[gemithomas]

If you really open the door and look at the area where the door handle comes you will feel absurd. But while sitting in the car i did not feel claustrophobic. Maybe its because of the seating posture. Not sure.

Seeing those pictures i just realised one thing. The car shares something with the Figo. "No rear Bumpers"!!! Is it some norm? Why do these cars come with such flimsy paper like bumpers that do not serve any practical purpose.

[Urban_Nomad]

Congrats Salbin. Bold choice of colour there, and truly fab alloys.

Question though - you said you went for "Samurai inspired" Plati wheels. Why did you not go for the Samurais? Was there a major price difference?

Also, any plans of upgrading the tyres?

[quadmaniac]

Apparently these type of bumpers are able to get "back into shape" after a mild bump. In fact, Chevy advertises Beat's bumpers at "5kmph impact proof".

I so don't want to verify that

[Sreespace]

I almost booked a beat but changed my plans at the last moment owing to certain features.

I would like to know your experience about the rear legroom and shoulder space for co passengers (3). Also, how do u manage with the the limited boot space?

I somehow am not fond of the Chevy steering. It feels too toy-ish.

Anyways, i was really looking forward to a user review of the beat. And u covered most of the concerns i had after seeing the model in teh showroom two months back

Cheers!!

[dar3dev|l]

the beat look lovely with those alloys !!! it just changes the way it looked

why cant the manufacturers get rid of rims and replace with alloys for all the version

[auto-one]

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

Apparently these type of bumpers are able to get "back into shape" after a mild bump. In fact, Chevy advertises Beat's bumpers at "5kmph impact proof".

I so don't want to verify that

Indeed these are 5kmph impact proof bumpers !! I have been infomed about this by a dealer. Btw , the Figo too sports these kind of bumpers.
I am not so sure whether these type of bumpers have been made mandatory by law.

[anumod]

Hi salbin,

Congrats on the new buy. And a good review too.

[salbin]

Originally Posted by alstonlobo

While giving your baby for the first free checkup, do remember to instruct your dealer to install the collars for the rear suspensions. And its better if you call them up a week in advance to check if they have the parts in stock or all you will get from them is nothing but excuses.

I told them about this during my ist service, but surprisingly they were not at all aware about this additional collar. Again after a week the same guy called me and confirmed about it. In my case, I took delivery on 31st March and given for 1st service on 7th - so no advance information could be given. Anyway since the service centre is only 5mins walk away from my home. So contacting them is not an issue for me.

Originally Posted by Musicmaker23

Congratulations Salbin on the great buy. The Beat looks drool-worthy in that gorgeous green. I'm glad companies like Chevy & Ford are providing slightly quirkier colors & not sticking to the plain-jane whites & silvers only.
1200kms in a week?! Awesome!
You're right the Ritz really does look transformed with a good set of alloys, seen a lot of white Ritzs with white alloys; look marvellous!
Your alloys really go well with the car & it looks like there's black accents on them too
Just plain stupid for the company to do this, it would've taken 4mm extra space to incorporate a regular 2.0 usb. Using an adapter no matter how small seems cumbersome
Do comment on rear bench comfort & whether you've found it claustrophobic due to lack of rear quarter glass.
Drive Safe

Thanks Musicmaker23.
Yes.. Figo has fot almost same colour.
Lot of upcoming cars like New Fiesta, Nissan Micra etc are with similar colour - including green Lambirghini!
Yes. The alloys are Black(greyish black) with machined outer edges.
Definitely they could have provided USB 2.0. I dont find any specific reason for this. There will not be any cost difference between MiniUSB and USB2.0 from the manufacturing point of view.

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

If I may comment, its nowhere near as claustrophobic it looks like / as its complained about. Just try sitting at the rear on a test drive. Yes, the plastic is there, but its situated 'behind' your head, and does not obstruct your left-right views.
But yes, it does affect the c pillar visibility to some extent.

Yes. I completely agree with you.
Actually head-room is slightly less due to the sloping roof design.

Originally Posted by gemithomas

If you really open the door and look at the area where the door handle comes you will feel absurd. But while sitting in the car i did not feel claustrophobic. Maybe its because of the seating posture. Not sure.
Seeing those pictures i just realised one thing. The car shares something with the Figo. "No rear Bumpers"!!! Is it some norm? Why do these cars come with such flimsy paper like bumpers that do not serve any practical purpose.

Originally Posted by quadmaniac

Apparently these type of bumpers are able to get "back into shape" after a mild bump. In fact, Chevy advertises Beat's bumpers at "5kmph impact proof".
I so don't want to verify that

Originally Posted by auto-one

Indeed these are 5kmph impact proof bumpers !! I have been infomed about this by a dealer. Btw , the Figo too sports these kind of bumpers.
I am not so sure whether these type of bumpers have been made mandatory by law.

Slightly better than Figo.
Now a days the bumpers are made with flexible material. The idea is to get the bumper deflect and bounce back to its original shape during mild impacts. We can feel it by pressing our hand on the bumper - it bends.
If the bumpers are hard, the mounting area will break and also the impact force will get transfered to the chassis/frame. Once the mounting breaks, we will land up in either changing the bumper or putting some additional clamps.
In my earlier santro, all the bumper mounting brackets were broken and I somehow managed to fix it with extra clamps but the alignment will get spoiled.
Anyway these are not mandatory, left to the manufacturer to decide!

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad

Congrats Salbin. Bold choice of colour there, and truly fab alloys.
Question though - you said you went for "Samurai inspired" Plati wheels. Why did you not go for the Samurais? Was there a major price difference?
Also, any plans of upgrading the tyres?

