[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by mxx

I dont know why you guys are confrontational mood. I am not an i10 salesman. None in my family owns any of these companies or dealerships, or even own shares in these.

Mark my words. If A-Star does not have a waiting period in any of the dealership, and if I can make a booking for around 25-30k(cos that all i can manage in cash now), I am going for a-Star, no matter what. I use my head when I buy a car, not my heart.

And aseem and joslicx, lets have discussion that will help everybody, and not pick simple things in our posts. I dont know why joslicx keeps arguing when I clearly mentioned in the post that zxi without question has more features. And the only thing going for i10 is its power compared to other options under 5lks.

Again, if anyone thinks that I am ttelling a lie regarding waiting period, 080-41309100 is the number for pratham motors, ORR branch. You can confirm for yourself.

PEACE...pleaseeeee

You know, Pratham Motors is one of the worst dealers of Maruti.

[chncar]

I would say that when comparison with the competition only the AStar Zxi is VFM.

Lxi at around 3.5 ex , its barebones, and for the same money you can get Spark LT which is fully loaded (except for airbags/ABS)

Vxi at 3.75 ex, why would one buy that when one could get a fully loaded Spark for much less, or get an i10 kappa magna for about 30k more.

Zxi OTOH is very nicely priced and has good features like ABS/Airbags, pre-tensioners, audio system etc. It is still 50 k more than the equivalent spark though it has more features. Also the main thing is that the competition is much more expensive. I think Hyundai made a big mistake when they withdrew the i10 1.1 version with ABS/Airbags that used to sell for around 4.5 ex showroom. Now the only i10 with Airbags/ABS is the top end kappa variant which is very very expensive for a small car.

[Amartya]

It's too early to say whether Maruti has tried to pull a fast one on customers by pricing the A-star the way it has.
OT: I recently went for a test drive of the Indica Vista Tdi, however, that turned out to be a no go because the dealer didnt have a Vista Tdi for demo. After harangueing the people there to arrange a test drive vehicle, this is what the sales person had to say (kindly excuse the Hindi):
" Shaar, naye gaadi ka Top end model ka hi production kiya jata hai aajkal, baaki model ka production bohot kam hota hai. Agar Tata Tdi bhi banaega, to naturally Quadrajet ka sales kam hoga kyon ki woh engine bhi kaafi badhiya hai"
Now, I can agree that what he said was to be taken with a pinch of salt but he as such wanted to say that a attractively specced top end model, with a decent price is the way the manufacturers are going.

Hence, we see that although the lower end A-star seems highly priced, Maruti might just be making the Zxi version look that much more attractive by offering all the goodies which none of the competitors offer at that price point.

I would presume that Maruti is going to cannibalise sales from it's own stable (specially the Estilo and Wagon R) but the returns would be higher total sales, besides eating into the Santro's and the i10s pie. The car has the Maruti name going for it (ie FE/*** etc.) along with "comtemporary" looks (I don't like it at all though).

Might just turn out to be the unlikely "Star" in Maruti's stable.

[ntneo]

Had been to the Sagar Auto showroom in B'lore.
Couple of photos attached. Bad pics quality.

When I initially saw the scoop photos and then in the astar website, the headlight seemed to be odd. But at first look, it looked alright to me. Yeah its different but not really out of place. Must be the red color, all scoop photos have been in white.

Space wise you get what you expect in this segment. Taller ppl might feel cramped at the back. Getting in and out of the car is just fine.
The positioning of the power windows at the rear is just not good.
Interiors, no biege but still contemporary. With the integrated music system, it looks good. Suddenly the plain dashboard of the Swift standing next to it looked boring to me.

Price wise, it competing with its siblings(if you can call them that)
Astar Vxi - 4.4 onroad
WagonR Vxi - 4.36
Zen estilo Vxi - 4.31

Many ppl might not like the look but if ppl are queuing up to buy WagonR and Zen estilo(always wonder why???), then Astar is certainly a winner with the power windows, the integrated audio system(in Vxi) and the magic mileage claim

Bookings have started but the waiting period told was 5-6 months.
How is that going to work? I just dont understand.
The car was officially launched yesterday in B'lore, so even if ppl book it today then it will take 5-6 months to see them on road!!!
or is it just some sort of publicity gimmick?

