of an SUV buff and have always preferred cars for personal ownership as in the course of my service, I have been driving 4x4 all along from deserts to high altitude areas (16000 ft) and more from the old Jonga to Mahindra MM540 to Gypsies, 4x4 trucks like TATA 2.5s and Ashok Leyland Stallions, 6x6 Russian Kraz and even a Tatra 8x8 and many other things beyond the road or above it in the air. But the Jeep bug bit me ever since I drove my brothers Compass (2021) 4x2 last year right after his purchase. This was a vehicle that offered the true ruggedness of an SUV and the dynamics of a well sorted road car. Rest of the capable ones (except the Audi Q3) appeared to me as either bumpy or lumpy and no matter their creature comforts or "presence" they did not prove to be comfortable on road as a road car of the same price range and that is important for me from the perspective of peronals ownership. That may be due to the fact that for 'the great outdoors' I have never required a personal vehicle. The balance of the candidates appeared just like French pastries or Jacked up hatchbacks masquerading as SUVs as if in a Pantomime.

For me, the Compass appeared as the perfect balance between a sprightly and comfy sedan and an accomplished mud-plugger. I was clear on two things for owning an SUV. It had to be 4x4 (preferably manual) and had to move good enough on the road such that I did not miss a good road car while driving. Only other vehicle I seriously was tempted to buy was a 12 year old Grand Vitara done only 60K. Even though it was costing me nearly three quarter less than the Compass, and a petrol, (I've could never make myself be concerned with kpl), I let it go for the concerns on the practicality of owning such an old car given the constantly mobile nature of my service. The GV was in fine nick though.

Nonetheless, all is well that ends well and I'm posting a few images of my new love, and she's one hell of a looker and a heaven of a grinder. Hope to keep driving her well and the first thing I did was to get her new shoes in 225/65 R17 spec, and they are way better than the stock size.

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Initially, I had a plan to get the Graphene coating from Schimmer, Kochi straight after taking delivery, but then I had to travel to Trivandrum before that could happen.

BHPian dragontailonfire recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Its been just about a month that I took delivery of my Skoda Slavia 1.5 TSI MT and I have been thoroughly enjoying the experience. 

I finally got the Graphene coating done, and also dechromed few of the bits on the car. Got both both from Schimmer, Kochi.

From the detailing studio:

Out in the rain:

Really shiny now:

Here's what BHPian Vid6639 had to say on the matter:

Is that a wrap on the grill and window chrome strip or painted?

dragontailonfire replied:

Window chrome strip is untouched. Black paint for all the chrome in the front grill, the eyebrows above the fog lamps, the door handles, the rear strip above the reflectors and the rear badges (except the sides and front).

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The initial candidates were the usual 6/7 seaters - Ertiga and XL6, but somehow after TDs, I wasn't convinced. Then came the Triber, and I must say, their marketing had me hooked.

BHPian fatman2022 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I had been eyeing a new car for a few years now, with our old trusty Santro running for well over 16 years. The car was bought when I entered graduation, and 16 years later, with 2 kids, lots of white hair, increasing family size (and waistline), it was time to upgrade to something bigger.

The initial candidates were the usual 6/7 seaters - Ertiga and XL6, but somehow after TDs, I wasn't convinced. Then came the Triber, and I must say, their marketing had me hooked. Test drove a vehicle, and while it was responsive as a 2/3 people carrier, it did struggle with 6 people onboard. Pandemic hit, and while the choice (and need) of a new car was gone, the lust remained.

2022 bought some good news, and I could lift my budget from 12-13 lakhs to ~ 20 lakhs.

Fortunately, it was around the same time the Carens was launched. It would be negligent of me if I don't praise the passionately excellent Team BHP community, where I looked at every review, official or otherwise, and gained informative insights on not just the Carens, but on the whole process of car selection and buying (after all, it has been 16+ years !). Test drove the diesel MT and AT variants in March, and booked the Luxury Plus diesel 6 STR MT on the spot at Lohia Kia, Noida. April bought the bad news of a price hike, but as luck would have it, the company I work for bought major revisions to their car policies. Under the change, the company would pay for nearly 95% of the ORP of the variant I booked - the only caveat was I needed to buy the car from the same city where the company's offices are located.

