[Foxbat]

After spending nearly 6 months searching for a used E90 BMW 320d in Mumbai and then a month trying to find a used Laura 1.8 TSI after moving to Hyderabad, finally used my brain and not my heart and bought a Ciaz Diesel Alpha in Nexa Blue

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

After spending nearly 6 months searching for a used E90 BMW 320d in Mumbai and then a month trying to find a used Laura 1.8 TSI after moving to Hyderabad, finally used my brain and not my heart and bought a Ciaz Diesel Alpha in Nexa Blue

Oh well, I was hoping to see a second hand hero(after reading your posts in other threads). Thought of a German power sedan definitely excited us all

And congratulations on the car. The Blue colour would be a reason alone for me to buy this car. It looks stunning. You had mentioned you didn't need diesel, what made you select it eventually? Anything else apart from the resale value?

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by agambhandari

Oh well, I was hoping to see a second hand hero(after reading your posts in other threads). Thought of a German power sedan definitely excited us all

And congratulations on the car. The Blue colour would be a reason alone for me to buy this car. It looks stunning. You had mentioned you didn't need diesel, what made you select it eventually? Anything else apart from the resale value?

I was hoping for one too but after moving to Hyderabad and changing companies everything changed Used car prices in Hyderabad are insane and most of the cars I saw were not in very good condition plus dealers would try to take me for a ride since I don't know the local language. I don't intend to live in Hyderabad very long so a very expensive car wouldn't make sense. This car I can give to my parents or sister if I move abroad.

My running will probably be 2-3k kms a year, I bought the diesel since its pickup was better than the petrol plus compared to the Vento and City Diesels its very value for money.

Yes the blue color is simply beautiful and that was one of the main reasons of buying it:

[golfdude]

Folks,

I was seriously considering the Ciaz AT compared to City AT mainly because of the interior room. All 4 of us in our family are tall so interior room is very important.

But I have been reading on this thread about the issues with the front headlights on the Ciaz during night driving.

People have reported other issues here as well like dashboard noise, etc.

Now the Elantra AT is around Rs. 6 lacs more than the Ciaz AT. I read the review of the Elantra AT and since I had already done the TD of the Elantra again got attracted to it after reading the excellent reviews here.

So I am again confused. Should I plunk the additional Rs. 6 lacs and get the Elantra AT ?

If not should I get a used Elantra AT for around Rs. 13 to Rs. 14 lacs. In this price range, I can get a 1-2 year old used Elantra AT. This will be the same price as a new Ciaz but will have the luxury car feel with roomy interiors etc.

I am too not too enthused about the Ciaz like many people. If I buy it will be for practical reasons like AT with roomy interiors, good price etc.

Please advice.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by golfdude

Folks,

I was seriously considering the Ciaz AT compared to City AT mainly because of the interior room. All 4 of us in our family are tall so interior room is very important.

But I have been reading on this thread about the issues with the front headlights on the Ciaz during night driving.

.....................................

I am too not too enthused about the Ciaz like many people. If I buy it will be for practical reasons like AT with roomy interiors, good price etc.

Please advice.

We own an 8 month old Ciaz AT, done about 13k kms till date.

It is comfortable and roomy, and very fuel efficient.

Yes, the typical Maruti rattles do exist. The headlamps do fine for me since they are a dual barrel setup. Changing to better bulbs should improve the beam further.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

I was hoping for one too but after moving to Hyderabad and changing companies everything changed Used car prices in Hyderabad are insane and most of the cars I saw were not in very good condition plus dealers would try to take me for a ride since I don't know the local language. I don't intend to live in Hyderabad very long so a very expensive car wouldn't make sense. This car I can give to my parents or sister if I move abroad.

My running will probably be 2-3k kms a year, I bought the diesel since its pickup was better than the petrol plus compared to the Vento and City Diesels its very value for money.

Yes the blue color is simply beautiful and that was one of the main reasons of buying it:

Congrats and the color looks fabulous. I recently drove the Ciaz Diesel in the process of helping out a friend with a purchase. I went prepared to be underwhelmed but was pleasantly surprised at what a complete package it was. At no point did the engine feel under powered. It performed effortlessly. The ride was very good as well and I did try it through some rough stretches. The performance is linear, no sudden whoosh but overtaking on highways felt effortless.It was surprisingly agile too and I was able to slip into gaps on a 4 lane highway very easily.

However a couple of days later I drove the petro automatic and with 4 gears it was a damp squid. It was a pretty noisy car too. I would pick the diesel anyday.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[ranjitjadhav]

Originally Posted by golfdude

Folks,

I was seriously considering the Ciaz AT compared to City AT mainly because of the interior room. All 4 of us in our family are tall so interior room is very important.

But I have been reading on this thread about the issues with the front headlights on the Ciaz during night driving.

