[ruchirtnt]

one thing i did not liked while doing looking in a figo is that even the top variant Titanium is not providing the rear power windows which is quite surprising

[joethomasv]

The odo reads 9991 kms. I did the 2nd free service yesterday. Other than the initial hickup with the battery warning lamp, the car's flawless. So far.
I decided to get the fog lamps fixed because the stock headlights are pretty much useless at night, especially when it rains. They claimed they didn't remove the bumpers to fix them.
The fogs cost 4800 Rs including a 600 Rs fixing charge.

I'm sure I'll break the 2nd set of mud flaps very soon. The service guys claimed the ones that are coming now are much more flexible and don't break easily. Now how about a free replacement Ford?
I had to replace the wipers too in just 5 months.

[Captain Slow]

I think Maruti does offers warranty on the wipers. I remember someone who got the wipers replaced under warranty.

Joe, How do you find the black plastic quality around the door on the out side? Is the color fading?

[joethomasv]

Black plastic on the outside? The door pads? I didn't notice any fade so far, the only damage I've seen on the plastic is where the seat belt clip hits when it's released.

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

I think Maruti does offers warranty on the wipers. I remember someone who got the wipers replaced under warranty.

Joe, How do you find the black plastic quality around the door on the out side? Is the color fading?

[gemithomas]

The wipers come with 6 months warranty. remember reading it somewhere.

[anilisanil]

Yesterday I got my wipers replaced under warranty while getting my first service done. The sales person told me that the wiper warranty is for 10000 KM.

[joethomasv]

Great! I got it replaced within 6 months and below 10k but they didn't mention anything. I didn't think of it either.

[aries_mavrick]

Hi All,

This is my first full post to the Team-BHP forums.
After working in Mumbai for over 3 years, i switched jobs and had to relocate to Bangalore. Initial impressions of Bangalore as a city have been great, the weather being a chief contributor to that opinion. Having moved to Bangalore, my wife and I decided to buy a car for our daily needs and for the occasional long drive; considering i have heard a lot about the places to go see, in and around Bangalore which are said to be Beautiful.

some of The key considerations for my car purchase were:
1. Good to drive - the car must have a character to it (don't know any other adjectives to describe this feeling)
2. frugal (considering the cost of fuel these days)
3. Economical to maintain & for Spares
4. Must handle well on Highways & easy to drive in the city
5. Some base comforts for urban dwellers like us, who are used to more creature comforts than the rest of the junta
6. Safety - as you can see it was not high on my list, but had to be there none the less.
7. Look good - after all it is a status symbol in the eyes of some people
8. must not cost a hand and a foot to purchase
9. budget - around 6-6.3 L

Once i had listed down all these points i went about doing what everyone else does, RESEARCH.

The cars that i test drove were
1. Hyundai
1.1. Hyundai i20 - Both petrol & Diesel(new 6 speed) -> while i felt that the petrol was a little underpowered, I really liked the Diesel i20 (high end one) with the leather, auto climate control, handling, braking & peppy engine. But was super shocked when he told me what it would cost on road in Bangalore 8L +, the question was, if the car was worth that much dough which gets translated into an EMI (my EMI emotional formula: EMI = Happiness + Satisfaction of driving the car), the both of us felt that at that price we could as well go for a Sedan. so, the i20 was a NO.

1.2. Accent - Great Car, fun to drive but was a dated model, so opted out.

1.3. i10 - Good car, but i was looking for something bigger - would definitely consider it for a second car in the future

2. Maruti Suzuki
2.1 Swift - Vxi & VdI - both great cars: peppy, comfy and felt well planted on the road. buuutttt heard that a new swift was on the way, and the fact that the rear seats were not comfy, the car is a little dated on Indian Roads.
2.2 Ritz Vdi - It is the Swift in a different dress - felt the same, hated the rear of the car, its like someone hit a santro with a hammer in the back. No space for luggage and the same rear seat not having any leg space. ( I am 6" and push the seat back when i drive)
2.3 Alto K10 - now this was a car which really impressed me, totally loved it and was in the showroom on the day of the launch so had the privilege of being the first person to test drive it, peppy engine, responsive steering, comfy seats, everything was just right with this car.... would have bought it had the sales guy not told me i would have to wait for 2 months for delivery(and it was much less than my budget, i would have saved a lot of money - read EMI) - definite 2nd car material - I recommend this car whole heartedly to anyone who is looking for either the zen, a-star, wagon r or santro.