Noida and Delhi were out since those offices were closed during lockdown, but luckily we had one not far away, in Lucknow. Being a Lucknownite (stayed for nearly 20 years), couldn't miss this opportunity to visit the City of Nawabs again. Enquired with the 2 Kia dealerships in Lucknow via my contacts, and one of them had a Grey variant (my choice of color was Blue or Red), with the same config, in their yard, ready to be booked and delivered as long as the payment was done on time. I reckon diesels don't sell well in Lucknow, since I saw nearly 6x the number of turbo petrols in the same yard a few days later (and the other dealer also had 2-3 ready to delivered petrol models too).

Long story short, pestered my finance guys at work (a bit too much) to get the payments done on time (got delayed as this was the Good Friday long weekend - apparently RTGS also takes holidays in spite of 24*7 claims - story for another day) - and got the car handed over on 16th April. Felt quite lucky since Lohia Noida asked me to wait for over 24 weeks.

Got the number plate in 1 day, and RC in the next few days. The car also got to stretch it's legs on the pretty awesome Lucknow Agra highway. Absolutely loved the drive. The Agra Noida highway (Yamuna expressway) was muted in comparison (road quality isn't nearly as good).

Got my 1st service done recently, and overall, extremely satisfied with the car. The air con is superb, it's spacious enough for my family of 6, captain seats are comfortable, and the NVH levels are muted when inside the car. Body roll is under control, and the car felt light footed on the expressways. Overtaking also seemed a breeze (we were just 2 people in the car during the expressway drive), and city driving isn't as difficult as I thought it would be (seems I am getting used to the clutch accelerator combo, and the initial lag). The sunroof, while small (I personally don't see the need of a sunroof in India), is still a novelty for the kids, and they love ogling through the glass.

Biggest cons are the speakers. They are simply adequate, and a car at this price deserves much better.

I also had the same TPMS issue faced by BHPian pseudo_coder post delivery. Quite literally within minutes of getting the car delivered, both the TPMS and Master Warning Light were on. I rechecked with the dealer - who checked with their trainer, who said this is common as some steps might have been missed during PDI (??), and it will go away after a "few" kms. Wasn't satisfied, so dug through the manual, and it said that TPMS warning does bring the Master Warning on as well.

Got the tyres filled to 34 to no avail. Finally pushed them to 36, and voila, the TPMS read the pressure as 34, and both the warning lights went off.

Got the tyre pressure rechecked at Noida, at the regular pump I go to (Bharat Petrol Pump, Sec 51), and their calibration very closely matches that of the TPMS. While the service centre recommended 35 PSI for all 4 tyres, I felt the feedback to be hard. Went with 33 on all 4 (TPMS reads them between 32-34 while driving), and the drive is a lot more "cushiony".

I am absolutely enjoying the car though, and earlier, while I would find any excuse to NOT drive the Santro, nowadays, I am finding ways to get behind the seat and go for a ride!

Would really like to thank all the members on this forum/thread for your comments, which are read by thousands of (then) unregistered amateurs like me to help make a purchase decision.

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A massive upgrade from my 1st gen Figo. The abundance of power, lack of vibration, absence of the gruff engine noise, the space in the cabin and the smart looking interiors all felt so strange and awesome at the same time.

BHPian dragntailonfire recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Slavia is home early:

The customary call-out: long post alert. I have started laying the groundwork for a detailed ownership thread, but before that, I wanted to share my booking, delivery, and usage journey so far.

It has been a little over a week and around 600 kilometers since I took delivery of my Slavia, and on every day, several times, without fail, I go near and gaze at the sharp lines and the beautiful curves for entirely too much time (According to my family, that is).

Compared to other folks, I think my booking to delivery time was extremely fast, but even then, it felt like a long-drawn-out drama with enough twists to qualify as an M. Night Shyamalan script.

