[GTO]

Would just like to share, why I bought the Amby and what are the things I considered while making the purchase. Below is a small list of my priorities that I wanted in my next car, compred to the carb zen I was driving.

And the fact that you live in, what is, India's official Amby-land?!

[esteem_lover]

Looks like the seating has been lowered compared to the other ambys. Surprised to see the same old window opening lever.

[musicmanaman]

Hi All,

The first fill mileage I got was 7kmpl, this was with 100% AC and city driving on auto cut off at the bunk, I quite confident the mileage can go higher once I get accustomed to driving this car.

I just got to get the car checked by someone who knows about petrol MPFI Amby's, as it shuts down at times, nothing serious I suppose, just some tuning issue or may be the injectors require cleaning. also want to know if anyone has an idea on what the temprature setting is on the Amby, my Amby goes a little above the half way mark, need to know if that is normal.

Right now, I just getting to know this car a little more and discovering it a little more every day.

[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by hrag

Very nice! Congratulations.

A question though - I've noticed many Amby drivers struggling to maintain a straight line at slow speeds. Is it really that difficult?

I've driven Ambys myself and have always found the steering a little vague but that Isuzu engine has more than made up for it.

I have no issues with straight line at slow speeds, but yes the steering feel is definietly different compared to morden cars. There is quite a bit of body roll though at high speeds, I have touched 100 kmph so far, and the Amby goes to 100 kmph much faster than the zen I had, also feels quite comfortable at 100, unlike the zen.

[musicmanaman]

On my second fill, got about 7.15 kmpl,the different between the Amby and the Zen carb I has seems to be 1.5 to 2 kmpl, comparing the size, weight and power I suppose it's a small price to pay. Car is behaving well, have made a small todo list, that I'll be doing when I get the time.

Change Engine oil
Change Gear box oil
Change Power steering oil
Change break fluids
Change Spark Plugs
Align head lights
Check Exaust pipe for leaks
Check rear break pads
Clean throtel body
Check engine tuning
Body touch up paint and polish

Have no idea what the above will cost, and every day I seem to add someting to this list, there are no issues with the car, but in any case I want to get the above done, maybe even add Teflon coating after polishing.

Lately have been noticing a lot of new Grands (1500 cc diesel's) on Kolkata's road, or may be it's me myself owning an Amby effect, but yes, I have noted a lot of people going in for the new Grands with the 1500 cc engines, not the 2000 diesel, for some reason.

All in all, still very happy with the purchase.

[amit V8]

@ musicmanaman,
great car. but i love the grand more than the avigo. it always has that muscular look.
are you talking about this 1.5? this grey paint looks really awesome.

[Mr.Bangalore]

hey ravi

nice selection.. totally different..
the one thing i liked the most is the dash board and interiors..
can you put cost involved..

[jaysmokesleaves]

hey thats a sexy car man!!
I just love the amby. IMO its the most versatile car for india. I have a fixed rental in one of the cities i visit regularly. Its an old amby diesel. Top spped = 90 at which point it sounds like about to take off. Nothing breaks in the car- no breakdowns ever. super reliable and easy to fix anything anywhere in the country. Handles road abuse with dignity & splendour.

[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by amit V8

@ musicmanaman,
great car. but i love the grand more than the avigo. it always has that muscular look.
are you talking about this 1.5? this grey paint looks really awesome.

Yes, that's the 1.5's I'm talking about, lately have been seeing many of those around, maybe people are suddenly seeing value in the same.

The only difference between the Grand and Avigo are,
Dash board, Bonnet and that Avigo comes with Alloys, sound system, and Leather seats by default.
I guess they have tried to position the Avigo a notch up compared to the Grand.

[amit V8]

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

Yes, that's the 1.5's I'm talking about, lately have been seeing many of those around, maybe people are suddenly seeing value in the same.

