[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Hi sandsun7 - yes that would be an important factor. We'll get the exact figure and include it soon. However, it should be in the 5.2-5.4m range from what i could tell.

Rehaan, just now found this info in motorbeam.com's review of the sail
Turning Radius: 5.15-metres
You were spot on when you said it would be around 5.2
Decent (but not outstanding) for a car of this size, I should say.

[Turbo Head]

Very nicely reviewed Rehaan & Suhaas.

However I found the quality below par (especially interiors & equipments), I personally saw the car and posted the pics in some other thread, It is built to budget.

What about the pricing, any clear word about that ?

[arvindmanju]

Very nice review!! Great job. Five stars rated
If priced correctly, Sail will become a replacement to my current aging Indica. Good roomy interiors are must to me till now i was left only with Toyota and Vista as option.
Any info on the variants available?

[ku69rd]

A very Good Nice review, have rated it 5 Stars.
The car does look very good and would have been a very healthy package if it had been launched atleast 18-21 months ago. This could have even preceded the new swift revision launch, somehow felt that with hatchback market nearing saturation this might find a bit of slow pace in getting off the showrooms.
The front part looks like a toned down Cruze and that's the best view of car.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by acroback

Also, did you guys had a chance to look at the new sail sedan?

Nope, sorry.

Though the gents at Chevy did unofficially mention that we can expect it by Dec 2012 / Jan 2013.

Originally Posted by durgaprasan

Is it being offered with reverse parking sensor?

Nope, no reverse parking sensor as part of the equipment list.

Regarding the Fabia and Punto, do see the last post by GTO on the 1st page of this thread.

cya
R

[Nilesh5417]

Amazing review. I liked the fact that it didn't run into pages and pages but provided all the information that really matters. Thanks!

What this goes to show is never judge a book by its cover. Sadly, when you have everything going right in the plot, why leave out the cover?? Chevy surely could have done more to make the car not look so boring. Its not a lot of money to fix things cosmetically.

And i totally agree with the blokes here - what stops Chevy from providing a true top end version with all bells and whistles?? Sometimes i'm stumped by the decisions automakers take even with huge budgets and great talent at their disposal.
------------
And btw - i absolutely loved to openings lines quoting the impressions from the 60's, 70's & 80's.

[shomshree]

Thanks a lot for the superb review Rehaan & Suhaas .

After having complete a much satisfying run of 3 years with my Chevy U-VA, may be it would not be out of place if I expressed confidence in Sail 1.3 diesel. While it might not be a smooth sailing for this new car in the initial years, the popularity which follow Chevy owners all around, is sure to pour favorable winds in the Sail.

But as an existing customers point of view, few things noticed where Chevy can improve the model,
1> Interior should have improve than old version.
2> Braking system should be improve with this version.
3> The looks overall could have been improved to give it some form of impetus to take the competition insofar as styling is concerned.

The maintenance cost for diesel has to look out. If they come with the 3yrs Chevy promise (CPP) then it would be better.

Just want to know few things, what all are the variant they are offering on 1.3 & 1.2. Is the HU is Alpine & how its sound.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by arvindmanju

Sail will become a replacement to my current aging Indica

Funny you should mention the Indica. I was just thinking, the main differentiator between the Chevy Sail & the Tata Vista is reliability. The reliability track record of Chevrolet is really good in India, while that of Tata cars is usually at the bottom of the heap.

The Sail & Vista are otherwise very similar in terms of neutral design, spacious interiors, nice ride comfort, 1.3L diesel, light steering and neutral road manners (though the Chevrolet appears to be a better handler).

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by GTO

The Sail & Vista are otherwise very similar in terms of neutral design, spacious interiors, nice ride comfort, 1.3L diesel, light steering and neutral road manners (though the Chevrolet appears to be a better handler).

IMO, it may become a competitor for Vista for prospective private car buyers but my not pose any challenge in commercial market due to after sales and spare part cost.

[RGK]

Thanks for a wonderful review Rehaan and Suhaas. Seems to be a star performer if correctly priced.
How is the centre console positioned. Does it hit the left ankle while pressing the clutch. I faced this problem in Chevy UVA.

[DriveLogic]

Amazing review Suhaas & Rehaan!

On the sidelines, I hope to find one more statement defied by your reviews very soon!

2010's : "Indian cars are too cheap, flimsy, lack depth in engineering, are a copy of other cars and will never make the cut."

[anu21v]

Originally Posted by DriveLogic

Amazing review Suhaas & Rehaan!

On the sidelines, I hope to find one more statement defied by your reviews very soon!

2010's : "Indian cars are too cheap, flimsy, lack depth in engineering, are a copy of other cars and will never make the cut."

That would have been statements set in 1990s... today's Indian cars are pretty much good for the competition. Take a look at Tata and Mahindra and they are already proving worthy competitors to international brands.