This chapter started off as a 1L manual Ambition trim booking from Malayalam Skoda, Trivandrum, on May 1st. I had a test drive the week earlier, and the Sales Advisor (SA) was following up every couple of days. I wanted to try the 1.5, but it was not available at that time. They gave the tentative timeline as end of May when they will get one for test drives. Anyhow I went to the showroom and paid the booking amount of 25000 rupees and booked Ambition model with a promise that they will call me before confirming the model to the factory. The last part was explicitly mentioned because I had some confusion on the variant I wanted, and if I felt the need to upgrade my variant of choice, I can do it at that time.

Then came the first twist: the SA called me 2 days later and said they have the vehicle ready to be shipped from the factory and asked if I was ready to take delivery on the next week.

I was completely caught off guard, and after multiple calls, which also included talking to their team lead/manager, I rejected that vehicle, and the booking was changed to 1.5 manual. At that time, I was informed that the waiting period will be 4 months for the 1.5 manual, and I resigned myself to wait. This meant I would have ample time to set all my financials in order.

But as fate would have it, I got a surprise call from my friend (who also had a 1.5 manual booking) on 21st May that a 1.5 manual is available with Kochi dealers. I was really conflicted over this since I did not get enough time to arrange my financials or had a chance to sell my existing car, and I was debating furiously in my mind what to do next.

All my reservations were laid to rest when I heard a couple of news during my visit to the VW showroom, where I went to check out the Virtus:

• First news: Malayalam Skoda in Trivandrum are shutting down within few months (possibly getting replaced by EVM Skoda).
• Second news: Price hike on ex-showroom, insurance, and road tax, and to top it all - several features getting removed from the Style variant.

After a lot of discussions with family, friends, and the SA my friend was dealing with, I ended up transferring a booking amount of 11000 rupees to EVM Skoda in Kochi on the very same day (Why is there a booking amount discrepancy between Trivandrum and Kochi dealers?).

The next few days passed like a whirlwind - I was in a daze trying to get all my stuff in order: arranging the down payment, finalizing the insurance, the loan, then selling the existing vehicle, oh my gosh, I was totally overwhelmed! I decided to get the financing and insurance done all via Skoda itself. After some comparisons, I settled on SBI for the loan and HDFC Ergo for the vehicle insurance.

I planned to travel to Kochi on that Saturday, get the PDI complete and then decide on next steps afterwards. This is where I really appreciate the EVM folks - the vehicle was in-transit at that time, but they did not push me to make any further down payment, they promptly shared the vehicle VIN details on the next day after I transferred the booking amount and were perfectly happy to wait till my PDI was complete before going ahead with the registration process. But then came another twist: the vehicle was going to Kozhikode dealership instead of Kochi, and I had to decide to either go to Kozhikode, or get it driven over to Kochi. Reluctantly, I agreed to let them drive the vehicle to Kochi, and then do my PDI from there.

Fast forward to Saturday the 30th of May, and finally…

PDI in progress:

192 km since it was driven down to Kochi from Kozhikode:

A tine mark here:

PDI went well for both my friend and me. The only issue I could spot was a mark below the fuel filler for my allotted car. But it was very tiny, and could not be felt, and I was confident that a polish would take care of it. His was Candy white model and looked very neat. Both the cars were lying out on the yard under the merciless glare of the afternoon sun, and I got to experience the stark difference between the 2 colour models. If the insides of the White one felt like a sauna, the Carbon Grey felt like a boiling furnace. We were glad to get out of the sun and on to the shades where we finalised the next steps. Since the price hike was imminent, all of us were eager to go ahead with the purchase and we both gave the confirmation to the SA. Also, since it was a Saturday, the loan transfer had to wait till Monday, and we decided to transfer the down payment also on Monday. This would have given us ample time to finish the formalities before the new month starts.

The next few days were agonising, having seen the car, but unable to take it. Come Monday, further tension was added when the loan amount was not credited till end of evening. Apparently, SBI had a server issue, and they could not transfer the loan amount to the dealers before that. I was worried that we were going to get the car based on the hiked amount, until I was reminded that May had 31 days and not 30.

Next day, the registration process was done from the dealer side, but I received the Form 20 only on June 1st. Those 2 days were even more agonising - we were wondering if more payment must be done if the registration falls over to the next month. Luckily, the entire registration was done with the original on-road amount, but the wait continued to get the plates printed and installed.

