Apr 21, 2014 07:42 PM
116710 Views
(Updated Jun 07, 2014 12:16 PM)
My search for car started after I sold my fiat MJD Punto, it had no issues but it was time to upgrade. XUV 500 was in my mind for long time, after doing around 10-15 test drive I had almost finalised it but city milage (11-12 still good for any SUV kind of category), Suspension (its good but sedans are always good in that department) made me think about other options.
My final three sedan were Hyundai Verna, Volkswagen Vento and Honda City- Yes skoda rapid was not part of my thought process- Bad After sales stories kept me away from even checking Skoda Rapid.
Options considered
Hyundai Verna:
After test drive I liked the car but was still concerned about.
1.Suspension - little soft so could feel bump and at least Test drive vehicle was making noise while going over big pothole.
Very light steering: I was not feeling confident about car above 90 Kmph.
Rear seat felt cramped compared to Honda and Volkswagen
Design, equipment level best in the class no doubt on that.
Honda city:
After my first test drive, I felt very good on power BUT on second test drive I did one change I test drove Verna then vento and same time visited Honda showroom, I could feel power lag .Engine was not happy at higher torque compared to other options
Build quality:Honda is know for best build quality, somehow when I opend front bonnet, was just suprised to see that bonnet length, the gap between radior and front bumper is almost negligible( compared to vento) and also car weight is reduced compared to previous honda city, not sure if they compromised on quality in new honda city
3.Aluminium engine: Not really sure how it performs for long term, Yes its foolish to think for brand like honda but in comparison cast iron engine seems safe bet.
It has best interior in the class- touch panel -space is well managed.
Volkswagen Vento:
Now came vento
Can feel engine noise in the cabin was worried little on that
Suspension is very well tuned
bad Equipment level( touch panel AC in honda OR reverse camera in Verna)is not close to Verna and Honda
Price same as honda and Verna
Engine always wanted more, car behaved nicely when I test drove it on express highway at high speed.
One fine day, saw advertise in newspaper that Pune got new skoda dealer - Viraaj Auto. Thought to check service if its improved, That was the day when I started thinking on Skoda .
After test drive, these were my observation.
1.Inside cabin noise is less than vento
2.Rear leg space is more, they reduced boot to give more leg space(compared to Vento)
Somehow felt its fast - I was confused since Vento and rapid use same engine - But later found out that rapid is fast on paper too( engine tuned better)
Steering feel is excellent, behaves nicely on highway as well as city
Can use 3rd gear as "Auto" - I was able to drive in 3rd gear at low rpm too:-)
6 Price, I was able to save almost 1.7 L compared to Honda/Verna considering dealer offer
- Warranty: Was getting 5 years warranty.
8 Parts cost: checked Price list and found that its good as any other vehicle, they said that its 70-80% localised, this fact I confirmed from someone who works at VW chakan plant.
I was most concerned about After sales Service: had a lengthy discussion on this with dealership owner, current skoda owner in Pune.
I listed all the things I wanted in car
Good Suspension
Powerful engine: Please check number here, rapid (1.6, 105 PS) is faster than Verna (1.6 128 PS)! its from on road acceleration figures.
Steering feel .
Safety: I have seen few deadly accidents on highway - never compromise on this.
After sales service (little risky for skoda BUT considering new dealer thought to give try).
Resale value: little less than verna/city but I was saving upfront on price.
And finally I booked and purchased skoda rapid. Till now I am extremely happy with my decision and hope my review will help people in purchasing sedan diesel.