[suhaas307]

The thing about the Sail U-VA is that GM has attempted to correct the deal-breaking issues that you find in cars in the competition. And in the process, they've given us a very well rounded product. It's basic, yet extremely functional.

They've addressed the issues to an extent. Like the poor brakes in the Micra / Pulse and the lower variants of the Swift, the stiff ride and low-GC in the Figo, the Etios Liva's extremely basic interior / exterior, the Ritz's / Swift's lack of space.

Cars like the top-end Swift, the i20, the Polo and the Fabia don't even come into the picture because they're frankly a step-up in terms of pricing. Honda doesn't even figure in the list. Quite sad.

In the bargain, what you get is a car that does everything well, but lacks sheer sex-appeal. That X-factor if you will! Sure, it has a USP: the fact that it's an all-rounder. But every car needs that special something that helps it along in bringing in the numbers. I'm not quite sure if the Sail has this. It's a no-nonsense, neutral car in most aspects.

One thing to remember is that the Liva diesel is more bare-bones than any diesel car can be. For 7.5 lakhs OTR Bangalore, you get the top-end Liva that comes with airbags and ABS (the lower and only other variant doesn't come with airbags!) and it doesn't come fitted with alloy-wheels, auto-adjust mirrors, a stereo or even a simple rev-counter! Plus, it sounds like a truck when you drive it and the exposed-metal every where will lead you to believe that Toyota has skimped on this car for nothing.

But just like the Sail, the Liva is a rounded car. It has a robust engine, a balanced ride / handling package, good steering / gearbox and LOADS of space.

The Chevy has more appeal than an Etios Liva IMHO. I had low expectations while getting into the Sail but I was left pleasantly surprised.

If Chevy prices the top-end Sail diesel anything more than 6.5 lakhs ex-showroom, the Liva will eat it for breakfast. They'll not only need to price the Sail similarly, they'll need the top-end Beat diesel to undercut the base diesel Sail UV-A by a whisker.

But will people walk away from Maruti and Toyota showrooms to sample a competent Chevy product? - Is the golden question.

Originally Posted by 9thsphinx

The Sail, however good a hatchback it is, clearly loses out to the Jazz in terms of interior space and quality of materials used. Also, I doubt the Sail can beat the Jazz in terms of engine refinement. The Sail also loses out to the i20 when comparing dimensions and equipment levels!

IMHO, the Sail U-VA will make or break it's competition only on it's price - if priced right!

The Jazz does beat the Sail in terms of interior space and cabin-airiness. The petrol engine in the Sail isn't as refined either. But the ride / handling / gearbox / brakes package in the Sail will make the Jazz want to dig a hole and go deep into it. The Jazz is not even a remotely fun car to drive. But the Sail is to some extent. The gearbox is an absolute joy to use unlike the notchy shifter in the Jazz. And the Sail's ride-quality is so much better than the Honda's.

The top-end i20 like I'd mentioned earlier wouldn't even figure in the list. But dimensionally, they aren't very different. The Sail is more spacious and is just as good a commuter as the i20. The i20 clearly feels more upmarket in terms of interior-quality and equipment but that's where the it ends.

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Very nicely reviewed Rehaan & Suhaas.

However I found the quality below par (especially interiors & equipments), I personally saw the car and posted the pics in some other thread, It is built to budget.

What about the pricing, any clear word about that ?

Thanks!

Funny you say that, because I personally find the quality of some parts in most hatchbacks below-average. Even though the new Swift's interior looks good, the quality is seriously questionable. The plastics are of the same 'hard-sort', but the Swift's stalks, knobs and buttons certainly feel cheap.

If you look at all the hatchbacks in the 5-10 lakh bracket, only the German cars come out tops in terms of quality. Even the VFM Figo feels better on the inside than some of these pricey hatchbacks.

Pricing is speculative, but I doubt it would exceed 7 lakhs ex-showroom. If it does, GM is going to kill a very competent product.

Originally Posted by RGK

Thanks for a wonderful review Rehaan and Suhaas. Seems to be a star performer if correctly priced.
How is the centre console positioned. Does it hit the left ankle while pressing the clutch. I faced this problem in Chevy UVA.

Nope, it doesn't.

[rajeev k]

Another car in the league of the crowded segment and appears to sell well.
Great review suhaas, though, probably your first official one, nicely compiled in true TBhp style.

[DriveLogic]

Originally Posted by anu21v

That would have been statements set in 1990s... today's Indian cars are pretty much good for the competition. Take a look at Tata and Mahindra and they are already proving worthy competitors to international brands.

Agreed! But thats something that only we in India know very well about lest somewhat tacky quality that the Tata's and Mahindras still offer. What I meant was, in another 5 years from now, I'd like to see Indian brands become a major player in global markets, putting up numbers that matter