The only difference between the Grand and Avigo are,
Dash board, Bonnet and that Avigo comes with Alloys, sound system, and Leather seats by default.
I guess they have tried to position the Avigo a notch up compared to the Grand.

well musicmanaman,
i took this photo in the auto fair this march. it looked pretty good, but the 1.5 still has the long gearstick. also the 2.0TURBO has a sunroof, which you can fit in. i dont see any new avigos now, don't know what has happened.
i came 'THIS' close in making my dad buy the car......but i have to ride a boring SX4 now.
enjoy your ride by every bit.

[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by Mr.Bangalore

hey ravi

nice selection.. totally different..
the one thing i liked the most is the dash board and interiors..
can you put cost involved..

This is going to work out cheaper for me than buying a new Alto and running the same for 50k Km's. I may loose out on resale in the end, but that's a small price to pay to own this wonderful car.

[musicmanaman]

Originally Posted by amit V8

well musicmanaman,
i took this photo in the auto fair this march. it looked pretty good, but the 1.5 still has the long gearstick. also the 2.0TURBO has a sunroof, which you can fit in. i dont see any new avigos now, don't know what has happened.
i came 'THIS' close in making my dad buy the car......but i have to ride a boring SX4 now.
enjoy your ride by every bit.

I think they have now come out with a 2.0 liter Turbo Desile, which is like 75 bhp with about 18 kgm of Torque, this should be fantastic to drive, check the HM website, I guess it's there.

[Wolffe]

Great car! Great buy...Congrats.

[musicmanaman]

These are my observations after doing 800 kms so far.

Engine and Gearbox: In general I find MPFI cars a bit noiser than carb one's, my conti with the same engine block was quiter than the Amby with MPFI, the gear box is a bit on the rough side, but nothing serious.

Power: I would say this car has raw power and is quite good on low end tourq, in 1st and 2nd gear, I can just put the car in gear and leave the cluth without pressing the accelator and the car would glide effortlessly, even with a full load of passengers, and in my family everyone is Big. Buttom line is good amount of power but unrefined.

Handling: Well, I don't know what to put in here, for me it's fine, but takes time getting used to, the body rolls quite a bit at high speeds, and the power sterring helps well in low speeds. The pedals on the floor and the worst area of the car, and this is the only gripe I have as off now.

Ride: It soaks the pot hole streets well and the ride is better at higher speeds, I can feel small speed breakers at low speeds, but at high speeds it just glides over them, makes me wonder why, I feel them at low speeds and don't at high speeds.

AC: AC in this car is a chiller and one of the best I have come around.

FE: Got 7.8 kmpl on the last full tank, brim to brim, all city driving, I do not switch off the engine at signals. I feel the mileage is getting better with time, or maybe I'm getting better at driving this beast. On the last fill, I was searching for system G, could not find it, the pump guys told they have something called Adon, from IOC, have added the same with petrol, let's see if the FE get's better. Right now the average of all my tank fulls is about 7.4 kmpl and getting better. I think on Highway this car will give good mileage.

Overall: Overall, I feel much safer driving this car, as the sitting position is high, car feels tough, and I'm quite happy with the car, saddens me a little when I visit the fuel pump, but I can live with it. By reading auto mags I have realised that this car is not that heavy, comparing to other sedans, actually I think even the city Vtech is heavyer that this, and the power to weight ratio is quite good compared to other sedans. Before I forget, the coolent in the coolent contaner dries up much faster than my zen, in zen I would check the same once in 2 months, only to find a marginal drop, but in Amby I check every 3-4 days and find the coolent drop to half, I don't think there are any hoses leaking, just can't figure this out, maybe this is the way with Amby's.

Will keep updateing as I age with this car.

[Blue Thunder]

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

...In general I find MPFI cars a bit noiser than carb one's...

That is normal : generally, for the same engine, the MPFI is noisier than the carb version.

.

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

...The pedals on the floor... .

Pedals on the floor...on a 2004 Amby . I thought they should have moved to suspended pedals by now.

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

...I can feel small speed breakers at low speeds, but at high speeds it just glides over them, makes me wonder why, I feel them at low speeds and don't at high speeds.
...

The ride comfort in the Amby is a well-known fact : what you experienced is an outcome of that. It has a well-designed and soft rear leaf-spring setup.

.