[romeomidhun]

Though Spark seems VFM than A-Star, it is not the best buy, considering the present financial conditions of GM. For first time buyers, A-Star will be best suited one - as they will keep the car for longer time than those who looks for a second car for city driving. For the later kind of buyers, Spark also seems good, along with A-Star.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by ntneo

Bookings have started but the waiting period told was 5-6 months.
How is that going to work? I just dont understand.
The car was officially launched yesterday in B'lore, so even if ppl book it today then it will take 5-6 months to see them on road!!!
or is it just some sort of publicity gimmick?

What esle we could say . Probably even before they start production, launch it to get booking I guess. Made to order What else.

[joslicx]

Originally Posted by mxx

I dont know why you guys are confrontational mood.

And aseem and joslicx, lets have discussion that will help everybody, and not pick simple things in our posts. I dont know why joslicx keeps arguing when I clearly mentioned in the post that zxi without question has more features. And the only thing going for i10 is its power compared to other options under 5lks.

Not trying to be confrontational here really! Now how do you compare between two products? You list down whats there and whats not there in one vs the other right? Thats what I had done.
Granted i10 has better engine (it is more powerful, but much less frugal). Is engine power the only criterion to buy a car? We were looking at similarly priced models here remember!

By the way, I'm buying myself an i10 1.2 Sportz AT early next year (if they dont launch i20 first) Its the only car on this side of 6lacs that has automatic!

[mxx]

wanted to take more pics specially of the engine bay which was pretty neat, but by the time i finished speaking to the sales exec, there where quite a few ppl around the car. here is the pic, nothing that you havnt seen already.

The version on display was a VXi and balloons are not part of standard equipment.

[mxx]

Originally Posted by joslicx

Not trying to be confrontational here really! Now how do you compare between two products? You list down whats there and whats not there in one vs the other right? Thats what I had done.
Granted i10 has better engine (it is more powerful, but much less frugal). Is engine power the only criterion to buy a car? We were looking at similarly priced models here remember!

By the way, I'm buying myself an i10 1.2 Sportz AT early next year (if they dont launch i20 first) Its the only car on this side of 6lacs that has automatic!

The problem is you failed to interpret my post. Let me quote myself stressing the points so that you can interpret correctly.

I agree the the features of the versions in question is less than that of zxi, butif your budget is below 5lks, andif your priority is power, i10 is the way to go.

please note the 'if'(s), they mean a lot.

I have done exactly what you have when setting out to buy a car, "list down whats there and whats not there in one vs the other right".
I hope I have cleared all the misunderstandings.

BTW, there are lots to a car and engine might not be the only thing, but according to me engine a major factor if not the most important factor which deciding on a car.

As I mentioned I am seriously considering AStar for purchase if I can get delivery in dec. But if the performance of the engine does not impress me, i will not go for the AStar, inspite of all the features.

[crn12]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

Don't you think that i10 is over-priced, you Hyundai guy?

Nope, I would prefer a FIAT anytime

[romeomidhun]

For those who criticises A-Star for its 3-cylinder engine: Skoda Fabia has a 3-cylinder engine, and is a good car. Again, Hyundai Accent crdi has a 3-cylinder engine.

Maruti-800 and Alto has 3-cylinder engines, gives sufficient power, mileage and smoothness for a car in that category.

A-Star, for sure, will give the best mileage in its class, will be powerful enough, and smooth enough. What else needed for an average Indian?

All car buyers are not and Team-BHP readers.
And all car buyers are not car-enthusiasts like Team-BHPians. Many of them buy car for their traveling purpose than satisfying their egos.

[arsenik]

I disagree with one of your statements. I own an Alto and it most certainly does NOT give SUFFICIENT POWER.
But A-star is a different issue with higher cubic capacity.
Can anyone enlighten us about the difference between 3-cylinder and 4-cylinder engines? :S

[inferno]

Originally Posted by arsenik

I disagree with one of your statements. I own an Alto and it most certainly does NOT give SUFFICIENT POWER.
But A-star is a different issue with higher cubic capacity.
Can anyone enlighten us about the difference between 3-cylinder and 4-cylinder engines? :S

+1 from my side too, With AC on, its like an auto-rickshaw ! terribly under-powered. Gets a lot better without AC.

[aseem]

Originally Posted by inferno

+1 from my side too, With AC on, its like an auto-rickshaw ! terribly under-powered. Gets a lot better without AC.

But A Star has 20 PS more power than Alto and almost 30 Nm more torque. Thats bound to improve the driveability.

[inferno]

Originally Posted by aseem

But A Star has 20 PS more power than Alto and almost 30 Nm more torque. Thats bound to improve the driveability.

yeps dude ! a-star with those specs would be lot more better infact far more better !I was just stating how under-powered alto's engine is.