May 13, 2005 03:07 AM
5856 Views
(Updated May 13, 2005 07:11 PM)
I bought this car for its good suspensions, solid build, comfortable back seat and a responsive engine.
Likes:
Suspensions, build quality, comfortable seating (especially back seat), responsive engine, small turning radius. Especially I like the way I can turn this car.
Dislikes: Not any strong dislikes, but there are certain things which GM would have improved....plastics of door opening handles from inside, no utility trays or grooves or handles...they would have given many such useful space, and lastly the little boring front looks of the car.
Recently we have taken our car for 2000KM journey. The car has behaved very well. It has passed all road tests on highways, country roads , mud roads etc. In city limits (Hyderabad, but I drive in Banjara Hills, so not very congested traffic), I get a milage of 9-10 and on highway I got 11-11.5.
We had taken an expert driver along...on good road he has driven it upto 140-150KM/hour speeds...the car behaves well. Breaking is also good.
We have travelled 800KM at a stretch (with lunch and tea breaks in between)...we didnt have any kind of body pains. It was a nice experience.
Car has a descent ground clearance. When fully loaded, if the road is bumpy, we need to slow down because Air Suspensions will give lot of action, and chances that body might hit the ground...I think that is understandable as it is air suspension...
Before buying I have seen similar vehicles in this class and also B segment cars. It is a best buy for above reasons and I would recommend this for people who are looking for a comfortable mid-sizer. But go for CORSA 1.6, it will be another 200 cc and 4 bhp more than this and comes with wooden central console. I wanted to buy it, due to 21 days of waiting for Red color, I okayed for 1.4.
Some more details:
Hyderabad dealer KUN is very responsive and the sales executive Sangeeta is very professional and explained all required tech details. Service response (same dealer) is also excellent, just a ring, they will send in their technician or pick up the vehicle.
The mileage quoted above is with A/C, in fact I don’t drive without A/C. Trunk space of this car is good, decent but not best in class.
I disliked Esteem & Accent for their low back seats. Ikon has become very old and I personally do not like ''Ford'' brand. Indigo I turned down for its front view, its driving position is like sitting inside a well ;). Now about the price factor... Got a discount of 30K plus 15K worth of accessories (including Kenwood stereo) were given free... In total it came up to 6.2 Lakhs with 34k of ICICI bank interest. I feel it is a best buy for that money.
Reg A/C performance, it is okay types, not the very best but definitely not bad. Rear view is again okay types.
Well, one more point: I hear the sound of tyres when I drive on bad / rough roads with A/C on (I mean all windows closed). I can actually hear how tyres are rolling on the rough road…this is something which GM would have to improve. So, it is not 100% silent passenger cabin when road is bad.
I wish GM changes its front looks and comes out with 1.8 Litre option (with around 110 bhp), wow!... I would love to drive that.... Now don’t tell me its available in Optra. I know that :)
Message to GM: Please change your Indian websites.... they are really really bad...
