No Comparision to this Beast. Review on Chevrolet Optra Magnum

Alright. I'm a person who would research enough before investing into anything. that holds good for my 3K DVD player and 1K Mp3 player as well!:)

Let me tell you the story that kinda went on for close to 4 months before I purchased Oprta and what made me go for this beauty.

I wanted to upgrade from my ageing Zen to a more bigger car. The following were the cars I considered. and I was particular about fuel effeciency and Power - Yeah, I know they both are far extreme. but as a buyer I wanted the best of both worlds.

1. Linea

   
   




2. Fiesta

   
   




3. Verna

   
   




4. Scorpio

   
   




5. Optra

   
   




6. Octavia

   
   




7. SX4.

   
   




8. Xylo(more recently)

   
   




9. Logan

   
   




10. Honda City iVtec

    
    

I had a budget of 10Lacs for the new car and started my research.

I quickly dropped Logan(Boxy looks, No boot release, moreover it has become a standard Cab option), Octavia(Expensive Spares - Bumper costs 50K! and not worth 12 Lacs+ it's a decade old model) from my hunt-list.

So I was left with Linea, Fiesta, Verna, Scorpio, Oprtra, SX4, Xylo and Honda City. started taking test drives of each. one on every weekend.

Again dropped the following cars - 2nd round of elimination

Linea - sluggish engine, TATA dealers are not friendly to Fiat customers.

Fiesta - Diesel wasn't powerful and it's kinda getting aged too soon.

SX4 - Poor Mileage though it was excellent on Space and goodies. I would have gone for SX4 provided it's mileage was 10+ in city.

XYLO - Cheap and cheap and cheap. thats all you feel when you sit inside. Air circulation is very poor with AC, all the goodies are made of 3rd grade plastics, Music system was horrible, Rolling was too much. though it had excellent power and reasonably good mileage.

Now, I had to choose between Optra, Honda City, Verna and Scorpio.

Scorpio

GOOD - Great power, Muscular Looks, Good road presence, Reasonable mileage, Excellent resale value, refined engine.

BAD - No Luggage space, 2nd and 3rd rows are cramped, Engine Noise, Far away from comfortable Ride.

Honda City:-

GOOD - Everything. killer looks. Amazing Brand value, great dealer service, Excellent refinement in all aspects.

BAD - Too expensive. No goodies. Mileage isn't great if you push beyond 80KMph.

*Verna:

*GOOD - I liked it's unique design with small boot, POWER, Excellent finish.

BAD - I got a bigger budget and wanted to explore Optra as well.

Finally OPRTA MAGNUM Diesel variant

GOOD- EXTRAORDINARY POWER - thanks to it's massive torgue. EXCELLENT MILEAGE, RICH INTERIORS, BIG BOOT SPACE, EXCELLENT REAR LEG ROOM, POWERFUL AC SYSTEM, CLASS BEATING VALUE FOR MONEY, 3 year service plan by GM is a killer deal, CANTAKE ON OCTAVIAS AND CIVICS.

BAD - DEALER, LOOKS AREN'T EXCITING. THATS IT.

I was thoroughly overwhelmed with it's Pickup and power on highways. It can overtake literally any vehicle under 20Lacs range in India. and it's ride is too comfortable - thanks to all 4 wheels independent suspensions.

it's drive in traffic isn't bad either, I was able to comedown from 80KMph to 20KMph in 3rd gear without needing to change the gears.

No body rolling. Car stays stuck to road at 170KMPh. Sterring doesn't vibrate upto 182KMph. thats the max I could touch on Bangalore-Krishnagiri highway.

ground clearance isn't as massive as SX4 but it's good enough for bangalore bumps. You feel safe with dual airbags and ABS.

Excellent Braking. I was able to stop the car within 20 mts from 120Kmph to 0Kmph and the Car didn't Jerk or anything. it's stayed in it's line and lane.

Though my budget was 10K, I stretched it by 1 Lakh to go for a fully loaded Optra Magnum LT 2.0

Now I'm enjoying my drive thoroughly. all those other cars feels really under-powered when I pass them.

Optra is one the most underrated cars in India - Though it has everything that an indian consumer would look for in 10Lacs range, it still couldn't make its presence felt.