Then, on that week Saturday, the wait ended; and I got to see her, all clean, shiny, and ready to set the roads on fire.

Last round of checking before taking delivery:

Waiting to be unleashed:

Happy family:

First bellyfull of XP95 petrol:

Delivery went without any major hiccups. But I found that several wheel nuts were missing the plastic cover. My SA promised that he will courier them to me later:

I drove down to Trivandrum early next day and I was grinning from ear to ear the entire journey. Few observations from that journey and other short trips:

• A massive upgrade from my 1st gen Figo. The abundance of power, lack of vibration, absence of the gruff engine noise, the space in the cabin and the smart looking interiors all felt so strange and awesome at the same time.
• Even though I used to love the steering feedback that the Figo gave me, I am really enjoying the light yet sharp steering of the Slavia. Smooth and effortless during city speeds and stable and secure when I was in the highways doing about 80 or so. But the feel I used to get from Figo is missing. Strangely though, I am not missing it too much, because this was one of my main gripes during the test drive.
• Gearshifts are smoother than in my Figo but shifting from 2 to 3 and 3 to 2 is not that smooth. I also felt this in the 1L test drive vehicle. No problem for changing to other gears.
• I am so used to fiddling with the buttons and stalks, it felt nice when the auto wipers kicked in when the inevitable rains started, and when the auto lights came on and switched off for all the right scenarios.
• Zero fatigue felt after the journey. Even though the trip was only about 200 kms, I usually feel a bit uncomfortable because of the harsher ride and roughness in the Figo. But I was feeling fresh and ready for more at the end of the trip.
• As mentioned in the user manual, I never went above 3/4th of the max engine speed, but even going till 3000-3500 rpm felt thrilling, and the overtakes which I never even dreamt of doing in my Figo, were dismissed with grace and aplomb by the Slavia.
• At speed, all the road imperfections are ironed out, but large potholes are felt with a load thud inside the cabin. Really pained to hear that a couple of times when a sudden pothole appeared on smooth highway road.
• For me the brakes were excellent, and the car stopped on a dime whenever I wanted it to, but then again, I did not have to do any hard braking. However, my friend mentioned something concerning: During highway runs and braking for a speed bump from high speeds, the car will stop all right, but with a lot of drama. He said the steering went extremely light and the car swayed to the sides. Have any fellow owners experienced anything like this under hard braking?
• At the back, the passenger in the middle is always uncomfortable due to the contoured finish of the seats. It is best for 2 at the back.
• My risk appetite was not high enough to go for the DSG, even though I wanted to have an automatic for my next vehicle. Knowing all the horror stories associated with this gear box kept me away from that model. I have never felt that the manual gearbox is a liability unless I am stuck in traffic. Since that happens very rarely for me, I am completely satisfied with my choice for now.
• I believe I will be the only owner who got this unique and not-so-pleasant surprise along with the car - I have heard of tales about surgeons leaving forgotten cotton or other equipment inside their patients; I got a torch that was left behind, in the area where the windshield washer nozzles are mounted, under the bonnet. I hope this is the only miss done by the mechanic who checked my car.

Special accessory?

Even though the car is an upgrade over all measures for me, there are some rough edges and surprising feature omissions when compared to its European cousins. The interiors, even though it looked nice and modern, lacks finish in some places. The creaky ambient light strip, the exposed hinges and budget grade coverings of the boot, the roof liner that flexes when pressed, all takes away the premium feel that is expected after spending so much money.

However, all these are forgotten when I am back behind the wheel and with open roads in front. This car feels built for touring and that is exactly what I plan to do.

Basking in the evening sun at Kovalam beach:

Chilling besides Vellayani Lake:

Immediate plans other than going on trips:

• Dashcam: I will take a stab at installing the 70mai A500s that I got but will certainly require some help for the hard wiring part.
• Detailing: Initially, I had a plan to get Graphene coating from Schimmer in Kochi straight after taking delivery, but then I had to travel to Trivandrum before that could happen. I am searching for a good place to get it done from here now, but Schimmer has been following up regularly with me, and offering competitive rates (haven’t discussed the exact amount yet). Maybe I will take a trip back to Kochi soon and get this done. I don’t know any detailers in Trivandrum.