3. GM - Chevrolet
3.1. Aveo UV-A - nice car but looked very plain, and have read of horror stories with this car's service and parts on Team BHP, so was skeptical and opted out
3.2 Spark - center dash - NO ( what were these guys thinking)
3.3 Aveo - hated it, felt there was a super disconnect between the cockpit and rest of the car

4. Tata
4.1 Indica - Center Dash - what were these guys thinking, just got me thinking which brainless MR agency came up with the center dash being a USP for this market.

Think about this - in a normal dash setup, how long does it take you to glance down make a note of the current numbers flashing and look back up - my numbers were pretty quick ( less than a second i recon). now, while i was in the indica i had to look left find the instruments, read the numbers turn back and look back onto the road which took muuucchhhh longer than the regular dash set up. which would mean breaking or running over some idiot speaking on his cell phone and crossing the road.

all in all, great car, superb engine, well mated gear box, comfy seats in fact the most comfy of all of the cars i have driven. but the center dash was a huge turnoff and some of the feedback on the service not being great affected the decision.

4.2 Manza - Was good over all, we had a nomination no 1.

5. Fiat
5.1 - Linea - Petrol was underpowered i felt, so opted out, but the car was absolutely great to look at. was like that chick in office everyone secretly oggles at he he.... diesel was too expensive for my budget. Another thing was, the demo car was very bad, the interiors were dirty, plastics were flaking off, the car made weird sounds when i braked and the guy said it was only 1 year old. when i asked him if my car would end up like this in one year he had the audacity to say YES!!!! My GOD, who hires these people?
5.2 - Punto - need i say any more than what has already been said about this car. The Italians know their auto stuff is all i'll say, and that is an understatement. The base diesel was pretty sparse in terms of features however the punto emotion pack (p) was Nomination no 2.(after considerable discount from tata and the dealer)
5.3 - wanted to drive the palio multijet, as i had heard it was very very very good. But Fiat has stopped production as on May 2010. so are palio's getting any cheaper in the second market?


6. VW
6.1 Polo - everybody says its great - i say NOT so much; here's why i say so - The dash is very in your face, designed well, but the materials were very, not so friendly. I know its good to be simple on the inside, uncluttered some say, but whatever happened to some European style and esthetics i ask. its like one of those cars which were available in Europe in the late 80's, especially the AC vents YUCKKKK, this is something you look at day in day out when you drive.
felt the 3 cyl petrol was a little underpowered, it sounded like a diesel engine when i started it, though the gear box is kick *** and the comfort is very good(same with the Diesel).
A BIG However - is the Pricing, what were you thinking VW people. when i pay 6.5L on road, i get nothing, nothing i say. i have to pay for everything else. why! oh why! cant you give me ABS and Airbags at least at that price, dont give me a ICE i wont mind, but something to make me happy that the money i spend will keep my family safe. (read - very Indian mentality)

7. Skoda -
7.1 fabia - Nice car, nice car, nice car: but pricing, what were you thinking VW people when you priced this car - I can buy 2 Alto K10's at the price of your car, and get all the features that you speak of in your car fitted aftermarket go for a trip to coorg with the family and still have money in the bank.

8 Ford
8.1 - FIGO Drove the car, and instantly loved it: Great steering position, very big car like drive characteristics, plenty of shoulder room, nice ICE Bluetooth and all, ABS, Airbags, EBD, seats were a little uncomfy no lumbar support, but hey, you cant have everything right. and the pricing was spot on! Nomination - 3.

9. second hand market
the less said the better - for a whole week i was lost in the murky world of the second hand dealers, went from showroom to workshop, on main roads to muddy gullys, spoke to dealers who were friendly and looked like gangsters in movies (read beard, 3 buttons open shirt, and smelled of old monk rum), got advice on everything from what to buy to how to make saambaar bengeluru style.
saw a octavia, optra, mondeo and accord, and that's that.

so, 3 choices After a lot of research and speaking to almost everyone i have known in my life, i finally narrowed it down to

1. Ford Figo Titanium - Diesel
2. Fiat Punto emotion Pack - petrol
3. manza petrol Aqua (ABS)

Suddenly, manza went out of the list - cause, my wife's cousin who had bought a manza came up with what was thought to be a small niggle ended up being a super pain in the *** repair job. so out it went - if i may, a word of advice to the tata's dealers - please, please, please, please train your people in the fiat factories in Europe ( would improve employee satisfaction and quality of work) once the people trained see some others do the same work only better.

