Car & Bike Suggestions on a new car

Actually Ikon is a pretty good car overall and I dont think you could go wront with it. A close friend as well as a relative have one and are pretty happy with it. even otherwise I havent heard of much complaints about it and since its been around for so long service has also matured quite a bit and there has been quite a bit of localization for parts which has reduced service costs (you may want to double check this though)

would suggest that you give a visit to a couple of ford service centers in your locality first and if possible talk to some owners before you decide.
 
dont know about the diesel ikon, but my manager has a 2002 ikon 1.6 he picked up for 1.5L. he's spent 50k looking after the car, partly due to expensive parts, partly due to the service center incompetence. He needs a few parts to be changed(front bumper assy, ignition coil) , but he's sticking with the existing stuff because the parts cost is exorbitant.

and the rear seat is kinda low, which maybe inconvinient for some

at the 6L price point, there are a lot of other options - the indigo and indigo CS, dzire, logan, and higher up, the verna . the new indigo should be out by mid 2009 :)

another suggestion is the SX4, purely for the ground clearance
 
^ the 1.6 I think is known to be expensive. but my relative as i said has the 1.6 only and 2002 as well, so far he says its doing good

from what i spoke to ford execs some time ago, they said the only complaint from people was the high cost of parts and since then they have started localizing content.

Also another thing most of the people i know who have fords do is build up a good rapport with the service engineers and then they give you a good price.. its a bit like a fish market where you can haggle a lot . my friend had a very tiny hole in his silencer and initially they quoted 7k+ to replace the whole unit but finally ended up getting it welded for 1k or so.

also not sure maybe service situation for ford is better here in chennai due to close proximity to the factory
 
kniwor said:
Thank you for all your inputs.

a few points that can be useful.

The budget is flexible, and hence the consideration of Scorpio.

This vehicle will primarily be used in a small town, no city, and a good suspension is important, so is mileage. A diesel engine is preferable I said, but petrol is not out of question.

This is not a typical family scenario, the usage is variable, hence MUV's are also considered because those can be quite useful in the village/town.

Ground Clearance is important, otherwise he might have problems taking the vehicle around.

That being said, I think my dad wants a sedan, from all your inputs, ikon seems to be the only reasonable option, unless I'm overlooking something.

Fiat Linea looks quite an attractive choice too, more comments on this would help.
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Scorpio and good suspension? Have you actually been inside one? It has the most horrible ride quality amongst all vehicles in its class. It has ground clearance but definitely not ride quality. Look elsewhere if you need ride quality.

@greenhorn: The Swift has better ride quality and handling than a Palio. Doesn't that mean it has a better suspension? The getz has a better ride than the swift but sucks in handling. I'm not sure on what basis you've classified those cars there. On that basis I'd take the swift anyday.

The ride of the Vista is not that much better than the swift or palio to consider it over either considering the wayward handling and sad gearbox of the tatas. Plus it has the heaviest clutch of the three. A tata indica/indigo makes sense only if you'll have a driver, not if its self driven.
 
Actually theres a very easy way to get a good ride on a palio (good for your butt) , downsize the wheels to 13inch/80 profile :lol:

afaik the mjd and the 1.1 come with 13inch tyres so they should be ok
 
bottle said:
Actually theres a very easy way to get a good ride on a palio (good for your butt) , downsize the wheels to 13inch/80 profile :lol:

afaik the mjd and the 1.1 come with 13inch tyres so they should be ok
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Handling will go for a complete toss :bleh:
 
bottle said:
^ the 1.6 I think is known to be expensive. but my relative as i said has the 1.6 only and 2002 as well, so far he says its doing good

from what i spoke to ford execs some time ago, they said the only complaint from people was the high cost of parts and since then they have started localizing content.

Also another thing most of the people i know who have fords do is build up a good rapport with the service engineers and then they give you a good price.. its a bit like a fish market where you can haggle a lot . my friend had a very tiny hole in his silencer and initially they quoted 7k+ to replace the whole unit but finally ended up getting it welded for 1k or so.

also not sure maybe service situation for ford is better here in chennai due to close proximity to the factory
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Thats how he has been managing so far. the ASS quotes an astronomical official figure, then the mechanic offers to cut a seperate unofficial deal, but even that does not work for everything :(

Chaos said:
Scorpio and good suspension? Have you actually been inside one? It has the most horrible ride quality amongst all vehicles in its class. It has ground clearance but definitely not ride quality. Look elsewhere if you need ride quality.
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try driving the xylo. suddenly the scorpio will feel rock solid :bleh:

@greenhorn: The Swift has better ride quality and handling than a Palio. Doesn't that mean it has a better suspension? The getz has a better ride than the swift but sucks in handling. I'm not sure on what basis you've classified those cars there. On that basis I'd take the swift anyday.
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the swift has better handling, but I'm not sure about the ride quality. the average indian person doesnt care much about handling, but does about ride quality. Of course , You and I would choose a swift any day, but most people , given everything else is equal, would choose a car with better ride than better handling ( there are limits to that though :p)

