[indianvirus]

@ Subratasenn, Rufus, Phamilyman and Skartik, thanks guys.

It's petrol variant, ticked all my requirements, very specious, decent performance, rear seat comfort, decent boot space... I was getting same equipment level at 34K cheaper in Brio, but could not live with that rear bench and boot.

My loan has been sanctioned today, will go to exchange my old car tomorrow. Looks like I will get my ship on 4th or 5th and not 1st. :(

[indianvirus]

Dear all,

Update here, my car came to dealer today, so went for PDI and made the final payment. Will take care of insurance tomorrow. Most probably ship sails on Monday (if not than Wednesday).

Here are some shots I took today...

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

plus somehow its an unsexy brand at the moment(unlike honda).

I got the sense that people do find it a sexy brand thanks to products like the Beat, Cruze and the Captiva.

The old UV-A was the ugly duckling that harmed the brand

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I got the sense that people do find it a sexy brand thanks to products like the Beat, Cruze and the Captiva.

The old UV-A was the ugly duckling that harmed the brand

+1.

Infact- I was surprised by this recently, when a Facebook post from one of my friend asking 'Figo or Sail' had so many replies (many from girls too) telling Chevrolet. Not Sail, but response was for the brand Chevrolet. I suppose Beat, Cruze and Spark are the reasons for it.

Chevrolet is spoiling this image by launching boring products like Sail though. Waiting for November sales figures to come out, to judge the market response for it.

[lejhoom]

Originally Posted by Mpower

The old UV-A was the ugly duckling that harmed the brand

It's quite amazing how perceptions differ! Long back once when I came back to India my attention was grabbed by only two small cars: Maruti Swift and UV-A. I thought the looks of both were to be smashing among other Indian cars.

[Vid6639]

Had a test drive of the Sail U-VA diesel a couple of days back and was fairly impressed with the car.

Here's my short review:

Looks wise it is very bland and boring. The lower variants with no alloys and chrome look very very boring. The alloys improve it somewhat. Even the Figo looks a little more stylish than the U-VA actually.

The interior space is the highlight. The space inside is brilliant. I'm pretty sure the U-VA has more rear legroom than the Liva. After sitting in the U-VA back seat, the Figo feels cramped and the Figo is supposed to have one of the spacious rear benches.

Plastic quality is strictly average. The Figo's plastics feel better than the U-VA's. The interiors just don't feel premium. When the auto door locks, the sound is just so strange. You can hear the entire mechanism. The power window switches are ok to use but in a strange location. As Suhaas mentioned, the gear lever is set too far back but after a while I kinda began to like it there since it was easier to shift, than reach for first, since I have to push the seats almost all the way back for my position. When you push the seats back you can see the fuel tank hump below. This was the same in the Honda City and I hate it since I can's put my leg comfortably at a traffic light or when cruising on highway.

Idling is smooth but you know it's an MJD under the hood. Diesel motors have a characteristic thrum which you can differentiate easily. There is a hint of turbo lag initially which is noticeable if you drive a Figo. Where the Figo will pull easily in second gear or even third, the U-VA takes a while to build up. NVH levels are better than the Figo for sure. If your in the right gear, acceleration is brisk. Gears are slick to slot in.

One thing I noticed was that the steering was not that light. I was expecting a steering that would be overly light but that was not the case. It was probably just a tad lighter than the Figo. I think the problem is that steering doesn't weigh up as speeds build. Although I couldn't test at higher speeds, the steering did not feel bad at all. Clutch is heavy but I am used to it so no issues. Brakes were strong, again better than the Figo.

Suspension was exemplary. Absorbed all the bad roads. Intentionally drove it over the same bad road I drive the Figo every day and this did a way better job at absorbing the roads than the Ford.

Overall I was impressed by the U-VA but I can see why it has not caught on. The boring looks and cheap feel interiors kind of ruin the impression of a good car underneath. Another colleague went and checked it out and told me that he rejected it because the interiors felt very cheap and plastic was too bad.

Showroom tells me that GM has stopped LT variants till Jan 2013 and till then they have only LS and LS(O) available.

Someone looking at a Liva should definitely take a look at this car as well.

[skartik2]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

One thing I noticed was that the steering was not that light. I was expecting a steering that would be overly light but that was not the case. It was probably just a tad lighter than the Figo. I think the problem is that steering doesn't weigh up as speeds build. Although I couldn't test at higher speeds, the steering did not feel bad at all. Clutch is heavy but I am used to it so no issues. Brakes were strong, again better than the Figo.

Vid and friends,

I currently drive Indica Vista with the TDi engine. I am looking to replace the vista with a diesel hatch that is very easy to drive in the city. I want a light steering, lighter clutch and airbags.

I took a Test drive of the Sail LT couple of days back and felt that the Sail steering was lighter than the Vista Tdi.

any recommendations based on my needs?

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by skartik2

Vid and friends,

I currently drive Indica Vista with the TDi engine. I am looking to replace the vista with a diesel hatch that is very easy to drive in the city. I want a light steering, lighter clutch and airbags.

I took a Test drive of the Sail LT couple of days back and felt that the Sail steering was lighter than the Vista Tdi.

any recommendations based on my needs?

Lighter steering, lighter clutch and airbags are all traits present in the U-VA but the i20, Liva and the Ritz are better options to drive in the city.

The i20 has the lightest steering, lightest clutch but the engine has turbo lag which is a drawback in city.