Now, if you have stayed with me till this point, and if you are wondering where the amazing twists and suspense are that this guy promised, my apologies for overselling this experience. In my mind this had all the tension and unpredictability of any classic suspense thriller.

In the meantime, there have been several opinion polls created which felt targeted squarely at me and my current situation. The answers to those: “Yes, I went over budget for my car purchase,” and “I have never owned a VW/Skoda car and would buy their India 2.0 cars;” I went the full monty and got myself the Slavia 1.5, which was almost double my original budget, and now, one of the most polarising VW/Skoda India 2.0 cars.

Cheers.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I need one more year to comfortably commit to a 25 lakh car. Two days back I get a call from my friend in town that one of his friends is thinking of selling his Innova.

BHpian jonesanto recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Guys, I need to make decision on a used car purchase with a tight deadline.

I have never purchased a used car, I have an immaculate condition 2006 Elantra, which is my daily drive in and around the city. I use my brother's Innova for long drives. I sold my Octavia last year and I am starting to think maybe that was a bad decision, but the offer was too good to pass. I finished my house construction in Kerala which we started in 2020 Feb. March 2020 we went to first lock down, then everything changed. It left me with no money when I finished the house construction and from someone using an Elantra and Octavia, it has to be an upgrade, and in this market I am easily looking at big 25 ones if I need a proper upgrade, so I am not looking to purchase anything now.

Brother's Innova is their company vehicle which is used for outstation business trips and at times there has been date clashes that both needed the car on particular dates and so on. Brother also owns a Fortuner and he sends that car. This makes a little uncomfortable even though he is family, and I am sure my bother doesn’t mind and it is just all me.

I need one more year to comfortably commit to a 25 lakh car. Two days back I get a call from my friend in town that one of his friends is thinking of selling his Innova. The guys is abroad now and looks like he is not coming back permanently anytime soon. Car belongs to a reputed business guy in town, single owner, all services done at Toyota only. Car is old, shape changed not sure which model and we decided to take a look at the car.

We went to see the car, first impression, the colour has changed! Red flag. Yes it has changed in RC too, asked about it and the son wanted it to look different. He had spent a lot of money on interior too, new seat covers, good audio system, neat and clean interiors. Drove the car, it drives well. Few issues here and there but nothing big. Checked body, under body, engine bay. Good tyres, battery is 2018. In general, not bad. Then we checked the RC and it is a 2008 model. No way I am purchasing a 14 year old car. I told my friend the same and he said, you need a car for like one or two years, this is in good condition, Innova is reliable and it will easily serve my purpose. Then I spoke to my trusted mechanic and he said, if it’s maintained well, take it. What? Then I asked my brother, he is like, you are using my Innova, why do you ask me? Just take it if the price is right.

Then I realized one thing, not one person is going to say no to an Innova, no wonder it is one of the most popular MUVs in India. Even my wife, who doesn’t know anything about cars said if all good, go ahead.

Usually I am a person very clear on what I need and what I don’t need. Desperate times call for desperate measures? I need a car for outstation drives, I don’t have long drives every month, let’s say once in three months one Bangalore trip.

This family has not put an ad anywhere and they will only sell the car to someone they know. So I told my friend, let’s say, without thinking, if it’s for 2 lakh or something I can think because it is an Innova. And they actually agreed if it is for me. My friend had put a good word for me and his friend wants the car to go to someone who will take care of it. Money is not an issue here.

This put me in a difficult situation, I know no one will give an Innova for 2 lakh irrespective of what the condition is. Me and my friend went to Toyota service with this car, did a proper check-up. Brake needs new master cylinder and booster and they said it will be 15K with labour. Shocks are in decent condition, nothing major, lower arm bushes can be changed they said, nothing urgent. Then small things like, wiper change, one bulb gone etc. A major service has been done in 2019, guessing they were planning to use it and then COVID struck. Work done in 2019 is complete clutch overhaul, brake pads, some gaskets changed due to oil leak, AC full service. EGR cleaning. A normal service done in March of 2022 for 10k. Vehicle has done 1.7 lakh kms. They also said that the car has not met with any major accidents.