I own Ciaz AT for the last 1 yr and have have done 17K kms so far. Didn't find any issue with headlights during night driving in both city and highway drives. They offer so much light as compared to my erstwhile Esteem . If need be, one can always upgrade to better bulbs.

Originally Posted by golfdude

People have reported other issues here as well like dashboard noise, etc.

It's been one year and no usual rattles so far. Surprisingly pretty quiet for a Maruti!

Originally Posted by golfdude

Now the Elantra AT is around Rs. 6 lacs more than the Ciaz AT. I read the review of the Elantra AT and since I had already done the TD of the Elantra again got attracted to it after reading the excellent reviews here.

So I am again confused. Should I plunk the additional Rs. 6 lacs and get the Elantra AT ?

If not should I get a used Elantra AT for around Rs. 13 to Rs. 14 lacs. In this price range, I can get a 1-2 year old used Elantra AT. This will be the same price as a new Ciaz but will have the luxury car feel with roomy interiors etc.

It's important that you clearly decide in advance what boxes you would like your new car to tick. Both the cars belong to two different segments - Elantra (D) & Ciaz (C). So it will be apples to oranges comparison even if you try to match the price of old used Elantra AT with New Ciaz AT. Also, I am sure there will be perceptible difference in ongoing repairs/maintenance costs, FE, etc.

Originally Posted by golfdude

I am too not too enthused about the Ciaz like many people. If I buy it will be for practical reasons like AT with roomy interiors, good price etc.

Please advice.

Ciaz in general and Ciaz AT in particular may not be a driver's car but it offers VFM, ticks most of the right boxes in terms of practicality, AT is sweet to drive in congested city traffic & offers good FE too for a car of this size in city (15-17kmpl) and highway (19-21kmpl) depending on one's driving habits.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by shibujp

C
However a couple of days later I drove the petro automatic and with 4 gears it was a damp squid. It was a pretty noisy car too. I would pick the diesel anyday.

I would disagree with the above statement, after owning one for 13k kms.

The VVT petrol is definitely silent than the diesel, and the cabin is also well insulated, just like the diesel.

You need to live with the car, rather than writing it off after a short drive(If I may ask, how many kms did you do on the AT and the diesel). And yes, it performs better than the diesel too. Period.

[golfdude]

RanjitJadhav, Driv3R,

Thanks for the input.

How is the Ciaz AT for long drives ? Like Pune-Mumbai, Pune-Goa etc.

Is it comfortable ? Responsive when trying to overtake big vehicles ?

Thanks.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by golfdude

RanjitJadhav, Driv3R,

Thanks for the input.

How is the Ciaz AT for long drives ? Like Pune-Mumbai, Pune-Goa etc.

Is it comfortable ? Responsive when trying to overtake big vehicles ?

Thanks.

Long drives are good too. Overtaking can be taken care by just a short press of the throttle, it drops a gear and zooms ahead, if you need to tackle a more aggressive overtake, you just press the throttle a little deeper, and it drops 2 gears and does the job. Like in any traditional TCed AT, you control downshifts and upshifts with the A pedal inputs.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

I would disagree with the above statement, after owning one for 13k kms.

The VVT petrol is definitely silent than the diesel, and the cabin is also well insulated, just like the diesel.

You need to live with the car, rather than writing it off after a short drive(If I may ask, how many kms did you do on the AT and the diesel). And yes, it performs better than the diesel too. Period.

Unfortunately living with the car before we chose it is not an option the dealers give or I would gladly have chosen it.

To give you a perspective the AT was driven for around 18 km and the diesel around 10 kms. I usually get a reasonable feel with these kind of distances and I also use a certain route for a test drive.

To give you credit, the VTVT petrol might be a silent car in it's manual guise which my friend who drove it said it was. But the AT was definitely noiser which made sense since it is a 4 speed auto and was visibly strained when you push it. In fact it was my friend on the passenger seat who pointed out the noise factor. I am not sure if this was an issue with the dealers car though. My comparison was with the AT versus the diesel. After driving the three my friend too decided on the diesel. The noise versus performance trade-off in the diesel worked fine for him.

Performance was decent but I felt that the diesel did better on that front too.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[ranjitjadhav]

Originally Posted by golfdude

RanjitJadhav, Driv3R,

Thanks for the input.

How is the Ciaz AT for long drives ? Like Pune-Mumbai, Pune-Goa etc.

Is it comfortable ? Responsive when trying to overtake big vehicles ?

Thanks.

I have enjoyed long drives in my Ciaz AT on Pune-Mumbai Expressway, Pune-Bangalore, Pune-Nashik, Pune-A'nagar highways. Highway overtaking related comment from an earlier post of mine:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post4047124

***
Highway overtaking - No sweat on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Pune-Bangalore highway. Didn't have to shift to 2 or L so far for overtaking. Overtaking is always a calculated move whether you are driving MT or AT. Of course, for a last minute move to overtake in an AT, you may have to floor the pedal and you will get a grunt from the car for 1-1.5 secs before the transmission finally comes to term with your choice of speed. If this 1-1.5 secs delay matters much for your overtaking, think twice about AT. Frankly, I wouldn't advise such aggressive overtakes with even a MT. I actually think AT makes you a more disciplined driver.
***

[ranjitjadhav]

Originally Posted by shibujp

Unfortunately living with the car before we chose it is not an option the dealers give or I would gladly have chosen it.