The ride of the Vista is not that much better than the swift or palio to consider it over either considering the wayward handling and sad gearbox of the tatas. Plus it has the heaviest clutch of the three. A tata indica/indigo makes sense only if you'll have a driver, not if its self driven.
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the vista uses a different gearbox. I havent tried out it yet, but is said to be much better , at least no vibrations
 
the vista uses a different gearbox. I havent tried out it yet, but is said to be much better , at least no vibrations
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eh? test drive it then, i did and hated it, if theres anything that'll put me off buying it is that gearbox, there are other things as well but still, that gearbox is horrid
 
greenhorn said:
actually , you'll get better service for a tata car than a fiat one. Fiat ASS is step motherly compared to tata in most tata service centers
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That's what I said abt the A S S.

the vista has more space than the palio, and the the getz too - probably the getz has the most interior space
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Arguable in Palio and Indica. But Getz is smaller for sure. My frend used to work with Hyundai.
Build quality and Suspension

agree about the build quality, but suspension is subjective.If you value a comfortable ride over cornering, the vista and gets should be higher in the order
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Search some Indian Car forums and u'll come to know that Palio's suspension is way better than ne hatchback in India.
the huge gap between the wheel and the body suggests company's confidence in Indica's suspension
http://automobz.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/tata-indica-vista-exterior-1.jpg
Neway, there is no point in we arguing with each other, when OP is not even considering these cars. :rofl:

@ OP
In sedans, FYI TATA'll soon launch new Indigo with Vista's features.
 
geek ashish said:
Search some Indian Car forums and u'll come to know that Palio's suspension is way better than ne hatchback in India.
the huge gap between the wheel and the body suggests company's confidence in Indica's suspension
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Bullcrap... the palio is neither the best in handling nor in ride quality. The swift rides better and has significantly better handling.

The Getz has the best ride out of all of them hands down. The indica has a decent ride but the worst handling of the lot.
 
ahem.... thanks for the valuable inputs, except I'm only looking at sedans now.

I went today to test drive Ford IKON and FIAT Linea (both diesel), I'm no expert and here's what I discovered.

-IKON was a bit noisy, the Linea on the other hand was relatively quiet.

-IKON is responsive, Linea is just about OK, doesn't match up.

-Linea has rich interiors, i really liked it, IKON was pretty much basic, nothing great there.

-Linea, i must admit looks terrific on the outside, no contest here, none whatsoever. ( IKON looks have improved with the new IKON, but nothing great to look at).

-Linea felt more spacious inside than the IKON, driver seat was more comfortable in Linea.

-Linea will cost me around 1.6lacks more than what IKON will.

Now, it would be great if some wise men commented on the two cars and help me make the decision.

Another Idea is to go for a petrol car and LPG, there's LPG refilling stations where the car is going to be. so then, any issues with that which comes to your minds?
 
Chaos said:
Bullcrap... the palio is neither the best in handling nor in ride quality. The swift rides better and has significantly better handling.

The Getz has the best ride out of all of them hands down. The indica has a decent ride but the worst handling of the lot.
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lolz....palio has one of the best ride quality among hatchbacks much better than swift & getz,handling is somewhat same in both.
 
-=Unreal=- said:
lolz....palio has one of the best ride quality among hatchbacks much better than swift & getz,handling is somewhat same in both.
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Heh have you driven them or are you just commenting based on second hand opinion? I've extensively driven both and there's no way the Palio has better ride quality than the swift - atleast with stock 175/65 R14 rubber. A guy with 2 palios (bottle) said the same :p.

In terms of handling, the swift has way less body roll than the palio. The latter rolls like a ship. I'm not saying the palio is a bad car. Infact I love to drive the palio 1.6 because of that rev happy engine. Credit should be given where its due and its for the engine not the suspension.

Palio's suspension is ancient by today's standards.
 
kniwor said:
ahem.... thanks for the valuable inputs, except I'm only looking at sedans now.

I went today to test drive Ford IKON and FIAT Linea (both diesel), I'm no expert and here's what I discovered.

-IKON was a bit noisy, the Linea on the other hand was relatively quiet.

-IKON is responsive, Linea is just about OK, doesn't match up.

-Linea has rich interiors, i really liked it, IKON was pretty much basic, nothing great there.

-Linea, i must admit looks terrific on the outside, no contest here, none whatsoever. ( IKON looks have improved with the new IKON, but nothing great to look at).

-Linea felt more spacious inside than the IKON, driver seat was more comfortable in Linea.

-Linea will cost me around 1.6lacks more than what IKON will.

Now, it would be great if some wise men commented on the two cars and help me make the decision.

Another Idea is to go for a petrol car and LPG, there's LPG refilling stations where the car is going to be. so then, any issues with that which comes to your minds?
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Well,the Linea would be something for every occasion !

And the Ikon would be a humble,economical alternative... :p

STYLE/LUXURY Vs. BASICS/ECONOMICAL :S (I know i didn't put that right!)

Do a bit more research on the Ikon (Or the Fiesta!?) and Linea and get the one you like the most !!! You shouldn't regret later...
 
Chaos said:
Heh have you driven them or are you just commenting based on second hand opinion? I've extensively driven both and there's no way the Palio has better ride quality than the swift - atleast with stock 175/65 R14 rubber. A guy with 2 palios (bottle) said the same :p.

In terms of handling, the swift has way less body roll than the palio. The latter rolls like a ship. I'm not saying the palio is a bad car. Infact I love to drive the palio 1.6 because of that rev happy engine. Credit should be given where its due and its for the engine not the suspension.

Palio's suspension is ancient by today's standards.
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the 1.2 has great ride quality actually which is why i recommended downsizing the tyres :p dunno why its so rubbish in the stile
 
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