[supremeBaleno]

Sounds like such a simple decision from the 3 pages of posts on this thread :

1) Fiat A.S.S. in just a few months has improved to the level of MSIL & more. Oh and they actually call back to get feedback on service. Such a novel thing if ONLY you discount the fact that others have been doing this for ages.

2) With just 3-4 petrol Lineas on the forum, the FE debate is already settled. It seems to beat the SX4 by a great margin. Ofcourse it is easy to ignore the FE reported by many SX4 users while taking into account only what the 3 Linea users got - most of which was on the display console.

3) If you go by this thread, the SX4 is good at nothing and seems to be bad at everything - bad engine, bad NVH, bad ride, bad everything. Wonder what stuff the SX4 buyers were smoking when they testdrove it, since they missed all these 'bad' parts.

4) Linea spares are cheapest because a flyer from the Fiat dealer says so. Oh yeah.

5) Spare parts is such a huge problem for SX4 that you don't see any on the road - they are all awaiting parts. And all this because it is a low volume car. Hmm. The last time I heard about someone waiting for spares, it was invariably for a Fiat. Anyway, as point-1 says, the Fiat A.S.S. has really turned around.

6) And 'underpowered' is no longer an issue with Linea because City was only 77bhp. Ofcourse it is so easy to ignore the fact that the City had to haul along 300kgs less. Plus the fact that while it might not have been the quickest, it never was called a slouch either.

drashkum, looks like it is a cakewalk for you to make a choice. Satisfaction guaranteed.

[vnabhi]

Well said, SB!
My colleague owns a Palio 1.2 and was cursing Fiat/Tata because he had to wait for more than a month for spares. It will take some time for Fiat to make amends, and we cannot go by the feedback of a handfull of owners. It is, however, delightful to know that Fiat is trying to put things in order on the A.S.S. front.

I've never heard of spare parts problems for the SX4.Seems to be a gross exaggeration.

Regarding bhp, I agree that one should not get fooled by bhp figures. Power to weight ratio is a better evaluation, though it is also not a bullet proof evaluation. To cite an example, the Fiesta diesel has only 68 bhp to its credit, whereas a WagonR has 65 bhp. But the former is way, way faster than the latter, though it is only 3 bhp more, and also when it weighs around 300 kgs more.

[marlinspike]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Well said, SB!
Regarding bhp, I agree that one should not get fooled by bhp figures. Power to weight ratio is a better evaluation, though it is also not a bullet proof evaluation. To cite an example, the Fiesta diesel has only 68 bhp to its credit, whereas a WagonR has 65 bhp. But the former is way, way faster than the latter, though it is only 3 bhp more, and also when it weighs around 300 kgs more.

In which Fiesta diesel is the one to get.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

drashkum, looks like it is a cakewalk for you to make a choice. Satisfaction guaranteed.

SupremeBaleno is entitled to his opinion, and it does hit the mark in pointing out the thread's bias against it. Sure there are some parameters that are compelling for the SX4 but Linea is still the better product, if it will be a less painful ownership experience than Palio is something that will come to light only after a year or two of a reasonable #s on road. Sales figures of linea are encouraging though it is not a certainity that it will continue. That would depend on word of mouth from new owners remaining positive over a large proportion. reasonably informed potential buyer will look into most of the factors when evaluating a vehicle, ultimately they go with what they figure would work for them.

[drashkum]

Sure there are some parameters that are compelling for the SX4 ,linea if it will be a less painful ownership experience than Palio is something that will come to light only after a year or two of a reasonable #s on road. Sales figures of linea are encouraging though it is not a certainity that it will continue. That would depend on word of mouth from new owners remaining positive over a large proportion. reasonably informed potential buyer will look into most of the factors when evaluating a vehicle, ultimately they go with what they figure would work for them.

true true.

never expected this thread would evoke so much debate!!

have asked the salesman of both the companies to come with the respective car to my home at 2pm today so that i can TD both at the same time and assess the pros and cons. will keep you people posted.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

one should not get fooled by bhp figures. Power to weight ratio is a better evaluation, though it is also not a bullet proof evaluation.

Yeah. Bhp figures in isolation mean nothing. And the Fiesta is the best example like you mentioned.

Originally Posted by marlinspike

Sure there are some parameters that are compelling for the SX4 but Linea is still the better product.

Both cars have their pluses and minuses and for different people, priorities are different. And which of these is 'the better product' depends on the buyer, based on what his needs are.

Originally Posted by drashkum

have asked the salesman of both the companies to come with the respective car to my home at 2pm today so that i can TD both at the same time and assess the pros and cons.

This is the way to go. Drive both cars, have your family along to check rear seat comfort, compare both options and go for whichever is the better car according to you. Do post the on-road price also for the 2 cars at similar trim levels - maybe the Zxi and the Linea-P top-end.

[shuvadips]

1. I had driven an SX4 quite a lot, my friend have it, my cousin have it. If you are not used to driving SX4 it would be a problem especially for the rear view. But my friend or cousin do not have any problem becaue they drive it almost daily. So its all about gettting used to but again most cars are not that way.

2. Maruti us never know for its great body, you name any car from the Maruti stable. So if you are really keen to have a solid body then you must target the german cars or Skoda.

3. Mileage of SX4 would never go above 9.5-10 kmpl, whatever you try.

Overall the only plus point of SX4 is its less costly and it road presence is very good. I do not regard it as VFM.

I really feel bad that you are going off with the i20 deal. I test drove it and I found it to the most complete car ever offered by anyone in its class. Many of the Hyundai cars are under rated in India leaving out i10. So I would suggest to reconsider your decision.