So, punto emotion pack petrol and ford titanium diesel - almost the same price, almost the same feature set, one almost as good looking as the other (read - punto is much better looking on the outside)

Then the debate of petrol vs diesel came into the picture - did some basic analysis on excel and out came diesel as the logical choice. sooooooo, there it was the car of my dreams and research the Ford Figo 1.4 Titanium

So off i went to my mobile phone book and called Lathangi Ford, very good customer support i must say ( the guy came for 3 long test drives and never complained once)

Spoke to them on Monday morning (6th sep, 2010), since i had my loan pre arranged with the bank through my company went to them with all the documents on monday night at 8.30PM, and submitted it. Casually asked him when i could get my White Figo with black dash and everything he can throw, thrown in and he said 1.5 days, i said really, and he said YEA SIR! so i said OK! Please GIVE!

Believe you me, this morning (8th Sep, 2010) sharp at 10.30 I had the car keys in my hands ready to drive out of the showroom. The registration complete, they had offered to give me tinted 3M glass, mats and mud flaps free. everything was in place by the time i reached, all i had to do was sign the papers, click some pics and drive to the nearest bunk for some well needed FUEL for the car. Today being amavasya my Mom-in-law said wait for a good day to do Puja so we said OK.

And that's the story of my car my dear BHPians. we (read - wife) has decided to christen it Kutku (short form of "Cute caruuuoooo" bengaluru stye)

Looking to plug in an hand rest, and something for Lumbar Support which should complete the circle.

Cheers Everyone!

[Anandg]

Exemplary and precise description along with funny style made your post really worth reading. Me too was busy preparing the excel sheet from carwale the way you did. However my primary focus was on safety and price. let me know one thing--why you did not go for Punto 1.3 (D) dynamic or emotion?

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by joethomasv

Black plastic on the outside? The door pads? I didn't notice any fade so far, the only damage I've seen on the plastic is where the seat belt clip hits when it's released.

Joe I'm sorry for the late reply. Im talking about the plastic on the outside. B pillars of the car.

Plastic on this area.
http://www.boomplustoys.net/images/J...ar_Garnish.jpg

On my car the plastic here is fading fast.

[anilisanil]

Originally Posted by Captain Slow

Joe I'm sorry for the late reply. Im talking about the plastic on the outside. B pillars of the car.

Plastic on this area.
http://www.boomplustoys.net/images/J...ar_Garnish.jpg

On my car the plastic here is fading fast.

How do you mean fading?

Some kind of whitish texture? It would help if you could post some pictures.

[Rubbertramps]

Note from Mod : Please do NOT type with excessive..........dots........like.......this.... .........It results in an eyesore for other users.

Ah ah ... Congrats for your brand new car and pardon me for saying that on the 28th page ...

I am in the brim of narrowing down a car for me... Confused between two... Fiat GP and Ford FiGo ... I read your whole post .. i mean the whole 28 pages... Now Figo seems to move up my chart quite , with a number of good points...

Now i was always particlular about Safety.. ABS and Airbags.. 2 queries for you.
Apologies if you think it can be answered elsewhere easily..

1.Does the ZXi has the option of having ABS alone....
2.Does the Air bag come with on of switch in the passenger side.. ?? Cos if you travel alone.. then u know..

[jayded]

Originally Posted by Rubbertramps

Ah ah ... Congrats for your brand new car and pardon me for saying that on the 28th page ...

I am in the brim of narrowing down a car for me... Confused between two... Fiat GP and Ford FiGo ... I read your whole post .. i mean the whole 28 pages... Now Figo seems to move up my chart quite , with a number of good points...

Now i was always particlular about Safety.. ABS and Airbags.. 2 queries for you.
Apologies if you think it can be answered elsewhere easily..

1.Does the ZXi has the option of having ABS alone....
2.Does the Air bag come with on of switch in the passenger side.. ?? Cos if you travel alone.. then u know..

Let me try to share with you what I know as of now (we have an ZXi at home)

1) The ZXi does NOT have ABS as an option
2) The Titanium does not have a feature to switch off the passenger side airbags (i'm not 100% sure though!)

[thereal]

Joe, It would be appropriate to share the Mileage figures now

I have Swift VDI and Old Accent CRDI , planning to sell my accent and get a new car, so exploring options.

Also any one noticed any HID kit modded Figo's eager to see how it looks.

[Captain Slow]

Originally Posted by anilisanil

How do you mean fading?

Some kind of whitish texture? It would help if you could post some pictures.

Yes exactly what I mean. You and other figo onwers have the same problem in your cars? I will update with some images soon.