Thanks Urban_Nomad.
The answer is "Cost" :(
The Samurai will cost 4500 to 5000/ per wheel.
Samurais are not available in 14" dia. Smallest available is 15" - So I need to go for up-sizing if I have to use Samurais. I think there will be issues with Warranty in case of wheel up-sizing.
As of now no plans to upgrade the tyres.

Originally Posted by Sreespace

I almost booked a beat but changed my plans at the last moment owing to certain features.
I would like to know your experience about the rear legroom and shoulder space for co passengers (3). Also, how do u manage with the the limited boot space?
I somehow am not fond of the Chevy steering. It feels too toy-ish.
Anyways, i was really looking forward to a user review of the beat. And u covered most of the concerns i had after seeing the model in teh showroom two months back
Cheers!!

Rear leg room is very good. It is more than Ritz and i10. Actually the rear seats are pushed maximum backwards. So more leg room, but boot space is compromised.
Shoulder space is same as Ritz.
I hardly use the boot. So it is not an issue for me. I was able to just accomodate all my luggage(bags) during my trip to native. If it is hard suitcase, then it will be a problem. I have to make use of the 40-60 split folding feature in case of airport drops/pick-ups.
I liked the steering very much. Very comfortable to hold. It is purely subjective.

Originally Posted by dar3dev|l

the beat look lovely with those alloys !!! it just changes the way it looked
why cant the manufacturers get rid of rims and replace with alloys for all the version

Thanks dar3dev|.
Yes..it just changes the way it looked.
I feel the manufacturers should have some sort of tie-up with the alloy manufacturers to have more OEM options for the customers in case of alloys.

Originally Posted by anumod

Hi salbin,
Congrats on the new buy. And a good review too.

Thanks anumod for your wishes.

[quadmaniac]

Originally Posted by salbin

I liked the steering very much. Very comfortable to hold. It is purely subjective.

Me too! I felt the steering was superb to hold. Way better than my driving school Santro.

I just wish it had that golden Chevy logo at the centre that the LT(O) has. Makes it look so classy IMHO

[thumpmeister]

Hi Salbin,

first of all congrats on your Bea(u)t(y)...

Nice pics...Also in your KErala trip how was the handling and driveability on the winding Kerala hills( if you did go on the hills) ??

Have some questions:
- 20% VLT dark Llumar film is it RTO/ Traffic rules compliant?
-have taken a test drive of the Beat & felt that the road visibilty is not that graet..Im 5'9 and thought it might be a hindrance..but its probably an afterhtought as after driving teh Figo it really impressed me with the road view that the driver gets in it...
-bit confused between the Figo & Beat...have u driven the Figo..any opinions?
-How does the 3 yrs warranty works..what are the service intervals?

[thumpmeister]

Originally Posted by gemithomas

Great Review. And some real good pics. I just loved that steering wheel and the seating position and cool dash. I too had booked this car and waited. But the wait got too long and i went and bought the Figo.

Congrats. Drive Safe.

hi,

I am also a bit confused btn the Figo & Beat.which one would you suggest?

[salbin]

Originally Posted by thumpmeister

Hi Salbin,
first of all congrats on your Bea(u)t(y)...
Nice pics...Also in your KErala trip how was the handling and driveability on the winding Kerala hills( if you did go on the hills) ??
Have some questions:
- 20% VLT dark Llumar film is it RTO/ Traffic rules compliant?
-have taken a test drive of the Beat & felt that the road visibilty is not that graet..Im 5'9 and thought it might be a hindrance..but its probably an afterhtought as after driving teh Figo it really impressed me with the road view that the driver gets in it...
-bit confused between the Figo & Beat...have u driven the Figo..any opinions?
-How does the 3 yrs warranty works..what are the service intervals?

Thanks thumpmeister.
Yes. I travelled through the winding hills. While returning I was driving through Thamarassery Ghat hair pin bends and the car handled it very well. The driveability is very good.
- 20% VLT is not RTO/CMVR compliant. I went for it due to the matching looks for my green colour. It is not so dark as we imagine. Believe me, the visibility is very good - check out the pics to have a feel of it.
- Figo gives very good visibility compared to Beat.
- Both Beat and Figo are real VFM cars in 1.2l petrol. If you are considering diesel also, then Figo diesel is very good. It is up to you to decide based on the features available and your requirements.
Here is my take.
Beat:
(+)
Great looks, Nice looking dash & interiors, Climate Control, Tilt Steering, Stereo with USB, Fog Lamps, Roof Rail, Split folding rear seats, Spoiler..
(-)
Less Visibility, Less Boot Space, No Bluetooth, No Seat height adjustment, No electric ORVM..
Figo:
(+)
Great boot space, Good visibility, Seat height adjustment, Electric ORVM, Keyless entry, Bluetooth Stereo..
(-)
No Climate Control, No USB stereo, No tilt steering, No split folding rear seats, No fog lamps..
I think Beat gives better FE compared to Figo.
I just worked out my average FE for the 2000kms usage and it is 15.01kmpl - reasonably good.
@ rjvora_2000 & thumpmeister:
Hete are some pics of the sunfilm- visibility is good. You may compare it with my front windscreen, which does not have a sunfilm.

[salbin]

I did a thorough cleaning yesterday.
Tried Rudra Sen's DIY Glycerene technique on the tyres and black plastic parts.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/19348-post14.html
It really worked very well. Very easy and economic solution to keep the black plastic parts look new instead of buying costly tyre shine polish. Did the same on my Scooty also - my wife is also happy . Thanks Rudra Sen
Some more pics of my Beat:

[quadmaniac]

Quite stunning! Excellent pics!

[hillram]

I like the Beat for the rear door handle camoflagued in the door.just like Alfa Romeo !!!and makes the car look like a 2-door