Sep 21, 2007 02:55 PM
7436 Views
I am from Bangalore and I have been using a Maruti-ALTO for 3 years now. I wanted to upgrade and did some research on bigger hatchback cars. My criteria were better pickup and space and a decent fuel efficiency. I had 3 options namely Getz, Palio Stile and Chevy UVA. I took test drives of all the 3 cars and these are my thoughts.
I feel Palio is horrible. Though the exteriors are good, the interiors are not great. The engine is very lousy and not responsive. A lot of engine noise is passed on the cabin. The car is very very noisy. I took 2 test drives in differant showrooms. I feel my 3 year old Alto is much better than a new Palio. I was promised a FE of 14 kmpl in city with out AC. I spoke witha couple of owners and they too told me the same. Both the dealers (Concorde and Manipal) were very good, but I felt the Concorde guy was more honest and pro-active. The resale vale an maintenance were always bothering me. I have decided not ot go for it.
I next took a test drive of Chevy UVA. I called up Garuda autocraft and the dealer was acting as if he was doing a favour on me by by giving me a test drive. He was just not flexible. I felt the car was good, but not great. It is very spacious and more powerful, but the interiors are very cheap. The mileage quoted was also less (12 kmpl in city with out AC). Also the car and its spares are a bit expensive.
The last car I took a test drive of was a Getz prime 1.1 GVS. It has AC, power steering, power windows, rear defogger and tiltable steering among other features. The car is GREAT. I could not make out that the engine was running when I got into it. Believe me, the car is that smooth and refined. The car has sophistication in it. Ofcource it is very spacious and the drive was very enjoyable. The car I drove had already run 10.000 km and still it was very good and incomparable with the brand new Palio I drove. The interiors were the best of the three. Contrary to most of the reviews I read, the car had a good pick up. Though the initial pick up (0 to 10) was less, it picked up pretty well from there on. The FE is around 14 kmpl (again dealers and consumers version match). The dealers (Trident and Advaith) were courteous.
The service network of Hyundai in Bangalore is also good. But the car is expensive. They have again increased the price by 17k. I was told that this is for the beige interiors, real spoiler and bigger tyres. It is now Rs. 5, 02, 000/- on road in Bangalore. I am trying to get the older version of Prime, because I liked the black and silver interiors. I am planning to buy a silver colour and black interiors go well with Silver. As they say, Quality comes with a price. I am planning to book the car on Sunday.