The Liva is the best option but it lacks features and interiors are not taht great.

The Ritz is an overall good option with no major drawback except for looks and lesser back seat space than the other 2.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by skartik2

...I currently drive Indica Vista with the TDi engine. I am looking to replace the vista with a diesel hatch that is very easy to drive in the city. I want a light steering, lighter clutch and airbags...any recommendations based on my needs?

Originally Posted by Vid6639

..Lighter steering, lighter clutch and airbags are all traits present in the U-VA but the i20, Liva and the Ritz are better options to drive in the city...

How about Beat D? Since the above person is looking for a city car, Beat D will make a lot of sense as that will be the cheapest option too I guess. Not sure of the other parameters though.

[subratasenn]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

How about Beat D? Since the above person is looking for a city car, Beat D will make a lot of sense as that will be the cheapest option too I guess. Not sure of the other parameters though.

Yes, a good suggestion. Beat D has lighter steering and clutch as compared to Liva and Ritz, probably with Sail too.

[skartik2]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

How about Beat D? Since the above person is looking for a city car, Beat D will make a lot of sense as that will be the cheapest option too I guess. Not sure of the other parameters though.

Originally Posted by subratasenn

Yes, a good suggestion. Beat D has lighter steering and clutch as compared to Liva and Ritz, probably with Sail too.

Yes, I had initially considered the Beat D but then had to drop it because of the back seat. I felt it was smaller with lesser leg space than the vista. In my case the back seat will be utilized by a senior citizen couple and a child.

[subratasenn]

Originally Posted by skartik2

Yes, I had initially considered the Beat D but then had to drop it because of the back seat. I felt it was smaller with lesser leg space than the vista. In my case the back seat will be utilized by a senior citizen couple and a child.

If you are used to Vista space at the rear, would suggest try Liva. Similar leg space and can comfortably sit three. It's almost like having a Tata car built better. Light steering, but not as light as Beat D. You may not find the clutch too light though. Spartan interiors, but now with beige option available, some people seem to be liking it.

With Sail, the leg space is good, but accommodating three people at the rear may not be as comfortable as your Vista or a Liva.

Ritz does not offer good leg space at the rear if that is one of your criteria. But it is a lovely car to drive and offers much less NVH than the Liva. A lighter clutch too.

[skartik2]

Originally Posted by subratasenn

If you are used to Vista space at the rear, would suggest try Liva. Similar leg space and can comfortably sit three. It's almost like having a Tata car built better. Light steering, but not as light as Beat D. You may not find the clutch too light though. Spartan interiors, but now with beige option available, some people seem to be liking it.

With Sail, the leg space is good, but accommodating three people at the rear may not be as comfortable as your Vista or a Liva.

Ritz does not offer good leg space at the rear if that is one of your criteria. But it is a lovely car to drive and offers much less NVH than the Liva. A lighter clutch too.

Thanks subratasenn. Leg space is a requirement for me. No matter what car I am comparing, the Vista seems to have one of the best leg space. Good to know that Liva is comparable.

I am planning to TD the Liva and Ritz this weekend.

[sups]

Originally Posted by skartik2

Leg space is a requirement for me. No matter what car I am comparing, the Vista seems to have one of the best leg space. Good to know that Liva is comparable.

I am planning to TD the Liva and Ritz this weekend.

If leg space is your requirement, look no further than a Sail U-UVA, Vista and Liva. They offer the best leg room and rear seat comfort in city commute. Yes, Sail offers the maximum leg room, but vista and liva are a close second. However, city drivability is the best in liva compared to the other two. NVH is an issue with Liva, but the post September 2012 manufactured Livas have better NVH. If you can spend 10K on sound damping in a Liva, you get a much better car. Please refer to my post below:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2979388

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by skartik2

Vid and friends,

I currently drive Indica Vista with the TDi engine. I am looking to replace the vista with a diesel hatch that is very easy to drive in the city. I want a light steering, lighter clutch and airbags.

I took a Test drive of the Sail LT couple of days back and felt that the Sail steering was lighter than the Vista Tdi.

any recommendations based on my needs?

The Liva and the Sail U-VA are your top options.

However, I see you've mentioned that the rear seat will be used by senior-citizens. Just for that, I'll recommend the Ritz. Ingress / Egress in the RItz is very good and the back seat is quite comfortable. The only drawback is the lack of outright leg-room.

The Sail and Liva have phenomenal rear leg-room and the seats are quite comfortable too. The ride-quality in both cars is fantastic and that's something older-folk will appreciate.

I am 6 foot + and driving tall-boys like the Santro and Ritz can get cumbersome for me, after notching up the miles. I'd be better off in a lower car that would allow me to stretch my legs. The Sail I believe is the perfect compromise. It does have raised front-seats, but it also allows you to get into a comfortable position. What I found really annoying in the U-VA though, was the positioning of the pedals. There is no space to rest your foot next to the clutch and the 'angle-of-attack' on the pedals is quite high, and the pedals seem to be set higher off the ground than I'd have liked. There is turbo-lag too and the torque comes in later than it does in cars like the Figo and Liva. But for a MJD engine, it's well tuned.

I am not going to recommend a car just like that. You'll have to drive them and see what you prefer. I'll suggest you drive the Sail, the Liva, the Ritz and try the Figo as well. The Ford isn't too shabby when it comes to legroom.