But if you are really thinking of buying a sedan under 7 lakhs you might try swift dzire the real VFM or the new New Ford Ikon or Fiat Linea.

[loving_alaap]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

5) Spare parts is such a huge problem for SX4 that you don't see any on the road - they are all awaiting parts. And all this because it is a low volume car. Hmm. The last time I heard about someone waiting for spares, it was invariably for a Fiat. Anyway, as point-1 says, the Fiat A.S.S. has really turned around.

Spare parts a huge problem for SX4?

IMO *** is the only (i repeat "only") USP for all maruti cars!!!

and they are loosing it too!!

[drashkum]

i had ordered for a simultaneous testdrive of fiat linea and sx4. i confirmed with both the dealer in morning. sx4 turned up promptly at my doorstep at 2pm. linea didnt even turn up at 4pm.i didnt even recieve a call from the dealers ( vst motors mount road chennai) for not coming. i called them t 4 pm and the sales man said there is a shortage of manpower!!! so no one was there for bringing the linea to my home!! . what a lame excuse!!!. i believe this to be a shortage of commitment to the customer. if this is happening even in the test drive i sincerely doubt what will happen in after sales service??!!.

so more time to think now . will make a decision in a couple a days!!!.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by shuvadips

Maruti us never know for its great body, you name any car from the Maruti stable. So if you are really keen to have a solid body then you must target the german cars or Skoda.

You seem to be still in the M800 era. Things have changed, man. MSIL cars (Swift, SX4 etc) are no longer tinny like the Esteem. The SX4 weighs in at 1200kgs which is in the same range as most of its peers or heavier. And BTW what German car do you recommend for his budget ?

Originally Posted by shuvadips

Mileage of SX4 would never go above 9.5-10 kmpl,

And what is the FE of its peers (petrol) in your opinion ? From what I have seen on the forum, almost all of the current C-segmenters have FE in this range only. The NHC would have bettered this figure, but it is no longer available.

Originally Posted by shuvadips

Overall the only plus point of SX4 is its less costly and it road presence is very good. I do not regard it as VFM.

What about the safety features and other bells and whistles which were first offered in this car in the segment ? And less costly than what ? Maybe the ANHC. But otherwise aren't the Aveo, Fiesta, Linea etc all priced more or less the same ?

Originally Posted by shuvadips

I test drove i20 and I found it to the most complete car ever offered by anyone in its class.

You own a Getz1.3 which IMO is a pretty decent car overall. How does it compare with the i20 that has the i10's 1.2l engine ? Don't know about you, but people who TD-ed the i20 felt the engine was a let-down. And if the engine is a goner, what completeness does one see in the car ?

Originally Posted by loving_alaap

Spare parts a huge problem for SX4?

Boss, that was supposed to be sarcastic, because someone mentioned earlier on in this thread that there is a spare availability issue for SX4.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by drashkum

i had ordered for a simultaneous testdrive of fiat linea and sx4. sx4 turned up promptly at my doorstep at 2pm. linea didnt even turn up at 4pm. i didnt even recieve a call from the dealers for not coming. i believe this to be a shortage of commitment to the customer. if this is happening even in the test drive i sincerely doubt what will happen in after sales service?

@drashkum, there is pretty decent interest in the Linea and thus they might be stretched out with the TD requests. Since you have shortlisted the Linea, call them again and get a TD. Don't ignore the car due this reason. It is not everyday that one buys a car - so do an exhaustive comparo and get the car that suits your need best.

P.S.: SX4 sales are not really that high - partly due to sibling Dzire. So sales guys might be desperate to cut deals, which could explain their turning up promptly.

[joy_swift]

Originally Posted by shuvadips

Overall the only plus point of SX4 is its less costly and it road presence is very good. I do not regard it as VFM.

I really feel bad that you are going off with the i20 deal. I test drove it and I found it to the most complete car ever offered by anyone in its class. Many of the Hyundai cars are under rated in India leaving out i10. So I would suggest to reconsider your decision.

Suvadip...I laughed when you mentioned SX4 is less costly...

SupremeBaleno highlighted this point...I have seen this point in the forum that SX4 is cheap...Its only cheaper than ANHC...

SX4 is atleast 50K more than a Verna or a Fiesta and 1L costlier than a Aveo...Forget Dzire,Ikon etc etc...

Also,everyone forgets that SX4 showed the way....It was the first car in its segment to provide ABS,EBD,Airbags,Climate Control,Integrated Stereo,Mounted steering controls....And then everyone followed!!!!!

[vijaythacker]

well thats not good from fiat who didnt turned up or even didnt called you regarding non availability of your test vehicle,but one thing why didnt you started new thread as one was already created by you for your new car
link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-c...cellation.html, just came to know that you have continued your conversations on new thread which is this one.

[Caramelo]

wow lot of sx4 bashing going on here. :( it is a great car. you cant ignore it.

[gemithomas]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Both cars have their pluses and minuses and for different people, priorities are different. And which of these is 'the better product' depends on the buyer, based on what his needs are.

Excactly. That makes sense.


Agree with SB. Drive both and buy the one you like more based on your priorities.

[Meer]

Originally Posted by loving_alaap

Poor refinement, Low FE, Extremely noisy (diesel like) engine & stiff suspension made the SX4 typical maruti car in India. Its a poor man's sedan who can barely afford Accent / Dzire / Ikon and can stretch a bit.

Not seen a more hilarious comment on the forum for a long time
Thanks buddy

My SX4 has done 10K+ and yet to encounter any of the attributes you have mentioned. Do these come after 10K? I am assuming that you have driven SX4 for some time to make such bold comments.