Did I miss anything? If did, please feel free to point it out.

I am not looking to purchase any other used cars. I did not even want purchase this, but do you guys think the car is good for another 2 years? Should I get this car or not?

This is the only pic I have and it looks new inside and out because they did a lot of work in 2019 and then it was not used due to COVID:

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

My cardinal rule with used cars is:

• Never buy one with over 40000 - 50000 km
• Never buy one that's over 5 years old.

But this is an Innova & it's dirt cheap. The price is way below fair market value. Go for it, but get a pre-purchase inspection done from a Toyota dealer. If it clears that test, just pay the 2-lakhs the same day itself and take her home.

If you use it for a longer time, good. If you resell it within 2 years, you'll actually make a profit. Have two 1st-gen Innovas in my closest circle, both are ~15 years old with 2+ lakh km on the odometer, and regularly do Mumbai-Goa and Mumbai-Ahmedabad trips. One of the owners recently got a full body paint overcoat at the Toyota dealer as he still doesn't want to sell it.

Here's what BHPian Prowler had to say on the matter:

I don't see any reason why you are making such a fuss over the age of the car. If the price is right, you should go ahead and buy the Innova. You have checked out the MUV with the ASS and they gave a positive report and it is a Toyota. If I were you, I would just check the underbody for rust and if found negative, complete the deal.

Older cars may not have the bells and whistles you might expect from the modern ones, but they can still serve you well.

I bought a 10 year old Ambassador and transplanted her petrol engine to an Isuzu diesel and used the car for nearly a decade. Even my current ride is getting a bit long in the tooth but she ages a lot more gracefully than me.

"Age can not wither her nor can custom stale her infinite virtue" Shakespeare said that for a woman which can equally apply to a well maintained car.

Here's what BHPian SoumenD had to say on the matter:

Just 1.7L run Innova diesel for 2lakhs? Damn, that sounds too good to be true. Go for it man.

If some cabbie was reading this thread, he would have already reached out to the person and picked it up cash down by now am sure.

Here's what BHPian narayans80 had to say on the matter:

You have already taken to a Toyota ASS and they haven't thrown you any red flags mechanically. I hope you've already confirmed there is no accident history.

For a clean, first owner Innova with just 1.7 lakh on odo, 2 lakhs is too good to be true. I've seen 6 lakh INR Innovas with 2.5-3 lakh on the clock.

Here's what BHPian GreasyCarb55 had to say on the matter:

I know you've already made up your mind of buying this Innova and as someone who's family has owned an Innova 2.5 Diesel since 2011 I can tell that you have struck literal gold.

Ours has been converted from Type 2 to Type 4 and has run a similar 171,000km, my dad has colleagues offering him around 10-12 lakh for our car so 2 lakh is as I said, literal gold for an Innova with 1.7 lakh on the odo.

Heck, get a nice head unit with Android Auto and Apple Carplay along with a speaker/subwoofer upgrade and maybe some nice alloys if you wish and I guarantee that you will be happy enough to keep the Innova for another 4-5 years let alone 2. Plus the Gen 1 Innova is a hard car to replace, only another Innova or something more expensive will do.

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I then started my hunt for a new unit, and almost all shops were pushing for the non branded Android units.

BHPian naveen.raju recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Annual service update:

Got the periodic service done in April and it was a routine one. Decided to clean the air vents this time and it was a good move. They removed all the air vents and cleaned it thoroughly. Once it was cleaned, it's got a refreshing smell and the vents looked good as new. The clutch has been tight for sometime and they advised to use it for some more time (I got used to it's hard clutch by now). The total bill came around 10k including wheel alignment.

My AVN display was pixelated for an year now, then the reverse camera was full time on. I had disconnected the display, but somehow this was connected with the boot so couldn't open it. Reconnected it and then the display sort of died eventually. Bluetooth, radio and USB were working though.

