Aug 29, 2009 09:15 PM
13214 Views
I'm the owner of a brand new Hyundai Verna CRDI SX Diesel and have been going through quite a few reviews on the Verna on this website. I can't help feeling there's a bit of good and bad about the product but being a new owner it's too early to say. So, I'll just post my views on what led me to the Verna:
My main priority was a sedan with a manual gearshift, a responsive engine, decent mileage, within 10Lakhs and with a boot to spare. In this category my pref was a diesel since I expect to drive about 29, 000kms a year with 75% in city and 25% on highway and so, fuel was a cost-factor. The competition I checked out were Ford Fiesta, Honda City(petrol), Fiat Linea, Chevy Optra LT, Scorpio VLX, Verna Crdi SX. I did not consider the D'zire bec of it's looks.
It's a fact that cars are over-priced in India and deliver far less when comp to mkts like the US and UK. I wish the Govt would make safety features like air bags, abs and other safety features mandatory because then we would atleast be paying a little extra for some safety!
-Ford Fiesta: I found the Fiesta to be very good, light feel and a responsive engine and cheaper with more bells and whistles but found it a little'wimpish' in the design, door handles, ride height. Also, Ford's after sales leaves a lot to be asked for and have witnessed this first-hand that too with company cars where cost is rarely an issue! So trashed it.
-Fiat Linea: This car has a beautiful design and looks worth more than she's priced! however, when you drive her you feel life can be so cruel. She is very under-powered and thats about it. the features are fancy although they look plasticky. The buttons and knobs feel like they'll come unstuck to your fingers if press them for the 100th time! The Blue & Me they advertise so much is really a lot about nothing. When you consider your voice has to be loud enough and understandable then you can compare it to selecting caller tunes using the voice-based IVRS that some cellular optrs use such as Vodafone. You'll end up pulling your hair! When I tried it at the dealer(concorde motors) it was hilarious! it never works! also at high speed the music system sounds scratchy as tho the engine's sound is coming thru the system!? Too delicate a design. Suited to Europe but not amchi India!
-Chevy Optra LT: This car is great in terms of drive-ability if you're looking for power-on-tap in sedans. The interiors are a bit garish and like an Arab tent, thick carpeting etc not much to go by and seat ergonomics pathetic! If you ask me it's all about that 2L engine! When you step on it- it zips! great feel and great shockers too; you don't feel a thing! With the cash-less service and extended warranty the car is a good buy esp if you want that D-segment feel. The design is out-dated and when compared to it's namesake in the UK mkt you will feel ripped off. I trashed it bec for a city like Bombay the body is too long to park and manouvre easily. Also, given it's power band the Optra is a little'clunky' in traffic. Once you sit in it, you feel as though you're cut-off from the outside world in a not-so-nice manner. a frnd who owns an Optra LS told me service was great and I bel him. The LT though is over-priced and the LS under-featured.
-New Honda City: Brilliant ergonomics, very light feel of course, it's a petrol engine. The price was a bit steep but for the quality and reliability of a Honda and it's re-sale value I think it'll do well. Downside is that it did not come with a cd player! Even though I have an ipod and would love to use my usb stick I have too many cd's to not wanna play it while driving! The Honda ground clearance is a little poor and with 4ppl it's barely above the ground.
-Scorpio: Tried this SUV and though it's great value for money and a very responsive engine the vehicle does weigh more and even if they improve seat ergonomics it's still going to'pull' at you. it's also a bit reluctant when braking sharply. Great features too. Trashed it bec I'm not really ready for an SUV.
-Verna CrdiSX: My baby! From the moment I sat in the Verna I felt it was responsive though the seat ergonomics can be better. As long as you don't drive more than 3hrs a day your backside should be ok. The responsiveness of the engine was awesome! Esp since I need quick getaways in the city traffic I find the early torque band 2000-2500 rpm very good. YOu don't get a feel of the speed inside the car until you glance at the speedo. The diesel engine has a very reliable and noticeable throb which is kinda reassuring. The interiors are typically Korean(& jap) but I have to say despite this being optimal in terms of space, boot space, performance, mileage there is a diff bet a Japanese and a Korean product. The Jap's seem to give that little attention to small things like e.g. the backlight dash display in a City is a dull, deep fluoro Orange while Verna has a bright fluoro lemony Yellow & altho I scoffed at this since I realised when I glanced into a City passing me while driving in the rain with the sun still shining partially that the City's dials were clearer than my own right in front of me! Secondly, the finish on the metal casing around the tachometre in the Verna was a slightly edgy with the circle not being perfect but when I stopped at a Honda showroom to check I found it Perfectly round! Explains overall why Honda's have higher resale. The Verna is a bit tight at the back for someone my height but it's not so bad either since most of the times two ppl will be in it. Also, the engine responds well with 5ppl in the car as I found out when I took a test-drive. The car still'pulled' away and responded well. The Verna lacks safety features badly such as air bags though the top end(mine) comes with ABS. It also doesn't have an aux input to it;s music system and no arm rest for the passenger seat. In terms of Mileage I am getting 13.5 so far and expect it to improve as the engine matures but don't expect more than 11-12 in the long run Finally, the Verna zips! Period.
I'm new to the Verna family and have just given my car for it's first servicing. I have opted to install outer-rear mirror indicators and imitation leather seat covers, a reading light and some darker sun-film for approx 10, 000 bucks so, I just hope she drives well for atleast 3 years by which time I may be ready for that SUV after all?