To give you a perspective the AT was driven for around 18 km and the diesel around 10 kms. I usually get a reasonable feel with these kind of distances and I also use a certain route for a test drive.

OMG...I guess I was way too pickier. I drove AT for a whole day & did 150+ kms before selecting.

Originally Posted by shibujp

To give you credit, the VTVT petrol might be a silent car in it's manual guise which my friend who drove it said it was. But the AT was definitely noiser which made sense since it is a 4 speed auto and was visibly strained when you push it. In fact it was my friend on the passenger seat who pointed out the noise factor. I am not sure if this was an issue with the dealers car though.

I would partially agree. I found noise levels to be same for Petrol and Petrol AT at cruising speeds. It's only when you use heavy foot and push AT (while sudden overtaking or on a climb) that it grunts a little to choose the right gears which is expected.

[VSG12777]

Comparing the diesel Ciaz to the petrol one itself, is kind of unfair as the diesel is a turbo diesel. It has a turbo charger attached. The petrol is a naturally aspirated engine and a 1.4L with much lower torque figures (91 bhp and 130 Nm vs 90 bhp and 200 Nm torque).

Comparing the petrol AT to the diesel is an even more unfair one!

Also, the petrol Ciaz is quieter than the diesel any day. Absolutely no comparison there. An automatic is most of the time slower to respond than a manual, unless it is a DSG box like the Polo TSI and Vento TSI have.

And for your point regarding th 4 speed auto, it is an old school unit but tried and tested, and troublefree. It is a reliable unit unlike the DSGs which have been plagued with issues before. And, the 4th gear in the Ciaz AT has a tall ratio so the ratios are spaced out well.

I myself have driven the Ciaz AT many times, over more than 20 kms each time, and never found it wanting in terms of performance.

Compare a turbo diesel 1.4 and a turbo petrol 1.4 and then see which one blasts off. Diesels are torquey by nature, but only petrols will give u instant throttle response anyday.

The diesel makes more sense if you would be doing large distances daily, like more than 70-80 kms. Especially so now, since the price difference between petrol and diesel has come down so much and continues to come down as time goes by.

Overall the Ciaz isn't an enthusiast's car, but designed more with space, reliability, comfort and practicality in mind. It is also pretty fuel efficient for the size of car it is.

Originally Posted by shibujp

To give you credit, the VTVT petrol might be a silent car in it's manual guise which my friend who drove it said it was. But the AT was definitely noiser which made sense since it is a 4 speed auto and was visibly strained when you push it. In fact it was my friend on the passenger seat who pointed out the noise factor. I am not sure if this was an issue with the dealers car though. My comparison was with the AT versus the diesel. After driving the three my friend too decided on the diesel. The noise versus performance trade-off in the diesel worked fine for him.

Performance was decent but I felt that the diesel did better on that front too.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by shibujp

To give you credit, the VTVT petrol might be a silent car in it's manual guise which my friend who drove it said it was. But the AT was definitely noiser which made sense since it is a 4 speed auto and was visibly strained when you push it. In fact it was my friend on the passenger seat who pointed out the noise factor. I am not sure if this was an issue with the dealers car though. My comparison was with the AT versus the diesel. After driving the three my friend too decided on the diesel. The noise versus performance trade-off in the diesel worked fine for him.

The petrol is dead silent when driven sedately or idling (though not as much as the Honda 1.5 i-VTEC), in comparison to the diesel. Performance is better than the diesel too, roll on performance or even stop go real world scenarios, I have driven both extensively to say this.

Regarding the noise, the engine is the same between MT and AT. The noise/damp squid comments don't really fit in. But I understand where you are coming from. Any Torque Converter AT when floored would have a lag time in responding by putting power to the wheels after the revs, so you hear the engine at high rpms for a while, which you are referring to as "noise".

This happens if you trying to accelerate flat out from a standstill especially. This is not a performance oriented car, it is supposed to be a comfortable family sedan and it does just that.

Originally Posted by ranjitjadhav

***
Highway overtaking - No sweat on Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Pune-Bangalore highway. Didn't have to shift to 2 or L so far for overtaking.
***

2 mode - restricts to GB to gears 1 and 2, not required really for overtaking in normal conditions
L mode - it is a gear lower than the 1st gear and is used only for climbing steep inclines which the D mode cannot take

Tip: If you are on top gear and cruising on the highway and need a quick overtake, you also have the option of pressing the O/D off button on the gear-lever which gives an immediate downshift to 3rd.