I then started my hunt for a new unit. Visited a shop here and checked the options. Almost all were pushing for the non branded Android units and was surprised that they didn't show interest when I inquired on Sony/Pioneer units. The average price was between 13k-15k with free fitment. I did see a Polo with the Pioneer unit and it definitely looked small. I wasn't really keen on the Android unit as well for the following reasons:

• Sort of unknown territory - Long term performance.
• Display was dull (I even saw many videos on Youtube).
• Stock camera won't work. Although the unit came with a free camera, I didn't like the idea of drilling the camera on to the bumper.
• Fitment - It sorted of looked as if a tab was stuck on the dash. It spoiled the clean look that the OE unit provided. This was my main concern.

Then came across shop based in Delhi that repaired all AVN's. Checked out their YouTube channel and was surprised to see that 99% of the units were Hyundai. Contacted him sometime in November and confirmed that they can repair the unit. Decided to wait for few months and check other options. Since I decided to stay away from Android units and wanted that OE look, I decided to go with the Delhi based shop. Removed the AVN, packed and mailed it to Delhi.

Drove the car like this for around two weeks:

They repaired it in 2 days and mailed back the unit.

IC and display changed - Rs. 5250 including courier. Got it fixed at HASS but charged around 900 for fitment. Anyhow, didn't want to try any accessory shop for this:

It was time to change the wiper and decided to try Spark Minda this time. Got the set from Boodmo:

Well, some new garage mates joined last December (Obviously not mine, but am driving these):

Had a small trip with the Innova few months back:

Parting shot - Diesel Manual, Petrol AT, Diesel AT:

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I know for a fact that the AC in a Volkswagen 2.0 car isn't THAT great.

BHPian adigup recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The A/C of my Taigun Highline 1.0 MT (Just 10 days old) with blower speed of 4 and temperature set to 19 degrees, isn't cooling at all. Outside temperature is 41 degrees, and it has literally made me and my dad sweat during our1.5 hour drive in Delhi traffic and around 25 kms.

First service is scheduled for tomorrow, any possible problems you guys can think of ? I mean, I definitely think there's something. I know for a fact that the AC in a Volkswagen 2.0 car isn't THAT great. Can anyone help me with this? Just 10 days, and my dad regrets getting this.

Here's what BHPian dhananjay33 had to say on the matter:

We have now completed 4.5K on a Topline 1.0 MT including several inter-city trips and a bit of city travel as well in Bangalore/Chennai. A few observations:

• FE in the city with AC (even in Bangalore) is VERY poor. Often around 6-7 kmpl in city traffic.
• FE on highway drives has been excellent. We have got 18-19 kmpl on multiple Bangalore-Chennai-Bangalore trips even with AC on throughout.
• AC behaves a little strangely, alternating between very cold and blowing lukewarm air at high pressure. Haven't been able to get it right ever on Auto mode. Works well at the lowest temperature setting and moderate blowing, even in Bangalore. It's irritating as you have to change AC settings multiple times, even during short trips.
• Driveability on the highway has made intercity travel an enjoyable experience. Very nice and smooth to overtake on 2/3 gear even inside the city. Very comfortable experience both as a driver and a passenger.
• Missing some side sensors/cameras for parking in the city.
• The car is a bit of magnet for dust/leaves as others have pointed out and needs to be covered or cleaned frequently.
• Wireless charging is hopeless. Carry a cable if you want your phone charged.
• CarPlay gets annoying when you have two phones in the car. Never easy to switch between phones as it keeps trying to load the new phone without ever getting there.
• Volkswagen app store is a mystery. Don't know how to use it even after trying and seems like a wasted effort.
• Needed slightly large holders between the front seats as it can't accommodate most bottles during a journey which is irritating.

Here's what BHPian prabhu7944 had to say on the matter:

AC is definitely avg. Sun films should definitely help atleast the windshield ones and blinds for the windows.Earlier I used to set the AC at 16 or 17 now am ok with around 22. Avg AC is one reason why am trying to delay leather seat covers. First service seems to be more for courtesy than anything else. Are there any creaking noises from doors and while applying brakes? However please write to VW about your honest feedback. For sure they need to listen to users and not experts.

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